On the train

Got my ugly mug in MX, Melbourne's metro paper. Four shows in town this week so that's useful publicity. Thanks to Veronica for fixing that.

New lock

Had a real time of it yesterday. I went to the crown plaza casino afterwards with Chris and his brother Brandon (an entertaining Southern character) and cousin. Must have been the champagne, as dumbdumb lost his bike key. Looked everywhere. Finally gave it up for lost. Came back next day and they're in-house locksmith picked the lock for me. Just bought a $100 combination lock so I won't make the same mistake again. Or at least once champagne has worn off I'll remember the combination.

Alec gets a bike!

Come on tour

I'm still looking for more people to come on the tour. We leave Melbourne in a week. Please pass this on to friends and people who could use a holiday. I have one guy with me so far - Alec from Switzerland, who's flown out especially. We're to cycling Brisbane. You don't need to be super fit. Get a bike here. Singalong on stage. Camping and couchsurfing. Trip of a lifetime, etc.

Wedding snaps

A big do. Over 100 people. 5 course meal. One of the highlights of my tour so far.

Wedding

I was invited to the wedding of Chris and Anna today. I played a few songs and had a blast. It was a blast! An Italian wedding inAustralia. I met Chris when I played in Kansas City about a year ago, and then he came to the Toff in the Town show last Tuesday. A great laid back guy and we get on very well. He wanted to cone on the tour but his new bride vetoed it. Women! ;)

Ferntree Gully

I'm staying 30km out of the centre in a granny flat, in the suburb of Ferntree Gully. I can stay here for a week. Nice to have a place to myself. At the back of Veronica's cousins house, Lexie and her husband Troy, who's an arborist (tree surgeon). Here he is up a tree trying to get a possum out to show me.

Alec!

My first companion has arrived (and the only one to sign up so far). He's a guitarist from Switzerland. Landed yesterday. You'll be seeing much more of him obviously.

Photoshoot for Citybeat mag

Nicole, the photographer, was going for that 'just fell off your bike look'.

Getting Alec a bike

A community bike centre, but learning from the last trip I think he will go for a better bike that can be sold on at the end.

Jenny Biddle

Got chatting to Jenny, a busker hard at work in the city centre. Might have to do some with Alec later on if we can't get shows.

Love is happiness

V in action!

Sweating over a computer and a map. I still have little idea of where I'm going. Just follow the coastline. I don't leave Melbourne until next Saturday though so there's plenty of time.

St kilda

Melbourne is very nice! There were no real cities in New Zealand. There's a ton of things going on here and I'm in a great area.

Life in the bubble

I'm just catching up on the craziness. Touring is all-consuming.

Wifi and takers

Another cafe another attempt to connect to wifi, with little luck so I'm still on iPhone. Veronica lent me a laptop but it's a PC in gibberish ;) I have to do a video for that wifi song with people waltzing with their laptops in a cafe.

Hopefully I'll have some takers for this leg of the tour and some willing fool can take over the blogging. A man can dream. Some more musicians would be good. Even singers. A lot of unplugged shows would benefit greatly from more voices. Please put the word about, if you know friends that need an escape.

Great show

First time in a while people really got it. All expats over here with work visas. Quite a few Brits but from all over really. A great crowd made for a great show. Thanks guys.

Morgan

Morgan, from Canada living in Melbourne, organised a house show for me last night. She is a bonafide fan, with Long Live Love album on repeat. She cooked and even bought a bottle of cyclists wine.

My guardian angel

Veronica is planning the next three months of my life with shows all up the east coast. What a trooper! I'm sure she regrets it now ;) it's so much work but she wanted to try her hand at being a booker, to see if it was a job for her. Watch this space.

Beck and mum

It's like staying in a library. Beck works in a book shop and brings her with home with her.

Exploring

Cycled around Melbourne thus morning out along the coastal cycle path. What a great atmosphere here.

Toff in town

First show first night. Really good venue, well-known. Tuesday though so only 9 in the audience though, including two other acts, Christoph from Holland and Alex from Melbourne.

Melbourne

A new start! Trippy to suddenly be in a new country. Planes hey. I'd rather have gone by boat. Taking me some time to orientate.

My booker Veronica (right) picked me up from the airport and took me to Beck's house (right) where I'll be staying for a few days.

Melbourne feels a lot like Miami with palm trees, beaches and art deco.

End

The tour carried on without me. Yancy and Maria took a taxi to catch the bus down to Queenstown to see more of New Zealand, while I flew to Melbourne and Puk to Amsterdam. A sad day.

Last supper

I played a BBQ in Christchurch and had a blast. Then stayed with the Steve and Marion for two nights. The people were still in shock about the earthquake but life was carrying on

Car

We hired a car for five days to get down to Christchurch in time for our flights.

Naked bike ride

I didn't join in

Moments before impact

Day 21: kayaking in Golden Bay

We saw more seals and one even bumped into the kayak. Picnic on the island.

Day 20: North of the South island

(I've tried uploading the videos of the rest of the New Zealand trip but it's not working, so I'll just go back to photo blogging. I'm already in Melbourne now ;)

This was the sunset at a beautiful beach at the top of the South island. Lovely caves and some baby seals.

At least I had a bike

Jamming in the playhouse

Long day

8 hours in the saddle. Things were numb

Takaka hill

At what I thought was the top. There turned out to be a mountain on the mountain.

Puk close-up

Sweat getting trapped under his sunburnt skin led to blisters. Ouch

Action shot

Puked

Puk rode with me all the way to Nelson. 100km with some tough climbs. Hard enough on a road bike let alone a mountain bike with a rucksack on.

Wine tasting

Once off the ferry in the south island we rode to Marlborough Valley, wine country. We cycled from vineyard to vineyard doing the free tastings. If only all days were like this.

6am start

To catch the ferry to the south island.

Press

I got a nice article on the back of the culture section of NZ's Sunday paper. Very useful. Already got more house concerts offered because of it.