Live in London!

Well, following up from my last post, the house isn't tidy. I did get a fairly relaxed 1100 metres in, but that and lunch would have been about the only part of my day yesterday that was. And ... for what may have been the first time in my life, I wore socks with sandals until I got into the Ottawa airport. Graciously, Lise did not laugh at me!

I didn't sleep at all on the plane ... I had finally reached the point where I thought I could have fallen asleep, when the cabin lights came up again and that ended that. So it's 6:00 EDT, 11:00 here at Heathrow, and I'm a pretty sorry camper. But hopefully that means I will sleep on the next leg. On the up side, my laptop is recharging, and I'm coming to you wireless from Heathrow. On the other hand, my email package is on again off again, and the right side of my face is suspiciously runny. Took more Air Assist. My next flight boards at 1:00, but I'm not sure at which gate. They printed me boarding passes in Ottawa. You check in here with your airline for your connecting flight before you go through security. Where they took the printed boarding passes, made up new ones with no gate numbers on them.

I didn't set off any detectors in Ottawa, but after the miles of trudging from the gate to security here I figure either my plate or my necklace made the equipment beep. But the security person who patted me down told me she very much liked my dress. Oh, and here in London apparently one is supposed to know that that your baggie of liquids is expected to be removed from the pieces of luggage you are carrying with you and placed separately in a tray. There is no signage explaining this. They tell you on the plane that you have to fill out a "landing card" if you have a wait of three hours or more between flights, but nobody wanted mine. Curious thing this travel outside of North America!

More Check Boxes ...

You will note that some things remaining on the list look a lot like things that were there yesterday!

☑ suitcase more or less packed (I checked it closes!)
☐ shoe decision
☑ taxes filed
☐ vacuuming done
☐ house tidy
☑ toenails painted with Zoya "Lily" available here (yes, I have my priorities!)
☑ hair appointment made for day after I return (doctor's appointment following day)
☑ fridge emptied of perishables
☑ fridge wiped down, vegetable bin washed and disinfected (wire racks & door will just have to wait till I get home!
☑ coffee maker and kettle descaled
☑ toaster oven cleaned & unplugged
☑ toilet bowls cleaned, disinfected
☑ bathroom sink cleaned
☐ bathroom floor washed
☑ last loads of laundry underway
☐ noon hour swim followed by lunch with Austin
☑ currencies, tickets, confirmations, passport & identification, travellers cheques in purse
☑ up to date itinerary distributed
☑ copies of passport, travel & health insurance, all id and credit cards going with me made and on file with a reliable outside person who is (usually) easy to contact
☐ hard copy of address book printed
☐ 4:00 pick-up to head to airport

I may get one last post in before I go!

And now ...

☑ prescription meds in ziplock bag, ziplock bag in carry on bag
☑ same with assorted otc drugs, which by all accounts are hard come by in Australia
☑ care sheet for The Boarder prepared
☑ Boarder's food, treat, and litter situation under control
☑ competition suit, one practice suit, goggles & deck shoes in carryon
☑ electronics & dvds in carryon; except the laptop
☑ extra batteries in carry on bag
☐ suitcase packed (well, mostly)
☑ liquids in "purse baggie" or bag to be checked
☐ shoe decision
☑ tax forms complete
☐ taxes filed
☑ dishwasher emptied
☐ vacuuming done
☑ travel documents in order and packed
☐ house tidy

So ... we're getting there. And now, back to the suitcase!

Madly Off in All Directions!

My return flights are changing yet again! Aaaarrrrgggghhhh!!! On the up side, I'm going to Terminal 3 Heathrow, not Terminal 5. My transfer documentation and bonus coupon book arrived by email this morning and now need printing. Phooey!!! And aaaarrrggghhh! My taxes are almost but not quite complete. Today I have a doctor's appointment and a hair appointment, will pick up last bunch of meds, buy batteries, do still more laundry, and absolutely must mail The Boarder's paperwork and a cheque for his city license. Because the level of organization at the city is outstanding. They give you one month to get this done. Good thing the notice arrived yesterday! Things here have clearly reached a feverish pace! Oh, and I am coaching tomorrow morning's practice.

