What are your positives from the current situation?

Medical diagnosis = acute traumatic rotator cuff tear involving supraspinatus extending into long head of bicep.

Means I wont be riding bikes again for a few months or so

It's a pretty cool place, but like everywhere, it's becoming crowded I guess. We didn't have to much trouble finding secluded camp spots in 2017. Just ride off the road a couple hundy meters and set up. Some of the official camp grounds were pretty full though.
I thought about shipping the F8 over too, it'd be fine for doing what I plan (I think)

I'm glad you said that... I toyed with idea of a jetski, they look like fun and it'd get me out fishing pretty quick. However I like to move around and not be locked into one position for too long. Partly why I never gelled with kayak fishing.
You just put the last nail in the coffin for that idea.

Memories are such an important part of it.
Coincidentally, we did the cape in 2008 too.
https://advrider.com/f/threads/bass-ducatijim-explore-aus.340074/page-4
We were early in the dry season and lucky, as the dry was early that year too. As you say, most of the major crossings were concreted but there were very few people around and we could do pretty much as we pleased.

I was hoping that one positive stemming from covid 19 might be a major reduction in outback traffic but yes, I can understand a rush of organised events that have been delayed because of the virus. However IMHO, our borders with the rest of the world may well remain closed until we have a vaccine. What's your opinion on how things will look in say 9 months time?

So that could've been you on the OTL track then

NT/SA and WA look to be the first states opening up, there's talk that they might lump together (restriction-wise) and get their own, earlier travel/ economic recovery going compared to the eastern states.
Makes sense, too...
Agree re: vaccine needed for international travel and free movement across certain regions (i.e. Asia/Europe/ etc).
Much will depend on airline restrictions, no sense flying with 20 bums on seats in a 737...or 10 ppl in an airport shuttle bus.
If the globe gets a 2. wave of this (after the mess of the first one is finally sorted) , this could drag on for quite a while yet.
There will also be no travel insurance covering any of it etc....

You poor bugger James, that sounds bloody painful!
I thought I was hard done when I badly sprained a biceps tendon a few months back, still managed the TT2000 with a few painkillers though, nothing as bad as what you have.
You can still go fishing, right? a neighbor adapted a battery drill to his reel to help him mentally cope with a similar situation.
Get well.

I wondered about getting grease from the KTM shop

Yeah, it's pretty uncomfortable. You did well doing the TT though.
Yip, I can still dangle a line. I pulled the trigger on one of those lectric reels the other week. Not sure I really need it though as I pulled some monstrous kahawai in at separation point the other day, manually.

@oldbeer was wondering how you were getting on with the two guitars you were working on during lockdown. They were almost finished, but we haven't seen / heard the finished product....

Wot he said

Ah yes well.....the leckytrickle one is done and being played in but still needs a couple of things done but haven't managed to wrestle it out of No1 sons hands to get that done. He likes it. Maybe this weekend.

I've taken some (very poor) video of my completed after 10 years on the shelf steel string and my completed after 38 years ukulele. Ill try and get some of the plugged-in-one this weekend as well and put something on yt so you can hear them.

I decided i would spray my classical back, sides and neck and duly hunted down the right stuff (wot the pros use) plus obtained a compressor, a full face mask for spray work.

In a rare fit of responsibility i downloaded the MSDS for the lacquer. 25 pages. First two pages told me i had neither enough PPE nor the right air handling (i can open the doors or not). The other 23 pages listed the possible consequences of not getting all this right. When i got to the bit that said the fumes work as an anaesthetic so you won't realise what happening i concluded i was out of my depth. I like my son in law and have fantastic neighbours so showering all of them in clouds of highly toxic shit didn't seem to fit with our glorious leader's "Be Kind" mantra. So I'm sending the lacquer back.

Currently french polishing all of it and well underway. Ill take some pics over the weekend.

Just like Transmission Gully, completion has been somewhat delayed.Happens on the big jobs.

@oldbeer - talent

:)

No video yet but can do a few photos..
The electric one...sorta kinda LesPaul. Made out of Fijian Mahogany (floorboards...) with a bit of maple in the neck. Fancy shmancy pickups switchable from humbuckers to single coil. Rubbed oil finish. Sam likes metal music so he had no problem with this being my #13.

Number 12 is still being French polished. It takes longer to put on than spraying but it takes a lot less tome to cure so all evens out in the end. Not sure how much more I'll do on this. There is a strong desire to glue the bridge on and hear what it sounds like.

Came across No10 last night. Was a gift to my son in law a few years ago. Nothing to do with covid...

No7...finally sort of finished. Still a few little set up jobs to do. A pic of the back (rosewood) beside No8 which is australian blackwood. Rosewood is very traditional but I think i prefer the blackwood

i once made a sandwich...

Likewise, but I then threw it out as I couldn't gladwrap it properly....

That French Polish looks amazing. What a skilled job on all of them!

Mad respect, ’oldbeer’, mad respect!

Great Job OB. For completion we need to hear them being played mate...............

Oh the pressure!!!!