How ace are ear muffs?
Like socks under sandals or a leopard-print bodysuit, ear muffs are a clothing item I never imagined wearing. I certainly never thought I’d wear such a thing in the middle of an Australian summer. But standing atop Hobart’s Mount Wellington where snow flakes regularly fall in December, I was willing to pile on all the layers on offer. I was about to embark on the Mt Wellington Descent – a daredevil 21-kilometre cycling trip from the pinnacle to the city’s waterfront. About a dozen people were making the trip. Having grown up on the eastern shore of the Derwent River looking up at the monstrous 1270-metre-high mountain, which towers over tiny Hobart, and after an overseas sojourn, I had returned to tackle the terrain on two wheels. My eyes were glued to the panoramic view, especially the distant peninsulas and islands, which looked like giant jigsaw pieces in a brilliant blue puzzle. Before long we were cruising down the alpine slopes where all the shrubs lean in one direction – a testa
