Close-out for 2011

It’s just after 11pm on New Year’s Eve – so no better time to ‘reminisce’ – and to think about what will come in 2012.

Every year, I like to look back on the year that was, and see what happened – some good, some bad – some GREAT, and some ‘run-of-the-mill’.

Here’s a few from previous years – 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007 & 2006…

This year has flown by – if only due to our three little time accelerators – Cameron, Liam & Charlie (some ppl call kids “time burglars” – ain’t THAT the truth !)

We have been super busy as a family – our lads are growing up quickly :

• Cameron turned 6 in February – and started school (Knox Gardens).  He’s made a bunch of friends, wow’ed his teachers, sprinted his heart out at athletics – and loved every minute of it.   And – enjoyed his AusKick, and of course, Ben-10 and Nintendo Wii.
• Liam turned 4 in October – and has been in kindergarten, starting most mornings in bed asking “is it a kinder day ?!”   He’s grown in ‘himself’ – and not just in the shadow of his big brother – and again, made lots of friends.  He does his swimming once a week, and loves Dora, and Ben-10 (!)
• Charlie turned 2 in June – no kinder or school yet, but he thinks he’s ready !   He’s a happy-go-lucky kid, with a great laugh and enthusiasm, and even been singing his own versions of Christmas Carols – and loves playing Fruit Ninja Kinect – LOL !   And happily, his allergies are much more manageable, and he’s happy & healthy.

And we’ve done some cool stuff together (as a family) :

• Lego Convention with Cameron & Liam
• Richmond v Geelong with Cameron – poor Tigers got smashed
• Family holiday to Adelaide – driving holiday – zoo, beach, Hanhdorf
• Bob The Builder movie – first time to the cinema for all FIVE of us
• Involved in the school/kinder community – working bees + sausage sizzles at Bunnings – and Donna is co-president for 2012 (!)
• Changes at home (renov’s) – new wall unit, painted the room, had ducted heating installed and split system air conditioning – and a new fridge.
• Also – a 50 inch plasma TV, XBox 360, Apple TV (x2) – and a new PC recently too – far out !

We have had a great Christmas together also – with some fun at home (playing Wii !), and hosting Donna’s family Christmas at our house – with a bunch of kids and some great food (and ME with seven kids in the spa together).  And then to Castlemaine for my sisters on Christmas Day + Boxing Day.  

And then home again – more family fun with an outing to the zoo, a movie, yum cha, and BBQ at Jells park (not ALL in the same day !)

Other great times :

Lots of great times for other people this year too – too many to mention !

Some good friends from work got married – Donna and I went along to Andrew Browne’s wedding in Bendigo – and also to Josh Tan’s wedding – such laughter & happiness – and lots of red wine.  

And Katie from OBS was on cloud-ten (!) when she got married recently – has been great to see them so happy – and they honeymooned in Vanuatu – to the same resort that Donna and I stayed at, back in early 2001.

Some tough times :

We had some scary days with kids this year, including a hospital trip for both Charlie and Liam – both with asthma, but on separate occasions.   Ventolin and some oxygen, and check-overs – and all OK – thankfully.

But – some much harder times for a few people this year, including the sudden passing of my sister-in-law’s mother – she is still grieving, and finding it very difficult to have lost her Mum.   Hopefully 2012 will allow her to let go, and see some joy in her own life.  

Also, three friends have each had a marriage break-down – one Mum with two sons, one Dad with a daughter, and one buddy in a far away city who had only recently been married.  I hope I’ve been able to be supportive for these friends – if only in sending “good vibes” in their general direction, where-ever they are in the world.  I hope you ALL have a better 2012 – I’m sure we’ll raise a glass once, twice, or many times during the coming year.

Some “woe is me” times :

Comparatively, I’ve been pretty OK – with some down & gloomy times for a month or so – mainly due to working “solo” on a project site.  The company I work for (OBS) is based in the city, and I had been working a suburban office – over 30km away – was a little isolating, and sad & lonely.  But – in the general scheme of things (see above) – this were no biggie…

Oh – and I crashed my Mountain Bike – and gashed my leg.     

And – put a ding in the frame of my bike – nooooo….!

Work-related :

Has truly been amazing what has happening this year for me, on a ‘work’ front. 

Back in March, I attended a conference in Seattle – visiting the head office for Microsoft – as part of the “MVP” summit.  I did some sight-seeing, and went MTB’ing in the snow – and met a whole bunch of great people – and attended a presentation by Steve Ballmer.

I returned home to Australia – and went straight to the Australian SharePoint Conference in Sydney.  Was great to see a BIG conference within Australia – with many great sessions & meet-ups.  I’ll be speaking at the same conference next year (March 2012) – in Melbourne !

TechEd was huge this year, and I presented two sessions – one was a co-presentation with two Microsoft presenters, and another in the AvePoint theatre.  Also, lots of discussions, and catch-ups – and a few beers for good measure.

Also – SharePoint Saturday – I presented at SPS-Brisbane AND SPS-Melbourne.

Oh yes – and I lost my MVP. That actually took the wind outta my sails for a few months – which surprised me a little. I’d expected to lose it – but still came as a bit of a surprise/shock. And – then I was a little like “fine, I didn’t want it anyways” – etc.

But – I’m still doing the user group thing – and presentations – and we even created a NEW user group in 2011 – evolving from the old MOSSIG brand – to a new Melbourne SharePoint User Group (MSPUG) – on to bigger & better things in 2012.

Work (OBS) – coming up to three years :

A big highlight for 2012 was the whole company being whisked away to the Gold Coast for the OB1 conference – to talk about “stuff that I can’t really talk about” – essentially some great team-building, and strategy discussions – and a few drink’s along the way.

Project-work ?   Was mainly in the sphere of SharePoint 2010 – derrr…!

Customisations for webparts, XSLT, jQuery, ribbon additions, and a truckload of Nintex Workflow and InfoPath.   Recently, I completed some work with Silverlight and Pivot – which was some hard-core asynch C# code – very challenging – and very rewarding (enjoyable).

Will be great to see the new/next stuff for SharePoint – roll on 2012 – and ‘vNext’.

Personal – what about the Wookie ?

Well for *ME*, this year has been a lot (more) about “BIKES”. 

