A First Place in Beijing = GOLD!!

A Photo update from last nights race & win.
The last 3 photo's really 'say it all' ;o)






About 40 minutes ago Sophie competed in the Final for the 100M Womans Breast Stroke S9. She got first place....

She won the GOLD medal!!!

Bead de jour

Bongo

I had the rest of the beads in this series to post - but my computer has other ideas & is insisting on running at 100% CPU usage. So I can't even edit the darn photo right now.

I've added a couple more photo's of Sophie to the post below. There is a really great video online of her in the race, she turns around just after she finshes & realises that she's second - the look on her face is priceless.
There is also a great chat to her at the poolside afterwards - but it's in the middle of an hour long video about yesterdays event's & I can't seperate it to show you. I'll try & find a link to a short version later & post it in the post below.

Sophie Again ;o)

Just had to show this photo that her Mum, Jo, has just sent through to us from Beijing!
Doesn't she look gorgeous & so very happy.

OK - I was a Good Girl

& did my nice picture posts of the Sunday walks first. But Now I just have to shout!!!!

Earlier today I knew Sophie had made it through the two heats for the Womans 100M Butterfly S10 & into the finals tonight!

A couple of hours ago I was still desperately trying to find somewhere online to view the finals of Sophies first event, even though I knew it had started. I gave up & refreshed the results page - not expecting it to be so quickly updated

Sophie won a Silver Medal!!!!

This was of course accompanied by a large amount of yeehaaa'ing & yelling down the phone to my Mum (who was still waiting for a call from Beijing to let her know the results -lol). Gotta Love the net!!!

I am so proud of that kid. 15 years old - only been swimming for 5 years & now she has won a medal.
Only 1.09 seconds behind USA's Anna Eames - & you know both those girls did amazingly well - just look at it this way...they are only 15 seconds behind able bodied womans world record for this event. Think on it that for a moment - it's kind of humbling.

If by chance any of you are wondering how there are seemingly multiple events that have the same title i.e "Womans 100M Breast Stroke" - the Paralympians are graded due to their disability & matched againgst those of similar disability. Whilst earlier finals today were perhaps S7 - S 8 & S9 etc - Sophie & Anna are S10. They have the same event for every 'grade'.

In the morning I shall try to find a photo to accompany this post.

Perhaps I should have looked earlier - cos look what I just found!!!!

Sunday Walk - Travis Wetlands - Part I

Last week some mad woman got into my blog & made completely irrational promises - lol!
This weekend she decided that in the best interests of humanity (& her stupid ankle) she had better start off slowly - no steep inclines included! The weather did not want to cooperate & gifted us a cold bleak day.

This weekend we chose the Travis Wetland walk. Relatively flat, not to difficult... & besides I had never done it before, driven past it heaps but never actually walked it or felt the need to explore the history of the wetlands further. Strange you might think, when I tell you that I grew up very close to this area & in fact used to pass it all the time on my way to the swimming pool.
But that was many years ago - & back then this wetland area hadn't been developed ,or rather 'reclaimed'

On the walk I learned that this project has only been happening in the last 10 years. Apparently when the white man decided to settle Christchurch there was over 32,000 hectares of swamp....actually all of Christchurch was pretty much swamp (yeah you gotta wonder!!!). They drained it & cultivated it, filled it & developed it. Over the years the swampy ground was eliminated until now where we have less than 2000 hectares.

Great for the city - not so good for the wildlife. One of New Zealands native birds, a gawky, ungainly, ugly looking thing called a Pukeko was almost extinct. When I think back - I never saw these when I was younger - not in my travels by bike, or later by car. In the last few years I see them everywhere that native plantings flourish. I guess in their case the reclaiming of the wetlands has worked & is a prime example of the importance of retaining natural habitats of wild life - even if it is bang in the middle of a spreading city.

We walked a circuit starting from the park in an anti clockwise direction around the wetlands.

Pukeko

Into the wilderness - well...OK ...not quite! This is one of the entry ways to the walk via a suburban park in a built up area.

The first views of what it was like pretty much all over the city many years ago.

A Black Swan - not exactly a NZ native, but like many other exotics he seems to be at home.

Some of the views are really quite pretty - in a bleak wintery way.

The Willows, at least, are obliging us with a display of spring colour.

But really! What can I say.

Travis Wetlands Walk - Part II

We have done a half circuit now & can look back directly across & see the point we started at.

See that small white 'spec' in the middle distance of this shot? It's a rather large & ostentatious house -lol. You'll see what I mean later ;o)

Swampy & uneven ground deserves a slightly raised walkway.

I can see what it must have been like for the wild life many years ago.

The House - kind of stands out like a dogs tail in this area of slightly more environmentally friendly styles of homes.

I just had to prove that there are signs of spring here - besides I love this cemetery, Christchurch's oldest.

The River Avon - which serpentines it way throughout the central city. You just can't escape it & it will look beautiful in another month or so.

A Bead & Beijing

"Tribal Beat"

One of the beads from the last few torch sessions that I am rather pleased with.

