Recent Goings On

The labs were SUPPOSED to be finished with 3 weeks to go before semester started in 2006. I was going to be at home when the stuff was to be put back - thus I was relieved of that duty!! YAY HOWEVER, when I got back, sure enough... the labs were not finished and the stuff was not put back. I spent the rest of that semester and much of this one sorting through stuff, transporting it back into the labs and ordering replacement stuff. Finally with thanks to many people including John and some students (Ryan, Kris, Brenna and Karen) we got the job done!!

Newly renovated labs - new bench tops, floors, lighting, and white board (and that was about it!!)

Neil and I also planned and implemented Project Alive which was a project that brought the science labs to life. Plants and animals now fill each and every room (all three). We have rats, frogs, fish, a mud puppy and a corn snake a tarantula, a scorpion and three giant millipedes. LOTS of cool stuff...

Neil with the Uromastyx lizard. And Brenna and Tina (who is NOT so keen on the animals!!!)

Here is Nigel - brother of Nelson - best rat in the world!!

So we are now done. We have a wonderful program, students are responsible for it and we have even celebrated the new labs with a party for faculty and friends!!

A great party!!

November 2006
Del moved into our home and was a wonderful house mate - especially when he braved the kitchen to produce a sensational pavlova (Del's favourite dessert... now!!!)

It took some coaching but eventually a wonderful Pavlova was made (yes Mum, from a little egg!!) Congrats Del!!

September 2006
A time to plant and grow in the garden!! It was lovely to live in a house with the space and inclination to compost, plants and grow food!!

July to August 2006 - Australia!!
So I made it home for 2 months!! I stopped for a bit in Sydney and visited Canberra and then traveled to Perth and on up to Exmouth where I stayed with mum and dad in a caravan for 2 weeks.... bliss!!

Mum and Dad love to fish!! Shame they cant catch big ones!! he he - nice work Dad - I hope you threw him back!!!

My mate Barry (BAZ) was working as a videographer in Exmouth and he took me snorkeling a couple of times... he also lent me a digital camera to take under water - these are what I snapped... please note: it is significantly harder than it looks - fish do not sit still often!!

Baz took me up with him for a fly over Exmouth and the reef as he wanted to get some aerial shots. I also flew home to Perth after two fab weeks!!

I also hung out with Mum and Dad ...
I did lots of great reading and Mum helped me to learn to type properly!!

and my nephew William - I bought him a new plane (for his birthday) and really loved watching him fly it!!

They won!!! YAY Williams team is in green and white - William is right in the middle on the other side!!
Check this out - on the footy field when we arrived - he he tough Aussies mate!!! (yep - a kangaroos leg that has been chewed by a dog!!)

I borrowed Mum and Dad car to get around - now I know this doesnt look bad - but the car was STUCK!!! eeeekkk oooppppsss
Not sure how I got here - just that it was dark and late... bugger!!! It was a very steep hill!! $100 and a tow truck in the morning and all was well again!!

June 2006: already!! I go home this month (check out my plans)!! Not that I am V excited or anything...

Madeleine helped me celebrate my trip home and the end of my first year in true style... Zest Restaurant for dinner!!! Yummo

MJ and Helene!! Madeleine and the BBQ Me with Mira and Jacob Collette s little-un Zachary

The first of June saw my application for the Nexen Graduate Fellowship for Sustainable Communities submitted. This took some doing as I had to engage with my real reasons for being here and attempt to articulate what I hope to research/find!! That was tough actually!! This fellowship provides graduate funding... YAY (it would make living in Canada as a full time student much easier). I also visited Craik - the community that could be the focus of my research if all goes well with the application. It was really interesting as I met with the Chair of the Steering Committee for the Craik Sustainable Living Project, walked around the ecocentre and the lake, and attended the Saskatchewan Eco Network AGM. A great day...

Also the hibiscus that Madeleine and I have been trying to nurture along has finally come through with some blossoms - although I am a bit concerned that it is a last ditch effort before pegging out... Anyway, Madeleine is away - so in case she misses them...

Firstly ... ANOTHER half marathon (I might be a bit hooked). This time it was in FARGO North Dakota!!! Yeah the place with the wood chipper that is put to interesting use... check out my pics on the website above - I was number 2878 and my time... a cool 18 minutes improvement on the RPS half (I did this one in 2 hours and 14 mins).

