Changes

Well a few things have-or-are-about to change(d) and I thought I'd start with a song. Was thinking Bowie's Changes. Or Sabbath's Changes. Or Sam Cooke's A Change is Gonna Come but I;m settling on Change's The Glow of Love because I love a bit of Luther.


So anyway, I've got a new job. It's a funny thing, because there is nothing at all wrong with the my current job - sorry, old job. But I got tired and I really needed a change and as luck would have it another job cropped up on the peninsula that should, if all things work out as I hope they do, sit right in my sweet spot. So I'm off to Blackmore's to be the DBA that they have never had. New role, familiar challenges, fresh start. Starting to look forward to it, but I won't lie, I am conflicted about my decision to leave because Flexischools is a special place. But I need something that isn't there.

So Friday was my last day, a little over three years after my start. It took some chunks out of me...or gave me ample opportunity for me to take chunks out of myself. I had spells of terrible anxiety and it is a little sad that I know the chances of that happening again were massively reduced and the support for staff massively increased. But my head went down and I could not get it back up. Anyway, I had a few at the 4Pines on Friday night, felt a little dusty on Saturday but not so dusty I could not pick up my new commuter toy on Saturday morning.

Took it for a spin this morning, up to the new office and back for a total of 38.5kn that reminded me that I have leg muscles that I don't use, that Pittwater Road is a lumpy bastard of a thing and that road bikes punish the un-trained arse.

Anyway, my new toy is a Volt Green Trek ALR5 gravel bike. Think road bike for mountain bikers. Will take fatter tires and the geometry is a bit more upright. Went ok this morning, averaged about 25kph so once I have my road legs back I should be averaging 30 or so. Of course the challenge is to make sure I keep up the running because cycling may be great cardio but it is not run training.

Segue into running and back to last Sunday when I did my somethingth City2Surf. I was not out for the land speed record and did a little over 62min for the 14km. Which was OK. Then I ran the 9km to Circular Quay and a ferry back to Manly. Still smarting from the disappointment of the Gold Coast Marathon, it was good to get a medal in my hand for finishing and then knocking out 23km. Still toying with the idea of doing the Sydney Marathon. Sponsored by my new employer dontchaknow.

Anyway, that's the big ticket items, dinner time so I'm done.

a day worth blogging

beautiful at the Bower, a photo by Auswomble on Flickr.

I am a bit crap when it comes to blogging about the kids and their awesomeness and a lot of stuff in general and for that I do not apologise. If I'm a bit crap then I'm a bit crap - so there. For the record the kids are awesome. Both Sal and I find ourselves locked in a battle of wills with number 1 while number 2 refuses get to her knees and now drags herself commando style all over the house in search of things to upend over herself. They are awesome in the correct sense of the word and awe is inspired every day. Which is not to say I will blog any more about them than I presently do.

So to today. I woke up a little grumpy despite having been gifted a 15minutes lay in and not getting woken until 4:45. This, I suspect was evening the score for Friday's 4:15 start. Anyway, I got up and kept the kids quiet until approaching 7am when I could take out my grumpiness on Sal. I suspect the grumpiness was a hangover from a Saturday spent filling a 3m3 skip with bricks, concrete and wet sand.

Anyway, a proper row was narrowly avoided and we went out for some breakfast at Splat in Queenscliff. I've been there a couple of times before and like the view from the deck - all along Manly beach - the pictures on the wall - especially the one of the shark and swimmer at the Bower - and the guy who runs the place - who seems like a decent bloke. It was a far more relaxed breakfast this morning on account of me not having cycled there and arrived a stinking, sweating wreck or got there with a mental dog in tow.

So we had breakfast and it was pleasant and the girls behaved and we drove home and the grandparents, who have taken up residence, took AJ out while Sal headed out bag shopping with Harrie and I was a free man.

I have been longing to get back in the water since Fiji - in November. So I grabbed a backpack, faffed around a lot deciding what gear to take (deciding to ditch the weight belt and wetsuit in favour of a rash vest), grabbed the pushbike and headed to the Bower to see if I could swim with the sharks.

Manly was busy with crowds in town for the final day of the Australian Open of Surfing that looked like it was going to take place without waves. Bad for them, great for me. I got to the Bower to find it looking pretty nice - just like the picture. I chained my bike up, left the key to the chain in the backpack that I hung from the handlebars and went down the steps to the water.

Australia is having a La Nina year. That means a lot of rain and cool temperatures with warm seas. Today we didn't have the cool temperatures or rain but we did have the warm seas. Perfect. I headed out and saw my first shark, a small Dusky Whaler, after about 30seconds. It had already been a good outing.

I got out over the sand and found a huge school of Yellowtail heading north. I duck-dived down to join them swimming over the weed and between the boulders. Clearish warming water, loads of fish, a shark. Happy days! After a while I turned to head south as that is where I have seen more sharks in previous years. And after a while I spotted another whaler. My breath hold was getting a bit better - but not outstanding - and I was pretty comfortable swimming around at about 5m. As it was low tide that was deep enough. Any deeper would need a shovel.

