Taking your dog everywhere

As you can see from so many of my pictures, I like taking my labradoodle, Calca (Aboriginal for Star), everywhere I can. But the cutest example I have seen of taking your dog with you wherever you go, is when my friend took her little Dachshund (Sausage dog), aptly named Bangers, with us on a 35km kayak on the Nepean River yesterday.

Bangers just loves the ride and sits quite comfortably, sometimes pulling her head right into the little life jacket like a tortoise to snooze in the gently swaying of the kayak on the water.

The  perrenial Nepean River runs from its source in the Mittagong range near Robertson for 178km to its confluence with the Grose River to the Hawkesbury River and thus virtually encircles the metropolitan Sydney area. 

Apparently, in 1788 a Lieutenant Watkin Tench (the park and street where we kayak from is named after him) set off inland west of Sydney when he discovered the large river at the foot of the Blue Mountains and named it after a friend of the then Governor, Sir Arthur Phillip's close friend, Evan Nepean, some important dude in the State of the Home Office. 

It's interesting that we actually have such a 'young' Western country - to think that it was only just over 220 years ago that this river was discovered and named by European settlers. However, Australian Aboriginal history controversially dates this area back 40,000 years ago with the discovery of an axe found in the Cranebrook Terraces. The Aboriginal people used the river to fish with traps, lines and nets, and they were even mentioned by Charles Darwin for their skill with spears.

One of the reasons why this is such a great river to kayak is there are 11 weirs that regulate the natural flow, and its more like a series of 'weir lakes' rather than a freely flowing wild river. 

It was such a peaceful way to spend a full Saturday, starting early in the morning with a coffee from the Coffee Club at the Tench Reserve, kayaking about 18km to then stop for a barbie picnic on the rocks of the steep sandstone cliffs, and then back before sunset. 

We discussed everything from relationships, world peace, and global warming, to our favourite chocolates while admiring the Sea Eagles soaring above and listening to the chiming of the Bellbirds in the Eucalypt and Pine trees, and the lapping of the water on the paddles. On the banks Darters or Snake birds with their impressive long necks, and Cormorants perched holding their wings out to dry - their plumage is not water-repellant.

This was a calm and contemplative way to get a substantial workout, spend time with great friends and appreciate this hidden gem of Sydney. Loved it!

This is where it all started...

This is the bill board that was part of a big change in my life. While traveling to work on the train one morning last year I saw this and rushed to google what it was all about with an excitement that I haven’t felt for a long time. 

So what do you do when you reach a stage of your life where you realize that things haven’t worked out exactly as you had hoped. I always wanted to be part of a busy family, with a supportive husband and kids, maybe even some grandkids, a successful career that I absolutely love, in a suburban house with a comfortable car, and dogs and cats to complete the picture. This didn’t happen for me. My life took a different route. 

It took many months of forcing myself through a thick cloud of depression, and a big black hole of dark emotions, to focus on what was positive and incredible in my life. I had my health, my friends, my loving parents, myself and the freedom to live any future I choose. That is more than what a lot of people have.

The Clipper Round the World Yacht Race is a unique event where anyone, even if they have never stepped on a boat before, can join the voyage and circumnavigate in an eleven month-long marathon. I don’t have much sailing experience, but the little I did have inspired a passion I wanted to explore further. The idea of an adventure that would take me into a completely different life and challenge me in every possible way, sparked a new joie de vivre, strength and belief in myself I knew I had to reignite. 

Believe me, I realise that this is not going to be a walk in the park, and that I will often wonder why on earth I decided to test my will power and adventurous spirit to such extremes. 

Through my odyssey I hope to inspire others to realise that one is never too old or too broken to make the best of the way life has turned out.

A little bit of fear setting in now….

From the beginning there was absolutely no trace of fear in me about the Clipper adventure. It was more anticipation, curiosity, overwhelming commitment and excitement. Everybody who I told about it talked about the fear and the sea sickness and the worry about the cramped space with 20 other people.


But then I watched these video clips from CNN and for the first time I had a pang of fear…

Better get my will sorted! ;-)

Watch this to get an idea of what we'll be going through… especially the third video - scary stuff!
(if the videos all load with the same image - try clicking on the title links instead)

The longest yacht race

Recruits prepare for ocean race endeavour

Shipwrecked in a tropical storm

True courage is not the absence of fear, but the willingness to proceed in spite of it - Anonymous 

Little blood suckers

 When people talk about leeches it is usually with a face of disgust. I've heard many girls and grown men shriek with horror when they find a leech stuck to their legs. And there are so many different pieces of advice to get them off - use salt, tea tree oil, scrape if off with a blunt knife, coke cola, cigarette, vinegar, soap, or a beer. Some say this causes the leech to push gut bacteria into the wound before it detaches, so not advisable. I just pull them off.

We went walking on a track overlooking Stanwell Park a while back and there were so many of them that if you stood still for a little while there would be up to ten of them on your shoes within a few minutes.

You can count five of them on my hiking boot here, and I had a few on my legs. You can't feel them latching onto you, and pulling them off causes some bleeding for a while, but it is the itching for weeks afterward that is the most irritating.

Leeches are are actually quite interesting little animals. They are from the family called Ringed Worms (Annelids), the same as Earthworms and Rag worms.

They feed on blood of humans, other mammals, fish, frogs, turtles, birds of small invertebrates. They ingest several times their own weight in blood at one meal after which they retire to digest the meal - which is very slow and allows them to survive for up to months without a meal.

Leeches have been used for medical purposes as far back as 30AD in China for blood-letting, and more recently they have been used to assist in microsurgery, such a plastic or reconstructive surgery. Their saliva has anti-inflammatory compounds and anticoagulants that could prevent tumours from spreading. The anticoagulant is what causes one to bleed for a while after you remove the little sucker.















It is actually quite fascinating to watch them as they do an inchworm crawl and search for a host.

With the wet weather that we've had lately I've had a few around my cottage, and even found one climbing through my skylight on its way to get me!