Toeing the Line

 I made it back out to Landy Field on a morning where I was expecting no distractions. Wrong. Little athletics training clinics were happening all over the track. Fortunately there are two throwing circles even though the little aths people were elsewhere, a professional putting coach was there and took over one ring for exclusive use.  I did try to eavesdrop and pick up some pointers however this new guy being trained was too new. It was all about technique, posture and speed, all the things I am expert at.   HaHa.  I did get a warmup exercise off them which I will try next time.  

The ring I got was covered in animal poo and silted over but it is my first session with a proper toe board in place. Hooray. I did not really jam up against it much but more sessions may tell. The pit was a gravelly rock base, not sand, so the shot got roughed up nastily.  As for distance I am still under the 10m mark and my fingers feel it. 

gravel pit

new stand

the coach ring

Flower Season

 I think Debbie's good work has culminated in a lot of budding indoor orchids. A few have popped open so I will display a sign of what's to come.  It doesn't help that I knocked the one on the table for a bit of a spill with dirt landing all over the grandies photo as well. This happened while two grandies were sitting at the table. Pa was in trouble again. Also outside, the middle courtyard is in full bloom. These always climax after Winter and last for weeks. 

outside

inside

Construction Track

 I made my way to the John Landy Track. Here are Geelong's best athletic facilities and I am expecting the toe boards to be in place as opposed to the rings where they have been removed in Barwon Heads. I checked the google satellite photos. There are lots of empty car parking bays all along the outside.  I arrived to a complete heavy duty construction zone. No carparking except what workers have grabbed at 7:00am. I parked a block away and carried the weight in a backpack.  There was obviously no access thru the main gate that I was looking at. I peered thru the fence and could see the rings. The track itself is cyclone fenced to the exact edge of the outside lane for the length of the main straight. A new grandstand is half finished. I watch as a pumping pipe is unfolded and passed over the shot put ring while it unloads it's slurry contents. There were people in there on the back straight so you can get in somewhere but I went home. Not to give up completely, I went across to the beach for yet another sandy session.

the ring is near the concrete pump

Retrievers

 One thing about running around after Grandies is that they can return the favour.  It was more of a demonstration than anything else but I got off a few beach throws the other day in between sand castles and shell walks. It all gets a bit under whelming when the first words are "that doesn't go very far."  However once they got the hang of going to retrieve it then the weight of the problem sunk in. I should probably be having a rest day however I am halfway thru the 10 week countdown and I still have not used a ring with a toe board so I had better go and find one. There are probably others out there practising full time on those. Ring envy.

Grandie Day No2

 So the ten week training countdown was going to be put on hold was it. Was there ever going to be a lull in physicality? No. Another non stop running around day made for sure that the sarcomeres were always ticking over and more.  The PortArlington playground is a fave and it is much larger than yesterdays location. One hour 0f being the desiginated chasey monster is enough runningfor the entire week. Not to forget that some quieter time was required for necklace threading. This was Nana's forté and we used some lovely holes left by the whelks and a length of tough fishing line. Three lengths for three necklaces.

sorting

threading

wearing

reading

posing

playing

Grandies Beach Day

 We had the beach to ourselves for the entire two hours that we were over there.  The water play was limited to paddling but there were many buckets of water delivered further up the shore where a castle and moat was constructed.  The beach walk and mandatory shell collection was the biggest and longest yet. Nana had trouble lifting the buckets as there were so many shells in them. The laser focus was on shells with perfect threading holes that will do nicely for another necklace activity later if it is needed. You can thank a particular whelk for that, as they are equipped wth a drill bit and ensymes, allowing it to punch through the pipi shell, dissolve the critter inside and suck it back out for lunch. Salty seafood!

Beach Clean No734

 The beach walk also doubles as the almost daily activity contribution to my ten week shot put countdown program.  The change in temperature from yeterday's 27° high to today's 12° high was a bit chilly when walking in that colder breeze. However I timed it for a bit of sunshine as well.  I also warmed up with a few shot put run thrus without an actual shot. Maybe I should hide a rounded rock some where nearby if there is a sudden urge to practice the deft of the heft, to glean the know of the throw or just believe in the retrieve of the heave.  The rubbish bag filled up steadily with one can, two bottles, a shoe, rope pieces, small plasctics and papers and my favourite NOT, being three poo bags of which only one was filled. PooBah.