5 Sleeps to Chrissy and a dreadful 5k

Christmas Day falling on a Tuesday seems perfect in the office world especially when an extra day will almost be definitely off.  It's rather typical to close the office for a week in almost all offices here.  An enforced holiday period and folks are already winding down at least 2 weeks before.  State schools are finishing this week whereas private and independent schools ended their terms on the first December week.  Mine are just hibernating for a while homewise as I've started on a bit of part-time work since last month.  Pays pittance but it's distracting.  Since I 'retired' from office work for almost 9 years, it is never easy to get back to work force especially in my 40s and with the work economy on a slide.

In any case, let's focus on the positive side of the festive season.  There's gonna be a bit of Christmas parties happening here.  Saturday is the club's party and I haven't decided if I should go.  Sunday is a big music night with a party for the old and young kids www.musicinyouth.com

Eve will be delighting in a little gourmet feast for the kids.  Baby back ribs, swedish meatballs, apple strudel and icecream.

Christmas morning starts with an easy run at Jells with a couple of runners then I'll be heading to an arvo party at a friend's place with a 25m heated pool to indulge.  Weather forecasted for that day is 20deg so the barbie is going to be a little cool. 

I may pop into Myer on Boxing Day to get an item which I hope will be on sale.  

My Tuesday's 5k handicapped run was awfully slow at 25.25mins.  Damn the long gradients to and back which I started a bit too fast trying to keep up with Kathy who did a 22mins.  Too fast too soon.  Having said that, I'm so happy to see the end of the summer 5k.  Another scheduled is in winter.  The 2 big 5k trials for our weekday group.

Brought my specialty - curried egg sandwiches - for the party do after the run.  A long table of feasting and some catching up with other runners. With long daylight, many of us didn't leave till about 9pm with a bellyful of yummos.

Summer and Christmas Ho Hum

The build-up to Chrissie is just about the only thing folks are so much drawn to.  Gone are the days when you get blasted with Christmas jingles and songs all through the malls and radio.  I'm still counting with my fingers the number of Christmas songs I hear when shopping.  The caveat is I do not shop much.  Fair enough. Spending a bit more time on the road with the radio didn't keep me in the Christmas mood.  Seems like the festivity of Christimas has paled this year.  Or that I'm just not exactly in the celebratory mood.  

The whole of last summer was spent outside of Melbourne with the best being a Parisian Christmas and New Year.  What more can one ask ?

Had a great ride on the Ducati yesterday morning, in time to avoid the searing 37C heat at its peak in the arvo.  Wearing leather at 28C was still as comfortably warm to Warburton and at the same time, the adductors had a great workout.  Hot days are the best bike days on country roads.  

Ran a lazy 11k this perfectly cool and sunny morning with bestie.  Chatted bits more than noticed the pace we're in.  Did 5 laps while catching up with her adventures on The Ghan from Adelaide to Darwin.  Two nights of luxurious buffet speads, the cardinal sin of any calories watcher, she ate more than she would seriously wanted to.  Payback time is working out with more running and pump classes to keep the flab in check.

Signed up (finally!) for the King Island 32K handicapped race in March just to keep the Early Bird fee.  Another confirmed event is Lorne's Mountain to Surf in mid January.  The world's biggest open water swim is also being held the same weekend.  It's the busiest summer event in this coastal town, next being the Great Ocean Road Marathon in May talking of which my running mates have all booked their accommodation which is the first to go months in advance.

With just the wind as your friend

Awesome Owlet

Miss Owlet has once again surpassed her academic expectations when I received the letter from the school weeks before the awards night on Monday.  Her first year in high school saw her comfortably adjusted to the new environment and making new friends in addition to upping her academic pace.

She never knew what the award was for and underplayed the importance with her reluctance to attend. Until that very night, we were kept in suspense and when she sauntered up the stage with the rest of the recipients, she might have then realised the significance of the night.  It was like a school Oscar night without the glam and blink blink.

Miss Owlet has and will be growing into a wonderful unassuming young woman in this school environment where she excels.  We're happy to have made the right single-sex school choice.