Last night there was a segment on National TV about Sophie - it was great, although in places quite emotional when you listen to her Dad, Gary talk about her accident. It was just under 5 minutes long & can be viewed here Close Up-Sophie Pascoe. (It takes wee while for it buffer for me)

This morning she was also on both the front page of this city's leading Newspaper this morning & also another article about her in the sports section. It's really quite exciting. Less than 48 hours to go before her first race!

We've heard from Sophie, apparently they were the first to arrive in the Olympic Village in Beijing. Training was to have taken place in Hong Kong, but when the swim team got to the pool there the water temperature was 30 deg Celsius (86 Fahrenheit) & too hot for them to train in!! So an early flight to Beijing in they got to train in the"Water Cube", the pool that is used for the Olympic & Paralympic races.

Sophie said that this pool is absolutely amazing to swim in - it's extremely deep, & the lanes are extra wide. I never knew this before, but apparently the extra depth makes swimming easier & the wider lanes prevent wake from other swimmers when competing.

Perhaps that answers why world records were broken in every swim race during the Olympics ;o)

I am dying to see how well Sophie can fly through that water.

A Face only a Mother Could Love

Well, that was the title in the subject line of an email I sent to a friend a few days ago!
It went onto say:

"....or should that be a goddess?
Yes I know he has juju lips & looks like he has two black eyes -lol!
Even though the tutorial wasn't specific in as much as it didn't tell me to pull stringers first - I should have known to do that...especially when working with ivory. It would have saved me thinking 'oh crap' & grabbing for the nearest rod of something skinny to put on as his eye's.

Mentally prepare yourself for Butt Fugly Buttah Juju Lips One Ball Missing - actually I think he looks like some fictional character from a movie, I just can't pinpoint who exactly right now."

This particular friend had been responsible for encouraging a somewhat flagging lamp working spirit back to the torch. Well, I think I was 'encouraged' - but most likely I was issued a challenge, or perhaps cleverly coerced, by someone that knew I was having a creative block with beads.
Very cleverly it was suggested that I should 'play' & stay away from trying to make specific beads - perhaps try the Buddha Tutorial they knew I had purchased.
Somewhere in the repartee both made typo's in the spelling of Buddha - & 'Buttah' was born.

Although I can't for the life of me see anything attractive about my 'Buttah' - I was rather thrilled that I'd made him, in all of his lopsided wonkyness, without cracking him - he's not that small & only lost one of the small 'balls' off of his head gear.

It took me a few days after his creation to gain the fortitude required to actually show him to my 'encourager' - but eventually I did.

So as you can see "B" is also for Butt Fugly Buttah!

Of course now I have figured that he reminds me of "Dobby the House Elf" from the Harry Potter movie "Chamber of Secrets".

The day after Butt Fugly was created - I bravely made my first attempt at a goddess.
Unfortunately (timing wise) a friend arrived just as she was getting her nipples (the goddess - not the friend!!) - my attention wavered ....& so did the goddesses nipples -lol!

As far as I was concerned she wasn't too bad. Between the two I have learned quite a bit about heat control .... & oh boy, do I have a whole new level of admiration for you Ang!!!

A day later, I had left my beads sitting by my photo cube & was out in the studio torching - (actually making some beads) when a certain 11 year old said "Look Mum!"....oh dear!!!

Now what might be considered a natural & logical thing for a child to do - can be somewhat disturbing to an adult eye.

Gabriela had of course married the Buttah Head with the Goddess Body. Be afraid - very afraid...you know what's coming don't you???

Now should this be considered a prime example of East meets West - or does it put a whole new twist on Eastern European?

"B" is for....(wait for it)

Tah dah!...

and you thought I was going to show you a bead!!!
Gotta say folks that I never liked chewing gum.... until a certain 'ex', in pre 'ex' days, brought some of this stuff back from the USA. Of course he only bought back 3 small packets - but it was enough to get me wanting more!
But not that desperately, that I was going to stay with him until he went back again.

Fortunately the 'ex is still the 'ex' - but the friends I have that travel, remain. One recently went back over to the USA for a week or so & came back awfully excited about the new packaging of Big Red gum - they've increased the size since the last time she was grabbing some for me when there in January. I must be completely predictable!

But what is it with no gum wrappers any more??? Oh boy - I had only recently learned to make gum wrapper chains. Well ok - since I saw Sandra Bullock do it in 28 days & I just had to know how to do that for myself -lol. That is still 'recent to me ;o)

Anyway I have a nice wee stash of Big Red - well sort of, because it seems my kids love it too. Bugger!


I suppose... while I'm at it I could show a bead as well ;o)

"Tortuga"

From Beijing

Sophie has finished training in Hong Kong & arrived at the NZ Quarters for accomodation in the Olympic Village in Beijing!

They've sent a few photo's through of Sophie with the other Paralympians from New Zealand.

The Accomodation Block for the New Zealand Competitors

A Close up of the foyer, the poster on the left - That's Sophie!!!