In other news, I have a new 24" suitcase with an expandable gusset like this one, only navy. Marked down. From $125 to $50! So I'll be travelling with a 24" case, laptop friendly carry-on and purse. I received a lovely travel surprise in my mailbox from Andrea when I got back from practice last night — Air Assist (a Vitamin A,C, E, B2, electrolyte, amino acid, mineral chase-the-bugs-away-before-they-happen boost). Two of the athletes I've been coaching at skills and drills generously gave me a couple of guide books with pull out maps, and my teammate Vincent added a Canadian flag towel!

Practice last night was:
♦ 800 free
♦ 9 x 100 on 2:10, 50 hard choice, 50 free strong — I did 7 with a combo of fly-breast, 2 breast (when breath catching was in order!)
♦ 6 x 100 choice, all out for time on 2:45 — I split this IM and free
♦ 50 easy

I did not feel good at first! In fact, I felt positively icky. And the first batch of hundreds our gang in lane 5 collectively described things with an "Ugh!!". After two we had agreed that the set was going to hurt. And it did! But for the 100 IM's I swam each one at 1:35. Given that my GUBT is 1:31 and change, I was going so fast I scared myself! There was a cramp, however, that started to threaten my left calf, so I changed to freestyle, and backed off the intensity just a bit.

In the Spirit of Shakespeare's Dog ...

To clap or not to clap, that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to applaud
The work and players at dawn of intermission,
Or to leave hands tranquil against a sea of clappers,
And by opposing end it?

Image from NAC programme.

Of Dodginess and Literary Canines ...

Now, yesterday morning at the Nepean Sportsplex half the pool was dedicated to lane swim. For part of the time we were swimming the aquafit gals were doing their thing in the shallow end of the four other lanes. For the remainder of the time a large group of teenage boys in board shorts were "swimming" heads up crawl. Note to large percentage of that group: people on the deck; lifeguards and instructors; can actually tell when you are walking along the bottom of the shallow end and moving your arms in a swimming motion!

Last night's offering at the NAC was, I feel, the best play of the English Theatre season thus far. For a review from The Ottawa Citizen, click here. Shakespeare's Dog, a co-production with the Manitoba Theatre Centre is definitely worth it.

Swim Bit ...

Normally on Tuesdays I train at Ottawa U in the evening with the club, and coach skills and drills afterwards. Tonight, however, I have a trip to the theatre planned. It's Shakespeare's Dog tonight! So, I went on a bus adventure to meet some teammates at the Nepean Sportsplex. In fact 6 of us bound for Perth were there to do some long course training. It was quiet enough for most of the outing to have 2 people splitting a lane! Now there's a rarity! Pat A. & I split a lane and each swam 2,800 metres:

♦ 800 free (but I did 2 x 400, second faster than the first)
♦ 16 x 100 on 2:30 (Pat did 50 fly-50 free, I did IM which is fun long course!)
♦ 400 swim easy (but I did a timed 50 fly hard :45, then swim easy)

The erstwhile crepuscular mammal that lives with me took advantage of my early trip to the bathtub to return to bed. There he stayed while I organized myself out the door. I know he was up again while I was gone because there was less food in his dishes when I returned home. However, that's certainly where he was when I got in!

Back to Regularly Scheduled Activities ...

The Easter Cat had me save some eggs to surprise the lifeguards with yesterday, and they were most appreciative! The difference between the water temperature in the hot tub and the pool, though was negligible. The pool was 86°F!! My teammate Mike was also at the pool, so we fit in some timed sprints at the end of my swim.

In other news, I beavered away a bit more on my taxes. I watched the World Figure Skating Championships Gala. I had a chat with Mom and Dad in Florida. And I headed over to Emma et al's for a lovely Easter dinner. Roast chicken & stuffing, peas Emma helped shell, mashed potatoes (the last of the bounty of their garden plot last year), broccoli, carrots ... and poppy seed cake and a bit of Easter chocolate for dessert. Musicality was the order of the evening immediately following dinner, and then Emma and I read each other some Easter stories from her copy of My First Bible.

