Cycling & Other Stuff!

I read this the other day

"Cycling is the slow death of the planet."

A banker made the economists think this when he said:

“A cyclist is a disaster for the country’s economy: he doesn’t buy cars and doesn’t borrow money to buy. He don't pay insurance policies. Don't buy fuel, don't pay to have the car serviced, and no repairs needed. He doesn't use paid parking. Doesn't cause any major accidents. No need for multi-lane highways.

He is not getting obese.

Healthy people are not necessary or useful to the economy. They are not buying the medicine. They don't go to hospitals or doctors.

They add nothing to the country's GDP.

"On the contrary, each new McDonald’s store creates at least 30 jobs—actually 10 cardiologists, 10 dentists, 10 dietitians and nutritionists—obviously as well as the people who work in the store itself."

Nice to know my new enthusiasm is contributing to the death of the planet.

Meanwhile, the major modifications to the bike are complete and I went for a 69km ride to test everything.  Unfortunately (for me) it was a cold day; well cold for Perth; and I wasn’t wearing appropriate clothing.  More on that later.  The bike performed faultlessly and I was very pleased. 

Two days later Jan and I were food shopping in the local shopping centre when a female approached me outside Aldi.  It was my sister, who proceeded to tell us she and my brother-in-law had just completed 14 days home self-isolation after contracting COVID.  Three days later I started to develop a sore throat.  The next day Jan developed a headache and loss of hearing in one ear.  Two days later we decided all the dots may have lined up and we did our first Rapid Antigen Test.  You guessed it.   Negative results.  I suspect this cold is a consequence of me failing to wear appropriately warm clothing during that long test ride on the bike.

During the recent inclement winter weather I’ve been pottering around in the workshop attempting to turn scraps of timber into something useful.

Jan asked if I could make a dolls house?

This one is supposed to be in the shape of an apple.  It could just as easily be a tomato!  I suspect Jan was thinking of something more conventional.