Daily Dale 

April 30, 9:00 PM Life

A busy day, much of it with regular activities. 

I took the Rav4 into Speedy Glass to have a rock chip repaired. Then I took some yard waste (leaves, small branches) to recyling and followed that with a workout at the Lethbridge Fitness Center. This was my second free session. One more and I will have to make a serious commitment by buying some form of membership. Home for lunch and then off to the uni to meet a few ex-colleagues. Good fun. Spent some time discussing the need for more quantitative approaches.

Then home to work on getting the web pages completed from our Australia trip. This is progressing nicely and I hope to finish this tomorrow. 

April 29, 3:00 PM Life

I pushed myself today and did 2 circuits of the coulee walk. I was certainly tired as I entered the house. It was a real workout. Now to pull back a little. No need to be silly.

April 28, 11:00 am Life

I am back from the fitness center. I pushed myself, ever so little, by adding a 3rd rep to each set. That felt like I was getting close to my level. I still wasn't straining, but I was beginning to feel it near the end of each rep. More importantly, I am staying with it. That was the first of three "free" sessions. Then I have to make a financial commitment to keep using the facilities.

April 26, 1:30 PM Life

I am back from my first fitness session with a personal trainer. It went very well. He set up a series of 5 exercises which was classified as a whole body workout. It is a beginning. Each exercise was repeated 12 times and their were 2 reps. There was also a 10 minutes warm-up on a treadmill, and three cooling down exercises. Three of the exercises involved equipment, one involved dumbells (weights, not me), and one was a mat exercise. Nice variety. The weights were adjusted for each exercise.

I didn't work up a sweat, but I didn't want to. This is the first time these muscles have had to work in years. I left feeling satisfied but didn't feel any real effect. However a couple of hours later I could feel a few muscles complaining. Good. I didn't want to overdue it at the start and I seem to be okay now. 

Tomorrow I want to do my coulee walk. Rain is forecast. It may make sense to go to the fitness center and use a treadmill for an hour. 

April 25, 7:00 am Life

A quick review of the entries for the last few days has been disappointing. I am pleased with my early efforts at fitness but I am not as happy with either my progress at completing the web pages corresponding to our time in Australia nor am I making good progress with the readings I identified on April 20. But I have learned a fair amount about pelagic birds while trying to identify the birds in a photo I took from the headland at Byron Bay.

At the moment I have a pot of 9-bean soup on the stove that will be ready for lunch. It is a hearty soup and one of our favorites. Much of the remainder of the day will be shared by working on my Aussi web pages and reading. Morning is a good time for a little Tao Te Ching.

April 24, 5:30 PM Life

I am pushing forward. I have now set up an appointment on Thursday with a trainer at the Lethbridge Fitness Center to begin a program of exercises. This will be a new adventure for me. I am already thinking of what tattoo I should have first. My coulee walks have been steady - I have not missed a day since I began a week ago. I am keeping a daily record of my eating and am trying to keep it close to 1200 cal/day. The overall goal is to lose 2 pounds/week. So far so good, but it is early.

April 23, 10:00 PM Life

The fitness center finally phoned back. I need to put down the deposit for the first visit before it is set up. I will do that tomorrow morning. I continue to make my coulee walks a regular feature of the day. The objective is to lose an average of two pounds per week. Nothing dramatic. 

With the warm weather, my thoughts turn to barbecuing. It looks like I need a new splash cover for the bottom but the machine is still functional. I barbecued a Costco salmon for dinner. This is the first barbecue of the season. The salmon, with Bev's marinade, was delicious.

I was disappointed with the results of the election. I was hoping for more of an opposition. Oh well. At least there will be more than in the last sitting.

April 21, 4:00 PM Life

My coulee walks are back on track, but my weight is still holding steady. Stubborn tummy cells have a mind of their own. But somewhere in there is a tummy muscle trying to get out. I visited a Lethbridge fitness facility today and got the information on the programs they provide. I have the weekend to think it over, but it looks like having a personal trainer for one session is essential to get a program set up plus showing me how to use the equipment. The last time I tried any of this one was shown a bunch of weights and the only instruction was to lift them.

My reading is getting back to normal. I spent a couple of hours with Perlman's "The Street Sweeper". I do like his writing.

But I feel the need for some meaty non-fiction material as well.

April 20, 9:40 PM Life

My body rhythms are still out of whack. I slept soundly again this afternoon for about 3 hours. At the moment I am wide awake. And I have just started a cup of steaming coffee.