The Boarder would have played like a maniac when I got home, but really, like dinner, I was done!

Today, it's on with the more mundane aspects of life — the regularly scheduled activities that keep things here on track. To the grocery store! To the hardware store! But right now ... to the bathtub!!!

I confess, I think The Boarder was fine with supervising as much egg hiding and distribution as he could from the front window this morning. It is the coldest Easter morning I can remember in Ottawa! With windchill -20 as I tried to make eggs sit where I wanted them to! But on the up side, it was +20 in Perth!

Felt Like ...

Minus 22°C with wind chill when I got up this morning!!! (-8°F) What's up with that??? Seems like indoor egg hunts will be de rigeur this weekend! My plans to get out and doing things early were quashed by the temperature. My morale impeded me. Instead The Boarder organized some play activities, and I did some household bits and bobs. At least it is to hit -2°C this afternoon, so perhaps later I'll be more inclined to cross some things off the Big List that is not shrinking quickly enough! Or it'll really be a jam-packed week coming up!

I often have early bulbs up in late March, and usually have begun garden clean-up. There is no chance of that happening this year! This was a hot topic of discussion at Good Friday dinner Chez Emma & Family. How long will the large snowpiles remain? If I weren't going away I'd probably run a pool!

On the up side, Canadians were really hot at the World Figure Skating Championships! After the excellent pairs results, Joannie Rochette placed 5th, the young dance team of Virtue and Moir captured silver, and Jeff Buttle earned himself the gold! Our young Canadian champion Patrick Chan, in his first worlds, placed ninth. So now I'll reward myself for the laundry and cleaning I did this morning, settle in, and watch the rebroadcast of the free dances and the mens long!

Good Friday!

After last night's practice I was glad to be coaching and not swimming at our mini-camp this morning. Thursday's workout was:

♦ 3 x 200 free descend 1 - 3
♦ 5 x (3 x 100 free on 1:35) :45 set rest
♦ 10 x 50 choice* on 1:15, paying special attention to start and turn
♦ 100 one arm fly easy swim down

*I alternated fifties of free and breast. Although I had to bail on one of the hundreds (and the third one of each set was touch and go), it was 2,600 pretty tough metres in.

A lot of folks chose to spend the beginning of their holiday weekend in the pool — camp was very well attended. I still managed to squeeze in a video session though, getting an underwater view of my fly. Unfortunately, it will be awhile before I'm able to share it, as Coach Duane is off to teach in Arizona next week, and we won't see each other before I'm leaving for Perth.

Six of us had breakfast afterwards, four of whom will be part of the World's contingent, so that was nice for a variety of reasons! Mike O. asked us if we knew the temperature in Perth today. I explained that I live with The Boarder. Our morning routine mostly involves petting the cat, feeding the cat, removing deposits in the box, and playing with the cat. If I'm planning a diversion from routine (like going to swim camp for 7:00), it is best if I don't fire up the computer, too! But the projected high is 31°C (88°F)— which sounds ever so much better than -3°C (26°F)!!! So now, for your easy access to information (and mine), I've added a Perth weather sidebar element.

Of Dromedaries and Flying Camels ...

A bit of interesting miscellany to kick off the morning. Following up on some camel related discussion, Jenny sent me this article from the New York Times yesterday. The kicker is that I know Nancy Abeiderrahmane, as she was one of my charming dinner companions on an Alaskan cruise in 2004!

Last night I spent the evening over at D's in front of her lovely big giant TV watching some flying camels, some death drops, spirals, fancy footwork and throw triples (among other things)! Both good company and entertainment. Although I'd like to have a long hard look at the score sheet for Savchenko and Szolkowy, kudos to all the Canadian pairs teams. Three in the top eight at the World Figure Skating Championships is a remarkable achievement — and bronze is a great a way for Jessica Dubé and Bryce Davison to cap off a trying season!

