So this is Christmas 2005

Where has this year gone? I can’t believe this is my second December newsletter. Apologies for falling off the radar the past couple of months – all good intentions were there for regular quarterly instalments, but I see I have only managed 2 updates in the last year!

Since we last spoke, which was in April, I suppose a lot has happened. The visitors have kept coming in a steady stream – Gareth’s folks, my brother JP, Lauren, Sarah, Chris, Sally and Helen.

We’ve certainly had our fair share of the Hunter Valley this year - and I have absolutely loved it! My fascination with wine has spurred me on to do a wine-tasting course in January next year. It’s internationally recognised and is the first rung on the ladder to becoming a MW – what Bob Campbell is! Gareth can’t understand why I want to do it. My answer is twofold: (a) It’s not about drinking lots! I enjoy the sensual art of tasting and describing quite fun, and in a completely non-tossy way either! You don’t need to consume a lot to be able to this; (b) Maybe I would drink more if he spent more than $5 on a bottle!

I think Ma and Pa Dixon had a great time out in the Hunter, enjoying the sun on an Irish pub’s deck where we had lunch over-looking the fields, and I know Lauren loved it too when we took her there. A mix up with the booking meant that instead of an old tin can rent-a-dent to get us up there, we had a convertible SAAB!!! Again – mid-winter and the roof was down all the way baby!

We’ve also had our fair share of trips to the Superdome this year. In July we went to the Delta Goodrem concert. Yes, it’s out in the open, please don’t excommunicate me. It was my Christmas present from last year – I was young, naïve, and new to a country where the overwhelming majority of women sport muffin-tops, jeans they buy brand new but which have holes in them, ‘thongs’ or ugh-boot equivalents (winter), and usually go by the name of ‘Sharon’ (pronounced ‘Sheear-ynn’). Delta was like a beacon of light!! And she is actually – a totally amazing, beautiful, talented woman…but I think I’m over her. I never really listen to her CD anyway…just think she’s alright!

And let me tell you – I’d go to a Delta concert any day over the WWE Raw Survivor Series. I think this was where Gareth got his pay-back. Boganity is certainly alive and well in the West. I must have been about the only person in the entire stadium without long greasy hair, black jeans and black wrestling T-shirt that wasn’t swearing praise at the entertainment thuggery going down in the ring below. Gareth kept saying – it’s sports entertainment honey. But the audience reacted to as if it were real anyway! By the end of the night I myself even felt like throwing the guy beside us a punch…for the entire 3 hours he kept screaming unfunny one-liners that 2 teenage girls (giggling and drooling over posters) found hilarious. I had one or two fingers in my ears most of the night. Never again! But all that aside – I was stoked G loved it so much.

October was quite a busy month at work with courses and conferences. I attended a conference in Brisbane, and stayed on the weekend to have a look around. I know now why they call it Bris-Vegas…a little city trying to be big. There’s not much there apart from shopping, and that doesn’t really interest me (I live in Sydney anyway – shopping capital of Australasia!). I did get to catch up with my good friend Doug, who was over from NZ on a course. We dined at a fabulous Italian restaurant ($$$ - thanks work!) and caught up on all our news. I managed to do a lot of running there – I hooked up with a friendly bunch of runners, won myself a new pair of running shoes at a 3k race (spot prize – not place prize!), and got to run up Mt Koot-tha – just stunning! I even made it out to Surfers Paradise on the train! My opinion? Overrated.

Speaking of running, I spent a few months mid-year training for the Oxfam Trailwalker – a 100k run or walk to raise money for charity. There were many early morning starts during winter – both Saturday and Sunday. But I really enjoyed going bush. My team’s aim was to run it all in 20 hours – non-stop! And they did it!! But I wasn’t there…unfortunately my grandfather passed away just days before the race, so I returned to NZ for the funeral and couldn’t get back in time. Them’s the brakes…

I’ve also partaken in 2 rogaines this year – orienteering-like events in the bush. They were great fun. The second one was extremely tough – scuttling up slippery cliff faces, I realised why we had to sign a disclaimer at the start of the race. It was a 6 hour event but we came back to the hash house in around 7 hours…2 group members thought we had more time and energy to get more checkpoints than we actually did…the penalty for being more than ½ hour late back to camp was that we were stripped of all our points!