And yep, sorry to some friends who are getting a little sick of it – but HEY – this is *MY* blog – and yep, I know that 90% of recent posts are ‘bike-related’ (!)  

With a busy family – and busy work-life/career – and not much time for other friends/activities – I’ve found myself consumed with biking – both MTB and ROAD.  

In fact, I kinda “need” this outlet – and now-a-days – go a little stir-crazy if I haven’t been riding for over two weeks.  

Without going into too much detail – here’s some highlights :

• Bought a new road bike – for riding to/from work
• Competed in my first MTB race (Avoca) – on my first bike (black Giant)
• Second race shortly after – MCES in Wombat state forest
• Went MTB’ing in the SNOW – while in Seattle
• Bought a new MTB – dual suspension – Specialized Camber
• Entered another race event – Castlemaine 6 hour – but had to bail on that – injured back, very disappointing
• Sat up till 2.30am for three nights in a row – and watched the Tour de France to it’s final conclusion
• Road bike adventures – with “Around The Bay 100km” – and conquered Mt.Donna Buang (!)  
• Some recent Mt.Dandenong rides, including Sky High
• Discovered Strava for recording routes/times using my iPhone (free app) – has been a great motivator – thanks Strava !!
• Christmas present – new Garmin GPS, Heart Rate Monitor and Cadence Monitor – with uploads to Strava – more ‘times to beat’
• Went for MTB to outings at Lake Mountain, Buxton – and Mt.Buller – for the opening of Copperhead
• Made some new friends via Twitter – went riding with Matt (@mattunderground), Jen (@jentopia), and Steve (@sfortuyn) – and regular chats & finally met-up with Scott (@scootabug_au)
• Joined up the FaceBook ‘social ride’ group at Lysterfield – making some friends and out for MTB rides
• Cycled over 1100 km in 2011 – with 729km being in the last quarter (Oct-Nov-Dec)

*phew*   

Another thing to note was some bits & pieces that I finally sorted out back in May.  No need for details, but suffice to say, it’s changed me/us, and our family future.

And – there’s always time for ROCK :

• SoundWave – missed out this year – with o/s trip – doh !
• Biffy Clyro – tiny pub in Seattle – amazing….
• Kyuss – reformed & greater than ever – awesome show
• A Day To Remember – free ticket, so good to check out – great to see a “young kid’s” show – they go OFF !   Good ‘fun’ gig – punk-pop…
• Opeth – amazing to see how they put on a show, brilliant musicians, and great FUN on stage
• SoundWave 2012 will be MEGA – and of course, SoundGarden – w00t !

Wow – it’s 12.30am – and it’s now 2012 !  

I’ve been writing this blog post since LAST YEAR !   

Aren’t you done yet !!?!?

Always great to look back on the year – and it HAS been a great one for me, and for our family – with only a few bumps along the way.

Someone commented to me at a BBQ the other day “you know, you seem in a really happy place – well, if FaceBook is anything to go by !”    (LOL !)

And yes, I guess I am – 2011 was great.

So – here’s to “more of the same” – rock on 2012…!

Hope YOU have a great 2012 – hopefully we get to meet-up for lunch, coffee, beer, rock-n-roll – or to get out for a ride…     [or – all of the the above !]

HAPPY NEW YEAR !!

Mt Buller – Copperhead

Last weekend, I was lucky enough to score an invitation to come along to Mt.Buller for the grand opening of the new ‘flow down’ trail – called Copperhead.

This has been under development for a few months, and (apparently) cost close to $200,000 – in conjunction with Glen Jacobs and his World Trail team.

The new trail is the first of it’s kind in Australia, a combination of Cross Country and Downhill – suitable for beginners (me !) – as well as flat out DH’ers.

Here’s a quick teaser video – and details of the “Copperhead Launch” day.

Mt Buller Resort Management has been working with Glen Jacobs and his team at World Trail to develop Copperhead – the first-ever flow down trail in Australia.

This gravity offering combines the best of both cross-country and downhill riding featuring banked turns, descending terrain and jumps. The 2.7km trail has a rolled capped surface and is shaped like a huge smooth single track, so it’s perfect for your hardtail, XC machine, DH rig or freeride bike.

“No one has built anything like this in Australia”, said Glen Jacobs. “Copperhead is a unique concept, incorporating a flow country style but with a downhill edge.”

Excited much ?!   I was !

So – I packed up my Specialized Camber in the Festiva, and set off about 6am.   Was an amazing day out, blue sky – and I got to Mt.Buller about 9.30am.

Between Yea & Mansfield – cloud/fog on the hills…

I was meeting up with some Twitter buddies about 10am – @mattunderground – who had invited me along, as a guest of “Specialized” – and @leftiant – another MTB’er pal from Albury.

As I was a little early, I took a sneak-peak at the new trail.

And – then headed to the hotel to check-in and meet up with Matt & Ant.

There was a big crowd gathering for the launch, and there were even danishes & pastries being handed out – and glasses of champagne to ‘toast’ the opening – yep, at 10am, BEFORE a ride – ha ha !

Glen Jacobs was on hand to say a few words, and officially CUT the ribbon, along with the director of activities from Mt.Buller (name ?)

Then – it was time to ride Copperhead !

We were warned to take it easy the first run – as it’s called Copperhead, and it CAN bite – so you gotta respect it !  

It DID feel rather steep and fast at first – I was on the brakes for most of the first run – there was lots of pea-gravel, and it felt fairly slippery.   Some amazing banked turns, and flowing corners – and some big jumps & gaps – not for me, but the faster lads would be having a ball with it.

When we got to the bottom, there was a shuttle bus and trailer ready to take riders back to the top again – 20 people at a time.

There’s Shannon Rademaker from All Terrain Cycles, he’s the guy in the initial teaser video – and has been involved in the development of Mt.Buller for a few years – and he was the instructor/guide for my previous tours at Mt.Buller – in March 2010, and again in December 2010.

Some great chit-chat on the bus – lots of happy & friendly MTB’ers – I had to take a quick photo of this girl’s helmet – gotta love the tagline on the back :

When we re-grouped back at the top, we bumped into Chris Southwood, from the “Australian Mountain Bike” magazine – he must get recognized everywhere he goes (on MTB trails !).   Was fun to talk to him, and when I mentioned I was GrumpyWookie – he said “oh, that’s YOU, is it ??!?   LOL !”

