tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50616882024-03-19T14:44:38.011+11:00...musing...adj.
Deep in thought; contemplative.
n.
1. Contemplation; meditation.
2. A product of contemplation.auswomblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847296018951882696noreply@blogger.comBlogger1033125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5061688.post-15607555626104469712019-03-30T13:51:00.002+11:002019-03-30T13:51:52.697+11:00type through the desert on a post with no name<span style="font-family: inherit;">Remember when I said</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">...next I could start blogging more regularly #justsaying</span></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">No? I can't say I blame you, it was quite a long time ago. So where to start? There is, of course, the running that I still do or the beard I do not. The old Audi that now lives with me and the girls or the wife who does not...<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ub747pprmJ8" target="_blank">Right here right</a> now I am not sure where this will go. I just want to start writing...tapping...and see where I end up. So strap in or doze off, it could be a wild ride but will almost certainly peter out, depress me when I re-read and self edit...and put me off writing for another six months.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">This is neither the time nor place to go into detail, but I'd best start with mention of the big ticket item. My wife moved out, made it clear there is no chance of us getting back together and I now live with my two girls in a family home we will probably sell in the middle future. I'm mostly OK with it all. We had twenty years together and that's considered a good innings these days. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">It happened - Sal called it upon return from a solo holiday in Thailand - nigh on six months ago and we're pretty much into our new norm. At time of typing the girls are with me 13 nights per fortnight. Mum pops over two evenings each week and typically has the girls most of one day per weekend. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Soon after it happened I went to see a psychologist that I've seen in the past...because I did not feel devastated. Was I supposed to? It was a weird visit, there because I felt OK. I wanted to get an opinion on if I should feel OK or if I was kidding myself and was about to fall in a heap. I got the you're-alright-jack, which was nice, and life moved on.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I told the girls' teachers and coaches and educators about our home situation early on. I asked if any had noticed a change in either girl. They all said no. The resilience of my little ladies is remarkable.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Anyway, moving swiftly along...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">My knees ache. I guess I'm getting old, just one away from my half century, and I still don't do any of that stretching stuff. And even if I finish with an ache I rarely RICE. It certainly doesn't feel terminal even if it does feel more-than-a-bit like something I should do something about. And maybe I will. But I can still knock out a 30k so I think I'll put it off until after the Gold Coast Marathon this July. I mean, I don't want to run the risk of being told I need to not run. That sounds super-sensible!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span data-offset-key="9m0qs-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true">...so I just took the girls to school and we stopped in a cafe on the way and a little lad was punching his sister in the arm and the back; not hard but not light, and closed-fist punches. H, who is about to turn eight, was standing nearby and I told her she should never let anyone treat her like that. "Oh they're brother and sister" says a nearby adult woman. OK, they're brother and sister! Got it. And so that means..? Maybe a parent could - at the very least - say that punching a girl is wrong? I'm not overly </span></span><span blockkey="9m0qs" class="_5zk7" contentstate="c { "entityMap": [object Object], "blockMap": OrderedMap { "9m0qs": c { "key": "9m0qs", "type": "unstyled", "text": "...so I just took the girls to school and we stopped in a cafe on the way and a little lad was punching his sister in the arm and the back; not hard but not light, and closed-fist punches. H, who is about to turn eight, was standing nearby and I told her she should never let anyone treat her like that. \"Oh they're brother an sister\" says a nearby adult woman. OK, they're brother and sister Got it. And? Maybe a parent could - at the very least - say that punching a girl is wrong? I'm not overly #woke and don't expect or really want kids to not punch on; that's all part of growing up .But for fucks sake do not - at any age - let a lad punch a girl without admonishment. They can then punch on again, but make sure they know it's wrong. I do wish the little girl had turned around and smacked him back. OK, down from the soapbox...", "characterList": List [ b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, b { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null } ], "depth": 0, "data": Map {} } }, "selectionBefore": b { "anchorKey": "9m0qs", "anchorOffset": 393, "focusKey": "9m0qs", "focusOffset": 393, "isBackward": false, "hasFocus": true }, "selectionAfter": b { "anchorKey": "9m0qs", "anchorOffset": 392, "focusKey": "9m0qs", "focusOffset": 392, "isBackward": false, "hasFocus": true } }" data-offset-key="9m0qs-1-0" decoratedtext="#woke" end="504" offsetkey="9m0qs-1-0" spellcheck="false" start="499" style="background-color: rgba(88 , 144 , 255 , 0.15); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(88 , 144 , 255 , 0.3); color: #1d2129; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-offset-key="9m0qs-1-0"><span data-text="true">#woke</span></span></span><span data-offset-key="9m0qs-2-0" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true"> and don't expect or really want kids to not punch on; that's all part of growing up. But for fucks sake do not - at any age - let a lad punch a girl without admonishment. They can then punch on again, but make sure they know it's wrong. I do wish the little girl had turned around and smacked him back. OK, down from the soapbox Melv...</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span data-offset-key="9m0qs-2-0" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span data-offset-key="9m0qs-2-0" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true">To finish up on that, a good friend did point out that no one should be hitting anyone. True dat.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span data-offset-key="9m0qs-2-0" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span data-offset-key="9m0qs-2-0" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true">Where was I? That's right, on the Gold Coast. So as I clocked up my first and only DNF on the GC last year I decided that I needed to go back this year and finish it. So I entered and then looked at the date and found that it is run on the first weekend of school vacation in July. And then I pinged my brother to see when he was planning to come for his annual visit and he said early July. So given all of the above, this year we will be having a Foreman Family Holiday on the Gold Coast. The girls and my bro and I have an apartment in a block just back from the beach at <a href="https://www.destinationgoldcoast.com/places-to-see/burleigh-heads" target="_blank">Burleigh Heads</a>. It is a lovely spot, and if I blow up at 15k this year it is only a short walk to the accomodation. I would like to have the longer schlep back from the finish line though...I'm really looking forward to it, which feels a bit odd because (...lowers voice...) I don't really like the Gold Coast.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span data-offset-key="9m0qs-2-0" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span data-offset-key="9m0qs-2-0" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true">I am not expecting to break the land speed record this year. Being effectively a single parent of kids aged ten and almost eight has put a bit of a damper on training. Given the wonky knees my mileage drop probably isn't such a bad thing. Unless you're marathon training. So as things stand I try to knock out three runs per week in the 8-15km range and then sneak in a long run every or every other weekend. I've got a couple of halves in the run up, one is a <a href="https://au.srichinmoyraces.org/events/canberrarunning/half_marathon_5_2_milers" target="_blank">Sri Chinmoy event in Canberra</a> and the <a href="https://thegreatnoshfootrace.com.au/course-details/" target="_blank">Great Nosh 22km option</a> - which has got to be the equivalent knackeredness of a mid-30s. And finishes just up the road.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span data-offset-key="9m0qs-2-0" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true"><br /></span></span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWYB-SUUwOQgKvNbyaQsedHK1xB_NiVJDPTbrnaB84c18BBk3L0Xht6qRk52Pb3o2LEcbivN-55JDkWjeDA8DRIJIF-KHOM9KUYYARTS3RAErN6Hj7jE1plg-gGC3lLlbwNjjn/s1600/IMG_20190302_082858_173.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1016" data-original-width="1016" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWYB-SUUwOQgKvNbyaQsedHK1xB_NiVJDPTbrnaB84c18BBk3L0Xht6qRk52Pb3o2LEcbivN-55JDkWjeDA8DRIJIF-KHOM9KUYYARTS3RAErN6Hj7jE1plg-gGC3lLlbwNjjn/s320/IMG_20190302_082858_173.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #1d2129;"><span style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;">But probably the best bit of running news this year is that both the girls now do Parkrun most Saturdays. AJ will run wiht a friend and is better than the just under 30min PB she has had for a while and H has around 32min as her PB. I run with H. It won't be long before she is chasing down her big sister.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #1d2129;"><span style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #1d2129;"><span style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;">I suppose I should explain the facial hair (hair that is now in a bin downstairs in the laundry.) So I got a bit lazy around Easter last year. The wiht my brother's visit approaching I decided to push the beard until he got here to make sure I'd smash him in the Annual Beard Off. He folded early and was clean shaven on arrival. But by that time I'd made around six months. Not wanting to throw away all that (complete lack of) effort I decided I'd push on through for 12months. If I'm honest about it I didn't think I'd make it through Summer, but I did. And then on time I got the hump with it and off it came.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #1d2129;"><span style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #1d2129;"><span style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;">Right, this has been sitting on my desktop for about 4 days now, I'm hitting publish and be damned.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span>
auswomblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847296018951882696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5061688.post-59446679861431758082018-09-22T09:02:00.001+10:002018-09-22T09:03:40.687+10:00running commentaryOh dear, another spell of blog missing in action (inaction?) The least I can do is bring the running stuff up to dte, so here goes the least I can do.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
July was pretty a fairly light month, having started with the DNF on the Goldie and August starting wiht some diving that I did not feel like missing because I'd got all stupid and snotted my lungs up again. Then there was the City2Surf, which was the do-I-don't-I decider for having a crack at the Sydney Marathon and pretty soon after that I landed on do.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So I had about a month to get some distance into my legs and some belief that I could do Sydney's twisty 42k, grab a medal and be able to breathe properly the next day. As it turned out I did what I consider to be about the bare minimum training for the distance, but hey, I've got a ton of base over the years and I'm still stubborn and stupid enough to suck up a fair wallop of post-race discomfort that could have been avoided with more more better training and less stubborn stupidity.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So my final month saw me knock out a lap of Manly Dam - because I was missing the trails a bit, do a bit of faster stuff (well, one run of 5k, running in circles - but it still counts), I ran home from the new office a couple of times (18km) and I knocked out a smidge over 32k of one of my stock runs.<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="405" scrolling="no" src="https://www.strava.com/activities/1786379559/embed/028226e62c8c3234da36ed2e10832e319ac81639" width="590"></iframe>
</div>
<div>
I get my car serviced at <a href="http://www.chatswoodautorepairs.com.au/" target="_blank">Chatswood Auto Repairs</a> and done since I lived in Willoughby a few years back. They are a good bunch that I trust. The run home from the garage is a bit over 32k. Yes, you do need to take a rather daft - but quite picturesque - route home, but 32k is 32k. And that is my bare minimum long run for marathon training. A mixture of arrogance, ignorance and maybe a bit of self-belief tells me that it doesn't matter how bad I feel I can always knock out a 10k. So I took it easy, I took a few pictures and I came away thinking yes, I can do Sydney.<br />
<br />
Three days later - legs and lungs intact - I registered.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtqrAeajlq4MYZR25LqeB75HIJluhNvvJ4f3mwU6qj63XD6cAQAgZxG4nWZMB5v65KpZpFrssWCdAjegmuZKrXCXN1Ik7OxkYjL2eiuTbd1YS4ijDcKjXVefu5TKb3ifIdzfpQ/s1600/20180826_092034.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtqrAeajlq4MYZR25LqeB75HIJluhNvvJ4f3mwU6qj63XD6cAQAgZxG4nWZMB5v65KpZpFrssWCdAjegmuZKrXCXN1Ik7OxkYjL2eiuTbd1YS4ijDcKjXVefu5TKb3ifIdzfpQ/s320/20180826_092034.jpg" width="180" /></a><br />
The following weekend I found myself back in the medals (so to speak, please do not think I got a podium finish!) at one of my favourite events, the <a href="https://pub2pub.com.au/" target="_blank">Pub2Pub</a>. It does not start at a pub and since the renovations at the Newport Arms it no longer finishes at a pub. But the new finish is, in my opinion, far more conducive to sticking around for a brew-or-two; the finish festival, behind the surf club at Newport Beach, features a pop-up <a href="https://4pinesbeer.com.au/" target="_blank">4Pines</a> beer garden.<br />
<br />
