More Dust...

We're having another dust storm this morning and so it looks like a day inside doing family stuff. To be honest it was forecast during the week and so we didn't bother cleaning up too much after Wednesdays storm. The car washes have been absolutely packed all week and every business is looking for a dust angle, I actually saw a jewellery shop advertising a "Get the dust out of your Jewellery" offer!

Doesn't seem to be as bad as the last one, but still not very pleasant.

Do you have anything in a smaller size?

With pregnancy not far from conversation at home or at school (... lots of babies due there too!) the birth of Akbar Risuddin, or Risuddin the Great in Arabic, raised lots of eyebrows. He is the largest ever recorded baby — a 19.2-pound (8.7-kilogram) boy born by cesarean section to a diabetic mother in Indonesia.



Left Risuddin the great on the right the average sized newborn!

Average isn't a word that sits comfortably with some people, but in this case....

The Bub...

Well depending on your view of pregnancy (glass half full or half empty!) Beth is now twenty weeks and after a scan at our local Hospital everything seems to be progressing well. I'm not sure if our previous experiences are anything to do with it but we are certainly more concerned parents with this one... so it was good to take a good look at Number Two and put minds at rest of a while at least!



It is at twenty weeks that some attempt at determining gender can be made, however with Number Two being as active as he/she is and not keeping still for more than two seconds they were unwilling to take a stab. Hopefully that will mean no room painting during the coming holidays! Alfie quite enjoyed the scan experience but soon wanted to escape the room and explore the hospital including the vending machines which he seems to think are some sort of amusement arcade!

His answer to do you want a baby brother/sister? ... is at this stage a resounding "NO!"

Comforts of Home...

We had some roof insulation fitted last week care of the Australian Government. Insulation is a word that seemingly hadn't existed in the Australian vocabulary until about six months ago. Our house can be like a fridge in the Winter even during relatively warm winters and like a blast furnace in the Summer! The Government is so keen for people to save money and the environment that they are offering huge savings on things like insulation, solar water heaters and water tanks.



You can only claim for one so we opted for the roof insulation as we have none at the moment and with a tin roof the heat certainly comes through. So keen are fitters of the furry stuff that they even go and make the claim for the insulation material for you, to the value of $1600 which is about 700 quid. It seems that every Ute (Australia's equivalent of the white transit!) is piled high with the stuff...

Hopefully we can stay cooler this Summer, save some money and the do a little less damage to the environment.

And its was all Yellow...

It was something of a wild and windy night. I was certainly blowing hard down at the track on Tuesday night and only got worse. We woke on Wednesday morning to a very strange and errie sight it was as there was an orange light shining through the blinds. A dust storm had blown through from "out West" where pretty much everything is red and carried with it dust which turned the air orange!



I managed to take some snaps which look as if they've been tinted with sepia!



The journey to work was an interesting one with 100km winds and little visability. The beetle doesn't cope well with wind being the flat screened aerodynamic wonder that it is! I got to work exhausted after the wrestling match!



School was still open although the students had to stay inside all day... thankfully everyone just about survived that ordeal. Any teacher will tell you that windy days unsettle kids... windy orange coloured days!!! Well you can only imagine! People with asthma were particularly vulnerable and there was also the risk of flying debris.



When I got home the air had cleared and the wind had died down a little. EVERYTHING including some stuff inside is covered in the red dust, and the wind has damaged our shade sails and snapped one of the posts as if it was a matchstick.

Want to read more? -
Newcastle Herald
Sydney Morning Herald

VIDEO: Dust storm slideshow

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Richmond Vale Railway...

With Beth seemingly insisting that her birthday is more than just the one day most people have we decided to take a trip to a local railway museum for a fun day. A quick look at Google maps (...we thought!) was enough and off we went packed up with a picnic. After about an hour in the car traveling up and down the same country roads we stopped in small park for something to eat. I managed to find a shop open and get some directions...

