fun run c2s

Today is the City to Surf fun run. I'm entered for the 12km.

Deb drives is into the city then walks with me to the start, just as well, I would have had trouble finding the start, I had only skimmed the race day instructions.So we're at the start, Deb goes home, I follow the crowd.

Deb does not want to run, she does not like the crowd. today, 25,000 people.

My estimated time is more than two hours, so I'm in the "walk" category.

I maintain a pace which, for me, is a steady run, other people are walking as fast and faster.

I have no trouble but I'm tired when I finish.

I take a shuttle bus to the Forum then walk, cooling down, the few km to home.An enjoyable day's run :-)

As I explained to Deb: if not for cancer, I'd want to do this fun run. A challenge, and it supports a good cause. So why should cancer, with no noticeable effects, why should it stop me.

Deb worried anyway but our phones are set to track each other, Deb checked a couple of times and could see that I was still travelling in the correct direction.

Also, before the run, I had followed the course on a map so I knew where to go.

And today I keep up with enough people that I am in no danger of being lost.

Now I'm home, on the couch and planning to stay here :-)

Nick Lethbridge    /    Consulting Dexitroboper
Agamedes Consulting    /   Problems? Solved.
   ===


Happiness is wanting what you already have
   

Saturday in Ironbark

Our accommodation is just five mins out of Meckering. We're here all day. The forecast is for twenty mil of rain.

The weather is fine, overcast, cool but not cold (except when getting out of the nice warm bed).

Deb starts her day with a short walk, to feed some crusts to the farm chooks.

Mid-morning we drive to the Meckering fault line.

There's not much to see. it looks like a long earth bank, barely 2m high. A local managed to preserve this, an actual crack in the ground has been ploughed over.

It's a view across yellow canola -- and surprisingly fascinating.

Next, we drive to town, Meckering itself. There's a memorial park with info and photos, interesting stuff.

We say hello to Yvonne Smith who was living here during the quake Her first time back, helping her grandchildren write a school report on the quake.

Deb and I remember where we were during the 11am quake. Deb in a maths class, I was eating in the back room eating breakfast, it was a Public Holiday (different schools!).

We fill the truck with deisel, drive to Cunderdin. There's a museum, for pump station 3 on the pipeline to Kalgoorlie.

There's steam boiler, pump, some historical info, all interesting.

Outside is machinery. Farm tractors and such. Most interesting is a railway carriage. Hard wooden bench for ordinary passengers, a dining car. Various stories of people involved in the railway. One bloke used to sneak on board, chat with his girlfriend (later wife) in the dining car then help with cleaning the dishes before sneaking off at the City end of line.

We have lunch, delicious fish, at the Ettamogah-themed pub.

Drive up to Cunderdin Hill Lookout where, no surprise, there's a geocache. Makes the whole trip worthwhile:-)

The hill is not very high but still higher than the surroundings.

We enjoy the view, including watching the clouds getting darker.

We drive to Bulgin Rock, it's not well signposted, Deb stops a few times to check the map. (Gogle, of course, is no help, no signal.

At the Rock there's a cold wind, rain definitely starting, no geocache... so we drive home. Park and... dash inside just as the rain starts pouring down.

Now the rain is intermittent heavy showers, wind is strong, we are snug and dry inside with the heater on.

Our early plan was for dinner in Cunderdin. Instead, we had a main meal at lunch. Just as well... It's a good night for staying inside :-) With curtains open so we can enjoy the view of wind and rain across the green farm paddocks.

It's just 3:30, light enough to see it all.

Nick Lethbridge    /    Consulting Dexitroboper
Agamedes Consulting    /   Problems? Solved.
   ===


Happiness is wanting what you already have
   

Ironbark Farmstay

Aug 17th and we're spending the night near Meckering.

We set off at 11am, it's not a long drive. In fact my plan, a round trip which takes in all the local sights, is four hours' drive. Spread over three days, so no hurry.

We drive to Northam for late lunch. eggs benedict at the riverside(?) cafe, a good view over the Avon River. Where the Descent starts Good food, too.

We've been here before, to help with the Kep run.

After eating we walk round town. There's a second-hand bookshop so... I buy some old books.

Coffee amd cake at Lucy's Cafe. Deb chose the cake so it's chocolate.

We stroll back to the river, then the truck. Drive to Ironbark Farmstay.

It's a slow drive. We're in a queue of cars behind a slow truck... We were behind the same truck before Northam, it's only just managed to get ahead of us.

The accomm is easy to find. The farm has three or four cabins, surrounded by a lot of paddocks. All green with foot high crop. A few sheep further away.

We find our cabin, SalmonGum. Go in. 

Deb says, It's lovely -- so I'm really pleased :-)

Deb grabs a container of sheep feed, another of chook feed and we walk off to feed the pet sheep and the chickens. A farm dog barks hello.

Deb loves it all so I love it.

Now it's almost time for dinner: farm scones. And I'll explain why we are here...

There's a short story competition, I wrote some stories for it.

One story invoves an earthquake so... set near Meckering. I search for an interesting place name to set the story, find Meenaar and noticed this farmstay nearby.

I plan a drive: home to here to home again. Show Deb and she says, Let's do it. There may even be wildflowers. (not so far).

So here we are.

I hope this works: No internet, I type an email. press send. When The tablet gets internet again, this post/email should send.

So now: dinner.

Nick Lethbridge    /    Consulting Dexitroboper
Agamedes Consulting    /   Problems? Solved.
   ===


Happiness is wanting what you already have