Oh dear, some of our Aussie swimmers have been disappointed with their swimming performances.
Not won the gold medals they thought they would...
There's been a lot of debate about nerves and hype and letting people down and tears when they are interviewed immediately after the race.
......and what do they blame???
"Stayed up too late on Twitter and Facebook !!! "
For heavens sake!
OK, so some of them didn't achieve what they thought they would.
I wish the media would leave them alone immediately after a race to regroup. Give them a little time to swallow their disappointment. Let their coaches do their jobs to get them back on track before they face the media
And Pleeeease !!!
Athletes, throw the phones away till you've finished your events and concentrate on what you're there for ..............
and if you give it your best and don't get the result you were hoping for we'll still cheer for you and support you no matter what !
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Monday, July 23, 2012
ANOTHER 90 TH BIRTHDAY !
Yes, another 90th birthday party !!
This time it was my Mum's turn.
Here she is on the night of her birthday.
You'd never know she was 90 would you?
This time it was my Mum's turn.
Here she is on the night of her birthday.
You'd never know she was 90 would you?
Her party was last Saturday night.
It was great to see lots of family and friends having a great time.
and Mum was especially happy to have her grandchildren
and great grandchildren
there to celebrate with her.
Happy Birthday Mum
May you enjoy many more !
Cheers.
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
TOO MANY 'ROOS?
Today I'm posting from Hervey Bay where my parents live in a retirement village.
I'm up here for Mum's 90th birthday celebrations later in the week.
Hervey Bay is a four and a half drive north of Brisbane and I usually do the drive on my own.
I rather like the time on my own in the car on the way up here.
I listen to my favourite radio station ( singing along ) for the first two and a half hours till I get to the little town of Gympie where I stop at Macca's for a coffee ( and sometimes raisin toast ).
It's a time to think things over, .. solve problems, ... plan.......
The second part of the trip ( one and a half hours ) takes me through Tiaro, then Maryborough and on to Hervey Bay and the signal of my radio station doesn't reach this far so then I switch to CDs.
I turn up the volume and really belt out the songs as I speed along.
Yesterday, as I was listening to the radio news, I heard an item about kangaroos.
Because of the wonderful seasons ( ie rain instead of drought !) we have had here in the last two years, apparently the kangaroo population in Australia has skyrocketed to around 20 000 000 !!
Yes, 20 000 000 kangaroos !
Of course numbers like that spark the old debate about whether these huge numbers need to be controlled by culling to lessen the impact they have on the cattle and grain industries and it becomes very emotional.
Anyhow ........................
imagine how surprised I was when I looked at an area of the retirement village in which new houses were being constructed and saw this ...
This small group (mob ) seem to have become cut off from the local bush by the fences that have sprung up around them so they have taken up residence here.
I'm up here for Mum's 90th birthday celebrations later in the week.
Hervey Bay is a four and a half drive north of Brisbane and I usually do the drive on my own.
I rather like the time on my own in the car on the way up here.
I listen to my favourite radio station ( singing along ) for the first two and a half hours till I get to the little town of Gympie where I stop at Macca's for a coffee ( and sometimes raisin toast ).
It's a time to think things over, .. solve problems, ... plan.......
The second part of the trip ( one and a half hours ) takes me through Tiaro, then Maryborough and on to Hervey Bay and the signal of my radio station doesn't reach this far so then I switch to CDs.
I turn up the volume and really belt out the songs as I speed along.
Yesterday, as I was listening to the radio news, I heard an item about kangaroos.
Because of the wonderful seasons ( ie rain instead of drought !) we have had here in the last two years, apparently the kangaroo population in Australia has skyrocketed to around 20 000 000 !!
Yes, 20 000 000 kangaroos !
Of course numbers like that spark the old debate about whether these huge numbers need to be controlled by culling to lessen the impact they have on the cattle and grain industries and it becomes very emotional.
Anyhow ........................
imagine how surprised I was when I looked at an area of the retirement village in which new houses were being constructed and saw this ...
( you might need to click on the photo to make it bigger )
I tried to get a bit closer for a better view.
Uh oh, I've been spotted !
From what I could see from a distance there appeared to be one large male with a small harem of females and their young both in and out of the pouch.
Eventually they will be pushed out by the houses as they are built but for now they have all they need and seem quite content...
and it's lovely to see them happily co-existing there.
Cheers.
Sunday, July 15, 2012
WHAT'S GOING ON ?
I don't know what's going on.
I guess that it's just that cool weather energises me.