We arrived at the Museum a few minutes later and spent some time looking around the exhibits. We soon found out that people who love trains can be as boring as people who love running... its all they talk about!! One of them took a shine to Beth and filled her in at length about all the history of the former mining line and its engines! Alfie loved the trains and was quite excited when ever the train tooted. He also managed to get a ride on Toby from Thomas the Tank Engine.



After all the train excitement it was time for an ice cream and a pony ride. The journey home was much shorter than the journey there!!

Happy Birthday Beth...

Phew having waved goodbye to the last Birthday well wisher and washing the last glass its time to put our feet up at the end of Beth's Birthday day. Its been action packed, and the anticipation was obviously too much for Alfie who welcomed in the day at 5am. It was a little lie in for mummy and then time to open some presents... Alfie and I think that mummy did quite well with some maternity wear (... bonus points for daddy apparently!), hair straighteners, a pre ordered Robbie Williams CD and tickets for us to see Wicked in Sydney when we are down there next month.

We had lots of friends visit during the afternoon who bought along many playmates for Alfie to run around and have fun with. The weather was kind for once! It seems that everytime we have had something at ours its either rained or been blowing a gale and we've all ended up inside! There was a lot of eating going on... as I type I am stuffed and not sure how I'll manage to run in the morning! Alfie managed to tuck into most things and enjoyed the birthday cake. He was pretty tired by the end of the day... so much so that he went off without the usual protests!

Beth says thanks for all the gifts, cards and birthday wishes... another year older! For just how old... now that would be rude ...
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but if you multiply the number of pink candles in the pic by nine... !!! ;0)

... Cough Cough Cough!

Beth and Alfie are still struggling with their coughs which have been slow to clear.

Alfie woke up at 5am this morning coughing and struggling for breath... so it was a quick pack of a bag and off up the road to the hospital. Where in timely fashion he recovered completely leaving us looking like the precious over concerned parents. He had a wonderful time, playing with toys, watching television on his own bedside screen and a continental breakfast! While we think that it might be a touch of croup we are keeping a very close eye on him as there is a lot of whooping cough about at the moment! Back to the doctors on Monday for the little man...

... down on the beach.

We're enjoying a really nice spell of weather at the moment, so nice in fact that school is switching to its Summer uniform three weeks early! Today was at least 30 degrees so we headed off to the beach for a swim. The more regular our visits the more he seems to grow in confidence. In fact we are planning on booking some weekly swim lessons with daddy now that we have some free weekends. Alfie seemed to enjoy running in and out of the waves as well as some nappy free time ... although his shorts did seem to be a little baggier without the extra padding...



He also enjoyed some rock hopping with mummy leading the way with his usual "Come On!" and hand gesture!

... Playtime.

On Friday Alfie caught up with his good mate Noah for a play session. They had a great time at the park and took Noah's new wheels for a spin...


... Vrroooom Vrrrrrooom!


... On the way to the top!



... Just hanging around!



... Boy Racer!



... Alfie tries on the Big Red Car for size!

Bumpwatch - The Return!

Long term readers of What's Doing Down Under? will remember Bumpwatch. We are proud to announce its return as Beth blossoms!... as you can see she has started to pop and I'm pleased to say that the worst of the sickness seems to be behind us (... sorry her!)

As I type maternity clothes are being unpacked in anticipation of future growth! Stay tuned for more updates...

Fathers Day Weekend...

This weekend was Fathers Day here in Australia. Obviously this isn't the same day as in the UK which does catch us out sometimes. We've had a great weekend hanging out as a family enjoying some time together. On Saturday I actually sat down long enough to read a newspaper before spending quite a bit of time getting the garden ship shape ready for the summer, including the spraying of bindies! They are a pain in the ass and the foot if you let them grow and dry out in the sun so now is the time to spray them. The mower is in full swing again, starting first time and then refusing to stop I did some poking about with that which seems to have fixed the problem .. (although the on of handle did snap off in my hand ... there's always snags!)

