Normal day’s ride to and from work today, then a magnificent evening ride later on. Lack of motorbike meant that when I got the invitation to have an evening beer and barbecue with friends, it was either norky bike or the train — and Friday evening trains aren’t my favourite.
Another of Marko’s fine barbecues, a good time to sit and chat as the day cools down and the cicadas sing. The selling of their house still hangs over them, the market isn’t good, and by definition, the real-estate agent is a real-estate agent. Will it sell or not? Will they move or not? Who can tell. In the meantime, we enjoy what we’ve got — coffee, food, companionship, and an old steam engine that Marko had found and restored!
A running model steam engine, Marko's newest steam engine
Three days after the full moon, there are no street lights on the bike paths, there are no lane markings on the bike paths, its all just a case of trust your instincts and follow the black ribbon through the darkness — flashing bike lights are good enough to be seen by, but not good enough to see with! Along the way the other senses come into play, the temperature changes as you drop down to the cool of the creek, or climb up to the heat radiating off the concrete roads, the sounds of frogs and birds in the bushes, muted traffic and Friday night sirens, the smells from the creek, the mud, the drains… non-too pleasant, but all standing out that much more at night.