You know how I absolutely hate housework
but .....
I seem to have caught the cleaning bug and it's not even Spring !
I've even polished the silver !
Cheers.
Friday, July 6, 2012
FAVOURITE THINGS FRIDAY
I'm a bit late posting this but it is still Friday somewhere in the world so that will do.
I'm joining Shay from Quilting in My Pyjamas for FTF.
If you'd like to join in just pop over to Shay's blog via the button on my sidebar.
My favourite thing today is people who have the courage and determination to challenge themselves to the limit.
My lovely daughter Sally is one of those people.
In the last couple of years Sally has taken up running - distance running - and she loves it.
Participating in this sport has only begun in her thirties and she has built up her participation until this year she entered in the Gold Coast Marathon that was held last weekend.
She entered in the Half Marathon - that's running 21 kilometres !
Of course Mum and Dad went along as support.
The race started at 6:00am in a park on the Broadwater on the sunny Gold Coast.
As we live an hour away we didn't try to be there for the start. We had been warned we would not be able to get near enough to the starting line because huge crowds were expected.
I'm joining Shay from Quilting in My Pyjamas for FTF.
If you'd like to join in just pop over to Shay's blog via the button on my sidebar.
My favourite thing today is people who have the courage and determination to challenge themselves to the limit.
My lovely daughter Sally is one of those people.
In the last couple of years Sally has taken up running - distance running - and she loves it.
Participating in this sport has only begun in her thirties and she has built up her participation until this year she entered in the Gold Coast Marathon that was held last weekend.
She entered in the Half Marathon - that's running 21 kilometres !
Of course Mum and Dad went along as support.
The race started at 6:00am in a park on the Broadwater on the sunny Gold Coast.
As we live an hour away we didn't try to be there for the start. We had been warned we would not be able to get near enough to the starting line because huge crowds were expected.
There certainly were huge numbers of people there, all straining to catch a glimpse of their special someone as they ran past.
Sprinkled amongst the runners were the pace runners.....
dressed in special costumes to distinguish them from the others. Here is the 2 hour pace maker. Sally was hoping to be near her so we took up our position ( pre-arranged with Sally ) near this sign.
Then we waited anxiously....
Scanning faces,
looking out for pink shoes,
pink shirts
as the runners thundered by
until.....
there she was!
running with a smile on her face
keeping up a cracking pace
even though her legs were burning
joyful even....
swerving towards Dad as he snapped away!
A winner !!
Time: 2 hours and 4 minutes to run 21k
Very proud !
She could even smile through the pain of a post race massage !
While all of this was happening, on another part of the course, the 42k marathon was well underway.
We stayed around to watch the winner sprint past us in 2+ hours
Second
Third
and about 2 hours later ( in the heat of the day ) came Sally's friend Lauren
42 k in 4hours and 20 minutes !
Well done girls !
Thursday, July 5, 2012
A HEARTWARMING STORY
I don't know that I've mentioned this before but my daughter Sally is a physiotherapist and the area she specialises in is lungs.
Mainly she works in Intensive Care or Cardio -Thoracic wards in a large hospital.
In her job she sees lots of people in dire straits - the results of traumatic injuries or illnesses and one of the diseases she helps her patients battle on a daily basis is cystic fibrosis.
This heart wrenching illness has given her many very sad times as she has lost patients who have become friends, people she has treated for years, whose family she has come to know well as they support their loved one in their battle with this cruel disease.
Every now and then however there is an uplifting story that shines through.
One of her patients, whom she has seen almost fortnightly for the past six years or so, is a young man of 26 called Nathan.
By the end of last year Nathan was in dire straits and his only hope was a full lung transplant. Sally worked very hard with him to make sure he prepared himself and was in the best physical condition he could be as he waited for this potentially life saving operation.
Well, early in the year Nathan got his chance.
Out of one family's tragedy this young man has been given another chance at life - not only of survival but a hugely improved quality of life because of a double lung transplant.
The operation was HUGE.
It lasted 13 and a half hours - six of those hours were spent in removing the old, diseased lungs before the beautiful working lungs were painstakingly transplanted in a large hospital in Brisbane.
Of course one of the first visitors to this brave young man in Intensive Care was his faithful physio who travelled the 50 miles many nights after work to see him and jubilantly wrote on her Face Book page : "Goodbye blue boy, hello PINK boy !"
Of course it has not all been plain sailing from there.
He's no longer her patient now, just a friend who needs support from someone who understands the journey.