We did another TWO runs down Copperhead – getting a better feel for the trail and the flow in/out of corners.   Matt & Ant both had camera’s strapped on – GoPro + Contour – so it will be great to see some of their footage.

After that, we headed off for lunch (awesome burger + chips) – before riding some Cross Country trails at Mt.Buller.

There is such an extensive trail network now – you could ride 50km’s or more, without repeating anything at all…

We rode down GANG GANGS – very VERY good trail – and headed down to SILK LANE – and over to the Howqua Gap hut.

This is at the base of Mt.Stirling – and is the start of the STONEFLY trail.

This is another trail I’ve been keen to try out for quite some time – was completed for LAST summer’s season at Mt.Buller – and is regarded as one of the best in Australia.

We initially took a wrong turn – riding UP the section that is the normal DOWN trail – only 1.5 km or so – before we turned around.

The climb UP to the top of Mt.Stirling is pretty tough, with lots of loose sections, and uphill pinchy turns – we were wondering if we’d ever get to the top.

Personally, I found it really tough – and had to stop a few times to catch my breath – might have been the altitude (?) – and then pushed on.  Great views and fresh air – and not many people around.  

What a great way to spend the day :

My bike rode pretty well all day – and no mechanicals or problems, other than some squeaky brakes – no biggie.

Ant wasn’t so lucky – he was riding along and a rock dislodged and rolled onto his back dereilleur, and bent the hanger, pushing it into his spokes.

He stopped immediately, and had to spend 10 mins or so with a multi-tool – adjusting his gears, and bending spokes – so that he could ride on.

Matt was OK from a mechanical perspective, but had a minor crash – falling off a bridge into a sludgey section of river – I came around a corner to find him upside down, on his back – holding his bike upright.  He was muddy, but OK – he was more concerned about his bike falling onto the bridge panels, and damaging / scratching the carbon frame.  

We got to the top of STONEFLY, and had a drink re-fill, and muesli bar, before the charge back down hill.   I’d been told that it feels like “35 seconds” – and yep – was over pretty quickly !

We then had to ride back UP to the top of Mt.Buller to the chalet & village where we were staying overnight.

This was a very tough climb – slow & steady pushing along a gravelly forest road, with big rocks & dust.   Was some grinding away in granny gear – took a while, but we made it there – slowly but surely.

When we got back to the chalet – we were all knackered beyond belief – and headed to the spa for a relax – as well as a high-pressure multi-jet shower – amazing !

As well as the overnight stay at the Mt.Buller Chalet, there was also a VIP function, with dinner & drinks – and I chatted a bit to Glen Jacobs, and some other folk – nice !

And THEN there was a movie night – showing the Victorian premiere of the new “FROM THE INSIDE OUT” MTB movie.

Wow – what a day…    By about 10.30pm, I’d had four beers, and was starting to fade – after a huuuuge day of riding – AND – having left home at 6am, for a three hour drive.  So – sleep was next on the list.  

The next morning, I had to get up early again – and scoff down some brekky, before another three hour drive to get home for a lunchtime “kid’s party” !

What a great weekend – it was great to be a part of the opening event for Copperhead, and to try out the new trail – as well as Gang Gangs (my fave for the day) – and Stonefly too…!   

*phew*

I recorded the trails with my iPhone, but it died about 1/2 an hour from the end – so here’s the SAME trail/track that Matt recorded using his Garmin – click the map to see the details :

Thanks again to Matt from Specialized for inviting me along – and to Ant as well – for a great day out – I was the slowest of the bunch, but that didn’t matter – we still had a blast.   Cheers guys !

And – big thanks to Glen Jacobs and his team – Copperhead is a great trail – a great addition to Mt.Buller – which was already the best MTB’ing destination in Australia.

(I’m already planning another trip – at the end of January – to try some DH trails)

Dad – The Ride

Our kids can bring us large doses of frustration, anger and (sometimes) sleeplessness – but then – they go off and do something that just melts your heart.  

(Happy & proud “Dad story” ahead – feel free to skip…)

I’ve been getting more and more into cycling lately – either MTB’ing on a weekend – or a road ride to/from work – and I guess our kids have ‘noticed’.

I arrived home from work the other day – and Mr.6 had made a ‘drawing booklet’ – just two pieces of A4 paper, that Mum had folded and stapled – becoming an eight-page booklet.

Anyway – without being too much of a ‘gushy story’ – I thought I’d scan the pages – and post here on my blog. 

Just for myself – for future reference – and to say THANKS to my awesome little dude Cameron (and yes – I do like bike riding…)

NB.  He’s just learning to spell and write – so his Mum has ‘ticked’ his work, just like with his school work (teacher).

===================================================

Front Cover :

Dad.  

Illustrated by Cameron O’Connor.  

The Ride.

===================================================

The Ride.

Once upon a time, there was a person called Chris.

===================================================

He was about to go on his bike but he heard something !!

** Hand to the ear – listening…     (LOL !)

===================================================

It was his bike crackling.

** I don’t think this has ever happened – dunno where he got this from (!!)

===================================================

He needed to oil his bike.

** He’s seen me do this, after a clean-off following MTB ride (using the Gerni)

===================================================

But he wanted to go out but he needed….

** Sad Dad face !   (ha ha !)

===================================================

(cont’d)

to wash his bike.  So the whole outing ended.

** OH NO !!   You mean I didn’t get to go riding in the end ?!

===================================================

Back Cover :

===================================================

I’m sure this won’t be the LAST of Cameron’s ‘story books’ – he’s been hiding some pictures – and calling out “NOO DAD – DON’T LOOK !” as I walk in the room.

So – we’ll have to wait and see what he’s up to.

Hopefully – the ‘sequel’ will include an actual RIDE…! 

LOL !

Thanks again Cameron – truly awesome.    x

Hill Climb for #HorseRide – Mt. Donna Buang

Last Tuesday was Melbourne Cup Day – a public holiday in Melbourne – and as I have no interest in horse racing, I thought it would be good to get out for a bike ride.

