A long weekend

Well, what a weekend! It all started Wednesday night. From work Jesse, Andrew and I all drove up to Gretel's house in Renmark to begin our long weekend.

On Thursday we celebrated Australia Day. It was a fabulous day spent drinking, chatting, eating BBQ and spending time with friends - old and newly met on the day. Even though the temperature was in the mid-high 30's we thought it sacrilegious to go inside on Australia Day. More people had arrived by dinner time, and our head count was up to 10. After the sun went down we went for a walk to the river. It was still very warm.

Friday was spent relaxing. We did a little shopping in the morning after breakfast, then had lunch. The afternoon was mostly spent reading, watching movies and chatting. Our head count rose to 13, and for dinner we went to the Renmark Hotel. Dinner was OK, though the kitchen managed to mess up our orders and only half the meals came out at a time, with a 15 minute difference before the other half. Once everyone had finished eating we jumped in the cars and rushed out to the Paringa lookout where we caught the last 2 minutes of the sunset and watched the storm come in. It was an amazing sight.

On Saturday by the time everyone had gone through the shower and had breakfast it was about 10.30am. A few people went for a walk down at the river. I opted to stay home and read - it was still hot outside! While they were out I did the breakfast dishes and made lunch - burritos! After lunch we split up again. A group of people went to Lake Bonnie swimming and I went with Jesse, Gretel and Andrew ten-pin bowling. I won both games, but it was a very close competition. Our numbers diminished that night with a few people heading home. Movies, board and card games were played that night.

It rained last night, and it was cloudy and wet this morning. We churched in Paringa, we're almost becoming regulars with the amount of times we go there! A few of us left straight from church, and we were down to 5 for lunch. We were all on our way home by 2pm.

It was a great weekend. Oh, and happy birthday Collie.

Cyclists

I wrote this post before Christmas. It seemed like the right time to bring it up with the Tour Down Under...

I saw a cyclist get hit by a car this morning on my drive in to work. It was on one of the major arterial roads into the city, and traffic had slowed as per usual. A car went to turn left into a driveway and did not see the 4 cyclists approaching. One slammed into the turning vehicle, seeming bouncing off onto the pavement. He picked himself up and checked his bike for damage. Two other cyclists stayed with him as the vehicle parked, but by then the traffic was moving and I didn't see any more.

I had a sick feeling in my stomach thinking about the incident, imagining it could have been so much worse. Yet I didn't feel as sick as when I saw a dog get hit and killed by a car almost a year ago. The fact that the cyclist picked himself up almost immediately eased my worry. But it got me thinking about cyclists in the city.

It is a controversial topic between motorists and cyclists. We see the advertising campaigns on TV and hear them on the radio about sharing the road. Sometimes it is easy; others it is not. These are just a few thoughts I have had - keep in mind I am a motorist.

- There was mention of a 1m gap rule when passing a cyclist. I don't see this as practical. If you were to leave 1m you would be crossing in the next lane, or into oncoming traffic, which is far more dangerous. When it is all clear, not a problem, but not when it is busy.

- Cyclists should not be allowed on roads with very limited visibility - like Greenhill Road, Norton Summit Road and Gorge Road - it is far too dangerous, as cars get stuck behind them with no ability to overtake because of lack of room, or they risk dangerous overtakes.

- They should get rid of the rule where cyclists are allowed to ride 2 abreast - everywhere. If they take up less room on the road they are less likely to be hit or cause frustration and road rage.

- Cyclists should be required to register their bikes to ride on public roads. Registration should also include a booklet or handout which states road rules for cyclists. It should be mandatory they know the road rules.

I'll leave it here before I offend someone...but what do you think about the subject?

Happy New Year

Welcome 2012...you have a lot to live up to. In 2011 I got married, watched other close friends of mine get married, bought a house & moved in, had our first Christmas (hosted in fact) as husband and wife, and celebrated the end of the year together.

Yesterday was Sonja's hen's day/night. We went to the Beachouse and mainly stuck to the water rides as it was a forecast 38*C. We had dinner at the Dublin Hotel and then watched the end of Peter Combe's performance, and then the early fireworks at Glenelg. It was a very fun day, and the weather was perfect. From Glenelg a few of us went to Seacliff where the 'other halves' were. We sat on the beach and talked and watched the Glenelg fireworks to ring in the new year. It was such a beautiful night, still 28*C when we were on our way home.

Today is a scorching 41*C and I will be spending it inside. I've just turned the air conditioner on as it was becoming a bit unbearable. The next couple days are looking only slightly cooler.

I hope you all celebrated the new year in style and wish you all the best for 2012.