BILLY THORPE

The run to work was JAC - just another commute - but I do feel as if I've over the worst of my cold. It was another sweaty affair, unsurprising with humidity in the high 90-percents. I'll not bitch about that as I do in January when that humidity, added to temperatures that can be in the mid to high 20s before work make it rather unpleasant. This time of year I can shower and then not sweat afterwards, the temperature in the low teens. Far better.

Work was work, punctuated by chats with soon-to-be-former-colleagues about my new job. Closer to home (20min if I run, about 10 on the bike), no formal dress code, 200m west of the beach and about the same south of a brewery; really, what's not to like?

I worked through lunch, having forgotten about a 1pm meeting. I probably wouldn't have run at lunch today. I need* to buy a new phone and might buy a new laptop for my new job.

*sort of. I give my main phone back when I leave my current job and my personal mobile is the original Galaxy Note. And that won't sync with my new Garmin Vivoactive. I can't have that. And I need** a decent camera phone.

**sort of. I have plenty of cameras, but take the majority of my pictures with my phone. So I'm tending towards the Galaxy S6.

I digress.

I decided to run home. The city was grey and damp. Reasonable running conditions but nothing special. Until I got to Military Road when something that sometimes happens in Sydney happened. A gap opened up between the western horizon and the grey clouds. The sun shone through the gap, picking out buildings and trees and stuff in bright, vivid detail. Very pretty, I like that. And then I noticed the rainbows. Two of them.

I am amazed I didn't run into a person or a lamp post as I spent a couple of kilometres gazing at the rainbows and not really paying much attention to anything else. I picked the pace up a bit and hoped it would keep raining so I could stop and take a few pictures with my soon-to-be-handed-back phone.

There was quite a lot of swearing at said phone as I struggled to unlock it with cold, wet hands while standing in the rain dripping sweat on to the screen. Not entirely sure it was the devices fault, but swearing is big and clever and I am sure it helped. The pictures were so-so, but you get the picture. Literally.

I jogged on, stopping again at the Spit to take another few sunset pictures, and then it was up Mount Seaforth and home for another there-and-back 22km day.

So the song of the day was an obvious choice - Over the Rainbow. I love the Judy Garland original (who doesn't), still have not worked out whether or not I like the Tori Amos version (I think I do, but it is a bit...tense), the Israel Kamakawiwo'ole leaves me a bit cold and I've already used a Jamie Cullum this month. So it's a god job I found Billy Thorpe. An Aussie singer who released the song in the 60s as Billy Thorpe and the Atzecs, but I like this solo version.

Enjoy!