Here are Stacey (the best running buddy in the world (sorry Terry)) and ME before and then after the grueling 13 MILES!!
Tip: a mile is a long way - and 13 of them are V long!! The last 6 were hard and the final 3 just hurt!!
But we made it - Stacey ran a Full Marathon in Ottawa the following weekend - yep - she is a machine!!! Well done Stacey!!

I held a BBQ for Anzac day on Victoria Day and just cos... here are the pics I was planning on having an ANZAC Day party (25th April - Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) but it was too close to the end of term: I was still marking and I didn't feel much like partying. So anyway, I deferred it and WOW - picked the most amazing night for a BBQ - the weather was amazing. Lots of people came and fun was had by me - and others I am sure!!! Thanks heaps to Tara and Danny for bringing the Icecream Cake with "Happy Anzac Day" written on it!!!

Once I managed to finish all of the work I was doing for others (and to get $$) I finally found some time for myself. The first thing that simple HAD to change was my room... here are the results - nice, tidy, organised, new and fresh... just the way I like it!!

Funny in that I had thought I needed a new bookshelf, yet refusing to buy from Walmart, preferring second hand and having asked all my friends if they had a spare, even visiting a shop or two and not finding what I needed ... I realised that I didn't need one... see I can do patients...

April 2006: Also seemed to fly by... Although I had been looking forward to this month for a few reasons. Classes finished for Winter Semester; my marking would soon be over; the semester paper for my class would eventually be completed and life would be mine again... Well that was the plan and most of it happened - eventually. I found marking took on a life of its own and would not die, the paper was really fun to create/write. I had received a grant for a smartboard - and it was finally delivered... my students and I had 4 lessons with it... so much for research about best practice with smartboard classroom technology - maybe next semester...???

I helped out at the Race/Culture Conference at the U of R

Here is our fearless leader - Dr Carol Schick!!

On the 23rd April I ran my first half marathon... The Regina Police Service Half Marathon (That is me - right on the first page - such a super running star!!) Yeah I increased quite a bit in my running distance ability in April (it is all in your head). I did a 20km test run a few weekends before the big day. Race day was interesting - it snowed first thing... brrrrr but at least most of my training had been in that kind of cold. I was a bit concerned about the wind though - it was gusting to 60kms throughout the race. But I made it - thanks to Terry who is a great running partner. MJ, Matt and Helene were my personal cheering squad and Graham ran the last 3kms with me... it was fun!!! I ran 21.1kms in 2hours and 33 mins. Cool running pics from RPS

I also attended a workshop at Arlington Beach - north of Regina and situated on Long Lake - or Last Mountain Lake (depending on which map you are reading). This was a really interesting workshop about environmental education in Sask - with the Watershed Authority. It was great to meet some colleagues in the field and to have some time away from Regina. Paul and Carol were there as were John and Lyle from school. A great three days. I made a small presentation about water and how I know it in Western Australia (I showed some great pics...).

March 2006: seemed to fly by... School continued: both the class I an taking and the 2 classes I teach. Running continued and got much easier as the weather improved along with my fitness. I ran my first 11 kms distance one chilly Sunday morning. I also ran in my first running race: a 6km Nutrition run (the lunch afterwards was really worth it!!). My time was 33mins - not too bad for a first timer...

This is how Canadians BBQ - yep that is snow in the background and YEP - Lyle has shorts on!!!
Cheers!!! Thanks Lyle and Donna!!

My students are on teaching practice and we have a semester break for a week during February - YAY.

Very cold weather here last week - AND I SURVIVED... it got done to minus 52 (with wind chill) and my work was canceled, as was the running part of the running class. I did manage a run either side of the really cold days and I ran 5 and 6kms respectively in minus 25 (including wind chill) - I am the bravest person I know... he he!!

Seen some great movies lately (but I am still working hard Mum!!!). Saw Brokeback Mountain - ahhh Heath!!!! The Matador...??? King Kong - v long, same story with some v interesting twists - I liked it actually. Also seen What the Bleep do we know? about 4 times... do yourself a favour - watch it... excellent possibilities...

I am about half way through a 5km learn to run course with the Running Room. I run three times a week and I am really enjoying the people (my team), learning to run and be outside in this kind of weather (minus 3 - 8) and actually I enjoy the running as well. I am also practicing mitzvah pretty much daily (well... on the good days anyway). I walk to school twice a week for classes (about 3kms each way) which is no mean feat in the snow and ice. I have swum a couple of times at the school pool - it is ok but the concept of swimming over here is just not working (too bloody cold actually). All in all I am feeling pretty good!!!

