Covid Blog 15

Today was a day of work at Rye....

Up at 6.30 am to be ready for a delivery of the skip to take all the furniture from the hostel next door as we ready the property for rental 

The bin arrived after breakfast and after a coffee at the Blairgowrie coffee shop Chris and the kids arrived to help remove the furniture from number 2

The job was remarkably smooth with the ability to use the chain saw to selectively break items in to smaller pieces to fit in the bin.

Both Cooper and Mikala were very helpful and took smaller items to the skip

We finished the job by about midday and celebrated with a coffee and hot chocolate at Blairgowrie 

After the break Chris and the kids headed back to Melbourne and I had lunch

After lunch I cleaned up the remainder of the house and picked the remaining vegetables from the veggie patch...

I then dug the garden over to ready it for the next lot of winter vegetables

Finally I finished the day’s work by 4.30 pm and showered and went to Wollies to get a few items for the next few days

Dinner tonight was pasta with Mexican sauce... a good carbo loading meal ahead of a bike ride tomorrow.... maybe but depends on the weather 

Today was quite warm despite being cloudy 

If it is like this tomorrow should be great 

Now for the photos....

Bin filled with the help of the grandchildren!

Veggie garden now dug over

Dinner on the boil....

Covid Blog 14

Today was probably the best Melbourne has to offer with regards to weather... a lovely Autumn day. For years I have been saying that Autumn is the best season of the year 

Today was a bit of a sleep in with me waking at about 7.00 am and catching up on the news from around the world. The news is still sad with a lot of Covid deaths in many countries... seems that the US is having the worst of it with the UK and several European countries not far behind. Seems also that the social distancing is working when combined with lockdown at home. In Australia we have seemed to have “flattened the curve “ with the number of new Covid cases slowing down.

With this comes the impatient noise about relaxing the current restrictions... I feel this would be very premature as the only way of a long term solution is with a vaccine which is a long way off.

The other thing that seems to have been discovered is that the lower socioeconomic economic persons have a greater propensity to contract the virus... the example of this is that the black community in the USA make up greater numbers of those with the virus 

Luckily the politicians in Australia are listening to the scientific community who are advocating maintaining the strict isolation rules for the time being... let’s hope this continues 

After breakfast it was time for a short ride before starting to work on the exterior painting of the house.... yuk I hate this!

One of the many frustrations of this task is getting all the right gear to get the job done. Also having the right tools!!!

Over the past 2 days I have had 6 trips to Bunnings to get stuff... so frustrating as I want to get on with it!!!

Anyway the work began with plugging gaps and sanding the “builders bog” ....

All of this is slow progress but I have been told by many that   good preparation I does take time and is worth it to get a good result 

Well with that job done I could finally cover the repaired surfaces with undercoat ...

All looked good when done... this preparation now means I can get on with a top coat of paint sometime soon 

With the weather warming up I was able to tidy up the front and back yards and clean the pool.

When done I packed the Ute with gear ahead of going to Rye to sort out the furniture in the house which is to be leased in the weeks ahead...most of it is pretty terrible and will be going in the skip to the tip!

Before heading off I participated in a Zoom call with Chris from NZ and Steve from the UK to chat about how we are doing in this new normal. Both Chris and Steve were my riding mates on the Lands End to John O’groats ride a few years ago.

Good to catchup with the guys who are coping well in each country 

We agreed we should do another call in a month 

After the call it was time to head to Rye... the traffic was very sparse on the roads and I made good time.

Seems that the message has been well and truly been received to stay at home... I have never seen so little traffic on the roads!!!

I will be in bed early tonight as I have a big day ahead of me tomorrow... I am fortunate to have help from Chris , my son, to get the job done 

For me today was another good day with a mixture of fun on the bike and hard work in painting the house at Kenmare st

Now for a few photos ....

Front bay window repair done!

.and the other window!!!

Another view... yes looking good!

The ride today 

Covid Blog 13

Yes another day of the Covid lockdown in Australia...

The day started early with. 6.30 am wake-up to help with getting breakfast on Easter Sunday... 

It was raining so I decided to delay the normal 7.30 am ride start to 8.30 which enabled me to go to Breadstreet to get hot cross buns and bread. David Winter was in the shop and explained that this Easter his turnover was up as a result of everyone being at home rather than on holiday. A great result really and one of the curious unintended consequences of the virus on businesses.

Arriving home I found the Easter Bunny had arrived with Easter Eggs distributed strategically around the home... luckily the bunny avoided hiding the eggs outside!

All very good for the egg hunt later in the day...

After breakfast it was off on the ride through the city, along Beach Road, and to Sandringham for coffee... wouldn’t you know it there were a couple of mates at the coffee shop so we were able to share a story or so!

After coffee it was home at about 1.00 pm for lunch...

After lunch it was time for Chris and I to get on with some running repairs to the barge boards that were rotted out

Thank god chris had the right tools to get the jobs done... I really struggle with this home handyman stuff!

