Covid Blog 43

I had arranged to meet Abdy at 9.30 am for a ride at our normal meeting point at the Tooronga rd bridge on the Gardiners Creek trail. This meeting point was established by my other riding partner Ray Taylor. Ray cannot ride at the moment as his bike is being repaired after an accident a few weeks ago. Ray seems ok but naturally he is concerned after being hit by a car!!!

Hopefully he will return to riding in the next few days after his bike is repaired 

Any after a good breakfast it was off in the cold air to meet Abdy. We rode to Williamstown to have a coffee in the park near the harbour which was very pleasant 

The ride from Willie north to Footscray was in to a stiff headwind then we made our way further north of the city via the Capital City trail. The wind turned in to a tail wind as we headed south along the Anniversary Trail to Canterbury which was good 

Arriving home at about 1.00pm I had lunch ahead of packing up to head to Rye. This is necessary as we have a strong rental proposal on the house at number 2 Helena which needs to be sorted out tomorrow 

The trip down to Rye was slow as there is a marked increase in traffic on the roads ahead of the relaxation on restrictions on travel 

Arriving at Rye I was in to an Alkira Zoom conference on risk and finance which we are holding on a weekly basis while the Covid crisis continues.

The call lasted over an hour 

This was not a productive day from a “ chores” viewpoint but I was pleased with the ride today 

Now for a photo of the ride route 

Covid Blog 42

Today was a cool start to the day with temps of about 5 degrees and a bit of frost in the air. The skies were clear and the sun promised to make the day a good one for me to continue the exterior painting of the house.... 

After breakfast I made a trip to the bakery in Hamilton st with a coffee to get the “heart started “

Returning home the grandchildren we were looking after were home for the day. Now that Chris and Jenita have returned to their renovated home Robyn and I will be minding their children on a more regular basis each week... today was one of the days 

Robyn has been terrific with the children on these days. She organised various activities for them including cooking and taking them to the shops for supermarket goods.

I was determined to make further inroads in the the painting of the front porch to complete the front of the house.... except for the second floor window and high barge boards...

I am very unstable on ladders at these heights.

After a break for lunch we watched the update from Daniel Andrews the Premier of our state , Victoria, where he announced a relaxing of the lockdown rules. We are now able to meet in groups of 10 and have family and friend visits where up to 5 persons can visit.

The relaxing of the rules are largely dependent on making sure we maintain social distancing, human hygiene, undertake significant testing for the virus and track those who are tested positively for the virus. Hopefully it works well as we progress through this 

After finishing the painting I needed a ride to get my fix for the day... it was a short ride as the evening was closing in 

Back home by 5.15 pm I had a shower just in time for the children to be picked up by their parents. I then had a Zoom call with the riding group which was great... we had 11 of the guys on the call and it seems all are doing well under these unusual circumstances... well done guys!!!

The call lasted about an hour and it seems with luck we might be able to ride together in person... would be great

Today was another productive day and it seems we are making the first steps towards the new normal life as we navigate through the virus. 

Now for a photo 

... a short ride today!!!!

Covid Blog-41

I was up at about 6.30 am to get ready for the normal Sunday ride

After breakfast I dressed warmly as the weather was very cool and frosty... 

The route today was along trails in to the north of the city then through to Port Melbourne and for coffee at Elwood 

Today being Mothers Day it seems that there was a real opportunity to get out and enjoy a bit of warm weather after the cooler start. I am not sure whether everyone was complying with the government imposed regulations on the Covid virus lockdown 

After the ride when I returned home we received a visit from  Nick and his family and Jodie and her family to wish Robyn all the best for Mother’s Day.... great to see them and still observe the Covid regulations

After lunch I took Robyn’s car to the car wash for a clean ahead of being visited by Christopher and his family for Mother’s Day 

The day was a good one for the family... especially for Robyn on this special day!!! It was strange to do this with the Covid virus imposed distancing....

Now for the photos 

Nick and his family...

Jodes and her family....

Today’s ride

Covid Blog 40

Hard to believe that I have been doing this blog for 40 days!!!!