I think the sporting highlight of the year has to be the visit the Anderson twins paid to Sydney. Sally and Helen came over to run the Sydney marathon on 11 September. These 2 ladies never fail to perform – and the elbow grease I spent colouring in a giant poster saying ‘Made in NZ – kia kaha – Sally and Helen’, was well worth it. I wasn’t going to run it, but I was going to be the best support crew I could be! Oh yeah, plus the black and white clown’s wig went down a treat – I didn’t expect to feel as out of place as I did at 7am on a Sunday morning on Oxford St with hair that big, but I did! I got a few whistles! I was so overcome with emotion when I saw Sally coming in at the finish…I was ready and waiting, after seeing them at a couple of points on the course, I aimed to be near the end just under 3 hours after the gun went. It brought tears to my eyes – Sally came third (3:05) and Helen fifth (3:07) in the women’s marathon. Well done girls!

I’m attending my philosophy and yoga schools regularly and really enjoying the way they compliment each other. I have been doing Iyengar yoga since April this year – and it has really blown me away. I just find it so enlightening and challenging at the same time. It’s a mental as well as a physical battle whenever you are on the mat. The philosophy school continues to be a big part of my life, with a commitment 2 nights a week and the odd study day or Sunday lecture (or Christmas party next week!) thrown in as well.

Hot off the press – Gareth is now a fully qualified patent attorney!! There was some doubt cast over whether he would be registered before Christmas as exam results weren’t through yet (long story!)…but he’s done it!! He’s worked so very hard – this is really the culmination of his academic career to date…all 26 years of it. He’s been studying towards this one last qualification since he arrived 2 years ago and his aim was to be qualified in 2 years – and he did it!! Big mmmmmmmmwah for you G!

Well this seems like a good place to finish! I hope everyone is well, and I look forward to catching up with as many of you as I can when I am home over the Christmas break…please forward all Christmas Pressies to ‘Santa’s Little Helper’ at 11 Wentworth St…kidding!! But I will be there from 24 December – 5 January so please drop by!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Ange xoxox

C2S 2005

City to Surf
14 August 2005
Race Report

Gareth and I did the City to Surf last weekend. You may have heard of it, it's the biggest run in Australia (numbers wise), and I think the most popular fun run in the world…60,000 runners!!! How about that??!! I was not much looking forward to it, but went along, as it was Gareth's 'debut'. There were multiple starts, and as it was our first time, we were in one of the back packs and had at least 20,000 bodies between us and the start line…time taking wasn't especially scientific! You can't have transponders for that many people.

Anyway, it's about 14.7km, and pretty much straight up…hills that is! From the city centre to Bondi. The sun was shining and the atmosphere was electric. I relaxed as I knew it was pointless going for a 'good time'. Different packs were sardined up different streets at a t-intersection in the city…there were soccer balls bouncing through the crowds and t-shirt throwing competitions going on. Our gun finally went off - 10 minutes later we crossed the start line. Some people were walking before the first K was up!! It was 'bumper to bumper' the entire course, and a lot of energy is wasted just running around people! And the noise of of crunching cups at the drink stops was absolutely deafening! Now and again Spiderman or Batman would run past you too. Amazing to be comfortably passing slow people with about 2k to go…there were that many people that even some really slow runners got pushed that far forward before some of us others could overtake them.

Gareth is a far stronger runner than I, but held back for me, and we managed to stick together most of the way. And finished holding hands (ooooohhhh)!! I've got a new recruit guys, so watch out WMC when I come home! It's great to have him to inject some enthusiasm and competition into my running! He keeps me in line though :0)

I would definitely recommend coming over for this…the biggest community event I've ever been a part of. We did a watch time of about 71 mins…Gareth is already preparing for a 65 min finish next year!

xoxoxo

WMC Half Marathon 2005

Race Report
WMC Marathon/Half Marathon/10k
26 June 2005

I knew it was too good to be true: Thursday 23 June was a stunner – a classic, crisp, sunny Wellington winter’s day. Not a breath of wind. I sucked in a big breath of fresh air, looked out over Happy Valley and towards the windmill (barely spinning) and thought – “it’s good to be home”.

