Summerabbacat

I have just discovered there is a town named Kandanga in rural QLD, near Gympie. Were you aware of this @Mark Ponyboy Peters? I like the name because it elicits images of kangaroos.

An interesting addition to the Killian Kendall universe with Killian discovering another "gift" he has which he had previously been unaware of. To say anymore would spoil the story, but it is a "gift" which enabled him to solve another mystery, one which took place over 150 years in the past. The usual quality writing from @Josh Aterovis such that one can accept the possibility of the unimaginable, the paranormal does not seem so extreme.

"Jordan, I was just about to call you. An Inspector Noel Lawson just called and wants you to call him back. Said it's important." Who shot JR? Geez Louise, this is more of a cliffie than any end-of-season episode of Dallas or any Richard @Paladin. My immediate thoughts were the Horse has escaped and bolted, Josh and Daniel's Uncle or Aunt have been killed, or evidence has been uncovered their parents were murdered (I still have not given up on this one). This chapter whilst mostly celebratory and joyous did need a "tissue warning", well at least for me @Paladin. "I want . . . . . I want that one day Kevin and I will be lovingly relaxed together the way you were when we came to the door." Another pause. "I'm afraid. Afraid that no matter how much I want that with Kevin I'll never be able to achieve it." Although it was not on my "bucket list", a bucket of tears was shed because of this one revelation from Daniel. I must say his revelation, much like Joshua's revelation in an earlier chapter, was exceptionally well-written, simply and factually told, and for this reason perhaps even more impactful than had it been delivered with melodrama. Another fine chapter @Paladin, concluded with a whopper of a cliffhanger. Perhaps A Letter Surprises in Paladin Paradise yet again?

Thank you @SilentandBroken. I missed that crucial tidbit of information, probably because I had assumed he was still on "administrative leave".

Clearly nutrition is not high on Harrison West's list of priorities for its pupils nor part of the school curriculum. I have made the comment before so I apologise if I am like a broken record, but the "food" these boys eat with regularity is disgusting. I am surprised they don't all have halitosis like Halitosis Johnston aka Butt Breath. Speaking of Butt Breath, I agree with the speculation of @SilentandBroken, he has been placed in this role by the Dean. His placement smacks of duplicity on the part of the school, a punitive measure for the students for daring to incite unrest. It appears Nick, Jack and likely Christian, at least, are wary of Butt Breath, mindful things may not be as rosy as they were led to believe by Dr. Redmond. Frankly, I would not trust the school administration as far as I could throw them, especially if the likes of Karen are still involved in any capacity at the school. I am hoping, more than likely against all hope, that we have not seen the last of Mr G. If his employment is terminated I hope he has enough ammunition to sue the school for wrongful dismissal. Another superbly written chapter @LittleBuddhaTW.

@Rafy, the wizard of wit, the king/queen of the one-liners, delivers yet again with this fabulously frothy short, replete with sardonic wit, but without a drag queen in sight. Beige has never been so interesting or so humorous. Read it and laugh until you hiccup/puke/pee/whatever.

Emily In Paris is an American TV series which may be the inspiration of this story I suspect @Tris. I have not watched TV for many years and have never heard of it, I just Googled Emily in Paris. Another of your delightful shorts @Rafy, with Noah and Matteo's sardonic wit worthy of any self-respecting drag queen. Daisy Desert and Delilah D'Luxe when they are not in full make-up, sequinned frocks and hell on heels. The standouts which had me guffawing were: “My Airbnb host left me a single, damp towel and a list of 47 rules, one of which was ‘do not sing’,” he countered." and “You know,” I said, “I’m starting to think this whole city is a scam. Maybe the Eiffel Tower is just scaffolding covered in tinfoil.” and "He laughed, a real, genuine laugh that made his eyes crinkle at the corners. “And the Mona Lisa is probably just a very convincing printout.” It has struck me before @Rafy, and not just because of your talent for alliteration, there is something(s) about your works which remind me of John Waters, and for me at least, this is a good thing, strike that, a great thing. In fact, I can easily imagine him including a character named Rafael Sparkles in a film.

