Much of my time is spent working around the block. Listening to the birds, animals and occasional traffic as well as the general quiet is fine – some of the time. There are times though when a bit of other noise is most welcome. And this has been a bit of a problem.

I have a good robust radio that can do the job. I did destroy the last one when it fell off the tractor under a wheel but the replacement works well. If only there was occasionally something worth listening to. The commercials have too many commercials. Radio National has some good stuff but can become a little serious over time.  We don’t pick up ABC local radio easily and Brisbane seems to spend an inordinate amount of time providing a platform for the ignorant and ill informed. None of them provide much decent music. I will admit that I do now know rather more than I did about some women’s issues and have picked up some recipes.

Music would be good but how? I have tried an MP3 player in the past. There are issues. The ear buds are a nuisance. If you are up close and personal with the vegetation, you can spend a lot of time trying to keep the ear bud cords out of the road of random pieces of lantana or whatever. With the ear buds in you can’t hear much of anything else – rustling in the undergrowth, calls to come in for morning tea, branches heading for the ground. And I don’t find buds particularly comfortable.

I know this is a whinge but, on this occasion at least, my whingeing has delivered a surprise result.

I tend not to bother too much with Father’s Day but it does arrive relatively close to my birthday. My kids often combine to give me a gift and cover the two events. This year they have surpassed themselves.

I now have a stereo built inside a tool box funded by the two kids and built by my son. Good quality speakers and amplifier powered by a motorcycle battery all packed in material designed to ensure that the sound is pure and good.

I just plug in my MP3 player, switch on the machine and I have as much good noise as the neighbours and I can handle.

It is tough and well packed enough to be carted about in a carrier on the tractor, to lay about on the ground and generally to be treated as any piece of equipment that I work with.

To be really honest I don’t quite treat it as badly as some of the stuff I use – so far – but it is working very well and making working on the block much better. A great gift. Very impressed.