Summerabbacat

Besides fulfilling a necessary community purpose for homeless people, I love seeing old abandoned buildings eg. warehouses, factories etc being repurposed and given a new lease of life rather than being knocked down and replaced with some ugly, soulless cookie-cutter building which is poorly built and a fucking eyesore. A building given a new lease of life to accommodate people given a new lease of life. Very fitting. John/Christian and Andy would be well served by following the wise words of Harry Wayne Casey aka KC: Shake, Shake, Shake (Shake Your Booty) and Keep It Comin' Love because That's The Way (I Like It) Love me some KC & The Sunshine Band (actually love me lots of KC & The Sunshine Band).

Bobbi, a baby dyke, being beaten by a vicious, nasty older girlfriend. It sounds like an episode from the successful Aussie soap of the late 70's and the 80's Prisoner or Cell Block H as it was known in other parts of the world. Domestic violence is not only found in heterosexual relationships and men are not the only perpetrators. Finally some hot acton between Andy and John/Christian. Now the ice has been broken let's hope it stays that way. No more Fire & Ice (courtesy of Pat Benatar), just lots of Hot Stuff (courtesy of Donna, the goddess).

I have always maintained churches are a profit-making business and should be taxed accordingly, but no the taxpayer has to continually subsidise them. Another fine example of their "service to the community" ethos. Puhlease. I like your idea @raven1. Sister Judy Evans' boot camp for shy boys, or maybe Bananarama can help them out. They need to start out with some serious snogging I think @Mancunian.

Well done Andy (or should we rename him Butch) for taking on the attackers, even if your action was a little foolhardy. Would he have reacted differently if he had not had a few drinks, possibly he may have been a little more cautious. Hopefully his injury and the incident will be the catalyst for him and/or John/Christian to make a move on each other. Take Olivia's sage advice "Let's get physical .......... there's nothing left to talk about unless its horizontally".

Oh to be able to pop out for a spot of lunch, sightseeing and shopping in Denmark, Norway and Sweden. The only disadvantage of living in Australia is that it is a long way from such delights, although we do have IKEA, which I find an eclectic mix of well designed and well made household items and absolute shit (and don't ever ask me to assemble anything from a flat pack with an allen key). I have always wanted to visit Sweden, the birthplace of my beloved ABBA (hey I am gay AND an Aussie and we loved them and still do), would like to visit Denmark (apart from the appalling Faroe Islands) and Norway too (the birthplace of Frida). I think I may have been "asleep at the wheel" @Robert Hugill because I am not sure if I have forgotten or perhaps I have never realised that Owain is living in rented premises while the house he purchased is being renovated by Colin and crew. I think I have been under the impression he was living in the place he bought while renovations were being undertaken around him. Am I going mad or have I already arrived there. "But when Jo went to the ladies, Francis was asking me what I thought about so-and-so a waiter, in a way that was nothing untoward, at least on the surface, but had something of comradely element to it. I rather disliked the way he put me in a spot. Having been out since I was 18 and having virtually landed in every job role with it clear that I was gay, I resented the way Francis wanted to be both chummy and to pretend that he was straight." I am in total agreement with Owain in such circumstances. I get very annoyed with men who play straight and then become "familiar" and reveal their "inner gay" because they know you are gay. Most enjoyable chapter @Robert Hugill even if senility may have come a calling.

Personally, I think they should name the twin boys Alexander (for obvious reasons) and Troy.

The naming of his sons by taking inspiration from Star Wars. If Jim wants to call the boys R2-D2, C-3PO or Chewbacca I would think it grounds for divorce. Luke would be OK, but not Skywalker, Han or Solo. Or perhaps he wants to name them George and Lucas or Harrison and Ford. I have to confess I have never seen Star Wars or any of its sequels or prequels. I started to watch Star Wars on video once but after about 15-20 minutes I was bored silly. To be fair, Sci-Fi generally holds little interest for me, although I did like Close Encounters Of The Third Kind and the first two Planet Of The Apes films made in the late 1960'a. And I did like Meco's disco version of the Star Wars theme.

When "the heavens opened" and it started to rain heavily I thought for a moment it was going to be symbolic and herald the breaking of the bride's waters and the baby making it's presence known. I wasn't far wrong it appears with the baby having the good manners to wait until mama had had her fill of food and the reception was over. Liam will no doubt be a welcome addition to The Boot and it's ever expanding "family". The Major is quite the charmer and debonair to a fault. You need to arrange for him to find a love interest @Mancunian or at least a "friend with benefits" if he still has any interest in carnal pleasures.

Burger King for your celebratory adoption dinner? Come now Danny and JJ you can surely do better than that with your choice. Kate and Steve and Stacy and Max have much to teach you yet it would seem.