This is a lovely event, despite the first bit being in calf-destroying sand along the beach at Dee Why. I finished in under an hour, which I was pleased with. That got me 58th place. At a little after 9am I had my first beer, and despite the drizzle I stayed and had a couple more with a good friend who also has this as an annual event.<br />
<br />
It's poor form to turn up at a new job wiht a hangover, so finishing drinking by noon on the day before my first day at <a href="https://www.blackmores.com.au/" target="_blank">Blackmores</a> seemed sensible. Don't judge me, it is one day a year!<br />
<br />
My final run was one of the two home from work at which point I started my taper. By which I mean I didn't run for the last 10days. Normally I stop a bit further out, but this time around I felt I should get a few more miles into my legs and as I had no intention of going for a time I didn't need to be fully rested; this one was going to be treated as a long training run.<br />
<br />
The Tuesday before race-Sunday I got a call from school saying my oldest was sick and could I collect her. If I'm honest then I'd say i should not have shoe-horned her into school because she had been barking like a seal, but she wasn't running a temperature...Anyway, collect her I did. Wednesday morning I took her to the doctor who confirmed she had a cold, said there was no point in giving her antibiotics and saw no reason to keep her out of school - my kinda doctor! So as she rapidly got on the mend I felt a familiar snottiness creeping up on me and got myself on the Lemsip. And Robitussen. And Vicks Sinex.<br />
<br />
Situation normal then; feeling undertrained and battling a cold I went to bed on Saturday night wiht metaphoric fingers crossed that the cold I kept in my head would still be there in the morning. And lo, Sunday rolled around and although I was not feeling a hundred percent I could draw a full lungful of air.<br />
<br />
It is an early but not too early start to the Sydney Marathon. I feel for the runners in the half, who go out at 6am, an hour earlier than the full runners. There was a c-o-l-d wind blowing on Sunday morning and many of the waiting runners were huddled behind anything they could huddle behind to get out of it; I ended up in the entrance to the car park of a nearby block of units. I should not complain too much though, because <a href="https://www.news.com.au/technology/environment/weekend-weather-cold-front-set-to-see-sizzling-temperatures-plummet-across-southern-states/news-story/5338ec34a2c2449f1d6cabe0a495ba12" target="_blank">Saturday had been a mad-warm 31degrees</a> with bushfires, before a "polar blast" brought things crashing down.<br />
<br />
The wheelchairs went at 7am and five minutes later the marathon headed out. I was somewhere near the 3.30 pacer as the gun went but found that a bit crowded and slower than I could go, so by the time we got onto the bridge I found myself just in front of the 3.15 pacer and formulating my plan. I was always going to take it easy and aim to come home in 3.30. I'd thought that I'd do it by staying on the 3.30 bus but changed my mind because I felt OK to go out a bit quicker. So I'd stay in front of the 3.15 pacers until half way and allow myself to fade in the second half but not get overtaken by the 3.30 guys. Simples.<br />
<br />
And that is pretty much how it panned out. I'll not dwell too much on the run because I'll end up bitching about the course (too many sharp turns, clearly created by someone who doesn't run it.) The weather turned out ot be almost perfect; there were a couple of places where the wind hit, but the course was far more sheltered than that start and the temperature was lovely. I got to half way reasonably comfortably and still nicely in front of the 3.15 guys. So I decided I'd stay in front until I got back to the city - which I did - and then that I'd try to stay in front until 32k - which I think I did. It was close run thing at the 32k mark as they bus overtook me.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHcM1vhGoDFF4CJschqOq8dZY2Chpi-Pth2-IlmtfJhvoLFufIsynOrMheo2kk9wZ85yGpO0e0bQzI_Praurr1KvY1hvTXu8kjS25WlPcCQEdJNwJT-Ki6ldzcuUq2uhEOh8rP/s1600/20180916_103850.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHcM1vhGoDFF4CJschqOq8dZY2Chpi-Pth2-IlmtfJhvoLFufIsynOrMheo2kk9wZ85yGpO0e0bQzI_Praurr1KvY1hvTXu8kjS25WlPcCQEdJNwJT-Ki6ldzcuUq2uhEOh8rP/s320/20180916_103850.jpg" width="240" /></a>With 10k to go I was having to gig a little deeper than I wanted to. At about 28k my right glute had<br />
started to grumble and at 32k most of the rest of my right leg muscles had joined in so I felt a bit hobbley. I was likely being a bit soft as well.<br />
<br />
The last 10k of Sydney is a trip out to Pyrmont and back. It can be quite soul destroying as when you run back through the City in the late-20s you pass about 500m from the finish line. But this time it came and went OK. Yes I was huffing and puffing, and yes I was shouting all sorts of insults at myself, but I knew I had it in the bag and I knew I'd get home - slowing up quite considerably - in under 3.30.<br />
<br />
Just. OK, I had a bit to spare, 3.26ish. I was all sorts of aches at the end and the cold has lasted for the best part of following week. But hey, I got my medal and have put the Goldie behind me. The cold has stayed up in my head, so I should be back on the road again soon.<br />
<br />
The men's wheelchair winner was <a href="http://www.kurtfearnley.com/" target="_blank">Kurt Fearnley</a>, who I regard as Australia's greatest athlete. In November he will be off to try and win New York for a sixth time. He is awesome. Go read about him.<br />
<br />
And while on awesome, this weekend Eliud Kipchoge, who beat me in Berlin last year (and everyone else!) <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-09-17/eliud-kipchoge-smashes-world-record-in-berlin-marathon-win/10254414" target="_blank">smashed the world record this year</a> back in Berlin.<br />
<br />
All in all, a good weekend over the full distance. Now, what do I do next...<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
...next I could start blogging more regularly #justsaying<br />
<br /></div>
auswomblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847296018951882696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5061688.post-30985768524338316882018-08-19T18:01:00.000+10:002018-08-19T18:01:08.632+10:00ChangesWell a few things have-or-are-about to change(d) and I thought I'd start with a song. Was thinking <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJSv6JXKS_I" target="_blank">Bowie's Changes</a>. Or <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbiYR48pwyI" target="_blank">Sabbath's Changes</a>. Or <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XH25EUgFMmI" target="_blank">Sam Cooke's A Change is Gonna Come</a> but I;m settling on Change's The Glow of Love because I love a bit of Luther.<br />
<br />
<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eMrDJLPlq20" width="560"></iframe>
<br />
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 <a href="https://www.blackmores.com.au/" target="_blank">Blackmore's</a> 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 <a href="https://flexischools.com.au/" target="_blank">Flexischools</a> is a special place. But I need something that isn't there.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmCWulLjc-2GtTsdE0ok1gKtNVRT2nRkTVT9q6yiayw5LVuY6-iuR7FdPtEiCXp7ziLk86o4iEEkzHno8Iv6ZD7aXOxJ_9ALesL8JrwulpQ_HsOjKIC_bwRJ8ymrOPf2KkzSWi/s1600/20180819_072742.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmCWulLjc-2GtTsdE0ok1gKtNVRT2nRkTVT9q6yiayw5LVuY6-iuR7FdPtEiCXp7ziLk86o4iEEkzHno8Iv6ZD7aXOxJ_9ALesL8JrwulpQ_HsOjKIC_bwRJ8ymrOPf2KkzSWi/s400/20180819_072742.jpg" width="400" /></a>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.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
Segue into running and back to last Sunday when I did my somethingth <a href="https://city2surf.com.au/" target="_blank">City2Surf</a>. 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.<br />
<br />
Anyway, that's the big ticket items, dinner time so I'm done.<br />
<br />auswomblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847296018951882696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5061688.post-30948579374113615202018-08-04T15:59:00.002+10:002018-08-04T16:07:08.479+10:00d-d-d-diving Julian RocksAh diving, is there anything else that is quite so likely to bet me a-blogging?<br />
<br />
Quick bit of background - family gathering near Byron Bay. Sal's folks, siblings and all the grandkids having a get together as the UK contingent are down under for a holiday. Nine kids, 12 adults, <a href="https://theoldchurchbyronbay.com/" target="_blank">The Old Church at Newrybar</a>. Somehow I managed to get free pass to do a couple of dives out at Julian Rocks, so I booked with <a href="https://www.sundive.com.au/" target="_blank">Sundive </a>and at a little after 7am this morning I was at the dive store. I'd dived with them before, probably 14years ago, so when they asked if I'd dived before I said...effectively no.<br />
<br />
I was booked on for 2 dives and the group I was in had no newbies (hurrah!) By 8am we were on the beach as the RIB was launched, we hopped on and started the 10min journey out to Julian Rocks. The trip took a little longer today as we stopped to watch a passing whale that was maybe 50ft from the boat. There were a few <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PJix23IeF8" target="_blank">albatross </a>about, so before we'd got in the water things were looking good.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTF4qrqZamuuFmHLkvnh2f0VhRZ5kfdUhv2x_f_c3AWLA-wy3enYVaTaj6Ea7hPNMpAqETwX1RN4L1njE1RsoBxzJG_wS21H6hNCXVeKe2f0AwoShX5xUjCYCi7mkJiWIvYgK3/s1600/P1040319.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTF4qrqZamuuFmHLkvnh2f0VhRZ5kfdUhv2x_f_c3AWLA-wy3enYVaTaj6Ea7hPNMpAqETwX1RN4L1njE1RsoBxzJG_wS21H6hNCXVeKe2f0AwoShX5xUjCYCi7mkJiWIvYgK3/s320/P1040319.JPG" width="240" /></a>Arrived, moored, geared up, rolled off the side and descended. The water was a little chilly but certainly felt OK in my 3mm...yeah, more on that later. The water was a bit green and planktony but visibility was 6-8m which is fine with me. We started to the north (nw) of the rocks, somewhere near the sand gutters so we could head towards the Cod Hole, hopefully via some grey nurse sharks and then get picked up at the south (se) end, current assisted. Which made sense, because there was a reasonable amount of north-south movement. We're not talking drift dive, but strong enough that swimming against it for too long would require a bit more effort than you'd want.<br />
<br />
Julian Rocks are really quite pretty. The colours were a bit muted in the milky water, but there is plenty of fixed life and you can tell it would really pop in clear water. Fish life was pretty good - schools of jewfish, a couple of moorish idols, anemone fish, cleaner wrasse, grouper and plenty of wobbegong on display. I clicked off a few pictures as we bimbled around.<br />
<br />
Traveling with only hand luggage, I had dug out my old TZ5 and its housing. I think I last used them about 5years ago so figured they'd either be OK or if not then it was not too much of a loss. As it turned out the camera and housing were fine. As was my old Citizen watch that had also spent much of the last 5years in another draw until Sal had the battery replaced for me and it failed its pressure test. Seems that it is just fine to 22m though, which is good to know.<br />
<br />
I'm not sure of the sequencing, but let's say we saw the 3m wobbie and massive turtle just before our dive guide pointed out the first grey nurse shark - the stars of the show that we were all there to see. One become 2 and then 3. They were close but not too close as we dropped down onto the sand so not to spook them.<br />
<br />
Happy divers all around, we moved on and found more wobbies (there were a load of them), and a lot of the other usual suspects on the way to the Cod Hole, a nice little swim through. Just after that we found another few grey nurses, so again we dropped to the sand.<br />
<br />
I'd not been that close to the first group but this time I found myself in the prime spot. One in particular started to drift up behind me, getting close...and closer...and closer. He had a remora on his head, a few small fish hanging out and needed some dental work. He probably got to about 3ft above me. Really quite special.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQQUcv8YV4uWzQdWckVDOL3gSrwO-m-fDqCHaN_1EeP8ENNQ4OaM-4a4MgMFFwF9sXZdXIOd6SuC9oAxH-_l3l6aaZJyfCjpSyEC3dJundfoCI9DVCndwdobV6LgEZHXhjBq7s/s1600/P1040356.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQQUcv8YV4uWzQdWckVDOL3gSrwO-m-fDqCHaN_1EeP8ENNQ4OaM-4a4MgMFFwF9sXZdXIOd6SuC9oAxH-_l3l6aaZJyfCjpSyEC3dJundfoCI9DVCndwdobV6LgEZHXhjBq7s/s400/P1040356.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
I was going to get out of the way so one of the other guys could get some good idea, but he motioned for me to stay in place so he could get some perspective on how big this shark was. One of the video guys was a little bit off of the sand and the shark got a little irate and with a crack of its tail changed direction and swam away. It had been a special experience though.<br />
<br />
From there it was a bit of a gentle bimble upwards and towards the surface. The 3mm was starting to seem like not such a good idea by the time I got to the surface, and back on the boat I was a bit<br />
shivery. The guy next to me said he was still toasty warm, but hey, a 7mm wettie helps.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyMEl-oOlb2yN2QAZiBaCudAF6rCjzBpGWjEm4n4l4OajSkiOFP6evoEi0KWEiGy5POGz7MYLWjQ5o3r4srdazkkuuD1zqE1D2LRMMMXj3G4sk93f3zUxQQenFbAfmjW8aQJJS/s1600/P1040362.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyMEl-oOlb2yN2QAZiBaCudAF6rCjzBpGWjEm4n4l4OajSkiOFP6evoEi0KWEiGy5POGz7MYLWjQ5o3r4srdazkkuuD1zqE1D2LRMMMXj3G4sk93f3zUxQQenFbAfmjW8aQJJS/s320/P1040362.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
A little post script; as we got back to the beach we saw an echidna waddling along around 8ft from the water. Clearly lost, our skipper picked him (her?) up and relocated her (him) to the scrub. Crazy critter.<br />
<br />
Back at the dive store and I'd lost all feeling in my now-very-yellow-and-blood-free fingers and toes. Back in the day I would have powered on through, but I'm getting sensible in my old age so decided to can the second dive. I should really have done the morning and afternoon dives instead of booking the back to back(ish) morning dives. And hey, dive one had been great and the bacon and egg roll plus large cap topped the morning off nicely.<br />
