Kreuzn's Blog

Last Friday, Ja…

kreuzn — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 05:57:38 +0000

Last Friday, January 20 at 9am, I set off with hundreds of other cyclists participating in the 2012 Bupa Challenge Tour. I raised over $700 for the Cancer Council and was nervous but also excited. I was about to ride 32kms for the first time ever. I was also about to climb Menglers Hill.

We took off slowly at first with so many participants this was to be expected. There was actually an extra few kilometres added to the course to allow for us all to get out of a pack and the ride proper to begin. So yes, I rode for more than 32kms!

My initial feeling once I began riding was how nice it was. The day was overcast and the conditions were great to be riding. I positioned myself behind a group of people and rode. I was surprised to see people already seated by the side of the road and they were cheering us on. The riders in the Tour Down Under were to ride this same course later in the day, as they finished their ride from Tanunda. It was great to see people set up and waiting for the ‘real’ riders, but happy to cheer for us too.

We were encouraged to utilise the two refreshment areas set up along the course to allow us to refill water bottles, grab something to eat or go to the toilet. When I arrived at the first I was not in need of a refill, but stopped anyway. I grabbed a piece of cake but only ate half because I wasn’t hungry. I took a pack of energy drops and put them away for later.

I set off again, pretty quickly coming to Menglers Hill. WOW! I’d re-name this Menglers Hell!!! Over two kilometres long, steep and horrible. I watched people ride up the hill like they were riding a flat section of road. I am not fit enough for that, and could have taken the escape route but decided to tackle the hill. It took be the longest time, or felt like it did, but I did manage to reach its summit.

At the top was the King of The Mountain arch that the Tour riders would use later to know who’d won the final climb of the day. There were people there giving out Skoda King of the Mountain bucket hats, which I gladly grabbed out of some guys hand as I rode past. I stopped for a drink and a brief rest, then set off again.

Going downhill is a lot of fun! Going at speeds I’ve not done before, I used my brakes frequently as I did not want to risk coming off my bike and not finishing the ride. Lots of people sped past me, heads down, looking like they were determined to beat their own personal records.

I tried to look at the views as I rode, but it was difficult. I got a sense of the beautiful views of hills in the distance, vineyards as far as the eye could see and the gorgeous Australian bush. I spied a couple of cows who I’m sure were looking at as wondering what the hell we were doing!

As I entered the main street of Tanunda I felt a sense of achievement and participating in something bigger than me, to help those who have or will get cancer. By the time I rode through the main street, crossing under the finish arch, there were people everywhere. They cheered for us, rung their cow bells and clapped, as though they were watching the pros. It was great!

I’d like to thank everyone who made a donation, I appreciate your support of what I do. Be warned, I’ll be back for another!!

D-day tomorrow

kreuzn — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 08:28:49 +0000

I’ve collected my jersey, checked in to my accommodation in Tanunda & hope to get a good nights sleep. Tomorrow morning, at 9am, I’ll set off on my bike, a participant in the Bupa Challenge Tour.
I’ve never ridden the distance of the Challenge, which is 32kms. The longest distance I’ve rode is 20kms. Nor have I ever had to ride up a hill like the one I’ll be riding tomorrow, called Menglers Hill. But I think I’m capable of completing the distance. Actually, the less I think about it the more confident I am of completion!
The full distance of the Challenge is 138km, which I sensibly did not sign up for because that distance is beyond my capabilities at present. This route is the same route that will be travelled a little later that morning by Tour Down Under riders.
Maybe one day I’ll be able to ride that far. Till then, I’m happy to have raised funds for cancer research, and I’ll be even happier when I reach the finish line.

The perils of signing up for NaNoWriMo

kreuzn — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 04:31:30 +0000

NaNoWriMo has begun. Yesterday I made the daily word count easy as. Kicked its arse actually. Today is a completely different story. I sit here frustrated, annoyed and unable to write.
I should have followed my game plan from last year, which was to write as soon as I’d had breakfast each day. I didn’t always sit in front of my Mac writing until I’d finished the word count, sometimes I’d get half done and come back later. But mostly I was able to sit there for an hour or two writing until I was done.
Today I made the first part of tonights lasagne, then went shopping. This is whats thrown me, because shopping was a failure. Well ok not quite, I did get my groceries but the buying a new dress part of shopping didn’t happen.
So now I sit in front of Scrivener and can’t write my word count. I’ve gotten up from the desk and walked around the house, I’ve breathed in slowly & deeply, I even tried jumping up and down on the spot a couple of times!!
Unfortunately blogging does not count towards my daily word count. So I’ll walk away for a moment, come back to my desk, change the music I’m listening to and try again.
Oh NaNoWriMo, on days like today I wonder where my head was when I signed up.