Yesterday it snowed. And then it poured. The short time I spent pushing the water laden snow off the front steps and sidewalk was significantly more of a workout than I would have liked! And possibly more than my recovery swim. And although it is the first day of spring, winter will be here for awhile. It is truly wearing people down. (I'm a little jealous of Tri-Mama's report. Maybe even more than a little!)

Swim Bit

Last night's practice downright rocked. Which is somewhat surprising because I really didn't feel like going. My right knee has been off. And going down the stairs to the pool something odd happened to my left ankle. Things were just not going my way. Until we started to swim. The workout was extraordinarily well attended. There were eight in our lane! So that limited the complexity and distances that could be swum.

♦ 800 free
♦ 15 x 100 (75 free, 50 not free) on 2:15 — I chose breast
♦ 6 x 50 free, quick, on 1:00
♦ 100 easy one arm fly

The best part? Except for the tenth and fifteenth hundreds, I swam 1:35's each time. Number ten was 1:37, number fifteen was 1:33. So I held 1:35 exactly! And what does that mean to me? That my breaststroke was not slow!

Coaching skills and drills was particularly fun because I got to work with some swimmers on breaststroke and flip turns. Unlike practice, the half hour session afterwards was undersubscribed, so the swimmer to coach ratio was 1:3.

This morning my ankle is still off on weight bearing down the stairs (I haven't tried up yet!). Which just seems so wrong. But we'll hope it will resolve very quickly!

Better late ...

Mornings recently have been brisk enough (-12°C yesterday, -9°C this morning, with windchill dialing them down), but when it is out the sun is warming, and the still extraordinarily large snow piles are shrinking some. Although from the street you cannot easily spot The Boarder in the window yet — and his view is still not what he'd like!

With regard to travel essentials, yesterday I booked my two-days-before-I-leave-haircut, ordered electrodes for my TENS machine, got paper to print my as yet not started income tax forms on, met with one of The Boarder's caregivers, and finally bought a card reader. So now I can take both cameras to Oz with confidence. Which brings me to these. On December 26th I mentioned there were some pictures I needed to extricate from the now archaic little camera. I get to most things eventually! Sometimes I'm just kind of pokey. So here, for your viewing pleasure, is Emma & Tipper (with his glowing orbs!), Emma's famous pot-stickers, and Emma enjoying the fruits of her labour!

Top o' the Mornin'!

The Boarder and I were early to bed last night and early to rise this morning. Our amaryllis has bloomed for us twice now, much to my delight. Its bud was featured on the few St. Pat's cards I did this year. It can be hard to celebrate green things when the out of doors is predominantly white! As you can see this picture was taken at "oh, dark thirty"! Okay, more accurately 06:00! Click to see the sparkle in the petals.

The three movieteers are planning to celebrate tonight with dinner at Nokham Thai. Green beer and associated craziness seems to us to be overrated!

Lane swim yesterday was a bit on the crowded side, but I squished in 1800 metres of mostly strokes other than freestyle. Time to start waking up those sprinting muscle fibres, too!

Provisions!

Thanks to Norris, The Boarder now has more than enough food put by to ensure he won't have to revisit his lifestyle as an underfed feral feline while I'm down under! Why, Norris came through the front door this morning with a whole tub full. No less than 66 tins!!! Cleaned out two grocery stores. A veritable treasure trove! Oh, and The Boarder's litter supply is well in hand, too. So that's a big weight off my mind. There will be no last minute cat food panics! I'm a little poorer though.

Then we skedaddled off to the grocery store, where somehow I spent more money than usual on considerably less food. Well, it's easy to see how, really. The "OTC travel drugs" (decongestants, immodium, alka-seltzer — my that stuff adds up FAST) and Easter eggs. Because doubtless the Easter Cat will have somehow passed the mantle on to The Boarder, who will send me out to hide eggs for our favorite neighbours. The Easter Cat used to make sure I was up early enough on Easter Sunday that we could go out and distribute the eggs. Mostly his role was supervisory. He would come to each house with me and ensure I was doing an adequate job. Occasionally he would feel the necessity to change the placement of one or two. Usually the chocolate ones in shiny wrapping ...