A long chapter yes @ChromedOutCortex, but a delight from beginning to end. A chapter with profound growth for both Adam and Jamie and their blossoming relationship. They were so happy in this chapter, so what went so horribly wrong. The suspense is nearly overwhelming.

I liked Money Honey, Rock 'N' Roll Love Letter and particularly their cover of Dusty Springfield's I Only Want To Be With You. I did not find any of them attractive though, quite the opposite in fact. Apart from Garth Porter from Sherbet, Shirley from Skyhooks, KC from KC & The Sunshine Band and especially David Essex, I cannot recall thinking any male pop starts were hot even though I was reasonably sure I was gay. I did think quite a few female pop stars were hot though, Donna Summer and Frida (especially) and Agnetha, Deborah Harry, Stevie Nicks, ONJ, Linda Ronstadt and Kate Bush. What about you @Mark Ponyboy Peters? Were you lusting after Shaun Cassidy or Leif Garrett, or was it a "real man" like Kenny Rogers or Ted Mulry that got the pony prancing?

LOL. You were barely out of nappies when they were popular @chris191070, whereas @Mark Ponyboy Peters and I were both teenagers. There were many European acts who were also enormously successful in the UK and likewise in Australia, who were less so in the USA (ABBA being the best example) or barely at all (Boney M. being the best example). I remember Elton John trashing Boney M. on Countdown (Aussie music show) once when his star had fallen somewhat (1979 I think). I hated him for that. I have 5 of their studio albums on CD and 4 of them on vinyl. Blondie were also huge in Australia with In The Flesh, which was the year before they were with Denis in the UK and before they were with Heart Of Glass in the USA. They are my favourite American band, and second only to ABBA as my favourite band of all time. Deborah Harry's solo albums have also been very successful in Australia, even moreso than in the UK.

Compared to The Way That You Do It, it was quite "tame" and nowhere near as catchy. She held Alice off the # 1 spot, Smokie's Living Next Door To Alice that is. British acts were very popular on our charts then, when fellow Brit @chris191070 was a youngster. I dare say Mark you will remember Tina Charles (loved her), Smokie (loved them), Sweet (loved them), Status Quo (loved them), Bay City Rollers (liked them except for the ghastly Bye Bye Baby), Hot Chocolate (loved them), the Stones and Bowie of course (both fabulous), and the next year the incomparable Kate Bush. Halcyon days.

The question I must ask @Mark Ponyboy Peters is, do you remember her follow up single, Ooh Ja Ja? It was a minor hit, # 20 and 13 weeks in the top 100. She never troubled the charts again.

The addition of the year in which this story is set to the synopsis is most welcome @Mark Ponyboy Peters, as this sequel accords perfectly now with The Seventeenth Summer. The only downside of course is that Fernando was no longer #1, although ABBA had topped the charts again in 1976 with Dancing Queen being # 1 for 8 weeks and Money, Money, Money # 1 for 6 weeks. Early 1977 saw a song heavily played on Countdown by Molly in late 1976 top the charts, a song which was not a hit anywhere other than in Australia, #1 for 7 weeks. I am sure you will remember it Mark and @Paladin you may remember it too. Banned in the UK (the singer was British) because it was allegedly "filthy", a song which is rather apropos given the "little dance" Nate and Skye are doing around each other. Take it away Pussyfoot.

And no cars were "harmed" in the making of this story @drsawzall. A fitting end to a very interesting story @Josh Aterovis. As commented by @VBlew, Killian's "gifts" seem to be increasing with age, perhaps a coincidence, perhaps not. Looking forward to The Truth of Yesterday, with hopefully a happier Jake returning.