While looking for a book on symmetry that I have been reading on and off for the last year, my eyes travelled over many books that evoked responsive reactions. Some are old favorites, some are books that I have never opened (but still hope to, as they look very interesting) and some are books that I started and have never finished. I wonder if it makes any sense to try to organize these in a manner that facilitates future reading. 

• Mathematics
  • Symmetry
    • The Symmetries of Things (2008) by John H. Conway et al.
    • Fearless Symmetry (2006) by Avner Ash & Robert Gross
  • Modern Algebra
    • A Book of Abstract Algebra (1990) by Charles C. Pinter
    • Introduction to Linear Algebra (2009) by Gilbert Strang
• Physics
  • The Feynman Lectures on Physics (3 vols.) (1963-5) by Richard Feynman et al.
  • The Road to Reality (2004) by Roger Penrose
  • The Shape of Inner Space (2010) by Shing-Tung Yau
  • On Space and Time (2008) by Shahn Majid (Ed.)
• Biology
  • Molecular Biology (2010) by David P. Clark & Lonnie D. Russell
  • Mind, Life, and Universe (2007) by Lynn Margulis & Eduardo Punset (Eds.)
• Technology
  • Is the Internet Changing the Way You Think? (2011) by John Brockman (Ed.)
  • Alone Together (2011) by Sherry Turkle [book, ebook]
• Psychology
  • The Better Angels of Our Nature (2011) by Steven Pinker
  • Thinking, Fast and Slow (2011) by Daniel Kahneman
• History
  • Ideas (2005) by Peter Watson
  • Hero: The Life and Legend of Lawrence of Arabia (2010) by Michael Korda
• Literature
  • The Use and Abuse of Literature (2011) by Marjorie Gerber
    
  • The Penguin Book of Memoir (2011) by Camilla Gibb
  • Novels
    • Canadian
      • Half-Blood Blues (2011) by Esi Edugyan
      • The Beauty of Humanity Movement (2010) by Camilla Gibb
      • Nikolski (2005) by Nicolas Dickner
    • The Quincunx (1989) by Charles Palliser
    • The Street Sweeper (2011) by Eliot Perlman
  • Poetry
    • Tao Te Ching (2008) by Lao Tzu (translated & commentary by Ralph Alan Dale)
    • Rumi: The Big Red Book (2010) by Coleman Barks
    • The Masnavi. Book One (2004) by Rumi
  • Drama
    • The Collected Works of William Shakespeare [ebook]
    • Shakespeare After All (2004) by Marjorie Gerber [ebook]
  • Short Stories
    • Complete Original Short Stories of Guy de Maupassant [ebook]

The above list may be incomplete, but it is a promising beginning. While creating the list, I stopped briefly to read the first two entries in "Is the Internet Changing the Way You Think?". Stimulating.

Danny Hillis makes a clear distinction between the Internet (the physical network of computers) and the Web (the network of messages). He points out that the web is not something that has been created according to some plan but rather it is an evolving system of interconnected parts. He ends with "Welcome to the dawn of the Entanglement".

Nicholas Carr points out that reading a book is critically different than reading an ebook. A book provides the reader with an isolated environment where one can focus on the content. An ebook is embedded within a highly interactive environment of competing demands for attention. Carr is concerned that such an environment is reducing our capacity to remain attentive to a message for a prolonged period of time, and hence to the depth of our understanding.

Looking at the books on my shelves reminded me of a book I bought in Hawaii, a recent translation and commentary of the Tao Te Ching, one of my favorite texts. I will begin reading it tomorrow.

April 20, 3:20 am Life

I have set up a second fitness app. This is one called FitDay, which I have used before. I am going to try using both this app as well as the MyFitnessPal app and see if I prefer one over the other.

I received an automated email from FitDay recently that gave links to a few useful web sites. One of these gave the following hints for portion control:

• Split your plate into quarters.
• Half of your plate will consist of non-starchy vegetables (greens, asparagus, tomatoes, cucumbers, etc.).
• One quarter of your plate will consist of about 3-4 ounces of lean protein (tofu, beef, fish, chicken, etc.).
• On the last quarter, place your starch. Starches are usually about half a cup and include foods like pasta, rice, corn, beans, peas, etc. 

