Covid Blog 50

Here we are on the 50th blog!!!!

Over the past few days I have been thinking when I will stop the blog and have resolved that it will be when the children start at school which seems to be the last of the major lockdown items that are relaxed.... it should be noted that a return to life we knew it before Covid will take considerably longer .... some even say we may never see a return to life as we knew it!!

Anyway today started with rain which prevented a ride in the  morning. I used the morning to catch up on paperwork ahead of a few meetings at Alkira 

I finished the meetings at about 12.30 and after lunch I made my way down to Rye for a couple of days. The traffic was was good and I made good time to be here at about 3.30 pm

As the weather was looking to turn I decided to defer riding until tomorrow and shop for a few things for dinner and have  a walk to the beach to watch the sunset 

It was a good choice as the sunset was terrific even though the weather was cold

One of the great feelings is that of the cold wind on your face during the walk then the afterglow when arriving home to the warmth of the gas fire

So although the day was not a riding day it was nevertheless a good one

Now for the photos 

Sunset towards Sorrento 

The view towards Arthur’s Seat

Covid Blog 49

Today was an overcast and quite cool day

I started with a coffee at Hamilton’s coffee shop in Mont Albert.... good coffee but I missed the coffee at Zimt which was closed unfortunately 

After coffee and breakfast I had to wait for the plumber to come to replace the hot water service... whilst waiting I sprayed the driveway with Roundup to poison the weeds that seem to love growing in the mortar cracks!!!

After nearly completing the job Scott the plumber arrived to install the “HWS” . After about an hour the job was done and we had hot water again..... yeehhh!!!

After a bite of lunch I went on a ride around the city on what seems to be a regular run of about 50 kms. The pedestrian traffic on the bike paths seemed down probably due to the cold and overcast weather... it made for good riding 

I returned home at about 4.00 pm where Robyn was home and the fire was alight.... good to have a bit of warmth!!!

After a warm shower I made a visit to Bunnings to get a few provisions for the watering system!!!

Lucky that the Bunnings was not busy and the shopping was short and sharp as I like it!

You might be interested to know that I have just clocked over 4000 kms since January the 1st!!! Something I set as a goal to be done before June

Now for the photos 

Hot water service installed!!!

A shot of the footbridge over the Yarra!!!

Very few people 

A view of the Southbank area with the Polly Woodside ship in the foreground and some of the highrise apartments in the background 

Today’s ride 

Covid blog 48

Today was a day of rest from bike riding after a big week of riding last week where I did over 300 kms....

I was up a little late and after breakfast we waited for Cooper and Mikayla to arrive for the day. They arrived at about 9.00am and we decided to tidy up Nannas vegetable garden which required a bit of digging and spread of fertiliser. The job was done after about an hour....

Cooper and I then made a trip to Bunnings to pick up some vegetables seedlings to plant in the garden

We arrived back in time for lunch then Nanna and Cooper planted the seedlings in nice neat rows in the garden.... well done everyone a great result 

After this it was on to the final cleanup of the backyard which was done with mowing, blower and a bit of sweeping!

All good in time for afternoon tea!

As I had a shower it was noticeable that the hot water was not working properly so after inspecting the hot water service and a discussion with a plumber the unit was in terminal failure!!!

Yuck cold showers for the time being!

Luckily the plumber was able to fit in a refit of the unit tomorrow!!!!

After this I was scheduled to go to Nick and Catherine’s house to look after the kids while they had a business meeting... all good for the baby sitting with me reading a story toAlice and the others watching TV

Today was a different day but enjoyable with many achievements 

Now for a few photos 

Hot water service.... terminal!!!

Another view.... still not good!!

Covid Blog 47

Today’s blog will cover 2 days of achievement rather than one day 

The reason for this is that we have been without internet for the past 4 days which is very frustrating. As I said in an earlier blog the internet cables were cut by a worker on a building site near Box Hill causing major problems in a wide expanse in the south eastern suburbs 

The problem is now fixed but the communication by Telstra and Foxtel has been abysmal... for communication companies it seems that the consumer is the last person to be kept informed as to what is going on. You need to rely on the informal Facebook network or the news networks to get information... shocking performance!!!

Anyway both days I started early with rides with the Wheeliebinners. On Saturday it was in to the city then Port Melbourne and beach road to the Blackrock clock. Coffee was at the North Road Cafe which was delightful... good to enjoy the sun and a chat with the boys. The remainder of the ride was fairly direct back home via Bluff Road , East Boundary Road and the Anniversary trail 

On Sunday we did a ride in to Richmond then along the Boulevard and Yarra Trail to Westerfolds Park. Jeff then took us along a rough track out of the park then up a road with a 22 pc grade through Templestow then to Bulleen and the Koonung Trail to the Engine Shed for coffee and a chat in the sun

Both days were very frosty and cold to start off with and my fingers were aching from the cold for the first hour of the ride... after thawing out the rest of the rides were in great weather with plenty of sun but virtually no wind

Arriving home both days were then on to painting and garden tidy up in good sunny weather. The afternoons did cool down at about 4.00pm both days....