One chapter and I am a "goner", and my favourite MPB creation, Danny, and his beloved Jake, have not even made an appearance yet. I will be a puddle of pink poofterplasm, as opposed to ectoplasm, when Danny makes his reappearance. Best you have a tissue warning for that chapter @Mark Ponyboy Peters, although I may need a bedsheet rather than a tiny tissue. Most of the residents of Nimbin whom Nate has encountered thus far have been warm and welcoming (possibly stoned), apart from the obnoxious brat Cindy, the local policeman's daughter. I imagine he is about as welcome in the town as RuPaul, Trixie Mattel and Alaska Thunderfuck would be at a meeting of the Chickamauga chapter of Moms For Liberty. I have but one question @Mark Ponyboy Peters. Should not the events which are taking place in this story be set in 1976 rather than 1975? I thought Danny and Nate were celebrating their 16th birthdays in 1975 (the year ABBA became superstars in Australia), and this story is set 1 year later. If so, with Nate being off to join the army, Fernando would seem to be a most appropriate song to welcome the birth of this new journey of equine-conceived euphoria.

What about Dweezil? Poor lad always gets overlooked in favour of the Valley Girl.

Just remember @Lee Wilson, It Never Rains In Southern California.

Was she clueless @weinerdog, or was it a false sense of her own attractiveness or a sense of entitlement. You are probably right in thinking it was cluelessness, although on more than one occasion she was the quintessential entitled millennial princess who thinks she is entitled to everything because she believes she is young and attractive. 🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮 The rest of the cast thrived and all seemed to live HEA. Have you been smoking some wacky baccy @Lee Wilson, or did you borrow some HEA from the Queen of the HEA, @Laura S. Fox? Enjoy your vacation or is it a staycation?

Luke certainly appears conflicted about something, or maybe he is just an arsehole. Noah had his measure and called him out on his shit, but in a very respectful way. It seems Luke is the odd one out in his family, with the rest openly embracing Oliver, gay and all.

Slav is proving to be the very antithesis of the brutish homophobic tradesman, a gentle giant with a protective nature, one who has impeccable manners, a man of honour who has taken a real shine to Rory, and the feelings are mutual. Gavin may have been clueless about his own relationships, but he quickly sized up the situation between Rory and Slav and offered them both a sense of privacy and security. As noted by @Seraph28, the Higgins household has become a sanctuary for Rory, and I daresay is going to offer Slav perhaps even more; the opportunity to enjoy his little buddy Rory, to learn English and to be himself in a safe and inclusive environment. This chapter was the pinnacle of this story to date @Robert Hugill. It warmed the cockles of my heart like a barrage of feline kisses.

"He stepped out of the shower without turning around and grabbed a towel, leaving me to clean myself alone. As I showered and heard him drying on the other side of the door, he let one last cocky remark. “Always knew you were into me Olly. You’re welcome for the Declan experience”. I couldn’t let him leave without returning his teasing, hopefully creating an opening for this to happen again." An arrogant little fucker isn't he.

I have a female friend named Antonietta and the name Primrose just suddenly popped into my head, although there was a prominent female Aussie socialite who was involved in an unfortunate "incident" a number of years ago when it emerged her betrothed was involved in a gay relationship. It was a very public bust. Le Amoré because this was essentially a "love story", and quite a fine one too if I do say so myself. I find the joy attained from reading many of these stories on GA motivates my sense of silliness @weinerdog. The "real world" is such a divisive quagmire, filled with so many fucking awful humans, that seeking solace in a world of silliness is at times therapeutic.

Another triumph from the equine raconteur @Mark Ponyboy Peters. A story of patience, resilience and reunification. Former best friends reunited by adversity and injury, with the injured party finding the courage to acknowledge the truth of what caused their rift, the cause being the same reason for their reunification. Their journey to happiness is not all ha ha hee hee, with an intractable parent and the "friends" of one being anything but accepting of their new found friendship and more. As with all of Mark's works, the characters are well-written, believable and for the most part likeable.

Indeed he does @drsawzall. If it would result in the incarceration of Jack's parents, most definitely.

What a miserable SOB the Captain was. First he as good as murders an innocent child, then imprisons his wife. I hope his mind was gripped by complete madness before he died. A fascinating story @Josh Aterovis, one with possibilities the feeble human mind cannot begin to comprehend, possibilities which are no more or less absurd than a belief in monotheism or any theism for that matter.