GREAT LIFE EXPERIENCES – LEIGHTON CLARK AUTHOR SITE
THE PURPOSE OF THE SITE 1.
Maybe the purpose is to create great life experiences for others? But perhaps that is a bit of a big jump.
Well, I have finally launched the site. I admit it is not 100% ready but then again, what will make that happen when you are crazy enough to work on six books simultaneously?
So.
The site is now up. Stand by for great life experiences. Or at least listen to some of mine. Listen in your heart.
WHAT IS UP?
The Crocodile Chronicles Australia.
My Crocodiles website is fully functional once again. I had an update issue last week (BAD BAD) and so I fixed that conflict – created a couple of posts too. Turned one of those BAD life experiences into a GREAT LIFE EXPERIENCES sort of thing.
This is one of my great life experiences for sure.
Link http://www.thecrocodilechroniclesaustralia.com
On the news front, there does seem to be a reduction in reported croc attacks. Either the crocs have gone overseas (maybe correct) or we are getting a hell of a lot more careful. Also Covid may have kept many brave souls with adventurous spirits and a short life (impending determination) away from the action.
But I mean how many attacks do you “gotta read about” before you think twice about getting into the water.
Actually the score board for me on the CROC WARS is: crocs vs Leighton is 0 to 1 in my favour. I don’t boast about that as the croc was small and the death did occur in pre-protection years too, just in case anyone is reading this.
But I prefer the score to stay exactly as is. I reckon if I am not allowed to kill them they should give me a fair go, forget the wanton killing that I brought upon the population back all those years ago, and give me a break. I do not mean bone break, sorry Mr. Crocodile. I do not want this to be one of my great life experiences.
THE PURPOSE OF THE SITE 2. ENTERTAINMENT.
But as to attacks and great life experiences?
This is akin to a pyrrhic victory, as to my mind the price we pay for less attacks is less freedom, less swimming, less boating, and so forth but more worry and more concern. I have not asked the crocs what they think about that, but your guess is as good as mine.
Great Life Experiences and Books.
I am doing the impossible and writing several books at once. It seems crazy but maybe there is method to my madness, or, in the alternative madness in my method. But the pleasure in living the dream and creating your great life experiences.
But boy oh boy, what joy!
The Sixth Season, Gudjewg – a novel.
My novel “The Sixth Season, Gudjewg” can be purchased direct from me.
Just contact me for details. Contact Page. https://leightonclark.com.au/contact/
“Gudjewg is my first novel and is named after the sixth season of the Gagadju tribe from Arnhem Land. It is a story about crocodiles and men, more so about one particular crocodile and the man who relentlessly hunted the crocodile.
Some folks think it is a great Northern Territory outback and crocodile story. I know that it contains a wealth of information about the six different seasons, the plants, the waters, the animals, and the insects of the territory. And yes, it is about violence and crocodile attacks. I can honestly say that researching, writing, and creating this book was one of my great life experiences. Of course, I have had hundreds.
If you prefer to read about brightly coloured grasshoppers you will be entertained. Those who like the violence will find the crushing victories sad, but understandably human.Why not read it for the sake of the unique grasshopper found in Arnhem Land?
Buying and Selling Boorara.
Volume 1: History of Boorara is now well on the way. COMING SOON.
I think that I can say that although not mine, there are some great life experiences in Vol 1. These exciting adventures apply to many people, thus too numerous to list them here.
Vol I will be followed shortly after by the other two volumes, but I might sneak in the true story, my story, of “Living and Drinking in Fitzroy and Carlton in the Sixties.”
Yeah, I might finish that off and slip in it before going hard at Vol 2. “Preparing to Buy Boorara – over 30 years.” This was an extraordinary long period of time and difficult thus to call it a great life experience except that one particular day when I achieved my 30 year goal and Buying Boorara was definitely one of my great life experiences.
“Living and Drinking in Fitzroy and Carlton in the Sixties.”
This story is almost complete. I am myself amazed at all the comings and the goings. I wonder if it is all true but I do have a good memory, some records, and some good contacts.
I am adding veracity and flavour.