Anyway it was great to get the bulk of the work done with me being the labour and Chris being the brains and the guy on the ladder.

After completing the work Chris had to do a few chores at his house and I was happy doing the tidy up.

After completing most of the work I checked in with Jodie, Sam and their children and Nick and Catherine and their children and it seems the Easter Bunny was very busy last night 

After achieving a lot today I was happy to have a beer and glass of wine and reflect o the strange Easter we are having but realise that family can endure the peculiarities that are presented with the virus

Although the weather started with rain the day cleared to be a good one ... cloudy but dry!

Now for the photos 

Task one computer... new barge board new back door!

The back corner eves repaired...

.....and new barge board...

The bike needed a clean as well!!!

Today’s ride... interesting route through some different parts of Melbourne 

Covid Blog 12

Happy Easter everyone!!!!

Today was a late start ....we had rain this morning and showers on off for the whole day. This was the really first wintery day of the year unfortunately... yuk the cold weather looks like being the way forward for the next few months 

After starting late at 8.00 am with breakfast it was time to see the guys at Zimt for a coffee to get the system running for the day...

I thought I might see what was going on regarding flu injections at the local pharmacy... well it seems there is a lack of doses being released by the government to satisfy demand so I had to retreat to Zimt for the coffee. I later tried at another pharmacy and was unable to get satisfaction!!!

Story of my life really....

Arriving home I resolved to get on with some preparation work for painting the outshot the house... painting is one job I really hate as the preparation work drives me nuts!!

Anyway after a few visits to Bunnings I was ready to go... with a little or maybe a lot of help from my son Christopher...

It was time to sort out the rot in the front windows... all the dry/wet rot needed to be cleared and bogged up with “builders bog” . The job went ok in between rain showers...

At lunch I received an email from my mate Chris in NZ regarding setting up a Zoom call with myself , Chris and Steve from our ride in the UK a few years ago. We set up the call for Monday evening Melbourne time. I am looking forward to the catch up with the guys to see how they are coping with the situation in both NZ and in the UK!!!

The afternoon was spent sorting out more of the dry rot in various parts of the house... amazing how the timber rots...

In the early afternoon I received a message from my friend Ashley Wright that his father Lauchie passed away yesterday... very sad as Lauchie was a true friend and will be sadly missed. He gave a couple of budding accountants at William Buck a go in the early years which was the start of the real growth in the firm... RIP Lauchie and condolences to all the Wright family in this sad time.

Shortly after lunch I received a call from my daughter Jodie regarding collecting an Xbox game from JBHifi at Doncaster.. the shops were very quiet at Doncaster as the message about staying home seems to have taken hold for most.

Another trip to Bunnings to get some barge boards to make it the 4th trip is a good set up for tomorrow when I will be replacing a number of rotted boards

The day ended with a trip to the supermarket to get a few items for dinner 

Today was not a day for riding with high winds and rain it seems the day was spent mostly sorting out stuff at the shops... yuk what a waste of time!!!

Now for the photos 

The gear ready to go for bogging dry rot!!!

An example of the dry rot!!!

And another shot ...

Windows all bogged up

A queue outside Bunnings 

Covid Blog day 11

Today is Good Friday and it started at Rye at about 7.00am with an update on the news that we had a slow down in the number of new cases here in Australia 

The news in the USA and UK were very bad with the hospitals being overrun with new cases and deaths.... all a real dose of reality in the holiday where we celebrate Easter 

The human race seems in this lock down stage until a vaccine is found. As each day goes by there is a feeling at least for me that the new reality in the post Covid world is going to be nowhere near what we had before this scourge descended on us all...

After breakfast I started packing up for home by loading some wood for the fire at home in the back of the Ute.

The weather was good so I went for a 2 hour ride to clear the cobwebs 

Arriving home I had some lunch.... a ham and cheese roll to remind me of the riding trips through France of days gone by!

After lunch I picked some of the veggies from the garden which seems to have produced well with tomato’s and cucumber 

After cleaning the house I left for Melbourne after clearing the fact that I could travel home with the local police.... seems there is a lot of police patrols looking in to the travels of citizens... the police woman informed me that I can travel between houses for business purposes in inspecting them...

All good so I made my way home in pretty good time as there was very little traffic on the roads... all good as everyone seems to have followed the warnings to stay at home 

I arrived home and stacked the firewood and unpacked my gear

Being home in Melbourne was great to see the family after 3 days of isolation at Rye... I achieved a lot really at Rye in sorting out the leasing strategy for number 2

Now for the photos....

Look at the goodies from the vegetable garden...

Today’s ride

Covid Blog 10

Another day in paradise!!!

The weather was perfect today with very little wind, complete sun with no clouds, a cool start to the day and warm sun with temps up to 20 degrees.

The day started again at about 6.30 am with a look at the tv to see how the world of the virus was going and it seems we in Australia are doing reasonably well with about 6000 cases and about 50 deaths.... all sad really but what is going on in the US is staggering with over 1000 people dying a day!