Yes this lockdown down has been on for more than 40 days 

Based on the advice from the Prime Minister and the combined state and territory cabinet we still have a way to go before we get back to something like normal life.

Some states and territories are allowing some limited visits outside of home but here in Victoria we are in the strong version of the lockdown and there will be no change until early next week after Mother’s Day

After waking and breakfast it was off to the bakery to get bread and to sneak in a coffee at Zimt 

The guys at Zimt are doing a great job after the long period of virus lockdown... thanks guys 

I had a great chat with Simon Wheelton near the bakery where he advised he had taken on the role of chief painter in Hamilton street where he was painting all the signs in the street as part of maintenance... well done Simon

I then went to Cycleinn to ask where my Garmin radar clip was and they advised it was on the handlebars... silly me I did not see it when I picked up the bike yesterday!

On the way home I made a trip to Bunnings to pick up a few items to assist on a carpentary job... another task that I hate!!

I surprised myself in completing the task reasonably well !

After this and lunch courtesy of Chris and Jenita I then tried my hand at repairs to a leaking gutter which seemed to work as well...

Whilst all of this was going on Jenita and Chris were moving there belongings from our house to their newly renovated home in Empress Road.... yes today they were moving back to their home

This had mixed feelings for me as their family had been part of the new norm for the past 11 months with us and I will miss it ... but it would be good to get back to being part of a quieter life

After cleaning up the front yard ahead of Mother’s Day, Robyn and I went to Empress Road with some champagne and nibbles to celebrate the new home for our boarders for the past 11 months. The house looks great and both Cooper and Mikayla were proud to show off their new bedrooms to us both. The new kitchen and family rooms look great... well done guys!

After the celebration we returned home to a quiet soup by the television before heading off to bed

I forgot to mention that today was reasonably wet and cold and as a consequence there was no bike riding 

Now for a photo or 2...

The renovation looks great ... the kitchen and family room 

Robyn playing with the grandchildren...

Covid Blog 39

Today was a very pleasant day weather wise with temps on the late teens with a fairly sunny day.

After a 7.30 am rise it was off to see how my bike repairs were going and ... unfortunately the bike was still in the repair section at Cycleinn and I could not do a pick up 

I had a few meetings to attend to in the early afternoon and after checking with the guys at Cycleinn I was informed that the bike might be ready for a pick up..... yeah great to have this to look forward too!

Seems the simplest things are a joy!!!

I made a couple of phone calls to a couple of special people who have been involved in my life over recent years 

1. Prue Gillies- former Chairwoman at the Lost Dogs Home. We were advised today by the current Chair of the Board that the regulator ACNC had ceased their investigation in to the Home and we’re happy with the issues raised 
2. Dr Helen Drennen- the former Principal at Wesley College. She is now residing upon Northern Queenlnd on the Atherton Tableland and is now on the Board of James Cook University. She is doing a remarkable job in driving the Studio School concept which seems to be getting some traction with the people in government as a real opportunity for indigenous education 

This was very uplifting to speak to both these remarkable Australians

After this I was able to pick up the bike and return home in time for a Zoom call with Chris and Steve from the LEJOG ride to see how the Covid situation was unfolding in both New Zealand and in the UK... seems the UK situation is still very difficult with no real lockdown in people coming in to the country from overseas which we have here and in New Zealand . Until this issue is solved I suspect that containment of the virus is going to be a real problem 

The evening was cooler and a fire was lit to warm things up

I am looking forward to trying out the repaired bike tomorrow!!!

Now for a photo 

Bike ready with help from the guys at Cycleinn.....

Covid Blog 38

With the bike being in for repairs again I could not do a ride today so was up at about 7.30 am to get some bread for breakfast and sneak in a cup of coffee at Hamilton street.

It is interesting to look at how this part of Melbourne is being rejuvenated with local shoppers as a result of the virus. 

There is also a lot of activity renovating the old Salvation Army building and it will be interesting to see who goes in the premises.

After breakfast I decided to travel down to Rye to have a look at the houses and to pick up some firewood.

The roads this week down to the beach were a lot busier with both cars and trucks.... seems that many are making their way back to a more normal life despite the political direction to stay at home 

After arriving and having an inspection of the property I organised some lunch and loaded up the Ute with firewood. 