Two days later, I lay huddled in bed – unable to get to sleep for the hail pounding my bedroom windows, and questioning my sanity in having sacrificed annual leave on a winter trip to Wellington.

As any responsible runner does, I had put myself to bed early that night (of course, only after the All Blacks had done with the Lions) – and then the rain came – and then the hail. As a born-and-bred Wellingtonian, I was probably naïve to expect otherwise… However, as I’m now based in Sydney, I was a touch grateful at the civilised hour the race was to commence. I’ve become used to 7am or even 6am starts, borne out of necessity in the summer time when the mercury is already commencing its upward ascent at that early hour. Also, despite the weather, I was very much looking forward to catching up with all of my running pals.

…and what an event it was! I was gob-smacked at the turn out. I didn’t know NZ had that many runners, let alone runners game enough to take on a bitey Antarctic-sent southerly and say “bring it”. Numbers reached 3,658 – about double last year’s turn out. So what happened? I think that the committee for the event – Sally Anderson, Steffan Vluggen, Stan Wing, John Meads, Brian Hayes, Andy Sommerville, Kelvin Moffat, Geoff Norman, John Gallagher and Margaret Richardson, just keeps getting better at what they do. As a committee member last year, I saw first hand the dedication that is required to pull together such an event. The marathon/half marathon/10k is something that not only the WMC, but also the entire Wellington region can be proud of.

So, what of my performance? Excuse time. Amongst others, I’ll cite the fact that Sydney is a pretty poor training environment for running into the wind! Others didn’t appear to need an excuse: Mark Growcott did a 1:23 half marathon – a PB by 4 minutes!

Running times aside, I got a lot of pleasure from revisiting some familiar places: the whiff of chlorine as I trotted past Freyberg Pool, the gale force wind that hits you like a wall as you round the corner past Hotel Raffaele, the choppy waves surrounding Greta Point and the bright orange Zephyrometer (a beacon of hope that the turn around was drawing near).

The tail wind on the return journey was most welcome. However, by that stage I think the journey there had already knocked the stuffing out of me! Peter Searle, who was leading the 1:40 pack was long gone by then. Ahhh – excuse number 1354 – Peter didn’t bring his chocolate Labrador along to piggy back me when the going got tough! Somehow though, I managed to convince myself I should be precisely on time.

A family member recalled the expression on my face at that stage: “struggling”. I would probably add to that the look of “sucking on a lemon” – my lips curled back and eyes squinting as the elements had effectively blinded me!

I did get a real buzz from the surprise some of the marshals got when they realised it was me running – friends who didn’t know I had come to visit! And the hugs and kisses I shared afterwards with my “running family” were gold – I was freezing on the outside, but they warmed me from the inside out!!

I think no matter how well you do on a day like that, you can sit back at the prize-giving, clapping on the place-getters, and feel like one yourself. This year, I had to chuckle though – so many great names came out at the prize giving! Surnames such as “Best”, “Eager”, “Champion” and “Hurryn”…pretty apt descriptions of the hardy types that battled the odds out there that day!

Angela Etheridge
Official Overseas Representative

SMH Half Marathon 2005

Sydney Morning Herald Half Marathon
22 May 2005
Race Report

The morning was crisp, the sky a milky blue – hazy with the dawn’s urban smog.
After knocking back some oaty date cookies and a sugary hot choc, I strapped on my running shoes, roused Gareth out of bed, and hurried himself and myself out the door. His parents were visiting and getting up early on a Sunday after an olive oil-laden meal at a Greek restaurant the night before, was not high on our wish list.

It wasn’t long before I was in the holding pen, waiting for the signal. The Australians are lot cheekier and I chuckled at the way the man on the loud speaker tried to coax the ‘preferred runners’ to the start of the pack…”Do yooooues have wax in yer ears or sometheeng – would preferred runners make their way to the front…ploise!”

