Typhoon In Phillippines

Causes great loss & suffering. But the leading banner on the Sydney Morning Herald's webpage
Sydney Property records smashed

Sydney property records smashedSydney property records 

Let me pay you to bully me!

Some months ago, without any warning ( ie  a Development Application advising local residents), a bootcamp opened near my home. Initially  I learned about it by hearing excessive and loud shouting twice a day, reminiscent of my childhood growing up in army camps. Only this time, accompanied by loud music with a heavy beat.
Annoying though it is , I have become used to it, knowing that it does not last for too long and that eventually the poor creatures  get to go home. The facility advertises itself with before & after pictures. the 'before' pictures often feature a young, plump woman with a baby in her arms and a happy smile . The 'after' pictures show her standing tall, slim & upright, and ready for battle.
Years ago, and far away, I worked in a job that required me to implement the changes enabled by human rights in employment legislation. The right  to not be discriminated against on the basis of ethnicity, gender, or disability. It was  difficult and challenging to persuade and encourage people with entrenched views about, for example, the role of women in the workforce, or employing people from an Aboriginal background in public contact roles through affirmative action programs.
 Some changes have been made, though in general, this country has not advanced hugely in this area. Women, on the whole, still earn less money than men, even in professions like medicine and engineering. People whose appearance is not white european are  still called  by derogatory names. Sexual harassment has not been removed from the workplace, and now bullying has become the means to harass people at work for all sorts of reasons, and causes distress not only for the victims , but for  others who witness such ill treatment.
What has this got to do with getting fit?
Most of us know the common sense  of losing weight or getting fit is to eat less and move more. I guess many have the view that they cannot do it by themselves, and if they pay someone to help them, they will commit to the task. But why do we have to have someone shout at us? If we are feeling powerless to make the changes we need to make, being shouted at must surely reinforce the idea of lack of ability, or knowledge . And underscores possible emotions of low self esteem and low self worth. So people sign up to become victims ?

So do they learn sustainable ways of changing their fitness practices, or will they be back in three years time, after the wedding and the babies?
I hear the instructor from my back yard , four houses away, he is probably a nice and well meaning person who wants to help others 'achieve their goals', but it still sounds like bullying to me.

Tokyo pix

At the Yasukuni shrine

The holiday is well and truly over, work has resumed. We are planning the return trip. But here are some photos from the 2 days in Tokyo

A walk around Lake Moreau

Lake Moreau
-quite lovely , but not as summery as the link!

Well the lake was frozen anyway!

NYC

After theatre drinks

Lost in Time(s square)











The Garment District

New photos

Dining at Fort Edward

Sunday January 1 2012 about 1:00pm

Cabin Fever

A cold & cough has felled me. Yesterday I was indoors all day. Cabin fever sent me out to take a walk around the farm

Just a load of pix

Not quite snowing yet

Christmas Day dawned with a dusting of snow. It did not last. After church , the gathered family unwrapped presents. laughed a lot , and everyone played with their toys, even the children.

In the evening , a huge turkey accompanied by mountains of vegetables , was reduced to a small hill. There were thirteen or fourteen adults, three children and one cute baby.

Later we played a game of Wise/Otherwise. Sort of Ex Libris meets Trivial . Good fun. Louis & I came second. (Louis is one of our landlords, they of the beautiful horses & scenic sunsets)

This author continued to suffer with her cold, so she has a lot of drinking to catch up.

On Christmas Eve , Michael & I went to Shusan , a town with a covered bridge and interesting Antiques/ Gift store. Very close to the Vermont border , in sight of snow topped mountains.

A very pretty village.Well kept houses, I wondered who lived there and why. I cannot write my suggested answers here in case I  decide to live here too.  Nothing to do with thiw stuffed bear , M is wrestling though!

Today we drove into Vermont , to Bennington.

On Holidays!

It was a long flight, well two long flights really, separated with a sleepover in Narita. When we arrived  at JFK , a burst of madness driven by frugality, made us catch the Sky Train, then the subway, into Penn station. Not an unpleasant journey in itself, but hard work with all the luggage!  And got our tickets to Albany on the Empire line ( Amtrak) with only a few spare minutes to get a soft drink before boarding the train. So JFK to Schuylerville took another six and a half hours, including Immigration and Customs .

The train journey along the Hudson is always fascinating to me, this time, all  the boats in the little harbours & boat clubs along the way are wrapped tight in plastic;  gigantic boat shaped wraps, protecting the contents from the advancing winter . Patches of snow from last weeks fall, still settled in shady spots, grubby now with the mud along the way.

View from my bedroom , first morning. Hudson Valley

Yearlings 

Our hosts home, just below our cottage

Susie was there to meet us with a big smile  and a new green car .

After dinner she delivered us to  the horse property on which we are agisted  until the English visitors have been and gone. We have a warm & cosy cottage with wonderful views of heaven and earth

Two days have followed with frantic shopping for snow boots , purple fleece gloves, car hire  and a cheap mobile phone service. Now we can begin to feel settled and ready for the round of parties, gallery openings and who knows what that form the life here for Susie and John  .

The weather has been cool, occasionally wet, sunny , and promises to get cold by the weekend. But Wednesday, our first day here, we were in short sleeved t-shirts! Better weather than the day we left Sydney!

We have joined the YMCA for swimming and the first morning there I met a friend I made 3 or 4 visits ago. SHe was a victim of polio as a child, and introduced me to two fellow travellers. I guess Australia did not experience the intensity of that dreadful disease , I know of only one or two  I have met over the forty or more years I have lived in Australia. An illness that leaves a complex legacy for its sufferers.

Perth visit

I was in Perth last weekend. The wildflowers were ablaze in colour in King's Park . It was so lovely I went twice. Also visited Pinnarroo Memorial gardens .

Planning an escape

Whilst the chook run was being renovated  the girls had some fun ways to get out.

Michael has a birthday Lunch

And Katja gets a gift too!!

Japanese Raisin Tree

Today at the markets, the lady at the stall where I buy my rhubarb offered me a taste of a Japanese Raisin.


It was sweet, crisp and chewy. fibrous but not unpleasant . Bit like a Nashi pear flavour- honey? The drupes are not pretty until you bite them!

I perched them on top of the fresh cauliflower ( that is now soup!)

those naughty hens

Were pretending they has stopped laying now we are well past the Summer Solstice. No "I'm gonna lay a cackleberry noises" and the frantic rushing around that goes with telling the whole of Leichhardt that an egg is happening.
But I kept looking at  a couple of them thinking  they must be laying them somewhere. Found them amid the thorns of a rose bush at their back gate. And yes they are all still fit to eat, they passed the sink test!

Christmas Eve @ Katja & Justin's home

These lovely German women learn Italian together

A lovely setting!

Justin prepared a stunning meal Garlic prawns followed by Grilled Salmon on a puree of peas, and several salads and potato dishes. Thank you Justin and Katja!!