Woops!!

During a bursty-pouncy play session this morning the Boarder ran into a table and stopped dead in his tracks. Why would anyone make a three legged table anyway? It quickly reacted by unloading its contents right on top of him. Naturally he reached up and gave it a swat further scattering its former contents. Then he clearly thought, hey, this is much better to settle in on than the carpet!

As for random people business, I discovered that Australian bills are printed on polymer, and have clear windows instead of fancy holograms. Why, you can see right through the money! Click here for images that you mustn't print and try to claim as actual currency. Now in hand, some Australian cash, some travellers cheques, some pounds sterling for fun in Heathrow. Yes, I do know my credit cards will work in England, but I just can't bear to put a magazine and some crisps on a credit card! Also the first round of house taxes are paid. Income tax, however, is looming on the horizon! With any luck today I'll get most of the Easter goodies mailed out. Whose idea was it to put St. Pat's and Easter so close together??

Onward! At least as far as the bathtub ...

Friday Tidbits ...

Instead of a cross-training opportunity, we have "snow and freezing drizzle" on tap for this weekend. Charming. Luckily my freezer should be defrosted by then. I'm taking advantage of nature's freezer on the back deck so as not to lose any of the frozen bounty though.

The Boarder is having a lie-in this morning. We had an adoration session before I got out of bed, and he decided that was sufficient, curled up and went back to sleep! He may be a little bit brighter than me.

Last night's swim practice totalled 2650 metres as follows:
♦ 400 free
♦ 400 kick (I did 200 one arm fly, 200 whip kick without a board)
♦ 16 x 100 free alternating repeat times 1:40, 1:50, trying to maintain same swim speed, but really swimming between 1:30 & 1:35
♦ 5 x 50 not free (I did fly up, breast back) 25 fast, 25 relaxed on 1:30; repeating :51

Today I'm off to the bank for traveller's cheques, pounds sterling to spend in Heathrow, Australian dollars, and travel insurance. I've already called the nice folks at the credit card outfits to advise them of my schedule. Still much to be done, but at least I am checking things off the Big List!

Bits and Bobs ...

In the tri-blogosphere it's a week for charming swim posts. Both Bolder and Spokane Al brought smiles to my face. Speaking of tris, an aspirational triathlete (thanks to Jenny for the term!) I've been coaching at skills and drills asked me which watch I prefer. Yeah, that would be the pace clock. So I'm asking for your help. Which watch do you favour? And why? Help a budding triathlete out!

At our Masters workouts, we sometimes enjoy colorful explanations from Coach Duane. We, too, have pregnant people gliding through the water with ease. The only reason I'm swimming faster than Whitney is that she's due in 10 days so is swimming easy. Duane's comment, "We haven't delivered a baby at practice yet!" This falls into the category we on the team call "Duanisms".

One night, following our challenging main set, we were assigned 100 metre free for time. In fact, I think that was my first night in lane 6. In a case like that, Duane usually assigns us a placement in the lane as well. He put me in front of one of the big boys (who was thankfully tuckered out from the main set), and then told him, "She's your rabbit!!! Go chase her down!!!" Yikes!

Swim Bit ...

Our teammate Jim, who is already in Perth, is beavering away lining up the Canadian socials for Worlds. In the brilliant words of Pat N. last night, "We're not going to Worlds to swim — we're going to party!" Of course, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but the earlybirds will get together for dinner on April 15, and our "primary" social will be April 22. And naturally, following the joviality, we buckled down and swam!

♦ 400 free
♦ 6 x 50 free descend 1 - 3 (I only got 5 in, as I got booted into lane 6)
♦ 10 x 25 free on 1:00*
♦ 10 x 100 free half build (negative split) on 2:00
♦ 100 free for time (1:23.5)
♦ 2 x 50 stroke (I did fly up, breast back)

*The instruction that accompanied the 25's was: one 25 relaxed long stroke count, take time, next 25 increase stroke count by 2 and decrease time. Repeat five times. We got a demo, too, as one of the Big Boys showed us how it is done.

