Hello Leo. I was banned from another web site twice. Tolerance has its limits. No regrets.

It's such a shame, isn't it? I wasn't banned - I just left - but from all I hear it's become worse Over There and I'm glad I moved. Such a lovely, well-intentioned idea, but...

Gidday Léo,

An advantage of living on a very large island with comparatively few other people is that the plague has been fairly easy to subdue here. A disadvantage is that it’s currently damn difficult to get on or off the island. This doesn’t bother me too much, other than the need to see family in New Zealand is being thwarted by border officials.

As international borders began banging shut early last year, I had to hurriedly escape New Zealand. I moved so fast I left one of my bikes there, so I’m eagerly awaiting the declaration of a trans-Tasman travel bubble so I can return to see family and collect the abandoned bike.

Overall though, life is good and fairly normal here. After last years apocalyptic bushfires, this summer has been idyllic. So good is the weather, I’ve been doing regular rides throughout summer, including an overnight mini-tour last weekend. 

All the best for a return to pre-covid conditions over your way.

Welcome Leo!

Great to see/read you're still about. Do ride the Divide at the first chance you get. A lightning struck circus elephant on the Great Divide? I can hardly wait to read of your coming encounters.

Like Graham, I'm waiting patiently for someone to let us off our island to visit friends and retrieve a bike left in Bangkok.   

Thanks, Graham. One day, when we are older and still more wizened, we will look back on all this and laugh. Probably hysterically, but at least we shall laugh.

happy days

léo

Hi

  If ever I get to ride the Great Divide, I will be sure to bring news of the dead elephant.

  People appear to have bikes stranded all over the place - yours in Bangkok, Graham's in New Zealand, friends mine in Hungary. One day, one day...

happy days

léo

Hi Victa, 

Are you in Oz? In WA?

It's nice to so many familiar names!

I am waiting for my jab and planning summer bike trips.  Can't wait.

Karen

Hi Léo

I'm interested to hear that Canada isn't the only country being shorted on promised vaccine deliveries.  We were hoping to get our first shot maybe in June (original plan for 60-69-year-olds in BC) but now it seems we'll be lucky to make it to the front of the queue by the end of the summer.

Jacquie

Jacquie here in Australia our government deliberately chose to delay mass vaccinations. Partly because of supply issues, but also to await efficacy data from other countries, especially from the UK.  The trial data looks promising but it’ll be the actual rollout of vaccines which reveals how well they work in the real world.

We can afford to wait a bit longer because the outbreaks here are fairly well under control by standard quarantine methods. Australia is also fortunate because we have capacity to produce vaccines here rather than only import them. I guess Canada can also produce vaccines.