Summerabbacat

I have spoken to Levi "off screen" @weinerdog. He acknowledged the error of his ways and was astonished when I pointed out to him that ABBA were an institution in Australia, as "Aussie" as Kylie Minogue, Vegemite, Tim Tams and Speedos. He had heard some of their songs of course, but did not know who sung them. When I showed him some music clips he was immediately drawn to Frida, making me believe he is definitely in for a "gay" old time in the future. I played him several tracks and he was particularly impressed by this masterpiece with ethereal vocals by Frida.

Just when I thought Father Costas could not possibly impress me any more, he does. He is a man, wise beyond his station, a man of taste and culture: "Levi had just finished edging the path. Father Costas was sitting on the low brick wall, a cup of tea in his hands. He was wearing another t-shirt with a band on it. ABBA . . . Levi had never heard of them, so he figured they must have been old. And why was one letter ‘B’ back to front?" 'Cleanliness is next to godliness' may be a good enough goal for most, if not all, in his profession, but not for Father Costas. He has risen above this, reached the zenith of 'spiritual enlightenment'. Godliness is next to ABBAliness. Father "Fernando" Costas. On a more "serious" note, "Fernando" once again offered wise counsel to Levi "Sometimes the most useful thing we can do is simply refuse to look away." Unsurprisingly, after just one visit to the Nathan Reynolds Hostel, the impact of the visit was felt by Levi,"The rest of the drive passed in silence. Up until that moment he had still been in two minds about coming back. The two-mindedness did not survive the stories." He was forgiven his appalling ageist remark about ABBA and his unbelievably ignorant comment that "one letter 'B' was back to front". You could have prefaced this chapter with a tissue warning @Mark Ponyboy Peters, but frankly it would have been useless. Even before reading the chapter I looked like a stoned, puffy-faced raccoon, such has been the hay fever hell in Sydney since last Saturday. With the emotional overload of: "One was small – probably no older than thirteen he thought – with what may have been a faded bruise still visible along his jaw. The other looked closer to Levi’s own age, sixteen or so, thin-shouldered, eyes that flicked away as soon as they met anyone else’s. Neither of them said more than a quiet hello, then disappeared back inside after a minute." and "On the drive home, Zack was quieter than usual. After a while he said, ‘The little one – Jamie – got bashed by some kids at his old school. Called him a fag and put him in hospital for two days. When he got out, he was too scared to go home. Thought his parents would finish the job. Police found him sleeping rough and brought him here." and "The older one is Callum. Same age as you. Dad walked in on him kissing another bloke and told him to get the fuck out that same night. Hasn’t spoken to him since. Three months now." all pretence to "manliness" evaporated from my snot-ravaged psyche and I became a weeping wuss. Outstanding chapter @Mark Ponyboy Peters, the power of the written word packing an almighty wallop, reminding most of us how fortunate we are.

It appears Shayna's unacceptable behaviour has come to the attention of Liona, Dr MacLarroy's officer manager. Shayna has apparently already raised her suspicions, and with the suspected link between her and Uncle Buford because of the "ghost" comment, it is only a matter of time before she digs a hole big enough for herself to climb in boots and all. She is clearly no intellectual giant as she did not even know how to use the 'Hold' button on the telephone to ensure Jake did not hear her discussion with Dr MacLarroy. River's fears he was in trouble because of the fire in the playroom were allayed. Jake revealed that he, River, will be working on the "build of a small outdoor storeroom to store the propane tanks and grills" with Rhett, Frank and Coop. I wonder if River will be as enamoured with Coop as Rhett is with Frank? Imagine the electricity produced for the bunkhouse by not one, but two power-couples, Frankette and Dr Who? No not Who, Dr Coo. It seems the age old phrase "no good turn goes unpunished" could, with a slight variation in spelling, be equally true in Uncle Buford's current circumstances. "No good turd goes unpunished" leading to numerous health problems now for Uncle Buford, proving there is "power in poop". He sure is in "deep shit". LOL.

Avon? Jehovah's Witness? Taylor Swift? Or at last, after an eternal wait, Billy Porter?

One might say he is well and truly bug--gered @drsawzall I imagine his "rectal retribution" is resulting in a Ring Of Fire. Quick, feed that man some jalapeño.