We are getting through quite a bit of wood with the cooler weather!

After loading up the wood I made my way home.... 

Arriving home I had some willing help from Cooper and Mikayla to unload the wood to the wood pile... great to have help 

After this I took the grandchildren on a bike ride around the streets near home which was good although there was a few hills to climb and the wind was getting up. The weather was quite warm with temps of about 20 degrees 

It was a good day with plenty of variety and much done

Now for the photos 

The Ute loaded up with firewood..

The wood pile at Rye.... it is going down!!

Bike riding on the local streets!!

Covid Blog 37

Here we are at the end of another day!!!

I was up at about 7.00 am with a brief look at the news before having breakfast 

I was able to look after Mikayla at breakfast whilst Jenita took Cooper to kindergarten.

After this it was off on a bike ride to meet Abdy for a ride up the 1:20 road to Sassafras. The weather at the start of the ride was relatively cool but as the day wore on it warmed up nicely.

The route took us along the rail line to Heathdale railway station then along the Eastlink trail to the Dandenong Creek trail to Bayswater and on up to the Basin... all good but pretty much uphill most of the way.

After a short break it was time to do the 7 km climb up the 1:20 to Sassafras.... the ride for me was made much worse as the terrible noise in the crank returned again which was most disconcerning as I made my way up the hill.... yuck!

Arriving at the top after climbing for about 30 Minuit was great to have another drink and short rest before the decent which took 10 minutes....

At the Basin Abdy and I had a coffee in the park and were fortunate to meet a couple of other riders who were formerly from Whitehorse Cyclists... good to have a chat 

After the coffee we had a good trip home despite the wind which started to blow reasonably strongly as we made our way.

We arrived at the end of the ride at about 1.30pm and we both remarked how we enjoyed the ride.

Arriving home I had lunch and made my way to the bike shop to get the crank sorted out again... I am sure the problem will be found by my friends at Cycleinn.

After this I made a visit to Alkira to have a chat with the CEO Lisa Sawatzky to see how the Board communication I prepared had been received by our community.... seems it is getting a great response.

After this I made a visit to the building site of the new Alkira Springfield project where the base slab had just been poured.... looks great!!!

After this it was home to light the fire ahead of a Zoom call with my mates from The Australian Club. Great to catch up with the guys who seem to be doing well in these interesting times 

All in all a good day of exercise and achievement 

Now for the photos ....

Abdy at Sassafras after the climb 

He looks like ho could do it again!!!

The foundation slab at the Alkira Springfield project 

Great to have this project underway...

Today’s ride...

Covid Blog 36

Yes today was a great start to the day with a bit of fog and cooler weather. The day promised to be better after the fog cleared to a lot of sun and some warmth 

After breakfast I took Cooper to kindergarten with a drop off at the gate. Seems with Covid you are not allowed in to the premises and everyone need to be temperature tested at the gate.... I suspect that this will be the new norm for the future.

After dropping Cooper off it was back home to sort out some of the painting tasks to complete the job along the driveway to the garage.... yes it was a bit fiddling but the job was complete by about 2.00pm. 

I had a late lunch courtesy of Anne’s Pantry and decided to go on a short ride. After a few kms the bike was making a terrible noise in the crank area so I made a decision to visit the guys at Cycleinn to see what the issue was. The guys were terrific and after a wait of about an hour and a half the bike was fixed. Seems that the issue was a slightly off centre install of the bearing in the pedal crank.

Great to have it fixed and the guys were most magnificent in getting the job done!

The ride home was partly in the dark and I arrived home at about 6.00 pm when it was dark.... gosh I hate the short days of Autumn and winter.

Arriving home Robyn was feeding the children with help from Neat and I helped with getting the fire alight to provide some warmth as the weather cooled.

In some ways the day was productive and I managed a ride...

Now for a few photos...

Garage door now done.... looks great!

My bike in the repair shop at Cycleinn...

Today’s ride

Covid Blog 35

Sorry about the numbering on the blog yesterday... seems that I cannot add up properly. Bad for a “ bean counter”!!!

