A Good Week For Firsts

The last seven days have been pretty damn groovy. Most of these
groovy bits have actually been accomplishing small firsts, mixed with
sunny weather and a generally chilled out life vibe. So far (and at
this time of night) these are the best bits:

- At Friday training we had our first derby scrimmaging. Talk about
mind blowing awesomeness crossed with complete carnage. I could talk
and talk and talk about it. About the feeling you get when you find
that gap that gets you through the pack. When you make a spot for
someone else. When you see your team work together in a way they
haven't before. Every time we do something new (no matter how messy
and crazy) I'm filled with such joy. And exhaustion. Did I mention
exhaustion!!!
- Cooked my first white sauce. Which I then, like a true mum, made
into cauliflower with white sauce (I know I don't recognize myself
either).
- I conquered front to back transitions in the opposite direction. I
also started to feel comfortable jumping from back to front as well.
Completely terrifying but also so damn cool.
- Hung out with my lovely, funny and slightly mad derby girls.
Watching derby, eating chocolate Guinness cupcakes, drinking wine, and
laughing loudly.
- I made mushroom sauce. And it was so delicious that I ate the
leftovers by themselves ... And now I feel sick ;)

This week has been filled with moments of awesomeness. Mostly skating
and cooking related but hey, they are the two things I do the most in
my week ... Beyond cleaning and no one ever had a moment of
awesomeness whilst cleaning.

Reading - World WarZ
Watching - Nup
Listening - The Foals
State of Mind - Tired, happy, tired, lucky, and very very full.

City Skating Beginning

Tonight I went on my first night city skate. It's something I have been wanting to do for a while but a mixture of cold, rain, timing and fear meant that I had been able to put it off.

We met at a park in Prymont and skated through darling harbour, up (and down) George street, through Hyde Park, down Martin place, across The Rocks ... pretty much everywhere.

I was pretty nervous to start with, the surfaces varied, there were cars and people to dodge, but mostly I was scared of the hills. And for good reason. I mean when your on skates and you find yourself going out of control you can't just jump off. It's a matter of stop, hit or fall. Hopefully falling with some grace and no injuries. The highlights were: (other than just making it finally)

- Getting the hang of skating up and down kerbs.
- Shooting the duck through Hyde park.
- Falling in front of the pub as I tripped over my toe stop that had fallen off.
- Carving down Martin Place.
- Knee sliding to a stop so I didn't cross a busy driveway.

I'm a new and complete fan of outdoor skating and what better place than to do it through the city. And it was all made even better by the fact that everyone was so friendly and helpful. They even ordered us after a particularly bumpy bit of road to check our wheel nuts and stoppers.

I hope this was the first of many. I hope that next time I'm a little smoother, a little more confident, and a little braver.

And once again, I'm so thankful for finding skating against. It's bringing so many amazing challenges, lovely people and ways for me to really see what I'm made of.

Some Love and Excuses

Firstly, my blog isn't dead!  I promise it truly not. It's just the same old excuse though.  The spaces that used to be reserved for blogging, reading, TV watching and any other general down time activities is now taken up with skating. 

I'm not upset about that at all of course.  Except that I occasionally have this pang of longing for blogging.  But then I'll look at the clock, or the weather and realize that it feels like the time could be better spent on wheels.  So yes I'm still excitedly obsessed about skating and derby but no my blog isn't dead, just quietly and patiently waiting for my return. 

So now that that has been said I wanted to share two things. First is this photo of Jack taken a few days ago by a neighbour (ain't he just the cutest!) and the second was a conversation that I had with Jack this evening before bed. 

A few months ago I saw a link to an idea for kids. Basically it was about giving kids the beginnings to old proverbs, ie a bird in the hand is..., and then seeing what they would add as the ends of the proverb. Tonight we talked about a few and I thought I would share his answers. 

- It's always darkest before ... I go to bed

- Don't bite the hand that ... is Hamish's 

- Children should be seen and ... not be seen at night

- The pen is mightier than the ... pencil

- Laugh and the whole world laughs with you, cry ... but don't cry with me

- Don't put off till tomorrow ... what you should do

- If at first you don't succeed ... you'll succeed the next time

- You get out of something only ... what you do

- When the blind lead the blind ... the unblind should lead them as well

- A bird in the hand ... of its nest

So cute!  I had a few more to ask him but he was about to fall asleep and figured it would be cruel and unusual punishment to keep him awake for my own amusement :)

I'm planning on giving him a print out of the others and see what he writes. And then asking Hamish the same questions. And if the weather is bad, or I find some better extra curriculum balance I hope the I will remember to blog them as well ... If I don't you'll know where to find me!!!

Watching - I have just started episode 2 of 'The Fades'. So far so good. 

Listening - ...

Reading - I'm so tired at night I'm mostly reading old favourites. At the moment it's Neil Gaimans Neverwhere. 

State of Mind -I am almost always these days content, exhausted, a little sore in the body and generally happier than I have for a long while. Thanks to my friends new and old, family especially AB and the kidlets for being so very very supportive and mostly thank you my beaten up ever fiddled with skates. You rock my world!!!