Sisyphus does his cardio. But no koalas in sight

Koalas are fantastically dim. Their brains used to fill their cranium, more or less, but in the absence of predators requiring them to be able to think, the expensive (in terms of protein and energy) wetware got selected against. Koalas are therefore even more fantastically dim than they once were (when your ‘prey’ is eucalyptus leaves, it’s not like you need to be able to solve quadratic equations).

I bring this factoid, which comes to my neocortex via Tim Flannery, to explain why there has not been a claque of koalas on Hartley Avenue, applauding my uphill yomping. The sign is a lie!!

To keep the years at bay (or to slow the speed as I go over the hill), I’ve been walking south to Urrbrae with 30ish kilos of bricks and weights in a backpack literally held together with string.

Today I did the climb five times. First two were warmer-uppers (7 mins 33s and 7 mins 40). Last two were death marches (8 mins 33 seconds both – no attempt at speed). And the third… drum roll please… with serious concentric end of range hip extension and even some semi-staggering jogs as I ran along the relatively flat bit near the finish line… 6 mins 55 seconds.

And did a single koala even so much as chew impassively in my general direction? Blinky bloody Blinky Bill!