Yes despite this I was awake late again at 7.30 am again!

Seems that the cooler weather is making me very lazy

Yes after waking and dressing I went to Hamilton street to pick up some fresh bread and have a coffee.

Good to have an early morning coffee!

On the way home I was able to catch up with my friend David Crow on his way to the train to the city... good to have a chat and see he and his family are doing well.

After arriving home the grandchildren were up and we had breakfast together.

The morning was spent doing a few chores around home and paperwork 

Looking after Cooper and Mikayla was ok as they seemed focused on either their IPads or watching TV

After lunch it was off for a ride in the cooler weather. I met my friend Abdy and we had a good ride of about 60 kms 

On the way home we saw my son Nick on the bike path with his 3 daughters... out for a bit of fresh air after a day of home schooling.

Arriving home I then took Cooper and Mikayla for a ride locally near home. Good for the 2 children to get out of the house for a time.

Then it was time for a Zoom meeting with my friend in New Zealand...Chris... unfortunately the friend from the UK Steve was unavailable for the call.It was good to catch up and see how he was coping with the Covid lockdown in New Zealand 

We plan on doing this on a monthly basis...

Today was a good day but on the ride it was clear that there is more cars on the road with people seemingly seeing the lower number of cases of Covid as a sign to get back to work. I sincerely hope that this attitude is not misplaced 

Now for a photo 

Today’s ride

Covid Blog 33

I was awake at about 6.30 am to get ready for the normal Sunday ride this morning ...

The weather had improved somewhat with no rain and yes a little bit of sunshine..

It was however quite cool so I had to rug up a bit... I had some new long fingered gloves courtesy of a birthday gift from Catherine, Nick and the kids... all good thankfully 

After breakfast it was off on the ride down Warrigal road to Mordy and then back along Beach road to Charman road.

The ride was about 30 kms before coffee at Sandringham at a coffee shop that serves great coffee. We have called this Frank’s coffee shop after one of the guys in our riding group who discovered the shop.

Another great coffee was followed by a fast ride home and after 52 kms I was home at about 11.00 am!

So after cleaning the bike it was time to clean up the front and back yards by mowing lawns, raking up leaves and generally making the place look great. In some ways I enjoy the tidy up process as it provides an enjoyable opportunity to see real progress in a short time frame.

After this it was on the cleaning the pool now that we have given the pool maintenance company the flick

After all of this it was pleasing to finish shortly before the darkness set in for the evening 

The day was quite productive and it was good not to do any painting for a change!

The latest on the virus is that we are still in the lockdown and there’s pressure by some to try and open schools for students. Some states in Australia are opening schools but in Victoria we are staying closed for the time being as the risk of virus spread is too great. To emphasise this we had a case today of a teacher in a school in the northern suburbs who contracted the virus....

Now for a few photos...

My new gloves ... great to have warm fingers!

The back yard looks tidy!

..... and the front yard too!

Today’s ride 

Covid Blog 33

Today was a wet start to the day.... we have had a really wet start to the year . We have had more rain in the first 4 months than we had in the whole of 2019.... and the first couple of days in May have been raining and cold.

Anyway after a later start due to the rain and the fact that it prevented me from the normal early morning ride on Saturday morning, it was good to make my way to the Mont Albert shops for a coffee and to get bread from my favourite bakery Breadstreet. David Winter runs a great local bakery with very good bread. He also supports a lot of the locals with delivering food to those who are housebound with the Covid virus... a truly magnificent contribution to the local area!

After coffee and purchases of bread it was home to have breakfast...

The weather cleared a bit so I decided to try my hand at painting down the side of the house and to finish off the garage door. Chris organised taping up the beading on the garage door so I could paint with an assurance that spills did not matter.....

In this world of painting it seems that for the fiddily bits you are either a “taper or a scraper” ... that is to say you either tape the windows or carefully paint along edges then scrape off the bits where there are over painting...

Having done the garage door it was good to get on with the area around the back door where there is a Perspex veranda. All very fiddling really and the job took most of the afternoon.

