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    • The World on Two WheelsCanada, Cuba and Covid 19
      Day 72

      A Grey Day by the Coast

      May 12, 2020 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

      Some days don't stand out for any particular reason. The weather was neither especially good, or especially bad. We weren't belted by gale force winds, there were no earthquakes and Inverloch was not attacked by a raging Godzilla emerging from the inlet. It was just another day in isolation.

      The main topic of popular discussion seemed to be what effects the slight easing of the restictions would have on our everyday lives. There are still so many "grey areas" that do not seem to be specifically covered by the Premier's announcement. We still don't know how far we can legally travel from home in our cars or whether the local tip is open again. The common consensus seems to be to just act reasonably and hope that the police would not fine anyone who was trying to do the right thing. That's our theory anyway and so far it has worked.

      The day ended with a delicious crock pot stew and another relatively early night. At least it was another day closer to seeing our grandchildren again.      Read more

    • The World on Two WheelsCanada, Cuba and Covid 19
      Day 49

      It Could be Sunday

      April 19, 2020 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

      Today might have been Sunday. Or it could have equally been Wednesday or Monday. The days of the week have lost their significance to us. Without the normal routine, punctuated by bike rides, table tennis matches, visits to the kids and the like, every day is just about the same as every other day. This seems especially true when the weather is grey. Even the sky seems to lose its clarity.

      So how did we spend the last 24 hours ? It's already becoming a little foggy in my memory, but I think we started with breakfast. Maggie then set off with her sister for an early morning walk with their two dogs. I read a couple of gripping short stories and then went back to fiddling with my locks. It was at that point when a type of disaster took place.

      One of my locks is called a "cruciform lock" because its key way actually consists of 4 separate channels, each alligned at 90 degrees to each other. Although this type of lock is common in Europe, they are relatively rare here. The main advantage of such a lock is that they are quite difficult to pick. The challenge lies in picking all four channels at the same time.

      A few days ago I achieved a personal milestone when I managed to pick the cruciform lock, not once, but twice. I was quite chuffed. Unfortunately when I returned to have another go at the lock today, I discovered that one of the pins was stuck. It resisted everything I could to do get it freed up. I decided to disassemble the lock. Stupid move.

      As soon as I removed the retaining circlip from the rear of the barrel, the barrel slid out of the body and miniature pins, springs and ball bearings went flying to the four corners of the earth. I spent the next 30 minutes on my knees, trying to collect as many bits as I could. Of course it was a waste of time. That lock is now definitely an "ex lock". The sad collection of remnants now resides in a small pill jar. Maybe I learnt something from the exercise.

      The day was too drizzly for an enjoyable ride, but we did pack our thermos and drive to the ocean for a nice picnic overlooking Bass Straight. It might have been Sunday, but it certainly wasn't a sunny day.      Read more

    • The World on Two WheelsCanada, Cuba and Covid 19
      Day 67

      Thursday in Lockdown

      May 7, 2020 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

      According to our 2020 calendar, today should have been spent riding the Warby Trail with the rest of the Ghostriders. We should have been sharing stories and jokes while we lunched at the Carriage Cafe, Gordon would probably have picked up a couple of punctures, David would have bolted off the front within the first few minutes and we could have shared plans for future rides and adventures. Those halcyon days seem a long time ago.

      Instead of riding the trail, we spent another grey day in isolation. I practised picking the same few locks that I have now opened hundreds of times before. Although I have ordered some harder ones from Canada, they seem to have somehow got lost in transit. In the meantime we watch the news for any updates on the restrictions. The Premier Dan Andrews seems to be enjoying his new role of harsh schoolmaster and insists that there will be no relaxation of restrictions in his lifetime.

      A few days ago I started reading Daniel Defoe's account of the 1665 Plague Year in London. It certainly has made for interesting reading, and the parallels with the pandemic of 2020 are uncanny. I have now reached the part of the story where the plague is starting to abate. As soon as the daily death tolls (the "bills") started to reduce, it is worth noting that the population suddenly thought that it was safe to return to their old ways of life. The shops reopened and people filled the streets and churches. Unfortunately it did not end well, as a new surge of infections followed. They had to learn the lesson a second time.