1. When eating at home, use small plates.
2. Drink 2 glasses of water before each meal.
3. Fill up on high-fiber foods (5 grams or more per serving).
4. When out to eat, split a meal with a friend.
5. Alternatively, when you order, ask your waiter box up half of your meal. Take the remainder home to eat at another time.
6. Eat slowly - be the last one at the table to finish your meal.
7. Include plenty of non-starchy vegetables in each meal (they are high in water and fiber).
8. If making large portions of food at home, freeze leftovers for an easy meal later.
9. Don't eat in front of the TV or while doing distracting activities like working or reading.
10. Don't go into a meal starving. If you anticipate going more than 4-5 hours without food, have a snack on hand.

This is all fairly familiar to me, but a reminder is not amiss. Items 2, 5 and 10 deserve more attention.

Another website focused on foods one should be eating:

1. Leafy veggies, broccoli, cauliflower
2. red beans (smaller than a kidney bean)
3. cherries
4. chia seeds
5. avocado (about 2 tbsp/serving)
6. pistachios
7. seaweed (maki rolls)
8. pumpkin (canned - 100%, no fillers or additives)

I would add blueberries to the list. Cherries, chia seeds, pistachios and pumpkin are all new to me as special foods.

While in New York last fall I had a granola/yoghurt cup that was delicious. I have searched for a couple of homemade granola recipes that look to be much better than the commercial products. I will shop for the ingredients this morning and try making a batch of each later this afternoon.

April 19, 7:20 am Life

My weight was not as bad as I had feared, but I really need to work on losing about 10 pounds and firming up a few abdominal muscles (it is clear I only have a few of these). This is definitely my top priority for the next month.

I have entered my weight and what I have had for breakfast (2 coffee, 1 slice whole grain bread with peanut butter) into an app called "myfitnesspal" on my iPad. I plan to begin my coulee walks later today.

6:00 PM I am still having difficulties with my body rhythms. I slept from about 10 am until 2 PM. After that I managed to force myself to take a coulee walk. And I have kept a complete record of my eating on MyFitnessPal. But I feel slightly spaced out when I am awake. Definitely it is more difficult to adjust after the return trip than it is on the trip out.

April 18, 5:30 PM Life

Home! It always feels good to be back home.

The drive was easy, with a short stop in Claresholm for a coffee and sandwich at Tim Hortons. Once home we unpacked everything, and then focused on watering the plants in the yard. Dinner was a simple warming up of the chicken dinner we had yesterday (we had a couple of containers with us which should keep us going until we buy some groceries.) I will weigh myself tomorrow morning and then begin fitness & weight loss program.

April 17, 10:10 am Life - Calgary

We went to bed at 3:00 am local time and are now up and ready to begin life in the normal lane. Not too sure how long I will last.

Now to begin my fitness routine. So far I have had one cup of coffee. I have logged this into the MyFitnessPal app. I will not be weighing myself until we return to Lethbridge but at least I am beginning my monitoring of food input. The goal at the moment for this is to  maintain an average of about 1200 cal/day. Coulee walks and exercise routine will wait until we are home as well.

I have just ordered "The Free Range Cook" by Annabel Langbein from amazon.ca .This will be shipped from a seller in Oregon and will arrive in about 2 weeks.

I tried to order a book by Frank Moorhouse but was unable to find a site that would work for Canada. I did find a way to send an email to the Australian publisher. Now to see if I get a reply.

I have ordered 7 books from amazon.ca, all titles I learned about from our trip to Australia.

Finally I bought an ebook by E. O. Wilson "The Social Conquest of Earth". I spotted this in an airport bookstore in San Francisco. I wanted the ebook version in order to have access to the yellow highlighting features.

April 15, 6:30 am Life - Sydney, NSW

This will be our last full day in Sydney. We have a rail pass for unlimited travel for a week on the Airport Train which includes travel in Zone 1 (the Central Business District). I think it also includes ferry travel to Manly. We will check that out this morning.

The hotel provides facilities for making single cup servings of plunger coffee. Great. Not so great is the Internet Access which requires a cable ethernet port on one's computer. The iPad does not have such a port. But the bar in the main lobby provides a true wireless connection which is free for the first 20 minutes.