In the midst of this it really started to rain and although I was  under cover I needed to be careful not to paint areas which were exposed to the weather 

After finishing the painting and cleaning up I decided to have a look at the renovation job on Chris and Jenita’s house. It looks great and the home heating now works which means there is every likelihood they will be moving back to their home in the coming week or so.

From a virus perspective it seems that the focus now is on discussion about how we emerge from the current lockdown and how we deal with social distancing when the guidelines are relaxed. Some of The Australian States are relaxing movements and abilities to meet with others for picnics and convening on beaches and parks. The state of Victoria where I live is taking a very conservative approach with a delay on relaxing the rules for the time being... I think this is a good thing as the so called second wave of infection really is a concern 

Anyway we need good strong leadership in these times and it seems that we have this with our state leader in Daniel Andrews. His popularity in this time of trouble is at an all time high 

The day was productive but the weather was very wet....

All good for the water storages after the drought of the past couple of years 

Now for the photos 

Snow at Mt Buller....

Painting the beading on the garage door... you can see I am a taper for this... I am a scraper for windows....

The veranda is done!!!

Covid Blog 32

Today was a real rest day with no riding and really no work done around the house 

The weather was terrible with rain and cold winds nearly all day!

The morning was spent catching up on paperwork at home and a lunchtime meeting with the Finance Risk Investment and Property committee at Alkira. We are conducting weekly meetings with this group to see how Alkira is dealing with the Covid-19 risk. Alkira looks after about 200 people with intellectual disabilities and has a staff including volunteers of over 100, so the virus risk management is really critical. 

The team at Alkira are doing a great job so far and with measures put in place we hope we can emerge from this okay... time will tell!

After the meeting I returned home and enjoyed the afternoon on the couch and sorting out the firewood for the afternoon and evening fire.... gosh it was cold.

As you will remember, I had my bike in for the anniversary service and it was ready at about 6.00 pm... so I picked it up from Cycleinn at that time. The boys have done another great job and the major item was getting a new bottom bracket... 

I am looking forward to getting back on the bike again after 3 days of rest 

A good day which although was not productive reflected a new need for rest

A photo ....or 2!!!

My serviced bike on the rack at home!

The new bottom bracket... yeh!

Covid Blog 31

Today I had a sleep in until 8.00 am ... really good to wake up with the fresh air after a good rain period.. the air somehow seems cleaner and heavier!

It was good to enjoy the morning breakfast with a view out over the back veranda. 

After breakfast I tidied up the house and loaded the back of the Ute with wood from the pile in the backyard of number 2

We seem to be using a lot of wood in the fire at home at Kenmare Street this early in the cooler months of the year!

After loading the Ute it was time to head home. The traffic was light on the roads with many still staying home based on the advice from the government.

When I got home I took my bike down to Cycleinn to get it’s annual service. The guys there are very good and although they are working in difficult circumstances with the virus, they seem very busy.

When I got home it was time to unload the wood from the Ute.... luckily I had some help from my grandson Cooper.... all good to get this done between rain showers.

The work done we had a good rest and readied ourselves for the lighting the fire and dinner...

It was a light day work wise today with riding on the bike and in a funny sort of way I missed it!!!

Now for a photo or 2

Selfie with my helper .... 

Cooper in front of the wood pile 

Covid Blog 30

Yes here we are again 30 days after starting this blog...

It seems strange that we have been going through this for over 30 days.... I am hoping that this will not last another 30 days but I am not confident!

Today I was up early to travel to Rye to install a new stove in the rental property...

The trip down to Rye from Melbourne was relatively quick with very few cars and trucks on the road.

Arriving at Rye the weather was relatively good although there was heavy cloud cover. A coffee at the beach was delightful and good to get the blood flowing for the day...

After arriving back at the house I was met by the guy assigned to install the stove which was great .... and then after inspecting the wiring I was informed that he did not have the required wiring to install the stove..... bugger!!!

So after removing the hot plates in the house the electrician advised he would have come back on another day to install the stove....

Ah well that’s the way it goes...

After this I decided to mow and tidy up the yard in the rental property whilst the rain held off. It was good exercise and enjoyable to be outside.

After completing the tidy up I headed to Bunnings to get some timber to block up the hole in the bench where the old disconnected hot plates were... all very concerning and challenging  for a terrible handyman like me!!