      It was also worth noting that the mortality of the plague reduced as it neared the end of its course. A much larger proportion of infected people actually made full recoveries. In spite of the abatement of the plague in London, England's trading partners were still unconvinced that the danger had passed and were reluctant to accept goods that had originated there. Some exported goods were soaked in vinegar in an attempt to kill the plague that they might have been carrying.

      A final note that I found interesting was the fact that people's generosity to the poor dried up as the plague finished. While the plague was in full flight, the rich were extremely generous in making sure that the poor were looked after. Perhaps they thought that they would be rewarded for their good deeds. Whatever the reason for their generosity, the flow of funds dried up as quickly as the plague disipated. Defoe also makes the point that the people quickly returned to their wicked and promiscuous behaviour, apparently having learnt little from the suffering they had endured.      Read more

    • The World on Two WheelsCanada, Cuba and Covid 19
      Day 66

      Coffee by the Inlet

      May 6, 2020 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

      With Mother's Day now only three days away, everyone is starting to wonder whether it will be possible for families to meet together, or whether the strict lockdown will continue. Things seemed to be heading in the right direction for a relaxation in the restrictions, but a recent outbreak of cases at a Melbourne meat processing plant may have thrown the proverbial spanner in the works. We might have to wait just a little bit longfer to see our kids and grandchildren.

      Today was a relatively exciting day on a range of separate criteria. Firstly the sun was shining and it was modestly warm. Secondly, we had our weekly visit from the friendly garbage man and thirdly (and most important of all) we had the weekly delivery of groceries from Woolworths on line. How could we not feel elated on such a day ?

      We were still on something of a high from yesterday's ride, so chose to climb back on the bikes for another (albeit shorter) ride around Inverloch. It was a great opportunity to explore some paths and roads we had not ridden before. Even though we have had the Inverloch home for over 10 years, there is still much of the township and surroundings that we are not familiar with. This has been a good chance to fill in some of the blanks in our local knowledge.

      Mid way through our ride we detoured to the shops to buy a coffee and cake. We then took them to a picnic table neat the inlet to savour the warm sunshine and pretend that we were actually sitting in the RACV Country Club. It was not quite the same, but it was still a very pleasant way to spend a morning.

      We then took the long way home, meandering around the most circuitous route we could devise. The forecast for the next few days is not so promising, so we were glad that we could take the opportunity to spend some more time on two wheels.

      At this stage we will probably spend another two weeks down here, before thinking about returning to the Big Smoke. We hope that, by that time, the contagion will have abated enough for us to return without imperiling our lives. We might even be able to share a ride with a couple of our friends.      Read more

    • The World on Two WheelsCanada, Cuba and Covid 19
      Day 64

      Star Wars and Screw Creek

      May 4, 2020 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

      After the miserable weather of the past few days it was a relief to wake up to relative silence. Although the skies were still overcast, the torrential rain had finally stopped.

      In these monotonous days of lockdown, any break in the routine is more than welcome. The highlights of our week are undoubtedly the visit from the rubbish man and the delivery from Woolworths online. They are the only visitors we are allowed to have, so their arrivals are an occasion for much joy and rejoicing.

      Today was special for an entirely different reason. It was the famous "Star Wars Day" - May 4th. In case you still don't get it, this day gets its name from the famous space blessing "May the force be with you". If you say it with a lisp,you will get the idea.

      We decided to take advantage of the meteorological respite by going on a long walk along the coast to Screw Creek lookout. The views across the inlet to Venus Bay are quite magnificent and Maggie did her best to actually fall into the inlet when she missed her footing on a section of the path that had been eroded by the recent storms.

      A couple of brief passing showers did little to dampen our enjoyment, but we were tired when we made it back to the car. Tomorrow we plan to get on the bikes and ride the Great Southern Rail Trail to Toora and back.      Read more

    • The World on Two WheelsCanada, Cuba and Covid 19
      Day 42

      Coffee by the Inlet

      April 12, 2020 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

      While most people agree that everyone needs to play their part in reducing the spread of the virus, some of the restrictions do seem confusing and counter productive. According to some of the interpretations I have seen, it is illegal for a husband and wife to have a picnic in their car as that would represent "unnecessary travel". While I can see that it is important to cut down the amount of travel for trivial purposes, I see that a quiet coffee in the sanctity of their own vehicle constitutes absolutely no danger to the couple in question, or to anyone else. It may also be an essential for maintaining mental health.