I posed the question to a few ppl on Twitter (“who’s riding on Melb Cup Day ?”) – with the potentially confusing tag of "#HorseRide”.  

NO, we’re not going for a Horse ride, but a Bike ride !

This tag was stolen from @mattunderground and @scootabug_au talking about their up-coming Boxing Day MTB ride as a “#TurkeyRide” – LOL !

I had a reply from @jentopia, who said that she and a bunch of people were meeting in Warburton – and planning to do the Mt. Donna Buang ride. 

Another Melbourne cycling dude (@sfortuyn) was keen to come along too – he’d recently completed the Southern Exposure ride – 180km of MTB’ing – in 12 hours.  Amazing to read his blog post about the day.

I’d done a few rides to Mt. Dandenong – and the recent 100km’er ride from Sorrento – so I thought I’d tag along – how hard could it be, right ?  

And, get to meet-up with a few Twitter people – for an added bonus.

I started chatting to a few people about the ride – and was a little nervous about how I’d go – have a read of this – and you’ll see why…!  

Excited AND nervous – a good ride awaited me.

The start – heading off

We all met in Warburton about 8.30am on Tuesday morning – and said hello’s, chatted a bit, and checked tyres, etc.

* We’re heading somewhere up “there” – in the background (@sfortyun getting ready)

There was NINE of us in total, we all rolled out as a group, and onto the main road heading out of town. 

After only 5 mins riding, there is the turn off to Mt. Donna Buang – and then the ‘uphill’ began !

Admittedly, I was one of the least experienced cyclists of the bunch, but even *I* was surprised at how quickly everyone steamed away ahead.

After a few corners, I couldn’t see ANY of the bunch, and so it was down to a solo grind – up some fairly tough & winding uphill corners.

I had to stop every few KM’s – I was starting to think that this was a bad idea, and I was biting off more than I could chew – but caught my breath, and pushed on.

There wasn’t much traffic, which was great – and some great tree ferns, and thick, rich, cold air – lots of oxygen !   

As I passed by the sign for ‘Cement Creek’, I had a chuckle to myself – and thought “HTFU” – LOL !

The ‘middle’ section of the ride is a little of a blur for me, as I was in the grind mode, and just plugging along – stopping every 10 minutes or so – to cool off a bit, and to take some photos (!)

* Turnoff to Healesville / Mt. Donna Buang…

* Had ridden from left of screen – around the hairpin – and winding upward…

The road started get very foggy, and fairly wet on the surface.

* Looking UP the road ahead

* Same spot – looking back DOWN the road

I started meeting some of the group on the way back DOWN the hill – so I was hoping/figuring that it wouldn’t be too much further to the top of the hill.

I’d covered about 12km in total thus far – and saw a sign that it was only 3km to go – and a massive car park – but only 1-2 cars – instead of 400-500…

* Summit – 3 km to go (met @jentopia here – as she was heading DOWN)

Finally, I got to a sign that said only 1km to go – and the end was in sight.

The trouble is, it actually gets steeper right at the end – yep !

* Mt Donna Buang Summit – 1 km

By now, I was into the ‘determined’ mode of riding – I’d come this far, not going to give up – not this close to the top.

I’d been riding in the the lower gear for well over an hour-and-a-half by now – with some breaks, and standing up to stretch/pedal – to ease the muscles a little.

And then, appearing out-of-the-fog – was a sign saying “Welcome to Mt. Donna Buang” – wahoo !

Still not at the very top of the summit yet – so I pushed onwards a little more.

And – then I saw “FINISH” written on the road – and the observation tower – not that there was much of a view, with all the fog !

Got to the top – time to turn around (heading down)

Nothing much to do at the top – so I turned around and headed DOWN.   Some of the people coming down had warned to ‘be careful’ – as the road was fairly wet/greasy.

Also – it was damn cold…!

Without pedalling to keep warm – and cooling/drying sweat – and the wind+speed of racing down the hill – I got fairly cold and chilly almost instantly.

I remember my teeth actually chattering, and fingers/arms feeling a little numb – as I was holding tight on the brakes.   I actually had to stop at one point – and shake my arms and hands – to warm them up again !

And – I was surprised at how long it took to ride down – ie. how much I’d actually ridden *UP* !   

I heard a voice say “faarcken hell !” – and it was me !   Yep – I’d said it out loud.  

Over a dozen times, I thought to myself – “jeez, did I ride UP this whole way !”

When I finally got to the bottom, I stopped at the turn off – a lot warmer now, no fog, and “I’d done it”…    A surreal feeling – a little dazed & exhausted – but feeling pretty OK.

My phone beeped just before I got back into town – ppl letting me know where the cafe was – with everyone getting into some food/coffee.

Lots of great chit-chat over big plates of bacon and eggs – and a few coffees.    It hadn’t exactly been a “social ride” – after the first 5 minutes or so – but was certainly great to hang out and talk with everyone.

Thanks to @jentopia for extending the invitation to come along – and for everyone else for making me feel so welcome – and not too much of a newbie – LOL !

The data never lies

Checking the data and stats via STRAVA shows that I had taken 1hr 50min to get to the summit – I’m sure my time will drop if/when I do the ride again.  

Certainly, if I try to keep riding without stopping – and take LESS photos – ha ha !

Here’s a link to the ride/map – Mt. Donna Buang – Tuesday, 01/11/2011

“The numbers” show that there were 1227m of climbing – in less than 40km of riding.

By comparison – I’d ridden 1088m when I went to the Dandenongs last time – in 60km of riding.  

Mt.Donna Buang was 10% MORE climbing – in 2/3 the distance.

And – while it took me 1hr 50min to get to the top – it only took 45min to get down again (!)

The other folk on the ride had completed the climb in ~1hr 06min – and had actually ridden up – and down again – and were actually back at the cafe BEFORE I’d gotten to the top (!)

Final thoughts

In hindsight, part of me thinks that this was an overly ambitious hill climb ride to attempt “so soon” – but a challenge that I completed – and can be proud of.

I think I’d expected it to be more of a social ride – like recent MTB group rides at Lysterfield – as opposed to doing 95% of the time ‘on my own’.

