Rigby Taylor

I'm so pleased you're still reading - not shocked into silence.

Yes - you're right - I'd forgotten - Ganga is as you say, marijuana. As for Sussan - I'm a bit of a pedant when it comes to pronunciation, and pronouncing Sussan the same as Susan is a crime against phonetics. There used to be a chain of Women's Wear shops called Sussan, and their advertising jingle was 'Buy it at Suzanne" but spelt Sussan. I am just pointing out the absurdity. Sometimes I'm just silly.

Your hot springs sound great - our government closed down the only nude beach we had, despite its isolation - it's now policed regularly. Your kid sounds like a true Greenie - fertilising the neighbour's lawn organically. Well done to him/her. Irony? Moi?

Thanks for commenting - I'm sure Lydia could be persuaded - she's a clever woman open to ideas and risks... but sadly, we have to leave her there.

Yes, my guys are more rounded than the girls. [am I allowed to write girls?] But that changes along with the school rules. When I wrote this I was thinking that women have plenty of cheer leaders but no one seems to be sticking up for the males - and the few who try to, get howled down and accused of misogyny. I think you'll like the girl Frankie meets soon. This is the last of the sex battle stuff - the story moves on and all this will be but a sour memory. For most of my life the only gay men in fiction were limp-wristed hairdressers, sleazy paedophiles, creepy thieving bank clerks, vicious murderers. Then suddenly there were lots of gay stories in which they're usually vapid hedonists concerned only with their appearance and sex. I've always wanted to read an adventure / thriller in which the hero was gay - not camp and queenly, not obsessed with appearance and drugs and bitchy chatter - but a healthy, active man who just happens to be queer. My other stories are like that more than this one. And they all have a particular social comment to make. You are wise to refrain from mass media exposure - it shrinks the brain. I actually have huge respect for the capabilities of women in every field, they are often more open to ideas and put more effort into their work than men. But they are emotionally and behaviorally not the same as men. They are definitely not the mindless creatures of Victorian fiction - they are smart, clever and reliable, but still not the same. And until we accept those differences, then relationships will always be fraught.

I agree about the lack of nuance - but that is the current case with the outpouring of denunciations against men by women who have been abused. I have nothing but contempt for men who abuse women, however, when men are publicly pilloried, their careers destroyed and lives ruined on nothing but an unsupported accusation, as is the case in Australia, then I get annoyed. For this regrettable state of affairs I place full responsibility on mass media. Nothing should be published until a strong case has been made. Furthermore, with all the media hoo-ha, I have yet to see the accused male given an opportunity to explain himself. His actions may not be excusable, but sometimes the reasons for his behaviour make them understandable, and once they are understood, then it is possible to work out a solution. It is time for verbal abuse to be considered as damaging as physical abuse and for women to accept that they are not always right - just as men aren't.. I created this insanely "politically correct" establishment to show the absurdity of declaring both sexes equal - without defining equal.

I'd always held a dream of Montana as the wide open spaces where life was natural - the changes are so sad - but inevitable it seems. About thirty years ago we moved to a quiet seaside village. Five years later it was a large commercial tourist and retiree destination. We moved to the countryside. Our income has halved but we're still enjoying our acreage. So far we've been lucky, but suburbia and traffic are encroaching. Forests are replaced by vast 'Mansions' squatting on acres of mown grass devoid of life, and Australia has become the 'extinction' capital of the world, regarding indigenous plants and animals. Have you read "The Monkey Wrench Gang", by Edward Abbey? A great environmentalist and brilliant stories. I recommend them.

You could not have written a nicer comment - thanks.

You're a good judge of character type - your predictions are spot on.

Thanks - yes, they're having 'fun'... as for Sadu - you'll have to wait for about twenty chapters before he resurfaces.

A perceptive, thoughtful reader - my cup overfloweth. 😋 As I'm sure you've realised, the story takes place in the not too distant future. I'm extrapolating from current trends and what I've learned from reading essays in ICH, Truthdig etc., about the current situation in the USA. As Australia is an unquestioning US sycophant ruled by the same banking cartel, my predicted future is looking increasingly possible. Money/wealth is today essential for independence because there is not enough land to live on in reasonably comfortable self-sufficiency, and even if one could find such a place that hasn't been poisoned by modern farming practices, laws and taxes will prevent any attempt to do that.

Mmm... They say all fiction is based, however tenuously, on the experiences of the writer - how could it be otherwise. I'm glad you feel the guiding is gentle - Some rude people have labelled me a polemicist. 😎

'More gospel of Rigby' - you flatter me. You're right about Sadu - eventually, and Sylvan's life is not without complications, and Con - being a poor-man's lawyer is astonishingly sane - I suppose - considering what's happening. As for the play....

Ah sef!!! Are you and I mental clones? What you write are my sentiments exactly. And so well put. Thanks. Poor Frankie - a trial indeed.

Interesting that you should write this - I've just finished reading "Fire the Landscaper" by Phil Williams - it's a true account about the horrifying effects of HOA [Home Owners' Associations ] and other local government regulations that are used to force people to comply with ecologically and financially disastrous rules that sometimes bankrupt them or result in losing their properties because they haven't mowed their lawns, or the lawns have died during a drought. Gave me nightmares. Here the only regulations are noxious weeds in agricultural areas and no lighting fires outside during drought. Ingenio and Con's place would never be permitted.

I forgot to click 'quote' for the above response. So I'll repeat it here: You have a connoisseur's appreciation for words, Sef. 😋Yes - mostly the good kind of trouble - eventually.

Refreshing - now that's a word that warms my brain. Thanks. Inauspicious beginnings can only improve - can't they? The whole world is obsessed with male aggression and violence against innocent sweet inoffensive females. 😎

You have a connoisseur's appreciation for words, Sef. 😋Yes - mostly the good kind of trouble - eventually.

Thanks for your comment. When a country keeps telling everyone that they are not racist - you can be sure they are. Our indigenous people are especially badly treated - 100% of children in jail in the northern Territory, are Aboriginal. The discrimination is horrendous. Apartheid is practiced here with special laws only for Aboriginal people. Shaming.

Weird? Too many big words? Strange people? I see you got to chapter 11, so that's something. Never mind, there are lots of other stories out there that will suit you.

Thanks for your comment. When a country keeps telling everyone that they are not racist - you can be sure they are. Our indigenous people are especially badly treated - 100% of children in jail in the northern Territory, are Aboriginal. The discrimination is horrendous. Apartheid is practiced here with special laws only for Aboriginal people. Shaming.

"She reasoned that if her sister couldn’t help take care of grandma, then she shouldn’t have any say in what was going to happen". Absolutely! It's terrible that one family member is expected to do all the caring with no reward.

The story gets better and better. You are a very talented writer.

I seldom like to read explicit sex scenes, but I enjoyed this one. You capture the feeling and atmosphere of the place and time perfectly. Thanks.

Another excellent chapter. The pace is perfect, the writing tight and clear. I can really relate to Billy. Very well done!