Sunday started with the unwrapping of some gifts that Alfie had lovingly created including cards and hand painted wrapping paper...



... I wondered what this picture of a very dirty and tired picture was doing on the camera earlier in the week!!!

I was given all the fathers day favourites - pants, socks, a belt and some shirts for school. All very useful stuff I have to add! I then went out on a long run ... some 21km ... while Beth packed the car with a lovely picnic. They even stopped on route to give me a cold drink as they passed on their way to the beach ... must have looked as bad as I felt! When we all arrived at the beach we had a bite to eat before exploring the on the rocks. Alfie tucked into his food but found the squabbling seagulls very entertaining when he offered them bread!



It was a great family day, and an enjoyable weekend. We've recently bought a tent and started to collect some bits and bobs so that we can all go off together and do some camping together. Tonight I printed off a list of things to pack for a family camping trip - wife and children were actually listed!!! ;0)

Alfie Month by Month...

With a new month comes an update of the Alfie month to month album. With a free weekend coming up, I'll be doing some more updates ... until then enjoy the pics!

First Warners Bay next the World...

... well nearly! After my success at the weekend I have decided at the very last minute, after being given the web address by Ross, to enter the World Masters Games 2009 in Sydney. The entries for the 10km road race had to be in before 5pm and I had parents evening and so Beth worked wonders to get my name on the starting list! The World Masters is like the Olympics for the over thirties with host cities staging the event every four years. The fact that its just two hours away was too good an opportunity to miss.



"The World Masters Games are one of the great international sports events,and the largest in terms of participation. It provides people of all abilities not only with reasons to play organised sport in later life but also with opportunities to make new friends."

World Masters Games 2009 - Link

"Sydney being a recent Olympic City provides a not-to-be-missed chance to follow in the footsteps of legends. Many of the 28 sports competitions will take place in Olympic venues, several sites in the Sydney Olympic Park precinct that will be both the sport and social heart of the Games."




I must admit that I'm looking forward to stepping out at the Olympic Stadium for the opening ceremony on the 11th of October... representing the United Kingdom of course!!!! Before that I have five hard weeks training ahead so that I can be in even better shape. I ran 42:56 for 10.5km at the weekend so I'm hoping to be much closer to 40 minutes on the day... interestingly at the last World Masters in Canada my best this year would have been good enough for 13th place in my category!



PS: For those of you thinking that its all running and no Beth at the moment... you'll be glad to hear that we're hoping to make it a weekend away for the two of us!! ;0)

Under the Weather...

Beth and Alfie have both been under the weather in the last few weeks. Alfie has been struggling with a ear and throat infection and a cough, he's on antibiotics for that and Beth has the same. Both have found sleeping difficult, and this has meant that what sleep there has been has been irregular! The medicine that Alfie is taking seems to knock him out and so he's been a little lacking in energy... this afternoon we enjoyed some quiet time out in the sand pit...

Freedom of choice...

With the end of the football season comes a little more time at weekends to do the jobs that need to get done and more importantly spend time with Beth and Alfie. The last month or so has been very busy with me often playing two games as well as being at school on both days to coach my Under 11's.

It was actually quite nice to look through our diaries and see two blank pages for next weekend. Hopefully we can get out and about and get this blog rolling again!

Me? Are you sure? .... I just won something!

About five months ago I entered a local 10km race and ran 47.47. I knew I wasn't as fit as I had been in the past, but it shocked me how hard it was. Since then I've got back on the comeback trail to build up a bit of fitness and lose some of the middle age spread... it was there I'm telling you!!!

I've been doing about 60km a week including a morning session with a coach, and attending an athletics club on Tuesday nights. I've been running lots of races and gradually improving my times ... and feeling a whole lot better! My last 10km race was in July when I ran 46.06. Today was a strange distance being 10.5km but I hoped that I could run around 42mins on a good day. Well today wasn't a good running day as it was VERY windy but still I managed to take 3mins and 15secs off my personal best... it would have been even better without the extra 500 metres!!!

