I left my little digital camera (Lumix) at home and have been relying on my iPhone to take photos.

I use the following apps:

Camera+
hipstamatic
Instagram

My BF has an SLR so if I want to get fancy I use his camera. The phone is great for #dailyimage2011.

Here are some shots from my holiday.

This is the last day of #blog12daysxmas thanks to Fiona for the inspiration. I have also got some great ideas for future posts from other participants.

Happy blogging.

Today Ben and I rode from Foster to Meeniyan and back on the Great South Rail Trial. It was totally awesome and really hard work. My legs definitely had the stamina for a 61.75K ride but my back is quite sore. Along the way we stopped for a cuppa in Fish Creek and Meeniyan.

In Fish Creek we visited a cafe called the Flying Cow and then in Meeniyan we went to the Moo Cafe. Both places were very nice. The Moo Cafe is a bit more up-market the but Flying Cow has lots of charm. 

My favourite part of the ride was the ride from Fish Creek back to Foster. It was all down hill. We were planning to stop in Foster for dinner but we were both so tired we came straight home. 

I had a bit of a nana nap before dinner. I highly recommend the ride for anyone coming up way. 

 

Finished my first giraffe (pattern available on etsy) for my friend Kerry. It was tricky and took longer than expected. I am happy with him though.

I am participating in Daily Image 2011. Katherine sent the call out on Twitter this morning and a number of people have committed.

As Jo says in her blog post today it will be confronting. But as a creative exercise it should be fun to see what I can come up with. I don't mind photos of myself if I can take the photo and have editorial rights. But don't like others to take my photo. A mix of shyness and control issues I suppose. 

Tania's new year's resolution is to do something creative everyday and it really resonated with me. I think Daily Image 2011 will be a good way to be creative everyday. 

Yesterday I bought the first pair of bathers I am truly happy with. It is a revelation. Today I also managed to get sunburnt. My natural melanin doesn't protect me very much I still burn. Happy new year everyone. 2011 will be a blast.

I kicked off the challenge (and it will be) with this: http://www.flickr.com/photos/angels_have_the_phone_box/5308498407/

 

After two 10K runs the last couple of days Benny and I went for a walk along the beach today. Plenty of dog walkers out and about and the surf was pumping. 

I have been overwhelmed by how lovely and kind folks have been about Boo's prognosis. I am still trying to process and I am sure the next few weeks will be tough. Thank you.

In Foster we met the most amazing checkout chick in Foodworks. Her customer service was top notch. Genuinely friendly. She blew us away. We also went to the most incredible fruit and vege shop. Ben made an amazing fruit salad to go with our pancakes this morning. Mango, pineapple, raspberries, banana, blueberries and berry yoghurt. Divine.

Today I ventured out for my first beach run. Ben and I are spending a week down at Sandy Point. His parents have a lovely holiday house down here and it is one of the most beautiful places on earth. Only two shops and a real estate agent. The beach is perfect white sand. It does get windy but today at 8.00 am it was lovely. So lovely my 5K run turned into a 10K. It has been a while since I have run so far. 2010 has been a year of injuries. Mostly ankle and calf related. It has really made a dent in my running. I didn't think I had the stamina for a 10K run so it really surprised me. Running on the beach is much harder than I remember. The soft sand means I really have to focus.

In 2011 I am planning to get a couple of duathlons under my belt. I did one in 2008 so it has been a while. I don't swim so I can't do a triathlon. With a duathlon I only have to ride and run. They are also great training for people who compete in triathlons. So if any of you are interested in joining me let me know.

My daughter texted me this evening to tell me that our family dog Boo is at the Vet getting her lungs drained. They are not sure why they have filled up with fluid. The two possible scenarios are: heart failure and a tumor. She is 16 years old and was in very good health until the middle of last year when she got vestibular syndrome (like a inner ear infection for dogs) since then she hasn't been quite the same. Her best friend Jack (my sister's dog) stopped eating a few months ago and had to be put to sleep (organ failure). I have never had a dog for it's whole life before. I assumed she would just slip away in her sleep but I now know that I will most likely have to make a decision about when to let her go. This decision fills me with dread but it will be based on Boo's quality of life and I will be guided by her Vet and the family wishes. We will get the results of Boo's second ultrasound tomorrow. I have my fingers crossed for good news.

Some photos from Christmas day including gremlin table centerpiece.

I have started thinking about what is going to make it on to my goals list for 2011. Some of my early thoughts are:

1. Learn to dance - zumba and swing are some suggestions so far
2. Try bikram yoga - one of my friends told me to try 3 classes before deciding whether or not you like it. Everyone finds the first class difficult.
3. Injury free running year
4. Keep going with my life tracking (mynetdiary and runkeeper)
5. Try to spend more time in garden - gardening
6. Read more
7. Go dancing more
8. Be more mindful - I am easily distracted and have a short attention span. I want to work on being more mindful. Taking time. Allowing myself to focus fully on something. Less multitasking.
9. Write more haiku - writing has taken a back seat this year because of so much time spent crafting.
10. Keep crafting. Create and write up some more crochet patterns.
11. Learn the uke (not sure about this one but keeping it in for now)

I had a wonderful 2 minutes running this morning, everything was just perfect: my gait, my posture, my foot fall, music and the view. This is why I run, for these moments. I really want to increase those moments of perfection in my running.

I will also have work related goals which I will start working on when I return.

 

Started the day with a wonderful morning run. Then the morning cooking. Lovely lunch with boyfriend's family. Lovely dinner with my family. Kids all happy with gifts. Tweeps full of Christmas spirit. Thoughtful gifts from all. Joy of giving...