Michael Woodhead
@michaelwood8.bsky.social
Medical journalist, Sydney, via Leeds.
Cycling in China. Blog at josephrock.net
Cycling in China. Blog at josephrock.net
Seam sealing the new Lanshan ultralight tent. Latest model is polysil fabric (800g!) that does not absorb water like nylon and so does not sag after rain (or increase weight)
I made a right dog’s breakfast of the sealing, but I don’t care if it’s not pretty so long as it be waterproof. #camping
I made a right dog’s breakfast of the sealing, but I don’t care if it’s not pretty so long as it be waterproof. #camping
December 8, 2025 at 5:01 AM
Seam sealing the new Lanshan ultralight tent. Latest model is polysil fabric (800g!) that does not absorb water like nylon and so does not sag after rain (or increase weight)
I made a right dog’s breakfast of the sealing, but I don’t care if it’s not pretty so long as it be waterproof. #camping
I made a right dog’s breakfast of the sealing, but I don’t care if it’s not pretty so long as it be waterproof. #camping
Bought a new tent to replace the ageing MSR Hubba, a Lanshan Pro, via AliExpress. A Chinese brand and the quality is pretty good, at a fraction of the price of US/EU ultralight tents. Camping gear is yet another area where #China brands are becoming dominant
December 7, 2025 at 10:51 AM
Bought a new tent to replace the ageing MSR Hubba, a Lanshan Pro, via AliExpress. A Chinese brand and the quality is pretty good, at a fraction of the price of US/EU ultralight tents. Camping gear is yet another area where #China brands are becoming dominant
SMH running crap articles from the Washington Post that give credulity to antivax cranks now appointed to official positions. There is no ‘balance’ or ‘ both sides’ when it comes to scientific fact vs quack fiction
December 6, 2025 at 9:38 PM
SMH running crap articles from the Washington Post that give credulity to antivax cranks now appointed to official positions. There is no ‘balance’ or ‘ both sides’ when it comes to scientific fact vs quack fiction
Spent most of the day trying to plan the my 2026 100-day hike across the Hengduan mountains in SW China.
30 years ago it was a blank on the map. Now there are Chinese hiking apps showing daily itineraries of how to cross from one remote canyon to the next.
30 years ago it was a blank on the map. Now there are Chinese hiking apps showing daily itineraries of how to cross from one remote canyon to the next.
December 5, 2025 at 9:23 AM
Spent most of the day trying to plan the my 2026 100-day hike across the Hengduan mountains in SW China.
30 years ago it was a blank on the map. Now there are Chinese hiking apps showing daily itineraries of how to cross from one remote canyon to the next.
30 years ago it was a blank on the map. Now there are Chinese hiking apps showing daily itineraries of how to cross from one remote canyon to the next.
"God damn British get out": graffiti on a Beijing college wall, 1925 hpcbristol.net/visual/FD-s036
December 5, 2025 at 9:15 AM
"God damn British get out": graffiti on a Beijing college wall, 1925 hpcbristol.net/visual/FD-s036
If #PFAS forever chemicals are causing ovarian cancer, why are rates of the cancer showing long term decline just after peak levels of PFAS exposure in the population?
December 4, 2025 at 9:59 AM
If #PFAS forever chemicals are causing ovarian cancer, why are rates of the cancer showing long term decline just after peak levels of PFAS exposure in the population?
Surprising how many people are still unaware of packrafts. Some bikers I met couldn’t understand how I had the kayak in the front bag and the camping gear in the back
December 4, 2025 at 7:48 AM
Surprising how many people are still unaware of packrafts. Some bikers I met couldn’t understand how I had the kayak in the front bag and the camping gear in the back
I did a bike ride/rafting trip down the Hawkesbury River
December 4, 2025 at 7:44 AM
I did a bike ride/rafting trip down the Hawkesbury River
One of the key observations from my bike ride up the Yellow River was the scale of reforestation. This was particularly notable in the arid loess plateau regions of Shanxi through to Ningxia
December 4, 2025 at 7:40 AM
One of the key observations from my bike ride up the Yellow River was the scale of reforestation. This was particularly notable in the arid loess plateau regions of Shanxi through to Ningxia
Hawkesbury morning mist
December 4, 2025 at 12:56 AM
Hawkesbury morning mist
Fitted new Big Ben fat tyres to the Dahon. They’re a bugger to get on but combined with the suspension it’s now like I’m riding on air.
December 2, 2025 at 2:29 AM
Fitted new Big Ben fat tyres to the Dahon. They’re a bugger to get on but combined with the suspension it’s now like I’m riding on air.
After my 6000 km bike ride along the Yellow River my next mad scheme is a 2000 km walk from Yunnan to Gansu. Trying to map out a Chinese long distance hike similar to the Appalachian trail. Highlights will be Dulong, Nujiang, Yading, Gongga Shan and Zhagana
December 1, 2025 at 10:37 PM
After my 6000 km bike ride along the Yellow River my next mad scheme is a 2000 km walk from Yunnan to Gansu. Trying to map out a Chinese long distance hike similar to the Appalachian trail. Highlights will be Dulong, Nujiang, Yading, Gongga Shan and Zhagana
Lisa Visentin laments the lack of interest in learning Chinese in Australia and admits she never took up the opportunity while at uni
December 1, 2025 at 6:37 PM
Lisa Visentin laments the lack of interest in learning Chinese in Australia and admits she never took up the opportunity while at uni
Sad to see the BBC now pushing unnecessary clinics for the worried well. This ‘environmental toxins’ expert is a former GP now offering expensive but meaningless tests that inevitably lead to recommendations to buy nutritional supplements www.msn.com/en-au/health...
