Celebrate ordinary and trust yourself

I've read two really good posts this week.

The first is "Redefining Success and Celebrating the Ordinary" in the New York Times. Society is geared towards recognition for the first, the best, the achiever... those with stellar accomplishments. There's a too strong link between extraordinary and success. Success is so many things including being a kind person who enjoys what they do.

A lovely sentence from a guy quoted in the piece, "Climb the mountain not to plant your flag, but to embrace the challenge, enjoy the air and behold the view. Climb it so you can see the world, not so the world can see you."

The second post is from Penelope Trunk; I subscribe to her blog. Her new one is "Best advice to twentysomethings: trust yourself". I think it is great advice to everyone, especially those on 'alternative paths', those who question whether they're wasting their time, those worried about 'progress' in life... It's a good perspective on being fine with who you are and where you are.

The gem that Huddle Park will be

I've been wanting to check out Huddle Park, in Linksfield, for some time. It used to be a golf course (actually, three golf courses) and has been in a state of disrepair for many years now. A friend who lives in the area - Vic runs through the park occasionally - invited me to join him on a run there on Friday. I was blown away by the size of the park and the potential for running, biking, orienteering... There has been talk about developing a trail for running and biking as well as preservation of the wetland and re-establishment of fauna and flora.

We noticed that there is golf course development happening (big machinery and people at work), but this is only on one section of the land, near the road. According to a post on the Huddle Park website, "A running, walking and cycling track will be established. This will be incorporated into the nature conservation area. The Wendy Bodman Walk between Huddle Park and the Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Course will be cleaned. The dam will be included with this walkway as a nature conservation area. People can use this area for picnics and to enjoy the natural beauty of the environment." (See this piece on IOL too.)

As it is the highveld in winter, the park is very brown. The grass has been cut or burned throughout, which makes the park less 'shady' and more safe to play in. There are loads of paths already in the park so running and biking options already abound. It's just a matter of roaming the property to figure out what is where. As we ran under trees and past the dams my eyes feasted on potential features for the placement of orienteering controls! Ditches, rough open land, re-entrants, edges of dams and below dam walls...

Loads of trees (wide rows generally) and open sections from the old fairways.

It will be fabulous to have an 'Emmarentia-like' venue just over the hill from me. The property is huge, the scope for running and biking is there and with the dams and bird-life this will be a lovely local nature spot.

Vic on the bridge. We entered the park on the North-western side, using this bridge to cross into the park. Looks bad but is actually solid.

FYI - there's a Save Huddle Park FB group.

Off to a slow start

When I got back from Ireland I was in a post-rogaine recovery phase so I wasn't bothered about too much focus on running training because I needed to rest up and say thank you to my body for swallowing '36 Days of Running', two weeks of travelling and then 23 hours on my feet over tough terrain.

When I got back I jumped into work and club and activities and teaching and all my usual activities. Only, I was pooped! The travels, the racing, the running, the go-go-go was really just too much - all on top of each other. I crashed and needed a few nights of sleeping 10-12 hours!

I haven't been running much although I've been playing aerial and circus games, which are totally exhausting but more in the upper body and core than cardio. I've needed this rest and with each run - every few days only - I'm feeling more with it.

The challenge is psychological more than physical. I've needed this break even if I haven't wanted it. Foot-off-the-gas time. It is ok to tick over and not make any 'perceived' headway. In science, negative results are still results and in sport rest is part of training.

I'm running the Ngoje 45km trail run in Eshowe next weekend and am aiming for a good day out in my trip-trap style. I'm definitely not seeing this run as a race. I'll walk when I want to, run when I want to, take some pics and enjoy being out there. I haven't been to this area since Zirk's 180km in early 2000 so I'm looking forward to being down there.

I may feel as of I'm off to a slow start in getting back into my regular running routine but that's actually fine and certainly beneficial long term.

What can you make?

I believe that it is important to be able to make stuff. Using your hands.

In the same article on busyness in the NY Times, author Tim Kreider writes, "More and more people in this country no longer make or do anything tangible; if your job wasn’t performed by a cat or a boa constrictor in a Richard Scarry book I’m not sure I believe it’s necessary. I can’t help but wonder whether all this histrionic exhaustion isn’t a way of covering up the fact that most of what we do doesn’t matter."

I've often thought about what we do in our working days and the 'importance' thereof, especially when I hear of natural disasters like the earthquake in Haiti and the tsunami in Japan.

In an apocalypse situation it would be far more valuable for me to know how to build a wattle and daub structure, make a fire sans lighter and to cultivate food*. Closer to home, if electricity and water in Jo'burg went off, city-wide (so you can't just go to your friend's place to have a shower and get water), for more than a few days, most of us would be screwed. Just what would you do? Stockpile from the shops? And when stock ran out?

* Food is a tough one 'cos when disaster happens crops get wiped out and if I plant seeds now I'll only get food from the plants months down the line. Bad news this past week about drought in the US - not great for food aid.

While I really enjoy writing articles, seeing them published and occasionally getting feedback, if we had a natural disaster here to deal with would they matter? Nope. Not many occupations matter in an apocalypse and somehow I'm more and more feeling an affinity with those that do.


At the moment I have a NEED to make things. For over a year I've been getting such satisfaction from crochet mostly because it fulfills this need to create something useful from something that can't really be used for anything practical. I think of it as taking a ball of yarn and turning it into something that can keep people warm versus sending off a dozen emails. Yarn wins hands down for that sense of accomplishment even though those emails ultimately turn into something a little more tangible.


Handmade comes and goes in the 'what is trendy' commercial arena. Me, I like handmade because if a friend has made something for me (meals count too), it is extra special. Handmade items take time, which is a helluva precious commodity.


I've decided that where possible I'm going to my Friday afternoons my 'Make Something' afternoons. Time that is dedicated to making stuff. Last week I crocheted a super special beanie (my most fabulous so far!) for a friend who enthusiastically exclaimed, "I'd love a beanie". He's a passionate cook so I've traded the beanie for a yummy meal. Trading is cool.


This past Friday I tried a bread recipe from my new book. It's a slow-rise process and these breads take pretty much 24hrs from making the dough to eating the bread. There are enough recipes at one-loaf-a-week to keep me busy for two years! I baked it last night and it came out well - I'll make a few adjustments for next time. I also tried a new recipe for ginger-grapefruit curd. For comparison, I made two batches: the new recipe and my old favourite. Old favourite is still better. I only got started on these creatings at about 3pm and finished juicing, blending, cooking, mixing, sterilising and sifting around 19h00. A very satisfying afternoon.


Sooo... what can you make? If I like, I'll trade you. A jar of curd? A scarf? A beanie? A loaf of bread?