howie’s halfpipe

Whilst curled up in my bed, dreaming of being a panellist on “the panel”. By the way I often have this dream! Most of Sydney was awake, and off to work. Jo French stayed over here last night and we had a night of frivolities, the late last night Jo arranged with Tinku that he would drive her to work. Now Jo works in Liverpool and it’s a long way from Hornsby to drive, especially if you are Tinku, you see I don’t think Tinku has ever woken up before midday in his life so not only today did he have to wake up but he also had to wake up damn early and drive to Liverpool. Him and Jo left home at 7:15 am and began their journey to Liverpool through the outskirts of this great beautiful city. The two arrived at Liverpool at 8:30am and said their goodbyes maybe even a kissy, then at 8:35am Tinku was on the road again, this time alone. Jo had given him some directions on the best way to get home from Liverpool, and Tinku remembered one of the directions was to take the Hume Highway. He managed to traverse the streets and roads of south western Sydney until he stumbled across the Hume Highway, it was now he realised “this is the way home” and turned onto the Highway, He drove and drove and drove thinking to himself about how clever he was finding his way home so quickly, he thought about what he could do once home again like sleep, I’m sure he was thinking about sleep. Signs flashed past but he kept pedal to metal and continued his trek home.
After the second sign informing him of campbletown exits he began to wonder if this was the way home? Then it clicked “this is wrong” he had hit the south western rural urban fringe of Sydney and we all know that if you hit the south western rural urban fringe of Sydney you are not close to Hornsby. The landscape turned from suburbia to semi rural to dead set farms and sheep and stuff. There was an exit in sight he could finally turn around and head back to Liverpool so that he could head back to Hornsby. The exit was Appin, a fine little town south of Campbeltown where the locals sit on the footpath in deckchairs watching people use their town as a turn around spot so they can head back to Hornsby. Tinku glanced up and saw a sign saying “22km to Wollongong”.

If it wasn’t for wrong turns most off us would never get to see interesting things, like how may times have you gone out driving and turned down the wrong street or wrong highway or something and afterwards thought “that was a crazy street” or “I’m glad we made that wrong turn cause now I have something to write about in my blog”. Wrong turns are an essential part in our developments as a race and as people spiritually, we wouldn’t know ourselves if we always went the right way we would be lost souls, but instead of being lost souls due to getting lost we are now no longer lost. That’s the problem with big city by pass roads and tunnels, it eliminates the chance of getting lost and taking the wrong turn there fore you end up having an un stimulating day and eventually if you keep driving that way your brain will freeze and you will die.
Three lefts make a right, this is also the case with wrong turns I think it is safe to say that three wrong left turns makes a right right turn. I’m so intellectual!

After departing the lovely precinct of Appin which just so happens to be the town next to cataract which is where Blackstump is held. Tinku began up back up the Hume highway towards Sydney but still a fare way from home about 78 km in fact. So its still early in the morning he could have been home by now back in bed dreaming about Hindi film stars but instead he is driving north along the Hume Highway towards the other side of Sydney in fact he is heading for the Northern Rural Urban Fringe of Sydney, he wont quite reach the rural urban fringe but he will come close. You see Hornsby is situated in a gap in the Northern Rural Urban Fringe, to the east is bushland then terry hills which is on the fringe and to the west is dural which is also part of the fringe but Hornsby is a bit rebellious in geographical terms as it is still part of dense residential zoning.

Back past the Liverpool exit Tinku drove but this time he was going to right way, the way home. Unless of course he lived in Appin then this whole post would be a complete and utter waste of time and bandwidth. So lucky for me he lives in Hornsby.

He arrived home at 10:45 after leaving home at 7:15. Not bad for 3 and a half hours, well done Tinku. Its probably the best way you are going to experience Sydney if you just get in the car and drive around, just drive down a road and think to yourself “yeah I might turn here” then do it, you will get lost, and you will find it hard to find your way home, but at least your brain wont freeze up and die. I just spat on the monitor, sorry tom.
We are all very proud of Tinku’s efforts and I am sure we all hopes he does something similar soon, don’t be embarrassed, its not embarrasing to go on an unexpected journey, its spontaneous and courageous. Its Mighty and Flexible. It’s not something to feel bad about, sure you wasted $20 bucks on petrol and lost an extra hours sleep but you gained so much. You are the hero of today.

So to all of you out there in blog land I say this to you.
Go get lost!