Last week, I caught up with Maureen, my old girlfriend from the Fitzroy days, so long ago that I was then still in the army. We had quite a chat. A lot of water has passed under that bridge and somehow I had forgotten all about Micky and Butch. Shame. Shame.
But I did not forget even one of the girls – Credit or Shame?
I am also in contact with other members of the family. Sorry to say but many are no longer with us. I genuinely regret that. Even though a lot of those people were an old memory and therefore supposedly long forgotten. The matriarch of the family, Mavis, who I called Mum was terrific to me. In return I took Maureen to the hospital when required. More on that in the book.
The father, Ray, was a real character. I have some amusing and interesting things to say about him. It’s in the book.
Still it is a real blast from the past, I can tell you. I have uploaded a photograph of my best friends, Neville and Mary, who I say were the best people in Fitzroy.
Moving on to boats and building same.
“How to Build a 48 foot Trimaran” is likely to be the next epic. No this will be a shorter book.
This is another true story of my own great life experiences, and it is also well under way. For a second or two, I was thinking of publishing it as “How to Build a 48 Foot Trimaran in 12 Months” but I think that might sound too much like a fabrication or even worse a boast. So let’s keep the short title.
As to exactly how long it took?
It was a very short time unless you take it from the day we bought the plans or the day we built frames for the main hull. See we had no place to build the boat and a lot of other things in the way.
Read the book. It is a tale of hard work, buccaneering, rum drinking, girls, beer drinking, boats, debates, impending violence, a flagon of sherry and more.
The Life and Times of SJ Clark.
This is not my story. Or at least I am not the main character taking centre stage. My father looms supreme, as he did when we were poor little kids.
I had a lot of less than great life experiences during the lifetime of my father. Beltings and beatings. Being made to fight my brothers and then face up to Dad with his “I will fight the winner.” announcement on the loudspeaker of parental violence in the backyard.
Strange that for some years not one of the brothers could beat any of the others in a fist fight?
But I did get over that and eventually Dad and I forged a fairly good relationship. Like I took him down to get his prostate operation. I took him to the hospital a few times. I played euchre with him even when he shouted that my partner was cheating. He loved to sing and the fact that he welcomed me into his singing group tells the story of how desperate he was to take the stage and sing. He could sing. I could not. Before WW2 he sang on the radio – he was a crooner. Even at 80 years of age he sang “Frankie and Johnny” like a champion. The video recording of that was stolen from me.
But toward the end of his life he put up with my terrible singing as it did rather, to his mind, enhance his chances of being heard.
Dad’s story is a pretty good one. Think of it. 84 years of being Stuart. Well, I did decide to expand a little on his short history. I particularly felt that he missed a lot by not talking about how he felt. As the second son of the family I am in a position to describe how my brothers and I felt. So I will touch gently on some of the issues.
I will also hazard a few guesses as to how he, S.J. Clark, felt. I mean, to be fair, as young children, we were terrible in some of our behaviour and he was quite right to deal with us. Not that it did any good.
In the end, I did get to know him and I fully understand why he died three days after returning home from a stay in a respite home.
All of this is yet to come. But it will be interesting. The parents of my generation lived a very different life to our life. The Depression, the Spanish Flue, WW2, Korea, and at the end Vietnam. And of course much more.
Non-fiction.
“500 COMMON DEFECTS IN CONSTRUCTION.”
I have had a great amount of experience, sold thousands of new homes, built well over a 1000 and I reckon that I can list the defects, debate the question, and provide advice on how to remedy the problem. But then, I go one more, and I tell you how to avoid the problem in future.
You may well ask, “How can I fix this?” when you should be saying this is not a defect.
This book is for builders, architects, the people who police the regulations and the people who make judgements.
It is also for consumers, people who genuinely want to know if something is a defect or not. Let’s face it, with the current era, we see lots of people claiming defects, people who are backed up by FAKE CONSULTANTS ( I got that from Donald Trump) who dishonestly maintain the fiction that it is a defect . Then people listen to the voice carrying the lie………….
This might take a while but I do have all the material.
I say that a lot of alleged defects are not defects. I say that builders will be pressured into accepting that they must fix something that is not a defect.
I will add more on here as I go.
regards Author Leighton Clark.