Smut aside @Lee Wilson, at the risk of sounding like a broken record, this story is sooooooooo enjoyable. Not just @Lee Wilson lite, it is GMO and gluten-free, organic, vegan, fair trade compliant, and most importantly, delicious and nutritious. You have really outdone yourself with this story; the characters are so well drawn, believable and for the most part, pleasant AND interesting. The tissue warning was warranted for me, particularly after the hay fever from hell day today, a day which has been on repeat this past week. "There was a small tree on the coffee table, and presents surrounding it, both on the table and on the floor. I felt a little sad because I knew there’d be nothing there for me. The Major walked in, “No peeking.” “What would be the point? You sure do treat your team well.” “That isn’t all for them. Just the six on the table. The rest are more suitable for, say, a fourteen-year-old boy and his dog.” “Really? When did you…?” “Mostly while Lieutenant Collins was driving back with you yesterday.” “Wow. I wasn’t really expecting anything.” The Major is rapidly becoming a favourite in the vast expanse of Wilsonlandia. It is not just the fact he is so warm and kind to Kurtis, it is his effort to include Dusty as an integral part of Kurtis' life which has me hook, line and sinker. What a charming and delightful man. Top of the class Lee.

With names like Anaconda, Torpedo, Cannon, Stallion, Slugger, Holewrecker, Awristofist, Buttbuster and GapPhilA, Bernie will be a different man, inside and out.

Voracious @dboggs9700, with superhuman stamina.

Hear hear.

I hate to say it, but that's what you get for trusting a Thompson. I thought you would have learned by now.

An entire chapter devoted to "salad tossing". What an exquisite chapter @Laura S. Fox; Peggy Lee has given me Fever in the past, but in this chapter it was Theodore, Vince and Jack. WOOF.

I saw the movie for the first time a couple of years ago and it really was atrocious, but the soundtrack is fantastic. The movie does not have the same "it's so bad it's good" appeal as Can't Stop The Music, both of which were ridiculed by the critics, both of which were very popular in Australia. An interesting bit of trivia for you @Mark Ponyboy Peters, well I think it is interesting anyway. A mint copy of the 10" picture disc single of Xanadu manufactured in the USA, sold for $9,035.01 last year on Discogs. It was not you who purchased it was it Mark? If not, maybe Tony Scott purchased it.

I was very pleased to read your response to my comment on the last chapter @Josh Aterovis, particularly "we deliberately chose to not shy away from Jake's past in this rewrite. We wanted to explore his trauma more realistically, so between that the central will-they-or-won't-they love story". Now on to this chapter; it was a pleasure to read from go to whoa. Dad (Buttercup), Brandon and Charlie; what a great family Kody has. Dad, similar to Adam without the bitch troll from hell, ex wife, Eve; Brandon, the counteract to Dad's intensity; and Charlie, Kane's gay twin, with even more chutzpah. Loving Dad and Charlie already. The humour in this chapter was plentiful, primarily courtesy of Charlie, with a goodly contribution from Nick too. But, the pièce d résistance was the following summation of Payton, the cosmetic catastrophe who is Kody's RA: "She had short, severe bangs, and wore a pair of aqua, cat-eye glasses right out of the 1950s. Her bright-red lipstick appeared to have been put on while driving her car into a tree, and the rest of her makeup wasn't so much applied as it appeared she'd plopped her face in a makeup palette and just rolled from side to side until everything was covered. Her eyebrows were penciled-in crookedly, giving her an arched, permanently surprised expression." A truly exquisite description Josh, one which had me in stitches. A coulrophobic's worst nightmare come true. 🤣🤣🤣🤣

My goodness @drsawzall; you must have been a busy lad in the late 1970's/1980's and possibly beyond. Your appearance in this video for Kim, the video for Willie Nelson's Cowboys Are Frequently Secretly Fond Of Each Other and your thespian forays in adult entertainment as Randy Steel, must have kept you very busy. I must ask, is it you in the yellow singlet in the video for this song by The Skatt Brothers?

Mine too @drsawzall. I usually have some idea of what a never before seen word or phrase means because of the context in which it is used, but in this case I really had no idea.

I could have summarised both their comments in two words, corpulent bitch. LOL. Of course, this would not have been as much fun as dissing her more. Her largesse, both in stature and nastiness, warrants a fulsome explanation.

