In and Out - Health Centre does not take a holiday,

Despite arriving very early this morning, the number of people waiting at the health centre was still as large as usual, if not more for that time of day. However only a short wait for the pathology collection area, and then into the chemist for some needed medicines to keep us dosed to the eyeballs.

This was quick, so we are now stocked with tablets/medicine.

Back to the doctor in two days time.

Happy New Year to all, and enjoy the fireworks/celebrations/ and make and keep some resolutions as that seems to be the flavour for this time of year.

Until next time/next year.

Kaboom Karash Kerplunk

RIP Grapevine supporting trellis that was.


Two nights ago, our prospective son-in-law heard an almighty crash during the night.

The previous night he heard all the thunder and lightning.

Anyway, on inspecting the backyard the day after the crash, it was clearly evident what he had heard.

The trellis which supported, and still does support, the grapevine had come thundering down onto the paved area of the yard.

The trellis is now leaning at a precarious angle, inviting all and sundry to venture underneath at their own risk. It either collapsed due to the heavy rain we have had recently, which rain undermined the foundations, or was due to the lack of rain, which dried the supporting structure so much, that it collapsed through exhaustion. Or collapsed because during the construction phase, a proper construction was not carried out. All reasons are purele speculative.

Anyways, the grapevine did not separate from the trellis, but is now resplendent at 45 degrees angle to previously.

We will probably leave it be, until all the grapes have ripened and are picked, and then take appropriate action, meanwhile, anybody wandering in our backyard with or without permission is at serious risk of a further fall by the structure.

If we'd had dogs, they would have had their doghouse directly under the "structure".

Anyway, so endeth our excitement for year 2008.

But wait, the year has not yet finished.There's still about one week left.

Until next time,

Happy Christmas to all bloggers and readers and friends.

Wishing you all a happy, joyous, and injury free year in 2009.


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Plan to rename park for Kerryn McCann
BY JOEL RITCHIE
24/12/2008
Greg McCann, the husband of champion runner Kerryn McCann, said his family would be thrilled if a plan to rename a Coledale oval in his late wife's honour succeeded.
Coledale Waves Junior Soccer Club president Ian Dewey has approached Wollongong City Council to rename St James Park in honour of the Olympian and Commonwealth Games gold medallist, who died after a brave 16-month battle with cancer earlier this month.
The council plans to contact the family about an appropriate way to mark McCann's passing in the New Year.
St James Park, which can be seen from the family's Coledale home, was the finishing point of McCann's emotional leg with the Olympic flame before the 2000 Sydney games and the starting point of her training runs.
Mr McCann said the proposal was a "great gesture".
"Everyone around town knew Kerryn and we spent so much time at the ground," he said.
"She would have run around that oval thousands of times as a warm-up for her training runs."
McCann was also a fixture at the ground as eldest son Benny, 11, played for various Waves teams - often coached by Greg.
Mr McCann hopes daughter Josie, 5, and son Cooper, 1, both don the club's claret-and-white jersey in the future.
"I don't know if Josie will play football ... she's so tiny the ball might knock her over," he said.
"The little one, Cooper, he'll be all over it - I can see it now. The kids are down there playing almost every afternoon ... we can see the ground from our place."
How would the kids feel about their favourite sports ground bearing mum's name? "They'd love it - they'd be thrilled," Mr McCann said.
"Kerryn would just blush and say 'don't make a fuss' but she would be thrilled that people thought so highly of her."
Mr Dewey said the Coledale committee tossed around ideas before hitting on renaming their base in honour of McCann.
"We want to keep it in people's minds that breast cancer is here and that scientists need money to get rid of it and hope that Kerryn's very public fight with breast cancer helps achieve something in getting rid of this horrible disease," he said. "We decided naming the park would mean it's there forever."
A council spokeswoman said the general manager would speak with the McCann family in the New Year about the most appropriate way to commemorate Kerryn's achievements.

Until Next Time

Six Foot Track -- Is there a field limit ?

From an item - posted on Cool Running:-


Up to and including 2008 there has been no limit on the field so we could accept everyone that was suitably qualified.

However for 2009 we have been forced to put a cap on the field.

This has been agreed with Dept Lands at 850 runners.

However looking at previous fields we get approx 35 no shows each year, so I am confident we would accept 885.

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That's a lot of entrants, necessitating starting in waves.

Usually ACT Run has several competitors.

Manicured Grass For Customs Joggers Run

That's what was available for tunning on today, but only in The Regatta Point area.

A small crowd turned out today, most of the usual crowd, others must have been partying or saving their energy for the Tour De Mountain.

Phil Toomey and Mike Stracey were well up in the field, while Bron put in her usual good run, back of the field was Gordon McGurk.

All the talk was of the coming Christmas holidays.

A really good day for a run, and other groups were exercising in the park.

Prime Numbers

In "The Rich List" last week, a question was to name the prime numbers.


The first to answer, got it wrong by indication the number "1" was a prime number;-

Bu definition, "1" is not a prime number.