But – was certainly great to have the ‘group’ awaiting at the coffee shop – I certainly wouldn’t have attempted riding Mt. Donna Buang on my own – or without a group of people to join up with.

Next time (?) – I’ll be more prepared – and now have an appreciation of what to expect !

Same time next year ?

Liam has gone fourth !

Yep – another birthday in our busy household – our “little Liam” is now FOUR !

With each of our lads, I like to write a blog post for their birthday – as a kind of time machine – will be great to look back in years ahead.

Here’s the posts from his 1st and 2nd and 3rd birthdays.

Liam has become a real-little-boy now – with “his” world growing all the time.

Kinder

He’s now at three-year-old Kinder – and this has broadened his horizons – and he now has a great bunch of friends of his own.   He actually wakes up and says “Is it a Kinder day today ?” – so I guess he loves it…!

It’s great to get home from work and ask “So, how was kinder ?  What did you do ?”

His best friends at Kinder are Alex and Daniel – and he’s popular with the girls too – Hannah and Kiera.   Some of the girls can be kinda mean at times though – and Liam is a little sensitive to that (hurts his feelings). 

As well as his buddy Alex, there’s also a “girl” Alex there as well – Liam calls her “Angry Alex” !   He’ll talk about the kids at Kinder :  “there was Alex….  and Hannah….  and Angry-Alex….. and Daniel….”     Ha ha !

Some great activities, games and playtime – it’s greatly improving his confidence, and not just living in the shadow of his big brother Cameron. 

He also has been off for lots of play-dates too – with Alex – and his Mum Alison.

Swimming

Each of our lads do a special activity – and Liam has swimming as his weekly outing.

It’s some nice Dad+Liam time too – only the two of us have been going for a while now – I watch him from the sidelines. 

He can do treading-water for nearly 30 seconds now – and loves to jump in from the deep end.

Bedtime

Liam is now into a “big boy bed” – on the bottom bunk, sharing with his brothers.  We have all three of the lads in the same room together – with Cameron on top, Liam underneath – and Charlie in a bed to the side.

He still has a dummy in bed at night – but Santa has emailed us to say that he’ll be taking his dummies this year, and he’s (so far) OK with the idea.   He takes a bunch of ‘covers’ to bed with him – and we can often hear them clunking around as he looks/plays with them.

He likes to take a book to bed also – but he never gets past page 2 – I often find him snoring with the book over his face/chest.   He’s a DEEP sleeper – always first to sleep, and would sleep through an earthquake I’m sure !

Liam is still wearing his boots in bed – we’d originally been told that would be until he was FOUR – and we considered having a big party to celebrate.  Doctors are now considering/recommending until age FIVE. 

But – Liam is progressing OK, and so we can stop his boots when *WE* feel it’s ok.   So – we’ll just go for sleeping in bed – not the 12 hours like we’ve been doing.   He won’t need to crawl out with boots on – and then sit to watch TV until 12 hours is up (8am usually).

We’ll still have a big party when he’s DONE with them.

Loves to play

Like any little boy, imagination play is a constant with Liam !   He and his brothers are often zooming around as either BEN-10, or OCTONAUTS – acting out characters from their favourite TV shows.

The other recent one has been POKEMON – he runs around saying ‘Pikachu’ in a high-pitched squeaky voice.

He’s also been acting as DONKEY KONG – based on a Nintendo Wii game. He runs around saying “ooooh-hooo” – and beating his chest – LOL !

Of course, they play the real Nintendo game as often as they can – although he has to sit patiently while Cameron has his turn (Liam waits… and waits… !)

They also do FRUIT NINJA on the XBox 360+Kinect – Liam has the highest score for one of them…    And they do BOWLING on the Wii.

TV – Liam’s fave’s are Ben-10 (of course) – and Dora – and the movie favourites are Yogi-Bear, and Scooby-Doo – but his BIG favourite is THE INCREDIBLES…(!)

Somehow, we found a MR.INCREDIBLE figurine – and loved it so much that we tracked down the movie – it’s a few years old now.   Liam knows it back-to-front

He had a dress-up theme for his birthday – and wore a Mr.Incredible suit…

And – had a DONKEY KONG cake – ha ha !

Brothers

We try not to refer to Liam as being a “middle child”, but it’s a fact.  He has great fun having a younger brother AND an older brother – but sometimes gets caught in the middle.

Charlie is now starting to have more dialog & comprehension – and Liam often talks to him, and asks him things, but in a funny-high-pitched voice :  “Chawee, do you want some dreenk, chawee ?!?”

The three of them are ‘thick-as-thieves’ – often playing together on the trampoline, acting out Mario Brothers, or Ben-10.

Liam also looks to the activities that Cameron is doing, and I’m sure he’ll do great once he gets to school.  Once Cameron is done with his ‘reader’ for the night, Liam wants to have a go as well.

Bounce, crash, oops !

On the subject of bouncing on the trampoline with his brothers, there was an “incident’” a few months ago, when Liam & Cameron were jumping on the bed.

Donna heard a crash and a wail from the bedroom – and ran to see what happened.

BUT – she was unable to open the bedroom door – something was blocking the door.   So – she had to go outside, and up the side of the house, and look in through the window. 

Liam had fallen between the bed and the wall – horizontal/sideways – and was now WEDGED in place, with his head+body stuck – and his legs sideways, blocking the door from opening – LOL !

Cameron was hysterical – and Liam was crying – and Donna was locked out !

She had to get Cameron to unwind the window, and then she was able to un-screw the window-winder, and then climb into the bedroom – and could get Liam out.

Unfortunately, I was at work to see the drama unfold, so I got the story when I arrived home from work.   No-one had been hurt – but I had to stifle a laugh as Liam & Cameron were telling me how Liam was “stuck along the wall + bed”.

Oh well – Mum *DID* say “no jumping on the bed” !     (LOL !)

Family

We have a great home life, Liam is a big part of the noise & action – often it’s tears or crying over the wrong coloured bowl – or just wanting to ask something.

His way of asking is “subtle” – and consists of tap-tap-tap-tap-tap on my arm, while saying “Daaaad, Daaaad, Daaaad”, etc

He’s also great fun with his cousins – he & Jasmine have a special bond, and are never more than a metre apart when playing.