I hope we never get to that!!!

After breakfast it was time for a takeaway coffee at the Blairgowrie cafe and a visit to the beach to see the perfect morning from a delightful and different perspective 

After the beach visit I made a few arrangements to sort out the rental arrangements for the house next door which included organising a skip to be delivered next week to get rid of the surplus furniture in the house... this will be a job where I need an extra pair of hands and Chris has agreed to help thankfully 

After this it was time to mow the lawns at number 4.....

The mowing was relatively easy and it was good to see the backyard after I finished the job!

After this it was lunch and a bike ride. Today I thought I would take a slightly different route up Whites road to the back of Dromana which meant a bit of climbing but it was a good change from the largely flat rides I have been doing recently at Rye 

The trip was relatively fast with very little wind and traffic although towards the end of the ride there was a decernable increase in traffic coming down to visit holiday homes for Easter 

The lock down rules allow persons who own homes to visit them fortunately... so I am clear to visit our home at Rye

After the ride I decided to take a walk to the beach to see the sunset... it was lovely and I hope you enjoy the photos...

After returning home it was time to shower at ready myself for the Houseparty chat with the family in various locations in Melbourne. Good to catch up with everyone...

FYI.... I was alerted by a Board member at Alkira to a child science project which has been prepared by the Dyson Foundation ( of vacuum cleaning fame). It sets out various projects which can be done by children as a learning experience.... looks great for the grandchildren 

Tonight I am resolved to watch television programs which do not focus on the current Covid circumstances... a nice change!!!!

Now for a few photos....

Early morning at the beach!!!

The backyard after the clean up

Interesting sign....note the spelling!!!

A sign of the times.... I was on my way home

And yes it does!!!

A quiet end to the day on the beach.... bad picture as it has my shadow 

Today’s ride

Sun is setting 

.... and another one!

Covid Blog 9

Today was a typical Autumn day with a cool start followed by a sunny day with top temperatures around 17 degrees 

The morning was the normal wake at about 6.30 am with a look at CNN and early morning news to see whether there has been any evidence of a slower infection rate on the virus... there was sort of mixed news with Australia seemingly doing a bit better than other countries such as the US and Europe.

The only way there seems to be a likelihood of returning to a more normal life seems to be related to finding a antidote to the virus.. this seems to be a few months away at the earliest and we need to ready ourselves to this timeline.

Anyway it was off after breakfast to Zimt for the takeaway coffee so necessary to ready myself for the day

The guys at Zimt were again vey positive and I am thankful that I can get my “daily fix” from them...

After the fix I went home and packed a few things to travel to Rye to sort out renting the house next door... the agent seems to think I can rent number 2 in the current market as it is ... good news as I am not looking forward to painting the house on my own!

I traveled down to Rye I good time and went to the local shops to get “staples” for my stay down here!

After returning to the house I decided to do a shortish ride of about 40 kms to Safety Beach before making a Zoom call with my Australian Club mates.

The call was for an hour with 20 guys who normally meet at the Oz Club each month. This virtual meeting via zoom was good as we were able to see each other at our homes and talk about our experiences in this new situation with Covid 

It wa great to catch up with Pete Slattery who we have not seen for some time

We agreed that we should do this again to stay in touch

The day was a good one and another ticked off in this new way of living 

Now for the photos 

Nice photo of the beach at Safety Beach...half way point of the ride 

Today’s ride...

Covid Blog 8

Today was a day off for bike riding and a day to do a few chores around home with Chris helping me

The day started with the normal catch up on the Covid virus on early morning television where the news was not good for the Prime Minister of the UK Boris Johnson... he has been admitted to hospital and is in ICU . 

I hope he recovers quickly from the Covid virus....

After breakfast I managed to get some time to go to Zimt for a takeaway coffee... the guys there are doing a great job serving coffee and their normal cafe fare which is really good home cooked food.... well done to all of you!

After coffee it was down to Bunnings to pick up a fan as the fan in the back loo was not working.

Arriving home Chris and I fixed the fan and it was time to fix the new exterior lights around the back patio....

There was another visit to Bunnings to get a few more tools to make the job easier.

Before lunch we fixed 3 of the lights and felt good to have made a start 

Lunch was Zimt pies which were great 

After lunch we did the hardest part of the job fixing the lights to the brickwork... all the more difficult as the old lights were hard to remove!

Anyway after a few hours the job was complete and I was pleased...

The clean-up made me think about tidying up the tools in the garage and toss out a lot of the rubbish..... another job done!

It was then time for dinner and to test out the lights cooking a bbq.... yehhh it worked well!

After dinner I watched a the Test series about the emergence of the Australian Cricket team after the tragedy of the ball tampering in South Africa a few years ago....a good series to watch

Tomorrow it is off to Rye to sort out the houses down there

Looking forward to the trip

Now for the photos 

New lights on the back patio 

... and on the alfresco dining area 

Covid Blog 7

Gosh how time flies when you are having fun!!!

