Surviving the heat...

I was reminded today that blog posts have been few this year so far. So here is an update...

I have been laying low in the scorching weather& having lost enthusiasm for watering the garden, some things have died or browned off. I'm waiting for the cooler weather to get in and cut back some plants that are overgrown or dead. I only have a couple of pots to water but would like to start fresh when watering is not such a chore. Our air conditioner has been doing a great job and we have had only one power outage to contend with.

I've been running after the sun goes down or on cooler afternoons and played tennis on Australia Day. Sunday was a really good day with 5 sets of good tennis and just the right amount of sunscreen to prevent burning. It was hot but not unbearable, not like the following day which was very hot and windy.Tennis & cardio tennis and pilates will recommence now & I'm really looking forward to that.

Erin has gone back to school to embark on her VCE but is more focused on the upcoming debutante ball. At least it will be over in March. We finally got the car back from the panel beaters, her opportunity to get in lots of driving practice was stalled over the 4 week hiatus while it was being beaten.

Chris has also recommenced school runs. The promise of 'plenty of work' during the school holidays was not forthcoming so it will be good to have a regular income again.

Nothing has changed for Callum. I wish I had some exciting news to share. Or even some news to share. But no.

Hayley is off to chilly Amsterdam for a 4 day weekend with girlfriends. When she gets back to England she is hoping to get more work to sustain herself, she is finding it rather tight without funds.

And I'll leave you with this pic that made me smile today

New shoes...

When I counted up how many kms I had run in my shoes and got a staggering 760kms I figured it was time for new shoes.

We headed over to the Athletes Foot store and got measured up and tested and tried a few pairs and decided to give these light weight gel shoes a try. I was always a New Balance girl but have gone with Asics this time.

The first run felt great but when I clocked up 8k with Running Buddy my sock slipped down at the back and I ended up with a blister. Bummer. Today with the running group and later at tennis I can still feel that blister.

The start of the year has seen a re invigoration in my running. At the end of the year I was a bit tired and lacking motivation but now into the new year I anticipate each run and am disappointed if the hot weather puts us off.

We have talked about starting our own running group with people, mostly from work, who have said 'I would like to be able to run'. We are going to meet at the river track from Monday and hopefully help along some others on their running journey.

The Australia Day Tennis Tournament is on tomorrow and I am partnering up with Helen again. Hopefully tomorrow she wont take one in the face for the team. Another friend has asked her son to partner her as her regular is unavailable. I would love that. To partner up in sport with your child. I remembered back to when Hayley and I did the Mothers Day Classic fun run together and how much I enjoyed that experience.

 I miss Hayley even more now I look back at these memories

I was a proud & happy Mumma this day

I asked Erin if she would like to do a Colour Run with me and she surprised me by saying Yes! So I have booked that in for March 2nd. More memory building to come. I have found as the children get older the relationship evolves to a different style of mothering with different challenges and rewards.

I just have to find something to share with Callum.

Quiet time...

Apart from the constant hum of air conditioners running non stop during our 'record breaking heat wave' it has been pretty quiet around here.

We lay pretty low during the week of 40 degrees plus weather, keeping one eye on the CFA incident web site watching for news of fires. I was concerned for Big Sister when word spread around that her town had been ordered to evacuate. That turned out to be false but there was a big grass fire close to her that the CFA got under control quickly. We watched the skies at night, the lightning show was spectacular and responsible for many fires. Little Sister lives with the threat of fires also. Seems no-one is truly safe from them. I worry about work too with grass fires a real danger. There was no 'cool of the night' to get relief from the days scorching temperatures. I went to work or from one air conditioned place to the next, ever grateful for constant power to run them. I am not reliant on trains thankfully as they were out of action in the heat.

Charter work was thin on the ground for Chris as it was too hot for outings & the potential to be caught out in a grass fire was huge. I am sad to see the Grampians on fire again. They have had fires, floods and now fires again. We love that area and know that they can recover from these events but it is heart breaking to see.

I have enjoyed watching the tennis of the Australian Open and am astounded that they kept on playing during those scorching days. I didn't venture out for any running until the temperature was back in the 20's. On Saturday I made up for it by running in the morning with the running group and again in the afternoon with Running Buddy. That afternoon run was golden. It felt fantastic and again made me grateful to be able to do it.