Emanuel Goldstein and Alexander Oxley, kindness and generosity personified. Ian and Kevin are reaping the rewards of their own altruism and chivalry. The lives of each of the four has been enriched from having become acquainted with the other three. A wedding at The Boot. Perhaps the joy and ceremony of the day will impact sufficiently upon John/Christian and Andy to risk humility and rejection and declare their attraction to each other. Perhaps if alcohol is served on the day, a little bubbly imbibed might also loosen their tongues as well as their loins.

Life is too short John/Christian and Andy. Grab any opportunity for love or whatever you want to call it. Both know only too well life can throw you a curve ball and suddenly everything you have or relied upon is gone. Follow the wise words of Frida and Agnetha, Take A Chance On Me. Good things for The Major and JJ appear to be improving the quality of life for both. Both deserve fortune (and this is not necessarily financial) to shine in their lives.

No surprises, Kenny's Aunt and Uncle were fleecing his trust fund set up by his parents. The question remains how did they manage to do this and will they be sued to recover what they stole. The Major aka Ox clearly has PTSD disorder and possibly some neurological problems. Is this the result of the PTSD or is the result of the alcohol abuse. which in itself is likely attributable to the PTSD Either way it does not really matter, he simply needs help.

Kenny has been thrown out by his Aunt and Uncle. I wonder if either or both received any inheritance from Kenny's parent(s) to look after him in the event of their death. Let's hope Jeff investigates this. I also have to wonder if he had the stammer before the death of his beloved parents. Now I know Beccy is pregnant, but fuck me that is a lot of food to eat for breakfast. I have never understood the appeal of pancakes. I would have to skip all of the breakfast except for the orange juice. The single red rose would be most welcome though (although a dozen would be even more greatly received).

Whilst I find it hard to be sympathetic to the two rock spiders who were summarily executed by other prisoners, I have so often read of the death of persons (mainly men) convicted of these crimes and of their horrendous lives as children, invariably having been the victims of sexual, physical and/or mental abuse, and often having lived in very impoverished circumstances. I have to wonder if William Matthews and Alfred Johnson suffered similar abuse as children. A welcome surprise for The Major whom I imagine will use the "windfall" to help others.

Perhaps William Matthews will join fellow rock spider, Graham Peterson, at Her Majesty's pleasure (as it was then). Bubba will be rubbing his hands with glee, not one but two new bitches, although neither is likely to be "young fresh meat", more likely to be toughened, overcooked and dried out. The Major seems to be well known in the community. He may have been a drunkard and homeless, but it seems that neither circumstances lessened his innate goodness and kindness. This story flows so easily @Mancunian. I have to wonder if it worked that way for you as its author, but for this reader at least, it is an effortless exercise to read and absorb.

Rock spiders are generally very unpopular in prison and sometimes their prison sentence is reduced by death (murder or suicide). Graham Peterson if convicted could well find himself in grave physical danger or he may become Bubba's bitch. Ian and Kevin were foolish to argue, but The Major was even more foolish to leave. What will it take to get through that thick skull of his (thickened by pride and obstinance) that the boys want/need him to complete their family. Stubborn old bastard I recall Kevin referring to him as, a very apt description it seems. I don't think I have ever heard of gammon before @Mancunian. I had no idea what it was, thinking it may be some kind of game due its name. I was forced to eat meat until I left home a the age of 18, although increasingly less so in my teens as I started to resist and rebel, and was exposed to all sorts of disgusting food (steak and kidney pie, lamb's fry and bacon, corned beef or as some call it silverside, and brains to name but a few). To this day the smell of lamb or pork (especially bacon and eggs) cooking is enough to make me have to close all doors and windows to try and block out the smell.

The Major may be a little bit of curmudgeon (although I suspect some of this is bluff), but he definitely has a "softer" side to him too. His naughtiness was all forgiven, and understandably so, when he stated “Thank you boys you have made this old man happy, it feels good to be home.” How this acceptance of their love must have warmed the hearts of Ian and Kevin. So Jason an JJ are one and the same. I expect Danny and he will reconnect, and I know they do of course as I am reading What Happened To The Baxter Boys. Speaking of the latter, I think what drew me to read it was its similar title to the British TV comedy of the early 70's Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads. I am almost certain I saw at least some of this show on the ABC (Australia's equivalent to the BBC). My family used to watch a lot of shows on the ABC and British comedies were always a favourite. Perhaps someone will lace Bill's lunch with crack cocaine (is there a rapper in the vicinity of The Boot?)

