Summer of Neglect

That seemed to be the most appropriate title, given that my last post was nearly three weeks ago. I could blame it on the summer, but the weather has been so lame in Amsterdam that it really is making me think it might be time to move back to Australia! Mostly I have just been doing other stuff - hanging out with friends, watching some movies, and following the Tour de France.

Of course, it has been a disappointing day for fans of the Tour. The revelations that Alexander Vinokourov has been busted for blood doping are so disappointing. It has been a very interesting tour so far, with some great, but it is hard to kow what to believe anymore. Vinokourov's inspiring comeback, like that of Landis last year, counts for nothing now. And it overshadows what has been a marvellous battle up front, with Contador and Rasmussen duelling it out through the Pyrenees. Of course, with his failure to provide details of his whereabout to doping testers, a shadow hangs over Rasmussen as well that tarnishes the yellow jersey he wears.

And it was gut-wrenching to watch Cadel Evans on Saturday as the real mountain goats repeatedly attacked him until he could respond no more. Nonetheless, it is inspiring to have an Aussie rider in the podium places, and fingers crossed he can stay there until Paris.

Got a call from our friend Dwayne today who has just spent several days in the south of France following the race. He and Lisa will be back in Amsterdam in a few weeks, so will be cool to catch up with them and here the tales of spectating on Le Tour.

Today's photo was one I took a few weeks ago. It is the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. I have a bunch of photos to post right now, so will make sure I put up a new one each day - no excuse for not posting then!

Shane