Yes it is now a week since I started this blog and it has been an interesting journey of witnessing and participating in the sudden stop of the world we once knew and adapting to the new normal of living at home!

Today was a lovely Autumn day with a cool breeze and lovely sun at various times. The temps were in the mid teens.

After catching up with the news on Sky in the morning it was time to look after the grandchildren for the morning with Robyn. Chris and Neats kids who are living with us whilst renovating their home, seem to have adapted well to being restricted to home.

The news of the morning was terrible for those in Europe and the US and I thought I should put in a call to a friend from my AECOM days, Paul Schwartz. He is located in NYC which is going through a terrible time with the pandemic. Paul and his family are ok thankfully and he appreciated the check in from his mate in Australia 

After the obligatory takeaway coffee from Zimt I bought bread and treats for lunch and proceeded on my ride along the Koonung and Anniversary trails 

There was a lot of families out enjoying the weather, walking or riding bikes and gaining some well earned exercise away from their homes

After the ride it was off to IKEA to but some new bench stools for the kitchen... as I said yesterday the IKEA shop is not easy with navigation required to find the items to be purchased... I found the stools and picked up the flat packs. The number of shoppers at IKEA were less than yesterday thankfully!

Arriving home it was time to take Cooper and Mykala on a walk around the streets near home looking for teddy bears in the front windows of houses in our neighbourhood 

There was delight for the kids seeing several houses with bears in the windows... a successful trip all around.

At home again it was time to open the flat packs and assemble the stools... if there is one ting that I hate it’s assembling furniture like this. First unpacking the articles from all the cardboard and plastic.... then trying to understand the instructions ( always seem to be in a foreign language) ... then using those silly Allen keys to tighten the bolts and screws 

Anyway this seemed to work well and in no time the stools were de boxed and assembled ready for use for dinner.... a success!!!

All in all it was a good day of success and it seems that we are all contributing to the social distancing which is a good defensive strategy for Covid 

Now for the photos 

A view of a park with closed play equipment 

A view of the Yarra River on the bike ride

An interesting community vegetable garden I saw on the ride

The flat pack box... all looks good but assembly is not my thing!!!

Yeah!!! All assembled....

Today’s ride... short and sweet!!

Covid Blog 6

Today being Sunday is the normal day for the Wheeliebinners ride from Red Rooster on the corner of Union and Canterbury roads at 7.30 am.... and today is the end of daylight saving so we get an extra hour of sleep!

But no.... with the new order we cannot ride as a group anymore and unfortunately we cannot really wear out new team riding tops and socks.

So with that in mind I decided to ride across town to my daughters home in Yarraville to have a coffee/tea. Riding near the great sports stadiums in Melbourne was very eerie as in normal times they would be buzzing with football fans waiting to see their teams perform on the sporting fields.

To add to the eerie feel the weather was gloomy with heavy cloud cover and cool temps at about 10 degrees 

I arrived at Jodie and Sams house and it was good to see them both and have a coffee and be very careful regarding social distancing 

After the visit it was off home via the Capital City bike path. Getting closer to home the weather turned from a drizzle to rain and by the time I arrived home I was wet through but felt good after doing a little over 60 kms

The afternoon was spent visiting IKEA to look at kitchen options for the Rye investment property which needs a makeover ahead of being on the rental market.

I always get lost on visiting IKEA and today was no exception.... finding the kitchen department was a real issue but worth the visit as the options seem good 

Arriving home we set the fire and settled in on the couch for a while until dinner... I must admit I had a bit of shut eye until Chris, Neat and grandies arrived home for dinner 

The day was a bit longer with the extra hour with the change of clocks and the night closed in earlier..... very strange really 

It was a good day for the Covid19 stats in Australia with the rate of increase in cases falling again for the 3rd day... questions being raised about whether we are seeing the Covid curve turning!!!

Let’s see!!!!

Now for a few photos 

Entry at the MCG deserted ... normally buzzing with football fans!!!

View of the city with the Yarra river in the foreground 

Good picture ....go dees...my football team

Marvel stadium deserted as well!!!


Today’s ride...

Slow due to wet weather 

Covis Virus Blog 5

Today was a rest day from the bike.... yeeeeh!!!

I awoke at about 6.30 am with the rain coming down at Rye what a wonderful event this is given the drought we have been through in Australia in recent times

It was time to pack up and head home to sort out the garden at Kenmare street.....

After cleaning the house I was on the road  by about 10.00 am. The traffic was light all the way home as it seems most are observing the stay at home directions from the authorities.... at all times the signs are that we should stay at home 

This is a strange world really where you need are being told what to do... someone I spoke to recently said this is something out of 1984!!!!!

Arriving home is was keen for a coffee so it was off to Zimt for a takeaway... good to catch up with the guys there who are doing well under the circumstances 

I bought some chicken and chips for the family for lunch and made my way home to settle in to an afternoon of chores at home.......

