Munster saves the day

Went for another ride this time over to the Dight's Falls area.  I crossed town via the rail trail using the old Inner Circle loop.  Many riders were using this path including large groups of retirees.  Hooray this group is allowed to be there on a Thursday morning however the purpose built coffee shop was crawling with non working non retiree bike riders.  Curious. 
Dights Falls  has had some reconstruction  with converging paths and numerous bridges.  I need to reacquaint with the layout since the JLL days.  I would hesitate to cross the river as there is an on going bicycle war by somebody throwing tacks onto Yarra Boulevard.  This got a mention on the Giro coverage last night from half way around the world when it was reported that Shane Miller was on the job looking after cyclists in the area by using magnets to suck up tacks and also getting the police involved.  Unless Munster has shaved his head then there is another Shane Miller patrolling the Kew area on the lookout for the testy tack thrower.

Fish Slapper

High temperatures are a lingering issue. Nothing consistent but a mild heat problem has occurred twice two weeks apart. Every test for the source of an infection has been tried but nothing has been found.  Someone suggested the Royal and Ancient Order of Fish Slappers. When you have been to the conventional doc then what's to lose.  I wasn't present at the examination however the divining of the fishes has indicated a lurgy deep in the stomach. You need to keep an open mind on this stuff even if you need an open wallet to pay for the medicine or should I say Metagenics. 

Bactrex is a football sized pill consisting of amongst other things Origanum Vulgare and Thymus Vulgaris.  A vulgar concoction you may think but actually Oregano and Thyme.  I put this in the spaghetti sauce each week!  Then there is the powder that gets to the heart of the problem named "Gut Relief".  I don't think the marketing boys have spent time on that name.  I would prefer "Guttural Elevation". This one has numerous components, a favourite of mine is Ulmus Rubra. All in all if the temperatures stop then slap me with a fish, I'm hooked.

AFL Getting Soft

I can't hold back any longer.  I seem to be less interested in AFL these days, I think the trend towards keepings off is the biggest issue. I was watching Essendon vs someone I think it was Sydney who were well ahead when the ump went down with a slight crunch from a player.  It is an embarrassment when the players stage for stuff but this umpy was not moving until he was carried off. Of course later there was nothing wrong with him. I tried to count how many doctors and trainers there was gathered around but after 10 minutes of waiting I gave up on the match. Tommy Hafey moved onto a higher team last week and I am sure his last message of  "kick it long" should be picked up by all coaches.

Giro D'Italia

Have spent some time juggling between recordings of the tour of California and the Giro D'Italia. The OGE guys are in the spotlight with Cadel Evans highly placed as well. Go the Aussies!  I managed a short ride averaging 13 kph  for 30 km, a tad short of these riders at 45 kph. The Run the Map app does a good job of recording the route and calculating the stats. It seems to me if you could mount a phone near the head stem you could watch your route as you progressed complete with your own stats and warnings about upcoming hazards instead of the very awkward sticky taped bullet point list that one rider was trying to read as he careened down the wet road at 70 kph.

Google Map layers

Work expands to fill the time available for completion. So if the word gets around that you supposedly have some spare time then do jobs start appearing.  The evidence so far seems to show that trend.  Not that there is anything wrong with that. I may be looking for things to do down the track.  Anyway the database from the old part time job which now receives more of a focus has a spatial aspect. The clients listed do not have co-ordinates but the address can be used one at a time to build up a google layer.  I may try this to over lay a route around Europe.  After 5 days of effort I am getting close to finishing the client layer.  The number of tools that are available on the internet for general use is growing and Google are continuing the trend.

The Forrest at the Port

Finally got on the bike but only after I retrieved the faithful treadley from down the beach.  I still need to get a second machine organised at some stage.  Made my way to the recently reconstructed Princes Pier.  Talk about concrete meets wood.  The new half and the old half .  If you were expecting something akin to Santa Monica or even St Kilda, think again. No carousel at the end of this one. There are a few binoculars to check out passing ships though. The model posing on the deck was OK.

If I knew you were coming

The upskilling knows no bounds. I have made a chocolate fudge and it seems to be of a high enough standard to be present at next weeks Mother's Day gathering. Normally on such an occasion I would be there to devour said cakes, however this is a turnabout for the blogs. I did have some help from Betty Crocker.  I think Anzac biscuits could be the go next but I have a year to practise.

Turkey Ride

I spotted an old town on TV that I had visited last year. The 50th Tour of Turkey has a new leader with Orica Green Edge taking a one second lead via Adam Yates. Throw in the win by Simon Gerrans in Belgium last week and OGE are on a roll.  I make a point of touching something old when travelling around and Turkey gives plenty of options. I think I will have to add a drive of the Turkey coastline to my list.  Lots of ruins within easy reach. Those Romans left stuff everywhere. Another thing about the Ephesians when the sea started retreating they didn't put up an Air Tax, they tried to dredge the harbour but even then climate change got them and a few hundred yar later it was all covered for farming. If they were still around I might write them a letter "Congrats on meeting climate change head on". Someone already wrote them a letter.

May Day May Day

No I am not posting a plea for help, although the cleaners were here today to give things a spiff up. I played my part with a huge blow job. This is only a recent addition but it is handy for blow jobs. When I used to sweep leaves and general detritus I would use the broom to make a pile then shovel it into the bin. Now with this blowing machine it becomes someone else's problem. Eg you can stand at one end of the drive and simply blow your way out to the street and hey presto it all becomes other people's dirt. OPD's. It was a calm day so blow back wasn't an issue.