I think it might work as a chopping board station!!!anyway let’s see.

A brief lunch at the local shops “on the move” then I traveled back to Rye to see if my idea might work.... I think it might???

On the way home it started to rain and got quite cold ... the rain continued all afternoon and is still going now at 9.00 pm as I write this blog 

The afternoon was spent on the couch with me watching the news and catching a few minutes of “shut eye”!!!

After a time I got a few supplies for meals at the local shops and was later joined by one of the neighbours at Rye for a chat.... observing the social distancing rules.

After this it was time for dinner 

A good day but frustrating in that the stove install is somewhat delayed...

There was no ride today as there will be for most of this week as the weather is terrible and my bike goes in for its annual service 

Now for the photos 

A good shot of the coming storm from the north over Port Philip Bay

Job done ... the yard is tidy...

... as for the stove installation .... well less said the better!

Covid Blog 29

I am sitting here on the couch at 3.20 am on 29 April doing the blog for the 28th April.... very sad really as I forgot to do it in the “normal “ evening timeframe... I could not sleep after waking with a fright that I had forgotten to do the blog!!!

Any the day was a good one although it was not a riding day...

I had a bit of a sleep in this morning which was good and after breakfast it was off for coffee to get the day underway 

The plan was to continue the painting project at Kenmare Street with help from Chris 

All good with preparation work complete I was able to complete most of the side of the house. Surprising how another pair of hands really makes the going a lot faster and more efficient.

It is also a lot safer for me as I really struggle doing the higher painting work as my balance on ladders is terrible... a function of old age I guess.

During the day I checked in with Ray by text following the accident yesterday. Seems he is ok which is great 

He also advised that he has taken his bike to Cycleinn for repairs.... my bike goes in for a service later this week as well.

From a Covid 19 viewpoint the day was a good one with very few new cases in Australia and only 1 death from the virus. There is increasing pressure from the more “right wing” press to relax the current restrictions on the community particularly with schools... the State Government is resisting the pressure at this stage as they are anxious about a potential for a “second wave” of cases if the restrictions are relaxed to early. The plan is to increase testing substantially and to have tracing capabilities increased through the new Covid App. I, like many others agree with the government that we should listen to the scientists on this matter and stay the course 

This evening I chaired an Alkira Board meeting which was quite successful even though it was conducted via Zoom. Be good when we can connect in the normal way in the future 

Today I have no photos but will make up for this tomorrow 

Covid Blog 28

What an eventful day I had today.... as you will read from this blog 

It started with a late wake at about 7.45 am with a look at the television to see what was happening with the virus and it was great news with very few new cases in Australia and only 1 in the last 24 hours in Victoria.

After breakfast we were delighted to see my daughter and a couple of her children as they made their way to the doctor for flu injections... it was all done with proper social distancing rules

After they left it was time to finish another stage in the exterior painting job at home. Yes with good weather it was relatively easy to get the painting done well prior to lunch.

After lunch it was on to the bike for a shorter ride.... you would not believe it but I happened to meet Ray and another guy on the bike path which was great. We agreed to stay well apart when riding to ensure the social distancing rules were complied with.

The ride was broken with a short stop for a takeaway coffee near Westgarth station..... most enjoyable in the sun!

After finishing the coffee I proceeded towards the Anniversary Trail near the Chandler Highway.... when I looked behind to see no Ray.... turning around I then saw that Ray had been involved in an accident with a car turning off Heidelberg Road knocking Ray off his bike.

Fortunately Ray’s helmet prevented him from having a serious injury. The passenger in offending vehicle kindly rang for an ambulance which arrived with police in a matter of minutes....

Ray was in shock but his injuries seemed to be relatively minor thankfully.... the ambulance paramedics were very good and took time to check Ray to ensure he was ok... and after an initial recommendation to go to a hospital for a check up, Ray convinced them he was ok to travel home with his wife who was coming to pick him up.

The police were also very good and interviewed us all and were approached by a local resident who had provided security camera pictures of the accident.

