The gym at the village contains the following equipment:
* two tredmills
* an exercies bike
* a cross trainer
* two swiss balls
* two sets of dumbells - 2kg and 2.5 kg
It opened in November and I started to regularly attend in late November (after our return from Fiona's Wedding). My aim is to exercise at the gym every second day, though it usually works out at 3 times a week
My initial fitness regime was:
* 10 minutes on exercise bike at level 5, RMP 65 - 70
* 10 minutes on cross trainer level 5, speed 19 - 20 km
* 15 minutes on tredmill - first 2 minutes at 5km, 2 - 10 minutes at 10 kms, 10 to 15 minutes at 5 kms
* 10 minutes on exercise bike - level 5, RPM 70 - 75
* stretches
* stairs - down to basement, up to 2nd floor, down to ground floor.
UPDATES
15th December
* second session on exercise bike - 20 minutes at level 5, first 10 minutes less that 75 RPM, second 10 minutes 75 to 80 RPM
* 2.5 kg dumbells - 20 bicep curls each arm
29th December
* tredmill - increased 10 km run - 2 minutes to 10 minutes
* second session on exercise bike - aim to complete 7+ km in 20 minutes - today 7.4 km
* stretching - included hundred in stretches
24th January, 2009
* Second session on exercise bike, target 8 kms in 20 minutes
* tredmill - increased 10 km run by 2 minutes to 12 minutes, still with 7 minutes walking at 5 km
8th February, 2009
* last Friday, 6th Feb, I increased the running time on the tredmill by 2 minutes, to 14 minutes,
Monday, December 29, 2008
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Christmas Letter 2008
Hi all,
This has been the first year of our full retirement, and we have been very busy.
As reported in last year's Christmas Letter we have moved into a Retirement Village. You can find the reasons for this move here. In February we moved into our house (see post here.)
There are plenty of activities in the Village - Margaret with the Craft Group and choir;
Stephen in the Gym and assisting in the setting up of the Computer Centre; and both of us participating in the Tai Chi classes, and the regular "Happy Hours". Soon the pool will be operational as well as the bowling rink. The photo below shows the front entrance of the village Community Centre.
We have also made lots of new friends. And then there are the day trips. You might have noticed buses filled with older people driving around the city. It is great to go to interesting venues and not have to worry about how to get there and negotiating city traffic. It is even better to have lunch and not worry about drinks as we will be driven home. We have gone on about four such trips this year from the Village, the latest involving a tour of Flemington Race Course.
Our most exciting activities this year have been the travelling. All up we have been away, travelling, for 10 weeks. We hope to continue this in the forseable future.
Our first holiday this year was in February to one of our timeshare resorts at Philip Island. We took Margaret's mum, Joyce to give her a holiday. We stayed there for a week. I have reported on it at this post . The highlight was a boat cruise to Seal Rocks. Neither of us had seen the coast around Inverloch before and were blown away by its beauty. A return visit to Inverloch for a longer stay is one of the many items on our travel list.
Our main trip this year was in June when we travelled from Paris to Istanbul. The map below shows the route we took. Click on the map for a larger view.
The slide show below shows some of the photos we took.
Click on the photo below to the pics on our internet photos site.
We both love Paris, and there were many highlights of our trip, but the best was meeting Philip (Margaret's son) Beverley, and the kids. For us getting to Paris involved a trip to the other side of the world, for them it was just a short hop over the Channel. We spent a great day with them, visiting the Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Champs Elysee and Arc de Triumph.
Paris, with its low rise, clean, white buildings, fascinating back streets, majestic boulevards, monuments and great historic buildings, is a magic place. I am something of a history buff, so it was fantastic to stand in the centre of the huge public square, Place de la Concorde, and remember that in 1793 it was called Place de la Revolution, and was the location where many people met their deaths at the Guillotine. My favourite part of Paris, though, was Monmatre with the magnificent Sacre Coeur basillica. I was surprised how clearly Sacre Coeur stood out on its hill from the Eiffel Tower, as you can see in the photo below,
but up close it is breathtaking.
