Second week back at work and no time for the bike, so this morning I went out for a wee run and I was accompanied by my new toy…..a mini camera which I can fit onto the handlebars.

A bit shoogly at times because the roads are fairly rough, although I do have suspension on the front forks. I’ve got a 128GB card in it and this morning’s wee jaunt only used about 7GB, however it records in five minute bites instead of a continuous video but it’s OK because if you want to edit you only have a small file to play with. So about 90mins is around 7 GB, looking forward to taking this on my next trip so I can do a bit of Vlogging.

I really notice the difference not going out a couple of times a week, my fitness levels have dropped, but when the cooler weather comes back I’ll get out during the day between shifts. It’s still hot today, the air was thick and the UV high so not the best of days but it was still good.

Yesterday I picked up a free Futon from Gumtree, I’m going to use it downstairs and I’ll move the Ikea Daybed back upstairs again and put it in the spare room just in case I get a visitor…..well you never know….stranger things have happened.

I had to dismantle the Daybed and carry it back upstairs and by 2 o’clock I retired to the aircon and took it easy listening to YouTube music. Back to work in the morn, but I will be having a wee dram for me Ma who moved on 21 years ago which I find staggering…….I cannot believe 21 years have passed.

Only one day left of the mammoth summer holidays and so I went out on the bike for a long run, I really didn’t have the energy but I headed out anyway. I didn’t fuel up well yesterday and I knew it would be difficult.

My legs were beginning to complain after only half hour and at every turn I’m thinking I should just go home, however I persevered and stopped at my local café for coffee and cake and was surprised to see that I nearly covered 40km, but it wasn’t easy.

I had nothing in the fridge to eat so the only option was pizza and I know the rule I’ve set for myself but I thought “I’m still on holiday”, so pizza it was.

The last two weeks have been fairly hectic. Next door asked me to help with the repairs on their the outside landing and stairs and I’ve been knocking a wall down.

I’ve had all this time off and everything has been crammed into the past fortnight. I had the electrician and the Data guy moving points and then I removed the interior wall adjoining the living room and bedroom, it makes such a difference.

Removing the gyprock is messy, dust everywhere. The next challenge was the four hardwood studs, the old reciprocal saw went through one blade but did the job. I discovered a metal brace across the studs and luckily had a small precision grinder that dealt with that. When I finally got round to cleaning the place up and moving the furniture I’m very pleased with the results and can’t understand why I didn’t do it 20 years ago.

I still need to add architraves at some point

It’s been hot, and having the room opened up now the air conditioning seems to distribute the air more effectively, before this adjacent room would have been closed off getting hot and the cool air just circulated in the living room but now it is so much better.

Having the larger space feels so much better, not claustrophobic. This summer I have spent many hours inside because it’s been too hot and now it’s so much better.

I still have to tidy up downstairs, there are cables and things to fix. A bit more moving of furniture, some of it fairly heavy and so the next few weeks will no doubt fly.

Tomorrow I’ll go back to help Mick with the stairs, I’ll get there about 7:30 and try to finish before noon.

For a long time I’ve wanted to remove this internal wall but have been hesitant to do so, probably because I’ve listened to others telling me that it will reduce the value of the house and that it I was just being stupid.

I really need to have more confidence in my self and decisions and so with that in mind I have begun the transformation today.

Taking off the gyprock was very dusty and so there is a fine layer of white dust throughout, and so I wore a mask while I was removing it.

I’ll not do too much more until the Data guy comes to move the NBN and network connections. He’ll come on Tuesday morning because I don’t want to risk doing damage to the current network connections and hardware.

Cutting through the hard wood frame will be the next challenge and I think that will be thought through thoroughly before I do anything.

Up at 5:30 this morn and got to the train station at 6:45am. Get the 6:51 train to Ipswich and then the 7:05 to Rosewood and then back via Haigslea and Fernvale.

A couple of minutes after I arrived, a young guy on the other platform shouted that the trains had stopped due to a power outage. I checked my phone and sure enough he was right. I had fifteen minutes to get into Ipswich Central, which is only two stops on the train, however on the bike I might be in trouble.

When I arrived at the station the guard told me to go to platform 3 and they blew the whistle just as I got to the platform, luckily they held the train for me and I was on my way. My breakfast was not very happy at being jostled around so much and so it was good to just to sit on the train for 30 minutes to recover and let my stomach begin its job.

I never paid my 50c ticket this morning so I sneaked off the train, I was the only passenger anyway and I don’t think anyone was too concerned. It’s not that I didn’t want to pay it’s just that it was all a rush at Ipswich and I forgot.

