March 2026

• Apr 8, 2026
• Journal
• 3 minutes reading time

The Vibe

March in Adelaide is what the locals call Mad March — all the festivals descend at once. Fringe, the more highbrow arts festivals, WOMAD – all of it and at the same time. It's also the city at its most livable – days still warm, nights just tipping into cooler territory — perfect for sitting out under the stars with a glass of wine and enjoying the gardens.

We took full advantage, catching a bunch of comedians and soaking up the Fringe. Still haven't made it to Cabaret — honestly, it's not something I grew up with in Wagga Wagga, so I've never quite known what to make of it. Maybe that's next year's experiment.

The bigger win this month has been the bike. Riding has started to feel like sustainable exercise — physically and mentally. The commute to work is somewhere between 17 and 19km, depending on the route, and the e-bike levels things out enough that I'm not arriving at work completely cooked. The ride home is the real event – a long stretch of flats followed by a serious hill climb at the end. I've been exploring every path and trail app I can find, trying to map out better options on and off the hill, but I keep ending up on glorified goat tracks that require reflexes and agility well beyond what a 45-year-old has any right to expect of himself. I'm slowly eliminating the dead ends and coming back around to the conclusion that the original way is probably the right way — even if it's brutally steep.

It does feel like there's a real opportunity – the roads are single-lane and already clogged with cars so riding on them isn't an option — but there are fire trails and reserves that could form a proper route if maintained and potentially paved. I think it's genuinely excluding people who would otherwise commute by bike, and it feels like something worth petitioning the council about.

On the health front (and this feels significant), my blood work has finally come back normal. First time in a long time. Not amazing, just normal. Right in the bell curve. Which, given the road it's taken to get here – changing habits, the medication helping, Frankie demanding his walks regardless of how I feel about it – actually feels like a real achievement. The dog has been an unexpectedly brilliant forcing function. There's a living creature who depends on you moving, and he will absolutely let you know about it. That kind of accountability builds routine in a way that nothing else has managed to for me.

I think what I'm realising is that I've spent a long time trying to impose routine on work and letting home be free-flowing. But my work is complex and chaotic — especially in the middle of a merger — and it's never going to be otherwise. Home is where the routine actually lives – I'm in more control. That shift in thinking feels useful.

The state of the world remains openly hostile to too many people – the cost of living, petrol prices, all of it feels slightly unhinged. I'm aware I'm in a relatively fortunate position: e-bike, train line, barely touching the car. But despite the external chaos, I feel good. Not just fine – no, actually – I'm good. That's worth noting.

Events

We saw a few shows at the Fringe - Mel Buttle, Tom Ballard, Zoë Coombs Marr, & Alexei Toliopoulos. A couple of rides - one through Belair National Park another through the Craigburn Farm trails. Clare and I had a perfect afternoon at Lino Ramble – a beautiful spot in McLaren Vale for a wine tasting. Our friend Gin turned 50 too, so a nice night in the park to celebrate her birthday.

Photos

Watched

I enjoyed the simpler tale in a A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. Got around to watching One Battle After Another – which I enjoyed. Louis Theroux: Inside the Manosphere was an interesting journey into a pretty toxic space. We started our Family Movie series - my pick was Hot Fuzz and Mrs K went for The Prestige - waiting to see what Ms A chooses!

Listened

Ransom Man on BBC Intrigue - about the data breach at a Finnish psychotherapy service Vastaamo.

• Tim Klapdor
• Adelaide, Australia
• posts