Welcome back to the WWW for episode #412. Please remember that if you get this the old school way, via email rather than via Facebook or straight to the website, that you can unsubscribe at any stage OK? Just let me know. I won't be offended, I'll just cry myself to sleep tonight on my huge pillow!
So I have survived a week away at Mollymook. Those that know me well will understand that I really don't like the beach at all. I never have and at my advancing age I can't see that changing. As a kid, the beach for me meant sticky black sand, hot car trips and being hosed off in the garden when you got home. However, Alison and I were very fortunate to have the run a friend's holiday house and it was super cool. We did very little and that was the whole point. Other than riding my bike up some rather large hills we read books, did a bit of walking and continued the search for decent cafes. I even walked on the beach a couple of times and it was quite pleasant (no wind makes a big difference). We also listened to a heap of music. I made a point of taking nothing new away with us, just the iPod loaded up with our entire collection to choose from. I spotted an old church for sale in Milton and as soon as we come up with the cash we're making a sneaky purchase and heading there to start a new life with our coffee, guitar and decluttering emporium...ha ha! I needed time away to relax and for the most part it was a big success.
The Eagles - Peaceful Easy Feeling (live) - https://youtu.be/QHkU1obOWdY?t=3m32s
One of the books I read was about Father Bob Maguire. He's an interesting man no doubt and one who speaks his mind in a good way. If you have an interest, as I do, in why and how people do selfless things then have a read of this and you'll be exposed to a man who has made it his life's work. A very good read indeed. The book is simply called, "Father Bob". I particularly liked his philosophy on "BYO DIY religion".
Little River Band - Help Is On Its Way - https://youtu.be/iq2WJ2r0NkM
One of the bonuses, or pitfalls depending on how you look at it, was that I had no phone/internet coverage whilst I was away. I could get a smattering of a signal if I went into town or up a big hill but that seemed to defeat the purpose of being on holiday. Other than wondering what my kids were up to I must admit that it was pretty good to be offline. I should do it more often. It does seem ludicrous though that 2 hours from the capital of the country and about the same from Sydney that I had no signal.
Travelling Wilburys - Not Alone Anymore - https://youtu.be/GKHqC9FnA-I
Cycling adventures at the coast are more suited to the mountain biking fraternity. Since I no longer have an offroad steed I packed the trusty Cervelo anyway armed with the advice of staying off the Princes Highway and being prepared for a lot of hills. And hills there were - in abundance! With no internet signal I was reduced to a real map to plan my rides. This was just as well as Google Maps has an annoying habit of drawing lines over the satellite image so that you have no idea if a road is sealed or not. I don't do off road on the Cervelo! My very average map reading skills did not cause any dramas though and somehow I managed to pick 50km of sealed back roads that were pretty quiet...other than the large number of other cyclists. I'm not sure I'd want to train on those roads all the time as there is very little flat riding to be had but I did enjoy the downhill sections quite a lot and my sore legs told me that the uphill bits were challenging enough. More hills required!
Bruce Springsteen - Stayin' Alive (live) - https://youtu.be/4n1GT-VjjVs
People die all the time; I may have said this before and it's a simple fact. But some make more of an impact than others. I could go on and on about those who have passed away recently but others more eloquent than I have probably done that a little bit too much. But I want to mention two. Firstly David Bowie. It's now a year since his light went out and for many it's still raw and very recent. If you haven't seen this entire concert then you must - it's your homework! In terms of live music concerts on film it's second only to Iron Maiden's "Live After Death" in my opinion.
David Bowie - Rebel Rebel (live) - https://youtu.be/eF551z9KlA8
The other person who went far to early was my mate Glenn. He left us on 14 Jan 2010 whilst out riding his bike. RIP mate; you're missed by so many.
Chris Cornell - Wave Goodbye - https://youtu.be/byKW7JWNg24
Back to work next week I guess. I think the only thing that I miss now about being a teacher are the holidays!
Hoo Roo,
Rob
Hmmm....what to leave here for those adventurous souls willing to click here.....try this. Someone out there will understand why.
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