I managed to mow the lawns , rake the leaves, tidy up the yards and clean the pool in an afternoon. It was good to bet the chores done and see the Kenmare street property looking good!!! I guess I am a phenatic when it come to this...

To make life a little bit harder there was frequent rain showers that meant I needed to stop

Luckily the man cave was working and I could look at the horse racing in Sydney which was the only game in town from a sports perspective 

After the chores it was good to see the Robyn had organised the fire in the house..... the first for the year and after a shower it was good to settle down for a bbq and a drink 

Funny in reflection I really missed a ride today 

Seems in all this mess that a ride seems to settle the mind in the strange world of the virus 

Now for the photos 

Pool clean !!!

Back lawns mown and tidied up after grandies!!!!

Tennis court blown for stray leaves!!!!

Front lawn mowed.... note the car park!!!!!

.... and more cars in the drive!!!!

Covid virus blog 4

Today was another day in paradise!!!!

Well you need to be positive in all of the gloom...

The weather was good and the birds were busy chirping away unaware of the virus sweeping the humans. I was thinking that this might be the takeover by the animal population for all the terrible things we have done in all the exterminations of species over the years 

I was up at about 7.00am and journeyed down to the coffee shop for a takeaway and to get the papers... all bad news with umpteen pages of the virus.... urrrrghhhh we need some positive news somewhere

I had a bit of Alkira business in the morning including a zoom call with the Risk & Finance group where we are managing our way through the adjustments required to services with about 200 people with intellectual disabilities. The team at Alkira are doing a great job in difficult circumstances... a positive call

After a bite for lunch it was off on the bike for a ride down to Martha Cove. The wind was from the north so a head wind on the way out and a delightful tail wind on the way home.... wow more good news!!!

Arriving back at the Rye house I decided to stay down the coast for the night rather than head home to Melbourne.

We are looking to rent out the house we own at 2 Helena which although being well constructed needs an update to move on from the 1970’s decor!!!

This is my job over the next few months of lockdown!!!

So.... the kitchen needs an update and it was off to Bunnings to see what a Kaboodle kitchen has to offer... seems it has succumbed to Covid and they don’t make visits and I need to do a design myself????

I will need to do a bit of work on this and have a look at other options as well

Traveling home I had a great call with Jodie and Sam ( and the grandchildren) and a call with Robyn ( wife) to catch up on news at home. Good to see how the family is adapting to the new normals of Covid 

After a few nights of bbq’s it was time for something different so it was Friday fish and chips!!

On a sad note I heard today that Lex Hibbins died...Lex was one of those larger than life characters of Wesley College fame who was Mr sport and a real hero of many in the College community. Special condolences go to the Hibbins family at this time 

Now for the photos...

Now there’s a cucumber!!!!

A lot of building at Martha Cove

Martha cove with Arthur’s Seat in the background 

Bad shop but the dots in the water are swans who are “socially distancing” 

My ride today....

Covid Virus- Blog 3

Today started early as the rain was hitting the corrugated iron roof... what a wonderful sound it is to hear a good rain shower which continued for about 3 hours 

The only negative to this was the early morning ride was off the agenda!

After breakfast I went down to the shops at Blairgowrie to have a takeaway coffee and get the papers to read. The shops were not busy which was good and everyone was observing the distancing rules

After returning home and having breakfast it was time to mow the lawns and tidy up both 2& 4 Helena Court!

The mowing of 4 was satisfying as the grass layed with help from Sam,nick and the grandchildren was a great improvement to the backyard....

The lawn looks good and has survived the summer well

Later I mowed the grass in number 4 which made the house look good from the outside... hoping it might prove a good omen in getting some tenants to rent the house.

After completing the domestic items it was off for a ride to Safety Beach. The ride to the destination was very fast with a tail breeze making speeds of over 30 kph very easy. After a short stop at Safety Beach for a photo it was off back home. The trip home was a bit slower but speeds of over 25 kph were achieved.

The interesting observation on the ride is the signage indicating the closure of the beaches... Near Blairgowrie the signs are on nearly all the entrances to the beaches whilst in Rosebud and Dromana they are a little more circumspect... I wonder whether the antics of the residents at our end of the Mornington Peninsula need more rigorous reminders of the beach closures as a result of the idiots who flouted the isolation rules following their ski trip to Aspen??

After arriving home and showering it was time to join the family on a Houseparty conference call. Good to catch up with everyone on how they are coping with the current Covid rules regarding being home

Seems to me that everyone is coping well and the grandchildren are being kept busy with well organised activities by their parents... this looks like continuing for about 6 month period based on the latest advice from the Prime Minister 

Good that we are all adjusting to life in the new norm ...

Now for a few photos 

Wow... tomato’s from the veggie garden... planted by the grandchildren 

Just look at the lawn!

