The Bicyclists

Tumultuous day on the track. For the record: Larkey was living in fear of missing the social event of the year for yesterday's hippies and negativitist - the blockade at the brewery to prevent the cable car to the summit. But with carefully attuned early starting (0830hrs from RYCT) and with guest rider from Universidad de California de San Diego - one Tony Koslow, and Larkey keen not to disappoint at the civil protest later, it was sure to be a windy ride - plenty of gas-bagging. Tony is an oceanographist. That means graphing the ocean. So there was spirited, open and enthusiastic discussion about real things, like sea trenches, hills under the water, and fish being caught in nets and eaten. Image: Tony Koslow, at the beach in a light blue, almost pyjama like collared shirt, ideal for entry to the RYCT To listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzG_PKNG0ic But I digress; the importance of the trip was exercise and health. Good spirit and humility, humou...

30 Km and av 21km/hr: great ride on a lovely day by the Porter, Larkey and Kimber. Others, absent presumed hurt. RYCT to Mona and return. PK

Rumour has it Bill Gates predicts a new GFC. I told him "we already got one!"

Sunday 8th April 2018: after a bit of dithering (good word that) due to the prospect of rain, hail and shining, we postponed the usual 9am start, elected an 11am on Sudnay morning. Weather reports came in from Marieville Esplanade, Sandy Bay's 'golden mile', the Anglican Church Glebe, and St David's Park (who was there and why I don't know). We also had the prospect of the Leader of the Heart Foundation (Tasmania) Mr Graeme Lynch Esq OHS, however he called in sick with a sore finger. The crew who took to the road: Peter Larkey, Jeff Fitzgibbon, Stephen Porter and Phil Kimber.  The sun came out, the road was dry, a warm wind slight from the north, and we headed out from the Royal Yacht Club toward Mona. Gentle but consistent riding (as the actress complained to the bishop) with an average of close to 20 km/hour, and we were at Mona before two shakes of a lamb's tail. The car park at Mona was chockers, and their were punters everywhere. We engage...

Stories from the sunroom in my dressing gown: Sunday, 25th March 2018. 11am Two things prompted him to tell a story. He had been reading Mario Vargas Lllosa in the bathtub whilst it pizzled with rain outside on the plastic roof on the pergola.  VL's first book was "In the Time of the Hero".  The first chapter dealt with the mischief that young men get up to at Army training, at the college in Lima. Included was theft of shoelaces, pretending to have bad dreams due to being late for 'watch', and then something to do with a chicken and other aspects of that which you must read yourself. The second, arising from the style of VL, was that certain little peccadillo of life can be the substance of a story, and might create a flicker of recognition of commonly held perceptions. And that is my story for today. See the photo attached. It is a tea pot stand. When one makes tea, in a pot, it shouldn't go on the bench, otherwise it might stain,...

On this day, somewhere in the past, Jeff was born. Just think, eh! Image: Photo of a young Jeff Fitzgibbon, resting. Meanwhile, the group of special adults needing care, took to the road and managed a leisurely bike ride to Mona and back. The process is via the chat, with about 6 of us on "WhatsApp".  The stories each had for other duties, preferences, obligations or being out of geographical range were all within the feasible range.  Meanwhile, PK suggested "Yes, whoever is in, let's leave for Mona from the bike track at the Cenotaph at 9am. Merv put his hand up.   At 8.15am Nathan came across the fence at Nixon St, and put his hand up, and so we had a crew. A 'stiffish' wind, clear sunny skies, cool, but warming up, and Nathan and I skirted Battery Point and hunted up the road path to the bike track, there to find Merv fiddling with his seat. On his bike. No tools, he had to put up with some degree of rotation.  "I put my fi...

Statistics: 34 km average speed 18.4 km/hr top speed 46.8 km/hr (not all of us did that) coffees: 1 each at $4.50 Calories allegedly consumed: 700 THE RIDE The enthusiasm was there. On Saturday the 6th January 2018 up came the texts and the conglomerate of bike riders poked their heads above the barricades, Les Miserable style, and momentum continued right to the 9am start time, from RYCT the following day. Larkey was birthdaying and happy about it getting a new dog (dogs are possessions, not like people: since slavery was abolished, you can't own a 'person'). So having a new dog is the closest a person can get to owning a living thing with some empathy, pathos and humility, also potentially aggression. Reggie: in training Remembering the "see who loves you most, your wife or your dog: put them both in the boot of the car for 4 hours, and see which one is happy to see you when you let them out".  But anyone who thinks that is pejorative, it works...