Waiting, waiting…tops coming off and flying overhead out to support crews on the sidelines. Mothers clutching prams and holding toddlers close! Go!

It took a good few minutes for all 5,000 of us half marathoners to make it over the mark. There was just the one half marathon running event – and now I know why. Sheer numbers. I felt I never broke free, the field was thick the entire way through! The double 10k lap consisted of a run through the Rocks, up Hunter St (killer hill) onwards to a loop in the Domain (I never thought a place so pretty could now carry so many painful associations for me!) and back through town, up another hill at The Rocks and looping back to the start. Ouch – I’ve discovered I don’t like double circuit courses! Mentally very challenging – I felt spent after 5k!

Anyway, I made it to the end in 1.40 – a respectable time more than a year after my last half marathon, but also one which is hard to swallow when it’s 7 minutes slower than your pb – but that’s running! Time chasing is such a tenacious game. Things come when you least expect it, and it is my philosophy not to impregnate events with expectation. I find it hard not to get caught up in it over here though. Things are a lot less competitive at home in NZ, a bit more free-spirited.

I look forward to running on home turf again soon – see you all on June 26th.

April 2005

Hello All – I thought it was about time for another catch up!

Christmas was fabulous! It was so neat to be home, and to be reassured that nothing has changed. There’s something comforting about walking down Oriental Parade and catching up with half your circle of friends without even trying!

Unfortunately, for a second year running, our travel plans turned to custard. We had hoped to do the Tongariro Crossing between Christmas and NY, then see in 2005 in the Coromandel, but that was not to be. The photo to the right illustrates the view, or lack thereof, on our way from the northern end of the crossing. We bailed out soon after the shot was taken! Rain is a dirty four letter word…the same word was the reason our Lake Waikaremoana expedition was cancelled last year. We happened to time it just right for the Manawatu Flooding in February.

All was not lost however. We enjoyed a few days doing what we do best – road tripping north – and in the good company of Nick and Larissa…and Phil. Ironically, the weather started behaving itself by the time we made it back home, but that’s life. We were greeted by some unseasonally warm and settled weather in Wellington, and enjoyed some extra time in Masterton also.

My good friend Kylie came to visit us our first weekend back, which was fantastic – I felt like the good times were still rolling despite having to be back in the office. Kylie had been spending some time in the wine country in Adelaide and came laden with wine. Like any good host, I obliged, and helped her lighten her load for the plane! A highlight that weekend, apart from the good wine and good company, was our visit to Taronga Park Zoo. The view from the amphitheatre where the bird show takes place is stunning. The show was spectacular, with all sorts of graceful birds swooping down over our heads and providing great entertainment.

There have been many firsts for me as a newbie here. My first Australia Day – 26 January 2005. Never have I seen so many people in little old Hyde Park! It was crammed with food tents! Classic cars lined MacQuarie St. It was stinking hot and over-flowing with people and familiar looking blue and red flags, just too many stars for me! I enjoyed looking around a pioneer home/museum at the rocks, but that was about it. Free entry to Historic Places is not enough to keep me in the city next time around…I think I had my first panic attack that day!

I am also no longer a Mardi Gras virgin. Mardi Gras 2005 was pretty spectacular! We live just around the corner from where the parade starts, so took a stroll that night and beheld some rather colourful sights! I think I liked the serpent with John Howard’s head, and the little dancing apple people (adams and evans I think). The gay population, from my skewed observations as a neighbour of the most popular gym in the homosexual suburb of Sydney, are on the whole very well worked out, but there still were some saggy little numbers up there in leather with whips and chains! Anything goes, and that was what made it a great atmosphere.

Easter

Easter!!!!! Chocolate!!!!! Hot Cross Buns!!!!!! It was magnificent this year. Mum and Dad came over for their second visit. We talked, walked, shopped, ate…walked, talked, shopped, ate…you get the idea! We surprised them by hiring a car and had a day wine-tasting in the Hunter Valley. Gareth loved getting behind a wheel and out on the open road again. And he sure did his fair share of driving that day! Great to see some greenery…and drink it too! I went into this sampling business rather aggressively and heeded dad’s words of caution and measure after about vineyard #3. It’s hard work tasting great wine. For all the wine sipping, chocolate gobbling and cheese tasting, we only came home with 2 bottles. A yummy Late Picked Riesling from Hungerford Estate…the cellar is in the shape of a wine barrel!