Morning tea with biscuits cooked by Cooper and Neat

Signs regarding closure of beach

At Safety Beach turn around looking back at Arthur’s Seat 

Another sign... bit confusing with the children playing comments 

My ride information....

Covid Virus Blog 2

Today was another beautiful autumn day with temps starting at about 10 degrees and warming up to about 20 degrees 

I woke to turn on the news on the tv to hear that the number of cases in Australia are increasing at a slower rate but in the USA and Spain the situation seems out of control 

Seems that the US is headed towards a real catastrophe which I am hopeful does not eventuate here

I decided it was a great morning for a ride and decided to to the ride around the city on the capital city trail.... within 5 kms I managed to catch up with a fellow Wheeliebinner Ellio who was riding as well and had stopped to have a teleconference on the side of the bike path with his fellow workers.... strange how the world has adapted to these new circumstances. We observed the social distancing rules and parted ways

My ride along the Koonung and capital city trail was good with very little pedestrian traffic. On reaching the city I stopped at Southbank for a take away coffee to find most of the coffee shops closed... sharp contrast to a few days ago when most were open serving coffee and muffins in takeaway mode

Sitting on the banks of the Yarra I had a chat with a security guard who was waving persons on who were not observing the signs about social distancing

After coffee it was back along the main Yarra trail to the Gardiners Creek trail..... this was extremely slow as the traffic of families out for exercise were everywhere and I needed to be careful. Most were courteous but as per normal there’s the few idiots who fail to slow down for heavy traffic 

In future I think I will be taking roads as they seem to have lighter traffic 

Near home I caught up with an Alkira board member,Ron Walker who was out collecting his bins... we had a good chat  about the strange world we are living in but both agreed we need to move forward positively 

Arriving home I quickly showered and changed in to meet my financial advisor who gave me the news about my super which has fallen with the sharemarkets.... the good news is that I am ok and will survive .... I hope!!!!

At least at the time of writing this blog neither I or any of our family have COVID virus!

After the meeting it was off to the bakery to pick up lunch and a special bun for Cooper and Mykala for their lunch. Both the grandchildren were happily playing in the garden when I arrived home??

I packed up to travel to Rye to do the normal maintenance on the property. The trip down to Rye was about an hour and 15 minutes with light traffic..... seems mostly tradies are out and about with very little other traffic.... I considered myself a tradie with the lawn mower pocking out the back of the Ute tray!

Arriving at Rye it was very quiet with the beaches closed and shops empty... I managed to do the supermarket shop to get food for the next few days... amazing the bogans who attend the supermarket with bare feet and tattoos!!!

Tonight was a quiet bbq with a beer and watching tv... I really struggle with the availability of good programs... it is either bad news on Covid or terrible reality tv!!!!

The thing I I missing most is seeing the rest of the family!!!

Now for a few photos....

Ellio on his conference call

Great sign on the bike path

“A smile can carry 1.5 metres “

The Southbank food court.... empty!!!

Corona Virus Blog- 31 March 2020

Welcome to the blog....

The whole world seems to be going through this crisis and I thought that it might be interesting to write my own story of this time as a record of something that will be remembered by us all in the years ahead.... much like in earlier times we heard about the Great Depression and the wars...

So today was a delightful day weather wise here in Melbourne the temp was in the 20’s and clear sky... typical of autumn in Melbourne 

I decided today I would pass on a ride as I have had daily rides for the past 12 days

The day began at at about 6.30 am with an update on the Covid virus on the television wise bad news continuing in the USA and the UK and even worse news in Spain and Italy where it seems the virus spread is out of control 

Here in Australia the news is a bit brighter with a slow down in the rate of increase in the cases of the virus 

We are in somewhat of a lockdown with the government advisory being to stay at home but for trips to the supermarket, medical appointments, necessary work and the like

It is forbidden to meet in groups of over 2 persons and there is limited visits to parks and bike riding is allowed 

Social distancing applies with persons not allowed to get closer that 1.5 metres 

I managed to get a coffee at my local cafe .... Zimt... which was in a takeaway mode. The staff are wonderful and the coffee was enjoyable 

After doing some Alkira business following a Board meeting on the previous evening it was off to Bunnings to stock up on supplies to keep me occupied in the lockdown. Some paint for the outside of the house and some new exterior lights will keep me busy.... funny really as I absolutely hate painting and I am sure that I might get an electric shock installing the lights!!!

In the evening it was delightful to wash the cars with the grandchildren who are living with us while their home is being renovated 

A few days a go Robyn organised some teddy bears to be hung in our front windows which seems to be a trend in Melbourne.... at least they provide a friendly face at the front of the house 

The highlight of the day was helping my grandson Cooper wash the cars with the high pressure hose... we ended being a bit wet

Hope you enjoy the blog 

Some photos 

Trying to decipher the colour of the paint at Bunnings!!!

A teddy bear in our window 

A clean car!

And another

Could be a good earner in these difficult times!!

