I'm back home now in sunny Canberra! Of course if you've seen the news you'll know that the place has been pretty much underwater the whole time I was in Busselton. I like to think that I brought some good weather back!
Going back to work was a challenge. I was more tired out than I realised but I managed to keep my eyes open in public at least! School holidays have started for us and apart from a couple of jobs I don't plan to see my office until January sometime. Hooray!
I'm not going to go on about Ironman except to say that I did it. There is a full report on the blog so just scroll down!
But, out on the course there were a heap of people with boomboxes blaring or the locals playing music off their balconies. This was fantastic and a huge source of motivation as well as distraction from the pain. I think I'll play a few of those songs this week.
This one was playing just past the jetty maybe 4km into the run course. Great song from a few years ago with a great earthy vocal style and a solid beat.
Further on up the road there was a couple blasting a range of tunes out from their balcony. They were both really getting into some dancing too. Bear in mind that they were out there the whole time I was on the run....and it took me 5hrs 43mins! This track is a fave of mine and I was pretty stoked to hear it! Horns up.
The same house was responsible for playing this little gem...
Songs with a good beat were like gold out there for me!
I found out recently that The Chieftains had recorded an LP with slide guitar legend Ry Cooder. It took me a while to track it down to pass on to my Dad for his birthday. I'll have to check the album out myself. The tracks I've heard on YouTube are excellent. The Chieftains seem to have a knack of playing well with a large range of guests. Here's Ry Cooder by himself doing a classic:
If you want to hear more of Ry Cooder then check out the movie "Crossroads" with a soundtrack featuring him as well as Steve Vai. Cool film with some good sounds.
Angus has just come in from cricket with the stellar bowling figure of 2 wickets for 1 run from just 2 overs! Here's one for him...
On Monday night we're off to see Zoë pick up some awards at her school speech night. Clever clogs indeed! She puts the rest of us to shame in that department. And to make it better she really seems to enjoy school even though it can be a pretty serious business at times.
We're almost at the end of this week's installment now. I'm sure that as I return to the real world there will be more political and social outrage in the following weeks. Don't worry, I haven't gone soft. I was interested to hear on the radio last night an academic who was saying that university students in England will now have to pay pretty much the same in fees as we've been paying here in Australia since the late 80's. But what is interesting in England is that some degrees will attract more public funding that others - those deemed 'useful'...it will be interesting to see what happens. I bet the government in London wasn't expecting riots! I'll have to see if the same deal applies in Scotland.
Education is a right, but only to a point now I guess. I'm not sure how I feel about this. Fees, even those that can be deferred, are a deterrent for a lot of people considering tertiary study. And I'm sure that a society with people qualified and learned in a wide range of disciplines is better than a nation full of doctors, lawyers and accountants!
This isn't the best quality video but it fits nicely.
To finish off, this is the song that made me laugh the most last Sunday when I was out for a quick 42.2km run following a brisk swim and a roll around the countryside! There was a group of young guys and girls in deck chairs on their front lawn cheering us on. They had a microphone to call out our names and numbers and played an interesting range of tunes. This one even made me sing out loud, I should have saved my energy I guess but I just came out.
Have a great week. I know I will!
DJ Rob
Ry Cooder - excellent. I own crossroads (movie and sound track). Will have to check out more on You tube.
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