alpha males

bondi icebergs pool. bondi beach. sydney.

and still it snows !

this is the driveway leading up to the ski lodge....in October !!!

we're swimming in Sydney and its still snowing at Buller....

woe....

herminator retires !!!

sporting hero and absolute skiing legend Hermann Maier has just announced his retirement from competitive skiing. such a bummer for his fans as it's only a few months out from the Winter Olympics and we were looking forward to seeing him compete again.....

well kudos to him - he's 36 years old and obviously decided to bow out at the top of his game. he is such an inspiring athlete and seems like a pretty cool guy as well.

I thoroughly recommend his book 'The Race of my Life' if you can get your hands on it; the first chapter is a harrowing read as it tells, in detail, of his motorbike accident in 2001 when he almost lost his leg - after he was told he may lose his leg, then never walk, then never ski, he came back to skiing and winning World Cup.

he also survived a pretty horrific looking crash at the Nagano Olympics in '98 - raced the next day and went on to win Olympic gold.

obviously a very determined and focussed person and a credit to the sport. bye Hermi.

btw: isn't it a nice thought that you can be in your 30's and at the top of your game? in a sport!

from sublime to ridiculous

the *snow-blind* clan has decamped back to the city (via a sunny, beachy holiday in QLD)a brief respite and then a nose-dive back into the real world; the beautiful city of Sydney, or as our new marketing campaign tells us "Sydney, city of villages...."

we left the freezing cold alpine region, with the snow gums laden down with snow and ice to find the trees in our neighbourhood being swaddled in cosy neck-warmers and long knitted scarves !

It's part of a local art event, called Art & About, which is on for the month of October. I hope they manage to survive the heavy rains predicted for next week - nothing worse than a soggy scarf hanging around your neck !