Natures surprises

kreuzn — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 07:42:04 +0000

I love how cycling allows me to see the change of seasons so closely. I noticed a couple of days ago that the Australian native known as ‘pig face’ is flowering profusely. The sight of a carpet of hot pink flowers spreading a great distance is a joy to behold. I don’t believe there is as many as last year, when it appeared that great tracks of land where I ride were covered in flowers. I’m unsure why the fewer numbers, but what is there this spring is still a magnificent sight.

In someones front yard a plant unknown to me is in full flower – this time a deeper pink – brightening an otherwise drab area, appearing like a waterfall of colour tumbling down

their fence.

A pair of beautiful parrots flew out of the scrub as I rode past them today; flashing bright green, red and possibly yellow. If I was to drive the roads I ride I’m sure I’d miss many of these beautiful things. Instead I get to enjoy them as I ride, making me thankful to be able to enjoy their beauty, and allowing me to wonder what next will brighten my day.

Spring vegetable delights

kreuzn — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 12:29:03 +0000

The new season always brings such promise of things to come. The last of the winter vegetables are almost finished, leaving me with only some tasty swedes to enjoy. I recently joined the Diggers Club, and will soon be enjoying some heirloom vegetables, along with modern varieties. I’m particularly looking forward to enjoying the purple carrots I planted, they are sure to fabulous and probably taste even better.
I’m delighted to see my potatoes have sprouted; this is the first time I’ve grown them and can’t wait until they are ready. Based on my delight at the flavour of the snow peas I grew over winter, I decided to plant beans this season. I’ve never been all that keen on them (or peas for that matter) but I thought I’d give them a shot. If I don’t like the taste, there’s always family and friends to give them to. Sharing home grown vegetables is part of the fun.
The never fail Asian greens have been planted, as have some leaf lettuce. Next on my to do list is to plant some seeds of heirloom tomatoes into punnets, to get them started before planting out. I’m so thankful to have my vegetable garden and all the pleasure it gives me.

New gardening delights

kreuzn — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 07:00:43 +0000

My vegetable garden love affair continues, this time presenting me with a never before grown (or eaten) vegetable. Japanese winter radish, purchased from a Japanese grocery store on a recent visit to Melbourne. Planted on July 21 they are already poking their heads out of the soil. I admit to looking at them with excitement, longing to know what they will taste like although they are many weeks away from being ready.

Yesterday I purchased more seeds, including vegetables I’ve never grown before. I look forward to their arrival in the mail and subsequent planting. My hope is to eventually not need to buy fruit or vegetables. So far it has been a fun challenge that I’m learning a lot from.

Six months in the garden

kreuzn — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 22:36:50 +0000

WOW what an interesting six months it has been in the garden. All sorts of things have happened, and most can be attributed to the weather. A balmy, sometimes steamy summer saw the young palm trees double – sometimes triple – in size. They happily grow where I live, however they thrived in weather that closely resembled their native conditions. One dwarf palm even flowered, its dainty yellow flowers eye catching but difficult to photograph.

The philodendron also pushed out more growth than usual; it now dominates the corner or the garden it lives in. It was so happy that it flowered for months. I chanced upon the flowers when I was tidying some dead leaves from its base. Having never seen a philodendron in flower before I was thrilled.

My tomato bush took ages to develop fruit – it was not happy with the weather. Once fruiting, the tomatoes stayed green for a long time. Without enough sunlight they were not ripening. Yet now I have tomatoes still forming, developing to full size and ripening. With tomatoes $9 a kilo at the supermarket, I’m happy to be able to wander into the vegetable garden and pick ripe tomatoes. There has been enough to make chutney, and to freeze for later use.

Capsicums were hit with aphids so I cut them down by half. When they re-emerged they provided me with another four months of very yummy capsicums.

