First structure

We finished off the garden shed yesterday after laying the slab last weekend and it turned out really well. Its very rewarding seeing things start to happen, especially when you do them yourself!

 The formwork

 Cement mixer pour

 The handprints

 Dry

Family impressions

Shed!

Sammy's pre-school graduation

 Singing their graduation celebration songs

 Receiving their certificates and hats

Road bike party 2!

Martyn Ashton brought out 'Road bike party' last year some time. Here is the amazing sequel with a few fairly talented friends!

Photos from the 'Centenary Trail' saddle

Rich, Joe and myself left at 5am for a 130ish km MTB ride yesterday on the new Canberra Centenary Trail. An amazing ride with some stunning views!

130 kms,10 hours on the saddle, 1900m of climbing and pretty much circumnavigating the ACT on the mountain bike was a big big day of riding. Fatigue and cramping began to be a major issue for me the further we went as it was 32 degrees and the water refill stops were few and far between.

The 2 highlights of the massive loop are the northern border trails and the Kambah pool - Tuggerenong along the river sections, incredible vistas and lovely trails. Brilliant day, a couple of mates, epic ride!

 The northern border section at sunrise, Joe impressed with the view across Canberra on this beautiful morning

 The 3 of us loving life!

 One Tree Hill lookout and a quick refuel before the flowing downhill run

 Trail signs were few and far between through Belconnen so we were sure glad to be back on track here at the Arboretum

 I have never ridden this far south before! Looking back towards Black Mt and Telstra tower in the distance

The midday sun brought lots of sweat and gazillions of flies! 

 A very nice tree in a beautiful spot looking over the Brindabella's

 Rich crossing one of many bridges near the Murrumbidgee River

 .....Me close behind

 The river pops into view every now and then (right now I was hot enough to want to hurl myself in!)

 The endless snaking trails (Joe and Rich in the distance)

 Wait up guys!

 So many flower lined sections which are just beautiful this time of year

 The halfway point was a very welcome Subway sandwich and multiple drinks

 This building looks familiar! mustn't be far to go now

Joe, Rich and myself - The full Canberra Centenary Trail accomplished! Well done and thanks!

One for the 18th birthday party!

Photos from the saddle

Road down to the Wallaroo valley, long early morning shadows, Quiet........nice.

Acres

As of today, we are the official owners of an amazing 4.85 acres in the established estate of Merriville Park, Murrumbateman NSW. Jem and I have wanted land like this for many years and we are stoked that its finally happening and we can give us and our boys the life we have dreamt of!

Cant wait to be living there!!

Photos from the saddle

The Centenary trail is my new favourite place to ride........by far!

A few reasons why -

 The northern border campsite, complete with tables, chairs, toilets, water, shelter and bikeracks! 

 The signage in itself must have cost a small fortune! Its impossible to get lost.

 What was once a paddock, is now a single track to paradise

 My new Skyline

Centenary trail at sunset

Planting pines

We went out to Murrumbateman and planted some pines today as we thought a block looked a little bare. I envy whoever owns it!!! hehehe.

Picnic in the pines

A family picnic lunch in the Arboretum pine forest

Photos from the saddle/Epic new trail

If the northerly most 20 km section of the 'Centenary Trail' is anything to go by, then the whole loop will be better than epic! Sweet new flowing single track, brutal climbs, a camp site (only accessible by bike, foot or horse back) and easy to follow signs make it a smilingly good time.

 The signage is surprisingly easy to follow

 The natural bridge

Views galore and the start of the downhill which is like Stromlo's Skyline but twice as long!

Thanks ACT govt, money well spent I say!

I did it!

Sam conquered a hill at Stromlo today on his new mountain bike, one that he hasn't been able to do before and he was extremely happy with himself for riding up without hopping off to push!

'Go Sammy, keep pedalling! push push! Almost there! Go Go!'

'I did it Dad!!' 'Awesome Sammy, well done!!'

Pool sparkle

Little Lukey has now started to enjoy his lessons every monday, its lovely to see!

Photos from the saddle

Its been a while since I've ridden out at Mulligans Flat reserve. Riding on the main road amongst the busy suburbs, you then pass through a gate and cruise along a fire trail for a couple of k's upon which time you feel like your in the middle of nowhere!

Riding literally on the ACT/NSW border, there is a great feeling of isolation out in Mulligans (apart from gazillions of kangaroos). Not a greatly technical ride its definitely a good opportunity to zone-out and ponder things whilst the pedals turn over.

Anstey report

A lesson learned and a good message for us all to take on board plus hopefully pass onto our own kids -

I don't share many personal conversations with Ilsa (my fiancée), but wanted to share one we had early last season.

As a new head coach, I jumped head first into doing my best to be available to anyone in and around the club, no matter how big or small. I needed to become a better coach quickly, so lots of time went to, and still goes to that.

So as we argued about rarely being home one night when I walked in the door just before midnight, she said one thing that stopped me, and has stuck with me since. She said "you're spending so much time trying to keep everyone happy, you're not able to spend enough time with the people who you really need to be happy".

She was right. Any leadership role demands a lot. Coaching demands a lot. But I will be a father, husband and friend to a small group of people much longer than I'm a coach of any one team.

It's the whole 'putting the large rocks into the vase first and knowing there will always be room for the smaller rocks and the sand' cliche.

So I became better at prioritising. Family always comes first. I've become better at saying no - not because I don't want to, but because it is the right thing to do. I became a better father and partner. I think in doing so I'm also becoming a better coach.

My focus narrowed further to those really close to me - family, friends and team.

Our Tigers team is like an extended family with similar dynamics - we all like each other, we all want each other to do well, and to an extent we are all selfish in our preparation (which is good) but we have arguments, issues and situations that mean that everyone's not always happy.  That doesn't mean I dislike them, or think less of them, it means we need to spend more time working towards the best solution.

I see the same in kids today. So many kids get so caught up in trying to impress the wrong people that they miss out on spending time with the right people. Kids try to change who they are to fit in with a group they consider cool at that time.

Just like Steve and Dirk (who I wrote about last week) who dared to be different on a basketball court, difference in people is an amazing thing that should be embraced, not hidden to fit in.

I don't always agree with people, but I try my best to respect their opinions. I certainly respect uniqueness and difference in people, whether I like it or not.

Many of my best friends were people I respected for what they did, and I found myself gravitating towards them. Some of them say the same about me. But it was always respect that came before friendship, not vice versa.

It's hard to earn respect from people when you pretend to be somebody that you're not, and friendships born out of a charade are usually fleeting. It's the people you share a mutual respect, and the real you with, whether in sport, business or school, that will become lasting friends.

As one of the smartest people I know once said to me "I'd rather people dislike me for who I am than like me for who I'm not."

I couldn't agree more.