I am very pleased to see veggie burgers were on offer for the guests at The Boot @Mancunian as I am a 100% vegetarian (and often vegan). I got a "fright" with the appearance of Adele and Sue. When I first read it my immediate thought was that "the" Adele was present and I shuddered. I love me some divas, including British divas (Shirley, Dusty and Sara and Keren from Bananarama in particular), but bloody Adele is definitely NOT one of them. If Michael can successfully cover Bridge Over Troubled Water then he is doing well as it is not an easy song to sing. Many have covered it, but I think the original by Simon and Garfunkel is still my favourite, although I am very fond of Roberta Flack's and Dame Shirley Bassey's versions too. Missy is still a favourite of mine. Every time she makes an appearance I look at "my Missy" who is surprisingly sedate at the moment (I don't think she is enjoying the 35C+ temperatures and 90%+ humidity we are currently experiencing in Sydney, Australia, unlike Papa who is loving it). The coyness of Brad and Charlie was soooooooo cute. How wonderful of you to write two younger gay men who are hesitant and did not start fucking immediately. And love that word "snogging". It always reminds me of Jennifer Saunders as Edina and Joanna Lumley as Patsy in Absolutely Fabulous, my favourite of all British comedies. Keep the joy coming @Mancunian.

He was I imagine a fastidious and elegant dresser (as much as he could be in the military) before his homelessness. Would that elegance have extended itself to Halston, Gucci and Fiorucci? Perhaps not, but in yesteryear who is to say he may not have been "The Greatest Dancer".

Unless he is a good actor, I think "Mr Russ" is genuine in his desire for friendship (with benefits if possible) with Brian and Gordon and Toby is an added bonus whom he is clearly fond of. He has I dare say brought it on himself to have been treated as a sugar daddy in prior relationships and old habits die hard. Now that Brian and Gordon have clearly told him they are uncomfortable with lavish gifts because of the differences in their income to his, he will hopefully ease off. His arrival with two bottles of champagne to celebrate the impending nuptials was a perfectly acceptable act of friendship and was accordingly well received. Toby's compromise to settle for non-organic locally made cheese was a very good one from an economic and an environmental stance. Well done lad. I don't find it odd at all that Russ does not have a car. I have never owned a car in my life and have not driven one since January 1985. I am fortunate to have relatively good public transport where I live and also walk frequently, sometimes for up to 1.5 hours to from point A to point B. If I was retired I would be happy to walk even further, but time constraints prevent this at present. I vacillate between Brian: Taking Courage and No Going Back being my favourite of your published works @Robert Hugill. Each has its own charms and each has characters I can relate to an admire and characters that it is fun to detest and revile. Overall I think this is my favourite of the two stories.

Bill must have laced Jason/JJ's coffee with Rohypnol or something similar. One can only hope that he meets his match sooner rather than later. Perhaps Manny could foster Jason/JJ. It was mentioned he was childless, so he may be a suitable candidate. I think The Major needs a visit from Kathy Sledge and her sisters, apart from Joni who passed away in 2017. Gurrrls would put him in his place. He may even learn a few dance moves.

Kevin and Ian need to have a recording of Ward Sister Judy dressing down The Major and every time he misbehaves they just press play. I suspect (or perhaps it is more wishful thinking) that Kevin's unexpected outburst may have had an impact on The Major. He needs to pull his head out of his arse now and ACCEPT the motivation for Ian and Kevin's altruism for what it is - genuine affection and caring. Steve will I am sure, ably supported by Kate, find out what happened to Danny and why, and if they face roadblocks they may have to call in the "big guns", The Major and/or Sister Judy Evans. What a formidable combination they would be.

I can well see The Major taking Danny "under his wing" just as he has Ian and Kevin. His treatment of Beccy was as she described it, gentlemanly. Bill, the weasel, seems to have been a prick for quite some time. Has he ever bothered to contribute anything to The Boot other than his bitching and sniping. He should be told to live and not bother returning In Australia we also refer to car boots and the footpath or pavement. A trunk is what elephants have and a sidewalk, it sounds best suited to some specific type of walk to me.

The world needs more Jim's and Jason's, people capable of fixing appliances rather than having them put into landfill. Mobile phones are amongst the worst offenders. I have long proposed that tech companies should have to pay an environmental cleanup tax (which they are not allowed to pass onto their customers). Some people in my workplace laugh when I tell them my Apple Mac is 11 years old and still going strong and I have an I-Phone 6 (which I only got to work from home in March 2020, before that I did not have one and I was able to live perfectly comfortably without one). Now what is stashed in The Major's "special" and when will it be revealed?

Manny and Danny, two new characters from very different backgrounds and living very different lives. What do they have in common apart from rhyming names, they are both endearing. Kate and Steve are model foster parents. No doubt their experiences at The Boot will have opened their eyes, eyes that were willing to open, ears that were willing to listen, and hands that were willing to do. The financial reward - $0.00. The emotional reward - a life of purpose. Still enjoying this book @Mancunian, although I may have to retire for the evening soon. One of my cats has been unwell today, the likely cause the dramatic increase in temperature. I have relished the 35C plus temperature and the humidity of 90% plus, but my beloved Kiki (who is approaching 17 years of age) is finding her stomach greatly upset. She never complains and I refrain from ever chastising her for this as it is entirely NOT her fault.