We did some more Greek cuisine-ing too…and visited our friends at the Santorini restaurant, who in fact recognised my folks. Mum’s doggie bag and Dad’s conviction that he was Greek must have really stuck in their minds.

I was so sorry to see them go! But it looks like we have a wee line up of guests over the next few months to give me something to look forward to! JP in June, and Viv and Mike in May 

Philosophy

All’s well at the Philosophy school! I joined a group at Mahratta the other week which is studying ‘The Consolation of Philosophy’ by Boethius. It’s a great piece of literature, and I think we’ll be giving a presentation on the material later in the year. I saw the drama group’s performance of William Shakespeare’s Richard III last week – it was superb! Extremely well done, and professional. I nearly auditioned, but was overcommitted at the time. Maybe next year?!!

Running

The running is going so-so. I really miss my running compadres back home, but just have to face facts. I was running with a squad last time I wrote, but have decided to give this away. The regimented training schedule left little room for life outside of running, and started to detract from the pleasure of doing it.

Since then I’ve been getting out with various people from work, and the Sydney Striders. I have joined up with their Bush group, as off road and bush running was what I wanted to start doing more of when I left NZ. I have absolutely loved the runs we’ve done so far (bar the pitch black tunnel we had to go through on our last run…at 6.30am…with the boys in the group pointing out the bats in the darkness with pleasure to us more squeamish members!).

I’m doing the famous Sydney Morning Herald Half Marathon in May, and have no idea what to expect from myself. Perhaps I should expect nothing - that always works best for me! It’s been over a year since I’ve done one of these. I’ll have to seriously train now, as Viv and Mike are going to be over!! Gotta look good for the support crew!!

Maybe next time I’ll have someone to run against – Gareth’s running is on the up and up. I’m so happy to have a new running buddy!

The Marathon Training Group (MTG): a Striders sub-group that train on Wednesday nights (me on my knees in the front)

Yoga

I’ve recently taken up yoga again and I’m really loving it! I attend an Iyengar yoga school – this style concentrates on movements with precision, correct posture and body alignment. It’s challenging and really eye-opening. I gulped the other day when we had to go into a handstand! Always nice to have something to keep you on your toes…or fingers for that matter!

I have also started doing a bit of Bikram Yoga – a series of 26 postures done in a sauna. The room is heated to 38ºC! I’ve never sweated so much in my life, not even running! It’s a great cardio workout – and you don’t even leave your mat!

Ahhhh…there’s just no place like home!

December 2004

Hello Everybody!

Well, it’s been an extremely busy last few months for me, and I barely have time to get this letter out before I am home for Christmas myself!

Daily Life

Gareth and I are now quite settled in our little one bedroom apartment, in the heart of the city. It’s a stone’s throw from Hyde Park and a 25 minute walk to work for both of us (I work right across the road from him in a circular building called “Australia Square” – go figure!). It’s surprisingly peaceful for somewhere in the middle of town. It’s great having things like Paddy’s market and my philosophy school just a few minutes’ walk away. Not to mention all the great restaurants in and around Darlinghurst. Mardi Gras time should be interesting though, as where we are is officially the gay district! Gareth and I feel like a sexual minority walking down Oxford St holding hands!



Work at Origin Energy is quite different to what I experienced at home working for a small company. It’s great to have so many people around that you can learn things from. The flipside is that communication channels are not always clear and you can end up lost and chasing your tail when trying to learn your way around the place. Origin bought a majority stake in Contact Energy late this year, and our head of department has been seconded to Contact in Wellington. The subsequent restructure will mean changes for everybody. I’ll keep you posted on what happens in the New Year. One is able to move around between departments here rather freely, which is great, and something I may have a chance to do now. I’ve been doing bits and bobs of NZ market analysis, long term generation analysis and some price forecasting since starting here. I’d like to work for the Green energy team, but will not hold my breath at this stage, as they’ve just recruited two new workers.