I’ve enjoyed learning to adapt to a climate that is so different from past seasons. It has been a pleasure to watch plants thrive; happily nothing has struggled to grow. Some plants haven’t had as much growth as in the past, but it is always nice to not have to remove a plant that can’t cope.

Surrounding oneself with beauty..

kreuzn — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 08:06:02 +0000

or things that make you smile, spark the memory of a special moment.

While sorting through things I had in storage I realised that not only was there stuff that I didn’t need anymore, there was stuff that I was missing out of seeing/using/appreciating. So I’m attempting to change that.

Using the good luck horseshoes and other momento’s I received when I got married I have created a mobile that hangs from the ceiling in my creative room. Every time I’m in there I can look at it and appreciate the beauty of those treasures. The tiara I wore when I got married has been hiding away in a box since I returned from our honeymoon. Now it has pride of place on my bedside table, allowing me to enjoy its beauty every day.

I’ve taken many other things and utilised them, deciding that if I wasn’t going to use something it might as well be thrown out. There is no point keeping things for ‘good’ or to use one day. If I can’t incorporate it into my life then it is useless to me. The benefits are two fold. Extra storage space, and an appreciation of beautiful things with a special meaning to me.

12 months of cycling

kreuzn — Sun, 08 May 2011 08:01:00 +0000

On mothers day 2010 I went for a bike ride late in the morning. It was the first time I’d gone for a ride in a number of years. I had been thinking about it for a while, as I was looking for a form of exercise that I would enjoy, but would also give me an element of stress relief. Happily I found that in cycling.

When I went on that ride I could not have imagined the difference this past twelve months has had on me. I am now riding a great new bike; a christmas gift from my husband. My body is a lot fitter than it was twelve months ago; I’m noticing definition in places I’ve never seen before. And if I feel stressed, getting on the bike gets rid of that immediately.

I continue riding for all those reasons, and for the freedom that it affords me. Although I realise that when I’m riding I’m not alone on the roads, I get lost in the moment and it does feel as though its me, my music and the bike. For the duration of my ride I am able to forget about everything that is going on in my life and focus only on the road ahead of me. I love that I am in control, that I can go as hard or as slow as I want, and always get home exhausted but feeling fabulous. I’ve found that the feeling is a little addictive.

I am confident I’ll continue riding, because I love all the benefits that come with it. Here’s to many more years of enjoying my bike

Cancer and me

kreuzn — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 03:12:38 +0000

Today marks the second anniversary since my husband was diagnosed with testicular cancer. Thankfully, he has recovered well from the ordeal and for the most part his life has returned to normal.

Of course normal is a relative word, and there are activities in our lives now that two years ago were unheard. There are the blood tests, x-rays and cat scans that take place on a regular basis to ensure he remains cancer free. And the twice yearly visits to his oncologist, which means two 1200 km round trips.

There are other, less obvious things that define our life now that we’ve had an experience with cancer. Before his diagnosis I had no direct link with the disease, knowing a family friend or two who’d been hit by the disease, but nothing closer than that.

Yet if I stop to consider it there are things that happen every day that can be directly linked to our experience with cancer. I’m thankful to be alive, and that he is alive. I’m more patient than I was, which I’m told is a good thing. And I try to live a healthier life.

I grow many of our vegetables, following organic principles. I still have not tired from the joy of seeing something new growing, or the pleasure that is the taste of home grown vegetables. I’ll soon be planting more fruit trees, and constructing a third vegetable bed in the hope I’ll rarely have to buy fruit and vegetables from a supermarket.

We eat healthier, which encompasses everything from making almost all our meals from scratch to no longer eating take away food. Although I can’t recall precisely the last time I ate take away I do remember the pain it caused my stomach afterwards. There is now not one big, chain store brand of take away that I can eat without experiencing this pain. It feels as though my stomach kind of goes into shock once it is hit with the stuff.

I also exercise a lot more, and have over the past twelve months become a keen cycler. I hope that the combination of good healthy food and the right amount of exercise will keep my body and mind healthy, and hopefully I can avoid becoming a cancer statistic.

Of course living healthy doesn’t mean missing out on naughty indulgences. The easter eggs I have are proof of that! It just means I make informed decisions about what I eat, and if I am a little naughty from time to time I make up for it by riding a little harder or doing an extra session of pilates!