<br />auswomblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847296018951882696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5061688.post-69857371835710937442018-07-22T20:27:00.001+10:002018-07-22T20:27:15.534+10:00where my mojo?<p>The blogging mojo has taken a bit of a hit of late. To be honest, my general mojo has been somewhat off since failing to finish the Gold Coast marathon, deciding to get a new job and having has a cold for several weeks, thinking I was better then having a relapse. The relapse, I am pretty sure, was because I started to feel good and did a reasonable running week of around 80km.</p><p>One of the things that I do that I know I do and know I shouldn’t is double-whammy myself when I’m not well. Feeling sorry for myself because I don’t exercise…I start to eat poorly…and have a few brews…and my weight goes up, and I feel even shittier. Rinse and repeat.</p><p>Add to the mix the stress and anxiety that goes with knowing you’re leaving your job but not yet being able to tell anyone (where is my fucking contract!) and it is a recipe for small-s, small-m self medication and self loathing (he says with a hint of drama and sprinkling of hyperbole.) And that means a spell of really not doing very much at all other than holding on.</p><p>Anyway, I’m holding on for dinner now, so more later.</p><p>Slow cooked lamb casserole with fresh sourdough bread. Yum. Difficult to go back to being a miserable old git. So maybe I should leave it here and commit to coming back to talk about all the above and more.</p><p>Well, maybe.</p>auswomblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847296018951882696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5061688.post-69852109069864998512018-07-07T20:14:00.002+10:002018-07-07T20:14:14.482+10:00that was quite a week...at least it ended with a runSo I told my boss and the head of HR and the owner of the company that I simply don't want to be there. Which was met with an understanding disappointment, offers of a sabbatical, heading off to do something else then come back and an open door if I do up stumps. Which is awesome - in fact all my colleagues are awesome - but my spirit is broken and I'm almost certainly off. I'll come back to this in a later post...maybe.<br />
<br />
So it was a pretty stressful week at work, not helped by the lingering cold stopping me from both running and meditating properly, and my weight creeping up as I have the odd beer or two. But hey, I'm having a break, albeit enforced, so I shouldn't beat myself up too much (I will.)<br />
<br />
I'm feeling lazy, so this is a quick running post with a smattering of other stuff.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggaxiD8HLZueCyn23uIa4WUki7TEDUOaYAbSJvB_S4r6TIcyBQdkxalkn77VncQXQceGF94WamPhkPs-3IWU6_ypnwB7DJHRE0CKTg07WbqAHboCQ2V2zGb4I7OLQBwdMkBQ0z/s1600/20180707_123348.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggaxiD8HLZueCyn23uIa4WUki7TEDUOaYAbSJvB_S4r6TIcyBQdkxalkn77VncQXQceGF94WamPhkPs-3IWU6_ypnwB7DJHRE0CKTg07WbqAHboCQ2V2zGb4I7OLQBwdMkBQ0z/s320/20180707_123348.jpg" width="180" /></a><br />
Felt a little dusty this morning after an all-too-rare and thoroughly enjoyable catchup at the 4Pines with Steve. Good company, good beer, good food, tick tick tick.<br />
<br />
<br />
Standard Saturday morning swim followed by pies at Brookie Pie. I had their newest pie, a hearty winter pie made with Nomad Saison beer. Yum.<br />
<br />
So obviously I then went, girls in tow, to <a href="http://www.nomadbrewingco.com.au/" target="_blank">the brewery</a> to pick out some dark beers for the evening. In the Transit Lounge is an Adams Family Pinball machine that was distracting enough to keep the little ladies out of my hair.<br />
<br />
To have a restful day because AJ is a bit unwell, we went to watch Ant Man and the Wasp. It's a good movie and I am a fan of Paul Rudd. I first came across him on a Lip Sync battle - back in the day when it was a funny skit in the Jimmy Fallon show and not the abso-fucking-lutely-shite TV show it has morphed into. Ahem.<br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4LvMeYEwWGQ" width="560"></iframe>
<br />
Back home and I felt well enough to have a run. I was feeling rather OK, so decided to head down to Queenscliff and back, which would be maybe 10k, probably a bit under. It was going all rather well. Just a dull ache in the legs, but they were turning over OK. I was taking it easy, being all sensible...and then..boom.<br />
<br />
At a little under 7k my left achilles or calf or all of the above decided to tighten up all of a sudden and I stopped. Hmm. Bugger. I took a couple of gentle jogging steps and nope, definitely time to stop running. I stop/saved my run and started to trudge home. OK, it wasn't really I trudge, I was annoyed but not devastated. I guess the fatigue I still carry caught up wiht me, various bits and pices engaged to help various other bits and pieces and boom.<br />
<br />
After a few hundred metres I took a few very gently jogging paces. Yeah, that'll be OK to nurse home. Anyway, it was cold and I didn't fancy a 2km walk home, so I very slowly ran another 1.6km and then walked the last bit.<br />
<br />
Things are tightening up a bit now, but these should help. Temporal confusion reigns, the first can and a half has most definitely helped.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY1CWESxDATk-8w5ir6_B50ShULFzujpjbUkueoiJCq-i34LDXc3FOR2NQzSwbyQb2Y8DrD_YTz3824ZB6leSw9ymkrzPBM6MLFeF10CCmqyzBwkY8mu8W0uMuG2_PEDZOxbvY/s1600/20180707_190235_001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY1CWESxDATk-8w5ir6_B50ShULFzujpjbUkueoiJCq-i34LDXc3FOR2NQzSwbyQb2Y8DrD_YTz3824ZB6leSw9ymkrzPBM6MLFeF10CCmqyzBwkY8mu8W0uMuG2_PEDZOxbvY/s320/20180707_190235_001.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
auswomblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847296018951882696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5061688.post-26759136129604380202018-07-02T20:22:00.000+10:002018-07-02T20:39:17.871+10:00Flagellation RevelationI woke up this morning with legs that felt as if I'd run a marathon. Which was odd considering that was precisely what I had not done yesterday. I was feeling slightly better about myself because looking at my heart rate on the 15k I did run...well, I was running a bit hot. My average HR was 184bpm and I topped out at over 190. Yes, I went out at a reasonable clip with the 3hr bus, but still...that's a bit high and I am glad I was smart enough to stop. In Berlin, which I completed, I averaged 167bpm and max 183. On top of that my shoes are still sweat soaked...so yeah, conditions were challenging and I behaved like a grown up.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLmpCL9uQ4VwSh7eAIkSexeJMSObA17MyyCwFGzBIn9tOiX7M06-4KuWt_11LgVT2bpplt5Nc0wimfq0PY_7R80x_KEgvOWHw5qT7-Ph8B4Z8x2xJ5E_Q3wOe2j49QSQvOtuSB/s1600/20180702_173622.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLmpCL9uQ4VwSh7eAIkSexeJMSObA17MyyCwFGzBIn9tOiX7M06-4KuWt_11LgVT2bpplt5Nc0wimfq0PY_7R80x_KEgvOWHw5qT7-Ph8B4Z8x2xJ5E_Q3wOe2j49QSQvOtuSB/s320/20180702_173622.jpg" width="180" /></a>But...after a couple of hours in the Burleigh Brewery yesterday afternoon I did finish the day wiht the register page of September's Sydney Marathon open on my laptop. I didn't pull the trigger, but it is on my mind. And to complete the <i>running commentary</i> (can you what I did there!?) when I got home today I decided I'd go for a gentle run around the block. After placing my GC2018 bib on the fridge, where it will stay, held on the door by an Eric Cartman magnet, until I complete a marathon. Then I shall bin it.<br />
<br />
Anyway, based upon nothing more than gut feel I believe one of the best ways to treat sore legs is with running. The reason your legs are sore is not because you've done too much running but rather you've done too little. Of course this breaks down when you go out hard or long, but day to day and over shorter distances (it is all relative) you should not end up aching (much) unless you are out of condition. So I hobbled off around the block. Therefore what I needed was a run to a) treat my legs, and b) punish myself unnecessarily for being soft.
<br />
<br />
<br />
I was not far into my self-flagellation loop when I had my revelation. I didn't finish my marathon. Therefore my goal is now to finish my next marathon. No need to have a crack at something silly, I just need to get another one chalked up.<br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="405" scrolling="no" src="https://www.strava.com/activities/1675546220/embed/a50bcc8ce4ad5a7c0804614d18735869430280da" width="500"></iframe><br />
<br />
I was quite pleased with myself. So I popped into the bottle shop on my run and put a <a href="https://4pinesbeer.com.au/10th-birthday-4-pack/" target="_blank">4Pines 10th Anniversary 4-beer-box-set</a> in the their fridge, telling the guy (yes, yes, yes, I need to remember people's names) I'd be back later to collect it. Which I was and I did. And now, as I type, I am enjoying one of said beers, an El Dorado IPA. Quite nice it is too.<br />
<br />
So that's my arrival back home dealt with. I picked the kids up from their dance lessons, had a couple of interesting phone calls (more on that later) and put on a wash load of my skanky running kit. Dinner was bubble and squeak, so clearly the ladies had a roast/baked dinner yesterday. Bubble wins.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, back in Queensland this morning...it was a pretty relaxed start to the day. You'd not know it is winter up there, a glorious sunny morning and we bimbled over to breakfast, packed and left the AirBnB at around 10:00am. Dave and fam were off to Kirra for some beach time so it was easy for them to drop me near the airport. By near I mean at the <a href="https://www.rslartunion.com.au/draw357" target="_blank">RSL Art Union prize houses</a> we are all convinced we are going to win.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgofi61rqIACVXq2mcsReNlNVHrD68LtrRgVJq4-kwzg2LI63AntDVg1HmhVrQHbkaTJEdx1nLjfLv_O5GgjO7Mn0soF5DtEhvu-TPyy6Wsp_jImYzLKYDW1jbWmUH6CL95ibGn/s1600/20180702_105407.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="297" data-original-width="1600" height="116" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgofi61rqIACVXq2mcsReNlNVHrD68LtrRgVJq4-kwzg2LI63AntDVg1HmhVrQHbkaTJEdx1nLjfLv_O5GgjO7Mn0soF5DtEhvu-TPyy6Wsp_jImYzLKYDW1jbWmUH6CL95ibGn/s640/20180702_105407.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
They're really quite nice, maybe a little too far from the beach...</div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />auswomblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847296018951882696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5061688.post-38923114389190694282018-07-01T21:33:00.003+10:002018-07-01T21:49:28.051+10:00DNF - Gold Coast Marathon 2018I suppose it had to happen sooner or later.<br />
<br />
I woke this morning feeling quite OK. Yes I stall had the cough but I was not at death's door so I was feeling pretty optimistic. AN early but not too early start and Dave and I were dropped near the start line in what seemed to be cool, calm conditions - could be a good run.<br />
<br />
Bag dropped and off to the bog - standard ritual - and we entered the start area. Being a bit stupid I made my way to the three hour pacer area. I won't lie, I was a bit peeved when they stopped playing the Foo Fighters 'Best of You' so some dude from The Voice could sing the national anthem - talk about going from a decent pre-race track to..er...well...the Australian National Anthem. Anyway, it didn't last long, I discarded my two disposable start line t-shirts and the gun went off and we were under way.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BkqY8cuh_CK/" data-instgrm-version="8" style="background: #fff; border-radius: 3px; border: 0; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0 , 0 , 0 , 0.5) , 0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0 , 0 , 0 , 0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 658px; padding: 0; width: 99.375%;">
<div style="padding: 8px;">
<div style="background: #F8F8F8; line-height: 0; margin-top: 40px; padding: 50.0% 0; text-align: center; width: 100%;">
<div style="background: url(data:image/png; display: block; height: 44px; margin: 0 auto -44px; position: relative; top: -22px; width: 44px;">
</div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;">
<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BkqY8cuh_CK/" style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">Made it to the start</a></div>
<div style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">
A post shared by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/auswomble/" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" target="_blank"> Kevin Foreman</a> (@auswomble) on <time datetime="2018-06-30T20:32:30+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Jun 30, 2018 at 1:32pm PDT</time></div>
</div>
</blockquote>
<script async="" defer="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script>
It did not take long for me to realise that I'd been wrong about the humidity. The weather app had said 99% and when I was moving I knew that was about right. The pacer was also warning against going out too hard and advising to take on water at each opportunity as we'd be sweating up a storm.<br />
<br />
The first couple of kilometres came and went at a decent clip, on 3hr pace. But It wasn't pleasant. I was holding the pace ok as we kept on but was not breathing as easily as I should. This, I knew, did not bode well.<br />
<br />
Bottom line is that I'd rolled the dice on this one. I set out on the 3hr bus in the hope that once I got going I would magically feel OK. Didn't happen. I was only 6 or 7k in when I knew it was all over. Only decision was where to bail. Burleigh, where I could get a lift back to the start to pick up my bag? Wait at Burleigh and then run back to Southport with Dave?<br />
<br />
I decided to bail at Burleigh. I'll take muscle soreness and general aches...but this was my lungs. And the last person I knew who'd pushed on through dodgy lungs - Dave - ended up with pneumonia. So feeling like a bit of a fraud for high-fiving kids along the way I got to 15.6km and left the course, stopping the Garmin straight away as a definite message to myself that it really was all over.<br />
<br />
I mooched around for a bit feeling sorry for myself and waiting for Mrs Dave and #2 daughter to turn up. They arrive just in time to see husband/dad turn and get a quick hug and a kiss before he headed back north and we headed for breakfast.<br />
<br />
Then it was time to head north and go collect Dave from the finish line. I knew his plan was to take it easy and head out with the 3rh40 bus and when we saw him at Burleigh he was looking OK.<br />
<br />
