It is great bike riding weather except for the onset of the magpie nesting season. Parent magpies become extremely defensive of the territory around their nests as their young begin to hatch out. The nesting season should go on for around 6 weeks before things settle down again and get back to normal.
The parent magpies tend to charge at old guys on bikes and from behind. You just hear the wind of their wings, followed by a loud screech and the 'clunk' of their beak on your bike helmet as they hurtle by!
One magpie had a few goes at me this morning but it is a little "I've been here before" so it doesn't scare me as much as it used to. However as the photo above shows I have taken the added pre caution of adding a couple of long cable ties to my helmet.
The cable ties seem to waver in the breeze and shine and flash with the sunlight and this tends to slow any attacking bird making it just little more wary. You still get the screech but an attacking magpie now tends to keep his distance making the whole episode a little less threatening.
The cable ties also give you a little ease of mind knowing you have some protection from an attack as you ride peacefully along.
The new bike is up and running from when I picked it up late Wednesday afternoon. I quickly transferred the 'comfort seat' and carry box over along with the large bell and the trip odometer.
I then put a replacement tyre and tube which I got from the very old "Fuji" bike onto the old black bike and have it set up as a going spare bike. The old Fuji will find its way to the tip in a day or so.
It is only now after a couple of rides on the new bike that I realize the noises, the creaks and the bumps I got when riding on the old bike. It is reassuring to know the brakes are brand new, the tyres are in tip top condition, all the cables are tight and new, and everything works so smoothly and safely.
Kim returned the 32gb USB drive in the mail yesterday so it has been loaded up with new movies and TV shows she is after and is back in the mail and on its way from the Sunshine Coast to Perth. That should keep her going for a few weeks on her newly acquired android TV box!
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