In other local news, my grocery shopping buddy's street got plowed out yesterday, so instead of a fun night at the movies tonight it will be hoopla at the grocery store!

Boarder's Complaint ...

The world is shrinking! Also, almost inconceivably, staff seems to be concerned with her own stuff. Being confined to barracks is vastly improved by the ability to see out the windows and the sliding patio door. There's now a path from the door to the steps, so he can see 6 to 8 feet before Mount Crumpet rises and blocks the view. The bottom half of the double hung window in the living room is now covered in snow.

According to the local paper, by the numbers the territory he patrols visually has received:
♦ 410.7 centimetres of snow this year (33.9 cm short of the all-time record)
♦ 97.6 centimetres of snow this month (the snowiest March ever was 1947 with 106.7 centimetres, but we're gunning for it with 5 centimetres on tap for tonight!)

He is ignoring me completely when I explain that 22-23% of our annual snowfall usually comes in March. Because currently this is the best view from the main floor. At least it is a basking opportunity!

Slip Slidin' Away!!!

When life gives you lemons, there's lemonade. When life gives you a Snow Day with a Big Giant Snow Pile At The End Of The Street, you go get your camera, cuz there's slidin' to be done!

Here's Georgia and her mom Kate:


Esther, Georgia & Kate:


Hadrian and his Dad:


And, yes, that's me, sliding down the hill on my bum! With supervisors Esther and Georgia at the top. Thanks to Esther's mom Melanie for the evidence!


Feel free to click and enlarge the photos!

Cross-Training!!!

Spring forward or not, oh, but the Cross-Training was long and slow this morning!!! An hour after I stepped up and over the snow piled up against the door, what had I accomplished?? The front stoop, the front walks at 123 & 125, and the sidewalk from the driveway to the walk at 125. And yet another pair of sweats and a t-shirt to add to Laundry Mountain (that would be three pairs of sweat pants in just over 24 hours)!

I mentioned that Saturday morning there was 15 centimetres down. This morning there was an additional 36!! 51 centimetres, for those who measure in inches, is 20.1!!! Our winter total to date, 407.3 (160.4"). The all time record? 444.1. I heard a weather person say as much as he didn't want to shovel any more snow, he was also kind of cheering for the record. Here is one local resident's reflection from Thursday's paper. (I wonder how he's feeling this morning!?!)

Arthur Inglis Invitational Meet Report

Well, 15 centimetres fell on the region overnight, so after breakfast and packing my swim bag, I called a cab. Then I started shovelling the walk. A nice quarter hour of Cross-Training before the meet! Possibly not the best way to start, given how enamoured my body is of shovelling, but best done. Special thanks go to the hardy volunteers who also made their way to the pool this morning so that we could compete!

Warm-up: Well, I could still feel my shovelling muscles from Wednesday’s blast, but less so than Friday. My hip and groin were still problematic, so I made a deal with myself. If the hundred breaststroke was hurting I would modify things, and not worry about it if I had to slow down.

First up: 50 metre fly. Time: :37.8. First time as a grown-up under :38.0. Yay for me! Still the turn was a little deep, and I don’t feel as strong as I think I can, so lots of room for improvement yet.

Next up: 100 metre breast. Sure enough, first couple of strokes off the start I was twinging, so I narrowed up the kick and somehow continued on at a good pace. 1:33.5! I’m very pleased with that — it’s 4 seconds plus quicker than I’ve swum it short course, 3+ seconds better than my long course swim two weeks ago (so this time would convert to .4 or .5 quicker).

Up last: 100 metre free. Getting better. 1:17.3. I didn’t feel like I had a lot in the tank after the 100 breast, so I’ll certainly take it and run with it, given that my last one was 1:20 and change, and it's two and a half seconds faster than last year.