For posts on our stay in Paris see, here, here and here .
Three weeks of our tour were spent on a boat cruising five rivers. For those interested in geography, we sailed east along the Moselle, south on the Rhine, east on the Main, south on the Main-Danube canal and generally south east on the Danube. The ship left from Trier in western Germany (which we reached after a five hour bus trip from Paris, here.
The ship (pictured below) was very luxurious, with a magnificent, five star restaurant. Cruising the rivers is easily the most relaxing way to travel Europe.
Often we would go to bed and wake up at our next destination. Guides were organised to walk us around most of the towns and sometimes we travelled away from the river, generally by bus but on one occasion by fast train.
We visited 10 counties: France, Luxembourg, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey. Our choice of favourite city was a surprise: Istanbul. In the end I decided that it was Eastern enough to be interesting but Western enough to feel familiar and safe. The photo below shows Margaret browsing in the Grand Bazaar.
We came home for a rest in July and August then we were off to New Zealand. Our main motivation for visiting New Zealand this year was to visit Probus Rendezvous - the annual gathering of Probians - which was held this year in Christchurch. To make it more interesting we took a tour before Rendezvous. We travelled both Islands for 18 days. I was particularly taken by Rotorua, which I had expected to be a tourist trap, instead I found it fascinating - particularly the Maori Culture and geothermal activity. The photo shows members of our tour party sitting on hot steps in steam from a geyser.
The south island is renowned for its spectacular scenery. I had never been to Milford Sound, so I particularly enjoyed the ride into Milford through rugged, snow capped mountains
as well as the cruise on the Sound, with the summit of Mitre Peak shrouded in cloud.
Bus travel is tiring, so by the time we arrived at Queenstown - the extreme sports capital of the world - we were so tired that we spent the free day rambling around town in the morning and snoozing through the afternoon.
Probus Rendezvous, in Christchurch, was a great success, with a few interesting meetings, then touring, dining and the theatre. We met an number of friends there, including:
* Bob Russel who we first met at Rendezvous 2007 - Bob was also on the tour with us,
* Elaine and Ken who accompanied us down the rivers in Europe,
* Val and Mick who are members at our Probus Club.
Christchurch is a special town, large enough to have all the amenities you would require, but small enough so that it does not feel crowded. In the centre is the Cathedral in a large square, pictured below:
To view our New Zealand photos click on the photo below:
After another six week rest at home, in November, we set off for my Niece Fiona's wedding in Port Stephens. Unlike most other people who attended we could make it an extended holiday. We booked a weeks accommodation at Pacific Palms, 20 kms south of Forster on the NSW central coast. We took our time getting there, spending two nights in each of Canberra, Bathurst and Newcastle. Photos of the trip can be found by clicking on the table below.
Fiona's wedding was held on a surf beach and was very pleasant.
My brother Phillip walking Fiona, "down the aisle".
Fiona and Warren after the wedding.
Warren, Fiona and her grand parents (my mum and dad)
To see photos of the wedding click on the photo below:
We returned to the never ending round of Christmas Parties.
The photo below shows part of one of the parties - the one at our village.
It is a tough life being retired!
Happy Christmas,
from Stephen and Margaret
PS This post has been very selves absorbed, and there has been a lot happening in the world beyond Margaret and me. For my take on some of the larger issues see my blog (where this post is from). It can be found here . At the moment this post is the first there, but scroll beyond it to see other stuff. If you read any of my posts leave a comment so I will know that you have been there. Earlier posts can be found by clicking the Older Posts link once you have scrolled to the end of the screen.
cheers,
Steve
This has been the first year of our full retirement, and we have been very busy.
As reported in last year's Christmas Letter we have moved into a Retirement Village. You can find the reasons for this move here. In February we moved into our house (see post here.)
There are plenty of activities in the Village - Margaret with the Craft Group and choir;
Stephen in the Gym and assisting in the setting up of the Computer Centre; and both of us participating in the Tai Chi classes, and the regular "Happy Hours". Soon the pool will be operational as well as the bowling rink. The photo below shows the front entrance of the village Community Centre.