He finished in just under 5hours. It was a solid gritty run because he is about as daft as me and was going into this on the back of almost no training. And I am being generous with the almost. He'd cramped at somewhere in the low 30k-s and had to power-walk a load of the last 10k. Stubbornness got him home - and respect to him for that. I watched quite a lot of folks approaching the finish line in various states of disrepair - quite inspirational actually.<br />
<br />
So anyway, that was the race that wasn't for me. Fortunately I had much more success at goal #2 for the day and did end up having a few beers in the Burleigh Brewing Company Brewery before a very nice dinner at a local Italian.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BkrTrD4ht2z/" data-instgrm-version="8" style="background: #fff; border-radius: 3px; border: 0; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0 , 0 , 0 , 0.5) , 0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0 , 0 , 0 , 0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 658px; padding: 0; width: 99.375%;">
<div style="padding: 8px;">
<div style="background: #F8F8F8; line-height: 0; margin-top: 40px; padding: 50% 0; text-align: center; width: 100%;">
<div style="background: url(data:image/png; display: block; height: 44px; margin: 0 auto -44px; position: relative; top: -22px; width: 44px;">
</div>
</div>
<div style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">
<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BkrTrD4ht2z/" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Kevin Foreman (@auswomble)</a> on <time datetime="2018-07-01T05:05:41+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Jun 30, 2018 at 10:05pm PDT</time></div>
</div>
</blockquote>
<script async="" defer="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script>
So not a complete disaster.<br />
<br />
And I already have the web page open on the register section for the Sydney Marathon...I have some pride that needs repairing...<br />
<br />
<br />auswomblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847296018951882696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5061688.post-21433458309047767142018-06-30T20:46:00.001+10:002018-06-30T20:48:11.750+10:00that was the week that wasOK, a quick bridging post from Burleigh Heads where I am holed up in a very nice AirBnB with a couple of close friends and their youngest daughter. Tomorrow Dave and I will head off to run the Gold Coast marathon, both woefully undertrained and unready for it. Ho hum. For my part the problem has been a lingering cold that robbed me of my last long run before the holiday in Bali and is still, well, lingering. So I didn't do my last long run and I've not run since May.<br />
<br />
And that is a bit of a bugger because after an under-par performance in Berlin last year I was hoping to have another crack at a sub-3hr up on here on what is an extremely flat and usually quite fast Gold Coast course. And despite where I am, there is still a bit of me that thinks I may head off on the 3hr bus at 07:20am tomorrow morning, daft though that is.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmZnPnJLdJ4EFmpiNBHUwc0yu76ruvhebOoLRdtS2DGWW6k6MyDLEY_pJKSG_Kvvn_BgE7qXc5v_IKhXtscsaJOxMTfLbKEfWWW8k87BqCoi8c-BXIZez6jvwG4lE8kZ50NkwZ/s1600/20180630_142818.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmZnPnJLdJ4EFmpiNBHUwc0yu76ruvhebOoLRdtS2DGWW6k6MyDLEY_pJKSG_Kvvn_BgE7qXc5v_IKhXtscsaJOxMTfLbKEfWWW8k87BqCoi8c-BXIZez6jvwG4lE8kZ50NkwZ/s320/20180630_142818.jpg" width="180" /></a>Then there is the other bit that says nah, fuckit, just get through it. You've not got a PB in you so don't kill yourself out there. That bit go the upper hand at lunchtime when, to wash down my massive spag bol at the <a href="http://www.burleighslsc.com.au/surf-club/" target="_blank">Burgleigh Heads Surf Club</a>, I had a <a href="https://littlecreatures.com.au/" target="_blank">Little Creatures</a> Pale Ale. And I may have shared a small sour with Dave just before dinner. Yeah, 2018 is not a PB year.<br />
<br />
Anyway, the weather up here in Queensland is quite glorious. I'm not a big fan of the Goldie, but in Winter it can be lovely. The water looks cracking, it is in the low 20s without humidity and not a breath of wind. Last night I stayed with Sal's sis and family in Palm Beach and I slept like a baby, which was nice. I head breakfast by the beach at <a href="https://avvia.com.au/" target="_blank">Avvia</a> with Sal's eldest sister and we were joined by another friend who lent me the book <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Brain-Training-Runners-Revolutionary-Endurance/dp/0451222326" target="_blank">Brain Training for Runners</a>. To make the trade fair I told her about the Barkley Marathons documentary <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2400291/" target="_blank">The Race that Eats its Young</a>. Exchange is no robbery.<br />
<br />
Anyway, as I continue to work backwards, I flew up to the Goldie yesterday so I'd have today as a nice bimbly chilled day before the race and because I fancied picking up my race number on Friday rather than Saturday when I figured the expo would be chaotic. I'm not a fan of the race expo wiht its Ikea-esque one-way snaking path from bib collection to exit. I don't need to buy any new kit, or magazines, or nutrition, or anything else, just get me outta here!<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BkmJ65ChPIT/" data-instgrm-version="8" style="background: #fff; border-radius: 3px; border: 0; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0 , 0 , 0 , 0.5) , 0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0 , 0 , 0 , 0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 658px; padding: 0; width: 99.375%;">
<div style="padding: 8px;">
<div style="background: #F8F8F8; line-height: 0; margin-top: 40px; padding: 50% 0; text-align: center; width: 100%;">
<div style="background: url(data:image/png; display: block; height: 44px; margin: 0 auto -44px; position: relative; top: -22px; width: 44px;">
</div>
</div>
<div style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">
<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BkmJ65ChPIT/" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Kevin Foreman (@auswomble)</a> on <time datetime="2018-06-29T05:04:15+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Jun 28, 2018 at 10:04pm PDT</time></div>
</div>
</blockquote>
<script async="" defer="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script>
I hadn't taken the full day off work (though after the week I had I do feel like taking the rest of my life off work, maybe more on that later) and popped into the Manly office for a couple of hours before the ferry, train, plane, bus travel to the Gold Coast Convention Centre then final bus to Palm Beach. Sounds like quite a hike, but was pretty simple. Not much of interest from the trip; of course coming over the Harbour on the Manly Ferry was lovely, I feel the business class (and seat 1A) trip up was a bit of a waste as I had not abandoned all hope of a PB yesterday so didn't have a drink - more fool me. I think if I squint a bit I can see the office in that second instagram picture...<br />
<br />
Right, I think that will do for now. If I go back any further this will descend quickly into a rant about how shite work was in I don't feel like recalling that right now.<br />
<br />
Maybe later. OK, race eve sleep time.auswomblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847296018951882696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5061688.post-81424759780661765842018-06-24T19:39:00.000+10:002018-06-24T19:39:27.225+10:00à bientôt JCJJCJ, ever present mate since I arrived on these shores in 1999. My first Sydney dive was with him and few other mates, a bimble around the (now gone) swimming enclosure (shark net) at Balmoral.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/auswomble/14721051551/in/photolist-oqReKD-7PLgzW-5NL28X-4ZvESH-4ZAWCo-4UABhs-4SiLad-4SiCu9-4PAcR8-4Mpxd9-4dFBAN-34FdFX-2Y2qFB-2Yh6Wm" title="JCJ"><img alt="JCJ" height="332" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5565/14721051551_2ffd560110.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
<br />
<br />
On Tuesday he and Mrs JCJ move back to Blighty.<br />
<br />
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/auswomble/2538360558/in/photolist-oqReKD-7PLgzW-5NL28X-4ZvESH-4ZAWCo-4UABhs-4SiLad-4SiCu9-4PAcR8-4Mpxd9-4dFBAN-34FdFX-2Y2qFB-2Yh6Wm" title="say cheese"><img alt="say cheese" height="500" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2404/2538360558_a8a3464fa4.jpg" width="435" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
<br />
So no longer just up the road, but a dear friend who I look forward to spending time taking pics and talking shit with again soon.auswomblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847296018951882696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5061688.post-1052647859293892452018-06-24T18:26:00.001+10:002018-06-24T18:57:35.840+10:00Saturday saunterAn hour to kill in Denpasar airport so I may be able to bring us up to date. In fact I should already be up to date as the check-in and bag drop was remarkably quick and easy and we found ourselves in the pay-to-play Premier Lounge with about two and half hours to go before the flight.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhADcRhA8Znivs4Jcj326a90E4ax9q2mEKdOXZ0Na7GZXtvS2vz3zcFgM9akJdr4j__d0I1MaD9vI-sd3eZqu9ZveWwm3WDEXEGjr9C3CnwGqJ9B-XPJVUoUPOvtXaSxMqhkPy/s1600/20180623_210834.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhADcRhA8Znivs4Jcj326a90E4ax9q2mEKdOXZ0Na7GZXtvS2vz3zcFgM9akJdr4j__d0I1MaD9vI-sd3eZqu9ZveWwm3WDEXEGjr9C3CnwGqJ9B-XPJVUoUPOvtXaSxMqhkPy/s320/20180623_210834.jpg" width="180" /></a>The lounge is a bit…well, crap. Finding four seats was nigh on impossible – we ended up on a sort of, I dunno, terrace I suppose that overlooks the shopping area and benefited from wonky seats and little air conditioning. But at least the beet (Anker, I kid you not) was atrocious and the food somewhat bland. But hey, still better than hours mooching around airport shops and the kids were happy with all you can grab rice (H) and cookies (both of them liked that.) Plus there are a few teles so I caught some of Belgium’s demolition of Tunisia.<br />
<br />
Now the kids are asleep and we are between games. Although I do have free Wi-Fi I’m giving Microsoft’s Open Live Viewer a go. It’s a freebie blog editor for windows 10, knows all about blogger and I can use it offline.<br />
<br />
But I digress.<br />
<br />
Wayan seemed genuinely a little sad that the girls no longer be battering him with questions, a good chunk of which have been H asking “how many minutes until we get [wherever].” He’s a good man. So that is the immediate past done, I’ve already covered my waking up and now all that remains is the guts of the day.<br />
<br />
Sal wanted to have a final massage and breakfast at Sisterfields where the coffee was maybe a bit <br />
better than Revolver and the food was pretty special as well. I had shakshuka, following a moussaka the other evening these are my tow most out of region dishes as I have gone native as often as possible. Coffee good, food good, kids a bit stroppy and each in brief tears (still playing the long game) and when done we headed towards our next stop (pre-massage) the beach resort Potato Head which was very nice and had a pool the kids and I jumped in.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH2hi1Hfueu4gQb1pVQRVneUAWzckymanJElgA7l3UIibD-7OWqpkTKtRfX7u2wY_fxKZ92z2clrTpT1e01oOwSaBZlDTljz-dnP9-QoM0-9uIG8rjDVjm6u2XUZ8zb6Q-JTsU/s1600/20180623_114723.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH2hi1Hfueu4gQb1pVQRVneUAWzckymanJElgA7l3UIibD-7OWqpkTKtRfX7u2wY_fxKZ92z2clrTpT1e01oOwSaBZlDTljz-dnP9-QoM0-9uIG8rjDVjm6u2XUZ8zb6Q-JTsU/s320/20180623_114723.jpg" width="180" /></a>It was all pretty relaxing; I had another coffee and a comically poor craft beer – Stark IPA (Indonesian Pale Ale) which seemed like yet another rebadged Bintang to me.<br />
<br />
OK, so offline edit then upload later seemed to work OK. Where was I? Leaving Potto Head, right. So we sauntered back to Seminyak village where Sal tried to find a place for a massage, could only book for later so jumped in a taxi (often spelled taksi) with the kids and I took a wander, camera slung over my shoulder.<br />
<br />
In short I strolled back towards the villa, failed to buy a short, another beer or street food but was not upset by this. I veered off from the main drag and towards the beach, wandering a road I'd not taken before but was pretty much the same as most other roads. I got to the beach, wandered along past a load of very same-same bars, think I got propositioned for gay sex and offered pot (no to both) and got home after about two and a half hours of taking pics.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyomLtOK0G27Z5msfvA9anCN8_lMfdVNdZZVgMXCCKcy2aOUt-9WUkyvJBvwVO1sM3PsOVGQvOfvoIoVr1Zkns2OlR02S3MaE-gaaYLZEj1yTbofy0uOy4dfRFiZ1t4Nh_1uqJ/s1600/DSC_5748.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1069" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyomLtOK0G27Z5msfvA9anCN8_lMfdVNdZZVgMXCCKcy2aOUt-9WUkyvJBvwVO1sM3PsOVGQvOfvoIoVr1Zkns2OlR02S3MaE-gaaYLZEj1yTbofy0uOy4dfRFiZ1t4Nh_1uqJ/s320/DSC_5748.JPG" width="213" /></a>I did a bit of - would you call it Urbex? I'm not sure - exploring of a not-finished-and-not-been worked on hotel. Anyway, there is a fairly large resort shell that didn't look particularly fenced off to me, and I could not see any no entry signs...there were three sketchy holes in the wall, one of which I could get to the slab from. A little overgrown, and plenty of rubbish underfoot, but easy to get in. I took a wander around the concrete. I didn't fancy heading to the basement, but I went up a few floors. Took some not your mainstream Bali photos. Graffiti was a bit disappointing though.auswomblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847296018951882696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5061688.post-17359791567166721892018-06-23T19:07:00.001+10:002018-06-23T19:21:07.994+10:00thanks for that Paul McCartney<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QjvzCTqkBDQ" width="480"></iframe><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
So I've never been a fan of the Beatles or Paul McCartney despite Band on the Run and Silly Love songs being two of my favourite guilty pleasure songs (pleasures really, the guilty bit is bullshit in that phrase.)<br />
<br />
And so this morning I woke up and grabbed my phone to catchup on the overnight scores and the news. Somewhere or other stumbled on a story about Macca being on Carpool Karaoke. James Corden is a likable chap so I thought I'd spend 23 minutes having a watch before rolling out of bed.<br />
<br />
It gets to 5 minutes. We get to Let it Be, one of the most over played songs of all time I reckon. Sir Paul tells us it was inspired by a dream in which he was visited by his deceased mother and she reassured him that it was going to be OK, just let it be.<br />
