Random.

Just some stuff from the last couple of days.


Elroy wasn't overly impressed with my light show.

All that's left of an old factory in the 'burbs.


Look closely. Free bike!!

Supper low tide reveals free trolleys!!


And a perfect cloud.

Betty Blue is back.

Betty has just inherited a new set of wheels. I think the colours work out perfect, a complete change in personality.


I even stripped the black paint of of the old cranks. WOW, they polished up so nicely!! Tough but pretty.



I think Rachael would look pretty cool on Betty Blue, might add some brakes before then!!!

Sunday afternoon shoot.

No riding this weekend. The medical proffesion is still pontificating over 6 viles of blood and an abdominal ultrasound, one day the mystery disease will be identified and hopefully I'll be back on the bike properly. For now though, I'm getting out just enough for some nice shoots, with the 10mm still attached.

The streets.

A fixie at the end of the rainbow.



Empty roads.

Riding in Denmark.

It's always interesting reading about riding and cycle culture in different places around the world. I visited Cycle Chic today, a website from Denmark. They had written an entry entitled "18 ways to know you have bicycle culture." It's very cute, if that's the word.

Out of the eighteen points I found these the closest to describing my current life style.

2. If a car honks at you in traffic, you hardly notice. Instead it makes you think that it's been a while since you took your kids to the park to feed the ducks... Hmmm... maybe this Sunday?*
3. You think nothing of riding home in 35 degree heat, with your four year-old* on the bike seat, two bags of groceries dangling on your handlebars, talking to your partner on the phone about dinner - all the while heading up a steep hill and STILL being able to growl ”Stay on the right!” in three languages at the weaving, gasping tourists on their rental bikes whom you just flew past as though they were carved in stone.
7. When your bike breaks down and is in for repairs you take your other bike, or you take the train or bus. Even though your car is parked out front.
10. You have, at one time or another, checked to see if your clothes match your bike.
15. Your entire wardrobe can be classified as ”cycle wear”. Especially those stilettos from Christian Louboutin or your new double-breasted trenchcoast from Tiger of Sweden.
16. When the odd motorist cuts you off you fix him with an icy stare and shake your head in pity before riding off and forgetting the whole episode 50 metres farther down the bike lane.

* Not sure about the duck thing, and replace 'kids' with 'Elroy'.



And the things I wish were true:

9. The odd-person out in your circle of friends is the one who has never fallen off their bike while riding home drunk. You mock him/her regularly.

I wish this was true, but it's only me who rides to the pub!! (At least I think I rode home from Clwedd's last weekend, the bike was there when I awoke, I'd hate to know how wonky I must have been!!!)

18. It takes you over fifteen minutes to find your parked bike at the train station.

Wouldn't it be great if there were TOO MANY BIKES!!!

Dissecting the habits of a caged monkey.

This is a photo of my cage. The place I sit for seven hours a day, watching a computer screen and feeling my hamstrings slowly contract through lack of use. I plaster the walls with pictures and mementos of happier times; the Scott 24hr, holiday snaps of Rachael in Adelaide and Queensland, Police Road rules stating that you can't lose your licence for drink riding and calendars of up coming events. There's a bike rack no more than 20 paces from my door but my bike sits by my side as a reminder, poised for the bell (just a figure of speech, although considering I don't get paid overtime, maybe a bell is not such a bad idea). JJJ plays on the stereo constantly in an effort to drown out the sound of commercial radio from down the halls. Papers are strewn over my desk, not because I'm untidy, but because I realise that it really does make me look a bit busier and it makes it easier to feign being overwhelmed by deadlines. Riding for a couple of hours before work every morning leaves me with quite an appetite, so boxes of muesli bars, fruit and chocolate line the shelves. Plunger coffee gives me barely enough strength to make it through the day. In summer it's too hot in the air conditioning and in winter it's too cold, so my shirt sits on the safe as my body tries to cope with a constant variation in climate.

Sure, it's far better than being shot at in a far away country, but it's really not my thing. I feel like a caged monkey......