Ray’s bike was not badly damaged except for a broken derailleur hanger and a few scratches.... all very lucky given the circumstances 

The ambulance paramedics and police left after Ray was checked and there was no doubt in my mind that these guys were great and we are indeed luck to have such a professional and well trained team of first responders in Victoria 

After Ray was picked up it was time to head home as the day was drawing to a close and the weather was cooler as I headed home.

I felt that Ray had really been lucky with this and after returning home I received a text to say he was ok.... thank god!

On a positive note the ride today marked the achievement of riding 1000 kms for the month... a record for this year for me.

As I said earlier in this blog it was truly an eventful day with ups and downs!

Now for a few photos 

Coffee at Phil’s .....

The scene of the accident....

Ray was extremely fortunate that he was not badly injured 

Today’s ride

Covid Blog 27

Today was supposed to be the normal Sunday ride but the weather was very wet in the morning so the ride was canceled 

I thought I might be able to do a short ride at about 9.30 ambit the rain closed in and I bailed out!

The morning was spent cleaning the gutters and doing a few odd jobs around the house....

After a bite of lunch I decided to do a ride and enjoy the cool but reasonably pleasant afternoon. The ride was on some of the bike paths which were occupied by families out for a bit of fresh air after being locked at home!

After the ride it was back home to plan for the week and reflect upon being 68.... an older but perhaps wiser guy

Over night I received a number of messages regarding my birthday which was great....

Anyway the day after the birthday was another pleasant one!!!!

Now for the details of the rides of the past 2 days...

Today’s ride

Yesterday’s ride

Covid Blog 26

Strange that this is blog 26 on the 25th of April.... strange because this is my birthday.... yeh a great day to celebrate!!!

This is also ANZAC day which holds a special place in the year for all of those who served Australia in theatres of war over the years starting from the fateful day when our troops were directed to land in Gallipoli during the First World War

The ill fated campaign was a failure but lives in the memory of us all as the making of our country in many respects 

I have been proud to share my birthday with this legacy 

We were awake early this morning to witness a local dawn service in Kenmare Street where one of the local residents played the last post... very moving really with many in the street turning out to be part of the wonderful start to the day

I was joined in this with Robyn, Chris, Neat and Mikayla... Cooper is not an early morning person!!!

After the moving dawn service it was thine to have breakfast and get ready for the early morning ride with Abdy.... gosh the uphill to Doncaster along Elgar road was a struggle!!!

The ride of about 22 kms was delightful though with light traffic and a pleasant tail wind home to Hamilton Steel for coffee at Churchill’s cafe

After returning home it was time to get prepared for painting further windows down the driveway.... it was involving a wash of the windows and a sand before lunch.

Shortly after completing the preparation I was delighted to get a visit from Nick, Catherine, Milla, Sienna and Alice to say hello on my birthday... all good to see them all after so long with the separation required by social distancing....

After a great time with the family it was on to lunch then a start on the painting!!!

It was great to have another interruption when Jodie. Maddie and Teddy arrived to wish me a happy birthday... complete with a cake!!!

Afternoon tea beckoned thankfully which delayed further painting.... yes there is a God!!!

Sadly the Elg’s left and it was on to painting again ... thankfully I was able to get the painting for the day done in reasonable time to ensure I had time to go to Bunnings for a top up of supplies and to the grog shop to get wine for dinner 

Yes ... we were to have a celebration of my birthday complete with oysters, prawns and Barumundi and a lovely birthday cake.

Gosh I am lucky to enjoy all of this complete with a Houseparty call with the family lot sing happy birthday and blow out the candles!!!

During the day I received many birthday wishes from the guys from the riding group and a great call from my mate from school Doug Oldfield... great to to have friends and family who care!!!

Dinner was terrific and I had the good fortune to receive a few wonderful presents... very much appreciate the kindness of everyone 

Tonight after dinner it was good to sit in front of the fire and enjoy the Music from the Home Front program on the television...

A great day despite turning over another year...

Now for the photos...

Dawn service with medals....

Singing happy birthday!!!

A few gifts for an old bloke!!!

