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

Covid Blog 23

Today at Kenmare street....

I was awake at 6.30 am and had a look at the early morning news to see the latest on the Covid virus and it seems we have had another good day with very few new cases to report 

After breakfast I resolved to do a longer ride today

After seeing my grandson off to kindergarten at about 8.30 am I made my way on to the bike to enjoy a lovely morning of riding in to the city via the Koonung and Capital City trials and then on to Elsternwick for a coffee and muffin.... boy I needed some sustainable after about 40 kms of riding. The pear muffins were great!

On the way home I decided to take a longer ride using the Boulevard through Richmond, Kew and Ivanhoe which was good

I arrived home in time for lunch which was prepared by my daughter in law Jenita. The lunch was pumpkin soup.... yummy!

After lunch it was on to pick up my hearing aids which needed a tune-up ... my hearing is terrible courtesy of too many rock concerts when I was a lot younger 

On the way home after the visit to the hearing specialist, I checked the agenda and board material with the folk at Alkira for the meeting next Tuesday 

Unfortunately I missed sorting out the final coat of paint on the bay window... it can wait until tomorrow!!!

Before dinner tonight I joined an exclusive club of folk doing 25 pushups for charity to help those suffering from mental anxiety and depression...visit my Facebook page to see me doing my 25 pushups...&

Today was a good day weather wise particularly for riding my bike

Hope you enjoy the photos 

A lovely shot of Melbourne from Fairfield on the ride

Today’s ride...

Covid Blog 22

Today it was great to awake with the birds at 6.30 am and watch the sun rise at Rye...

I turned on the news and the heater as the morning was rather cool as was the news... all discussion on the news was the reaction to the 7.30 Report interview with Malcolm Turnbull... 

Breakfast was muesli and toast and a cup of Earl Grey tea then time to pack for home. Prior to departure it was good to head to the beach with a cup of coffee to soak up the early morning...

Leaving Rye to head home there seemed to be a lot more traffic on the roads.... I suspect that there are a lot of people thinking that with the number of cases of Covid being down that it is time to get in to a more normal life. I hope this is not the case and we stay the course on this to avoid the situation of a second wave of the pandemic like that in Singapore.

The trip home was about an hour and a half and the time was spent thinking about the rest of the day...

Yes it was time to get stuck in to the exterior painting again....yuck!!!

In the time before lunch Chris and I managed to get a coat of paint on the first of the front bay windows. It looks good.

After lunch with a little help from Mykala, we were able to finish the preparation work on the second window and paint the top cover of the first window... Mykala then headed off to bed to allow Chris and I to put the second coat of paint on the window and get the first coat on the second window.... all very complicated really but the result looked great as the phots show.

After tidying up it was time to rake up the leaves and tidy up the front yard. Being Autumn the leaves are dropping all over the place.

After the tidy up the day of work was complete.

A good and productive day all around 

Now for the photos....

The beach this morning with coffee!!!

Bay window one complete yeah!!!

Bay window 2 almost complete 

The teddy bear is watching!!!!

Covid Blog 21

Gosh this is the 3rd week of this blog... hard to believe when you are having fun “at home”taking steps to deal with the virus... based on reporting today it seems that the famous curve is doing the right thing !

It seems that some of the gains over recent times are encouraging people to think we should relax the restrictions on contacting others and social distancing... I hope that sanity prevails and we keep this going until there is some sense that the virus contagion has been stopped.

There seems to be some folk who think we can go back to normal and not stay the course 

Anyway it was on with the day with a start at 6.00am with a wake up and get ready to travel to Rye to meet with the cleaning guys and get another step on the way to rental of number 2 Helena 

The trip down to Rye was very good with very little traffic on the road , which was great and I suspect will continue for some weeks ahead.

The cleaners arrived and did a terrific job in getting the house ready for advertising for lease 

After a bite for lunch I went to the local white goods store to purchase an upright stove as the current kitchen has no oven and a fairly poor set of cooking plates.

After the purchase it was time to head back to Rye to mow the lawns in number 4 .... it was good to get outside in the nice afternoon sun and do some chores 

After a bit of work in the garden, I changed and went on a walk to the beach and shops .... it was good to visit the beach and see how nature works almost in another world of the virus.... funny really that we seem so involved in our own world of the virus that we forget the simple things in life like the wonderful world we live in

The walk was good and the weather was turning cool by the time I came home.

Reflecting on the day over dinner it was a good one with a few things done even though there was no riding on the agenda 

I have just watched a couple of great programs on the ABC on their 7.30 Report and 4 Corners programs... the 7.30 Report contained an interesting interview with Malcolm Turnbull our former Prime Minister who has just released a book. 4 Corners program was devoted to a story on the virus and the way Australia has dealt with this over the past few months.

All good and interesting 

Now for a few photos 

... a new stove for number 2

Swans on the beach...

... and seagulls 

These seagulls normally reside at the MCG stadium picking up scraps after the patrons leave the ground... no games no scraps!!!