It was only 24C this morning and it was very pleasant, there was even a bit of cloud cover which kicked in from time to time on the way back. I like Rosewood; it has a nice vibe about it. I took a new route today, first to Mt Morrow and then Haigslea which took me across the Warrego highway and onto Fernvale along some lovely country roads. This route was not as challenging as the Marburg road but the ride is quite a bit longer.

When I arrived at Fernvale I was thinking of coffee and then I thought that my stomach might not appreciate a double shot Latte at this point in time so I looked for a place to refill my water bottle instead. There is a Bike Hub/Information block where filtered water was on offer and free charging for you E-Bike is you have one. I stopped for 10 minutes and then joined the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail (BVRT) The trail started as a concrete path but soon turned to dirt on the outskirts of Fernvale. The path for the most part was fairly well graded although there was a bit of erosion and ruts due to the storms and there were quite a few dead trees fallen by the path which I guess have been tidied up.

The gravel section lasted for around 20 KM I imagine, before we entered civilisation once more and the smooth concrete beckoned. For most of this patch I was escorted by Butterflies, Dragon Flies, and numerous small birds and I got whacked by a Cicada. For most of the trail the cicadas played their symphony drowning out everything but my thoughts.

When I got to Brassall and back on the concrete my legs were beginning to complain and I was dropping into very low gears to keep my cadence high, but I knew I didn’t have far to go to the Jasper Café where I could recharge with Latte and Danish.

The café is less than 5KM from home, however there are two hills to navigate and thankfully my legs held strong and I did not have too much trouble. When I got home I sat out the back and drank the remains of my water and felt remarkably ok.

Just under 60 KM from rosewood today but if you count my ride to the Ipswich station this morning I would have done about 64Km in total.

I ordered a Pizza, got changed and the rest is history. Pizza was delicious, 30 min siesta and after several cups of tea I feel grand. Mind you I will be having a lazy day tomorrow……

I wrote this article a few years ago for The Album of Suzhou, It describes one of my favourite gardens….The Master Of Nets.

Just click on the link below ⬇️

Master of Nets Garden with audio

It’s going to be 2025,
I’m going to be 65,
Where is Moon Base Alpha?
Where’s my replecator?
Where is my flying Ford?
Where are all the robots?

Instead we have chat bots,
Scam calls from India,
And Skins so thin! ,
More genders than grains of sand,
Too many acronyms to understand.

But some things stay the same,
Scottish weather,
The purple Heather,
Black pudding and Haggis,
Single Malt; preferably Jura, 
Which I will imbibe.

Happy New Year!! 🥃

Up at the crack of dawn which is pretty early at this time of the year, the sun just can’t wait to show it’s face.

I got the train to Rosewood again this morning and went via Marburg, another small town.

I then headed to Glamorgan Vale,

I turned right and then headed to the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail,

Very different terrains today. When I left Rosewood there is a hill called Evans Hill which was very hard to climb. My breakfast hadn’t kicked in and when I hit this hill I ran out of juice real quick and began to overheat. I stopped three times on the climb just to get my temperature down and this is where my heart rate peaked so it wasn’t a very good start. I think if I had come across this after about 30 minutes or so after setting off I would have handled it better.

There were a few other hills to tackle but for the most part it was relatively flat and there was a nice breeze crossing the plains, only problem really was the road surface which was very rough and that makes it a bit more difficult.

I had to go on to the main Brisbane Valley Highway for about ten minutes and then I headed to the old rail track that lead me right back into Ipswich.

I stopped for fuel at the cafe just to make sure I’d get home. I paused my tracker while I had coffee and cake and when I set off again I was a couple of hundred metres down the road before I realised, and so I was a bit disappointed when I finally made it home that I had recorded just under 50KM. I haven’t done this distance for years and I could still climb the stairs of the house without too much bother and if course I had no choice but to treat myself to pizza.

The big fat guy is coming your way,

Is that still OK to say?

Apparently he drives an open sleigh,

A convertible no less, he’s got too much money,

I heard his girlfriend is a bit of a honey,

Can you still say that?

Or is that woke or sexist?

I can never tell,

It doesn’t always go down well,

So no matter whether you are a he, she or it,

Merry Christmas

Tis the Season to Be Jolly,

It’s cold outside; it’s still and white,

The stars abound and the moon is bright,

A UFO appears and streaks across the sky,

We are not alone, who is this guy?

