Join the Club

I seem to be a club person. It appears to have begun while I was quite young, I can't pinpoint the exact moment but probably around the time I joined the Stamp Collectors Association in Kindergarten. I hate being alone and tend to get pretty bored doing anything by myself, even if it is something much more exciting than stamp collecting. Marty, on the other hand, fancies himself as a bit of a recluse, a hermit, a loner if you like. Quite happy in his own company, he's a typical candidate for doing some crazy solo adventure across the never never. We even have a term at home for when he needs some personal space: 'Marty Time'. Strangely enough this has become a more regular occurrence since children came onto the scene.

Over the years Marty has been dragged to numerous events, clubs, societies, associations and organisations and I'm glad to say that since having kids he is slowly starting to appreciate the benefits of such community gatherings. There is absolutely no doubt about it, kids look MUCH cuter when they're being held by someone else. With one set of grandparents galavanting around the world on a yacht and the other not quite ready for retirement and therefore unable to move into a granny flat out the back, we seem to be in need of community; some likeminded crazy people who will motivate us to get out of bed at 6am on an overcast sunday morning, to put thermals, gloves and beanies on, before getting lost running 10km around one of the local national parks. Luckily, such folk do exist and they go by the name of the 'Wingecarribee Bushies'; an off track running group who meet in a different location each Sunday morning for a 12 - 15km run through the bush. 

The Southern Highlands is also home to a great Mountain Biking Club and a pretty competitive Road Riding Club. Somehow this weekend we managed to squeeze in all three and we had a full on 48hrs of Bush Running and Riding. In true olympic spirit I even managed to win a Gold Medal! That's right, I'm the most recent NSW Cross Country Series winner in the 'Women's Sport' division. As it turned out it was actually a tad embarrassing, especially when I had to make a speech after winning the event in which I was in fact... the only competitor! But you've got to be in it to win it right? and I definitely deserve something to make up for the several trees I ran into and the pain my shoulder is in today as a result.

The Podium

It was really great to get out and about with other people and be surrounded by willing hands to help out with the kids. You know you've had an awesome weekend when you start off the working week in need of a holiday; thoroughly exhausted, worn out and sore all over! If you want help to get out and about with kids....Join the Club!