a post!

AJ asked this morning when we'd next go back to Fiji. "I don't know" I answered "next year's big holiday is mum's holiday in Paris." Mum is off to celebrate her 40th birthday with her sisters in Paris, the Champagne region and Rome; three weeks all up. "That's silly" said AJ "we should go on holiday together." Well yes I sort of avoided agreeing, pointing out that mum is entitled to her birthday bash and we should be happy for her. AJ paused. Then said "but we can go to Canberra! Mum doesn't come to Canberra with us!" Very cute. I wonder how long the excitement of a couple of days in Canberra, for Floriade, will be on par with the excitement of a fortnight in Fiji?

The conversation took place in the bottom bunk in H's bedroom. H has had a nasty cold, mum isn't feeling too crash hot and I've not been sleeping well - so I've taken up temporary overnight residency in the bottom bunk in H's room. Sleeping in wiht the kids is one of life's little pleasures. H had a shocking time when she was very young and I spent months kipping next to her. If I pause to think about it...I think I'd sleep as often as possible in the kids rooms, stealing the fist hug of the day after hearing them sleep soundly. It won't last forever and I'll never get the chance again.

Back to birthdays and yesterday was Rowlf's. He's nine now and I do miss the big lump. He was my dog and it was heartbreaking to let him go last year. He's not dead; we let him go back to his breeder and live on her 3acre Geelong property with his mum and brother. Daft bugger kept jumping our 5foot gate and getting up to mischief. He was spending far too long cooped up in the house so he'd not wander the streets and scavenge. Anyway, as I was walking home with Pepper - who really is Sal's dog, but I walk the mutt - I saw a knocked over bin and it reminded me of Rowlfie. Sigh.

The walk was the walk and we go down to the Spit where little mutt can go off lead and have a run. Not a lot to report on that other than the impressive battle of the tide filling the harbour with clear(ish) water and pushing back the muddy run-off. The line was very distinctive - a blue green to the cleaner east, mud-tea brown to the west.

A tide of clear water pushing in against the mud that wants to run off to the ocean

A photo posted by @auswomble on Jul 8, 2016 at 5:32pm PDT

In other nature news, I was lucky enough to see a pair of yellow tailed black cockatoos yesterday afternoon. They are like "normal" cockatoos. Only bigger. And black. With yellow on their tails. Been a while since I've seen them and it gave me a lift. I'd seen a load of cockatoos at lunchtime, down in Manly. Cockatoo day?

I spotted them as I ran from the bus stop at the top of Sydney Road to collect the car from where Sal had left it before dropping the kids off in the morning and jumping a bus to work. On the way to work I'd bailed almost immediately on my sort-of-HIIT pre-work exercise set. Not like me, I normally get my head straight but it wasn't happening for me yesterday. So I felt a bit under-done and decided it was time to give my six-month-rested achilles a try out. A mere 2.2km but I worked up a sweat and felt pretty slugging. That must be what it feels like when people first start running and no wonder so many people think fuck-that-for-a-lark. I was super-sensitive to any ankle and foot weirdness but I pulled up OK today and walked 20km. So maybe I can start running again. About time.

That 20km was made up of the dog walk and a a wander to Cremorne to catch up with a friend for a spot of lunch and to grab a couple of pairs of Volleys that he no longer needed. It also gave me the opportunity to use my new Camera backack, the Thule Covert. After way too long trying - and failing - to get the camera section inserts in satisfactorily I loaded it up and headed off. It was good to catchup wiht JCJ, the bag performed well and was comfortable even when loaded up, the legs felt good and I got a few pictures on the way. This is one of a man in boat.

Just a normal Friday and Saturday really. But hey, at least I blogged it.