Summerabbacat

I like the colours of the paint.

The detaining of George in Briar Lake for a vehicle safety issue was almost an anti-climax @mastershakeme. I had myself all worked up for the liquefaction of George and for Noah's possible death. I imagine a liquified George would be a very large and putrescent mess, whereas Noah would have barely been a puddle. I must say I am pleasantly surprised how readily Bill and Brett accepted Colt's revelation of Noah's treatment by George as the truth. Brett was the one who surprised me the most, it was as if he had an epiphany, something I could never have imagined he would experience, when it was revealed what Noah has suffered. I could write so much more, but suffice to say, I am looking forward to the epilogue immensely.

"He set the photo carefully into the KEEP box. Nearby, his grandfather sat on the floor sorting through a stack of DVDs. ‘What do you reckon about these, mate? You don’t need to keep every movie, do you?’ Levi shrugged without looking at him. ‘Mum liked those.’ ‘I know she did. But the question is, did you? Are you going to want to watch them again?" I don't suppose there is any porn amongst the collection @Mark Ponyboy Peters? Little House On The Prairie, Lassie, The Sound Of Music, My Fair Lady, The Ten Commandments, Little Women and buried up the back, behind all the others, Debbie Does Dallas.

Given Levi's church is led by Father Michael I assume it must be a Catholic Church @Mark Ponyboy Peters. In small rural towns, particularly those which are inland, I imagine the Catholic Church and the Anglican Church are usually the only denominations available. None of those new fangled, peace-loving, liberal-thinking houses of equality, like the Thompsonville Community Church. Why those dens of iniquity even allow women to hold positions within the church and allow "those" kind of people (shirt lifters) to join the congregation. Next they will be saying animals have souls and women can be of equal intellectual capacity. Sacrilege, blasphemy.

"The first thing Levi discovered following his mother’s funeral, was that grief had weight. Not necessarily just the kind you carried in your chest – although there was certainly plenty of that – but actual weight, which made your back ache after carrying boxes to the car, or moving furniture. Cardboard boxes filled with clothes, books, old school papers, and everything else that had been collected in their ten years back in this town, were heavier than he thought they would be. Likewise, the kitchen drawers stuffed with odds and ends, receipts and takeaway menus, linen cupboards overflowing with towels that smelled faintly of fabric softener and the life they had lived together." Wow! Just wow @Mark Ponyboy Peters. What inspired this thought? This very insightful juxtaposition of the weight of grief as an emotional reaction and the physical ordeal of dealing with the life's evidence of the dead person's existence. Stone the flamin' crows Alf, next you'll be writing Shakespearean sonnets with an equine twist.

I think it almost a certainty his friends, if he had any, would have drifted away because he does not have a phone @weinerdog. He has also probably drifted away from any friends he may have had because he spent a considerable amount of time looking after Julie and himself. His strong religious beliefs are likely to have turned off a lot of kids too, as they do Toby initially. A payphone in Australia is about as common as an honest politician @weinerdog. Now if Deborah Harry was hanging out in the booth they would be popping up everywhere.

Hmmm . . . seems when I posted the last chapter, a few lines of text got missed . . . right at the very end. I've edited that chapter, and also included it here as a prelude to this chapter. Sorry for the stuff up! No, no, no. This will just not do @Mark Ponyboy Peters. It is not the "done thing" anymore. You must never accept blame for an error or oversight; it is always the fault of someone else or something beyond your control. You could Blame It On The Rain, but Milli Vanilli already did that back in 1990, and look how well that turned out. You could Blame It On The Boogie, but that would be copying the Jacksons. You could blame it on Pauline or Barnaby, but that may result in a visit from their good friend Gina HardFaced Bitch, which would be a very unpleasant and ugly ordeal at any time of the day. You could even blame it on MJC, but that may result in him lodging an application with the Fair Work Commission, and after all, he does a splendid job most of the time. When all is said and done, I think there is only one choice to lay the blame on; travel back to the year of our birth and Blame It On The Bossa Nova. Take it away Eydie.

In this case it might be not until the fat man sings. Hopefully the “song” will be him admitting the truth of what he did to Noah in the hope for a lighter jail sentence.

I would like some of that intensely flavoured Roasted Tomato Soup please @Andre Delport. I rather enjoy homemade roasted tomato soup during winter, although I don't put any sherry or cream in mine. Roasted roma tomatoes, roasted garlic, thyme, ground black pepper and tomato paste to thicken and strengthen the vivid red colour; served with crunchy sourdough baguette. Yummy. I do enjoy hearing of the Devlin-Majors travels. I have not travelled much myself as I am terrified of flying.

I think Noah is in the truck with George because he wants to die; he thinks nothing in life can ever release him from the pain George has inflicted on him for 9 years. I hope my thoughts are totally off base too @dboggs9700.

