I have been exercising... even bought a home gym. And on top of that I have been doing "kick boxing" for fitness with Step In To Life.
The only problem is last Thursday after the bushwalking, I twinged my siatic nerve doing all this and all weekend I have been hobbling around and swinging from feeling 'just ok' to in complete agony.
Sitting hurts, walking hurts.... woe is me!
This is worse than Man Flu!!!
Monday, October 06, 2008
Friday, October 03, 2008
Bushwalking - Gladstone Lookout & Moya Point
Well, with the time on our hands, the kids on holidays and a desire to get out and see the area where we have lived for the past 11 years, we went on another bushwalk.
This time, we travelled up to Leura and using our Blue Mountains Bushwalking Guidebook, we parked at the Fairmont Resort and walked across the 14th tee (literally!) and dived into the bush.
2km later, we're standing on the top of the unfenced Gladstone Lookout and a massive drop below, but what a view!!
Then we pressed on a short distance to the other side of the bluff to Moya Point where we looked back onto Wentworth Falls.
We're going to do the Wentworth Falls walk soon, but its closed for upgrading until late October!
Pictures below!
The girls and I on the edge of Gladstone Lookout...
Me peering over the edge... very scary!
The view from Moya Point back towards Wentworth Falls
The girls having a rest at Moya Point!
This time, we travelled up to Leura and using our Blue Mountains Bushwalking Guidebook, we parked at the Fairmont Resort and walked across the 14th tee (literally!) and dived into the bush.
2km later, we're standing on the top of the unfenced Gladstone Lookout and a massive drop below, but what a view!!
Then we pressed on a short distance to the other side of the bluff to Moya Point where we looked back onto Wentworth Falls.
We're going to do the Wentworth Falls walk soon, but its closed for upgrading until late October!
Pictures below!
The girls and I on the edge of Gladstone Lookout...
Me peering over the edge... very scary!
The view from Moya Point back towards Wentworth Falls
The girls having a rest at Moya Point!Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Mad Light Bulb Giveaway!
A funny thing has happened over the past few days here in our suburb...
A whole bunch of Indians descended on our suburb, each with a fold up chair and one of those red/blue striped laundry bags. They then proceeded to sit out on the median strips around our suburb in the shade and I had no clue as to what they were doing.
Then on Friday, the door bell rang... and standing at the door was an Indian girl... and she offered me some spiel that she was from some sort of company and asked me how many energy saving lightbulbs I would need in the house? "Twenty?? Thirty??" she asked... Me, in a daze, said "what, are you giving me free lightbulbs? Why?" She then said, "Wait here, I will be back in five minutes" and then I asked her if I had to do anything for these lightbulbs.
She said "we have to take your name and details down on our computer". Nevermind how they powered their computers by sitting by the side of the road all day, I said "No way" and told her not to worry about it... she seemed genuinely dismayed, but relised that I wouldnt fall for her scam.
Then yesterday, the doorbell rings again... this time, the girls answer it expecting a neighbourhood kid, but then I hear the dreaded "Hi, is your mummy home?" and I head for the door.
Standing there was this nerdy looking guy with acne sporting a lime green polo shirt with some indiscernible logo and a crackling CB radio on his hip.
"Afternoon sir, I am from the Blah Blah company and I am offering to fit your house completely with our energy saving lightbulbs!"
I said, hang on... weren't you here on Friday. He is puzzled and then asked...
"Was it an Indian person?"
I answered in the affirmative...
"Well they're really dodgy" was his reply.
Stunned, I said "Well you're not to genuine sounding yourself and I said no to them and I will say no to you too... thanks" and then I shut the door.
Can I ask... why are people willing to give you a huge amount of energy saving lightbulbs? What's the catch?
A whole bunch of Indians descended on our suburb, each with a fold up chair and one of those red/blue striped laundry bags. They then proceeded to sit out on the median strips around our suburb in the shade and I had no clue as to what they were doing.
Then on Friday, the door bell rang... and standing at the door was an Indian girl... and she offered me some spiel that she was from some sort of company and asked me how many energy saving lightbulbs I would need in the house? "Twenty?? Thirty??" she asked... Me, in a daze, said "what, are you giving me free lightbulbs? Why?" She then said, "Wait here, I will be back in five minutes" and then I asked her if I had to do anything for these lightbulbs.
She said "we have to take your name and details down on our computer". Nevermind how they powered their computers by sitting by the side of the road all day, I said "No way" and told her not to worry about it... she seemed genuinely dismayed, but relised that I wouldnt fall for her scam.
Then yesterday, the doorbell rings again... this time, the girls answer it expecting a neighbourhood kid, but then I hear the dreaded "Hi, is your mummy home?" and I head for the door.
Standing there was this nerdy looking guy with acne sporting a lime green polo shirt with some indiscernible logo and a crackling CB radio on his hip.
"Afternoon sir, I am from the Blah Blah company and I am offering to fit your house completely with our energy saving lightbulbs!"
I said, hang on... weren't you here on Friday. He is puzzled and then asked...
"Was it an Indian person?"
I answered in the affirmative...
"Well they're really dodgy" was his reply.
Stunned, I said "Well you're not to genuine sounding yourself and I said no to them and I will say no to you too... thanks" and then I shut the door.
Can I ask... why are people willing to give you a huge amount of energy saving lightbulbs? What's the catch?
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Went away for a night...
to Echoes in the Blue Mountains for no reason other than we could!
Great place, amazing views of the mountains and I now have a real desire to do some serious bushwalking.