Still growing up

I mentioned his “crying” – not forgetting that he’s still “only” just turned four – but he has a real knack of turning on the waterworks.

He cries at anything that goes slightly wrong, or if Charlie takes a toy from him.   Or – if we growl at him when he’s not eating dinner (for example).

But – we’ve learnt to ignore it for the most part – he can turn and laugh less than 10 seconds later.   So, the tears ‘don’t work’ on us – but he still tries…

Another part of growing up is drawing & writing – he can do some very cool people & faces now – and is REALLY good at writing his own name.

And – he scoots along fairly quickly on his “balance bike” – which is a pedal-less bike.  When going on the school pick-up walk, he can sit on the the bike, and just scoot along.

We’ve also got him a scooter as well – he’s just now starting to get the skills for that – with standing up – and scooting himself along (like his big brother Cameron).

One of our favourite ‘walks’ is to take the dog, and all three lads (on bikes), down to “Muddy Creek”.

And – in other grown-up news – Liam is now toilet trained ! 

He had gotten the ‘knack’ of the #1’s for aaages, but it was the 2nd part he couldn’t sort out.   But – like a switch was flicked overnight, he GOT it…!

The funny bit is that we made such a big deal out it, and how proud we were – that he was telling everyone !   Including shop-keepers, people in the street, and even his Nanna’s house-maid.    “Hi, I’m Liam.  And did you know ?   I can do wee’s and poo’s on the toilet…”

(LOL !)

More favourites

So many things about Liam just make us smile – he’s a great personality.

He has a few other favourites that are worth noting :

• Mailbox obsession – he has to check for letters 3-4 times a day – whenever we arrive home, he’s out of his car-seat – and straight to the mailbox.  And – if there’s a letter for him, he nearly explodes outta his skin !
• Wonky Donkey – the kids have a funny/silly music CD, with a song about a donkey – and Liam does a hilarious dance.  He pushes his butt out and puts his chin up, and swings his arms – hard to describe – but it’s very funny !
• His favourite dinner is “chicken wraps” – he can construct a tortilla bread + chicken strips + salad – kinda messy to eat, but it’s his favourite !
• Books – he loves stories at bedtime – I’m sure his reading will progress in leaps and bounds
• Bathtime – he likes to be the last-one-out, and now asks to get in the bath LAST, so that he’ll get out first.   Or – he asks if he can get in first, and Charlie get out first.   Lots of splashing, and playing with bubbles – great fun…
• When it’s time for brekky, our dog Chloe doesn’t know who to turn to, as it’s usually Liam & Charlie fighting over who ‘gets’ to feed her.   We have to split her dog-food into TWO cups – and they BOTH get to do it – ha ha !

Our Lovely Liam

Happy Birthday !

Liam, you’re an amazing young boy who is growing up so fast – you bring us such joy & laughter (and a few frustrations along the way !)

Hope you had a great birthday (with the Donkey Kong birthday cake) – love you lots, little mate !

Dad.    x

Sorrento to Melbourne (Around The Bay)

This time last Sunday, I was about ready to crash into bed (8pm) – after a big day of riding.   It was the annual “Around The Bay In A Day” bike ride – with nearly 15,000 people participating.

There were a choice of rides – the full 210km, and an extended 250km (!) – as well as 100km, 135km and a 50km ride.

A bunch of guys from work and I had booked to do the 100km ride – starting in Sorrento – and then riding to Melbourne.

I hadn’t ridden any further than 60km before – although, that was a BIG ride in itself, with a climb to the top of Mount Dandenong.   The Sorrento ride was mostly flat – and so I figured 100km should be fairly straight-forward.

I cleaned up my ‘road bike’ – and we loaded up to drive down to the coast – to drop me off, and then I’d ride home (so to speak).

Specialized Sectuer – ready for duty !

Loaded up on the pack rack – saw lots of other bikes heading down there too !

I headed down to Sorrento on the Saturday afternoon – with Donna and the kids.  We dropped off my bike at the ‘stay-over house’ – and then took off to the beach.

Nice & calm down on the sand – the kids had a great time digging, and throwing shells.   Lucky lads – only a week prior, we’d been on the beach in Adelaide !   

The OBS/Nintex guys had rented a house – Donna and the kids stayed for dinner (big pasta carb-load) – and then they took off home.   We all sorted out our bike numbers and such – and then sat around having a chat, before an early night (bed at 10pm !)

The next day – we were up early, and left the house at 7.30am.   A quick ride into Sorrento from where we were staying (Blairgowrie) – and met up with another Nintex rider.  

In total – there were SIX of us, and we planned to ride in a group – not a race, but just a nice ride-day with friends.

It was a very well organised starting grid – close to a thousand people (?) in the main street – all riding in a pack. 

We had to really make sure to keep some distance between other riders – and didn’t want to overtake and ride quickly – dangerous, plus – we had a long ride ahead of us !

The initial 25km just disappeared very quickly – we almost blinked, and we’d been riding for an hour.   Some drizzley rain, and a little cold, but so nice to look out to the left, and see the sun over the bay – and the view of the beach.  

We had to stop and answer the phone – the wives/partners weren’t sure where to lock the house from the night before – LOL !

Otherwise, the pack just streamed along – and was a 30 km/h pace, without much effort at all.

We then headed inland – and to “the hills” – not much from my reckoning, after riding up to The Dandenongs – but a climb none-the-less.

One of my friends (Matt) changed gears to start the climb – and his chain fell off – oops !    So – he up-ended his bike to fix it – and his drink bottle rolled away.   He was just next to a turning lane. and the bottle rolled towards a car waiting for riders to pass – and got stuck under the front wheel (was a Mercedes too – ha ha !!)

We re-mounted, and took off up the hill – and heard another buddy (Ben) call out “see you at the top !” – as he raced DOWN the hill we were climbing up – WTF !?

He’d finished the climb, and rode down – so that he could “have another climb”.

We re-grouped at the top – one rider (Paul) nearly fell off as he sprinted to the side of the road, and into the trees – he’d been ‘holding on’ since we left Sorrento – and was using that as motivation for the hill climb.   Yep – he made it !

Was a nice ride DOWN hill from there – we hit over 60 km/h – even the slowest of our group (Terry) – on a Giant Elwood – his hybrid commuter bike.

