Stairway to Hell.

 The Marion coastal trail.

 The Twisted Sisters including Moi are now all well into our Summer training. Our first big distance event for the year will be The Southern Charity Classic in April. This is a 61 km. event through the Southern Vales of South Australia. Meanwhile we continue to compete in shorter 10 km. events.


Most of our training in summer is on well established fire trails. This makes for an easier exit if a bush fire starts. The weather is scorching hot and the last few days the temperature has been well over 40c or 105f. Right now on our trails it is also Snake Central and so being on the fire tracks enables us to see the snakes before we stand on them.

Susi No Bum, Tracy and their Chubby Hubby's are all training for the North Face Challenge in May. This is a gruelling 100 km. event which attracts elite trail runners from around the world. It is run over a 28 hour time limit through the Blue Mountains in New South Wales.
I have decided not to do this event mainly because I have difficulty with night vision. I can't go to the bathroom at night without walking into a wall, so climbing rocks and racing at night is so not going to happen without it turning ugly.
However we all continue to train together as much as possible.
Whilst the others are doing the North Face, Chubby Hubby and I are going over to Victoria to run the Great Ocean Road Marathon with friends Ros, Melissa, Ava, and Erica. Plus we are planning to do the Portland Marathon in November. Both these marathons are very hilly and challenging.


The Road Runners Trail run for January was the Marion Coastal Trail. A 21 km. return run between Brighton Beach and Port Stanvac. This trail follows the cliff line along the coast and whoever thought up this trail and built those 1,756 stairs has issues. I repeat ISSUES !

Mike, Daryl and Susi no Bum on the coastal trail.

 The stairs are never ending for mile upon mile and by the time we got to the second to last flight of stairs my legs felt like they were dislocated at the hips and I was coughing my lungs out.

 Mike and Daryl on the trail.

 This was a reassuring sign to see when you are on the edge of a cliff ! Which way to jump ?

 We also had to run across this rocky beach. Brilliant for the sore feet.

 So tempting to end all the suffering.

 Moi and Susi no bum soothing our feet at the end.

Thanks for dropping by.
Cheers for now
Karen.

Goodbye Miffy / Crazy January Challenge.

 I haven't felt much like blogging this past week. Reason being that last Sunday one of my four legged children " Miffy " went to Doggy Heaven.
Miffy was nearly 15 and I know old age and illness eventually catch up with our furry children, but this did not make her loss any easier.

Miffy was probably the laziest dog ever !! She was the Doyen of our bedroom, and would sit or sleep for hours in her bed in our room, supervising and directing the entire household.
There was no compromise with Miffy. It was her way or no way !!

Miffy only barely weighed 3 kg., but 2.75 kg. of that was her tongue. My God, she had the biggest tongue ever. Most dogs have a tongue. But we had a tongue with a bit of dog !!!

The pain of loosing Miffy has been almost unbearable at times. But some comfort is to be had in knowing that she was only sick for about 24 hours and that she died peacefully. She has just left big paw prints on our hearts.

I have of course not done any stitching this week and so have fallen badly behind in the Crazy January Challenge. However this week I will dust off the sadness and get my needle stitching .
Here are 2 more of my projects for the January Challenge.

 

 

A freebie by an unknown designer for my Sister's Pink Basket.

The Green Flip it Series by Lizzie Kate on 32 count light Mocha Belfast Linen.

I am also back trail running and cycling again with lots of new goals for the year. I plan to do a running post in a couple of days.

I cannot end this post without acknowledging the dreadful floods we have been having in 5 states of Australia. It's hard to imagine that whilst we are flooding now , that for the past 6 to 8 years we have been in severe drought. As well as the enormous cost to humanity, spare a thought to all our animals who also suffer badly in weather extremes.

 Cheers  Karen.

Summit to Sea and a Crazy January Challenge.

On Sunday the four Twisted Sisters and three of the Chubby Hubbys competed in the Summit to Sea trail run here in Adelaide. 34 km. from Mt. Lofty, the highest peak in Adelaide and down to the Brighton Beach Jetty. This is a deceptively tough run and not all down hill as you would think. Plus the last 2 km. is on the soft beach sand. On previous years this event has been 31 km. but an extra 3 km. had been added this year.

The day is a very early start. Up at 4 am. and then drive to Brighton beach by 6 am. to leave the cars and catch the chartered bus up to the top of Mt. Lofty for a 7 am. run start.
It was absolutely freezing at the top of Mt. Lofty ( well by Adelaide standards anyway ) with low cloud and fog. Race Director Terry took a few moments to acknowledge the Traditional Land Owners, and then officially welcomed Chubby Hubbys Daryl and Mike. He laughingly told the group that they had the dubious distinction of coming last the previous year, but then went on to tell all about their achievements during the year. 
 