<br />
Which is a kinda saccharine but nice story. Only...<br />
<br />
My mum told me it was going to be OK. She was wearing a brown skirt and an orange top, was in our lounge room and her face had no sign of what the cancer had done to it. She looked beautiful. She'd not been dead long when I had that dream. Twenty five years have passed since.<br />
<br />
So I had a bit of a weep; thanks Sir Paul-fuckin-McCartney, just what I needed to start the last day of my family holiday in Bali! Nah, I don't mind getting a bit teary, and of course I'm welling up a bit as I type this, but it's a good thing. Better than forgetting. It's good for the soul. But yep, "I didn't see that one coming round the corner."<br />
<br />
OK, normal service will resume later, but I felt like sharing that. The Beatles, not so bad after all (maybe.)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
...does make me wonder how many people have that dream though...<br />
<br />
<br />
Oh, and Let it Be now joins R.E.M Everybody Hurts in my tear-jerker draw, that latter because in the video the subtitle "she's gone" pops up.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />auswomblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847296018951882696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5061688.post-89951192787014466752018-06-22T18:21:00.002+10:002018-06-22T18:21:56.191+10:00the bom (uncut funk)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSHlJGUvc7LIhNicE866DJUCO-CRguOLi0ixrT64p2zVxsP9rEGVp4pVdFZOo2YonZZsp7z1vg_xqafiD9JUOhEYMvf8egFmd141lMctC-OLkXiP3UMn4X4miVjdnEjmhWkz69/s1600/20180622_145752.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSHlJGUvc7LIhNicE866DJUCO-CRguOLi0ixrT64p2zVxsP9rEGVp4pVdFZOo2YonZZsp7z1vg_xqafiD9JUOhEYMvf8egFmd141lMctC-OLkXiP3UMn4X4miVjdnEjmhWkz69/s400/20180622_145752.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
This brief post might read like a bit of an advert. Today was the girls' choice and there was only one thing they REALLY wanted and that was a visit to Waterbom, a water park at the back of Kuta. In fact THE waterpark. By some measures - <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/TravelersChoice-Attractions-cWaterParks-g2" target="_blank">such as the 2017 tripadvisor travelers choice awards</a> - the best waterpark in Asia.<br />
<br />
Now, I'm not a big fan of waterparks. They're fun, but they don't really float my boat. Maybe because my most recent waterparking has been wet 'n' wild in Sydney's west, which is...well...ok. Good I guess...so I was not expecting too much.<br />
<br />
Sal had arranged to Wayan (he has a name!) to collect us at 08:30 so we'd be there for opening at 09:00. Sal had drugged herself up in order to make it through the morning and had also, of course, pre-booked tickets.<br />
<br />
Waterbom is like a lot of places in Bali. All a bit Tardis. Not a long drive from where we are staying and at the back of super-crazy-Kuta, we pulled into the car park and went through the smart entrance and into the HOLY SHIT WHERE DID ALL THIS SPACE COME FROM park.<br />
<br />
Sal loaded up a pre-pay bracelet - the park is cashless - so we could get food and drinks and stuff; all slides and pools are included in the ticket price. We dropped our stuff in a locker and started to wander. Because I am that sort of smart - I left my phone in the locker, so no pictures. But hey, check out their website if you want to see what it looks like.<br />
<br />
Where Wet 'n Wild suffers from bing in the middle of a field and a bit open and exposed, Waterbom is set in lush tropical gardens. Neat paths weave between the slides and pools and gazebos and restaurants/bars...I was incredibly impressed at just how well appointed it was. We picked out some sun lounges in a shady spot near the central kids' pool and went out to play.<br />
<br />
We had a very gentle start, floating down the lazy river. They were not kidding about the laziness. With our fins wet we started on the slides and did...well, most of them. Mats and tubes and feet/arms/crossed tubes and pipes aplenty and only a couple that H could not go on. I think this was just bad luck though, as there were a couple of others were she was allowed to stand on tip-toe to make the minimum height!<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFAdXuOYYPzMsx-giQFmCLf6RpfgIT88Xz-UfPB-ZF5htBMdl5V-gFdzc4ai1TeQo48luZA-zC9JVDEWWCFD6kI7SKpsYpjbum7s1aHUSPo7YjNffz64euvAZumG8b8vcp4N-Y/s1600/20180622_142429.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFAdXuOYYPzMsx-giQFmCLf6RpfgIT88Xz-UfPB-ZF5htBMdl5V-gFdzc4ai1TeQo48luZA-zC9JVDEWWCFD6kI7SKpsYpjbum7s1aHUSPo7YjNffz64euvAZumG8b8vcp4N-Y/s320/20180622_142429.jpg" width="180" /></a>So it was a good morning and I did enjoy it. That said, I don't think I'll ever want to head back to Wet 'n Wild. Sorry Sydney...<br />
<br />
A few observations...lots of tattoos (some very good, some not so) on display. Saw a lass walking past the kids pool at 09:45 with a Bintang in one hand and cigarette in the other. Not sure how much vive le in that difference, but who am I to judge? (answers on a postcard to...) A real mix of people there - waterparks, succeeding where religion has failed?<br />
<br />
Anyway, if you're in Bali you could easily spend a day there, kids in tow or no.<br />
<br />
The rest of the day has settled into a restful mundanity (not sure that is a word and neither is the spell check.) Lunch at a shopping centre that was same-same-but-different to every other shopping centre I've ever been to and now chilaxing.<br />
<br />
That was not as brief as I'd expected.<br />
<br />
<br />auswomblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847296018951882696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5061688.post-23186352730843284212018-06-22T00:57:00.002+10:002018-06-22T00:57:49.680+10:00wreckedSal started today looking and sounding as if she was at death's door. I offered to can my diving so I could look after the kids but she insisted that I go. To be fair, I would have looked after the kids but there would be a teeny weeny risk of me getting my grump on...so after grabbing a million and a half rupiah from a nearby ATM to help Sal get through the day I buggered off.<br />
<br />
There was a bit of drama collecting one of the divers that I'll not bore you with. Suffice it to say we left Seminyak almost an hour later than expected, we being 3 dive guides/staff and 4 diver - me, a middle aged woman from Calgary and 2 lads from Leeds who were about to do their first open water dives.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkHAr1BkOx7MeKg5r9F-VBb7eQMst5O2ZYsoaLCJTC05Oq-_IbpkP_T3MX2rpTTPfloJVyt7D9nCGfZbYPLQ7JGO0-XnXzn8oTmv5e0ghqK2Vnmgp_JTr4W8KNCdtYV__DjHaa/s1600/20180621_081846.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1028" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkHAr1BkOx7MeKg5r9F-VBb7eQMst5O2ZYsoaLCJTC05Oq-_IbpkP_T3MX2rpTTPfloJVyt7D9nCGfZbYPLQ7JGO0-XnXzn8oTmv5e0ghqK2Vnmgp_JTr4W8KNCdtYV__DjHaa/s320/20180621_081846.jpg" width="205" /></a>My first open water dives were not really open water at all, so let me call them dives-not-in-a-pool. They were in the pit at <a href="http://www.gildenburgh.com/" target="_blank">Gildenburgh </a>about 20 years ago. These lads were about to dive on one of the best wreck/shores dives anywhere in the world (allegedly.) Good on them. Anyway, we had this chat in Booster Coffee, a half decent coffee shop just out of Denpasar. Maybe, I don't really know. It's late and I can't be arsed to look it up on a map.<br />
<br />
We were off to dive the USS (or USAT, depending on where you look. Sometimes USAT/USS) <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USAT_Liberty" target="_blank">Liberty</a>. In short - US military cargo ship, built 1918, torpedoed off Lombok by the Japanese in 1942, towed to Bali but took on too much water so beached at Tulamben, where it stayed until 1963 when the Mount Agung volcano erupted, it fell on its side and slid into the ocean. Which is where you can now find it - pretty beaten up, but a recognizable bow and stern and some superstructure still intact. It sits on a sloping sand/silt floor about 30m off shore. The top is in about 5m and the bottom around 30m, making it a dive for everyone.<br />
<br />
The one real downside is that is it a 3 hour drive from Seminyak, but hey, I got to see a bit more of Bali and that is no bad thing. Already quite comfortable in the knowledge that Bali traffic works on a system of everyone trusting everyone else and no one getting angry, I settled in trying to ignore the overtaking uphill on blind corners in the rain. Did I mention the weather was more like wet than dry season?<br />
<br />
I could and should describe more about the countryside but it's late and I'm tired so I won't. We got to Tulamben Paradise Resort from where we'd be diving. It is right on the water's edge a couple of hundred metres from the wreck. As there were only a few of us today I was buddied up wiht a dive guide and no one else. Happy days! Having been given a few dive options back in the cafe I'd already stated my preference - 2 dive on the wreck.<br />
<br />
The two dives were really one with a bit of a break in the middle I suppose. After an inelegant waddle over the pebbles and into the water we dropped to the bottom and made our way to the deepest section of the wreck and then slowly back up again. Dive 2 was broadly similar, only we went to about 22m and did a bit more in and out of the mid section that still has some super structure and swim throughs.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjehtXKy1HDUp5F6dfCmFzPnXS_UBmi_tqr7jUqmt4IkYi2N-pDPonosxhWk_4k261jH-vbfqtYABSyf3vNA9b2n_k4rAVCiXPDo-U7Yg5zzz3Bn8iSxHwg-tf0NP7nzV5HNLZo/s1600/20180621_200728.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjehtXKy1HDUp5F6dfCmFzPnXS_UBmi_tqr7jUqmt4IkYi2N-pDPonosxhWk_4k261jH-vbfqtYABSyf3vNA9b2n_k4rAVCiXPDo-U7Yg5zzz3Bn8iSxHwg-tf0NP7nzV5HNLZo/s320/20180621_200728.jpg" width="180" /></a>I figure that any non-divers reading will be getting a bit bored already, and any divers will already be off looking at other people's pictures - I didn't take my camera. So I'll just rattle off a few things we saw. Bump Head Parrot Fish, garden eels (that are a lot larger than I expected) Ribbon eels (that were a lot smaller than I expected), mantis shrimp and mimic octopus. Given the number of divers on the wreck, my guide - whose name I have obviously forgotten - did a great job of avoiding them and for the first 30m of each dive it was almost as if we had the wreck to ourselves. Very nice diving indeed, and I can imagine that on a better day with bright sun overhead it would really pop. Go google USS Liberty Bali and hit images.<br />
<br />
Right, that's it for now. I'm just back from watching Australia draw with Belgium in the world cup. I drank shite beer and I'm tired. Maybe I'll fill in the gaps a bit later.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />auswomblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847296018951882696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5061688.post-77690736611421207592018-06-20T20:43:00.002+10:002018-06-20T20:49:25.444+10:00grumpy old man #2 - interrupted briefly by gelatoSo while catching up with my blog I also sent Sal a message asking her to pick up some cheap shoes for H so she may one day regain the use of her now, apparently, OK foot. I didn't relent on the swimming thing though. You had blisters so bad you struggled to walk therefore that foot stays clean and dry today so you'll have a good day with mum tomorrow.<br />
<br />
Can I ask mum if I can go for a swim when she gets home?<br />
<br />
I rolled the dice. Yes you can, but I'll tell mum why I said no swimming.<br />
<br />
Now of course it did not go down exactly like this, but my blog = my hyperbole.<br />
<br />
Hi H, I bought you some new sneakers! Of course you can go for a swim! Yeah, let's all go for ice cream at Gusto's afterward!<br />
<br />
Sigh.<br />
<br />
So my flat mood, which had plateaued and was maybe on the up after my earlier blogging took a nose dive, and while I can see what was happening - and how to arrest it - I of course did nothing.<br />
<br />
Sal, refreshed from her spa but coming down with a cold, bailed on the pilgrimage to <a href="http://gusto-gelateria.com/" target="_blank">Gusto's</a>. It is every bit as good as tripadvisor said it would be and every bit as chaotic. The website gallery does not show the huge lineups at the two counters - the first is joined to order and pay, the second to choose your scoops.<br />
<br />
Because I'm an idiot, and we're on holiday, and we were all sweaty after the 2km post-rain-humid-wander (amazing recovery from H by the way, but she'll walk over flaming glass shards to get to ice cream...sorry, sorry, sorry, cheer up, I know, I know, I know...) I ordered 3 scoops each.<br />
<br />
AJ - Merry Christmas, Strawberry and Milk, Oreo<br />
H - Merry Christmas, Vanilla, Oreo (I think...)<br />
Me - Apple crumble, Vanilla, Bounty<br />
<br />
Other than the Merry Christmas (nice chocolate start, weird sweet finish) every one was a winner. I'm quite glad the girls left the Merry Christmas because I was feeling a bit queasy and borderling abusive parent providing them with that much sweet, sweet ice cream (drools like Homer Simpson on a donut.)<br />
<br />
So there you go, that was good. And I found some wall art to take pics of on the return, so that was also good.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4910NrUfEvMohfukhHssM12ky6dBE36q1GjxnEVujMITOyCigaJ8pW4J64CVIt9wk2HpDsUwl5lE7GfaFx2ZHTxm3vWzsf661bg4xPtoRniTWhmSAUSX-EMXRnM6m2QfjNzwD/s1600/20180620_161955.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4910NrUfEvMohfukhHssM12ky6dBE36q1GjxnEVujMITOyCigaJ8pW4J64CVIt9wk2HpDsUwl5lE7GfaFx2ZHTxm3vWzsf661bg4xPtoRniTWhmSAUSX-EMXRnM6m2QfjNzwD/s320/20180620_161955.jpg" width="180" /></a></td>
<td><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD6h9rhybou_aS3Oo9Iq5BcR6OA8bsUL7beAm8EtZlmK-ARDg0Y8P2SlHUZtCKWSgAdVth5FVucKjfEbrlCPEVh8FJi5oEr9csAf6xvROnnUTn74CwaHgGjj-Yn8RY74ZZd-p7/s320/20180620_162433.jpg" width="240" /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div>
The girls argued over going through the door to the toilet and left a hat behind. But hey, it was OK there for a while, and I get to go diving tomorrow.<br />
<br />
Should be able to sleep my grump off.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
auswomblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847296018951882696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5061688.post-40663745743627020322018-06-20T16:12:00.001+10:002018-06-20T16:14:02.642+10:00monkeying about mondayRight, so back to Monday and day 1 proper of the holiday. Sal had, as Sal does, planned the whole day. In short we were off to Ubud and surrounds to visit the rice fields terraces and the monkey sanctuary and maybe do a spot of shopping.<br />
