I've been in limbo the past two weeks. I had a nasty, sleep-deprived week of housesitting (two words - "Jack Russells"), got home on Saturday and have been recovering since. Three to four hours of broken sleep a night, over seven nights, broke me. As did picking up dog poop off the kitchen floor at 04h00 - every morning! I can't quite figure how they (I have a feeling it is just the younger one) manage to poop on the floor when I put them to 'bed' at midnight and then I'm up at 00h45, 02h00, 03h00 and 04h30 to let them out (in response to yipping, which I took to mean "please let us out").
What was great about my week with these terrors was taking them for walk-runs every evening. Their dad says that the younger one isn't great at running/walking and that he just sits when he's tired and waits to be picked up. Whenever he sat down I'd talk to him, give him a reassuring stroke and off we'd go again. After a week of daily runs he blossomed into a most lovely little walker-runner and on out last run he didn't sit once! I do find great pleasure in running dogs and watching their transformation. After my dog outings I'd drop them off and head out again for a longer run.
Last year I sat the same house (there was only one Jack then) and I met a fellow runner. Jason lives a block away. A few days before getting to the house I dropped him a note to say I'd be back and we hooked up for a super run the one night. It's fun running in a different area. I invited him over this side on Wednesday so I could show off one of my favourite runs from my home. He really enjoyed the route.
December is usually a good running month for me. There's no rush, the weather is generally very good (I've had a few glorious runs in the rain), friends are often available to join me and I log decent mileage. I've had big chunks of continuous running days and I always feel so much better for it. I'm finding that even three days on and one day off doesn't do it for me as much as when I run seven or more continuous days, even if the shortest run is only 30 minutes. My body thrives off running more and more and more and it just loves running every day. This is a good thing with the five-day Namib Desert Challenge coming up in late March. I don't often run continuous chunks like this with other activities (and laziness) in the evenings, which break up the streak, but I certainly do feel better for it - worth prioritising.
I'm cooking up a run route for New Year's Eve - I'm thinking of a 18h00 start. It will be about 15km at a casual pace and will take in some great viewpoints and sights around the Bedfordview area. If you're in Jo'burg and you're keen to join, please drop me an email so I can let you know final plans (lisa @ ar.co.za).
Saturday, 29 December 2012
Thursday, 13 December 2012
A year of crochet projects
I've recently wrapped up a couple of crochet projects... and I'm almost ready to start on some new ones.
It's amazing how many hours disappear into creating items - and I've put in a ton of them this year. I usually get to work on my projects at night while watching telly or a DVD. For sure, I don't get to see much on the screen - it's more like listening to an audio book. hahahaha.
I started a Ravelry page earlier this year. It's an online resource for knitting and crochet where people share patterns and creations and items made from the same pattern are connected. I knew about the site for a while from searching for patterns and ideas but it was only when I met another crochet fan at a yarn shop that I set my profile up. One of the first things she asked me was, "Are you on Ravelry?". It's like Facebook for knitting and crochet. Sharing is caring.
The best thing about my Ravelry page is that I can put all my projects there. WIPs (Work In Progress) and completed items. For the WIPs you can edit a 'completed' percentage as you progress and it is quite satisfying to move the slider from 15% to 35% to 50% to 75% to 100% - DONE!
You can also put in a start and finish date; it is a super indication of where my time has disappeared to. I'm always busy with stuff, my hands are always working but because I give away most of what I make the items are not here and visible symbols of time spent.
Here are a bunch of things I've made this year.
In February I completed a very special blanket for a very special friend. I've still got it. Waiting for a few things to happen before I hand it over. I started it in late-September last year.
I've decided that I'm not very good at crocheting on request. I'm far more inspired when I know people and am creating something especially for them.
On my list of new projects are:
It's amazing how many hours disappear into creating items - and I've put in a ton of them this year. I usually get to work on my projects at night while watching telly or a DVD. For sure, I don't get to see much on the screen - it's more like listening to an audio book. hahahaha.
I started a Ravelry page earlier this year. It's an online resource for knitting and crochet where people share patterns and creations and items made from the same pattern are connected. I knew about the site for a while from searching for patterns and ideas but it was only when I met another crochet fan at a yarn shop that I set my profile up. One of the first things she asked me was, "Are you on Ravelry?". It's like Facebook for knitting and crochet. Sharing is caring.