 Chubby Hubbys Mike and Daryl, the centre of attention !

Some of our group before the start; Susi No Bum,Babette, CH Simon and Mike, Moi and CH Daryl.

Our team all ran in pairs for most of the event ; Tracy and Susi no Bum, Mike and Simon, Daryl and I and Babette joined in with a couple of other runners. Reputations were all on the line here, all of us wanting to beat the others. We are all the best of friends but are not above sabotaging each other for a good laugh and to cross the finish line first.

Tracy and Susi no Bum took off at a quick pace and happily for us soon went in the wrong direction.

Simon and Mike were on a mission and also started strongly. But , as with most men their age their Prostates required frequent nature stops and we soon caught up with them.

I ran the event with my CH Daryl. His work commitments  preclude him from training as much as the rest of us so he can struggle a bit. I started Daryl at a slow pace to warm up and then gradually picked up the speed. He is very good at directions so there was little chance we would get lost. I had also told him he was only allowed one Nature call , so he had better tie a knot in his spout. Personally I didn't care if his Prostate was falling out his nostrils , there was to be NO stopping.

 

 

Moi out on the trail.

The first 10 km. was an easy run along undulating fire trails and we kept up a fairly consistent pace. The next 10 km.  was tricky. The trail here was very rocky and much of it was along creek beds. There were a few spills and injuries in this section and some runners had to withdraw.

I set a brisk pace through this section, mainly because

 Creek Beds + Water + Hot Weather = SNAKES ! And I was scared shitless.

The last 14 km. was a battle of wills between the Chubby Hubby and I. He was starting to tire but I was fired up and wanted to get the Hell out of the long grass and finish. I was particularly inspired by a sign on one fence;

" Snakes on the move, watch your step." 

I loved this tree trunk we ran past and just had to stop and say Hello to it. I wonder how old it is and what it has seen.?

CH  had by the final 10 km. started his usual sniveling. Threats of the usual 3 D's quickly sorted him out.

DIVORCE 

DEATH

DIVORCE   

We were still well ahead of our time plan here and I could feel a great finishing time in my Waters !! If of course the Chubby Hubby kept going. 

I had no idea where the others were but then as luck would have it, a couple of km. down the track I saw CH Mike and Simon heading down the wrong way. CH Mike was limping quite badly.

Now I love all animals, I really do ! And I do try to be a good person. But Seriously, I can not be expected to tell a limping one legged Turkey in a race that he is going the wrong way !!

Especially when the potential to beat him is so tantalisingly close.

 Our first view of the coast.

I stayed with my Chubby Hubby until the last 2 km. and then I left him and went off at my own pace to the finish line.

MEGA SPEW !! When I crossed the finish line CH. Mike and Simon were already there.

Karma you say ! No Way.

The Turds had got so lost that they took a short cut, taking 3-4 km. off and finishing 20 minutes before me.

Susi No Bum and Tracy had finished about 25 minutes before and predictably were not entirely sure how they had got there.

  Brighton Jetty, the finish line.

 Brighton beach and what a contrast to the weather up on Mt. Lofty.

Overall we were all pleased with our times. CH Daryl took a whole hour of last years time, plus remembering it was an extra 3km. this year. I finished 25 minutes faster than last year even with the Chubby Hubby.

 Resting at the finish line with Susi, Kym, Daryl and Babette.

Like most cross stitchers in Cyberland I have decided to attempt the Crazy January challenge. One new project per day until January 15. Hopefully these projects to be finished by the end of the year.

Now I am a painfully slow stitcher so rather than show my new project each day I will wait until I have made some significant progress with each of them.

So here is January 1 project;

IRA RAY CROW. by the Goode Huswife.

Happy New Year to all.

Thanks for dropping by,

Cheers Karen.

Fun Runs : If symptoms persist see your Doctor.

1

What better way to shake out the excess of Christmas Day ; run 8.4 km. through water and soft sand.!
Yes, the Adelaide two Jetty fun run takes place on Boxing Day morning and is guaranteed to provide a near death experience and a close encounter with the Pewk Fairy.
The race is organised by the South Australian Masters Athletics in memory of all the turkeys who make the ultimate sacrifice on Christmas Day.
 

104 brave souls crawled to the starting line for a 0930 start and most of us seriously not well.

Twisted Sisters Cathy, Tracey, Susi No Bum and Moi.

I don't drink alcohol and so I wasn't suffering a hangover like many. I don't have any weird religious convictions about alcohol , I just never really liked the taste. My friends fondly call me the Diet Fanta Queen. However I had eaten what felt like a 2 kg. slab of my Mother in Laws Christmas Pudding ( to refuse would be to cause World War Three ) and it had set like cement in my innards.