Southbank in Melbourne 

Normally very busy 

Day 6 - Orford to Richmond 72 kms for the whole trip. I did 50 kms

Today we awoke to a windy and cold day at Orford. The good news was there was no rain... thanks heaven for small mercies!

The first part of the ride was quite pleasant with a lovely ride beside the Prosser River... then we hit a short sharp climb of gradients reaching up to 16 pc.... this combined with a head wind made for slow steady riding through gritted teeth with hope that the coffee at Buckland!!!

We arriving in Buckland for coffee was a big disappointment to say the least...it was terrible and most of us did not finish the coffee. In some way we were perhaps a bit anxious for the ride ahead through to Nugent which promised to be a big climb of over 5 kms on a gravel road. The ride ahead did not disappoint!

The climb started with some heavy climbing averaging over 8 pc in many parts so combined with a head wind the progress was very slow. To take our mind off the grind the views were quite spectacular which I hope might be seen in the photos on this blog.

At the top of the climb it was my turn to drive the Ute for the next 20 kms through to lunch at Sorell. The drive was eventful with Phil having a “ Flat” and I stayed both he and Abdy to direct them through to lunch

The weather continued to be quite overcast and the head winds continued with some real force on the more exposed country 

Lunch at Banjos bakery was well deserved with a chance to recover following some hard riding

After lunch I joined the riders for the short ride into Richmond. Shortly after we had another big climb of over 1.5 kms with an average gradient of 5 pc

The downhill after this was most enjoyable in to Richmond 

The accommodation at the Richmond Arms Hotel is “old school “ accomodation 

The meal tonight was real pub food and I had bangers and mash

I think the mood around the table was one of being glad the ride was over but respecting the fact that we had passed the challenge and seen some great country 

Now for the photos 

At the loo in Buckland after some terrible coffee!

The gravel road on here climb to Nugent

A good sign for the downhill

A view of the country we passed through

Phil and Abdy repairing a puncture

Home for the night at the Richmond Arms...

The famous Richmond Bridge

Our reservation marked on the table

Day 7- Richmond to Hobart- 30 kms

Once again we had a “later start “ to the day from Richmond with us all up for breakfast by 8.00am and on the road at 9.00am

The ride to to coffee was about 200 metres which was exhausting and was called so we could catch up on coffee for the day ahead of a big climb up grass tree hill!

It was beside the point that we wanted to fuel up to match Gary who had already had 2 coffees before we left the hotel....

The coffee was great as we braced for another day of riding in to a brisk headwind... luckily the sun was shining .

The first few kms were pleasant as we made our way to the start of the 5 km climb which had an average gradient of 5 pc

The road surface was good although there was a lot of road kill to avoid. The climb to the top was great in that I could get in to a lovely rhythm which after starting at the rear of the group enabled me to pass quite a number the guys. 

Reaching the top we regrouped for the descent which was auxhilirating with wonderful views of the outer suburbs of Hobart and the Derwent River

After negotiating the cross of the river it was on the bike path to the city which was fortunately with a lovely tail wind... the first real tail wind for 3 days 

Arriving at the youth hostel at about midday we unpacked the Ute and had a shower for the afternoon of exploring the city of Hobart 

Stephen, Frank. Ellio and myself opted to go to MONA for the afternoon by ferry.... a great choice!

The weather was perfect for the ferry ride and MONA is really something of a arts facility. The way the gallery works makes you really think about the relationship between the arts and the world around us... I want to come back and spend more time there next

The trip home by ferry was just in time for our final dinner at 6.00 pm at the pub next door to the hostel 

We had a wonderful meal and shared some of our wonderful experiences of the 7 days of riding. We also had an opportunity to thank Phil for his great organisation of the trip and for making sure we arrived safely each day

After dinner a few of us went for a walk to get an ice cream and continue our reflections not only of the day but the wonderful experiences we have had 

Now for the photos.....

Group photo at the start of the ride today 

Phil giving the days briefing.... we all listened carefully!!

At the top of the climb

And.... the view from the top!!

The Tasman Bridge

Ellio Stephen and Frank on the ferry to MONA

... does this ship carry the coranaviris???

The Tasman Bridge from the ferry

My Wellington from MONA

The drive in to MONA with the grape vines

The walk down to the ferry at MONA with 99 steps

A guest on the ferry on the ride back to Hobart

The final dinner.....

Day 4 - Bicheno to Coles Bay 42 kms plus 11 kms to the car park to Wineglass Bay track

Today we had a later start with us rising at about 7.00am for breakfast at 8.00 am and leaving for a trip around Bicheno ahead of coffee 

The trip around Bicheno brought back memories of my last holiday with mum and dad when I was doing year 12 ( called matriculation back in 1969)

The Harrison family had a holiday in September when we traveled around Tassie and stayed in Bicheno for a night.... the holiday was made better with us visiting the harbour and doing some fishing where we caught a lot of fish using orange peel as bait 

Good to see that the harbour remains much the same with a few more restaurants and seafood outlets

After the tour we had coffee in a cafe and made our way along the road to Coles Bay. The weather was warmish but every now and then we had a shower or 2 which meant that I needed a water proof jacket. Steve Seymour and I were at the back of the group at the early part of the ride but decided we should us “team riding “ to catch up.... and we did in no time at all with speeds averaging near 30 kms on the uphills and downhills... very auxiliarating riding!!!