The best thing about my Ravelry page is that I can put all my projects there. WIPs (Work In Progress) and completed items. For the WIPs you can edit a 'completed' percentage as you progress and it is quite satisfying to move the slider from 15% to 35% to 50% to 75% to 100% - DONE!
You can also put in a start and finish date; it is a super indication of where my time has disappeared to. I'm always busy with stuff, my hands are always working but because I give away most of what I make the items are not here and visible symbols of time spent.
Here are a bunch of things I've made this year.
In February I completed a very special blanket for a very special friend. I've still got it. Waiting for a few things to happen before I hand it over. I started it in late-September last year.
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| Rafia from the hardware store - turned into an egg basket (this is in use in my kitchen) |
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| Heart keyrings for the girls in my pole dance class for Valentine's Day |
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| A sleeveless baby vest for Lizelle's baby boy. |
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| 16 beanies for my winter beanie bombing project |
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| Handwarmers for Lauren's birthday - her office is freezing! |
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| A scarf for my dad's birthday - with long-ways stripes. |
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| Waves beanie for my surfer friend Charlie. |
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| Multi-colour, multi-square blanket. Started in Dec last year and completed in September. If I decide to make something stupid like this again, stop me please! Changing colours every 'row' and sewing in the ends is not a picnic. Looks pretty though. I've kept this one as my 'summer napping blanket'. |
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| Toddler-sized ripple blankets. The grey yarn (lovely and soft) was donated to me by Kyle's mom. These are for the children's home where my cousin volunteers. I made two blankets for them last year. |
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| Newsboy-style beanies for some little girls. I only know the one girl - the green one with the beige flower (top left) is for her. The girls are between 10-11 yrs and one is 4yrs old. I finished the last one (purple flower) last night. This has been a tough project because I've had to size them from dimensions I found on the web and without a head to test them on (too small for me) there has been A LOT of pulling out and starting over... |
On my list of new projects are:
- A tea cosy for a tea-drinking friend
- Another blankie - but this one with single-colour squares of different texture
- I'm keen to try my hand at crochet 'lace'. Small hook, fine cotton tread and delicate motifs
Colour, colour, colour!
Tuesday, 11 December 2012
Running on D'MOSS
This weekend I was down in Durbs to teach an orienteering mapping course. I went down a bit early to catch up with my friend Paula and to have some time to play with Deon.
On Friday evening I joined Deon for a little jog to his local pool and back. Lovely to oogle at the beautiful, large trees all over the place. On Saturday morning we were up early-early for a run on part of the D'MOSS trails. D'MOSS stands for Durban Municipality Open Space System. It's a system of open spaces (parks and reserves) linked by a network. It includes some privately owned land too. While D'MOSS is about protection of natural areas, ecosystems and endangered critters it is also about having linked green spaces for recreation - running, hiking, mountain biking etc.
So on Saturday morning we ran from Deon's home in Glenmore on a trail along a large canal and up to the UKZN sports grounds where there's a lovely trail through forest on the property. Looking on Google Maps it looks like this 'canal' is the Mkhumbane river. The lushness and green-ness of the area is incredible. I'm so not used to Durbs.
On Sunday evening we hooked up with Deon's friend Derek (recently moved to JHB but still often in Durbs) to run Burman Bush, an absolutely lovely patch of indigenous coastal forest very much in the heart of Durban. There are a number of trails - we criss-crossed all over the place.
While the D'MOSS concept totally rocks I can't find any maps online. On the www.durban.gov.za website there's a thing for maps and then you get their GIS system; but it isn't a nicely presented map of the network of trails linking parks and reserves! In fact, a GIS map does no-one any favours, as you can see below.
Years ago my buddy Fred attended a meeting where a group of people looking into developing sport tourism facilities in the greater Durban region.
"I proposed maps and route markers and signboards linking all the D'MOSS facilities," he says. "It would have been a stunner used by thousands. Instead they decided to spend money on developing the trail corridor along the Umgeni river between PMB and Durban - a resource used by a handful of people."
This is something that really, really needs a good map showing benches, loos, water fountains, picnic spots, view points... Nevermind locals, D'MOSS is a great place for holidaying visitors to enjoy. They really just need some people-friendly maps.