I'll leave you with a 29 year old photo

We celebrated 29 years of marriage this week and next to the photo that is the header of this blog this is one of my all time favourites. I think we both look pretty good. Chris is so handsome in his tux and nary a grey hair in sight. This was taken after we were married, at my graduation later that same year, 1985. As we head off into our 30th year of marriage I am grateful to be able to celebrate such milestones.

Nothing is perfect around here but I have much to be grateful for.

City dining...

Chris' brother and his wife are visiting Melbourne for a week. They are escaping Perth's hot weather to experience ours. We wanted to catch up with them and arranged a dinner in the city to do just that. So on a Saturday afternoon I was looking on the internet for somewhere nice, not too pricey where we could get in at short notice. I trawled through the reviews and ended up booking 'Grill Steak Seafood' in Hardware Lane. This worked out to be close to their hotel and our parking venue. I needed not to have spent any energy on it at all.

 As you walk down the narrow laneway the restaurants are spilling out onto the street. It seemed really busy and bustling but each establishment had spruikers trying to get you to come in and dine with them. Politely we said we had a booking, something I would have thought essential on a Saturday night but it seems there were plenty of other opportunities. 

We had a nice meal together and my blind pick turned out really well.

And already this year I have had my husband on holiday with me AND got him into a restaurant.

It's a good start to the year.

The year in review...

After reading Hayley's blog I was thinking back over my year as well. It was a good year overall with some milestones achieved.

I turned 50 this year and shortly after ran my first half marathon.

I said goodbye at the airport to my little girl and have missed her ever since and have watched her travels closely.

We celebrated Mena's 80th birthday with lots of family from around Australia.

I played lots of tennis ending up winning one grand final and coming runner up in another. I have made new friends through tennis and running. Some other friends have faded away.

I ran over 600km in training and participated in 6 different runs. I ran in parks, around lakes, over bridges, in tunnels, at the Zoo and on the MCG. I got up to 6.3 in the beep test. My weight stayed exactly the same for the whole year.

Work saw me stepping up in new role.Chris started back on the buses. Hayley did a few different jobs to get herself overseas.

Erin started driving. Callum's still looking for work. We elected a new Prime Minister.

I had just 2 haircuts ( I know right!?!) and attended just 1 funeral.

Flicking back through my diary lots of the entries were for work events or things for Erin. There are outings with Hayley (remember the New York style exhibition at Chadstone and lunch at the Grosvenor Hotel?). My scrapping was a bit less this year but still shows the things I did with Erin (zoo trips, holidays).

I don't make resolutions but hope to continue to live my life contented, striving to be a good person.

The year is over...

Just back from our week away at the beach and looking forward to the year ahead. Some pics from our holiday, the first one for a few years that it wasn't warm enough for us to go swimming...

Packed up to the hilt & ready to go on what was going to be the only hot day of the trip, already 38 degrees when we set off on our 3 hour trip. This one took a bit longer because of multiple wee stops and taking the Colac road instead of the Hamilton one.

The cool change had come by the time we arrived and the strong winds made tent assembly difficult and comical. Trips to the beach after that were confined to the sand and needed a jacket or two.

Chris came down for New Year's Eve, this was the first time he had joined us for camping and it was the highlight of our week. Erin had particularly missed him and I found out later had sent him texts telling him as much. She loved his visit and we popped the Moet and waited up for the fireworks.

Happy New Year.

A rare pic of us together on the beach

Little Sister and her husband and third Nephew came down for a few days as well. It was fun to be camping out with all the families. Third Nephew braved the water and refused to admit it was cold. Teenage boys are hardy. We rocked hopped together and saw marine life including dolphins which was quite exciting. We usually do this same walk around Griffith Island and each time it is different.

After the walk we checked out the new ice cream shop and weren't disappointed.

Granny's grave, a historical site was quite threatening. The sign promised all sorts of dangers which we didn't risk.

I ran a couple of times, once along this portion of the rail trail. Previously we had ridden our bikes all the way to Koroit. A 5km stretch was enough.

We managed a jigsaw and did lots of reading. Some of us were reading books that were sadder than others and needed a tissue.

Our campsite was a bit fuller this year and it works out well because Big Sister is very generous and providing which we appreciate very much.

Some of my photos were taken with my phone and others with the D-SLR. I didn't want to take my camera to the beach or on the rocks but had fun photographing local sites and playing with the settings.

It was a good week even though it wasn't a warm one and hopefully we can do it all again next year.