Last weekend was a big one on the Gold Coast. It was the weekend of the Gold Coast Marathon on Sunday.
On Saturday, as a preliminary event, Sally and Nathan took part in a five kilometre run/walk - well they walked it of course.
So the boy who could hardly walk as far as the bathroom last Christmas sailed over the line with his pal by his side after walking five kilometres at a healthy pace and was not even puffing!
Mainly she works in Intensive Care or Cardio -Thoracic wards in a large hospital.
In her job she sees lots of people in dire straits - the results of traumatic injuries or illnesses and one of the diseases she helps her patients battle on a daily basis is cystic fibrosis.
This heart wrenching illness has given her many very sad times as she has lost patients who have become friends, people she has treated for years, whose family she has come to know well as they support their loved one in their battle with this cruel disease.
Every now and then however there is an uplifting story that shines through.
One of her patients, whom she has seen almost fortnightly for the past six years or so, is a young man of 26 called Nathan.
By the end of last year Nathan was in dire straits and his only hope was a full lung transplant. Sally worked very hard with him to make sure he prepared himself and was in the best physical condition he could be as he waited for this potentially life saving operation.
Well, early in the year Nathan got his chance.
Out of one family's tragedy this young man has been given another chance at life - not only of survival but a hugely improved quality of life because of a double lung transplant.
The operation was HUGE.
It lasted 13 and a half hours - six of those hours were spent in removing the old, diseased lungs before the beautiful working lungs were painstakingly transplanted in a large hospital in Brisbane.
Of course one of the first visitors to this brave young man in Intensive Care was his faithful physio who travelled the 50 miles many nights after work to see him and jubilantly wrote on her Face Book page : "Goodbye blue boy, hello PINK boy !"
Of course it has not all been plain sailing from there.
That would be too much of a storybook ending.
There have been many setbacks along the way and Sally has remained close at hand -
encouraging, visiting, supporting her friend through his rehabilitation.
Last weekend was a big one on the Gold Coast. It was the weekend of the Gold Coast Marathon on Sunday.
On Saturday, as a preliminary event, Sally and Nathan took part in a five kilometre run/walk - well they walked it of course.
So the boy who could hardly walk as far as the bathroom last Christmas sailed over the line with his pal by his side after walking five kilometres at a healthy pace and was not even puffing!
How good is THAT ??!!
A message from Sally:
"It wouldn't have been possible a year ago. What a great advertisement for Donate Life. The generosity of a young man who lost his life and his family made this possible. Discuss your wishes about donation with your families. This is the end result and turns a tragedy into a celebration. "
********
I'll tell you more about the Marathon tomorrow.
Cheers.
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
ON THE GO
It's been rather quiet on the patchworking front around here.
Definitely time to learn a new skill.
Earlier in the year, as part of my quilting group, I learnt to do an easy quilt-as-you-go design that cuts out the need to add quilting to your finished article.
Just make a few of these with wadding and backing all sewn in one, then join them together to make a quilt like this.
(Yes, I'm sure you can spot the mistake !!)
I'm fairly new to quilting and not so keen on traditional designs so I've never tried the Log Cabin block.
But when I saw a reversible-quilt-as-you-go-log cabin quilt I thought it was one I would like to learn.
But, oh dear, it has been a bit of a struggle.
All that matching,
Pinning through six layers and trying to sew through the layers without anything moving despite using my walking foot.
I can tell you that there was a pile of cotton at my feet from all the unpicking I had to do!
I'm aiming for a table centre piece consisting of four blocks.
So this is what I have managed so far.
Blue and white on one side to match the blue plates in my dining room....
and red Christmassy colours on the other side for a Christmas table decoration.
How clever is that ??? !!!
All you have to do is flip it over at Christmas time !
It's taken me the best part of today to finish one block !
Good thing I only need four !
And did you notice that bandaged finger?
and all that blood beneath the bandage ??
My those rotary cutters are sharp!
Also on the go, to keep me busy while I'm watching Masterchef in the evenings,
.... and keeping me warm on these very cold nights we've been having, is this granny rug.
I'm not at all happy with the colours as we don't have much choice of yarn colours locally.
It was supposed to go with Sally's quilt but the main light pink is too bright and lolly and the green is too green - needs to be a sort of aqua/green - so it looks like it will take up residence in my spare room and I'll have to chase up the right colours for another one for Sally elsewhere.
So there it is. I've got plenty to keep me busy.
I need to have four blocks finished by our September quilting session.
At the rate I manage I'll need all of that time !!
Cheers.