Training Log Archive: PrueD

I spent about an hour and a half trying to teach my friend Peter to orienteer. The 2009 W45 Aus champs relay course at Mt Killawarra was probably not the best place to start......but it was the closest map to Benalla. He did really well considering - but we could only do about 1/2 the course (walking slowly) in the time.

A swim in the Benalla pool. I decided to swim an extra half km as I will not be running this weekend. It was no problem at all, and perhaps indicates that I should increase my distance. The pool was even colder than normal - but OK as long as you kept going. I spent the rest of the day gardening.

It was a freezing morning with a heavy frost over everything, followed by a gorgeous sunny day. The garden looked like one of those photos you see of mid-winter European gardens. I am starting to see some return to normality in both my houses. I have only a few more loads to cart up and down to and from Benalla. The whole exercise has reminded me of two huge jigsaw puzzles - with 50 big pieces and 200 little pieces. Moving every piece has required a 2 1/2 hour car trip towing the trailer - only to find the pieces don't fit or don't look right in the light - and then having to perform the return trip. But I am nearly there and most of the pieces seem to have found a home without looking cluttered. Those that don't have gone to the tip or to a charity. There are now only a few pieces to go. Yay!!!

I went to the osteopath for a bit more knee treatment. The verdict was to rest the knee for a while - doing only activities which don't aggravate it. This could be a problem because walking up and down the stairs each day at the station definitely aggravates it. Otherwise the weather makes it easy to avoid weight-bearing exercise.

Amusing event this week. There is a Chinese man (straight from China) staying with the Chinese family over the road. He doesn't speak a word of English (and I don't speak Chinese) but continues to chat on regardless. He's determined to be friends and has helped me move things in the garage - all accompanied by lots of smiling and arm-waving.

Walk around Blackburn on a cold night. I wore a thermal and a polar fleece, fully zipped, and was not hot. I considered going to street-O - but the website was down and I couldn't get the venue details.

I had a interesting day. There was lots of banging and crashing sounds at work, which sounded like a demonstration but couldn't have been as we were on the 26th floor. Turns out it is NAIDOC week and there was an aboriginal traditional dancing display going on directly above our heads on the 27th floor.

I was sorry to hear last night that Ian's family farmhouse at Rheola (near Mt Kooyoora) where I have stayed for about the last 20 years or so, partly burnt down on the weekend. Tthe remainder and the contents were severely damaged. Fortunately his brother and girlfriend weren't inside at the time so were OK. Turns out the fire was started by an electrical fault in the back of the almost new Westinghouse fridge, which was one of the newest items in the house!