<br />
The same taxi driver that collected us from the airport and whose name I really should commit to memory before we leave, arrived at 07:30 to take drive us to the rice terraces. It was a reasonably long drive and I spent most of it looking out of the window and trying to get a feel for some more-real-than-Seminyak Bali and chatting with the driver. The girls in the back battered mum with questions, H using "how many minutes until we get there?" like a punctuation mark.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4CqEkQlP7xnV_s73-lIzmItbhMj_Fzuwrs2FNAmutBgMxNx4uusBeioySBc0EO0wS3jhema3OBAgK7DupoAPueA2Xyovv31xEMSt-8yDtE5YHZ8acdSWUcDBVqaX4tqiCJxDB/s1600/DSC_5523.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1069" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4CqEkQlP7xnV_s73-lIzmItbhMj_Fzuwrs2FNAmutBgMxNx4uusBeioySBc0EO0wS3jhema3OBAgK7DupoAPueA2Xyovv31xEMSt-8yDtE5YHZ8acdSWUcDBVqaX4tqiCJxDB/s320/DSC_5523.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
We stopped at Canggu...well, we didn't because this was a coffee stop the driver thought would be nice but which deviated from Sal's plan, so rather than stop we did a lap of the car park and kept going. Our driver (fuck, I feel SO rude not being able to use his name) had worked in the rice fields until 2004, earning $2-3 day. That is doing it tough. As we passed rice he explained that the ducks in the fields are also farmed; they keep bugs down while they roam about and then become my dinner. Yes, there are snakes, and yes, some of them are dangerous. But they help control the rats. And although there are machines that can now harvest rice he (and his wide, who still works the fields) used hand tools.<br />
<br />
Sal had made the right decision to leave early so we could avoid most of the traffic. The roads were a little clearer around our part of town as a lot of the shop keepers are Muslim and Monday was a public holiday for the end of Ramadan. We had the obligatory - and seemingly worldwide - conversation about Muslims. In Bali everyone gets on, but on Lombok there is trouble, why can't they live together yadda yadda yadda. I wonder if I'll live long enough to see who gets to share the ire next?<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0e4UneMzKUecpSMYM87rpDg6_BHff_AeGh5O1sAUio0mafvZRcG4YQewQyOOmE-hg3iSsiCciOfX9Pg-mXnh-XvmI0n3Xp3lSedkfVxKtE_bHjhOryBxvQ4e6VtXIiK8t6-KB/s1600/DSC_5534.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1069" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0e4UneMzKUecpSMYM87rpDg6_BHff_AeGh5O1sAUio0mafvZRcG4YQewQyOOmE-hg3iSsiCciOfX9Pg-mXnh-XvmI0n3Xp3lSedkfVxKtE_bHjhOryBxvQ4e6VtXIiK8t6-KB/s400/DSC_5534.JPG" width="400" /></a>Anyway, we got to the rice terraces and they were kinda cool in a working but rather touristy way. Nothing wrong with that though, just an observation. Hell, if I was on the slim margins that are found here I'd be wanting the tourist dollar. We wandered around after the kids had a go on a massive swing that was strung between a couple of palm trees and swung out over the terraces. An interesting and pretty place.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv1jGBHUnHWuxDM5PwIM5Kk0J0Ay9T0KRH_QP6wcMk8mSE4hKbkEOrlsXzV7HzTZUaafCwXNJXJBvoCGA_2j7Kh39AlGYI9a8MPJJu7maHwb0k4Q5owXiKbi_rpAV6s_KzIK54/s1600/DSC_5514.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1069" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv1jGBHUnHWuxDM5PwIM5Kk0J0Ay9T0KRH_QP6wcMk8mSE4hKbkEOrlsXzV7HzTZUaafCwXNJXJBvoCGA_2j7Kh39AlGYI9a8MPJJu7maHwb0k4Q5owXiKbi_rpAV6s_KzIK54/s320/DSC_5514.JPG" width="213" /></a>We got lost. The signage was not great, but rather than retrace our steps we decided to complete a loop of the site and after following a couple of locals up a set of steps that seemed like the path - it was a path - we ended up on a road. The old guy that had been carrying coconuts up the path seemed to indicate that we should walk down the road and we did until we realised we were lost and Sal phoned for help.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn50P4J2HUHgjUtye5QI0DPCiSWVKhzXGQLcNALKqR5A_I6837_JlwKSVUBt3W7R6koz6WrLkh_EbdNaR1qp_MxuNaWz9Qo5-PiVRM3ihzaoyfXp-9GCEf3XxwTpgFn0WBA2-f/s1600/20180618_125200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn50P4J2HUHgjUtye5QI0DPCiSWVKhzXGQLcNALKqR5A_I6837_JlwKSVUBt3W7R6koz6WrLkh_EbdNaR1qp_MxuNaWz9Qo5-PiVRM3ihzaoyfXp-9GCEf3XxwTpgFn0WBA2-f/s320/20180618_125200.jpg" width="180" /></a>TD came to rescue us. (No, calling the taxi driver TD did not make me feel better about not knowing his name...) We were a bit sweaty - what with the terraces and the hills - and by the time we were rescued we were comically close to where we'd started our walk. Rather than head back we decided to move on to a next stop that - arrrgghh! - was a bit unplanned. I say a bit because we wanted a coffee (natch) but stopping at a Kopi Luwak place was not part of the main plan. Before heading off TD placed the large(dead) spider that had dropped on his car into the offering atop his dash. Good luck apparently. I think it may be a banana spider, bit I'm not sure. Ah-ha, actually <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nephila_pilipes" target="_blank">nephalia pilipes</a>, a type of golden orb weaver.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicCYfzFMtDKco21HSd6AoM4cZsH5h4YEB0F79WEadnGheo7wq_08RvZBsdpNERZHHdg7Y0qedsiZ4IZuC2w9wmt2Nyi-ZbEvQS8qMajUpLSwYSigLIdgUqWWobMZHIX3B-Oh0B/s1600/20180618_131424.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicCYfzFMtDKco21HSd6AoM4cZsH5h4YEB0F79WEadnGheo7wq_08RvZBsdpNERZHHdg7Y0qedsiZ4IZuC2w9wmt2Nyi-ZbEvQS8qMajUpLSwYSigLIdgUqWWobMZHIX3B-Oh0B/s320/20180618_131424.jpg" width="320" /></a>The coffee stop was good. At a small coffee plantation on the main road, sitting atop a terrace. A good place, the have a couple if civit cats, a guide explains the process and they have some people roasting and grinding the coffee in the traditional manner. Then we had a free tasting of the coffee, several others and a load of herbal teas while looking out over the terraces. I spent some of the time trying to figure out people's obsession with placing themselves in all manner of pouty poses in their pictures. I guess it is a form of self expression, but it seems so so self absorbed and vacuous, people placing more stock in themselves being in a picture than enjoying and sharing the place itself? Dunno, I'm just a grumpy old bastard. But while I am having a whinge, I am also fed up with having to compose my pictures to avoid having your fucking drone in my shot. Ahem, moving on...<br />
<br />
I like all the teas and all the coffee apart from the straight Balinese. The luwak was good though. Having had no hard sell we went to the shop and purchased some teas and it is only now, as I type this, that I realise that may come to haunt us when we get to customs in Sydney at sill o clock on Sunday morning. Ah well.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSESkUjbiMN-tuPgybRJvlNu0Nj5Fe-yIOXRT3YoMQ9rwFYS6cvkEa_Q2TR904ZP82Tqr3FyScKhdmwNmzSOl35ZGisZ45-koN1hYd9Exz5uTFVgnwwegoVu9FA3jQG8PxU6tk/s1600/DSC_5572.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1069" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSESkUjbiMN-tuPgybRJvlNu0Nj5Fe-yIOXRT3YoMQ9rwFYS6cvkEa_Q2TR904ZP82Tqr3FyScKhdmwNmzSOl35ZGisZ45-koN1hYd9Exz5uTFVgnwwegoVu9FA3jQG8PxU6tk/s400/DSC_5572.JPG" width="266" /></a>And so to the <a href="https://www.monkeyforestubud.com/" target="_blank">monkey forest</a>, the main attraction for Monday. Another place that is firmly on the tourist trail and if you want to low down on it then you can just click the link rather than me regurgitate. We did not spend a long time there. It is another peaceful place and the monkeys - well looked after - are all over the place and mostly unconcerned by the tourists other than to cast a watchful eye over us in case we might have some food. We did a fairly casual lap, I took handful of pictures and we headed back t the car park. Yep, I guess I should spend more time describing it, but hey, I'm getting a bit wordy here already.<br />
<br />
It was only lunchtime now and TD took us back into Ubud and suggested the suckling pig at <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g297701-d3680515-Reviews-Warung_Babi_Guling_Ibu_Oka_3-Ubud_Bali.html" target="_blank">Ibu Oka</a> which I rate more highly than trip advisor. - a good call, solid local fare and cheap. The traffic was a bit chaotic in Ubud so when Sal called TD I had an opportunity to do a quick lap of the palace, click off a few pictures and get frustrated - again - at people plonking themselves front and centre in front of their, and every one else's pictures. I'm sure your friends already know what you look like, how about use more of the frame for, oh, I don't know, the temple gates? Grrr....ahem...<br />
<br />
Right, I'm at the end of my blogging patience and the rest of the day was a stop at a silver jewelry making place and a dip in the pool before dinner and bed.<br />
<br />
Woo-hoo! I'm up to date!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />auswomblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847296018951882696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5061688.post-10496697819199508762018-06-20T13:52:00.002+10:002018-06-20T14:02:27.759+10:00grumpy old man interludeAh the joys or parenting when you're a #grumpyoldman. All's fair day today means Sal gets freedom and I take on parenting duties. Now, I'm not sure if I'm a good or bad parent, really I'm not. I tend to explain - in probably too much detail - all the decisions I make. I also have a pretty good track record of answering all questions the kids ask, refusing only when I know they know the answer or when I can tell them what to do to find the answer for themselves.<br />
<br />
The upshot of this is that I have two pretty well rounded, outgoing, confident little ladies who are not afraid to ask questions and offer their opinions. Which is great. Unless you're their dad and you're right about something. They have not yet worked out that correcting people or offering another point of view (their's) does not need to be the default position. Sometimes you just need to understand that dad might be talking sense when he says don't wear those shoes, take a jumper, try to go to the toilet before we leave, make sure you drink enough water...<br />
<br />
So the problem I have...I answer, I explain..and if I get nowhere I let them make their own decisions, even when they are wrong. Setting them up for fail? I don't think so. I do (what I believe is) my best to let them make the right decision. Then allow them to make the wrong one. Then have a mini-retrospective when the wheels inevitable fall off.<br />
<br />
Like they have this morning.<br />
<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Don't wear your crocs if they hurt your feel, we'll be doing some walking. </li>
<ul>
<li>Puts on crocs.</li>
</ul>
<li>Wear your Keens, they will be better if you have a blister on your toe.</li>
<ul>
<li>Keeps crocs on.</li>
</ul>
<li>Taxi to breakfast and then a relatively short bimble around</li>
<ul>
<li>My feet hurt (well no shit sherlock...inner monologue)</li>
</ul>
<li>Try to walk properly</li>
<ul>
<li>I can't walk (quite a drama)</li>
</ul>
<li>Let's walk back the shops up here; if I buy you some shoes then do you think you'll be able to walk? (repeat a few times)</li>
<ul>
<li>No, oh the agony, you go on without me (limping as if has trod on an IED)</li>
</ul>
<li>A bit too much explaining of the situation</li>
<ul>
<li>Will you be able to walk today? In different shoes?</li>
<li>No, we need to get a taxi home</li>
</ul>
<li>Get in taxi</li>
<ul>
<li>(almost home) if you buy me shoes then I should be able to walk</li>
</ul>
<li>too late little lady, too late...inner monologue (words broadly similar though.)</li>
<li>We need to make sure your blisters get better so you can have a nice day with mum tomorrow</li>
<ul>
<li>I'll just go in the pool then</li>
</ul>
<li>No you won't, you need to keep your feet clean and dry (repeat)</li>
<ul>
<li>Oh but but but, so unfair etc.</li>
</ul>
<li>(internet search) What does that say?</li>
<ul>
<li>Keep your feet clean and dry</li>
<li>(sullen)</li>
</ul>
</ul>
So here we are back at the villa and I'm letting the kids sort out what they can do. Funny thing...AJ tells me today has been her best day so far because she hasn't got in trouble. Ah, the joys of parenting.<br />
<br />
Anyway, before this happened we had breakfast at Revolver. Here are some pictures from this morning and maybe I should take this opportunity to blog about Monday.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtosxUAN5mXDs3J7vwZV7XOs6jVaT_3V0LY2tZj1lk0CJvtm9R4nZPbr8glJq2k7x9LdZfp8KBbEatgcYpFaQ66boeITbRbsCpXYcxpG2kqA07n3mrqMYbQbKZqlMJq4tLU2CL/s1600/20180620_092324.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtosxUAN5mXDs3J7vwZV7XOs6jVaT_3V0LY2tZj1lk0CJvtm9R4nZPbr8glJq2k7x9LdZfp8KBbEatgcYpFaQ66boeITbRbsCpXYcxpG2kqA07n3mrqMYbQbKZqlMJq4tLU2CL/s320/20180620_092324.jpg" width="180" /></a></td>
<td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgChR2TAELBHvkDvSqU2L2p6CRHc-pQia1Nm_tY3BTc3I2gix1tJdG9TVbJGGWlhnMnkW7jI-286OJznuUCFC7WAz1lGqr7bIV1VWk7k7ANnCaRTX2Zi2YZdGKPSAncyejADRU7/s1600/20180620_090244.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgChR2TAELBHvkDvSqU2L2p6CRHc-pQia1Nm_tY3BTc3I2gix1tJdG9TVbJGGWlhnMnkW7jI-286OJznuUCFC7WAz1lGqr7bIV1VWk7k7ANnCaRTX2Zi2YZdGKPSAncyejADRU7/s200/20180620_090244.jpg" width="200" /></a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjglqyB5nSgtc4gDhy_2OfHOLy7fDqqd4N_zatnBJ6h7Pdw1THs9bE-ixpzoRxxzE9iqQIxgK2ruiW1rVAWRQ9Et5zKIHkraTtM85jxvBDS-baQ0m0TTn2dr3ZpV93UT-Uzik2L/s1600/20180620_085447_001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjglqyB5nSgtc4gDhy_2OfHOLy7fDqqd4N_zatnBJ6h7Pdw1THs9bE-ixpzoRxxzE9iqQIxgK2ruiW1rVAWRQ9Et5zKIHkraTtM85jxvBDS-baQ0m0TTn2dr3ZpV93UT-Uzik2L/s200/20180620_085447_001.jpg" width="200" /></a></td>
<td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYdVrzqpYuzxqPtGGu_YEYPYd8QizDgJal0Nj_D-02b2AlPWOMjlz58osVAIvGMVf1Byw6YD-HKSdcCCwLlg0J7LDTmv1tTeEF60U22qllEdgwCTFb1U0_i3rrWjBUtTXJThVC/s1600/20180620_085434.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYdVrzqpYuzxqPtGGu_YEYPYd8QizDgJal0Nj_D-02b2AlPWOMjlz58osVAIvGMVf1Byw6YD-HKSdcCCwLlg0J7LDTmv1tTeEF60U22qllEdgwCTFb1U0_i3rrWjBUtTXJThVC/s200/20180620_085434.jpg" width="200" /></a></td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
auswomblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847296018951882696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5061688.post-88854968874620764712018-06-19T23:48:00.002+10:002018-06-20T00:04:58.202+10:00dive! dive! dive!OK, I'm going to skip Monday and come back to that later (note: I probably won't) because yesterday had photos that can jog my memory and today did not. Well, not any meaningful ones.<br />