At the end of Feb I went on my last Regina Ski Club trip - to Duck Mountain... It was a great day of skiing and I did a 10km trail all on my own - it was beautiful. I then sat on the warm bus and read for a few hours before going to the lodge for a hot toddy... or two.

MJ in the Lodge; Dee and I - chatting about all things African (she had just returned from an amazing trip to climb Mt Kilimanjaro; Doug

School continues to be fun and teaching is exciting. I had forgotten how much I really enjoyed being with students and these students are really engaged and engaging. The marking load is quite intense as is the "management" of 60 students. I still have my Teaching Assistantship with Prof Carol Schick which is really enjoyable and uses and builds all kinds of great skills (mainly research and resource management ones at the moment).

I went skiing again - this time to Greenwater and it was amazing. I skied with Tara (who is very good) and we had a really fun day hanging out and tonking around tracks (and finding warm huts to lunch/rest/dry off in!!! It was minus 25 but not much wind so it was actually quite nice "out and about".

Birthday celebrations were fantastic... these Canadians really embraced the concept of week long birthday celebrations... he he and thanks everyone for the loot - wow I had such fun...

and look Lyndy - Paul "knows" about our sailing prowess...

I also have a special family here (The Harts) and we had a special dinner AND birthday cake...

I took some time off yesterday arvo... I officially began the birthday celebrations with a strawberry margarita and lunch out with Doug!! I also visited the Floral Conservatory as they were just opening their new show on orchards!!! WOW this was fantastic... check it out Dad - I think we could do this!!!

I also took a pic of me in winter for my article on the Churchill Scholarship...

and here is the photographer... Doug

Nice park area - that I often run through in my running clinic (5km and on Friday nights :( )...)

Hey - schools here can be a bit weird - I took this one on my walk to school (yep - it is still this dark at 7.30am!!)

I went to an EXCELLENT party at Doug's house last night - it was great - we sat OUTSIDE (which is kind of unheard of in January - thanks Global Warming; Canada is becoming a reasonable place to live) and had a BBQ - with snags and cooking sticks and marshmallows and everything!!! A really fun night and great crew!!

New Years Day - I went with Madeleine to play shinny (again) with her family and to enjoy a fabulous dinner!!

December 2005: A month of rest and relaxation (and catching up)... I even managed to arrange insurance for my car!!

New Years Eve - I went to a party with some friends in Regina, we drank a bit, were merry, played shinny and ate chocolate fondue, played cards and did a meditation to welcome this ripper new year - yep, she's gonna be a goodie - I can feel it!!

Christmas was a fun time. I made my pressies this year chrissie pressies

rocky road, biccies and cakes!!!
I had been invited to visit Canmore (in the Rocky Mountains) with a friend (Doug). We had an interesting trip - I forgot to take any pics - silly me!! The weather was a bit funny - not that I am complaining although there was not snow... it all melted while we were there. I stayed in a hotel with Doug and his Parents and we celebrated Christmas by watching "The Dish" and eating microwaved chicken pie - and drinking mulled wine (I seemed to have perfected a great recipe).

Skiing at Duck Mountain - an excellent trip and really nice day out - only minus 15!!

Was bloody fantastic!!! As much as I loved traveling it was really nice to be home. I did however, have a lot to do in a few short months. So I hit the ground running...

I visited friends in Esperance, I attended the 12th International Thinking Conference and a planning day for the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development in Melbourne,arranged for all of my belongings to be transported in a newly purchased sea container to my farm for storage, I took my family on holiday to Pemberton for Christmas, I visited friends all over the place including my god daughter and her family in Kojonup, I had a great mate, Dave, come and visit me from NSW, had a few trips to Perth and finally a Goodbye Party...

I headed off to Sydney and caught up with a great bloke - Steve (whom I have met at NAAEE) and some friends of Mum and Dads. I then went on to Canberra to attend the Australian Sustainable Schools Initiative Workshop - where I conducted an evaluation.

Then the final day came - the flight from hell...Crossing half of Canada - again - stopping at Canmore to catch up with Gareth and walking in Yamnuska, Stopping in Calgary to see Jeff Reading and his family, and then the long haul to Regina - my new home, University

Finding time to take a day trip out to the QuApplle Valley and meeting the SOEEA (Saskatchewan Outdoor and Enviro Ed Association) folk

I have also enjoyed my first Thanksgiving celebration weekend, as a semi Canadian - mmmm mmmmmm