summer’s orange haze

Though the absolute drenching rain of today and yesterday is no measure of it, Melbourne has been experiencing some particularly warm days and evenings of late. For my mind, the heated, humid afterglow of evening is one of the nicest times to go riding. You’re probably still a bit sweaty, but the scorching sun has dipped and you’re left with nothing but the thick air and the opportunity to go flying through the biscuit-bake heat, hoping that your house has somehow kept its cool.

People are also generally in a much better mood in warmer weather. They’re in less of a hurry. They don’t have to get to dinner on time. In fact, they’re probably late already, but they don’t mind pulling over for some random strangers and they’re happy to talk helmets, and they have one of those cute hat/helmet hybrids that – for my mind – seem like they’d be really hot to wear both from a temperature perspective and a fashion complementarity. They’re friendly, and have a genuinely warm smile that makes you could feel like you could ask them for directions, or how to use the ticket machine on the tram, or which way to the beach.