Speaking of bikes, we had a mixed bunch of ‘brands’ – two Specialized’s (my Secteur – and a Tarmac) – a Trek, a Giant, a Felt and a Masi – lost of variety !

We stopped for a leg stretch and water fill-up – somewhere around Mornington – good to catch our breath – and we pushed on, with signs heading towards Frankston.

A really nice roll down Oliver’s Hill – great view over the bay – again, over 60 km/h.

And – then it was pretty much FLAT for the rest of the way.

By now, we’d ridden close to 60km – and were around Seaford/Carrum.  And the ride suddenly got tough.   The WIND was blowing a gale over the bay – and it was getting really tough riding into the wind.

Legs were starting to disobey the brains wishes, and I was almost thankful for some red traffic lights – so that I was forced to stop for a second.  I’ll remember Edithvale and Aspendale a little LESS fondly – was really tough !

We re-grouped with everyone in Mordialloc – and had a 10-15 minute break.   We could’ve set off sooner, but Ben and I grabbed a ‘gourmet sausage’ from the BBQ – and Terry had a coffee.   The other lads were itching to go, and nearly took off without us…!

The next stretch was essentially ‘Beach Rd’ – familiar territory for lots of Sunday cyclists – but I hadn’t ever ridden it.  

The rain/drizzle began again – along with the wind – was just forcing ourselves forward for a while – through Beaumaris, Black Rock, Sandringham – until we got to Brighton.

The road winds away from the shore, and we had some relief from the wind.   *phew*

It became a nice ride again (!) – and we rolled through to St.Kilda – and re-grouped just behind Luna Park.  An area I was familiar with – but not by bike – to some of my buddies surprise !

Port Melbourne was next – and into the CBD – and we were close to the finish.  I suddenly got a renewed burst of energy (relief and/or adrenaline ?) – and so I was charging along.

Then we heard “puncture !!” – and Ben was our first (and last) puncture of the day.  He changed the tyre in a lightning quick F1 style change – and we headed off for the last 3-4 kilometres.

After close to 4 hours and 30 mins, we got to the finish line – bunched up six-abreast with my riding friends – we made it !

Was a great achievement (for me at least) – the furthest distance I’d ridden.

My actual time was 4:27:02 – with around 4 hours of riding – and 1/2 hour of breaks.

We even got a medal – nice !

The recording from my iPhone (Strava) shows it as 98.6km – close enough I guess !

After we’d had some lunch, I headed for the train – and loaded up my bike and bag – and napped for most of the trip back to Glen Waverley.

And THEN – had to cycle home from the train – another 5-6 km.  

The next day ?

I wasn’t TOO sore actually – less than I thought I might be – only some soreness in the hips – and calf muscles – and sore EYES – from all that wind.

Oh yes – and some sunburn – but this was “all” I had (missed a bit !)

Lucky I’d put on a stack of suncream – otherwise I woulda been fried !

So – that’s “Around The Bay In A Day” !    Next year ?   Maybe 135km – or go for the full 210 km – will have to wait and see.

I’m already looking (considering ?) another bike ride in January – but fairly ambitious, and lots of ‘climbing’ – which could be a great challenge – have to wait and see, eh ?

For now – I’m hoping to do some more MTB’ing – already been out to Lysterfield once, and want/need to get up to Mt.Buller over summer – and Castlemaine->Bendigo.

Phew !    Life is a ride, that’s for sure.

40 X 40

I’ve just noticed that today’s date is 18th October – and that means it’s SIX months until I turn 40.   Wow !

When it comes to ‘age’, it’s interesting how people approach it.

Some people get a bit funny about their age : “I don’t want to get old” (about themselves) – or I’ve had other people joke “it’s all downhill from here”, and that “40 is mid-life, time for a crisis”…

I joked on FaceBook/Twitter that “I’m going to be 40, what have I done with my life !??!”

Well, I’m here to say that I’m actually looking forward to turning 40.

In fact, I’m thinking about the stuff I’ve done – and there’s another “Wow”.

And – rather than have a ‘bucket list’ of stuff that I’d like to do before I turn 40 (it’s too late for that ?!) – instead, I’m going to write up/blog about all the stuff I’ve done in 40 years.

Hence – the 40 X 40 list…

I’ve added a bunch of topics – and I’ll (hopefully) blog over the next few months – and yes, the list will probably change.

This is mainly for *ME* – so I don’t really mind if you don’t read it or not – that’s entirely up to you, I guess…

Onward to 40…!

“Ride to the Hills”

Last weekend, I did a BIG ride to the hills – from my house in WANTIRNA SOUTH, up to The Dandenongs.

The classic song by IRON MAIDEN is actually “RUN TO THE HILLS”.  

I think it should’ve been “RIDE” to the hills…     “RIDE” for your liiiiiiffe…  

A good buddy of mine (@Bender6amer) had previously taken me out for a ride, via a suburb called THE BASIN – and then up a popular hill climb called ‘the 1-in-20’. 

This was a fairly decent climb (climbs 1m in 20m), winding up the side of MT DANDENONG – with some great views, and tree-ferns, and thick, rich, cold air – lovely.

At the top, we ended in a town called SASSAFRAS – where we’d stopped into cafe for coffee & muffin (really good blueberry muffin – straight from the oven).

We’d come screaming back down – I took it a little easy – had a sore neck that day, and hard to get down on ‘the drops’ – and look up.

Here’s the map of the route – about 40km in total.

Anyway – that was about a month ago – and I’ve been keen to repeat that same ride – and maybe a little more.   I need to get some KM’s up, with the AROUND-THE-BAY-IN-A-DAY ride in less than a month.

So – last Sunday, I took off on my own – and rode the ‘1-in-20’ myself.  

But – I had done some research via Google Maps – and worked out the trail to the “Sky High” restaurant – which is the lookout+cafe on the top of MT DANDENONG. 

I set myself the ambitious goal of riding there – and THEN grabbing a coffee.

From SASSAFRAS, I rode on to OLINDA – and then up the winding ‘Mount Dandenong Tourist Road’ – and then turned LEFT at the signpost to Sky High.

This climb was even tougher – but I persevered – and then all-of-a-sudden, I was at the top…!     

