Archive for ‘A bit of fun’

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January 4, 2012

Blistering Barnacles! It’s a new year

Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson have done a fine job with The Adventures of Tintin. Every Tintinophile including me will recognise the mixing and mingling of original stories to create this first of three movies. Some missing bits and some bits merged. The important sentiment and sense that has been Tintin for me for almost 5 decades is brought to life with fine humour and non-stop action. I’m pretty sure Herge would have been proud.

It’s day four of 2012 and there are rumblings of people back to work – you can feel it – actually you can see it in the emails being replied to after a respectable pause over the break.

That Holiday Sense for me

What is a holiday? Driving in the country today a herd of dairy cows walking in a line sharply brought back a memory of a boy-time holiday on dairy-farmer Uncle George’s farm. That was a real holiday! The surf, a barbeque, reading a new and interesting book on a new and as yet unexplored topic all mean holidays for me too. I struggle to get that sense to start with and I don’t mind admitting it hasn’t quite arrived yet, but I feel it might tomorrow. Really!

I’m back to work – or should I say off to my new work – on Monday week so that holiday sense better get here pretty bloody soon, or else. Christmas has been and gone – I enjoy the anticipation and the 26th even more! I visited my parents in Christchurch, somehow missing the worst of the recent quakes and connected with family as best as I could on a brief visit. I’ve done some work and although there will be a little more to do, the sense of the holiday is upon me.

That invisible feeling of being on holiday that means reflection, true perspective on what matters and a genuine recharge of the energy. That’s right a run tomorrow! Second of the year.

Like making the Tintin movie, you just know when you’ve got it. I hope you’ve had or are having it. Otherwise, blistering barnacles, go and see Tintin with Captain Haddock. That’s a holiday feeling definitely here, thinking about that!

Stephen

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December 30, 2011

Eight Christchurch Parks

I headed off from Mum and Dad’s place for my last run of the year. You’d hardly notice it in the car but it’s downhill towards the city from near Burnside High School. Like a gentle back wind you don’t really notice it running either, until you turn around. It was a quite a gloomy day, drizzling and quite cool, especially for late December.

First park was Mona Vale, just past 67 Fendalton Road where I remember helping Dad as a pre-school boy when he was a landscape contractor. Well I’ve always assumed I was helping! Mona Vale is beautiful, with well groomed houses on the other side of the Avon – I’m told the Hadlee residence is there somewhere. The Mona Vale buildings are fenced off, wrecked from earthquakes. The gardens are strangely immaculate and the highlight has to be the Gazebo with its beautiful stained glass windows. Out the back of Mona Vale into Christchurch Girls’ High School, where two of my sisters went, though at the previous Cramner Square site which is now just the site, empty, thanks to earthquake damage. Across into North Hagley Park I was greeted with the sign “Watch for Golf Balls”. Okay, I’ll keep my eyes peeled but I reckon by the time I see one worthy of being cautious about it’ll be over rover. So a large park essentially kept as a golf course near the city. My third park was the adjoining Botanic Gardens, scene of many a Sunday visit after Church where the perils of walking too close to the grass edge were instructed, to preserve the lawn, which Dad with his senior position in the Park’s Dept felt personal responsibility for at all times! Exiting the Gardens by the Peacock Fountain, left past the Canterbury Museum – one of the few old stone buildings functioning – and back up and over to Little Hagley Park.

Into Helmores Lane and it suddenly had a Wuthering Heights feel about it. A gloomy day with more than a few now derelict, boarded up houses wrecked by the quakes. Seems to me living by the river isn’t the best thing to do. I got the feeling that the occupiers behind “Resident’s Cars Only” signs might have wished for “Any Car Welcome, just bring some life to this place!”.  Over to Fendalton Road and a lap of St Barnabas Church where the famous and latterly infamous for his bouts of shoplifting Canon Bob Lowe presided. He’s apparently a relative although having updated the family tree while I’m here in Christchurch, he doesn’t appear in the 35 Lowes in the Tree.  Park number five was Fendalton Park with University of Canterbury qualifying as number six. I had to dice with danger by running a taped off area but I survived. Ray Blank Park in Ilam was next. Who Ray Blank was and why he had a park named after him, I didn’t know but you can find out here! The final park was Westburn Park, its claim to fame being a miniature street system complete with signage and road marking for kids on bikes, scooters etc to practice. Feeling the need to signal my last turn at the tiny Give Way it was right then left and back to Mum and Dad’s. See the map here of my 14.5km, and that’s my running done for 2011.

