When Black Should Be White

Readers will know Adolf is a devotee of the early morning walk - now out to eight kilometres and followed by two minutes hard rowing. The walk itself takes 84 minutes for 8,040 metres. This is most pleasant exercise because there are no steep gradients, just sufficient slope here and there to increase the work load as speed is maintained.

The current season started on October 13th at four kilometres and there have been five 'days off' since then. So far six kilos of adipose tissue have been shed and all medical markers are heading in a healthy south easterly direction.

But now to the headline.

I get going just before sunrise, any time between 0515 and 0545 when street lights are still on and there is a quiet twilight with sometimes wonderful sunrises. Tui and doves are starting their early morning chortling and gurgling.

In these dubious visual conditions it seems common sense to wear a white shirt so as to be readily visible when crossing the road or walking on the bitumen to avoid adverse foothpasths - usually cross sloping and hell on ankles and calves. It is amazing to note the following:-

• The number of walkers and joggers dressed in BLACK from head to toe, some occupying the road way on the left hand side instead of the safer right hand side.
• The number of dark coloured cars driving with no lights on. The drivers of these cars too usually are dark coloured- coconuts, pakis, cane cutters but few Maoris. The Bros are still asleep at that time of day.
• The absence of cyclists on the magnificent and expensive new cycleway on East Coast Rd. They are all still using the road and hoping to get killed.

Makes you wonder why councils do these things, eh? Where are all the people who lobbied for the cycleway?



Driving their bloody cars, of course.