I picked up a Minolta Hi-Matic 7s at the dump last weekend. Cleaned it up, replaced the light seals with old handle bar tape from another dump find, put a roll through it during the week, then developed it to find that it works flawlessly. In fact, even in automatic mode it produced perfect results, it's almost unbelievable! $10 well spent.

After the farmers markets on Saturday morning we ventured to Mal Adjusted, he's moving his shop to a smaller residence, the garage sale proved quite gainful for me.

It looks like the Hi-Matic could be a regular from now on, with its 45mm f/1.8 lens it surely is versatile. (More pics from my ride home in the rain below).

The bike paths are mine at the moment. It seems the only to ride in this weather are those clad in extreme wet weather gear or those stranded with no other option. With temperatures above ten degrees no matter what time of day I'm happy to ride in a layer of wool and let the water wet me until I can be wet no more. As I always say, 'it's not fire falling from the sky!' Let the fair-weather riders suffer in their cars.

No headphones today, just the sound of my tyres cutting through the puddles and the breeze in my.....helmet. Ridin' in the rain is one of the most therapeutic past times I know of.

For those interested I've added a page to this site, it contains all of my film cameras. Just click on the tab above and enjoy!!

Just some extra images that never made it into a photo essay.

First up, the results of an early knock-off from work, a quick jaunt around Molongolo Gorge.

We headed to the coast the dirt route in the new Skoda for a BBQ lunch at Guerrilla Bay, somewhere near Maruya.

And lastly some randoms from home, commuting and out and about.

Another work visit to Melbourne and more roaming the streets with a camera (this time the Nikon FE) and a few rolls of expired Rollei Retro 400. Enjoy.

On the weekend just gone I raced at the Highland Fling, it was great!
 
The weather prediction over the week preceding the race was certain of rain showers and storms. This did not happen, instead the weather became somewhat similar to that being experiences in northern Australia this time of year, hot and humid, with just enough rain to top up the humidity and keep the dust down.
 
So after the scavenger hunt in Canberra, Liam and I headed up the highway to Wingello (approximately 170km toward Sydney), where Adam and Hanna had allowed us to stay at Hanna's families holiday house, an old postal way station. We headed into Bundannon to rego and found thousands of cyclists and a great carnival atmosphere. We retired back to the house and settled into a carton of Pale ale and bocce, so regretfully missed the Dash (a short exhibition race held in town) so I'll endeavor to catch that next year.
 
The guys from the Swell team holed up with us also; much pasta, beer and bicycle talk was had before bed.
 
It rained more overnight and we woke to cloudy skies and more humidity but the race kicked of without a hitch.

My main concern about doing the race stemmed from my experience at the Dirtworks Epic. Hundreds of Sydney siders in roadie/club kit riding very expensive shiny dual suspension bikes self seeding themselves at the front of the bunch only to be overtaken by every rider worth their salt for the next 4-6 hours despite their darnedest effort not to get out of the way on single track even though they are riding slower than walking pace and cannot navigate a technical obstacle to save themselves..........ah, now that's off my chest.
 
For some bazaar reason this was not the case at the Highland Fling. Of course the very same people self seeded themselves at the start of the race and it was a hindrance to overtake them (or ride creek crossings or steep ascents as they immediately got off and walked - on the trail) but it was literally a matter of 20-30km before the trails were more or less open to me at the speed I wanted to race. Even when I did encounter another rider I'd take the opportunity to rest before I overtook as they were more or less my speed, as it should be. The weather was almost unbearable hot in stages; especially where the sun shone on your back as you climbed the contour of a windless valley. I reached the second transition and realised I was dangerously dehydrated, no wonder during the preceding 15km I was wondering just why I was losing my go.

Then there was the course - brilliant. Three stages: Stage one (25km) - mostly fire trail allowing overtaking and sanity to remain intact; stage two (60km) fire trail, single track and significant climbs; stage three (25km) fire trail, new single track and some fast roads. Scenery: forests, farmland, valleys, creek lines and rocky outcrops.
 
In fact, the course was so good that every time the inevitable thought of 'why the hell am I doing this?' entered my mind I would think to myself, 'If this wasn't a race I would more than willingly ride the very same trails for the fun of it'. Other riders commented on the same thought process, it was truly 'enjoyable' (punctuated with periods of extreme despair, but it wouldn't be a race otherwise).
 
So I ended up coming 35th out of a field of 220, more than happy considering my casual transition stops, aid provided to fallen riders and mechanical support to a tool-less American pro-rider. I'll definitely be back next year!

Of course, a massive thanks to Marathon Photos this time for their great efforts at the race, no more than ten minutes playing with their images in PS got what you see before you..

Macr ventured to Canberra this weekend to run a Scavenger Hunt. The idea: to be given a list of themes and to set off and photograph anything and everything that fits those themes.

We met up at Gus' for a delicious breaky then it was just me and the Yashica Mat 124g against Civic. Luckily there were only eleven themes and I had eleven photos left on the roll of 120 in the camera. I had a fantastic time as the themes really got the creative juices flowing. Unfortunately I had to run before lunch to make it to the Highland Fling so some of my photos very loosely fit the criteria. So here they are: Architecture, Fastener, Law, Politics, Risk, Sport, Steel, Street Photography, Transport and Unusual - there was also a 'photo of your choice', but I ruined a frame so only ended up with 10 to play with........enjoy.

Yesterday I ventured to Sydney on the bus to pick up my new car. A thirty two dollar bus trip seemed a bargain considering the car was over 5 big ones cheaper in Sydney. I planned on hanging around long enough to burn through a roll of film in and around the bridge but the weather decided it would dampen the show.

Today Rach and I decided to test the car out, and what better place than Namadgi National Park, a stones throw of the southern suburbs of Canberra. I've spent many painful hours exploring the NP by bike so this was a welcome change; the luxury of a soft roader!

First stop was the NASA Space Station. It all seems pretty innocent but can someone please explain why the photos I took inside the wire turned out all wacky while all those taken outside the wire were fine.......conspiracy? Here's a couple that worked.....

All the sheep were shorn. And scared of me.

There were trees.

Oh, and Rach was there too! These pics were taken atop Mt Franklin on the site of the Mt Franklin Ski Chalet, built in 1938 and now gone, partly due to the fact that there is no longer dependable snow at the elevation it sits but mainly due to the fact that it and its asbestos roof burnt to the ground in the 2003 fires.

Here's the new baby, the Skoda Scout. Don't get me started on how good it is. I'm completely dumbfounded as to why there aren't millions of them on Australian roads; after comparing it to the Subaru Forester and then matching the prices I have a little chuckle every time I see a Forester on the road - silly silly people, ignorance is bliss I suppose. A bit too much new fangled gadgetry aboard but I am easily amused by electronics so all is good. Traction control and all-wheel-drive, where has it been all my life, it was a true pleasure to drive and I look forward to more jaunting in the country side.

I do realise these are black and white pictures and you may be wondering what colour she is. Well, she is 'Arctic Green', and I think Skoda have perfectly captured the colour of green icebergs in the arctic; so, just imagine........

And lastly here's some randoms from home that came of the roll of film.

We left the house on Saturday, on our way to the farmers markets, only to find huge blossoming roses in the front yard again. The old man next door tends to them and obviously knows just when to prune as they always bloom perfectly.

Then on that way home from the Portrait Gallery on Sunday the fields of Daisies were sure to entertain Rach as she assembled daisy chains and picked fresh flowers for home.

Of course the rest of the weekend was full of random wanderings. Quiet but fun!

And there's always a couple of surprises when you shoot film, shots you'd forgotten about and that seem to have reacted perfectly to the available light. Enjoy.