I turned back towards the rocks, passing a lone, juvenile Kingfish and another Whaler. Then I found a small Wobbegong sitting on top of a rock. I started to beat myself up for not having a camera with me (always take the camera!) as I did a few dives to get a good look at the little carpet shark and another that was wedged under a rock about 8ft from the first.

I saw a few scuba divers approaching so swam over to them and let them know there were sharks about. I do like hanging out with scuba divers while I'm on breath-hold :-) A quick trip to the surface and I went back down to point out the Wobbie on the rock. I should have pointed out both as one of the divers damn near stood on the second one. On the surface I had a chat with another snorkeler about the sharks before heading on my way south.

I saw no more sharks but enough fish to keep me happy as I started to get a little chilly. I got out after around 40mins, very pleased with myself. I grabbed a coffee and sat on the wall by the steps to watch the world go by and take this picture. Then it was time to head home.

I decided to first ride along the beach to check out the crowds at the surf comp. So I put my sandals on, packed or strapped to the rucksack everything else and headed along the beach. With my bike helmet clipped to the backpack and my t-shirt knotted on my head (I'd forgotten to pack a cap) I felt very much as if I lived "on the beaches." It was a nice feeling.

Along the beach and then back to the main road. I stopped to correctly fit the t-shirt and bike helmet and then cycled home. I was a little surprised to find that I'd been gone under 2hours. I really must do this more often.

Sal was cooking a roast for dinner and with only Harrie to look after I got another free pass. Rowlf hadn't had his long walk so I took him down to the Spit so he could have a swim in the Harbour. He was his usual mental self, I was back by the water and all was well in the world.

OK, I need to go to bed, so that's the lot. A good day; overlooking the ocean with my ladies, in the ocean with the sharks and paddling in the shallows with my dog. Three out of three.

just like paradise

The blog has been neglected for a while, so I figured I'd pop back in to make sure it still exists.

This morning was one of those perfect Sydney mornings that serve to remind me why I live here. I didn't move to Sydney for the people or the sport or the work, I moved here because of the lifestyle on offer. I remember something which may or may not have actually happened but is what I tell people is the reason I decided to move here. About 13years ago, while on a work trip, I was sitting on the deck of Skiffies, a small boating club at The Spit that looks out on middle harbour. It was winter, I was wearing shorts, drinking beer that cost under a pound-a-pint while watching yachts sail past. Decision made. It was relatively early in my scuba days and here was a city where I could dive every weekend. As it turned out I would dive every weekend and often after work.

Anyway, before we get too misty-water-coloured...I now go over Spit Bridge each day on the way to and from work. And so it was this morning. Rewind Two hours and i was up at 5:15 and walking the dogs at 5:30. Blue skies, a few fluffy clouds being lit pink-orange-golden by the sun coming up over the ocean was my intro to Friday. Back home I shared some too-brief-moments with the ladies before hitting the road for work at about 7:20. It takes about 4mins for me to get my first view of the harbour and the ocean, from the top of the hill that Seaforth, the new home suburb, sits on. Then it is down the near-vertical Gallipoli steps before I get to Spit Bridge. middle harbour this morning was pretty damn flat; hardly a ripple and the reflections of the yachts and tinnies were picture perfect. On the south side I loop under the bridge, which is a whole lot better than crossing over the busy road, and takes me to sea level, depending on the tide.

As I head towards Skiffies I typically see three of four pelicans perched on poles at the end of the jetties. Occasionally one will be lazily swimming past. Past Skiffies, which is closed for renovations at the moment, I head away from the main road and up Parriwi. It is a bastard of a hill. However, it does have a few things going for it. First there is the view you get to the left (east.) Middle harbour, the heads and the ocean. Yachts go past, kayaks, the odd small fishing vessel that still goes out from this part of Sydney. Lovely. Then there are the houses. This part of Mosman sits atop a big pile of money, and although there is some old housing stock left there is plenty of evidence oh architects having had a bit of fun. The eastern side of the road drops away very sharply, and it is incredible to see what it is possible to build up in the air. In training terms you get the opportunity, every so often, to race bikes up the hill. The guys on their road bikes usually fly past, but some of the more casual cyclists on their mountain bikes can be beaten. And finally, today, being in an unusually good mood, i had Dave Lee Roth's "This Must Be Just Like Living in Paradise" stuck in my head. In short, it was a good start to the day and the run.

At the top of Parriwi I joined Military Road. The run keeps going up, albeit at a far gentler gradient, right the way to Mosman Junction. It's a bit of a slog, and you're running with the buses and nose-to-tail cars, so not as much fun. But every so often you get another glimpse of the ocean if you look down the side streets. At mosman Junction I caught up with a road-biker and we had a chat. He's broken a gear cable and was therefore now on a fixie - which was why I'd caught him. but up on the ridgeline he had the advantage and once the lights changed he was off, legs spinning a bit more than he'd like.