So, Duane was “not disappointed”! And neither was I. A good last tune-up before Worlds. And as we’re expecting up to 35 more centimetres today, tonight and tomorrow morning, the cross-training continues!

I confess, I’m starting to look forward to the idea of taper!

Weather Woes ...

More Cross-Training Opportunities on the horizon! Snow starting this afternoon, to be ongoing for 36 hours. Right now, the forecasters are thinking 30–40 centimetres in this neck of the woods. And winds up to 70 kph! Ack! Wednesday's mess still isn't near under control. Our residential sidewalks are still not plowed, the street is one lane and so messy that my next door neighbour was actually shovelling the ROAD last night! Snowbanks are still mountains at bus stops. Buses were still hit and miss last night (I waited for a half hour at the stop on my way to being late for practice!).

Still paying for Wednesday's Cross-Training, Duane let me lead lane 5 instead of swimming in lane 6. I missed half the warm-up, but here's what I managed to get done:

♦ 400 free
♦ 10 x 100 (50 free, 50 not free — I did breast) on 2:15
♦ 4 x 200 free on 4:00

This morning, The Boarder appeared to be readying himself for the ridiculously early start of Daylight Savings Time. Very perky at 0:600, he hopped into bed with me, had some cuddling, and lulled me into complacency. I thought he was going to settle in. Then, from a nice casual standing position on my belly, suddenly a black form in the darkness flew straight up into the air and pounced! The gentle movement of a hand under the covers had suddenly become irresistable. The pounce was followed by some frantic digging to try to get the covers out of the way in order to capture whatever was moving under them.

P.S. Goggle update. Thanks to the nice folks at Swimming Matters the mask that was Express posted on Tuesday was in use last night.

Enough Already!!!

Yesterday's total at the Ottawa airport: 28 centimetres (11 inches). Way too much Cross-Training! Plus it blew and drifted like mad. So the winter season thus far? 355–360 centimetres (closing in on 12 feet) depending on the authority. For those following along at home, the only winter on record that was snowier racked up 444.1 centimetres. And although the weather icon shows "close to 15 centimetres" on Saturday, the local news is reporting this morning that there is a possibility it may in fact be the worst storm of the season. Charming!

And, yes, I went out in that weather! Some time ago my friend Ann Clayton and I had scheduled a lunch. And we really enjoyed it! I had restrung a pearl necklace for her, one that she and her late husband picked out together. She's off on the first cruise of her life soon (and it's a big one!), so she wanted the necklace and to buy a new suitcase. Cleverly we ate at Daly's adjoining the Rideau Centre. So while out, we could both get more travel errands done. Now checked off my Big List: 240–110 voltage transformer, a couple more tees, and a few more unmentionables.

Lest you think I understated my channeling of Andra Sue, I have to confess not one but two pairs of shoes followed me home on Tuesday. The Naturalizer slingbacks pictured here were also marked down from $100 to $19.99. As the Movieteers haven't managed to get out the past couple of weeks, it seemed only right to spend what had been earmarked for entertainment on footwear!

Sets!

Yes, I believe I'm channeling Andra Sue! I did Errand Sets yesterday, knowing today's weather would be unconducive to gadding about. 2o centimetres down, 10-15 to come! Arrrrggghhhh!!!! On my second set, my crow-like tendencies kicked in. I was walking past the Naturalizer store on my way to the drug store for supplies. Really, it started innocently enough. These shoes were marked down from $100 to $19.99. The Boarder was pleased. They came in a box. And if someone were to, say, steal them out of my luggage, I'd only be out a twenty!

At the pool our sets looked like this:

♦ 4 x 200 free descend 1-4

Five sets of:
♦ 100 free on 2:00 fast
♦ 75 (50 free, 25 not free) on 2:00 faster (I did breast)
♦ 50 (25 free, 25 not free) on 1:15 (I did breast)
♦ 25 not free all out on 1:00 (I did fly)

♦ 3 x 100 all out on 2:00

♦ swim easy (I needed to go to the loo before coaching, so I only got a 50 in)

Now I guess I should get ready to face the day, and the Cross-Training Opportunities that await!

