June 16. Day 168. Healthy appetite

I'm sure I'm not the only one whose childhood involved a song about a bear, a bear who clearly lacked either imagination, or vision or a healthy appetite. Perhaps all of them. This bear, according to the song, went over the mountain and when he did all he could see was the other side of the mountain. How dumb was that bear? Climb the mountain and you are rewarded by a rather nice view but that's just the start. Surely the bear should have known to select a mountain with a decent coffee shop at the top. Then, even if all he could see was the other side of the mountain at least he could enjoy a coffee and cake while taking in the view. Bears might not know this but Susan does, her dogs do and so does just about every bird around the place. Get to the top of Mount Coot-tha and there will be rewards and those rewards will be in cake. Because what point is exercise if not to allow you to eat more?

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June 15. Day 167. Paddling like hell

Assignments. You can just duck off. Seriously, I am totally over marking. But I hide it well. So calm on the surface but paddling like crazy under the surface - and if you believe that.... The veneer of calm went to water a very long time ago. It's enough to drive a woman to drink. Literally. This afternoon, in marking avoidance mode, the dogs and I decided to take a walk to South Bank. "Let me buy you a cool drink," a friend who lives at South Bank suggested. We considered mineral water but found ourselves at a bar and there was a cider in my hand. That can happen. I'm not sure what's worse. Being driven to drink on a Wednesday afternoon or taking my underaged dogs to the bar with me. If it helps in my defence, they were only drinking water. And we did walk to and from the bar so that has to count to something. And what's more I had the good sense not to mark after that cider ...                           Today's steps: 15, 178

June 14. Day 166. Bird brain

They say in the modern world where everyone has to self market "Brand Me" what to need to consider is a point of difference, a special skill that you bring to life's table that makes you different from everyone else. Here's mine, although whether it is a special skill or a special type of insanity remains a mute point. No-one else I know takes photos of birds with dogs as photographic assistants mainly because this makes absolutely no sense. At all. And yet I make it work because walking with my dogs is the main game and the bird pics come because I'm out and about with a camera. Still, it does complicate things. Some days a little. Some days a lot. Today was a 

mega complication thanks to Winkle. We took a long walk along Kedron Brook with from Gordon Park to Kalinga, a stretch that is almost all dog off leash. It's a particularly tranquil walk I had not done in its entirety before but in a couple of sections the path does take you under a road. Here's where it got interesting. Winkle loves to chase birds. She picked one of these sections to take off after a bird, up a particularly steep embankment and was then on the road above. I was frantic. Screaming at her hysterically but with no chance of getting anywhere near her. It could have been disastrous. Fortunately it wasn't. She has no road sense but somehow crossed the road and rejoined us on the path on the otherside of the overpass. I was so happy she was alive I almost killed her. She spent the rest of the walk on the lead. So did Rumple even though he's done no wrong. I won't say that's the end of that walk just that she will be on the lead when we get anywhere near the road. She may be bird brained. I try not to make that my point of difference.
Tooday's steps: 22 409

June 13. Day 165. Climb every mountain

Asking for help is actually a sign of strength not weakness, especially if you have given it a red hot go by yourself. It's just a recognition that no man (or woman, or dog) is an island and a friend in need is not a pain in the arse but an opportunity to lend a hand. Well that's both my philosophy and my excuse. All of which brings me to today's walk up Mount Cooth-tha as part of operation Global Corporate Challenge. It's yet another opportunity for me to clock up steps and Winkle to show that size doesn't matter. She's quite determined to keep up with the bigger boys in this case Rumple and my sister's dog Shadow. She's good. Very good but she has one fault which was exposed today (and which rather reminds me of me). Being the fearless little Miss, she charged after Rumple across the falls and up the other side. Shadow recognised his fears and didn't attempt it. Winkle managed it with ease but then couldn't work out how to make the return journey. She let out a few barks of distress to let us know she was stuck. It brought back strong memories of me climbing trees. I was awesome at getting up but pretty bloody useless at getting back down. So many times my father, who was not at all good at heights, had to coach me down. It's what families do. So with Winkle stuck on a bank across the falls there was nothing for it but to launch a rescue party. Rumple and I set off. Fortunately there is no vision of me climbing across slippery rocks. Seeing me approaching calmed her and then Rumple took over. He charged across, met her and she followed him back to safety. And then she was off as though nothing had happened. Because some times you just need to know there's a safety net to give you the confidence to have a red hot go.
Today's steps: 15, 278

