As one of those 'arty types' the world, when viewed through my eyes, is often totally different to how the mainstream person will see it.
I've met thousand of people as I've travelled my life's path, some have been wonderful, no matter what colour or nationality they were/are, while I've considered others to be little more than oxygen thieves, but the majority have just passed me by like ships in the night, virtually invisible and only slightly noticeable in the moonlight across the distances.
That sounds terrible doesn't it, but are those observations really any different than yours have been?
I'm now into my 60s, but that doesn't mean my brain is dead, or my body incapable of a reasonable amount of exercise, although I'm no sort of fanatic about that subject ;-)
I see no good reason why I should not live as full a life as anyone possibly can.
I freely admit that my hair is greying and I'm not as fast on my feet as I once was, nor is my body as trim, taught and terrific as it was twenty and more years ago, but given a little more than a brief glance you'll soon be able to tell that there's heaps of life left in this old dog yet.
Once upon a time I fiercely believed in serving Queen and country, and put my own life at terrible risk to serve them in three wars and other war torn zones as a military officer, but then a shocking reality hit me, leaving me stunned for a time, but once I recovered my equilibrium I knew the world didn't give a damn if men like me lived or died on their behalf, so I resigned my commission and hit a long and lonely road without looking back, making my own rules for my life as I went.
Throughout that journey I've learned many different manual skills that have allowed me to make a useful life while the arty side of me has developed and blossomed so I'm now able to make a decent living out of it when and where I choose to.
This is why I'm presently working toward re-locating into the Woodford, Qld area where I'm intending to build myself a new life, comfortable home and workshop-come-open-studio on a few acres of land.
I will have achieved the first part of the task before the end of 2015, once other things are sorted out, then the home and workshop etc. will follow within the next year, which may well sound like a slow pace, but one has to take time out from things to smell the roses off of the back of a horse ;-)
It's not an earth shattering ambition, nor will it set the world on fire, but I feel no need to do such things these days, just live a peaceful country style life creating beautiful, useful items using my craft of hand painting on natural fabrics such as pure silks, cotton and rayon (Better known as Art Silk) before turning them into useful items such as ladies fashion wear, or up market household furnishings, while enjoying as sustainable personal lifestyle as I can sensibly manage.
I have a great, if somewhat dry and warped British sense of humour, a pretty easy going nature, I can take as good back as I dish up in the P taking stakes, but I don't take to total fools and con artists gladly.
If you will then think of me in terms of being a maturing aged ex-Pommie hippy type, but if you do that you will have sadly missed the point altogether.
While I regard myself as being retired these days I don't like the term much, so still own and operate a small business dealing in ladies fashion garments, household furnishings, hand made soaps etc.
This is as much for my personal pleasure as it is for the extra income it brings me.
I could run on here for ages yet, but by now you'll be getting bored of reading this profile, so I just won't bother, but if you wish to know more about me you only need ask.
So, I'm here in the hopes I may find the one lady with an open enough mind and heart who may well become my significant other in time to come.
Time alone will tell.
May you all find peace and harmony with the life partners you seek here.
Stefan