Taxi! Taxi! Come on, Man....give me a ride...

Outside My Inside October 2026 Wrap....in pieces....

Nov 03, 2026

Autumn here in the USA. The leaves are slipping into their final burst of colour. They swirl in the wind or are blown around by the platoon of leaf-blowing humans here in suburbia. A chill hangs in the air; the clocks have slipped back an hour, and darkness comes earlier.

Halloween is gone. Día de los Muertos ends today. He may like the fish….but the polls are saying that America is done with you. I want the map to look as blue as that background.

Tomorrow the mid-term voting takes place and we are hoping for a blue tsunami that will turn the Orange Liar into the lamest duck President that ever floated in a reflecting pool.

Yes, he will contest the results for weeks.

October. In my land, Naarm, it is Spring. All over country…it is Spring. Sadness has bloomed for my loved ones, my family. My siblings were all gathered here on Long Island, where we spent our glory days. There was one missing. He was in Canberra undergoing heart surgery.

The Trio In The Middle Remain….Love Remains

John Thomas Busch. Our eldest brother left us on 28 October 2026. Now there are 3 of us. It has only been a handful of days since he passed- 2 weeks post-surgery. I have no handle on time. Tears, laughter, listening, trading stories, missing the family in Australia while I hold my brother and sister close here in New York.

We are all broken. Separation has been difficult. News via text and emotional phone calls have worn us all out. The reality seeps into us slowly. We shake our heads in disbelief that he is gone. Communication across the oceans is quiet for a moment.

Grief swallows time. Sorrow floats. Tears come easy and often.

My siblings in America did not see their brother often but when they did it was always a fine time. I shared the same continent with him for 42 years. Most of my memories with him fill me with happiness. Having been estranged for the last 4 years hurt me deeply as his health deteriorated. I wanted to help my sister-in-law and my brother through this difficult time.

He would not let me in.

This is not a eulogy. That will take time to sort through the moments of our lives and his. We loved our music and we loved our good times. They race through my mind constantly now. I wanted more. We all wanted more. So did Jay; that is why he opted for open-heart surgery, even as we knew it was a roll of the dice.

So this is the space I am sitting in. I’ve found a lot of joy in being with my siblings. I have also caught up with friends who knew Jay here in America. It has been helpful over the last few days.

Distraction and communication.