Here’s me with my SPECIALIZED SECTEUR – you can see the tall buildings of Melbourne’s CBD – on the horizon – incredible !   

I could also see Port Philip Bay – just off-screen to the left.

Being an amazing sunny day – the view was spectacular – a great spot for a coffee.  

Click here to see the panoramic photo I took – using PhotoSynth (iPhone).

After a relaxing cup o’ joe, and a water bottle re-fill – I took off again – this time heading DOWN the Sky High tourist road.

I saw a few guys riding up – and I remember thinking “jeez, did I ride this !??” – as I whizzed downhill.

I then swung through OLINDA – and turned LEFT – instead of back the way I’d come – and headed for MONBULK.

This was a super quick blast down hill – wow – for about 8 minutes.   I hit 69 km/h – accordingly to my nava-computer (iPhone) – without even trying.

My road bike (SPECIALIZED) rolls along soooo nicely – I actually had to hold it back when going downhill – just felt like it was accelerating on it’s own.

I swear this bike could do the kessel run in ELEVEN parsecs….

Once I wiped the grin off my face, after arriving in MONBULK, I turned RIGHT, and followed the signs to BELGRAVE.

This winds through SHERBROOKE (past Grants Picnic Ground), and past a wedding venue called Lyrebird Falls – which is where I got married !

Then, on through KALLISTA – and to BELGRAVE.   I took a breather, and rang the wife to say “yes, I’m still alive” – before rolling on.

Fairly straight forward from there – through TECOMA, and UPWEY – and down the hill to FERNTREE GULLY – and then all ‘flat’ for the ride home.

All-in-all – I rode 58.8 km – that’s the furthest distance I’ve ridden in one outing – and it was nearly 1,100m of climbing too.  

I felt pretty damn good (!) – just some soreness in legs (calf muscles).

Here’s the route that I took last weekend :

I reckon I still need a few more rides – and then I’ll be ready for 100km – Sorrento to Melbourne.

And – some summer weather will be nice for more “hill rides” – daylight savings starts THIS weekend – w00t !

Hope you’ve enjoyed a few outings recently – road, MTB, or maybe even running ?

Time to ride !

Well, not right now – but I’m finding it’s hard to get the TIME to RIDE – lately.

Have had a few setbacks & time pressures over the last few weeks – and ‘broken body’ problems.   

I’d planned to ride in the Castlemaine Rocky Riders event – a 6 hour race, on my new MTB.   But – I somehow twisted my back, and couldn’t end up riding.   Very annoyed.

And – then was off to Gold Coast for a conference (Microsoft’s TechEd) – which I’d spent many, MANY hours preparing session material & demo’s.

So – finally got a ‘green light’ to go for a ride – and I get the FLU !    Faarrccck.

Anyhoo – last weekend was the first outing on my Specialized Camber Comp (MTB) – for the first time in over a month or more.

Destination : Lysterfield (again)

The trails at Lysty have been (ahem) screwed for quite sometime – with lots of rain & drainage problems originating from the deluge back in March 2011.   Some sections were un-rideable – and almost inaccessible.

There has been a lot of work there recently – via working bees – and thanks to World Trail (Glen Jacob’s crew) – to repair the damage.

I rode the main trail last weekend – and it’s the best it’s been for aaaaages.   Barely any mud or water – and dry & dusty – and getting slippery in parts.

Instead of my usual trail, I rode the 18km circuit in REVERSE – although technically I’ve always ridden it in reverse – and was now riding it correctly.

Wow – such a difference to the flow of the ride.   Some sections which I recall pumping & struggling up-hill were now flowing downhill sections, with awesome little step-downs and jumps over tree roots.

Similarly, the camber of corners was changed – it was like riding the trails for the very first time – even though I’d ridden it 20x or more.

Steed : Specialized Camber Comp

I’d cleaned up my bike in preparation for the Castlemaine ride – so was in need of some dirt action. 

After having a hardtail for so long, it’s great to have a 5 inch duallie “trail” bike – it’s probably more suited to flowing down sections – but it’s decent when climbing also – or maybe that’s just *ME* that needs some work.

I’ve found myself going a little bit too quickly a few times – but the bike is sooo composed – can’t fault it.

If anything – the brakes are getting a little “shudder’y” – but I think the first service + tune will refine this.

Another comment is that I used to finish a ride feeling ‘sore’ in the back – and/or muscles in the legs – but don’t get anymore.   Well, maybe I haven’t ridden far enough.

The weather is clearing up for more riding – spring is on the way – here’s some of my plans for the next few months :

• Buxton trail – rode there a while ago – awesome flowing trail
• Beaconsfield – don’t think I’ll make the RockHop 2011 this weekend – doh !
• Castlemaine to Bendigo – Leanganook trail
• Mt.Buller – try out the new StoneFly and Copperhead trails – yess !

And – closer to home – re-do the CommGames circuit – where I nearly hit a kangaroo – LOL !

No, I’m not neglecting my ROAD bike too – with a recent ride to Sassafras in The Dandenongs (up the 1/20) – and there’s the 100km Around The Bay – in October.

P.S.  If you’re not using STRAVA – you should !   It’s an awesome trail/map application – for iPhone or Garmin’s – although my iPhone failed to record anything on last weekend’s ride – dammit !

If you’re up for a ride – Lysterfield especially – let me know !

Around The Bay In A Day

With a ‘decent’ road bike, I’m now participating (competing ?) in the ATBIAD event.   A bunch of us from OBS are heading down to Sorrento, to ride 100km to Melbourne.

Some training days & up-skilling ahead – but I thought I’d start off the ‘fund-raising’.

THE SMITH FAMILY assist disadvantaged children – with a goal of being “life changing” – as opposed to just providing welfare.

They’re really delivering change – more than simply ‘welfare’.   They had been finding that kids grew up, and then had children of their own.  And – poverty & life challenges would repeat – for a second and even third generation of welfare recipients.

THE SMITH FAMILY shut down their organisation in the mid-90s to re-evaluate – and determined to deliver change – provide education and jobs to kids/teens and young adults – and they have begun to see the first bunch of ‘graduates’ – after 15+ years.

Please help this GREAT cause – it’s all for the kids (srsly !)