April 15, 3:30 PM Life - Sydney, NSW

We are back from our trip to Sydney's CBD. We had a quick breckie at a Subways on the way to the Rail Link station. The orange juice was particularly welcome. We then took the Rail Link to the last station on the line and then walked a few short blocks to Darling Harbour. We had a coffee at Gloria Jeans and then visited a few souvenir shops, plus stopped in at an Apple store and looked at the computers for a moment. Then back to Rail Link and off to Circular Quay. Our Rail link passes also were valid on the ferry to Manly. Fantastic! We had grilled barramundi and chips, plus beer. The crowds on the ferry and at Manly were substantial and the background noise overwhelming. Sunday at Manly is a special event. Then back on the ferry and the trains to our hotel.

Now to relax, have a few beers, and get ready for tomorrow. We have bought our tickets for the 10:55 am shuttle bus to the International Terminal.

Here are a few photos of the day.

On the ferry to Manly

Getting off the ferry to Manly

At Manly beach

The last picture show

April 14, 7:00 PM Life - Sydney, NSW

Ken drove us to the bus terminal to catch the 10:00 am express to Sydney. We got off at the International Terminal (airport) and caught a hotel express bus to the Airport Holiday Inn where we checked in to our room.

We then caught a train to Circular Quay where we had a late lunch at a German pub. Excellent food and beer. We took a few photos of the Sydney opera house and the harbour bridge before returning to our hotel. The sky was cloudy making for pleasant walking (not too hot) but poor for photography.

Circular Quay and the Harbour Bridge

A Cool One

Another Cool One

The obligatory Opera House

Don't even ask!

April 12, 10:10 PM Life - Canberra, NSW, Australia

The bushwalk and picnic were ideal. This is the best way to spend a day in this part of the country. Thank you!

We spent the evening with Don & Wendy, Rob & Jen. Time was divided between Grizzly bears and cognitive research. Then we walked to a nearby Croation restaurant for dinner. Then back to Don & Wendy's for more bears and research. Perfect!

April 11, 10:00 PM Life - McLeans Ridges, NSW, Australia

We took the 10:00 am Jet Star flight from Ballina to Sydney and then took the train to Central Station where we bought our tickets for the Murrays bus to Canberra. There was a minor hick-up as the bus pulled out of the station as he announced that a truck had overturned on the M5 autoroute to Canberra and that 2 lanes were blocked and traffic was not moving. The driver picked an alternate route through the city and managed to skirt the problem, leaving us only 30 minutes late on our arrival at Canberra.

Ken met us at the bus terminal as we alit and we were among friends where a delicious glass of bubbly was followed by another excellent dinner. A perfect travel day. Tiring, yes. But successful as well.

April 10, 7:00 PM Life - McLeans Ridges, NSW, Australia

Steve gave me a complete description of the procedures involved in creating woodblock prints. He then gave me 3 prints that he has made: one of a toy train, one of a rose, and one of a forest of trees. These will soon be hanging on our walls in Lethbridge. I admire his work and am surprised I don't see some of his prints in major galleries. 

We had a delicious leg of lamb for dinner. What a wonderful last dinner with Sue & Steve. Tomorrow we fly out of Ballina and land in Sydney, where we will take a bus to Canberra.

April 10, 12:30 am Life - McLeans Ridges, NSW, Australia

We had lunch at Lennox Head. This will likely be our last look at the ocean and the white sandy beaches, while in Australia. Unfortunately I fouled up the order for fish and chips by forgetting to ask for "crumbed" fish. The default is "battered" and it was terrible. Still, the view of the ocean from the nearby local park was a delight.

April 9, 9:30 PM Life - McLeans Ridges, NSW, Australia

We rented a DVD for evening fare - "Shakespeare in Love". We must have been the only two people on the planet that had not seen it. It was spectacular - deserving of the Oscar for Best Picture in 1998. The perfect ending to a fine day.

April 7, 6:30 am Life - McLeans Ridges, NSW, Australia

The last few days have been perfect. Very low key and very relaxing. My cough has almost disappeared. About time! The meals have been a delight. Very healthy salads with a mix of fruit, nuts, and green leafy veggies. Duck sausages were a new taste sensation and the chicken kebobs were another delicious treat. The New Zealand recipe book has been a rich source of ideas. I will order it as soon as we return home.

I am on my favorite spot at my favorite time. Early morning, with the sun rising in the east and morning mist in the valley below. At the moment there are 2 Laughing Kookaburras and a Currawong in the tree in front of me. The sun on one of the kookaburras is gorgeous as it makes the blue of the wings shine. So far they have been quiet. There is a dove cooing behind the house and other currowongs, magpies and butcherbirds raising a racket in the nearby trees. The freshly brewed coffee is hot and delicious. Magic all around. And now the sound of the Eastern Whipbird is beginning.