I'm guessing this is the community area - & there she is again ;o)

This is Cameron Leslie - one of the swim team members.

And here's our girl Sophie - a true rose among the thorns. That's Roly Crichton, her coach, with his back towards the camera.

My Little Corner of the World

One of the few views I like - across to the park from just outside my driveway.

Lately I've been feeling a bit 'blah' about the 'Paradise' I live in. Clean, green New Zealand ..... in some cases maybe.
If one is to be honest & objective, the clean & green are comparative & there are a huge amount of Kiwi's that are fiercely defensive & overly proud of this country that has it's fair share of issues.
I, for one, am not about to over inflate the achievements of athlete's & sports people that have left this country because once they get to a certain stage there is nothing more for them here - or lay claim to those that had to leave years ago in order to further themselves. It's a fact - in the grand scheme of things we are small fry.

Yes we have a good share of ground breaking inventions, cures & innovations that have come out of this place - but we are still small. I mean Holy crap - we have 40,000,000 sheep & only 4,000000 people ;o)

Anyway recently I have realised this city of Christchurch that I live in is looking tired. I also realised that the only time I do look around & think this city is fabulous - is on a warm summers day when I am driving on the main road surrounded by greenery with the mountains in the distance - & this means that I am heading out of it!

I don't like the changes that are happening - not that I mind progress at all - but at the expense of what? If it were to make the city, in general, more appealing - then go for it I say! But what was once 'The Garden City" in every sense of the word is quickly becoming the city of shoebox in-building - almost the tenements of the future.

I still like the city of my birth but the 40*mumble* something year love affair with it has ended. Today during a walk, with Allan & my camera, through the hood to take some DVD's back, the overwhelming need to escape this city hit me (not for the first time by any means).

Unable to escape in any real sense of the word,I decided on three things....
1/I needed more exercise.
2/I needed to remind myself of all the great points of this city & it's environs, maybe try to rekindle a bit of that flame - either that or go mad.
3/I need to get out more....lots more! Starting today.

I spoke of this as Allan & I were walking & we decided that each weekend we are going to find somewhere to go - tracks to walk, whilst getting some fresh air & exercise at the same time.
We live quite close to the central city & the whole 'cafe scene' - but to keep ourselves sane I think we shall avoid those places & seek instead fresh air & scenery of interest. The downside to all of this of course is that I am going to bore you with the photo's - lol! I do promise that it will only be once a week though!

The first of the Photo Tour's are in the two posts below ;o)

The close neighbourhood

Taken on 'the walk'...

We really are this close to the city - the tall buildings you see in the background are the 'CBD' (Central Business District)

There are a few Grand Old Villa's from around the turn of last century like this still in the area.

Until recently this empty section had a beuatiful example of a house like the one above on it. Now it has been moved & some developer is most likely 'land banking' until an ajoining property goes on the market....

So he can build some real 'fugly' blocks of mass produced uninteresting looking things like these - & to think this example is actually one of the nicer ones.

Views from Above

The scenic route begins & we head towards the port hills to travel along a road known as 'The Summit Road' - there is a reason for this, as it traverses the volcanic rim most of the way around Banks Peninsula which is slightly south of the city & is indeed the summit from which a lot of the Canterbury Plains can be viewed from.

First heading South East through the city with the hills in sight.

A quick stop to photograph the Catholic Cathedral - something that I said to Mallory I should do ages ago!

Cool - those hills are getting closer!

We've travelled up the hill & at the outer limits of the housing zone is this wonderful old Building "The Sign of the Takahe".

We get to Victoria Park & it seems a good place to start capturing some photo's of the City - from this point we can get a view of the western suburbs.

Victoria Park is at the top of the built up area on the hills - there are some stunning views & wonderful scenery from here. It is an area riddled with walking tracks - & I look forward to doing some of these on foot.

There are no frosts up here - so the Lucodendron & Proteas do well.

The Road .... I knew there was a reason I had started at the other end of the road in the past! It mean I wasn't constantly looking at rather steep & sometimes sheer drops from my side of the car -lol!

A bit further around on the road & we can see more across the east side of Christchurch out to the coast. It's a hazy day - & we are looking directly into the sun, so it was difficult to capture the Alps on the other side of the plains.

Because we are travelling the rim, there are views to both sides. This is a shot of some of the bays to our right on Banks Peninsula.

Swing around a bit & you can see the far end of the peninsula & over it to the open sea.

Back to the left - or rather the city side & we can see down into the Heathcote valley. In the distance is a stretch of land that doesn't quite join to the side we are on - it's most eloquently known as "The Spit" -lol! My Mum lived down there near the patch of green you can see, until just a couple of years ago.

Quite a bit further around & we can see the end of "The Spit" & the wonderful curve North of Pegasus Bay heading around to the Sothern Alps & the Kaikoura's.

Stoopid sheep -

Oh yeah & I just had to tease myself at the end, as far as we could get along the road we came to a clear uninterrupted view of The Pacific Ocean - so I waved to all my friends stateside ;o)