The Bold and the Beautiful does Deep Creek.

 Yes dear Reader, a scene of absolute tragedy akin to an episode of an American Soapie unfolded on our monthly trail run to Deep Creek Conservation Park; and starring none other than the Chubby Hubby and 3 beautiful ladies Gay, Julie and Moi.




Soft Bold and Beautiful music playing here if you please.

Deep Creek is located about 100 km. south west of Adelaide on the Fleurieu Peninsula. The trails in this area are very isolated and remote, physically demanding and often unmarked.
40 intrepid trail runners loaded into buses and cars at 6am. to begin the 2 hour drive to the start. 

We all formed small running groups for safety and set off for distances between 11 to 19 km's. Our group covered 17 1/2 km's but no matter what distance was covered most agreed it was the toughest trail run they had ever done.

 

So when did the Soap Opera begin you ask ?
Well, the Chubby Hubby started this event as he always does, a slow lumbering and grumbly pace.
" you're going too fast " he moans !!!

The next 10 -20 km. " Isn't it great me being out here supporting you. "

The business end of the run is always " What the  f#@k  am I doing out here ? "

All was going well as we descended down the long and rocky trail into Deep Creek Cove. The scenery was amazing and Kangaroo Island was almost close enough to touch.

  

Last week when race organiser Terry did a recky, Deep Creek was almost dry. But overnight rains turned it into this.

 

And it was here that the trail run all but became a swimming event. We all had a blast playing in the water as we crossed it. But what goes down must go up and Deep Creek doesn't get it's name for nothing.

 

 The water in this creek came up to my waist as I crossed it.

 Julie crossing the rocks.

 The climb out was amazing and if you enlarge the above photo you will see one of our runners going up the cliffs. A very steep ascent on all fours, climbing rocks and ledges and no marked trail.

 Girls just wanna have fun !!

Luckily the other Twisted Sisters weren't with us today so we didn't get lost !!

Chubby Hubby wanted me to take a photo here ! Well with what hand ?? I was clinging on for dear life and the only view I could see was Gay's bottom who was in front of me.

I don't much like heights but I must admit that this climb was brilliant. However it was about here that Chubby Hubby had his first Tanti ! During the final ascent to Tapanappa lookout he lost his breathing rhythm.

Tragic brow wipe here !

" I can't breathe. "

Moi, " Well never mind, oxygen is over rated "

Soap opera glare here - - - - 

It was about this time we got the man dying in the desert routine from him.

Now if Susi no Bum had been here we would surely have left him to die.

But Gay and Julie were completely sucked in. BIG TIME.

" Just leave me, save yourselves and let me die. " he murmurs.
Gently Julie and Gay help him onto a fence post, concern in their eyes. Meanwhile I'm looking around for a pillow to stuff over his head. I can't stand a noisy death scene.

In the ultimate act of trail runner sacrifice Gay gives him her last jelly bean !   " Just try Daryl, it's only 800 metres to go and no more hills " she lies.
He allows her to put the jelly bean between his parched lips.


Tragic Soap Opera look here - - - 

Moi, the woman of his dreams, leans forward and gently cups his face between her hands. I lean forward and whisper into his ear,

" TOUGHEN UP CUP CAKE AND MOVE IT "

Now the last 2 km. I must admit were not particularly nice.
Seriously, who would put these stairs in here.

879 metres of stairs to get up and out. UGH !!!

Julie, Gay and I decided we sounded like female tennis players when pulling ourselves up these.

Meanwhile back in the Soap Opera, the death scene continued.

We found this waterfall and had a great time cooling off in it.

We all crossed the finish line and the Chubby Hubby like Lazarus rose from the dead and broke the minute mile getting to the door of the Yankalilla bakery.

Thanks for dropping by,

Cheers Karen.

A Runner does not a Stitcher make.

O

 
Okay, so I might be able to traverse high mountains and deep gullies on a muddy trail, wrestle with 3 metre Brown Snakes, out run a big Red Kangaroo, and run lunatic trails with Susi No Bum and the Twisted Sisters in all weathers. But I cannot, I repeat cannot stitch and sew a bloody handbag from Amy Butler's latest book, " Style Stitches ".

The bag in question " Miss Maven Ruffled Handbag " looked easy enough, but what I failed to see in the directions was " for experienced stitchers only " and " idiots should not attempt ".

All went well until I got to the handles and then things went seriously pear shaped. I stitched and unpicked, stitched and unpicked, profanities were profuse and said bag was sent into orbit across the stitching room. When all else fails, blame Madame Bernina and she was threatened with this ------
 

Miss Frilly Bloody Impossible Bag was at risk of being used for Target Practice !!!!
 

When things go wrong just aim and FIRE.

This is how I dream of sewing, serene and relaxed and it's  so never going to happen.

Just when Amy Butler and her book were receiving the venom of my spleen along came DF Leanne from The Stitching Room.

 

Leanne to the rescue.

With Leeanne's help this was the final result. Ta dah . A bag which can be used and whose life was saved by an experienced stitcher.

 

Of course I am still stitching up a storm with my hand sewing as part of the Crazy January Challenge.

Another finish " Ira Ray Crow " from The Goode Huswife.

 

A freebie from an unknown source.

 

 My Sister's completed Pink Basket.

Next project for the Crazy January challenge to be stitched.

I also love this book by the Blackbird Design Girls and have chosen to do the Hexagon pin board as another project for the January challenge.

The Hexagon pin up board in progress.

 

A Lizzie Kate finish, block 2 of the Green Flip it Series.

Thanks for stopping by,
Cheers Karen.

Mutual Community Challenge.

Adelaide in January buzzes with the excitement of The Tour Down Under.

Our event is now well recognised on the world pro cycling calendar and we attract all the world's top cycling teams here to compete.

American Bike Racing Champion Lance Armstrong, has always been very supportive of out event and this year chose The Tour Down Under as his farewell professional race.

Our city literally explodes with Lycra : the good, the bad and the ugly. I do believe there is strong evidence for some Lycra Police during January.

It's impossible to avoid all the excitement this event creates and most of South Australia gets involved.

Several community rides/events take place in conjunction with the TDU, and this year Chubby Hubby, Moi and DF John cycled in the Mutual Community Challenge Tour.

 Chubby Hubby and John waiting to start the race.

 Chubby Hubby and Moi at the start line.

 This race takes place on stage 4 of the TDU and you do the same circuit as the professional riders do and get to go through the same finishing line. It was such a buzz.

 The professionals start the same route 6 hours later and so you have to pedal hard to be finished in time for them.

Everyone waiting to start.

 The race was 135 km. from Norwood to Strathalbyn and there were 4 distances to choose from. The ride took us through the beautiful country roads of the Adelaide Hills and much of it was uphill.
Whilst cycling uphill was tough, I feared for my bloody life going down the big hills.
It's well documented on my blog about my " Klutziness " on a bike and so me cycling downhill at 40 to 50 km. per hour was almost suicidal.

 I am happy to tell that I successfully completed the ride with John and the Chubby Hubby, did not fall off and still had clean underwear !!

 Nearly 8000 riders took part and many people lined all the roads to cheer us on. It was also good to be able to cycle past folk who were having to push their bikes up some of the hills. Some of the hills were killers and it would have been much easier to run up them.
But as Dear Friend Susi No Bum would say, " Fake it till you make it. "

 John, Moi and Daryl after we finished.

 The finish line.

 Moi.

Chubby Hubby Daryl.

Thanks for dropping by,

Cheers Karen. 

 

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.