It's true! I did a triathlon!

Me, AJ, Amy and Kate (L-R)
, oh, and me being a poser...! gotta love that arm marking! maybe I should get a tatt!!

Triathlon photos

Triathlon Photos

Yes, it's true, I did a triathlon on the weekend!! It was in Penrith and my fellow triathletes were Kate, Amy and Ajay! It was 250m swim, 10km bike ride, 2.5km run. My official time was 52mins, 37 seconds. Here are some photos.

Tasmania!

Tasmania really is a very delightful place. It's hard to say why but its just lovely. I spent more than two whole weeks there from new years til Monday doing not much at all but I wasn't bored once! Of course I had lots of good company, finally topped off with the much awaited arrival of Zoe Jemima Poole.

Gerringong with Gracie

is where I will be for Christmas! This is my new little niece. Will be spending chrissy by the beach with the family in Gerringong and then heading to Tassie for the arrival of the Tadpoole. Babies everywhere! Other than that have been delighting in hanging out in Canberra! Merry Christmas!

If Christchurch was any sleepier it would be comatose

I really don't have much to write about Christchurch... its a nice enough little town, but my is it sleepy. You know in Australia on a late Sunday evening in say, Autumn, when all the shops are shutting and there is hardly anyone in the street....? well its like that any time of the day any day of the week here! And this is the biggest place on the south island... my friends tell me that indeed everywhere else has been even sleepier. Thanks god I'm here only for a couple of days because this place has taken relaxation to a new level... anyway, the real reason I came here was to catch up with Gabriel, my old friend (of 10 years already!) from when I lived in Spain, and that has been very nice, wandering around the town and going out to the beach for lunch by the seaside (a bit of excitement provided by the attack seagulls nearby). Flying home this afternoon, a couple of hours in Sydney and then home late tonight... to stay! hooray! hmmm, will have to blog from Canby from now on!! maybe nearly as exciting as Christchurch!

Delightful New Zealand – the antidote?

I love New Zealand. If I were to ever leave Canberra for another Australasian city, I think it might be for Auckland. I’m sure my dad might baulk at that, claiming he left that rainy place for sunshinier life for us, but rain and all, I like it. When it’s sunny it’s divinely beautiful and when it’s grey and rainy it’s kind of cosy and comforting. And then after so many years of traveling to strange and foreign lands, meeting new people all the time, it is so nice to be visiting somewhere to which I am permanently connected despite the years of absence, to have dinner in the town I was born, to drive past the house my parents built (with a little help from my uncle) and to hang out with people who have known me and loved me my entire life, since the day I was born. My four days in Auckland have been the perfect antidote to my earlier adventure travels, simple, easy, relaxing and beautiful. I went for walks, runs, lunches and dinners, afternoon naps, visited the beach and the bush and the countryside with all the sheepies and spent time with the aunties and uncles and cousins. My favourite thing was going to see my cousin playing soccer. In a life where I am lucky to work with the same team for more than 15 days before changing place and teams, I was delighted to see the same team that I played touch rugby with when I lived there as a teenager still going strong and together 15 years on, and still up for a beer after the game. There is something very appealing about that life.