June 12. Day 164. Duck, duck, goose

 It's probably a case of selective memory or confirmation bias but in any case it always seems to rain if you hang out the washing or fill up the pool. Others also add water the lawn or wash the car but if I did those things it would be more about hell freezing over than rain. But it drives you mad. All that wasted energy, effort and water.
Seems like there's a bit of it going around. When I walked by the lakes at the University of Queensland this afternoon it was bright and clear. All the water fowl were going through elaborate self cleaning routines. I watched for a bit before running off to see Jesus Christ Superstar at the Schonell Theatre. When I emerged two acts later it was raining. If the ducks and the geese had just waited a bit they wouldn't have had to go through all that ducking a goosing to get wet and then all that flapping about to get dry again. I bet some of those waterbirds are feeling like a bit of a goose right now.
Today's steps: 15,072

June 11. Day 163. Dangerous Times

 They say we live in dangerous times. Sure threats from terrorism, climate change and Donald Trump (not necessarily in that order) contribute to a great deal of collective insecurity.
But was there ever really a peaceful past? History Alive at the Fort Lytton National Park would suggest not.
I mean, at least we now have lawyers and social media to settle disagreements and don't have to rely on swords or jousting.
Of course not all history is horrible but those are the bits we seem to find most attractive to re-enact.
There were harp players and calligraphers, for example, but where were the people? Watching the knights try to kill each other. It makes for exciting viewing even for those too young or too squeamish to watch Game of Thrones. No prizes for guessing which category I fall into. Now excuse me while I go and swoon and get myself some smelling salts. It's all too much for a delicate little flower such as myself.
Today's steps: 15, 192

June 10. Day 162. Taken for granted

When we grow older we are supposed to grow wiser.
 I wonder about that. Sure we might know more things but we also become a little - or sometimes a lot - jaded or complacent or cynical. Like a drug addict needing bigger and bigger doses to get the same thrill, the things that used to excite us don't hold the same attraction.
Some times we should try and see things through fresh eyes.
Example one. Today I was expecting visitors and they were later than I would have anticipated given their departure time.
Why?
Work has begun removing the big trees at the end of my street. It has resulted in temporary road closures but that wasn't it. Little Elliott simply could not go past all those exciting pieces of machinery. When you are two, cranes and diggers and saws are exciting. When you are older you tend to see them as only noisy and inconvenient. Yet when I joined Elliott and Alison sitting on the footpath watching the tree felling in action, I had to admit work that includes abseiling down a tree with a chainsaw is pretty impressive. Example 2. Later I walked to South Bank and met my mother and her friend Lois for the annual Luminous Lantern Parade celebrating multiculturalism and welcoming refugees. I'm at South Bank all the time and a parade veteran.  As such it's easy to forget what it's like when you first see those giant illuminated figures being paraded through the parklands. It's also easy to forget how privileged I am to live where I live. These sorts of things are on my doorstep. But if reaction of the parade newbies wasn't enough to remind me of how special the night is, the smiles of those in the parade itself certainly were. When you consider the conditions of some of the countries the refugees have some from, just being in Brisbane must be like a dream come true. Seeing 15,000 people lining the parade route in support can only warm their hearts. For those of us who have never had to fight to call Brisbane home, it should be a reminder of how lucky we are.
Today's steps: 22,282