<br />
So why are we in Bali? Well, Sal won the accommodation but was not so keen on coming over, having been here before and not really loving it. I left it at that for a while until I decided to look and see if there was any decent diving in Bali. Turns out there is, so I thought rather than see the prize go to waste I could ring around and find a buddy and use it as a dive trip. I shared this idea with Sal and it very quickly became a family holiday.<br />
<br />
Well, that's how I remember it.<br />
<br />
But I do get a couple of days diving, I'd done a quick internet search and found <a href="https://www.adventure-scuba-diving.com/" target="_blank">Adventure Scuba Diving</a>. They review very well and their website, though a bit dated, says all the right things. It wasn't until we got here that I decided my cold was far enough in the past, my lungs seemed to be functioning and I could clear my ears easily. So on Sunday I sent them an email asking if they had trips going to the manta rays and the wreck of the USS (or USAT?) Liberty. They got back almost immediately with a yes, sent an invoice, I paid and was booked on three dives today and I have another two on Thursday.<br />
<br />
So I abandoned Sal and the kids at a bit before 7am and headed out to my pickup point. There I met another couple of divers, a dad and his adult son from Melbourne. Our ride came right on time, we loaded up and made out way to Padang Bai, the small port town from where you can out to Lombok and the Gili islands - or get on your dive boat.<br />
<br />
Met the rest of the divers, did the paperwork, loaded up and headed out to see if the conditions were right and if we could dive Manta Point first. They were and we did.<br />
<br />
<h4>
<b>Dive 1 - Manta Point.</b></h4>
Around 45min, max depth about 13m, water temp comfortable in my 3mm, visibility about 5-8m.<br />
<br />
I was in a group of four. Benny, our local dive guide and a Japanese couple. I pulled on my own wetsuit, checked my nitrox (34%), got into my hire rig, put my own mask and fins on and rolled off the side of the boat into the water. Time to descend. Which was not a problem for me, but the Japanese lass did seem to be a bit floaty and was half dragged from the surface.<br />
<br />
The water was a bit milky and surgey, waves hitting up against the cliff face we were at the foot of. The site a little uninspiring with not much in the way of coral and not many fish, so how about I cut to the chase and get to what fish were there. After a few minutes Benny started pointing upwards and there were manta number 1 and 2. They are a bit like elegant, flying snooker tables.<br />
<br />
I lie. I've not seen a snooker table for a while. Manta rays are far larger, I just checked. It is maybe a little pointless trying to explain what it is like being in the water with these incredible creatures. They are massive, they move with an easy grace and seem utterly unconcerned by our presence at their cleaning station. We saw them on and off throughout the middle section of the dive. I saw two at once, so there were at least two of them there, maybe more. The closest once came to me was about 6ft away, as it drifted over top as I hugged the bottom.<br />
<br />
We didn't stay in one place but did a sort of loop. I also saw a spotted eagle ray, a turtle, some anemone fish, various other tropicals. It was nice, but had there not been mantas at manta point it would have been a bit ordinary; not bad, but ordinary. As it turned out it was quite awesome.<br />
<br />
<h4>
Dive 2 - Crystal Bay</h4>
Around 45min, max depth about 21m, water temp comfortable in my 3mm but a bit chilly under the thermocline, visibility 15m+<br />
<br />
A short steam away and we were at Crystal Bay. A sort of sloping wall from a shallow bay affair with far richer coral and fish life. More turtles and another eagle ray here, but no mola mola. Apparently they can be found here at times. Benny did his best to find one and dipped deeper than me into the 20m thermocline and headed off of the wall a bit for a look. I am not sure he was super pleased with the buoyancy of the Japnese couple. I was also a little bemused. Given the up-and-downiness they had in the water I thought having a camera was not a great idea. I didn't take my camera because I thought I was a bit out of practice, but different people have different benchmarks and they seemed to be enjoying their dives so c'est la vie.<br />
<br />
The vis here was far better. And that thermocline was really rather distinct. I could see it below me and could not resist dipping in. It was quite refreshing, but I'd not want all thre dives to be in whatever-that-temperature was. It probably wasn't cold, but it was far cooler, and as the dive went on it seemed to be reaching higher in the water column.<br />
<br />
Among the things seem were schooling catfish, more turtles, another eagle ray, oriental sweetlips, various small parrotfish, anemone fish - all the usual suspects.<br />
<br />
All in all a very pretty little dive.<br />
<br />
<h4>
Dive 3 - Mangrove Channel</h4>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirdnzdRiuDRuYjOOxcM5fM5wE9hdAooeQy9etaMS2s0pxQZmgJcv-5TqfkN6hySx9bkQEyzrCeJmDbDdSQ1FPzjB6em52X7BTOeUlKjJrxsKSbmSmCAy3aLx-Xm-YZFn35Qy4w/s1600/20180619_164033.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirdnzdRiuDRuYjOOxcM5fM5wE9hdAooeQy9etaMS2s0pxQZmgJcv-5TqfkN6hySx9bkQEyzrCeJmDbDdSQ1FPzjB6em52X7BTOeUlKjJrxsKSbmSmCAy3aLx-Xm-YZFn35Qy4w/s400/20180619_164033.jpg" width="225" /></a>Around 45min, max depth about 16m, water temp warmest of the 3 dives, visibility about 10m, current pushing through.<br />
<br />
The third dive, after a quite decent lunch for a dive boat (rice, chicken, egg, veg, coffee) was at Mangrove. A no-finning required drift over soft corals and sponges with a healthy dollop of fish life thrown in. I'll not go into detail, other than to say it was another good dive - and I found a mask. Go me! Lucky to grab it as I drifted past (the current was not so strong you could not fin against it for a little while.) Back at the villa I cleaned it up and it looks like a nice mask. Happy days. The splashes in the background are the kids off to pick rocks up from the bottom of the pool.<br />
<br />
<br />
The weather had turned ordinary by the end of dive three. Rain - warm rain, but still rain. We hung about waiting for our ride back to Seminyak that, in the wet conditions, seemed to take about half the day.<br />
<br />
Anyway, this is more a dive log entry than fully-blown blog post, so I'll whip through the rest of the day. I arrived back about 90min earlier than expected. Sal and the girls were still out so I spent about an hour outside the walls of the villa. Remember I told you about the broken glass on the walls? Didn't fancy trying to climb over. But the gate has an awning and was close enough to the house that I could get back on the wi-fi, so all good.<br />
<br />
The girls got back - kids with hair braided, mum not. I had a quick hose down, kids jumped in the pool to get out of the rain. And then Sal and I did that rarest of things - go out for a meal together, kids left with a baby sitter. We went to <a href="http://www.gingermoonbali.com/" target="_blank">Ginger Moon</a> (go on, have a free shot...) and it was very nice. Ordered too much, ate it all.<br />
<br />
OK, that's it, I'm done. It's still raining, Sal gets her free day tomorrow and I'm on lone parent detail, so we'll see where that takes us.<br />
<br />
...it is raining quite hard. Maybe this villa would benefit from a couple of extra walls...<br />
<br />auswomblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847296018951882696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5061688.post-42280413816998600372018-06-18T22:48:00.000+10:002018-06-18T22:51:14.146+10:00settling in and setting up<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhMAzxAjQYaOBCSMDKF8f7ZM5nCmx6Jad9WAgtSbNs3lbs45nuYcv9IOy7YQ757w3JBqGnvFn8PztPbeuC3QOP7pYeHm_WYFoLNWD2ZD8zpmu1O2sFlyC_THyVBXCadqEu3JhJ/s1600/DSC_5437.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1069" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhMAzxAjQYaOBCSMDKF8f7ZM5nCmx6Jad9WAgtSbNs3lbs45nuYcv9IOy7YQ757w3JBqGnvFn8PztPbeuC3QOP7pYeHm_WYFoLNWD2ZD8zpmu1O2sFlyC_THyVBXCadqEu3JhJ/s320/DSC_5437.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
Day one was all about getting settled in and setting ourselves up for the rest of the week. Which is best done over a decent coffee. And in Seminyak that means <a href="https://www.revolverespresso.com/" target="_blank">Revolver</a>. Or at least that is what the internet was telling us. At a little under 3km away it was a good choice for breakfast as it would take us a long a main shopping drag before the shops were open and before it got too hot. So after a quiet night - weirdly quiet considering the hustle and bustle all around - we got up and got wandering,<br />
<br />
After a reasonable wander past a squazillion knock-off shops (I dread to think what Kuta is like!) we found our cafe. Not put off by what appeared to be a security guard on the closed-door-in-an-apparently-windowless-wall we went inside to find a cool - in both ways - bar. All dark and skulls and criminal underworld themed. Should really have clicked off some shots of the inside but didn't. If you find yourselves over here then you can do a lot worse. And yes, the coffee is pretty decent.<br />
<br />
After brekkie we continued our wander. It was pretty warm by now, despite only being about 9am. I got into a conversation with a hawker; nice chap, a rep for a local hotel chain. I enjoy a natter, Sal not so much so she drifted off towards some better looking shops. I followed soon after, caught up with them in a clothes shop and then exited to keep on walking, camera in hand.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8vqS6jwZt4IL2aiY51XJSsbWtfvjDvLx2_JC120tR88P6uAPPhyphenhyphenTS8J0zaBKkeadIL_vdEzKUKrqW-QZpZoNN3-YccRX4v0D5IhpnKPzMdlTYT_-_cc5O0T2cLPB60jQfqage/s1600/DSC_5431.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1069" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8vqS6jwZt4IL2aiY51XJSsbWtfvjDvLx2_JC120tR88P6uAPPhyphenhyphenTS8J0zaBKkeadIL_vdEzKUKrqW-QZpZoNN3-YccRX4v0D5IhpnKPzMdlTYT_-_cc5O0T2cLPB60jQfqage/s400/DSC_5431.JPG" width="266" /></a>I found a few interesting things to snap pictures of. Some graffiti (of course!), the...er...petrol stations I guess? Loads of the tat-shops sell petrol to the scootered. The petrol is sold in plastic water bottles, or booze bottles - Absolut seeming to be a favorite. I particularly like how close people stand and smoke to these petrol stands.<br />
<br />
Anyway, the rest of the morning and early afternoon was spent wandering a bit further along and then back to our villa. The turn point was on the beach at a hotel called Ku De Ta - bit out of our price range for this trip but looked rather nice. I dragged my heals on the way back - camera made me do it. A few pics of this and that - random diary stuff. <a href="https://photos.app.goo.gl/AoN5XbncPMM2sdPC6" target="_blank">My google pics album is here, unedited.</a> I'm still a little taken aback whenever I see the Hindu swastika on a building and I know I should not be. They are relatively common on the temples.<br />
<br />
We all had a collo off in the pool and then Sal went for her first massage. I booked into do some diving on Tuesday and Thursday and the kids entertained themselves picking pebbles up from the bottom of the pool before having a go at some Indonesian cartoons. The iPads came out pretty quickly.<br />
<br />
Just to make sure my last post did not end as a lie, a few other things.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg95eL5DVTXaZyrzwXdG3E2Q2ypAcKXSqFL89NG6Q8pWlJVxBWSyW1vbzm4Sz_-9CUCOpHgG6BbvqTyrwFPhW4_PbhHYrNpYTw-Si02g2nvYN3J3Nrxjb45xsoLi2PxGlHcLLiy/s1600/20180617_233912.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg95eL5DVTXaZyrzwXdG3E2Q2ypAcKXSqFL89NG6Q8pWlJVxBWSyW1vbzm4Sz_-9CUCOpHgG6BbvqTyrwFPhW4_PbhHYrNpYTw-Si02g2nvYN3J3Nrxjb45xsoLi2PxGlHcLLiy/s320/20180617_233912.jpg" width="180" /></a>Holy shit, I forgot the most important thing from the morning (after Revolver.) H lost her tooth overnight. She got AUD$2 for it, bit in Indonesian Rupiah that is IDR205000. Her mind was a little blown.<br />
<br />
Sal had spotted a rodent in a tree. I thought it looked like a squirrel. On the way out to dinner I confirmed my suspicions that said rodent was a<br />
<a href="https://www.ecologyasia.com/verts/mammals/plantain_squirrel.htm" target="_blank">Plantain Squirrel</a>. Go me! Other local wildlife news is so far summed up as:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>sparrows, to make me feel homesick</li>
<li>other little tiny birds that I've yet to ID</li>
<li>brown frogs, one of which was looking a bit skinny and unwell yesterday afternoon and very dead yesterday evening. It is currently being recycled, and I reckon it will be a small pile of bones by the weekend</li>
<li>stray dogs, of which there are plenty, but they seem relatively unconcerned by people. And cars. And scooter, and, and, and...</li>
</ul>
<div>
And as is usual for my just before bed on the day after blogs, I'm running out of steam and think it is time to relax for a bit then go to bed. Out for dinner tomorrow night, so don't know if I'll get to blog about today's visit to the rice paddies at Ubud, the Kopi Luwak coffee and local teas, the <a href="https://www.monkeyforestubud.com/" target="_blank">Monkey Forest</a>....but I'll get to it. And if I don't, at least you have a link to my photo album now.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />auswomblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847296018951882696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5061688.post-23027335174275139852018-06-17T22:20:00.003+10:002018-06-17T23:25:17.363+10:00seeing is Bali vingSo after 19 years down under, several of which I have spent as a card carrying Aussie, I finally get to go to Bali - Benidorm of the south.<br />
<br />
It was an earlyish start on Saturday, the sis-in-law packed us into the Delica and took us to the airport where we did the passport and x-ray thing, bimbled about (I bought a hat) and then got onto our Garuda airlines flight from Sydney to Denpasar.<br />
<br />
A bit about the flight. We had a 2 rows of two window/aisle seats and it seemed like a reasonable amount of legroom for economy - thumbs up for the Indonesian carrier. The flight is a bit under 7 hours (or 17 trips to the toilet if you're my youngest) and takes you north west from Sydney. Meaning you see the Blue Mountains, then some farmland and then 4 hours of dirt before heading out over the Indian ocean and on to Bali. It really is quite awe inspiring to see just how much bugger all there is in the middle of Australia - I like it. We were lucky enough to fly over the rock, giving me what I think is my first for-real view of the icon. I took a picture with my phone I think came out OK considering I was 10km in the air.<br />
