Puppy sitting whinge

I've always hankered after having a dog, but have realised that in all honesty my life style doesn't have room for the responsibilities of being a dog owner...and in that I guess I show more insight than many!

Anyhow....Ben has acquired a pointer/staffie cross puppy called Baxter and the day after it arrived  Ben  became ill which has left me with the task of 1.  being a parent to Ben and stepping in when needed and 2.  being a baby sitter to an 8 week old pup when we already have 2 cats who are not very happy about the pup!

I'd forgotten how much  work a "toddler" entailed and currently I just wish the damn thing would go to sleep so I could have a break from being followed/moving stuff out of his reach  and keeping the cat from scratching his eyes out!!!

On top of that its piddled on our floor 3 times and pooed once...ENOUGH!

I'm really happy to help Ben out for a short while  and actually am grateful for the opportunity 'cos it's ensured I wont make the mistake of going down the path of owning a dog, at least not until I stop training/travelling/have aggro cats.

Groan  
bloody cat whimpering pathetically in 1 half of the house and the dog doing likewise in the other part of the house..if he were mine I'd let them sort it out, but handing over a bloodied pup at the end of the day is probably not a good idea.

Thank you god...finally Baxter is asleep,  under the computer desk chair that I'm sitting on...am I going to be able to move ?

and the answer was ...no!

This is going to be 1 VERY long day.

lumps, signs and saddle issues

 Lumps

5 years ago I had a crash on the road resulting in  the usual gravel wounds on both elbows.  The left elbow was worse and so attracted the most attention in the ED. 

 Later on a lump started to grow on my right elbow, I thought it was some gravel trying to exit..my doctors didn't agree...called it a granuloma(!). Finally I decided to force the issue and went to a dermatologist, who also didn't agree with me..calling it a "nodule" and before Xmas injecting it with something to try and settle it down. 

 Yesterday he somewhat reluctantly excised the lump and guess what it was......yup gravel and associated tissue growing around it. There are times when you just have to trust your own judgement.

Signs and totally unappreciated humour

Today I was driving with Alex to Brighton   and had taken a different route in a vain effort to avoid the morning traffic. We passed by the "Springvale Botanical Cemetery" which prompted me to ask if this is where we should take all our dead plants.  Silence ensued.  Doh! and here's me thinking I was sooooo witty.

Saddle issues 

I lerv the Adamo saddle  I have on my TT bike, but I think there are a few issues that needed sorting out....see these post ride pix

 

 

TT season is here!

1st race back after quite a while and I was 11 seconds adrift on my last year's time.  That race was during May, so quite a few month's further down the track fitness wise.

The race was in Kialla, near Shepparton and it'd be hard to find a flatter course...which of course means the strength and direction of the wind plays a huge part.  This time the head and tail winds were on the shorter sides of the rectangle which meant the mega pain and mega joy were short lived!

BTW..take no notice of the apparent elevation changes..the scale is deceiving ;-))), and never ever think it's easier 'cos it's flat...it aint.

So the next race is 4 weeks away unless something pops up in the meantime.  So back to the drawing board on the roads and the ergo.

Like this:

ok 'nuff said, time for a nanna nap.

I'm probably the last person to have seen these, but....

I was happily walking near Melbourne Uni yesterday when the jaw drop/sudden cessation of walking thing happened as I noticed this thing:

yup! it's  a Yikebike with a claimed top speed of 23kph and a range of 10km, and  it's foldable.  However it's not for you if you and your luggage  weigh over 100kgs and you don't fall within the height range of 163cm to 193cm (5’4” to 6'4").  With that sort of speed capability will one need a drivers license and will teenagers not yet allowed to drive a car be able to use it?  Hmm!  It seems strictly for flat smooth terrain (can't cope with a hill >5 degrees  but  IMHO  it's waaaay cooler than the Segway.

 I

It's TT time again

I've been busily putting in hours of heavy suffering for some time now... both training and more recently  trying lose a few kilo's. Weight loss took a more important turn after seeing the profile for one of my TT's in Italy. Hunger is my new best friend.

Yesterday's SMS to my coach might give you an idea of the suffering I  had just gone through:
Me: "What is the prison sentence for murdering your coach.  Or is it considered justifiable homicide"
Coach: "Yes"
Me:  "I'm ded"
Coach "Thought so"

All in a good cause...I think...and Sunday's race will see what level of fitness I've crawled up to this early in the year.  The race is pancake flat...a grind of a race where the wind can have a large impact on whether a PB is on the cards.

More on this anon

Up date on the "my saddle fell off" drama of early this month:
Personal: the gouge on my inner thigh  from  when I almost sat on the seat post has finally healed up.  It was quite a deep gouge; I guess having a covering of fat is sometimes a plus (snicker...pun intended).

Why did it fall off????

the C shaped top bit of my Token seatpost had fractured..either before or after...cause or effect ..not sure.  Anyhow an email to Token and I received a replacement part free, gratis and for nothing. :-))))))  Thank you Token, you saved me a heap of $$ to replace what is a very lightweight seatpost and clamp and which therefore comes under the rule that the less weight  there is the more you pay.

a drama filled day

wow! dramas galore..

first of all I'm busily doing my training session of 2 hours plus 6 out of the saddle sprints and my saddle falls off...luckily minimal  injury to me  and none to  the saddle ...it could have been VERY nasty. 

 

Then I'm riding home and a police helicopter is circling around me..initially I fantasize I'm in the Tour de France then I realise its serious as the road is blocked by the police and I can't get home by a direct route. I'm diverted over a mountain...a road I never ride 'cos its too steep for me at the end of a session.  I finally get home the neighbours tell me stories of police with guns etc etc. 

and here

Happy New Year...again!

Animals on today's ride:

1 dead ring tail possum
1 grey heron
 heaps of cute little male  blue wrens,  female too probably but they are so drab as to be invisible

AND

there's not too many days I go riding in suburban Croydon, Bayswater, Wantirna locale and get to see an emu on the prowl!

and just to keep us alert