We have also made lots of new friends. And then there are the day trips. You might have noticed buses filled with older people driving around the city. It is great to go to interesting venues and not have to worry about how to get there and negotiating city traffic. It is even better to have lunch and not worry about drinks as we will be driven home. We have gone on about four such trips this year from the Village, the latest involving a tour of Flemington Race Course.
Our most exciting activities this year have been the travelling. All up we have been away, travelling, for 10 weeks. We hope to continue this in the forseable future.
Our first holiday this year was in February to one of our timeshare resorts at Philip Island. We took Margaret's mum, Joyce to give her a holiday. We stayed there for a week. I have reported on it at this post . The highlight was a boat cruise to Seal Rocks. Neither of us had seen the coast around Inverloch before and were blown away by its beauty. A return visit to Inverloch for a longer stay is one of the many items on our travel list.
Our main trip this year was in June when we travelled from Paris to Istanbul. The map below shows the route we took. Click on the map for a larger view.
The slide show below shows some of the photos we took.
Click on the photo below to the pics on our internet photos site.
 |
| Hayley and Margaret on the Tower |
We both love Paris, and there were many highlights of our trip, but the best was meeting Philip (Margaret's son) Beverley, and the kids. For us getting to Paris involved a trip to the other side of the world, for them it was just a short hop over the Channel. We spent a great day with them, visiting the Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Champs Elysee and Arc de Triumph.
Paris, with its low rise, clean, white buildings, fascinating back streets, majestic boulevards, monuments and great historic buildings, is a magic place. I am something of a history buff, so it was fantastic to stand in the centre of the huge public square, Place de la Concorde, and remember that in 1793 it was called Place de la Revolution, and was the location where many people met their deaths at the Guillotine. My favourite part of Paris, though, was Monmatre with the magnificent Sacre Coeur basillica. I was surprised how clearly Sacre Coeur stood out on its hill from the Eiffel Tower, as you can see in the photo below,
but up close it is breathtaking.
For posts on our stay in Paris see, here, here and here .
Three weeks of our tour were spent on a boat cruising five rivers. For those interested in geography, we sailed east along the Moselle, south on the Rhine, east on the Main, south on the Main-Danube canal and generally south east on the Danube. The ship left from Trier in western Germany (which we reached after a five hour bus trip from Paris, here.
The ship (pictured below) was very luxurious, with a magnificent, five star restaurant. Cruising the rivers is easily the most relaxing way to travel Europe.
Often we would go to bed and wake up at our next destination. Guides were organised to walk us around most of the towns and sometimes we travelled away from the river, generally by bus but on one occasion by fast train.
We visited 10 counties: France, Luxembourg, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey. Our choice of favourite city was a surprise: Istanbul. In the end I decided that it was Eastern enough to be interesting but Western enough to feel familiar and safe. The photo below shows Margaret browsing in the Grand Bazaar.
We came home for a rest in July and August then we were off to New Zealand. Our main motivation for visiting New Zealand this year was to visit Probus Rendezvous - the annual gathering of Probians - which was held this year in Christchurch. To make it more interesting we took a tour before Rendezvous. We travelled both Islands for 18 days. I was particularly taken by Rotorua, which I had expected to be a tourist trap, instead I found it fascinating - particularly the Maori Culture and geothermal activity. The photo shows members of our tour party sitting on hot steps in steam from a geyser.
The south island is renowned for its spectacular scenery. I had never been to Milford Sound, so I particularly enjoyed the ride into Milford through rugged, snow capped mountains
as well as the cruise on the Sound, with the summit of Mitre Peak shrouded in cloud.
Bus travel is tiring, so by the time we arrived at Queenstown - the extreme sports capital of the world - we were so tired that we spent the free day rambling around town in the morning and snoozing through the afternoon.
Probus Rendezvous, in Christchurch, was a great success, with a few interesting meetings, then touring, dining and the theatre. We met an number of friends there, including:
* Bob Russel who we first met at Rendezvous 2007 - Bob was also on the tour with us,
* Elaine and Ken who accompanied us down the rivers in Europe,
* Val and Mick who are members at our Probus Club.