      Whether it was illegal or not, this morning we decided that we needed to get out for a short time. We filled the thermos, packed a couple of biscuits and drove the short distance to the waterfront. It felt great to be able to watch the water in the inlet while we enjoyed our coffees. Fortunately no law officers tapped on the window while we were there.

      Later in the day we enjoyed some more video chats with other Ghostriders. We are learning to embrace this technology, as are our friends. It is becoming very clear that it was a wise move to get the NBN connected as we would have exhausted the data allowance that was included in our mobile phone plans.

      It has been interesting to see how everyone else has adapted to their many housebound hours. Gardening and home maintenance seem to be the two most popular pastimes. I have already said that I have taken up a new hobby that I have been finding quite interesting. Tomorrow I might even reveal what that hobby is.

      I just glanced up at the clock and saw that the time is almost 8pm. No wonder I am starting to feel like bedtime.      Read more

    • The World on Two WheelsCanada, Cuba and Covid 19
      Day 62

      Happy Anniversary

      May 2, 2020 in Australia ⋅ 🌧 11 °C

      The torrential rain of the previous 24 hours finally started to slacken during the evening. In the quieter moments we could almost hear ourselves talk. When you have been in such close proximity to each other for several weeks, I am not sure that is such a good thing. Long days in enclosed spaces, under overcast skies, are not exactly conducive to happy relationships. This is especially true when your partner does not even laugh at your best jokes.

      Today marked a rather special day for Maggie's brother and sister in law. They were going to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. Well "celebrate" is probably too strong a word to use for the occasion. It is hard to stage a serious celebration when you cannot invite anyone else to your home. Such is our strange life in lockdown in this plague year of 2020.

      Although we could not join them for their significant anniversary, Maggie did at least pay a virtual visit and left a small novelty gift on their doorstep. When all of this period of isolation is finally over, we really are going to have a busy time catching on all the events that we missed.

      The weather was still far too miserable to go for a walk or ride, but later in the day, we did pack a small picnic and parked by the ocean to watch the whitecapped waves crashing on to the shore. The spray from the wild surf kept blowing over our windscreen and making it hard to see, but it was still better than sitting in the house.

      Some states are slowly starting to lift their strictest restrictions, but not Victoria. We have been told to expect no relaxation for at least a couple of weeks. I just hope the weather improves a bit during that time.      Read more

    • The World on Two WheelsCanada, Cuba and Covid 19
      Day 61

      God's Frozen People

      May 1, 2020 in Australia ⋅ 🌧 10 °C

      For many years I have dreamt of going to Antarctica. I don't need to go there anymore, because today Antarctica came to us. For the past few days we had been warned that a meteorological apocalypse was heading our way and last night it arrived with a vengeance.

      The onslaught began soon after nightfall. The temperature plummeted, the wind increased to hurricane force and the rain started. It would however be rather inaccurate to call it rain as it was more like a sustained cloudburst of Biblical proportions.

      With the freezing conditions making our house more like an igloo, we decided that the only way we could stay warm was to grab the dog and our books and head straight to bed. For the next ten hours we lay in the bed hearing the deafening roar of rain on the iron roof. I could not remember any other time in my memory where the rain had fallen unabated for such a long time. I began to be thankful that our bedroom was on the second floor as I expected that the level of water in the nearby Bass Strait would have risen considerably overnight.

      From time to time the steady roar of the rain was punctuated by even heavier bursts of rain. It did make sleeping somewhat difficult and we looked forward to the arrival of sunrise, however when the daylight did arrive, it only served to reveal a very desolate scene. The rain was still pouring steadily and the wind blowing viciously. There would be no bicycle riding today, that's for sure.

      Today's downpour follows a succession of very wet months for Victoria. According to the record keepers we have already received much more rain in the first four months of 2020 than we received in the entire 2019 year. April was apparently the wettest month for about 60 years.