Covid Blog 20

Today was an early start with me up at 6.00am to go to the local bakery (Breadstreet) to get some fresh bread for breakfast. I met David Winter who owns the bakery and it seems he is doing well with the stay at home shoppers .... 

Arriving home it was time to get ready for the ride to the hills for the morning. The starting point was at Red Rooster on the corner of Canterbury and Union roads... the ride was along the bike path alongside the Ringwood line to Heathmont station then along bike paths to Boronia station then to The Basin to start the 1:20 ride of about 7 kms. This is a great ride on the uphill as there is a steady climb for about 4 kms then a false flat for about a km to catch your breath before the final few kms to Sassafras.

It was cool at the top of the ride and I was pleased I had a couple of layers of gear on especially for the fast decent back to The Basin.

After the decent it was pretty much the same route home with a stop for coffee at Laburnum. By this time the weather was really good and the coffee in the sun was lovely.

Arriving home I had lunch and organised myself to start the repairs and painting of the first of the front bay window.. the more I got in the sanding the window the more rotted timber I found..... yuck!

With some help from Chris, I organised a trip to Bunnings to get some better tools to get the job done. I must admit that getting the right tools makes all the difference!

The afternoon was spent trying to complete the preparation work on the window timber and then applying the undercoat again to give a good surface to apply the final coats of paint 

I really hate this job as it is painstaking and requires real patience which I do not have.

In many respects it reminds me of difficult times on the bike where you need to hunker down and get on with doing the job and enjoy the completion of the task!

The job was finished at about 5.30pm and it was time for a beer!

I will try to put the final coats on the window later in the week

The day was satisfying with a good ride and a frustrating afternoon doing the prep work on the window. It was interesting to hear the people walking and riding bikes etc along our street whilst I was stuck up the ladder trying to be a handyman... seems that Covid isolation at home has made people appreciate the simple things of life rather than going to restaurants, cafes and the like. I wonder whether this new normal will continue when the lockdown is over.

Now for the photos....

Today’s ride up to the hills.....

Tools for the job...

Chisels, sander and multi tool for cutting timber in difficult situations ....

Another shot of the tools I purchased from Bunnings 

Thank god I have shares in the company!

Covid Blog 19

Today I awoke at 7.00am and the weather was cool and overcast but not raining fortunately!

After breakfast I hoped on the bike and headed towards the city in the hope of finding my normal hairdresser open for business.... today I thought that it would be better to use the roads rather than the bike paths as the traffic was light... it proved to be a great decision as I was in the city in no time and fortunately the barber was open....yeh I could get a haircut after 2 months of growth and I was looking rather ragged!

I sat in the chair in my full riding gear which was a real change to the normal attire of suit and tie or smart casual... the guys were pleased to get some business as the city was devoid of people 

After getting cleaned up I made my way to Southbank for coffee.... once again very few people!

After coffee I made my way home with the last few kms being along the bike path... choc a bloc with families out riding, walking the dogs or generally enjoying the Saturday of reasonably good weather 

Arriving home I had lunch and decided to get on with some preparation work on the external painting job... gosh how I hate this job!

I managed to do most of the preparation work on the front windows using either builders bog or filler to cover up the areas where the weather had caused the wood to rot.

The job was painstakingly slow and a lot of patience was required but fortunately I was up for this

It took about 4 hours but it seemed to go quite quickly thank goodness 

After the repair job was complete I will now need to sand it back and do the undercoat paint ahead of the final paint 

The day was a good one and I cannot help but think about those poor individuals caught up with the pandemic in the USA and UK where the case numbers seem to be out of control and yet the President of the USA seems to be keen to ignore this and want his country to be “open for business “ to suit his own political ends... what a terrible situation 

The days are now getting shorter with the darkness descending by about 5.30 pm... yuck the short days are not good!

Now for the photos....

Today’s ride ... to get a haircut!!

Front bay window fixed

Another view of the window 

Covid Blog 18

Today was a rest day from riding as I thought the wind would be up in the morning and I needed to pack for the trip back to Melbourne 

I awoke at about 7.00am and turned the tv on to brighter news about the number of Covid cases in Australia.... seems the measures that have been imposed by both state and federal government is really working and the infection rates are moving in the right direction. The big issue now is whether we ought to relax the current lockdown arrangements which are making life difficult from what we have become accustomed to for a long time.

The current thinking is that we should leave the lockdown arrangements in place to avoid a second rise in the infection rate. I am inclined to believe that the more conservative route is better to avoid a deeper problem.

After the review of the news and breakfast it was off to Blairgowrie for a coffee and look at the beach... lovely to be able to see the beach in the morning...

After returning home to Rye it was pack-up and clean-up time ahead of the trip home to Melbourne 

The plan was to pack the Ute with wood for the fire and get the gear in to the car... after the wood was loaded I was met with a flat tyre on the bike which involved a change of tube... wouldn’t you know it but the spare in the pouch was defective and luckily I had another spare to get the job done.... lucky I did not have a flat on the road or I would have been stuck!