His annual visit is upon us once more,

His work is tireless but he will just laugh and roar,

There is never too much work; there is never an end,

How can he deliver all these presents my friend?

Well he runs a very modern sleigh pulled by reindeer you say,

They are not normal of course but special indeed,

They feed on special grass which gives them more speed,

They’re as high as kites no matter the weather,

They can’t feel a thing just more pleasure and pleasure,

They’re here to help Santa on the one night of the year,

They park the sleigh on the roof as he nips doon the chimney for a beer,

So what happens if there is no chimney?

Do you think he might just climb in a windy?

Ah mean how does he do it? I’ve never worked it oot,

Our house had no chimney yet the pressies were there,

Sometimes there were many sometimes the tree was bare,

But it didn’t matter ‘cause that’s not what it’s about,

But I hear people say and I hear them shout,

That it’s Christmas and the kids should have plenty,

But all this seems to do is make them greedy and make their hearts empty,

The more they get, the less they appreciate,

The meaning is lost and the credit card is in deficit,

Too much is spent because we are told that we must,

The winner is the retail but the pressure will bust.

It’s a pagan festival after all high jacked by the Christians,

St Nick was used in as an example of tradition,

A poem in 1823 made the first reference to thee,

But it was Coca Cola that finally set you free,

They made you this big fat happy chappy,

With long flowing beard and hair to match,

Bright red clothes with a big red hat,

An invention of the commercial to make us drink coke,

But now we say he is Christmas, what a bloody joke,

Millions are fed a story of fake news,

But I don’t see many people condemning because the money is huge,

The almighty dollar is the truth and the reason,

Wrapped up in some pretty paper to appease even the heathen,

So we don’t mind celebrating Christmas because we know that it’s pagan,

And celebrates no more than a change in the season,

The days will get longer and we will be nice to our friends,

Hell we will even be nice to family although it makes you go round the bend,

We must enjoy ourselves, ‘cause it’s the season to be jolly,

But my friends I say that this could be a folly,

Although I do like the Christmas lights but that won’t make me believe,

I enjoy the Christmas carols but I’m not so naïve.

The shops are too busy and I only want to buy a loaf,

But instead I have to fight my way through all the oafs,

Panicking about how much they spent,

Panicking about what friend they missed,

I have to buy bigger ‘cause that’s what you do,

It’s not the thought that counts anymore,

Its’ the price tag or name,

Christmas could be so good but now it’s a shame.

You celebrate Christmas and this is your right,

Stop changing the language to suit the minority,

If the foreigners are not happy then they can grab the first flight,

You know you want to say it but no one will stand up and fight,

If the schools tradition is there from the first stone,

And you celebrate Christmas then carry on,

If your city or village is similar too,

Tell them all to bugger off and stick their head doon the loo.

But every year it gets bigger and bigger,

Although the rules change and I begin to snigger,

There are more gutless wonders that can’t make a decision,

Christ I feel that I’m on a bit of a mission.

We should say Merry Christmas and nothing else,

We should not be sensitive to other religions,

Sensitive to a poor ethnic that complains about tradition,

Well I say bugger off and shove your petition,

This is a Christian country and I am a heathen,

But I believe in tradition and culture,

And we must protect it because of the future and for the past,

We must be more proud of our heritage and help make it last,

We celebrate Christmas and that’s just fine,

But don’t ask me to enjoy it, but I will have some wine………….

Is 30 mins by train from home and is a small country town which is nice place to go for coffee and I guess a slower pace of life. I took the bike on the train so that I could cycle back via god knows where.

Mind you today is getting up to 37C so I guess it wasn’t such a wise move to go today but I thought what the hell. When I arrived in Rosewood at 8:30am it was already 30C but there was a breeze blowing so it didn’t feel that bad.

I took two bottles of water but forgot to take snacks which was silly because there were a couple of hills that were really tough and took a bit of effort to climb, one was on gravel which makes for a difficult climb. You can’t get out of the saddle because the rear wheel spins and you get no where fast.

I had intended to go to Fernvale to join the bike path but the road was too busy and the temperature was rising so I headed towards home a bit earlier and cut across a few gravel quiet roads and headed to the cafe in North Ipswich for refreshments.

Just before getting there I came across a convoy of motorbikes as they were heading on their annual Santa Ride, there were hundreds of them and they had a police escort plus cars were stopped at junctions to let them through. Some were dressed for the occasion.

I made it home, it was 34C when I arrived and I put on the air conditioning, got changed, heated the left over pasta and made a pot of tea and I’ll be inside for the rest of the day.