December 1, 2025 at 6:23 PM
Sad to see the BBC now pushing unnecessary clinics for the worried well. This ‘environmental toxins’ expert is a former GP now offering expensive but meaningless tests that inevitably lead to recommendations to buy nutritional supplements www.msn.com/en-au/health...
Silence from professional groups such as the ACC is normalizing the FDA’s antivax misinformation campaign. They’re still churning out press releases praising the FDA for approving expensive new products for children with heart disease but fail to condemn blatant falsehoods on vaccines & myocarditis
November 30, 2025 at 7:37 PM
Silence from professional groups such as the ACC is normalizing the FDA’s antivax misinformation campaign. They’re still churning out press releases praising the FDA for approving expensive new products for children with heart disease but fail to condemn blatant falsehoods on vaccines & myocarditis
False claims such as this need a rapid and robust rebuttal from a coalition of professional groups. Unfortunately no response from the American College of Cardiology on Prasad’s myocarditis myths.
What’s needed is a clear declaration statement of no confidence in the FDA
What’s needed is a clear declaration statement of no confidence in the FDA
November 30, 2025 at 7:25 PM
False claims such as this need a rapid and robust rebuttal from a coalition of professional groups. Unfortunately no response from the American College of Cardiology on Prasad’s myocarditis myths.
What’s needed is a clear declaration statement of no confidence in the FDA
What’s needed is a clear declaration statement of no confidence in the FDA
Funny how the USA was cool in 1985.
When I visited I was just out of university and would have given my right arm to be able to live in NYC, having grown up with Blondie and the whole CBGBs and Warhol vibe.
These days I wouldn’t live there if you paid me.
When I visited I was just out of university and would have given my right arm to be able to live in NYC, having grown up with Blondie and the whole CBGBs and Warhol vibe.
These days I wouldn’t live there if you paid me.
November 30, 2025 at 8:44 AM
Funny how the USA was cool in 1985.
When I visited I was just out of university and would have given my right arm to be able to live in NYC, having grown up with Blondie and the whole CBGBs and Warhol vibe.
These days I wouldn’t live there if you paid me.
When I visited I was just out of university and would have given my right arm to be able to live in NYC, having grown up with Blondie and the whole CBGBs and Warhol vibe.
These days I wouldn’t live there if you paid me.
Took me 40 years but I finally get to wear the suit I desperately wanted to have when I saw it worn by Griffin Dunne in the 1985 #Scorsese film After Hours.
When I visited NYC in 1986 I was shopping for clothes at Flip, not Brooks Brothers
When I visited NYC in 1986 I was shopping for clothes at Flip, not Brooks Brothers
November 30, 2025 at 8:32 AM
Took me 40 years but I finally get to wear the suit I desperately wanted to have when I saw it worn by Griffin Dunne in the 1985 #Scorsese film After Hours.
When I visited NYC in 1986 I was shopping for clothes at Flip, not Brooks Brothers
When I visited NYC in 1986 I was shopping for clothes at Flip, not Brooks Brothers
Chinese wear keffiyeh as a symbol of support for Palestine (but the keffiyeh is banned by Victorian parliament) thediplomat.com/2025/11/how-...
November 28, 2025 at 4:57 AM
Chinese wear keffiyeh as a symbol of support for Palestine (but the keffiyeh is banned by Victorian parliament) thediplomat.com/2025/11/how-...
Went to long Jetty near The Entrance cos I heard it was the Newtown of the Central Coast.
It isn’t. But it does have a long jetty.
And some birdlife.
It isn’t. But it does have a long jetty.
And some birdlife.
November 27, 2025 at 10:06 AM
Went to long Jetty near The Entrance cos I heard it was the Newtown of the Central Coast.
It isn’t. But it does have a long jetty.
And some birdlife.
It isn’t. But it does have a long jetty.
And some birdlife.
I like Yorkshire beers but these prices are insane. They’re about five dollars (£2.50) a bottle in the UK
November 27, 2025 at 3:35 AM
I like Yorkshire beers but these prices are insane. They’re about five dollars (£2.50) a bottle in the UK
Symmetry: China has Russian snack shops, while Australia has American candy shops selling vapes.
November 26, 2025 at 12:07 AM
Symmetry: China has Russian snack shops, while Australia has American candy shops selling vapes.
Oh dear. A Guardian article lamenting plummeting standards in civilisation thinks the 1960s TV series Civilisation was fronted by cigar-smoking Chancellor of the Exchequer Ken Clarke rather than the crusty art historian Sir Kenneth Clarke. Britain’s gone to pot! @chitgrrl.bsky.social
November 25, 2025 at 1:49 AM
Oh dear. A Guardian article lamenting plummeting standards in civilisation thinks the 1960s TV series Civilisation was fronted by cigar-smoking Chancellor of the Exchequer Ken Clarke rather than the crusty art historian Sir Kenneth Clarke. Britain’s gone to pot! @chitgrrl.bsky.social
Breakfast in Corowa
November 20, 2025 at 7:54 PM
Breakfast in Corowa