 

Tha sand was very soft and powdery thus making running very hard. In places we had to leave the beach and run on the Esplanade because the tide was so high. Many people sitting on the beach or having coffee in the cafes clapped and gave words of encouragement or sympathy as we ran past them. Some suggested the need for psychiatric help !!!

Race marshalls along the route gave much needed encouragement. Onlookers were quite amused by the spectacle of Mass Suffering.

Twisted Sister Tracey had a massive hangover and was hilarious. In this photo here she actually couldn't work out why she couldn't get her cup to her mouth. 

Susi No Bum, Cathy and Chubby Hubby Mike ran at a slow steady pace with the occasional walk when feeling ill . I plodded along at a slow pace behind them  whilst Tracey somehow made it to the finish line. We all finished under 50 minutes after a courageous battle.  

Thank God for the finish.

All participants had a great run and we all saluted each others pain and insanity.

Chubby Hubby Mike chatting up a Garmain.

Glenelg Jetty At Dawn.

Thanks for dropping by,

Cheers Karen. 

My christmas Quilts.

I have finally found time to hang up the Christmas quilts I have made.

Unfortunately these were made about 3 years ago so I no longer have a record of whose designs they are.

Thanks for dropping by,
Cheers Karen. 

A Day on the Green, if you please.

Lawn Bowls in Australia is generally regarded as a sport for the older person. On any morning you will see the Grey Army arriving at the bowling Greens kitted out in their white uniforms and ready for a day of tense competition.

The ladies arrive fiercely clutching their plates of scones to their ample bosoms, each lady believing of course that their scones are the best. To criticize said scones would at the very least invite a " Jihad ". To make a bad scone is to commit social suicide.

I once implied my Mother in Laws scones were a wee bit stodgy and only just lived to tell the tale.

The men at the bowls dutifully eat only their wives scones, difficult digestion aided by a healthy serving of beer. To decline would result in a painful demise. If those scones sit a tad heavy they do not complain but merely apply more Haemorrhoid Cream !!!

Anyway, before I digress too far; this year my work's Christmas Party was held at the Adelaide lawn Bowls Club. Yes the Adelaide Bowls Club usually accustomed to the upper crust, bravely opened it's greens and bar to a hundred or so Orthopaedic surgeons, nurses and physiotherapists.

Security was tight; the bouncer at the gate with his Zimmer frame was a fearsome sight.

All is calm on the Greens before the games begin.

 Carefully selected teams of four had been formed ; your skills at a knee replacement, giving a well aimed injection or bed pan ensuring your place in a team.
My team " The Up Chuckers " consisted of four RN's, all of us well known for our skills with a vomit bowl !! Humble apologies if you are eating whilst you read this.

" The Up Chuckers " : DF Helen, Moi,Mel and Ali.

 Notice our decorated Disposable Vomit Bowls. These were actually quite useful on the green for holding our cameras, nibbles and drinks.

 

The Pink Lady Team. The man on the far right in the pink wig is one of our surgeons.

The Where's Wally Team. The two end players also being our surgeons.

After a quick lesson from the senior Green keeper on how to play and respect the greens the games began. Competition was fierce, rules were stretched and teams sabotaged. I really enjoyed the game but it was quite tricky playing with a ball that was weighted only on one side. I did occasionally show a glimmer of talent but mainly balls were flying everywhere.

 

The Up Chuckers and Patterson's Plasterers  get down to business.

 

The Physiotherapy team were clearly the best on the day but were so serious and skilled that they were disqualified. The ultimate winners, a team of night nurses in Antlers were declared the best cheaters and won all the prizes.

I have managed to finish a couple of Christmas Ornies this week.

 

Chilly's Gift by Stitchy Kitty.

 

Let it Snow by Barbara Ana Designs.Sorry it's a bit blurry.

  

And I have finished my 5th block Of SOHRH.

The Twisted Sisters are still out training as best we can with all the Xmas mayhem. I ran the 10km. Christmas Classic with DF Cathy, Bette, Lil and Chubby Hubby Daryl. I had run a fairly tough 20 km. trail run the day before and had a mega case of " BOT ROT ".  Daryl had to peel me out the car at the start line as I was so stiff and sore I could hardly move. Despite this I ran well,came 3rd. in my age group and the 26th female overall.

That's me in the white shirt with Cathy and Bette.

The Trail from hell I ran the day before.

 

And best of all today, in the mail I received some running gloves from Stefano, the Black Knight. Thankyou so much Stefano. These will be absolutely fantastic out on the cold  trails and for night running.

Merry Christmas to all my Bloggy Friends. I hope your stockings are filled with health and happiness.

Cheers, Karen.