Today being the 17 th May was my son Nicks birthday do we joined him and his family for a lovely family dinner. This is the first time we have been able to do this with his family since the Covid virus lockdown was implemented. Only in the last few days has there been some relaxing of the rules!!!

Both days were great in both what I achieved and a real opportunity to enjoy some lovely weather 

Now for the photos of the past 2 days....

Coffee at North Road Cafe with the Boys

Picture taken by a delightful lady with an interesting turn of phrase!!!

Saturday’s ride

Coffee at the Engine Shed with the boys...

Sunday’s ride


Nicks birthday dinner with his family above.... great to see them finally!!!

Covid Blog 46

Today was the coldest start to the day of the year with temperatures around 4 degrees and frost!

As a result I decided not to ride in the morning and leave it to the afternoon... a good choice as it turned out 

As a result I did a few chores around the house, paid a few bills, sorted out the printer and made a trip to see the progress on the new building project on the corner of Springfield and Springvale roads 

At midday I had a zoom call to get an update on the progress being made on the Covid lockdown at Alkira. All good there as the focus now is on how the organisation reverts to opening day service activities... we suspect that this will not simply be a reverse back to that which operated prior to Covid... the new norm needs a lot of work 

After a bite of lunch I went on a ride... the weather was sunny but cool and I enjoyed the bike paths for most of the ride. I am finding that using bike paths in the late afternoon more problematic as families emerge from home schooling 

The ride ended at about 3.30pm .... good timing!

After cleaning the bike I lit the fire and reflected on a good day of achievement 

I am sorry that the blog will be delayed in being posted.... seems that a clown in a building site in Box Hill mistakenly dug up the NBN and Telstra cable’s cutting off all internet communication in the vicinity... seems it will take a few days  to fix. We cannot go to a cafe or library to use alternate means as these are closed with the lockdown 

Now for the photos 

Alkira’s new premises is taking shape... steel work almost complete 

Today’s ride

Covid Blog 45

Today was a cooler day to start off with. As I said in my blog yesterday I was meeting a friend, Gary at about 9.30 am at the end of the street at Rye for a ride. We agreed we should do the ride called “ the pensioners loop” which is about 50 kms along Point Nepean road to Moats Corner then back through Martha Cove to Point Nepean rd to Blairgowrie. It was slower ride out as the light wind was against us but... on the way home it was quite delightful sitting on speeds of about 30 kph

Gary left at the Blairgowrie shops where I had a coffee.... to be frank I was craving for it!!

Arriving back at the house after the ride I loaded some firewood in the back of the Ute and did a “ pack up and tidy up” before heading back to Melbourne 

The traffic on the road home was decidedly busier after the relaxation of the lockdown arrangements.... strange as there is still very much a stay at home policy issued by the government!

I think most people think that the low case count on new virus outbreaks is message to begin life as normal.... I hope this assumption is not misplaced.

Arriving home I unpacked the car and with some help from the grandchildren unloaded the firewood to the wood stack.

With brooms out for the tidy up it was easy to enlist their help in raking up leaves in the driveway. This was a good excuse to have a bit of fun playing....

After a brief bike ride around the block the grandchildren were now ready for dinner and a bath ahead of being picked up by Chris 

The day was fulfilling in many respects but the weather is now turning more wintery and the air is much heavier at the end of the day

Now for a couple of photos 

My helpers unloading the firewood 

Raking up the leaves.... I think!

Today’s ride 

Covid Blog 44

Today started for me at about 3.00 with the beautiful sound of rain hitting the roof of the house! Such a wonderful sound which has been missed over recent years with the drought!

The sound made the sleep through to about 8.00am when I woke to a sunny day although it was very cool.

After breakfast I went to the Blairgowrie shops and had a coffee by the beach which was quite wonderful.

After a visit to Bunnings where I purchased a few items for the day it was off to work in the garden first up with mowing of the lawns and a general clean-up of both houses at Rye. After a bite of lunch then attended to a few phone calls related to Alkira then it was time to sort out the veggie garden with planting the winter crops!!!

After this it was on to the final cleanup of number 2 which is being rented out. I was able to confirm with the agent that the tenant was likely to move in next week.

Finally finishing the chores left me with a good feeling of achievement for the day. 

I packed up the garden equipment and sorted out the bangers and mash for dinner 

During this time I had a brief Houseparty call with Catherine and her children and Jodie Sam and their children... good to catch up on the day there was some relaxation of the lockdown arrangements.... it did not make a significant difference to me but I think the car traffic was a little busier 

Today was not a day for bike riding and although it was busy in a funny sort of way I missed it with good weather 

Looking forward to a ride with Gary tomorrow...

Now for a few photos....

Lovely picture of the beach at Rye at coffee time

... and another one!

The winter veggies for planting

 .... all planted ... hopefully the possums don’t eat them!!

Back yard at number 4 now tidy 

Number 2 house family room and kitchen now tidy, clean and stove installed!

.... the yard now tidied up 

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