my touristy adventures for the month of february will again seem a bit off the wall to most but for some reason, it's what i've been engaging in as of late :-) two weekends ago i headed up to the grampians for a bit of a rock climbing expedition with some of the people i rock climbed with last year. the weekend away was a great opportunity to regroup mentally while challenging my body physically on the rocks (oh, and there was a bit of eye candy to obseve as well :-). it was a lovely trip up and i hope to be included again as we head into autumn and the cooler weather. this past weekend was an even more epic journey than my cycling trip for january!! this past weekend, i headed off to apollo bay for a hiking trip (i'm preparing for a hiking trip in march but that's all the details i'm going to share ;-) we headed off on friday night and hiked along the great ocean road track for a total of 35km!! and about 10km of that was on a sandy beach which made it twice as hard to hike :-( i wore my runners which caused these horrible blisters in between my baby toe and the next one somewhere between km 1 and km 35!! either way, the scenery was pretty and the opportunity to get out and challenge myself physically both weekends has been fantastic!! that said, i think i enjoyed the rock climbing weekend better as there was more of a balance between physical challenge and mental relaxation but they have both provided me with a sense of accomplishment!!
outside of these physically challenging weekends away, i had an emotionally challenging day while i volunteered for the red cross bush fire efforts (as most of you are aware, bush fires have swept across victoria, killing over 200 people and burning kms of bushland). i took calls from people looking for people which was inherently flawed in that people expected (and hoped) for instant confirmation that their loved ones were okay... it was a difficult but emotionally rewarding day!! in addition, i've taken to volunteering every fortnight at a not for profit organisation (similar to the salvation army) who feeds and houses disadvantaged souls... i'm working in one of their shops, which provides funds for their programs.
on a pure fun level, i've been out and about as usual. there's been bbqs and pool parties, afterwork drinks and sunday sessions, my first cricket match ever (it's such a boring sport ;-) and crazy cycling adventures. effectively, just a good mix of social fun!! i find that i sometimes struggle to spend more than one night a week at home... all in, i'm enjoying life to the fullest in the land downunder :-)
hugs and spring wishes to all those at home!
s