Visitors and Travel

Mum and dad came to visit during the last weekend of November. We had a blast! We didn’t shop as much as we expected we would – instead we busied ourselves with seeing all the Sydney city landmarks – the Opera House, Hyde park, the Botanical Gardens, the Rocks, the Bridge, Paddy’s market…

Gareth had an exam essay to write that weekend unfortunately, so we didn’t get to see much of him, apart from at meal times. We managed to get out to a fabulous Greek restaurant that weekend. I often see the guy who operates the rotisserie in the window of the restaurant, when I run past on my way to Centennial Park. He waves and says hi – I think he must remember me as the one whose mother requested a doggie bag, and whose blonde Kiwi father came in acting like he owned a mono-brow and was a Greek from way back! Dad had his psychological gold medallion on that night! After a mountain of mezethes plates, all licked clean of their delights, were taken away, the boys still had mains to come. They were not leaving without sinking their teeth into some of that lamb on the spit in the window. Dad’s body is well attuned to Greek eating and knew what it was in for – Gareth’s unfortunately, was not as primed, and a world record event ensued. Gareth could not finish his meal. Not only did he not finish the main event, he had literally one mouthful of hot lamb and was pooped! If we are going anywhere near Greece in the near future, I better get him in training!

I must say, mum and dad were in extremely good form, as the next day we went to Manly, where dad put away a massive meaty kebab, and mum the largest Copenhagen Death by Chocolate-styles cone known to man!

The following weekend I went to Queensland to visit a friend I made when we became penpals through a horsie magazine at the age of 13. The feeling of seeing her after 6 years, at the airport with two gorgeous white-blonde children of her own was something out of this world! We drove back to her place from Brisbane airport – about 45 minutes north, to a small town called Donnybrook. There we just spent the entire weekend catching up – I never thought I could just be happy talking for 2 days solid!

I found Queensland muggy and wet – that weekend we had a tonne of rain. The people are also a lot more laid back. I also had a real education in Aussie slang – “bloody oaths”, “fair dinkums”, “giving one the ‘shits’”, “referring to crass things/persons as ‘ferral’” (one of my faves) and a few more I will conveniently forget. Helen has a friendly neighbour there called Errol (I like to refer to him as ferral Errol). He’s a lovely fellow – a cross between someone off The Castle and some of the curious looking fellows you see around central Sydney. I think the following photo says it all…

He was so sweet and generous to us (he served us brie and fancy crackers – something he obviously went out of his way to get for us! And I mean that in the nicest possible way. He lives an extremely simple bachelor’s life…. But I had to pass on his generosity when it extended to the Kahlua, it was not even lunch time yet! I just couldn’t anyway, knowing that the poor man drinks watered down cask wine! Need I say more.

Oh yeah – also saw my first wild kangaroos and cane toad! And have a new friend for life. Helen’s daughter Jamila would not leave me alone for one second. Really – we played card game after card game, then coloured in, then more cards! She is the sweetest creature. Her boy Gauge was cute too, but a bit more on the shy side.

Next stop, the following weekend, was Adelaide. I was there for a course, so I got work to fly me home on Sunday night instead of Friday night, in order to see a bit of the place. I found a great backpackers, which served complimentary pancakes for brekkie! Town was packed that Saturday for the Christmas parade – a huge event for Adelaide.

Town had everything that Sydney has, just laid out in a grid-like fashion, similar to Christchurch. It’s smaller than Sydney, but still a big place for a Wellingtonian. I couldn’t believe that there was an international cross-country event on literally in the middle of town! Parkland borders the city, and I found it great for running in. I enjoyed the equestrian action for a while, then moseyed through the botanical gardens which were stunning.

I got up early the next morning to go for a swim at the aquatic centre, and crossed the River Torrens on the way. I had been so inspired by the architecture back in the city that I sat in on a church service in the cathedral after my dip, and soaked up the sweet sounds of the choristers. After that I ambled around a car show just outside the church. There were some really neat classic racing cars there, dad would’ve loved it – old Jags, Astin Martins and more!