I was idly musing upon the "Just Like paradise" thing when, for no apparent reason, the Guns N Roses cover of "Mama Kin" displaced Diamond Dave. Maybe because the road and the cars were a little less easy on the eye than the harbour and the yachts. That said, I did have a sulphur crested cockatoo to follow for a while as he flew along parallel with the road.

I was fairly sure I was out-pacing the traffic but started to concentrate a little too much on my right knee that had been feeling a bit stiff. My form was pretty ordinary, especially on the downhills where I felt I was putting the brakes on a bit too much. Ah well, I was approaching 64k for the working week, and I'm old, so it's to be expected. I pulled off of military Road at Neutral bay junction, running down Wycombe Road (a road name the locals have an inability to pronounce correctly.) This takes me within about 400m of my first proper residence in Sydney, once I'd finished dossing. I moved out when the tax breaks stopped.

As I approached the bridge, after dropping down to sea level at Anderson Park, I checked my time and it was, as expected, slow. I wasn't too concerned as I knew I was tired. I decided to take it easy over the bridge and try to enjoy the fact that I was running over Sydney Harbour Bridge, something I do every day and therefore take for granted. That lasted until almost half way when I spotted another runner in the distance and decided I should overtake him. Rather than pip him at the post I overtook with a few hundred yards before the end of the bridge (from steps-to-steps is 1.5km) and had decided that if he wanted to have a race then I'd go for it. He didn't but I kept the pace up and got over in a respectable 6.11 - in fact very respectable considering I'd dawdled (relatively) the first third.

Off the bridge it takes only a few minutes to get to the office...and that is how the day started.

Mustn't grumble.

Driving in Australia

Red Lights
When approaching a set of traffic lights that are about to turn red you should - actually you must - accelerate. Do not worry if you do fail to pass through the lights before they turn to red; Australian road rules allow the first two cars arriving at a red traffic light to drive straight through. If the first car approaching a red light slows or stops the second is required by law to swerve around it and pass through. The driver of the swerving car is expected to blast his car's horn or shout loudly at the stopped driver to let them know they are in the wrong. Pedestrains, cyclists and other drivers can be ignored as they have no rights in this situation.

Bike Lanes
Cycle lanes do not exist in Australia. Many roads have a white cycle painted on them. This should not be mistaken for a bike lane. Councils will be returning to paint a red circle with a line through it on top of these painted cycles. This "No Cycling" sign will eventually be painted on all Australian roads.

Indicators
Indicators are fitted to vehicles only to enable these vehicles to meet standards required overseas. There is no requirement to use a cars indicator lights to indicate your intention to change lane or turn. Try leaving your indicator on for a little green disco-light in your car's cabin. The tic-tac tic-tac sound is a pleasant accompaniment to many popular songs.

Turning Right
Car drivers have the right of when turning right across the path of an approaching cyclist. Remember - cyclists are not real road users and will be banned from all roads once we get enough red paint. Van and Ute drivers have the right of way over all other vehicles.

Mirrors
As with indicators, mirrors need not be used in Australia. As a modern, progressive country Australia has no interest in what is behind. In Sydney the driver's rear view mirror is used mainly to gaze longingly at oneself. Wing mirrors are a status symbol; if you have late 90s BMW M3 wing mirrors fitted to your Honda Civic you ARE King Shit. NEVER look in your wing mirror before opening a car door.

Parking
You are allowed to park anywhere you like in Australia. There are some outdated laws still on the books that may remain for some time, but as enforcement has been removed they can be ignored. Updates will be made to most road signage while painting the "No Cycling" signs. The words "Bus Lane", "Cycle Path", "No Parking" and those crazy yellow criss cross patterns will be removed or replaced with the word "Parking." I have no idea who created those "disabled" and "mother and baby" parking bays. They are not legal and you shoudl use these parking spots first. They are the best spots and Australian drivers deserve the best.

two wheels good two wheels bad

I have another new bike, or rather another old bike. A reconditioned steel-frame road bike that has been converted to single-speed; a courier-style commuter special. Not, of course, rebirthed by me. That would require a patience and mechanical ability I do not possess but can be purchased from others. In this instance the other is sydneyvintagebikes. I found them and it on eBay.

My new bike is not exactly trying to kill.

However, it does take somewhat longer to stop than the Santa Cruz Chameleon I've been riding for the last year. Actually, it takes waaaay longer to stop.

It’s to be expected; the SC has braking hardware that can bring a large, runaway truck to a standstill. And it weighs a tonne, so it's natural state is one of rest. My new commuter ride has a couple of bits of wire attached to levers that, when pulled, request a change of speed rather than demand it. “Oh, go on, pleeeease slow down…” Far easier to stop it on an uphill section, of course. This is aided in no small measure by my lack of speed up hills in my one and only gear, or, as my brother put it, absence of gear. If I think the lights in North Sydney are going to be red I need to start squeezing the brake leavers by Naremburn.

This morning my thumbs kept twitching in their desire to change the non-existent gears, “phantom-limb” style. My brain worked overtime as it thought, for the first time in a long time, about avoiding the pot-holes my SC tractor-wheels devour.

Quite a different experience, but I think I'll get used to it quickly enough.