Having written two tree-change books, Hunter author Todd Alexander has turned his humour to a universal theme.
His new book, titled Over The Hill & Up The Wall, is published by HarperCollins.
"You can't get more mainstream than the topic of ageing," said Todd, who wrote the bestseller Thirty Thousand Bottles of Wine and a Pig Called Helga.
"For years, I thought it was only my parents who had particular quirks like taking 15 minutes to fasten a seatbelt and mysteriously switching airplane mode on their mobile phones several times a week. When I started chatting to mates, we realised we were all experiencing very similar things."
At the same time, Todd's parents were having conversations with their friends about middle-aged children who were "sticking their big noses into their business and telling them what they should eat and other ways they should be living their lives".
"It felt like a great opportunity to bring the two together in a comedy book that will sound very familiar to readers, and hopefully encourage us all to laugh at each other and ourselves."
Ageing is often a serious and sometimes depressing subject, but Todd believes "doctors should be prescribing laughter way more than they are chemicals".
"Mum and Dad love the conversations the book is starting among their peers. They've always had a healthy sense of humour and enjoy sharing in-jokes with their friends at the local bingo halls.
"They're also happy to share some of the frustrations of ageing, like how to remember whether it's the green or the red button that will answer a call on their mobile phone."
Todd says air travel seems to "bring out a whole new level of stress for my parents, most of it self-inflicted".
"Why Mum insists on flying with a lifetime's worth of gold jewellery that always sets the security alarms off can't be explained. Dad needs a detailed surveyor's map of every airport so he knows where the nearest loo is. Every single flight announcement is met with a panicked 'was that us?' And, of course, choosing a slightly larger than normal bag that is more or less identical to every other one on the conveyor belt, results in 37 instances of picking up an annoyed stranger's luggage."
All this makes Todd think airlines should supply staff to attend to "unaccompanied majors", so "we can drop our parents off at the door and know they'll be looked after for the rest of the journey".
"I do wonder why the greatest insult our partners can hurl at us is to suggest we're turning into either or both of our parents. Yet the older I get, the more I feel that's inevitable to a large degree."
Todd has already started his next book.
"The skyrocketing price of building materials and labourers suggests I'm not the only person renovating at the moment," he said.
"So I'm currently working on a book about my 20 years spent with a renovating junkie, my partner Jeff. He's thrilled to bits that I'll be taking the mickey out of his passion for designer cushions, among other things."
You can share more laughs with Todd over lunch at the Duke of Wellington Hotel in New Lambton on Monday. Tickets are available via the pub's website.
Life's Better Outside
Sand sculptor Steve Machell will be doing his thing at Surfest this weekend.
He'll be in Jefferson Park in Merewether, which overlooks the beach, building cabins and a caravan made of sand to promote Reflections Holiday Parks.
The organisation is a social enterprise with an ethos of "Life's Better Outside".
So, on Sunday, Steve will build a sand sculpture that reflects the great outdoors.
It's true that life is better outside, except when it's pouring rain or there's a thunderstorm. Even then, it's pretty good.
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