      With all this water cascading from the skies, you might be excused for thinking that Melbourne's dams would all be filled to overflowing. After all, the water has to go somewhere. Well you have another think coming. According to the Melbourne Water web site, the total amount of water in our storages actually fell from 61% to 60% over the last four weeks. If we cannot even save any water in the wettest month for 60 years, then I guess we really must be in trouble. Or perhaps someone left the plug out of the dam ?

      Apart from a couple of short respites, the rain continued most of the day. I spent most of the day sitting on the sofa with my kindle, but also took some time to practise with my locks. It was that sort of day.      Read more

    • The World on Two WheelsCanada, Cuba and Covid 19
      Day 60

      Home Again, Briefly

      April 30, 2020 in Australia ⋅ 🌧 10 °C

      We always knew that we would have to return home at some stage. When we moved down to Inverloch it still felt like summer. We came with clothes for warm weather and were poorly prepared for a winter by the coast. There were also a few other items that we realised that we had left behind. It was also time to check the house itself. That meant that we would have to make a quick trip to Melbourne and back.

      Since travel between two places of residence still seems to be one of those "grey areas" that no one seems to understand fully, we were slightly nervous that we would be pulled over by some overly keen constable and issued with a "please explain".

      To our relief the 70 minute drive back to Pakenham was achieved without incident. We also noticed that the amount of traffic on the highway had increased dramatically over the past few days. Could it be that people have taken matters into their own hands and decided that they had to get out of their homes before going barking mad ?

      When we arrived at our home it was a somewhat strange feeling opening the front door. Maggie has not lived here since February and it seemed a bit like we were housebreaking. Fortunately the burglar alarm had not been tripped and everything was exactly as I had left it. We quickly checked the house and exterior, packed the car, chatted to our neighbour and were on our way again.

      We decided to make a brief detour to visit our son and grandson from a distance. Although we stayed well apart, it was great to see them in person for the first time in weeks.

      As we began the drive back down to Inverloch we noticed the sky behind us was darkening dramatically. It was obvious that the storms were coming quickly. We had originally planned to stop for a couple of take away coffees somewhere along the way, but the prospect of being caught in a hailstorm was enough to make me press down a little heavier on the throttle and head straight for Inverloch.

      The rain did not start until we were safely back in our unit, but the temperature certainly headed south. It was freezing. On went the slippers and the heater, out came our books, the dog assumed her normal place on my knee and we settled down to lasting through the blast from the Antarctic that the Weather Bureau had warned about. The next few days will be interesting for all the wrong reasons.      Read more

    • The World on Two WheelsCanada, Cuba and Covid 19
      Day 59

      Yippee, Visitors !

      April 29, 2020 in Australia ⋅ 🌧 11 °C

      In this new life of isolation it is becoming hard to remember what it was like in the olden days when we used to have visitors. The door bell would ring, the dog would bark (actually the dog usually barked first) and then we welcomed them into our home. Those days are now long gone. We now spend each day enjoying our own company. That wouldn't be so bad, but sometimes I really get on my own nerves. I would love to have someone else to talk to.

      This shutin syndrome is likely to get worse as we head into a cold Victorian winter. When it rains all day, we cannot even get out to ride our bikes or walk the dog. In fact we can't do much at all. You might think that it is good to have a rest, but too much rest is really overrated. It soon cascades into boredom.

      Today would have been even more difficult if we didn't have the excitement of having the weekly visit from the garbage man to look forward to. If that wasn't exciting enough, we also had the scheduled weekly delivery from Woolworths on line. Now that really was EXCITING with a capital E. Fresh milk, sanitizer, raspberries, bread, butter, chocolate, bananas and toilet paper. What more could we ever want ?

      Before the sacred cargo was allowed in the house, Maggie insisted on standing in the pouring rain to disinfect every single parcel. Less understanding husbands might have said something about OCD, but I bit my tongue instead. About 30 minutes later the final parcel was brought, followed by Maggie looking like a drowned rat. She tells me that she is NOT neurotic, she is just careful.

      The rest of the day was spent reading, resting and listening to the rain on the roof. Apparently we have 5 even colder and wetter days to look forward to. Fantastic.      Read more

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