I think Jack, Vince and Thedore are just tripping @drpaladin. Maybe they ate some magic mushrooms on the way to Beyond The Veil. And now they are Upside Down. Clearly they need some help from the stunning Miss Ross. This chapter rocks @Laura S. Fox. It must be all that hot lava.

Anne needs a battery-operated super-powered vibrator/dildo, one with a remote control and the capacity to add liquid to it for that realistic pleasurable "filling" experience. She may name it Squirt. I assume Anne is in her mid-40's to mid 50's given the ages of Neil and Charlie. I imagine at her age she would be able to foster or perhaps even adopt an unwanted baby or younger child. I imagine there is no shortage of children available for adoption in the UK, and if there is, perhaps she may be able to do so abroad. Does it really matter if the child is not a "blood" relative? Perhaps she could adopt a dog or a cat, although a cat may not tolerate her suffocating behaviour. What about a pooch @Gary L? I think Neil has the right idea to just ignore his mother until she comes to her senses. I would be very wary if I was Margaret in visiting her as I imagine she could lash out and blame Alex for having "turned" Neil gay, and berate Margaret for not doing something to stop it. Progress in the relationship too @Robert Hugill, with Neil shyly asking if he could leave some of his clothes at Alex's place. I must confess that discussion had me a little "misty", quite a moving part of their discussion. I think you mentioned this one was a slow burn, summat like the relationship between Alex and Neil, a relationship whose growth has been a joy to witness. I expect another top 10 placing in the not too distant future.

Laser, waxing, shaving or removal cream should sort out any "hairy" problem(s) which remain.

I think it is Miley Cyrus @Paladin. I thought it was a young gay guy at first, but she had a song entitled Wrecking Ball and I think it is her. She looks kinda hot.

That is sooooooooooo cute. I like foxes too; they are way less destructive than our species, way less bloodthirsty and way more attractive than many humans.

I have a very bad feeling Noah has set Colt up to murder George and to “release” him from the pain of the years of torture and rape at George’s hands. He may have fallen in love with Colt and decided to end his life after having experienced the only happiness he has ever known. What if he always is expected to attend these fishing trips with George and has lied to Colt. If this is the case I hope he has left a letter in which he reveals his deception so that Colt is not charged with murder.

Another ex-wife, another ham actress. I must say though @Paladin, Amelia was unintentionally amusing, the comment she made when interviewed by the reporter, Stephanie, had me in a fit of giggles like I had been tickled by @Ticklishboy30: "That's the problem Stephanie, I didn't find anything. I arrived ready to look after my dear Nathan. I didn't want him to be alone in his apartment after being discharged from hospital. I even brought along a casserole I'd cooked myself so he wouldn't go hungry. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that he wasn't in his apartment." OMG! What an extraordinary achievement by Amelia. She cooked a casserole for Nathan all by herself. Fuck me, wonders will never cease. I wonder if she can be charged with wasting police time and resources. Amelia Airhead. What an idiot. It appears Nathan observed a "connection" between his mother and Bertrand. Bert and Carol and Martin and Nathan may become a "thing" yet @Paladin. LOL. The mystery of Maria and Lachlan. I wonder what it could be. Presumably Maria told the truth and she is not pregnant. If she and Lachlan desire a meeting between the two sets of parents the only thing I can think of is to announce an engagement. If they are the same age i.e. not yet 18 years of age, it seems awfully young. Do couples even do that anymore i.e. involve their parents? I guess given their age it may be why such a meeting is desired by Maria and Lachlan. If it is so, I hope Natasha can pull her head out of her arse long enough to be civil and not make the event all about herself and her petty grievances with Martin. And on that topic, regardless of his newfound wealth, Martin needs to stop paying Natasha to look after Benjamin. I almost rated this chapter as "ha ha" @Paladin, based solely on Amelia's performance on-camera. I found it telling Carol referred to her as a bitch. Without knowing their marital history, I would have referred to her as a bimbo. Does she come "packaged" with a trout pout and a veneer of "cosmetic refreshment" from her forehead to her feet?

Very perceptive as you will have discovered. Displays of "humanity" at its very worst. Thankfully none of them are wealthy; if they were imagine the unlimited horror they could inflict on their fellow citizens.

They are hideous @pvtguy and they don't get any better as I am sure you have discovered as you have progressed through the chapters.

OMG no, no, no. This is a distinct possibility given Noah has been M.I.A. so much lately and George has been bitching about it.

I am so hoping something happens to George before Colt does the deed. A massive heart attack, a stroke, an aneurysm, hit by a speeding car, anything which will kill or at least maim him.

Do you remember them? Their biggest hit was Hold Me Now?

If there were Thompson Twins there would have to be three of them, two males and one female. The Thompson family is known for their dishonesty and abuse, so this song is rather apropos.

It appears he has few friends, if any, so I am not surprised. It may also be "convenient" for him to do so as he may not restrict his activities to fishing alone. I shudder to think what he may have done to other boys if any have accompanied him, either voluntarily or by force, on a fishing trip.

A most likeable and sensible woman I assume @Robert Hugill.