Tuesday Tidbits ...

The balmy weather over the past 24 hours has shrunk snowpiles some. Which is a very good thing. Especially since the weather event that is to start this evening is to bring up to 20 centimetres of snow — although that may be mixed with ice pellets. Ugh! So as many errands as possible will be jammed into today! Although I'll leave some for tomorrow anyhow, as I have a long standing lunch appointment with a friend at a hotel adjoining a mall. Hopefully the weather won't be too much of an impediment. And it is unlikely I'll need to swim, as the Cross-Training Opportunity looks a bit taxing.

I've been stringing up a bit of a storm lately, and have a few more projects to get through this month to get April and May birthdays ready before I take off. There's one for this month on the beading board, too. This necklace is waiting now for a clasp, but has already received The Boarder's stamp of approval. Yes, he seemed to be sleeping, but really he was lulling me into complacency for an impressive attack while I was knotting! The chartreuse pearls really give it some pop, and the lemon quartz echoes the colour well. Click for a bird's eye view.

Snap!

Sitting in the hot tub last night may have been almost redundant, as the water in the pool was certainly warm, but it did offer an opportunity for talk about adventures in Perth in beyond. One of my clubmates also going to Worlds was at lane swim last night — and he's an expatriate Aussie. He suggested that if I have the opportunity I should go see the Surf Life Saving Championships. Now, that looks like a fun eye candy filled field trip!

This weekend Jenny and I had a brief conversation about repeatedly making the same mistake. Guilty!! I sat down last night at the edge of the pool to put my goggles on before I got in, and Snap! Yup. That was the strap on my goggles breaking. Now, I was hoping to pick up a spare pair at the Ironman Wisconsin expo. No Seal Masks. I then hoped to pick up a pair at the NMSC lobby sale. No Seal Masks. Why do I put it off? I just hate to pay $50 for a pair of goggles (often plus S&H and always plus taxes) that are half the price south of the 49th. And so, I pay a different price ...

Knotty!

Mercifully the forecast for Friday and Saturday has been revised: now it's only showing 15 - 25 centimetres (between 6 and 10 inches). Still Too Much Snow, but there you have it. Update: yesterday's storm was 16 cm, bringing the year's total to 329 thus far. Plus there are at least flurries every day from Tuesday to Saturday. Monday? That's rain. Charming.

I took a couple of days away from the pool. Really, these antibiotics are not a happy thing, except that now not only have I stopped blowing chartreuse, I actually woke up this morning nose breathing! And I will take consolation from Jenny's post about overtraining!

The Boarder has discovered that knotty is nice. It has been some time since I've done a barrage of pearl knotting. While wirework necklaces can be interesting when the chain becomes long enough to attack, pearl stringing has merits right from the moment of measuring the silk thread! Think dental floss. Some temporary strands come with ... wait for it ... tassels on the end! Think pounce and bat. But most alluring of all is the process of making a knot and sliding it down to the bead. Best done when The Boarder is napping! I wish this scan were a better representation of the colours of these large freshwater pearls, as the peacock overtones in greens, blues and purples make it much more spectacular in person. The teensy beads between the pearls are iolite.

And so March Begins ...

Like a lion in burning hot pursuit of prey, perhaps. A lightning quick panther pouncing. Or that irritating Energizer Bunny. It's March, and the seemingly infinite Opportunities For Cross-Training just keep coming and coming. And this morning, like many around the region, I expect, I let out an involuntary holler looking at the forecast. Repeat after me: long range forecasts are usually wrong, long range forecasts are usually wrong ... Maybe someone made a mistake and put the April Fool's numbers up early? 5 millimetres of rain or freezing rain Monday. Okay, messy, but we can deal. 1 to 3 centimetres of snow Wednesday. Grudgingly I'll admit that's manageable. But 40 - 50 centimetres on Friday??? Maybe they forgot the decimal point??? It's truly enough to strike fear into one's heart! And for good measure, I would just like to point out that the last meet before Worlds is Saturday morning.