Tuesday photos

Another early morning start. This had nothing to do with an insane desire to be at my desk early, or a need to see the sun rise, It was because Mr Squishy woke up at 0530, and I figured that once he crawled into our bed and started making a fuss, there was no more sleep for me.

Boats on The Bay. I had to rest the camera on a fence post, and crank the exposure up a few notches to take this.

For the last few weeks, a crew has been working on these trees using cherry pickers. I finally discovered what they have been doing - installing fairy lights in every tree. I'd hate to think what that has cost....

An orange tinge on the fringe of these clouds.

I have varied my route recently, taking the southern option when entering the CBD. My commute had become somewhat monotonous - and so ingrained that I have to force myself each morning to turn right instead of going over the Pyrmont Bridge. Habit is going to get the better of me one morning, and I will find myself at the wrong end of town.

The change in route has provided a bit of a shock to the system, thanks to a few new hills. In the scheme of Sydney topography, my ride is pretty flat, so even the smallest new humps make a big difference. My legs were screaming at me last week, but after a layoff over the weekend, they bounced back better than every this week. Just that extra bit of climbing and variation has really helped.

One thing about the new route is that I follow the tram lines across town. You don't need to ask "which tram lines" as Sydney only has one set. The trick is to tuck in behind the tram and use it to clear the traffic ahead. It's a slow method, as the tram doesn't move that fast (and motorists complain about slow cyclists!) However, it parts the pedestrians and cars like Moses parted the waters.

However, you've got to make sure that it's not too far ahead - this one got away from me, meaning I had to wait a while at red lights.

Whilst waiting at these lights, I snapped the bikes going by. No helmet guy on the footpath.

First zoomy guy bouncing over the tram tracks.

Even zoomier guy bouncing over the tracks.

Wait, that's not a tram, and we are no longer on the tram tracks. Had to cool my heels whilst this bloke did a bit of reverse parking.

The early start meant an early finish. It was beautiful on the way home - 31 degrees and no breeze. I took a bit of a detour, going over the Iron Cove Bridge for the first time in months. This is Birkenhead Point.

The footpath/cycle path over the Iron Cove Bridge - possibly the suckiest such thing in all of NSW. It's narrow, and there is no guard rail on the traffic side. On a windy day, with the wind howling from the right, I'm always worried that a gust will collect me and push me head on into the cars. Our useless government is spending a poultice of money to duplicate this bridge, when all it really needed was a proper bike/foot path bolting to this side. Idiots.