Park Run

Very first park run. Rhodes Sydney. 

Standing around before with Marcus and James and I asked about starting order. Indeed the fast start first but they explain there are people who walk and others that push prams. There's a smattering of kids. You know those very fit 10 year olds. Identifiable because they are wearing tee shirts with a 10 on the back. 

A young lady gathers an audience of newbies including me and explains the course which is a 1k loop followed by a 2k out and 2k back. 

I make my way towards the prams. 

And we are off. The croud stretching away in front of me. I'm working on a race plan here. Keep it smooth. 

The 1k loop is over and I've not needed the defib. 

Not long after as I'm on the 2k outbound stretch and through the rain I hear my name called and it's Marcus on his way back. A few minutes later and my name again. I look wildly round and manage to focus momentarily to see James also almost home. I plod on. 

I realise there's two girls in bright gear proclaiming some running club walking but I'm not getting any closer. I try to get out of the plod snd get a bit of spring. That improves things a bit and the gap starts to close. The path divides and I assume we are nearing the turn around. Alas no. It's just a corner. Finally pass the girls. And more finally the turnaround. Lucklily I notice most of the fit 10yearolds are teathered to old blokes.  Unfortunately exhausted and the plod returns. I Walk a bit and jog some more a couple of times. Then I see some figures running toward me. It dawns this is Marcus and James. They escort me home. Gone are any further thoughts of walking. 

Now as I walk the legs are wobbly.

Frank 229th in 38:08
Marcus 12th in 20:15
James 56th in 23:59

 

 

 

 

 

Friday Sydney - Walk to James and Sophies

 Friday morning woke early, packed and checked out.  Google advised Marcus's place was only 20minutes walk and the previous night I had decided to walk it.

In the distance I saw the old mortuary (I thnk it was called).  It's a part of Central Station where in days of old, they would load coffins on and off trains.  The other half was carfully demolished and rebuild in Canberra as All Saints? Church.  James was Christened there.

I have no idea who this is but reminded me that an election is in the air.

Cantral station

Covid-19 fear.

 

Booking to Fly

 Just booked a few days in Sydney.

Virgin $127 + $32 for a big seat = $179
Qantas $179

RETURN
Virgin $119 + $29 for a big seat
Qantas?

I was unsure when in the process one can bid on business class upgrades and eventually figured I would go for the extra leg room seats and forgo the business class idea.

The answer to the when to upgrade comes after the purchase process is completed.

PARKING

parking.bne.com.au  Airpark (outdoor bus every 25 minutes) $39
Essential (At the international terminal.  Bus every 10 minutes 5 min ride) $75
ParkLong (At domestic) $115
guaranteeds space in P2 $140

Andrews   Undercover $87  Outdoor $65

2022 ANZAC Dawn Service - City

I originally planned to rise at 3 but later decidd on 2:45.

The eventual schedule was:

2:45 rise and dress

3:00 arr Corinda station.  No one here. Concern?  Added value to go card.

3:16 train due. Waiting but no one else on platform?

3:45 walking from Central station. I walked out the SE exit and down Edward then left into Adelaide and left into the square. 

4:00 I'm in Anzac square

Initially Down on pre pandemic numbers. Packed by the time the service started.

I think this is the first dawn service for 2 years.

Quite a lot of young people. 

There's a bunch of churchie boys identifiable by their hats and some girl guides. 

4:25 and the square is packed

4:28 Service starts

ANZAC Dawn service is a reminder of the sacrifice service people have made through wars past. The agony of loss to their families and friends, unimaginable. 

 

I mused that though the thought of war is abhorrent, Putins invasion of Ukraine reminds us we need a strong self sufficient military to ensure we can remain free.

 

Near the end, we stumbled our way through the national anthem. The second verse, which is rarely sung, struck a chord. If our soldiers have sacrificed so much to keep us free. To give us the luxury of being able to sit and consider. Then an issue of great concern to me is the continued detention of the refugees at Banyo and that Biloela family still stuck on Christmas Island. To me the time in detention is immoral.

 

V2 if the national anthem:

"who've come across the sea,

Boundless Plains to share"

 

Sounds a lot like an ode to boat people. 

 

Now I totally believe that we need to be in control of our own borders but we need to have a moral compass that considers the human effects. Years of detention is just plane wrong.

Walking out from Central.  Big army trucks to stop a ram raid.

The crowd grew until the Anzac square was packed.

Second verse of the national anthem....

It's a new thing all these barriers.  A capitulation to fear in my view.

I think we should ditch the barriers.

After the service I strolled around the city on my own.  A reflection of my life atm.  A empty loneliness.  I remember walking through here as a kid at school.  A lot different then.

Sunday church

Most Sunday mornings I coach rowing. Today is school holidays and no rowing so I decided to go to church.

Decided an opportunity to catch up with Derek so I texted him to find out which church he'll be at. 

So church at Weller's Hill Taragindi Uniting. Now known as "Southside Uniting Church"

Caught up before the service with Derek in his OB van. He is doing the livestream. 

Minister was a fellow called "Jock".

All in all a pleasant experience. 

Interesting to reflect that I was less triggered by it being a UC. 

Stanthorpe Easter Church

17 April 2022

Driving to church in Stanthorpe. 

Anger toward the uc pulsing in my heart and stomach. 

Spotify playing Fleetwood mac don't stop thinking about tomorrow helping my mind overcome the anger toward the uc. 

In my mind I'm churning "Just go with the local uc. Forget the old local. These guys had nothing to do with Sherwood" 

I'd seen the church to be a part of life. Like the cement that holds the bricks of life together. A part of the social contract. A contract spells out the roles and responsibilities of the various parties committed to that contract. 

I recognised that people come into the church with varying needs, wants, attitudes. 

What kills me is that when my marriage disintegrated, I received zero support from my local church. The social contract shown up as an illusion. 

As has been a tradition, we sang the song chosen by Rosemary. 

Hard to enjoy the service. 

Hard to smile at the jokes and throw away levity. 

When weighed down by grief - > anger, one's world shrinks. 

Interesting to reflect that a way to fight depression is to focus in the moment. Here though "the moment" is a reminder of the end of my life and world view as I'd known it. 

Of course, my thought processes are very selfish. At this very instant there's putans invasion of Ukraine. 

We've refugees incarcerated at Banyo festering now for 9+ years. 

Had to laugh, as I left to drive to Brisbane, Spotify played

Blown it all sky high

Followed by

Second hand news. 

Ha. 

Balancing Heart

Staying at Paul & Cybele's place at Stanthorpe.

Earlyish I got up and walked up to the rock. Sun was just up. The sky blue and the world looked big.

Afternoon and we've driven to Balancing Heart winery. Saw Chris Austin and his wife are here with friends. 

Ordered a lamb pizza. Food is taking ages. Well over an hour. 

 

I feel sorry for these guys.  Feels like lousy management.  Not prepping pizza ingredients and not having decent systems in place.  It feels like one of those owner managed places that just needs to get in an external manager and give him the authority and budget to sort it out.

 

After I gout up, I walked up to the balancing rock.  The sun was just up. 

It opens and relaxes the mind when one sees a view like this