Autumnal Companions - London

A few strolls through Hyde Park this Autumn enabled me to take some pics of companionship amongst the fallen leaves.

Gillian Welch and David Rawlings - Hammersmith Apollo 23/11/11

Back in June I posted my joy of the news that Gillian Welch's new album was finally being released.  Last night I had the absolute pleasure of seeing Welch and David Rawlings perform at the Hammersmith Apollo.

Throughout the entire concert I was filled with a warm happiness, mixed with an undercurrent of sadness.  Happiness from the rare beauty of the performance and some sadness because the songs are genuine heart-string pluckers.  To witness 2 people utterly captivate an audience of that size with just their guitars and voices was an extraordinary thing.  It was as if the songs had been mellowing in oak barrels for decades, with the lucky crowd being privy to a tasting session of the finest vintage.

Get me to Dixie, I need another whiskey.

Cornwall, England - September 2011

Cycling the Danube

Last week a good friend of mine, Chris, joined me on a 3 day cycling trip on the Danube River in Austria, from Linz to Vienna (about 230kms). We arrived on a Friday to the hottest day of the year in Linz, with the temperature topping 39 deg celcius. Thankfully we had no riding to do that day. We instead settled into the largest beer garden in upper Austria (according to the proud tourist officer) and sampled some local produce.

Day 1 was an 80km ride in coolish conditions from Linz to Ybbs. A lot of the day was not spent riding on the actual Danube but inland, detouring through endless fields of corn. I had no idea so much corn was grown in Austria. It was a nice, scenic ride, but we were expecting a lot more time spent cycling beside the river. The rain was threatening for most of the day and finally came crashing down while we were luckily safe and warm in a cave-like bar in Ybbs. We decided then and there that our cycling was over for the day.

Day 2 was the big ride, as we had to make up some ground after rain forced an early finish the day before. It was the best day of the 3 with perfect weather, the Danube always in view and quaint villages along the way to explore, many with large beer gardens. From Spitz to Krems was particularly beautiful with the villages surrounded by vineyards and dramatic mountainous backdrops. Coincidentally and gladly we bumped into the parents of a friend of ours near picturesque Melk. We covered about 100kms and even had time for a quick dip in the Danube. We eventually found a room in a hostel in Tulln around 8pm, and then quickly found some bratvursts and Steigl.

Day 3 was a gentle 50km ride into Vienna, not as scenic as the previous day, but we did share a modest sense of achievement as we stood in the centre of the city with our bikes and panniers. A Vienna Schnitzel, apple strudel and a nap in the park concluded the trip before Chris and I flew our separate ways. It was a lovely 4 days in Austria that has triggered a strong desire to continue the Danube ride from Vienna to Budapest. Maybe next August over 7 days, so we can linger in those gorgeous beer gardens a little longer...

Portugal

London

Gillian Welch's new album, finally...

More freight-trains, more sleepin' on the floor and more lines like this:

"It's beef steak when I'm workin', whiskey when I'm dry, sweet heaven when I die..."

Welcome back Gillian Welch and David Rawlings.

Sardinia

Sand, sea, sun. Stunning.

Swanston Street

Common sense finally prevails on Swanston street. Perhaps Melbourne is now heading in a truly bicycle friendly direction.

Why did it take so long to happen?

http://www.bv.com.au/general/change-the-world/11235/

Scotland

Northern Scotland. From Inverness to the Orkney Islands, down to Skye and back to Inverness. 9 days, drove over 1000 miles and took lots of photos. See more of my favourite Scotland pics on flickr. What a beautifully scenic part of the world. Some of the beaches in the north rivalled the best I have seen in Australia. As did the surf, for those game enough to enter the Scottish 'greenroom'. Couldn't find a Puffin on Orkney despite some serious cliff hanging in vain, lots of seagulls though. Got spied on by seals, stalked by curious ravens and kept awake by sheep. The roads were largely free of cars, surprising, considering it was the Easter period and the weather being warm and clear. No complaints here though, it made for a quiet, winding road with breathtaking mountains around every corner. Thanks Scotland. I hope to return one day.

Listen to Radiohead's latest...The King of Limbs

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2011/mar/28/radiohead-artwork-king-limbs-stream?CMP=twt_fd

London - September 2010

I forgot about adding some of my favourite pics from London in September last year, so here's two of them. One of the photos is of the Tour of Britain race at the Docklands. Much easier to get a good shot at this bike race compared to when I was at the Tour de France in Issoudun, 2009.

Poland

Egypt

Matt Hall

Will be missed by everyone. Forever.

My heart and love goes out to Cath, the Hall Family and Matt's many, many friends all over the world.