So here it goes from a search by Google.

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Prime Numbers
If a number has only two different factors, 1 and itself, then the number is said to be a prime number.
7 is a prime number since it has only two different factors.
Note:
But 1 is not a prime number since it does not have two different factors.

In mathematics, a prime number (or a prime) is a natural number which has exactly two distinct natural number divisors: 1 and itself. An infinitude of prime numbers exists, as demonstrated by Euclid around 300 BC. The first twenty-five prime numbers are:
2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, 29, 31, 37, 41, 43, 47, 53, 59, 61, 67, 71, 73, 79, 83, 89, 97

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BBQ Stakes Milestones

Three T-Shirts were handed out today

Kathleen Bleakley - 100 Runs

Terry Levings - 800 runs
Brian Thompson - 700 runs

Not often are three handed out on the same day, but Kathleen has been running well and recently recorded her personal best.

Terry Levings has helped with the administration especially the Christmas relays, and Brian Thompson is a regular in the once-a-month teams event.

Until Next Time

Friar

Family and friends remember Kerryn McCann

Family and friends remember Kerryn McCann
December 12, 2008 - 12:50PM

About 1000 mourners gathered in driving rain to farewell marathon runner Kerryn McCann this morning.
The 41-year-old mother of three died of cancer on Monday.
Her husband, Greg McCann, and her three children, Benton, 11, Josie, 5 and Cooper, 14 months, led the funeral service, which was conducted at Church of Christ in the Wollongong suburb of Figtree.
Officiating at the ceremony was Christian surfer Brett Davis, who said that McCann had been an inspiration to her family, her community and the entire country.
"Somebody said she was an ordinary woman with an extraordinary talent. Never a more true word spoken," he said.
Among the mourners were marathon greats Robert de Castella and Steve Moneghetti, athletes Raelene Boyle and Craig Mottram, her manager Nic Bideau, swimmer Susie Maroney and local politicians, including Jennie George, David Campbell and Sharon Bird.
Many of the family and friends who spoke during the service mentioned McCann's two-second victory in the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games marathon.
"She was running on the wings of angels," her friend Krishna Stanton said.
McCann discovered she had a cancerous lump in her breast when she was pregnant with her third child. She had surgery last year while still pregnant, and had the birth of her son Cooper induced so she could begin 20 weeks of chemotherapy.
The treatment seemed to have been effective but this year she found that the cancer had returned, spreading to her liver and finally her brain.
She died at her home in Coledale, north of Wollongong, with her husband and children at her bedside.
Her family asked the Australian public to make donations to Breast Cancer Network Australia in her memory.

Zatopek Meeting December 12, 2008

400m hurdler Tristan Thomas ran a very impressive 800m race, winning in 1:47.83, just outside the World Championship “B” qualifier, last night in Melbourne.
Olympian and Weston Creek athlete Lisa Corrigan took out the women’s 1500m in 4:14.32.
Other ACT results from last night’s Zatopek meet in Melbourne:3000m steeple chase Scott McTaggart (NCG) 2nd in 9:06.25800m Tristan Thomas 1st in 1:47.831500m Philo Saunders (WC) 6th in 3:46.321500m Joshua Johnson (2nd claim WC) 10th in 3:52.741500m Lisa Corrigan (WC) 1st in 4:14.32U20 3000m Brett Robinson (WH) 3rd in 8:22.95

In the premier events of the meet, the mens 10,000m (and Australian Championship event) World Cross Country representative, Victorian David McNeill produced the race of the night to win in a World Championship “B” qualifier in 28:03.02 from American Bobby Curtis in 28:06.74. World Half Marathon representative Queenslander Michael Shelley was third (silver medallist for the Australian Championships) also run under the World Championship “B” qualifier running 28:08.96. Last year’s Zatopek winner Collis Birmingham was fourth but took the bronze medal for the Australian Championships in 28:21.62, outside of the World Championship qualifiers.

BBQ Stakes Christmas Relays

The winners were Helen Larmour and Bernice Matthews, 6 seconds different to the target time.

There were 20 teams with a Barbecue afterwards and presentation of yearly awards.

Axel Godeck won the point score competition.

The Runners Shop was thanked for their support of this event in the form of weekly vouchers.

An excel spreadsheet of results is available, thanks to Terry Levings for supplying my copy.

Discharged by Oncology -- Calendar 2009

Yesterday we were told that I was being discharged by Oncology.

So it's back to our GP on Sunday for a blood test and on Monday/Tuesday for a consultation.

And then visits for blood tests and consultations probably weekly.

How the tratment and visits fit in with the Christmas holidays, we will be asking.

Christmas not far away now, so I wish every body a Happy/Merry Christmas and plenty of good health for 2009


PS. Picked up the ACTEWAGL Calendar for 2009 at Woden Plaza yesterday, It's a big one, whereas last year they had six months on each side.

Have been a fan of their calendar for over 10/16 years now.

Thay have an online version, which we have found useful.

It prints out at about A4 size, one month to a page.

Until next time.