It hasn’t been the best running year, though a couple of marathons with a minimum of training, but I finish feeling more confident of cranking it up over the holidays again.

It’s the holidays. Do what you feel like. I am!

Stephen

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June 12, 2011

I love the movies!

I try to go the movies  a couple of times a week.  It’s Sunday, which is a great movie day, so here’s a listing of some of the movies I’ve seen this year (I know there’s more but this is a start) with links to blog entries where I’ve mentioned the particular movie.

Why? I felt like it! And they influence my thinking, and hence my blogs.

Stephen

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March 13, 2010

Offside with Hillary

“You won’t be needing that much” were the words that began my adventures on the Hillary Trail several weeks ago. What followed was a dumping of half of the contents of my newly acquired camel pack on the advice of a trusted running colleague, Froste. I had to trust Froste, he had claimed after all to be at school in the same year as my father. If he didn’t know what he was talking about, who would?

The Hillary Trail is a spectacular 74km “tramp” stretching from the Arataki Visitors Centre near Titirangi through the Waitakere Ranges and follows the coastline from Whatipu near the Manukau Heads north to Muriwai. The first attempt at the trail started with a group of about seven – three determined to run the entire length in one day, me with a “50ks or five hours – whatever comes first – hoping to get to Piha” and a group who were doing 11 out and then back.

The trail has incredible views and it is not easy! It is steep – so much so that language not used in polite society was heard on occasion. The trail takes in the peak of every mountain between Arataki and Piha. There is gorse and more gorse north of Bethells. At times the gorse gives way to Thistle. Lovely relief. Michael Simons knows that if you scratch your legs after gorse all hell breaks loose.

And the fluids? Well I ran out at about 15km. Amazing how all the usual hygiene rules go out the window when you’re dehydrated and you’ll happily slurp on anyone’s camel pack.

Arriving at Whatipu (22km) in 6 hours it was pretty clear that all ambitions for the day were seriously in doubt. I vaguely recall assaulting Michael in my dehydrated delirium. Sorry Michael.

I seriously considered pulling out – having met my pre-conditions for the day but after drinking about 3 litres of water and filling my camel pack, I decided to do another 10k to make it to Karekare.

Karekare took another two hours and I called it a day. The remaining pack continued on for another two hours to Piha.

The following weekend we ran the Piha to Muriwai leg (32km) in a total time of six hours. Again, we ran out of water – there is a horrendous climb out of the forest supposedly near Muriwai, but fortunately Froste and Michael found a friendly resident who offered her scarce, so I found out later, tank water. With Froste and Michael having replenished (or so I thought) their camel packs I proceeded to rinse my cap thoroughly and fill my pack. Little did I know that with the tank water at low levels they had taken a quick slurp, which explained why they waited 700 metres up the road to share on mine. Bad luck boys, I’d drunk the whole lot by then!

Michael declared it was 2km to Muriwai but the GPS proved otherwise – 7 in fact – and on arrival we were met by Julie M and Mrs Froste with drinks, muffins and good cheer.

For reasons that escaped me at the time, I agreed to go and do the last 32km again today, with an anticipated 6.00am start – “be at Froste’s at 5.30am sharp” was the command (news has got out that I’m not always on time). Sunrise is much later guys! Get with the programme – but we got started by 6.40am.

Rolled my right ankle twice and my left five times going off the trail today – fell over 3 times (though others say it was at least 5).

Would I do it again? You bet. The views are stunning – rainforest, black sand-dunes, waterfalls, surf, bulls, sheep, other runners looking even worse, trampers, babbling creeks, rivers to run in (with roads parallel that “you can’t use – that’s not on the map”). It’s a lot of fun. Plus there’s the 10ks I haven’t yet covered in the middle.

And it builds resilience – reslience that stays with us beyond running, whether that be in managing a family, running a business, leading others or caring for someone.

Thanks to Michael Simons, Mike Frost, Julie McMillin, Mike Dickie, Danny Baker, Michelle Garrett, Carol Bielby, Simon Clendon, Penny Kirkwood and Liz Frost for being part of my journeys on the Hillary Trail. I have a feeling I haven’t got everyone’s name here so forgive me – you have your own stories too so feel free to share.

Kodak moment? Running next to Froste on a wide stretch of track. Suddenly without warning he appears to be sliding in for a try next to me. Picks himself up. No ball. Offside Froste it’s clearly a penalty. Don’t bother bringing out the drink bottles mate – you won’t be needing that.

Stephen

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