"The public acts of service were doing just what Father Costas had quietly hoped they would – showing the town that the boy who had been the source of all those rumours was still turning up and still trying. He wasn’t giving up." Father Costas is a crafty one isn't he? I thought he was merely encouraging Levi to assist him with the lawn and gardens at the church to help heal his troubled mind, but it appears Father Costas also had another motive, to showcase Levi in the best possible light so the townsfolk could observe and comment favourably amongst themselves. I too hope Levi accepts Aaron's offer of part-time paid employment as it will give him further sense of self-worth and some additional money to spend. He has already demonstrated he likes the type of work he would be employed for by working with Father Costas. I also hope he accepts Tony's offer to volunteer at the safe haven for homeless gay teens where he will no doubt meet boys who have been discarded by parents/guardians who wanted children free from the evils of homosexuality. His grandfather would pitch a fit knowing he was helping young heathens and harlots, which in of itself is reason enough to do it. I imagine Levi will discuss both invitations with Father Costas, particularly the latter. I imagine Father Costas will encourage Levi to accept both invitations, particularly the latter. Who knows, if Levi volunteers at the safe haven, it may even encourage Jimmy and Dan to do the same. "The distance between him and his father had not disappeared completely, but it had definitely changed shape, while elsewhere, his friendships were slowly finding their feet again, and the pull towards Casey had finally burned itself out. His questions about faith and attraction, and what sort of person he was becoming, were still there, but they no longer felt like they were threatening to drown him." Much growth for Levi in this chapter, with many pleasing achievements, none moreso than the achievement in bold text. Casey will not be pleased, which should only increase the pleasure Levi derives from it. More love and more joy @Mark Ponyboy Peters. What more could we readers ask for.

"She referred to them as ‘collectors of the broken, the waifs and strays’. She had suggested that after the rupture in our relationship, ‘Alex Hanson the moderately successful composer’ might have been less attractive to them than the unsuccessful pre-Evan version. (As you might gather, Mother wasn’t a fan.)" Mother (Hugill) becomes more appealing with each passing chapter. “Something Mum said. I corrected her, like.” “But…?” “You work from home a lot. Easy enough to look after a kiddie.” “Jesus! Really? I thought we were beyond that. What did you say?” “Bit difficult to do video teaching with a kiddie screaming.” He grinned." Conversely, Anne becomes more annoying with each passing chapter. How she ever managed to raise two sons is a miracle. The woman is clueless. "Evan couldn’t come; he had a medical procedure scheduled. “It’s nothing major, lovey. Just one of those annoying routine things.” But they wanted him in hospital overnight beforehand, and if he put it off then it would bugger everything else up." I wonder if this is code for "it is something very serious" but I am going to pretend it is not.

I assumed Gallipoli @Howzat and you may well be right about his actual burial site.

Definitely. She has repeatedly expressed negative sentiments towards Shirley, Mannly and Bass, either to their face or in her thoughts. She has made telephone calls to Uncle Buford and Cletus, and I am sure it wasn’t to discuss the weather.

Ladies or gentlemen or anything in between “of the night” perform valuable social, physical and/or emotional services, and for that alone should be lauded.

A cumdump, so long as she remains silent.

Not financially viable @Doha, although some men would perhaps pay for her services. She would only have to open her mouth to speak and spoil the effect though, but I guess her mouth could be quickly filled to avoid her speaking. I guess when all is said and done, a hole is a hole is a hole for a pole, and some poles are not renowned for having any discernment.

That is the third or fourth time I have now read the recount of Jo's entry into this world, and it still packs a punch. I think you did right @Vcs to have Jo developmentally challenged from birth @Vcs, rather than a victim of abuse of some sort later in life which rendered him so. He knows no other life and has therefore retained a positive outlook on life, despite his limitations. I imagine his poor in-utero nutrition may also have contributed to his stunted physical growth to some extent, although his mother was relatively small too. It is a credit to Jo's grandparents that he was raised as he was, and that they were so well respected by the Native American community he had a home for life when his grandparents passed away. I cannot imagine life would be easy for someone like Jo in the USA, particularly when surrounded by such "enlightened" residents like skanky Shayna, Uncle Buford and undoubtedly Dixie Mae. It is rather ironic, that apart from his speech patterns, Jo is quite likely as smart, if not smarter, than Shayna, Buford and Dixie Mae. He certainly has superior social skills and personal charm. I think Shayna may be skating on thin ice with Dr MacLarroy. I can only but hope the ice breaks soon and she falls threw and drowns, or at least finds herself subject to Dr MacLarroy's wrath. She is one dumb salope. River's anxiety for the part he believes he played in the recent attack on the ranch, is perhaps believable given he saw the Sheriff visiting and equipment being removed from the playroom. I hope Rhett is able to set his mind at ease sooner rather than later. Given he is even smaller than Rhett in stature, perhaps Rhett can donate his "Daisy Dukes" to River rather than disposing of them. It may bring the lad some luck, he may attract the attention of a "Frank" of his own. Perhaps Hank may take a shine to him, then the two R's, Rhett and River, could each have an Italian stallion of their own. Neighhhhhhhhh.

Quirky characters, vile characters, liberal lashings of humour, teenage angst and quite unconventional family structures. Throw in plenty of alcohol for several of the characters, a pompous school principal, a stuffy and ancient school board, and one batshit crazy art teacher, and you have Self-Portraits. Read it and rage, read it and laugh and read it and contemplate.