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  • Improving their wind resistance

    I went to the races at Doomben for Kat’s birthday.  It was fun – we had a table on the grass, right near the fence, which enabled me to lean over and take photos every time the horses went thumping past.

    I am happy to say I’ll never have a gambling problem.  I just don’t get that thrill from gambling – it makes watching horse racing more fun, but when I’ve lost a few times (and I never win) I get irritable and stop.  I bet on a horse called Polar Bear because I liked the name, despite its chubby jockey (60 kilos to the other jockeys’ 53 – shocking!).  It actually led the field for the entire race, which was rather exciting, and then came fifth, which was not. (Erm, I have now realised that the weight listed next to the horse is the weight that horse is carrying, not the weight of the actual jockey. Sorry for defaming you, poor anonymous jockey.)

  • “Running”

    My workplace has a personal trainer come in twice a week, and I’ve been taking advantage of the sessions, which work me far harder than I work myself at the gym.  I’ve been working harder at the gym as a result because now if I don’t feel exhausted at the end of a session I feel rather lazy.

    I’m doing the Bridge to Brisbane this year (also with a group from work – it’s rather motivating working with a group of people who do crazy things like run to work), and have been trying to train a little so that I can do the 10ks without being agonisingly slow.  However, I can’t bring myself to tell people I’m going for a run without feeling the urge to put interted commas around “run”.

    I’ve been roughly following the Couch to 5k program, the beginning of which is embarrasingly close to my present fitness level.  The DJ Beatsmith podcasts for the program are good.  I’ve been unable to find any podcasts that aren’t techno, unfortunately, as I find techno incredibly boring.  I did find a guide to creating your own interval running mixes, so I might have a go at that at some point.

  • Succulent

    Succulent plants always make me think of jellyfish and underwater things – all globulous and cool under the fingers.

    The garden has been terribly neglected of late, as I’ve been preoccupied with other projects – photography, “running” (more on that later), and curling up with the latest stack of library books.  And it’s been cold and dry, and nothing is particularly flourishing without my help, which is not very encouraging.  I must do the rounds this weekend and spend a bit of quality time with the garden hose.

  • Sir Horace

    “Such a vicious kitten,” I enjoy cooing to Horace, possibly the sookiest cat ever to walk the earth, while tickling his tummy. “What a vicious kitty-cat.” However, he can occasionally live up to his lion-like looks and get destructive with various household accessories.

    (He’s a Norwegian Forest Cat cross Persian, the result of our friend’s show cat getting it on with the neighbour’s rather ordinary Persian. Not the done thing. I was very pleased by the liaison though, as we got ever-so-handsome Horace and his sister Abigail as a result.)

  • Pink rose

  • Max & Kat

    My brother and his girlfriend are getting married next year, and agreed (after a small bout of pleading on my behalf) that I could be the photographer on the big day. Given that it’s a rather long time away and I’m eager to get started, I am taking a few portraits of them every chance I get as practice.

  • Yellow rose

    Despite the chilly weather, there were still quite a few flowers blooming in the Mt Tamborine Botanical Gardens – this yellow rose, in the rose arbour, was surrounded by quite a few other varieties. I have always loved roses, but have never tried to grow them myself – my garden efforts are so hit and miss that I don’t think roses would stand a chance.

  • Bridge reflection

    I hadn’t known that there were Botanical Gardens on Mt Tamborine, before I went there on my Blue Dog Photography workshop. They were quite lovely little gardens, even in the middle of winter – I loved this bridge, and its reflection in the water in the afternoon sun.

  • In the kitchen

    Kat in her kitchen, interrupted while making hummus for lunch. It was delicious – chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice and garlic, whizzed in the food processor.

  • Then he changed his mind

    Wait, did I say he was passed around contentedly? Well, he was until I held him. I made him very unhappy at first – completely inadequate baby-holding-skills, in his opinion, but once I’d jiggled him around and hummed to him a bit he settled down for a while. Finally, someone who appreciates my vocal skills.