Run Forest Run

Well, it’s been a while since I have written a column on my website. With the racing season all finished for 2008, I thought I would keep everyone up to date with what I have been up to. 

but I still had to pay for the operation up front, which resulted in lots of phone calls to Mum and Dad, and international money transfers. We still haven’t been paid back by the insurance company yet, some 3 months later, but at least the surgery on my left collarbone was successful. I ended up having a plate and 6 screws inserted into the bone, and after a night in recovery, I was back at my home base in the UK. I’m bloody glad it wasn’t brain surgery, because with the insurance stuff up, we would have had to mortgage the olds house just to pay for it!

After the op, it was then a few weeks of healing up, before it was time to head back to the green, green grass of home, in Australia and my much anticipated Christmas break. 
 

The last time I was home in Australia was February this year, so I was looking forward to getting back and seeing all of my family and friends again. As well as that, the English weather was starting to turn bitterly cold and the promise of a burning hot Australian summer beckoned.  There was no better time to return home. I was really hanging out for some much needed sunshine and blue skies. I booked my flight with Qantas and was due to fly back on November 30^th. 

This year, Amy and I were living with two of our friends, Dan and Karen, in a place called Chelmsford. They were two great people we met whilst living in the UK in 2007 and we became very close friends with them right from our initial meeting.

It was always lots of fun living with them, and with Dan cooking an awesome chili amongst other things, it was fabulous eating too! 

Amy had flown back to Australia a few weeks earlier than me, due to a change of dates in the ticketing, so the night before I was due to fly home, Dan, Kaz, and I decided to watch a bit of the English TV show called the X factor (like Australian Idol). We got so motivated that we decided to get out the Singstar on Playstation and see what sort of dulcet tones we could produce. 

After copious amounts of alcohol, and a litany of complaints from the neighbors about the noise (I personally thought my version of Aretha Franklin’s ‘Respect’ would have brought a tear to most eyes), it was time to head to bed in preparation for the long flight home to Australia the following day. It’s great travelling to Europe, but the downside is the distance from our home base in Australia. It’s always an endurance marathon to get home.

This year I decided to leave a lot of my personal stuff, like clothes etc in the UK and I just brought the bare essentials back with me.

I packed my Laptop, a few pairs of undies, tooth brush of course, and my road cycling bike.

I packed it all into a big bike box and Ray, one of my best mates in England, drove me to Heathrow. Ray’s been a legend, driving me backwards and forwards, to and from the various airports while I have been overseas.  

The flight was pretty uneventful. Long, boring, no leg room, and a TV screen that didn’t work – the usual. 

Dad had planned to drive down from Taree to pick me up from Mascot. 

I had left England in freezing 5 degree temperatures, with torrential rain belting down on my face, but when I landed at Mascot and walked out of the arrivals terminal in Australia, I was greeted with 33 degree heat, and bright golden sunshine all around. It was amazing. There is nothing like stepping out of that terminal and looking up into the bright blue, clear skies of Sydney. I realized how much I had missed it when I saw it again. 

After greeting Dad and hopping into our 4WD, it was about a 5 hour trip before we were home. Dad tackled the peak hour traffic through Sydney over the Harbour Bridge, and I couldn’t help thinking that it seemed pretty tame compared to the London traffic I had become accustomed to. It was then on to the expressway back to Taree before we were finally home. 

It’s always great to see all my family and friends again, after having been away for so long. It had been a long while since I had seen them, and so it was fantastic to catch up with everyone and find out what had been happening while I was away. The beauty of living in a place like Taree is that there is not much change at all, so you feel settled back in pretty quickly. It’s a pretty casual lifestyle back here, compared to the hectic pace of Europe, however, since returning home to Taree, I haven’t really had a moment to spare. 

I have been planning my 2009 calendar, as well as putting in a big effort with training.

Because of the injury to my collarbone, my main priority has been to regain the strength back into my injured shoulder and work on my Cardio fitness, which I had lost a bit since my recovery. 

A good friend and personal trainer, Tony, has designed a good, strong cardio and weight program, which is 6 days a week - cycling, swimming, running and gym work. 

So far the shoulder has been coming along nicely. I have full strength in it and I’m very happy with how well it is progressing. 

Apart from training, I have also been catching up with lots of mates and doing a bit of surfing and golfing. We’ve had Xmas and a few family get togethers, where the Singstar copped a flogging once again. I don’t like to brag, but I have left most of my family in the dust when it comes to the Singstar stakes. Damian got his hide whipped, It was the fancy dance moves that he insisted on attempting whilst belting out “Eye of The Tiger” that lost the round for him. Mum was pretty good at Abba I must say.
 

Well guys, now you’re up to date with what’s been happening. I’m looking forward to celebrating the New Year in the next few days, and I’ll keep you posted on updates of my future plans for 2009 as soon as I have them sorted. 
 

Take it easy. 

Perch AKA Alex.

 

Sister and I singing. No Women No Cry