We arrived at the accommodation at Coles Bay at about midday and as the rooms were not ready made our way to the cafe for lunch 

After lunch our rooms were ready and we unpacked the Ute and readied ourselves for a ride to the Wineglass Bay wall....  What we all thought was a flat ride turned out to be quite hilly with us recording a climb of over 200 metres for the 10 km ride to the track and back...

The walk to the Wineglass Bay lookout was interesting with a lot of tourists doing the walk of about 1.5 kms with a climb of about 250 metres... the view at the top was really stunning and well worth the walk!!!!

On the way back to the accommodation we managed to spy an ice cream shop to enjoy a well earned treat 

The dinner tonight was another of Ellio’s master chef occasions with very capable assistance from Dave Little

The food was great and the night was one to remember complete with a guest from the United Kingdom on the final leg of a trip around the world 

Sitting here tonight at 10.15 doing this blog gives me a great perspective on the trip so far and it has been great 

We are indeed fortunate to have Phil in leading us on this adventure and everyone is very thankful for this

I am looking forward to the next few days of our adventures 

Now for the photos 

The Harbour at Bicheno.... brings back memories of 1969!

Coffee in Bicheno with the boy’s

A view across the water near Coles Bay

Up the walking track to Wineglass bay lookout

At the top with the boys and Wineglass Bay in the background

Phil stayed in the car park doing his blog while we trekked

Home for the night

Day 3- Ross to Bicheno - 104 kms

Today was planned to be our biggest day for the whole ride both in terms of distance traveled and metres climbed so we made an early start.... up at 6.00 am and ready for breakfast at 6.30 and on the road by around 7.30....

All a good start to the day, particularly as we could refresh with coffee after a short ride to Campbell Town where we picked up our sandwiches for lunch.... great coffee again!

After coffee it was on to the Bicheno road which had a very big climb of about 8 kms with an average gradient of about 5pc. I made a comment to Rob Baker that the climb looked okay when we surveyed the mountains ahead.... silly me as the climb was really quite difficult and we all felt quite good having put this behind us. 

The next 15 kms were broken with a second morning tea courtesy of “chef Phil” who boiled the billy for coffee and tea. After refreshments it was on again for another 2 km climb to the top of the mountain ranges at about 640 metres....wow were we glad this had been completed safely and in good time!

Then.... we had the most magnificent descent for about 18 kms to the main eastern road along the coast. We were achieving speeds well over 50 kph for a lot of the time on a good road surface. Dave Little boasted that he saw his Garmin had reached 67 kph for some of the ride...well done Dave!

We then stopped for lunch at Cranbrook outside a lovely Church. The sandwiches, coffee and tea were gobbled up quick smart after a great morning of riding

It was here that I learned that a very dear friend and former work colleague, Phil Picking had passed away on Sunday... Phil was a very good friend to many and supported me greatly during my AECOM days and will be missed by many of the folk who were at AECOM at the time.... RIP Phil

After lunch we the made the final trek to Bicheno.... this was not without a misstep.... several guys missed the turnoff through to Glen Galan road and continued along the main highway... Dave Bonnet sent them back to the lunch site to begin the ride again not realising the Glen Galan road rejoined the highway a short distance along the way.... bugger!

Well I waited for the 3 intrepid riders who had the misfortune to miss the turn off.... they were a bit grumpy!!

This was eased a bit as there was a short sharp climb after I met them....

The next 20 odd kms to Bicheno were fairly hard riding as we had a head wind and at about the 100 km Mark we had another short shag limb in to Bicheno 

We arrived shortly after 3.00 pm after a good day of riding with everyone pleased with completing over 100kms and over 1100 metres of climbing 

The weather today was ideal with temps around 18 degrees and overcast 

I am looking forward to dinner as the ride has made me somewhat famished 

I want to say something about the “ road kill “ we are seeing and smelling as we ride here in Tasmania... “road kill” is Aussie for dead animals which have been struck by cars or trucks....

We are seeing a lot of this as we ride.... yesterday I counted 97 dead animals lying on or at the side of the roads. The animals we are seeing include kangaroos, possums, foxes and even snakes....

Now for the photos.....

Deals had a flat courtesy of a thorn.... we think

Des changing his tube...

Morning tea near the top of the second climb...

The road to the top!!

At the top.... hooray!!!!!!

Towards the end of the big descent.... I failed to stop earlier to take a photo of the country.... silly me!

At the turnoff after the thrilling descent we regrouped!

Home for night in Bicheno