There was a spot out in the distance in the valley below which fascinated me called the Ruined Castle which apparently you can walk to and the trip is 7 hours. It says "for experienced walkers only" and not for the faint hearted... well, I am going to do some practice walks and take it on down the track.
We walked around Lady Darley's Point, down to the Three Sisters and of course took in the great views from Echo Point which was quite pleasant on a week day afternoon without a huge amount of tourists as there are on weekends.
Anyways, here's some pics:
Niki with the Three Sisters
Me with the "Ruined Castle" behind me on the left. This shot was on our balcony ;)
Me at the bottom of Lady Darley's steps... shear drop behind me.
Us at the base of the VERY steep stairs to the Three Sisters
Great place, amazing views of the mountains and I now have a real desire to do some serious bushwalking.
There was a spot out in the distance in the valley below which fascinated me called the Ruined Castle which apparently you can walk to and the trip is 7 hours. It says "for experienced walkers only" and not for the faint hearted... well, I am going to do some practice walks and take it on down the track.
We walked around Lady Darley's Point, down to the Three Sisters and of course took in the great views from Echo Point which was quite pleasant on a week day afternoon without a huge amount of tourists as there are on weekends.
Anyways, here's some pics:
Niki with the Three Sisters
Me with the "Ruined Castle" behind me on the left. This shot was on our balcony ;)
Me at the bottom of Lady Darley's steps... shear drop behind me.
Us at the base of the VERY steep stairs to the Three SistersWednesday, September 24, 2008
Glad my taxpayers dollars aren't being used...
...to buy out bad debts like they are in the US!
The US Congress is debating the need to spend $700Bn of tax payers dollars to bail out bad debts from its financial institutions.
$700 billion dollars!
That is the largest rescue package ever since the Great Depression and is an alarming fact that the US economy - of which we're tied to the hip - is in severe trouble.
Of course, with the markets failing, investors move into secure / solid asset classes like Gold and Oil and the price of oil surged upwards by $25 a barrel which pundits here in Australia are saying will increase our bowser cost by 25 cents a litre.
$2 / litre petrol is not far away people!
So whilst our taxes are not being spent on this farcical payout, the trickle down effects on our costs of living will be huge.
Funny, I heard an ad on the radio this morning for a special on LPG gas conversion for your car... timely ;-)
The US Congress is debating the need to spend $700Bn of tax payers dollars to bail out bad debts from its financial institutions.
$700 billion dollars!
That is the largest rescue package ever since the Great Depression and is an alarming fact that the US economy - of which we're tied to the hip - is in severe trouble.
Of course, with the markets failing, investors move into secure / solid asset classes like Gold and Oil and the price of oil surged upwards by $25 a barrel which pundits here in Australia are saying will increase our bowser cost by 25 cents a litre.
$2 / litre petrol is not far away people!
So whilst our taxes are not being spent on this farcical payout, the trickle down effects on our costs of living will be huge.
Funny, I heard an ad on the radio this morning for a special on LPG gas conversion for your car... timely ;-)
Friday, September 19, 2008
Why the AIG bailout is bad news for all...
OK, some seriousness today...
The collapse of one of the worlds leading insurers AIG and its subsequent rescue by the US Federal Reserve in exchange for 80% of the companies ownership is very alarming.
I am not sure if Australians are aware of AIG other than the fact that they are the sponsors of Manchester United, but the reality is that many Australian corporates rely on AIG for insurance and the collapse of such a large entity will spell operational cost increases for those corporates and hence those costs will be passed on to their customers - i.e us punters.
To put it into terms we Australians understand - HIH Insurance collapsed leaving debts of $4.5Bn. AIG needed A$107Bn to bail it out... roughly 25 times the size... and yet we Australians still spit when we hear the acronym HIH.
But the government bailed out AIG in the US and now own 80% of the company. Whilst that is a good thing in the short term, how can such a large company now be owned by the government and continue to operate... I believe that what the US Federal Reserve has done is stopped AIG imploding but it will still die a slow death and ease the sudden pain on the economy.
But what next? If AIG has collapsed, then what about the other big players in finance? How many companies need help? How many will get it? And what happens if the US Federal Reserve continues to buy up ailing big companies?
We suddenly move from a free economy to a government owned economy.
Is that not Communism?
The collapse of one of the worlds leading insurers AIG and its subsequent rescue by the US Federal Reserve in exchange for 80% of the companies ownership is very alarming.
I am not sure if Australians are aware of AIG other than the fact that they are the sponsors of Manchester United, but the reality is that many Australian corporates rely on AIG for insurance and the collapse of such a large entity will spell operational cost increases for those corporates and hence those costs will be passed on to their customers - i.e us punters.
To put it into terms we Australians understand - HIH Insurance collapsed leaving debts of $4.5Bn. AIG needed A$107Bn to bail it out... roughly 25 times the size... and yet we Australians still spit when we hear the acronym HIH.
But the government bailed out AIG in the US and now own 80% of the company. Whilst that is a good thing in the short term, how can such a large company now be owned by the government and continue to operate... I believe that what the US Federal Reserve has done is stopped AIG imploding but it will still die a slow death and ease the sudden pain on the economy.
But what next? If AIG has collapsed, then what about the other big players in finance? How many companies need help? How many will get it? And what happens if the US Federal Reserve continues to buy up ailing big companies?
We suddenly move from a free economy to a government owned economy.
Is that not Communism?
Thursday, September 18, 2008
I'm OK... but its been pretty bad!
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