Moving to the dark side

Yes - I've finally succumbed to the dark (aka lazy) side and have started using our dishwasher!

I'm sure everyone back in Oz will laugh at me for holding off for so long - as they are pretty commonplace in the large Aussie kitchen. Over here where space is limited, it is a treat to have a dishwasher and having lived in two apartments where dishwashing by hand was the only option we had become used to going without. However, faced with a pile of dirty dishes this last Sunday I gave in and loaded up the machine. It started with a sputter and a few clicks and then roared into life - my very own dish fairy!

The only problem is that now we're going to need a few more bowls to make a full load. Oh well, I think we'll manage ;)

We also had our best ride/run yet on the weekend. Phil's physios or masseuses or podiatrists (yes he has multiple of each!) said he shouldn't run too far or uphill this week, so we did a 6 mile ride around Wimbledon Common all on the flat. It was great fun! I'm hoping we can continue to do that track on Sundays over the summer once Phil has recovered from the marathon.

Things are definitely looking up this week. We've switched to British Summer Time, so it is light when I come out of work. I still have a job, which is a big relief after the long period of restructuring we've had at work (although I'm really sad to see some of my fabulous fellow team members having to move on) and we're off to tiptoe through the tulips over the Easter weekend. Suggestions for things to do in Amsterdam over a long weekend will be warmly welcomed.

Have a great week everyone!

PS: Don't ask how much it cost me to get Phil's physio to tell him the no uphill rule!

One quarter complete!

One quarter of my 18,000 piece jigsaw complete right on schedule!!!

13+ miles in support

Phil is doing fantastically well with his marathon training. I think he's only got six weeks to go now, so he's really having to put in the hours pounding the pavement. He has been running to or from work, but now the longer runs he's scheduled to do take almost 3 hours, so he's shifted them to Sundays.

I like that he's changed over to the weekends because it gives me a chance to do some active supporting by riding my bike alongside him while he runs. At least that is the theory!

Today we set out to do 13 miles. The plan was to run through Wimbledon Common to Richmond Park and then run/ride all the way around the outermost track of the park and then back through Wimbledon Common home. It all started out fairly well, but Phil shot out ahead of me as we hit the first steep hill and I spent a while catching him back up once I'd huffed my way to the top. On the next hill, I took a wrong turn and ended up riding an extra mile or so in detour. I didn't think I was going to see Phil for the rest of the trip, but I caught up just as he was leaving the park. One final muddy hill through Wimbledon Common finally did me in and we didn't see each other until we arrived home. So I need to work on my support riding, but I think Phil should just be grateful I wasn't just cheering from the couch at home!!

Apparently next weekend is supposed to be 19 miles. We're planning a different route so we can spend more time together (i.e. less steep hills!). I'm hoping my bottom has recovered and that my brain has forgotten what lots of miles feels like by then!!

Scariest thought for the day: To do the full marathon I would have had to turn around once I got home and done the whole thing again!

Travellers Tales Festival

Yesterday, Phil and I were infused with the spirit of travel as we wandered the hallowed halls of the Royal Geographical Society at the Traveller Tales Festival.

Our first session was a lecture by Steve McCurry - a photojournalist whose passion is photographing the true essense of people in Asia. He is most famous for his photo of the Afghan Girl who featured on the cover of National Geographic.

We spent the next couple of hours in a series of lectures and panel discussions on travel photography, blogging and the future of travel as seen by five travel editors from the popular UK newspapers and travel magazines. As expected, given the current financial situation and the focus on green travel, people are looking for environmentally friendly holidays that provide great value for money - fewer weekend breaks and more travel closer to home. And of course, blogging, Twitter and Facebook are THE way to keep in touch with friends and family while you are at it.

For aspiring travel writers, I think the message was that marketing yourself through blog articles and Twitter are important tools for getting recognised and building a portfolio. And that if you want to get articles published you need to focus on a story, not a destination. The travel writers aren't looking for a general article on say, Spain, they want the story of the local guy in the small Spanish village that has created something amazing that a traveller can participate in.

Our final two sessions were presentations by Colin Prior and Colin Thubron.

Colin Prior is an enthusiastic Glaswegian landscape photographer. His showed some great examples of how to get a 3D effect in your landscape photos by including lit objects in the foreground backed by shadows and then lit objects in the distance. It's the first time I've heard it explained like that, so I'm keen to try it out.

Colin Thubron is a prolific British travel writer who was short-listed for the Man Booker Prize for his novel To the Last City. He was a charming speaker and I'm looking forward to reading his work, as the excerpts he read to us were quirky, funny and in fantastic detail.

The highlight of my day was a behind the scenes look at some of the artifacts from the Royal Geographical Society archives. On display were various objects from the Shackleton and Scott's expeditions to the South Pole. We saw some of the original South Polar Times - books of stories, drawings and observations from the expedition members that they were encouraged to fill in the long cold nights. The provisions list for the Discovery mission was amazing - it included everything an English gentleman would need - including specially stamped Royal Doulton china! They even had Scott's compass and a piece of the telescope that Amendsun had left at the South Pole to show Scott that he'd won the race to the pole. History really comes alive when you can see the artifacts in the flesh.

This was the first festival run by Travellers Tales and the organisers did a fantastic job. We enjoyed the events and I've got some new ideas to apply to my writing and photography and some new books to read. However, we weren't as inspired as we expected to be. Perhaps it was just the end of a busy week and there is a lot of other things going on at the moment. So the question is: will we go again next year? I think the answer for me is yes - it's a great chance to spend time with like minded people. For Phil - I'd guess it's probably no - Sunday's are too precious to be uninspired!