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BkFZyYbBR1n/" data-instgrm-version="8" style="background: #fff; border-radius: 3px; border: 0; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0 , 0 , 0 , 0.5) , 0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0 , 0 , 0 , 0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 658px; padding: 0; width: 99.375%;">
<div style="padding: 8px;">
<div style="background: #F8F8F8; line-height: 0; margin-top: 40px; padding: 50% 0; text-align: center; width: 100%;">
<div style="background: url(data:image/png; display: block; height: 44px; margin: 0 auto -44px; position: relative; top: -22px; width: 44px;">
</div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;">
<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BkFZyYbBR1n/" style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">The rock, the west coast and a shit load of awe inspiring dust #straya</a></div>
<div style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">
A post shared by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/auswomble/" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" target="_blank"> Kevin Foreman</a> (@auswomble) on <time datetime="2018-06-16T11:47:58+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Jun 16, 2018 at 4:47am PDT</time></div>
</div>
</blockquote>
<br />
Not much more of note from the flight. I finally got around to watching Black Panther (thought it was good) and drinking my first Bintang (did not think it was good.) I later had a Heineken and was surprised to find it didn't taste a whole lot different to Bintang. I know I'm a beer snob, but I have nothing against uncomplicated lagers. However these were really ordinary. Ho-hum. I shouldn't be drinking at the moment though, what with the marathon coming up. But hey, I'm on holiday and I've already given up on a serious crack at sub three hours, so why not?<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitRRlAo7giGRjKu_cHPnoEp4u2rxnZXwRT3_cUBzYFEG3CdBfJObUtaJzTZKVc-g3X-9liJXOtR-WhEysDtGMt-w_ZrsvTae2TaoxY5Yn7yUgJFnofAqIdxV3XMIQUpux_FPtC/s1600/20180616_164837.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitRRlAo7giGRjKu_cHPnoEp4u2rxnZXwRT3_cUBzYFEG3CdBfJObUtaJzTZKVc-g3X-9liJXOtR-WhEysDtGMt-w_ZrsvTae2TaoxY5Yn7yUgJFnofAqIdxV3XMIQUpux_FPtC/s400/20180616_164837.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
Got to Bali where it was around 30 degrees and muggy - as expected. I did not expect the arrivals hall to be so spacious and full of not much at all. Maybe in peak season it gets rammed?<br />
<br />
Customs and baggage collection came and went, and then the organised chaos began. As we exited arrivals we were faced with a wall of taxi drivers awaiting their passengers. Fortunately we spotted our driver good and early and he lead us into the multi-story car park where he abandoned us while he went off to get his car.<br />
<br />
I am not sure why the direction arrows are painted on the lanes in the car park. They are suggestions at best. The chaos of the tax driver huddle continues when they get on the road in their cars - most of which seem to be Suziki mini-vans - stopping and starting and heading in every and all directions possible. I could not make head nor tail of it but it did seem to just work.<br />
<br />
Out on the main roads the melee has scooters added. Lots and lots of scooters. Which can carry up to - and maybe more than, I don't yet know - four people. Our driver, whose name I cannot recall right now, was a lovely chap, He taught us please and thank you in Indonesian (silahkan/ terima kasih) and explained that Indonesian drivers did not have a lot of emotion in their driving - hence everything just works. If this was Australia then (un)civil (world) war (three) would be breaking out. This calm demeanor is, our driver assured me, the reason why I'd seen so few - in fact maybe no - cars with dings. Quite extraordinary.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfHoLNG4sCqhNRvaQVJMUvxBD7T131m5zjy_tYXESOdwRa3TWp5FbmTWUWy4DJ5f0yRQmSukBATgDSwoQuXA76zbWJhygwv8BHnELsfkeYKJrhQKblkH7nlQ7P-gmbn4at-2Az/s1600/20180616_185958.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfHoLNG4sCqhNRvaQVJMUvxBD7T131m5zjy_tYXESOdwRa3TWp5FbmTWUWy4DJ5f0yRQmSukBATgDSwoQuXA76zbWJhygwv8BHnELsfkeYKJrhQKblkH7nlQ7P-gmbn4at-2Az/s400/20180616_185958.jpg" width="400" /></a>And so to our villa, at the southern end of Seminyak, a couple of suburbs north of Kuta. We quickly unpacked, the kids tried the pool (I wimped out) then we locked up and headed out to see if we could catch sunset (we missed it) and a bite to eat. By locked up I mean we put valuables in a safe, locked the bedroom doors and the door into out small courtyard garden. The main living area doesn't have a front wall - you can just wander straight into the living/dining/kitchen. It's nice, and you get a feeling of security courtesy of the 7 foot walls around the lush gardens as they are topped with broken glass.<br />
<br />
We are a relatively short walk along a skinny/busy/touristy/scooter rammed road to the beach. The beach was really rather underwhelming; a few noisy tourist traps and some sand of dubious quality. But you know, I can see why people like it and we can't all live in Sydney. This is, after all, the tourist hot spot of the masses. Dinner came and went under a crescent moon, listening to some decent renditions of crowd pleasing songs - can't go wrong with a bit of Maroon 5 - while small bats and ornate kites flew overhead (how the bloody hell does a kite in the shape of a tall ship fly?!) I had an ordinary nasi goreng and completed my day's hatrick of disappointing beers with a Carlsberg. I'm sure they used to taste better...Sal had something forgettable and kids had kid fare. I did take some pictures but they were all rather ordinary so I deleted them, robbing you - dear reader - of the chance to agree/disagree.<br />
<br />
And then it was the stroll home to bed, probably well before the beachside places got full on jumping. Given the H bomb's tendency to sleep walk, and aforementioned pool/no wall on the house, the sleeping arrangements are one adult, one kid in each bedroom. I got H as Sal sleeps like a log.<br />
<br />
So initial impressions? It's a crowded, noisy, confusing and chaotic place. The mix of tat shops, higher class shopping, crazy-ornate architecture, obvious religious and spiritual trappings, tattoo parlors, massage salons/spas and the obvious signs of low grade hedonism is quite dizzying. But, a bit like Vegas, I think I am going to end up liking this place despite everything lining up perfectly for me to be a grumpy old bastard and hate it.<br />
<br />
And that was arrival day. I think I've gone on long enough for one post and want to go to bed, so that'll do for now. Stay tuned for Sunday's run down, in which we find good coffee in a very cool cafe, we all get in the pool, I book five - yes FIVE - dives, I correctly identify a squirrel and H loses a tooth.<br />
<br />
Bet you can't wait.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<script async="" defer="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script>
auswomblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847296018951882696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5061688.post-63532250625179170632018-06-16T22:18:00.001+10:002018-06-16T22:28:34.708+10:00have I missed me?No point apologising about talking to myself as I am sure only I read this and, really, I only write it for myself because I kinda enjoy writing it.<br />
<br />
SO anyway, I should do a catchup post in which I moan at length about the cold that, while now firmly on the retreat, has knocked me about for a fortnight and robbed me of two weeks of running just before my Gold Coast Marathon. And I will, but not right now.<br />
<br />
No, this is just a quick check-in, before I head off to bed, to say...we're in Bali. It's been quite a long day, but we are here in Indonesia, we had dinner on the beach and I'm the only one not yet asleep in our two bed villa (with pool), a situation I am about to address right now as it happens.<br />
<br />
I am sure I will be able to carve out time to catchup in the week we'll be spending here.<br />
<br />
Good night.auswomblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847296018951882696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5061688.post-85044668581899093552018-06-04T20:44:00.002+10:002018-06-04T20:44:52.559+10:00Happy Birthday mumJune 4th 2018. Twenty five years since I last got to say it to her.<br />
<br />
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/auswomble/4689043533/in/album-230489/" title="me and mum, 1993"><img alt="me and mum, 1993" height="768" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4029/4689043533_0f98ffbffc_b.jpg" width="1024" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>auswomblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847296018951882696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5061688.post-9422846526613895972018-06-04T20:27:00.001+10:002018-06-04T20:27:54.967+10:00bleugh (still)I'll keep it short. Still feel like shit, day off work, can't run and can't meditate, what with struggling to breath. So not a great day other than finally starting to watch <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suits_(U.S._TV_series)" target="_blank">Suits</a>. Which seems to be every bit as good as the guy in the coffee shop said it is.<br />
<br />
Yeah, that's enough for today.<br />
<br />
Bleugh.auswomblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847296018951882696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5061688.post-80315212502444014012018-06-03T20:07:00.001+10:002018-06-03T20:07:29.426+10:00bleugh<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7zARe0PYh4GQ5pTgZ35u0lSAfWkWdao7h-BYNClxwgI2g7g-ziim_3SrimYmaBdPxQ81ASLO5UEdiN_h7ZIZ8sfloCoOOoVFOcKtSw_JG4uo62E1xGu8rkB5-bg2bLt31x3OI/s1600/20180601_103442.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7zARe0PYh4GQ5pTgZ35u0lSAfWkWdao7h-BYNClxwgI2g7g-ziim_3SrimYmaBdPxQ81ASLO5UEdiN_h7ZIZ8sfloCoOOoVFOcKtSw_JG4uo62E1xGu8rkB5-bg2bLt31x3OI/s320/20180601_103442.jpg" width="180" /></a>Well there you have it. From a getting worse sort of day on Thursday I sort of bounced into work on Friday morning feeling like a sack of arse. I lasted the couple of hours I thought I'd last and then wobbled out of work. Rather than head straight home I headed to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/biz/sydney/Jellyfish-Manly-174626915925060/" target="_blank">Jellyfish</a> for a bowl of porridge and a coffee before walking home to have a day sleeping myself better. Oh, I did have a wander through a storm drain on the way home because I do stuff like that.<br />
<br />
By which I mean binge watching <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2261227/" target="_blank">Altered Carbon</a> on Netflix.<br />
<br />
And that was pretty much Friday. Feeling sorry for myself I bought a couple of beers, meaning my dry-June in the run up to my Gold Coast Marathon on July 1st was a fail on day 1. Go me! Got the girls off to bed and finished Altered Carbon before sliding off to bed before Sal got back from her after work drinks at...er...early Saturday?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ8AZpp5dDol7OXPiM0-geT-uRjfYVKtz5y0iszjZSj4HhLpsZFoDTm0JUHxRxqNWathbZznsvbFh4HMriMDshpyCW9vhLLpjTqCaRdQSp-bls8s7kSThcMw2tCiAMshOCwpIR/s1600/DSC_5249.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1069" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ8AZpp5dDol7OXPiM0-geT-uRjfYVKtz5y0iszjZSj4HhLpsZFoDTm0JUHxRxqNWathbZznsvbFh4HMriMDshpyCW9vhLLpjTqCaRdQSp-bls8s7kSThcMw2tCiAMshOCwpIR/s400/DSC_5249.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
And so to Saturday. I knew Sal had not been home at midnight so I dragged myself out of bed - feeling ordinary but functioning - and loaded the kids up in the car an headed back to Jellyfish for a bowl of porridge and a coffee for breakfast. Selfish choice because I wanted to go take a look at the big lumpy waves smashing Manly. It was all very wild and wooly and I love that shit. Kids not so much, but hey, I'm their dad so I get to drag them around for a few years yet.<br />
<br />
Saturday is pretty easy going. From brekkie it is to the pool to have a chat wiht some other dads while the kids have their lessons, then pie time for lunch - <a href="http://www.thebrookypie.com/" target="_blank">Brooky Pie</a>. Afternoon was simple. AJ is a big Star Wars fan so it was <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3778644/" target="_blank">Solo</a> with my oldest for the afternoon. We both thoroughly enjoyed it. Easy peasy. And on the way back from the cinema, as I'd already blown dry June, I bought a couple of brews.<br />
<br />
Still on the slide I woke up on Sunday feeling far worse than I had on Saturday. Head full of snot, chesty cough, bit of a temperature. Yeah, I'll not be running 40km this weekend. So it was a family day, a nice gentle one. We drove over to Mosman to walk some of Cremorne Point, then on the fly decided to head over to the City for lunch, which we had at the rooftop cafe of the <a href="https://www.mca.com.au/" target="_blank">Museum of Contemporary Art</a>. It was a good day. And given that Ice Cube played the Sydney Opera Hosue this week I am going to shamelessly embed this.<br />
<br />
<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/h4UqMyldS7Q" width="560"></iframe>
<br />
Where was I? Yeah, feeling pretty shit. Out of breath walking up stairs, aches. So bollocks, I'm having a stout and some gin.<br />
<br />
Anything else? Time to spray some stuff to just get it down. Good chat with the kids about death, even if they don't yet full comprehend it. I'm doing well to not shout at the kids, but it has been a struggle this weekend. What is it since I last yelled? Three weeks? Four?<br />
<br />
I'm shot, not feeling like I'm making it into work tomorrow...<br />
<br />
<br />auswomblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847296018951882696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5061688.post-82811752338203438402018-05-31T22:07:00.000+10:002018-05-31T22:07:41.288+10:00going going...gone?Felt like shit all day and been a getting worse sort of day. Whatever has knocked AJ out is circling me, so I'm taking a day off of pretty much everything. Well, half a day, I did go into the office this morning. Knew I was fading when I fell asleep on the bus home. Bleugh. I'm off to bed.auswomblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12847296018951882696noreply@blogger.com0