The riding gods were shining on me for once... thanks!!!

I had a short break from packing duties to take a Zoom meeting with the Alkira folk. The whole world seems to be on Zoom for meetings now including many of the schools around Australia. Not sure whether our great national broadband network will handle all of this but it seems okay for now!

After a successful meeting and some “instant leftover “lunch I packed everything in the Ute for home and cleaned the house....

All very domesticated Peter!!!!

On the way home I picked up the bike for Nick which was being serviced by the Giant folk in Rosebud...they had a chuckle about the heritage of the bike which although having Giant decals is a fake!!

A new set of tyres, fixing of the gears and a general service makes a whole lot of difference to the riding on the fake bike

Driving home to Melbourne the roads were reasonably busy which was a surprise but I made good time to Nick and Catherine’s home in Camberwell.

Dropping off the bike was good as I could see Nicks family and see that Alice can now ride her bike without training wheels... a great effort for her!

After dropping the bike off it was home to Kenmare street to unpack the gear and stack the firewood 

Dinner was the normal Friday bbq with meat purchased from  the butcher in Rosebud 

It is good to be home and see the family after 4 days in isolation at Rye 

Although the wind did not get up the weather is starting to turn cooler as the winter weather patterns begin to arrive

Now for a couple of photos 

Early morning at the beach...

Bugger... a flat tyre needed changing!!!

Covid Blog 17

Today was another interesting day with rain overnight here at Rye but the weather improved with sunny periods and temperatures in the 20’s for most of the day

I started with the idea of returning home to Melbourne during the day but events changed the plan which meant I stayed another night at Rye 

After breakfast it was time to do some washing of the bed sheets and a few other “whites” so I could get them out on the clothes line with fine weather....

Rather than hang around waiting for the washing to dry I went out for a ride..... yeh just for a change!!!

The ride went well with a tailwind on the way to Mt Martha and s headwind on the way home. I arrived back at Blairgowrie for a coffee and noted that the Council had closed off all the seating overnight on any of the public spaces near the Blairgowrie shops... this seems to be an effort to stop anyone taking their takeaway coffees to sit in a socially distancing way and enjoy the view to the beach... seems this is best way to avoid any problem regarding transmission of the virus 

After returning home it was time to have lunch. 

On the bike ride I was thinking about the bike I cleaned yesterday for Nick and was concerned about the safety aspects of it and it seemed best to have the bike checked and serviced. This meant I would need to talk to the local bike shop and perhaps stay overnight to allow the service to take place. Sure enough the bike shop would need additional time to sort out the issues that needed to be fixed...

After returning from the bike shop I mowed the grass on the rental property now that the skip had been removed and sorted out some spare keys for the rental agent 

I must say I am really impressed with the Ratway and Wood Home Hardware store on Rye. The guys there are so helpful in helping and advising on many things... well done guys.

Sorting out the rental arrangements required a bit of work with the agent, cleaners and the photos for the rental advertising.... but it is all now coming together well.

After finishing the chores I was able to enjoy a beer and prepare dinner....and listen to the daily news which was good news regarding the virus in that there is a really good slowdown in the infection rates but The Australian leaders are strong in maintaining the distancing measures rather than relaxing them... this is what we need now...strong leadership to stay the course.

After dinner I was able to say hello to a few of the neighbours who were down from Melbourne for a few days 

All good... another good and successful day

Now for the photos 

.... a sign of the times on the park bench!!

... all closed off for the time being 

Today’s ride

Covid Blog 16

Today was a warmish day with temps of about 20 degrees but overcast 

I woke at about 7.00am with the idea of going on a longer ride to Arthur’s Seat and Red Hill with a few climbs...

The ride was quite satisfying with a great feeling having reached the summit of Arthur’s Seat it was erie to see the chairlift not operating and no tourists... a vast difference from my visits here over Christmas with the grandchildren!!!

The ride down through Red Hill to Dromana was ver exhilarating with speeds over over 40 kph being achieved on many occasions 

The ride from Dromana to Blairgowrie was equally as good with a nice tail wind!!!

After reaching Blairgowrie it was good to get a coffee and head home for lunch

After lunch I sorted out the skip to make sure that I would not be charged extra for overloading ...

All done I decided to try to fix up the bike for Nick ahead of taking it to him tomorrow.... the chain needed a good clean and oil.... all good after about an hour

After completing the task I took a rest and met the guys over the road who arrived earlier for a few days 

Today was a good day

I made a call to my daughter early in the afternoon to see how home schooling went... be fair to say the private school on line education worked well whilst the public education system was badly organised... seems the problem is that the schools are disorganised as to the method of delivering on line learning and the expectation of the parents in supporting home learning is not clear... I hope this gets sorted out soon otherwise students will suffer from being disadvantaged in critical learning in the important years of their life.

Now for the photos 

View from the top of Arthur’s Seat to Port Philip Bay

The chairlift not working and the car park deserted!

Nick’s bike all clean and ready to go!

Today’s ride..

Most enjoyable!!