Covid Blog 25

As I sit here on Friday 24 April the day before Anzac Day and the day before my 68th birthday, I am truly amazed at the fact that we are still in a lockdown after over a month but the weather and other natural aspects seem remarkably normal... it makes you think that the human race has a lot to answer for in what we are doing and that in some way the virus is the big wake-up call for all of us.

After breakfast it was down to enjoy a coffee at Zimt which was the “heart starter “ I needed to get on with the day.

The morning was occupied on the computer sorting out administrative stuff at home and for Alkira.

I was pleased with the results and then joined a Zoom call on Alkira risk management regarding the response to Covid. I am truly impressed with the effort of the Alkira team who are looking after the risk management of the operations at Alkira at this crucial time.

After the call it was time to take to the bike for the afternoon and enjoy the afternoon of sunshine on this wonderful day in Melbourne. My first stop on the ride was the office of my financial advisor to sign a few documents and to hear my super had made a reasonable recovery in the past 2 weeks...

Based on this I rode to South Melbourne beach and through Docklands to the Capital City bike trail.

On the way to South Melbourne I saw a group of ambulance staff tendering an accident in Hawthorn which seemed to relay to a fall by a worker doing street work on powerlines.All quite tragic given the recent deaths of 4 policemen on the Eastern freeway....

The ride was great and best on the roads rather than bike paths where families were out in force with bikes, dogs and prams walking along the trails enjoying the wonderful weather.

Arriving home at about 5.00 pm it was time to get ready for dinner, light the fire and sort out the arrangements for tomorrow morning when we will turnout at about 6.00 am to acknowledge the servicemen and women who have been involved in many conflicts in our history. This will be done with a local neighbour playing the last post!

Dinner tonight was enjoyable with a good discussion on matters relating to the day.

A good day for me and I look forward to tomorrow 

Now for the photos...

A view of South Melbourne beach... the beach is closed!!!

A view in the other direction towards the mouth of the Yarra River 

A panoramic view of the city and the Yarra River

Today’s ride 

Covid Blog 24

Today I was awake at about 6.30 am with a brief look at the news which seemed brighter for Australia on the Covid front. 

The news overnight was bad on the local front where 4 Victorian Police were killed on the Eastern freeway near where I live. Seems that the police were dealing with a speeding driver on the freeway when a truck swerved to the emergency lane and cleaned them up. The driver of the speeding car escaped injury and fled the scene after taking photos of the accident... he failed to render any assistance to the victims of the accident. It was later advised that this idiot had posted the photos on Facebook!

This morning I decided to have a ride and travel along the bike path near where this tragedy took place. The bike path was closed off understandably as the crime was still being investigated. I managed to talk to the 2 police who were standing on the bike path to block us from proceeding along the journey. I expressed my sincere condolences to the policemen on the tragedy and we had a good chat about the situation. 

Setting off again I felt a real sense of loss about the situation but was brought back to the ride again with a real clunky sound in the crank area which sounded like a lot of trouble. On thinking about this further I decided to try and visit the bike shop in Tooronga to get their opinion on the crank. Cycleinn are very good and the crew led by Matt are very experienced and provided the bike lasted the distance I was confident that they could get a fix sorted...

Yes ... I made it and Matt and the team did not let me down... the problem seems to be in the bottom bracket which was adjusted to give me result pending a full service scheduled next week.

Seems that bike shops are now busier than ever with a lot of people buying bikes to provide a break from home life in the lockdown.At Cycleinn an Australian legend motor car driver Mark Skaife was looking to buy a bike.... I said to Matt that a bike for Mark would put him in the slow lane!!

The ride home was uneventful fortunately and I enjoyed a bit of the fine Autumn weather. 

Arriving home I took the 2grandchildren on a walk around the streets locally which was great... we picked up some gumnuts and enjoyed a shorter ride together 

After returning home it was lunch then showered and changed to get ready for the Zoom call for Alkira 

After the call it was time to finally finish the painting of the front bay windows... all good and very pleased with the results... another heap to go though!

After tidying up it was pleasing to look at the job completed in part at least 

All good on another day even if there was sadness regarding the 4 police who died in the line of duty 

Now for the photos....

Eastern freeway... blocked off for investigation as a crime scene 

Another view of the freeway ....

Today’s ride