Christchurch is a special town, large enough to have all the amenities you would require, but small enough so that it does not feel crowded. In the centre is the Cathedral in a large square, pictured below:
To view our New Zealand photos click on the photo below:
 |
| New Zealand 08 |
After another six week rest at home, in November, we set off for my Niece Fiona's wedding in Port Stephens. Unlike most other people who attended we could make it an extended holiday. We booked a weeks accommodation at Pacific Palms, 20 kms south of Forster on the NSW central coast. We took our time getting there, spending two nights in each of Canberra, Bathurst and Newcastle. Photos of the trip can be found by clicking on the table below.
 |
| NSW 08 |
Fiona's wedding was held on a surf beach and was very pleasant.
My brother Phillip walking Fiona, "down the aisle".
Fiona and Warren after the wedding.
Warren, Fiona and her grand parents (my mum and dad)
To see photos of the wedding click on the photo below:
 |
| FionasWedding |
We returned to the never ending round of Christmas Parties.
The photo below shows part of one of the parties - the one at our village.
It is a tough life being retired!
Happy Christmas,
from Stephen and Margaret
PS This post has been very selves absorbed, and there has been a lot happening in the world beyond Margaret and me. For my take on some of the larger issues see my blog (where this post is from). It can be found here . At the moment this post is the first there, but scroll beyond it to see other stuff. If you read any of my posts leave a comment so I will know that you have been there. Earlier posts can be found by clicking the Older Posts link once you have scrolled to the end of the screen.
cheers,
Steve
Monday, December 1, 2008
Rare Conjunction
Luckily the sky was clear tonight, as looking into the western sky there appeared a beautiful and rare sight - a conjuction of the three brightest objects in the night sky: the Moon, Venus and Jupiter.
After Margaret and I had watched it for a few minutes we had a phone call from Michelle to tell us about it. I took a photograph of it but the result did not do the original justice.
Luckily there are people who are better photographers than me who published there efforts on the Web.
Here are three of them.
This was taken in Melbourne, by Gary Ayton, published at this site.
Gary describes the photo as follows:
Gary's site has some wonderful photographs, take a look!
This picture was displayed at the National Geographic site .
This photo was published at the Astronomy Picture of the Day site .
The following is a quote from the site:
The crescent moon is obvious. The brighter planet to the left is Venus. It is relatively close to us. The last of the three, Jupiter, is on the other side of the sun, so although it is intrinsically the brightest of the three it is the least bright because of its greater distance.
After Margaret and I had watched it for a few minutes we had a phone call from Michelle to tell us about it. I took a photograph of it but the result did not do the original justice.
Luckily there are people who are better photographers than me who published there efforts on the Web.
Here are three of them.
This was taken in Melbourne, by Gary Ayton, published at this site.
Gary describes the photo as follows:
I took the opportunity to play with my Canon 1DMIII with EF 24-105mm L lens from my letterbox.
For the tech heads, I removed the UV filter to minimise lens flare from the street light and the settings used were 24mm focal length, f/4, 3200ISO, 0.5sec exposure.
No post-processing, just resizing and compression for the web. Click on the image for a 1000 pixel wide view.
I also tried with an Olympus OM 21mm and 24mm lens but whilst both gave excellent results, they did have a more pronounced lens flare.
Of course, I could have moved over to the park and avoided the street light but I felt this added interest and lit up the foreground nicely.
Gary's site has some wonderful photographs, take a look!
This picture was displayed at the National Geographic site .
This photo was published at the Astronomy Picture of the Day site .
The following is a quote from the site:
Pictured above is the scene as it appeared from Mt. Wilson Observatory overlooking Los Angeles, California, USA after sunset on 2008 November 30
The crescent moon is obvious. The brighter planet to the left is Venus. It is relatively close to us. The last of the three, Jupiter, is on the other side of the sun, so although it is intrinsically the brightest of the three it is the least bright because of its greater distance.
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