I also squeezed in a visit to Glenelg. A beach town you can take a tram to. It was rather windy there, so didn’t stay long, but the tram ride allowed me to see a bit of suburban Adelaide – flat, quiet, a place you could happily raise a family – unlike Sydney. So I was rather in shock when Monday morning I read in the paper a woman was shot dead in the Myers in Adelaide!!

Well – the fun doesn’t stop there! The following weekend Lauren came! It was great to have her around – unfortunately she chose the wrong weekend – shocking weather – and she didn’t even get the chance to catch any rays. But she got in some great shopping, and the time we spent together was extremely precious – thanks for coming Lauren!! The weather then did some silly things after she left – like reaching nearly 42 degs! It’s now a bit more consistently hot – but this means thunderstorms, and the feisty one last night that G’s plane from Welly was rerouted through Canberra, making him a couple of hours late. Boy was it spectacular – everyone in the office just gazed outside (I’m on level 44 - fantastic view). A thick black blanket of cloud just rolled in, cracked open some awesome thunder, a few flashes of fork lightening, then came a massive white out – rain, rain and rain! All this happened about the time his plane was due…!

Did I mention that I caught up with Maurice when he and Jan came over at the start of December for the Eagles concert?

Running

Well! The running has surely been ticking over, and I’ve been ticking over my running! I have found a really dedicated squad that I’ve been training with. But I suppose I’m still not really settled in.

The coach is one Sean Williams – ex elite runner (10k pb 29.something…fast!) and he is extremely dedicated. He really cracks the whip on us at his speed sessions, quote “ you are in for some lactic acid tonight guys..”. I run against 10-14 year olds who are lightening fast. Some of them will go on to be Olympians. So you can imagine how I must feel! Some of them have already been running for 6 years! I have to really watch that I don’t get too caught up, it’s easy to start comparing yourself to these guys and feeling down about your own ability. I had my best session this week when I let the expectation go and relaxed.

I have also found a few people at work who like their long runs – and have been on a couple of beauties out to Bondi beach. There is such a dramatic coastline – sharply carved out heights which drop down to some massive pounding waves. At the weekend I went out with the Sydney Striders, which I have finally decided to join. The run on Sunday went from Manly Spit out to Manly beach – just stunning!! My first taste of some trails and seaside views, as well as the local insect population…I manage to down a particularly large bug while cruising through the bush, and could’ve sworn I felt something buzzing in my nasal passages during the rest of that run! That run resurrected my belief that there are plenty of places to run in Sydney – you just need to know where to go!

Gareth

Gareth has had an outstanding year, top of the class in all his subjects. He gained a couple of high distinctions in some of his papers. This is an awesome achievement for someone who has been doing 6 papers this year plus full time work. Not only that but some of his work from his Victoria University days has made it on the cover of a prestigious European science journal, and been published in numerous others. He has also received some very kind words from a top American chemist. But wait there’s more! He’s also published an article that features on the website of his company, and has been working on another. Go Gareth!

Philosophy

In October the philosophy school in Sydney held a study day at their ‘Mahrata’ property . A ‘study day’ is when students get together to often learn about a topic area related to philosophy – eg the letters of Marsilio Ficino, Plato or the Dead Sea Scrolls… This was my first study day, and first time visiting North Sydney and the famed estate. Wow – it blew my socks off. The well-preserved art-deco styled estate was stunning. I snapped away and have included some pickies here.

Furthermore, the talks that day really inspired me. Mr Salaman – an Oxford scholar and retired teacher, journeyed all the way from the UK to talk to us about Gnosticism and pre-Christian thought. Truly inspiring – I went to the library that week and dragged home a stack of books on the topic!

The garden at Mahrata is just magical. It really came alive last weekend when I visited the property once more for the school Christmas party. The garden was lit with candles, a choir sang and then we all joined in the carolling. It was really special!

I find the school here is really active, and I enjoy that. I have made such a natural transition to the group in Sydney, and it’s really broadened my appreciation of the organisation and its global presence and personal importance.

That’s all folks!