On Friday evening I joined Deon for a little jog to his local pool and back. Lovely to oogle at the beautiful, large trees all over the place. On Saturday morning we were up early-early for a run on part of the D'MOSS trails. D'MOSS stands for Durban Municipality Open Space System. It's a system of open spaces (parks and reserves) linked by a network. It includes some privately owned land too. While D'MOSS is about protection of natural areas, ecosystems and endangered critters it is also about having linked green spaces for recreation - running, hiking, mountain biking etc.
So on Saturday morning we ran from Deon's home in Glenmore on a trail along a large canal and up to the UKZN sports grounds where there's a lovely trail through forest on the property. Looking on Google Maps it looks like this 'canal' is the Mkhumbane river. The lushness and green-ness of the area is incredible. I'm so not used to Durbs.
On Sunday evening we hooked up with Deon's friend Derek (recently moved to JHB but still often in Durbs) to run Burman Bush, an absolutely lovely patch of indigenous coastal forest very much in the heart of Durban. There are a number of trails - we criss-crossed all over the place.
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| Derek in red, Deon in white and me as piggy-in-the-middle. From the viewpoint in Burman. |
Years ago my buddy Fred attended a meeting where a group of people looking into developing sport tourism facilities in the greater Durban region.
"I proposed maps and route markers and signboards linking all the D'MOSS facilities," he says. "It would have been a stunner used by thousands. Instead they decided to spend money on developing the trail corridor along the Umgeni river between PMB and Durban - a resource used by a handful of people."
This is something that really, really needs a good map showing benches, loos, water fountains, picnic spots, view points... Nevermind locals, D'MOSS is a great place for holidaying visitors to enjoy. They really just need some people-friendly maps.
Thursday, 6 December 2012
Flight booked for Namib Desert Challenge (March 2013)
I thought I'd take a look at flights this morning for the Namib Desert Challenge (NDC) for next year. The race takes place from 25-29 March 2013. Both SAA and Kulula fly to Windhoek so I pulled both of them up and lo-and-behold, all flights on SAA on the Saturday (23rd) to Windhoek were sold out. I got a flight to Windhoek on Kulula and my return flight (30th) on SAA. Phew! Good thing I didn't leave it longer to book.
I'm really looking forward to this run because I love-love-love stage racing and I've been fortunate to have run in a number of self-sufficient races like Kalahari Augrabies Extreme Marathon (Northern Cape) and Jungle Marathon (Brazil); a supported, staged races like Coastal Challenge (Costa Rica) and Namib Desert Challenge (Namibia); and full-service races like Himalayan Stage Race (India) and TransRockies Run (Colorado, USA; in a pair). And then I had three years of the wonderful full-service, multi-discipline staged race, the Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge (2008-2010; the event is sadly no more).
The format of NDC looks to be quite a bit different to the original format. Initially it was meant to be self-sufficient but after Day 1 we got to leave our food and stuff for the rest of the race behind, only running with each day's provisions. Tented accommodation (with mattresses!) was provided; we just brought along our sleeping bags and all food for the five days.
This year tented accommodation is provided and also buffet dinners each evening! Talk about being spoilt! We've only got to bring along our own breakfast, lunch and running snacks - but we don't have to carry everything with us during the running - we can leave these goodies behind in our tent.
Running this race again will be like running it for the first time because the route has been changed a lot since the first one back in February 2009.
I'm going to make myself a new, colourful pair of Desert Gaiters for the run. It was actually for this race that I created my Version 2 of the desert gaiter design (I created the current Version 3 for the 2010 Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge).
Lots of training to be done between now and March next year! Yay!
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| On top of a dune at the end of the long, 50-odd kilometre stage. It was frikkin' hot running into Soussousvlei! (Feb, 2009) |
The format of NDC looks to be quite a bit different to the original format. Initially it was meant to be self-sufficient but after Day 1 we got to leave our food and stuff for the rest of the race behind, only running with each day's provisions. Tented accommodation (with mattresses!) was provided; we just brought along our sleeping bags and all food for the five days.
This year tented accommodation is provided and also buffet dinners each evening! Talk about being spoilt! We've only got to bring along our own breakfast, lunch and running snacks - but we don't have to carry everything with us during the running - we can leave these goodies behind in our tent.
Running this race again will be like running it for the first time because the route has been changed a lot since the first one back in February 2009.
I'm going to make myself a new, colourful pair of Desert Gaiters for the run. It was actually for this race that I created my Version 2 of the desert gaiter design (I created the current Version 3 for the 2010 Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge).
Lots of training to be done between now and March next year! Yay!
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