I knew that there weren't that many people in front of me... only twenty two in fact, what I hadn't expected was that none of them were in the same age category as me... and therefore I was over the moon to be presented with the 1st place medal! I think that this is the first time I've been first at anything in my life!!!



... I think that I'm supposed to know who this person is!!!



I'll post the official photographs when they come out...

I'm stepping up to half marathon training for twelve weeks now, with an eye on a full marathon in the new year... but for the rest of today its kick back and take it easy!

City to Surf 2009...

Today has been a long day as I tackled the worlds biggest race, the 2009 City to Surf. 75,000 runners lined up this morning to run or walk the 14km from Sydney City Centre to Bondi Beach. But before reaching the start line at about 7:45am I had to set the alarm and get myself to the bus pick up for 5:30am. I was lucky enough to get on a bus of local runners which made the transport to and from the race much easier than it might have been.



It was quite a cold morning in Sydney and it was quite a sight to see most of the clothing tossed to the side on the gun. I'm told that Charity stores do a brisk trade in the lead up to the event and then come back to collect it all after the start! As this was my first year I was placed in the third of four groups, we didn't move for 18 minutes as the rest of the field snaked off into the distance. My aim this year was to run fast enough to get a "preferred start" next year. The cut off for that is 75 minutes and so that was my target.


ABC News Video Clip

I managed to start towards the front of my group (... by group I say 15,000 - 20,000 runners!) and get as clear a run as I could. I still had to weave wildly through the crowds and so running an even pace or in a straight line was impossible. I felt good throughout the first 10km, gobbled up "Heartbreak Hill" and spat it out. I actually got to 10km faster than I have run my two 10km races since March!



I kicked on from there running the last four strongly on what had become quite a warm morning. It was an awesome experience running with so many people. There were people of every ability, shapes, sizes and costumes. People lined the route from start to finish, bands played ... some people even set up their own drinks stations with homemade lemonade.

A perfect day.... I'll be back fitter and faster next year ... oh and in the preferred entry section after running 61.52! ;0)

From the Sydney Morning Herald -

Streams of sweat from a record 75,000 weary runners have flowed into Bondi as this year's City2Surf cemented itself as the world's biggest fun run. Bare calves and knees stormed Hyde Park on Sunday morning, with a record number of professional and amateur runners taking part in the 14km race. Competitors came from a diverse range of ages and backgrounds but all crossed the line bearing the same sweat-laden brows and haggard cheeks.

It was the 39th City2Surf to be staged and the 36th time Clovelly grandfather Col Blake has decided to take on the race and battle the stamina-killing ``Heartbreak Hill'' between Rose Bay and Vaucluse.

The world's biggest fun run not only attracted some of Australia's most serious marathon runners but also wannabe superheroes, cartoon characters and a parade of walking mushrooms.A buff, half-naked Spartan warrior with faux metal armour was a favourite for a group of grannies who had taken to cheering participants across the line. Many runners in true Australian fashion crossed the line asking for a beer well before midday.

It was third time lucky for Gold Coast student Michael Shelley, who won the City2Surf in a time of 41:02, well outside Steve Moneghetti's 1991 record of 40:03.Striding down the home stretch to the finish line, last-year's runner-up was visibly relieved knowing that after two previous attempts, he had finally won the 14km race.

Deaf swim instructor Melinda Vernon, 23, was the fastest woman, coming in at 47:46, more than two minutes outside the women's record.

Like father like son???

Mum send out some pictures of me when I was Alfie's age. Quite interesting, what do you think?



... I feel sorry for the lad!!! ;0)

Junior Update...

We had a bit of good news today about Junior as our latest scan and blood test suggests that we had a very very low chance of conditions such as Downs Syndrome. When we had Alfie the risks were less than 70 in 100 and offered an amniocentesis which itself presents a significant risk of miscarriage. It's obviously great news for us that we can avoid long needles, nervous waits and difficult decisions this time around. Our next scan is in about seven weeks time....