The Start of a New Year - Out of the Naughties and into the Twenties

OK!  Well in spite of setting myself rules about knitting lace and when I should and should not do it - broken them already!!  Not so much the black lace which is difficult to knit at the best of times but any lace knitted after 10pm seems to defeat me at the moment so the rule is:

• NO lace after 10pm - which ever time zone you're in!

I have just returned from Bright, Victoria where DH rode in the Alpine Raid - a two day version of the Alpine Classic run by Audax Australia.  This is a particularly interesting form of torture involving 250km (this link shows you the profiles and distances travelled)  on a bicycle from Bright, up Mt Hotham, to Omeo (the Raid overnights here) then to Falls Creek, Mt Beauty and around the Tawonga Gap back to Bright.  After riding this, DH then cycled off up Mt Buffalo to finish the afternoon off - about 70km round trip.  All in all, he rode 675km and climbed over 10,000m up various mountains and hills - some more than once - over the week and a half we were there.
Needless to say, I didn't participate in this.  I was at the finish and took some pictures (to follow) but I only had one ride during the week, on a hired mountain bike - like driving a Mack truck after riding my hybrid.  I walked most places and was driven around the course in air-conditioned comfort, gasping at the gradients Sir had had to ride up.  He assured me that "...it was easy!  You just have to change to the right gear and keep pedalling."  Yeah, right!  It only took him one hour and forty minutes up Mt Hotham which made him quite proud as times vary from an hour and a half to well over two hours.  At no time did he walk the bike I have to say.
I did plenty of knitting and was totally chuffed that I could knit happily on the plane ride over to Melbourne without being viewed as a terrorist.  Still looked at as being not normal but I'm used to that!  Who needs to be normal?  It's over-rated!

Things I have learned in 2009 - Number 2 - Using the internet after midnight

In the second of this series, I shall tell you a sad story of coming home, high on the fumes of tennismania (aka Hopman Cup Tennis) to log onto the interwebs, then to Ravelry and the terrible results thereof.  It transpired early in 2009 that my credit card wilted under the pressure of this onslaught and I committed to so many things that the remainder of the year was a complete shambles. So, next lesson:

1. Thou shalt not log into the interwebs after midnight and purchase yarn just because it's there.
2. Thou shalt not log into the interwebs after midnight and purchase yarn just because it's on sale.
   
3. Swaps maybe fun but you should check when they all become due before signing on, especially if it's after midnight.
4. After midnight all swaps, sound good.  Look, read, take notes, come back during daylight hours if you still think it's a good idea.
5. After midnight, surfing the net for three hours - stupid idea!  Just do what's needed and get thee to bed!  There's another day tomorrow....

Here endeth the lesson!