Lunch!

Fresh Prawns!

Goodies! Presentation is an art form at this house.

Desert!

Needless to say, we are living rather well.

April 5, 8:30 PM Life - McLeans Ridges, NSW, Australia

Steve and Sue drove us to the Tweed River Art Gallery near Tweed Heads where we viewed a variety of art works.

Before entering the building I stopped to have a good look at Mt. Warning. This is the first time we have been able to actually see it. On all the other occasions when it might have been possible it was hidden by clouds.

I am developing a real interest in woodblock prints since I saw some of Steve's work a few years ago. In my opinion, I think his are better than those on display. Really. His have a way of grabbing your attention that was missing in most of those on display. Photos were not allowed inside the gallery. 

We then continued north to a spot in Queensland just north of Tweed Heads where we had a super lunch at a Surf Club. I ordered my regular seafood linguini (made with fresh seafood). Fantastic! But I left my camera in the car.

Following the meal we all had a pleasant walk on a great beach just north of the club. The waves looked a bit treacherous to me but the white sand was tremendous.

Looking south from the Surf Club

Looking north toward Surfers Paradise from the Surf Club

Looking at the Surf Club from the beach

Too rough for me

The last few days have been especially relaxing as we have forgotten about both birds and geocaches and have simply been enjoying being in the moment. I continue to value the morning coffee on the verandah with the sounds of all the birds in the background.

April 4, 8:30 PM Life - McLeans Ridges, NSW, Australia

The morning began with a cuppa on the verandah overlooking the valley. Heaven.

Steve was unloading his kiln this morning. Impressive. I had never seen this done before.

The following photos were taken as Steve unpacked the kiln:

WOW!!

These photos would make a great poster display.

We all went over to Bev & Graham's for lunch featuring delicious prawns in a lettuce salad. I really like the fresh seafood and the prawns are always special. The chatter around the meal was great fun.

We also had a tour of their property and saw how much the trees had grown since we were last there. They are in the late stages of selling their property and moving into a smaller yard in suburban Alstonville. It will be quite a change, but their property was getting too much for them to handle.

We returned home for dinner. This time it was a gorgeous macadamia nut chicken stir-fry.

Another perfect day.

April 3, 3:00 PM Life - McLeans Ridges, NSW, Australia

We visited Beatrice and Carmel in Lismore today - it was a great reunion for us all. They were our neighbors while we stayed in Lismore for 6 months for a Study Leave and we have been able to keep in touch for almost 20 years. The ladies put on a special lunch for us and we had a grand time bringing each other up to date on our lives. Relaxing and comfortable. I can't think of a better way to spend time.

April 3, 6:30 am Life - McLeans Ridges, NSW, Australia

I awoke to the sounds of the local rooster, which was quickly answered by a Laughing Kookaburra. There were 3 White-headed Pigeons in a nearby tree as well as a couple of Grey Butcherbirds which come for a feeding of mince and cheese every morning.

Then I heard the sound of the heaters from a hot air balloon.

This place is magic in the morning, and the coffee tastes great.

April 2, 3:00 PM Life - McLeans Ridges, NSW, Australia

Earlier this morning I drove into Lismore for a few supplies. This was my first trip to the the CBD and it brought back many memories. We drove to Yamba on the coast today. The coastal views were great, but we failed to see any noteworthy birds. However we did see an Osprey, a Common Tern, and a White-fronted Tern flying overhead.

A light lunch before heading out to Yamba

View from Yamba lookout

April 1, 9:00 PM Life - McLeans Ridges, NSW, Australia

The entire day has been a delight. Lots of good food, wine and conversation. There is a special atmosphere when one is among friends. One is not so much a guest as being part of the family.

The view over the valley from their verandah is one of my favorites. I could sit here for hours.

I have seen a really beautiful cookbook, "The Free Range Cook" by a New Zealand author. I will have to see if I can find it online. The author's name is Annabel Langbein. Yes, it is available at amazon.ca . I will order it when we return to Canada.

April 1, 11:00 am Life - McLeans Ridges, NSW, Australia

We have moved in with friends at McLeans Ridges where we will stay for the next 10 days. This was only a short drive west of Ballina and is quite close to Lismore