Scenic Sunday: Contact TriWomen Series at Pt Chevalier

Right at this moment, a group of women is swimming 300 meters, biking 7.5km, and running 3 km in my neighbourhood of Pt Chevalier. The skies are not kind, in the short time I was out taking photos, wearing a wide brim hat, the drizzling rain has made me a little wet. Spare a thought for the local residents who volunteer to manage the route.

For my bit, I have parked my car away from the route so it will be safe for the bikers. I only wish I had trained but I couldn't bear the cold water at 8 AM in the morning. I don't even go into the water in the hot mid day sun. The last time I biked was in 1975.


Way to go, ladies.

The Contact TriWoman Series is about participation and achieving your goals - whether that's getting fit, building confidence or doing something you never thought you would do.

The Contact TriWoman Series is for all women, whether that’s taking part in your first triathlon or taking on the challenge year on year. We’re all about the taking part, not the winning, the fun, not the competition and women across the country take part to achieve all sorts of goals, whether that’s getting fit, building your confidence or taking some time out from daily life and joining in on the fun!

Enter as an individual, a mother and daughter team, take part with your workmates. Do a duathlon instead. However you do it, you’ll be a TriWoman by the end of the summer!

There are 10 events countrywide,


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agave/yucca 2012 at Pt Chevalier.

I had problems with blogger this morning. So I tried posted this photos again. For those of you who loke to look at photos, this is the post.







Macro Flower Saturday
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macro flowers: Agavaceae

I was in the Gold Coast of Australia in my sister Helen's house when I saw these majestic plants. On the way to Sam's Karate class, I see this yucca tree in some one's front yard. I see it's progression from a tall rod to eventually flowers. It was about ten feet tall as it was higher than the house. I wasn't blogging then. Below are 3 stages of three different plants.

Agave americana Century plant Agavaceae Family The plants are perennial, but each rosette flowers once and then dies (see semelparity); they are commonly known as the century plant. I posted how majestic the plant is, and a friend commented what is so great about it. It grows, then flowers and dies. It makes me think of some mothers who die at child birth.

Below is a flowering Agave americana in Sandringham, Auckland.



Another Agave americana with flowers dropped at Auckland Domain.



In 7/6/2010, I posted this plant as a Yucca. For my friend Ellen, who is now my Facebook friend as well.

The Yucca/Agave americana is a majestic plant. I see this Sandringham yucca tree in some one's front yard. I see it's progression from a tall rod to eventually flowers. It was about ten feet tall as it was higher than the house.

I was in awe because it was strong and didn't need anything wire or stake to hold it up. I couldn't photograph the whole plant as I was sneaking around and stopping my car at a no parking zone.

Once, when I was at the Auckland Domain, I saw the other. Gone were the flowers, but it is still regal. The stem of flower has not bent.






You can see in the above photos, the young plantlets have already grown on the stalk itself, and the mother plant is slowly dying.


I re-dedicate this post to my friend E. She is beautiful and strong like this Yucca. You see, I have not met E, but our lives have been intertwined because we are both bereaved mothers of Campomelic children. If my life of having Andrew is tragic, E's is doubly or triply worst.

Who told me that lightning doesn't strike twice? E lost two babies to Campomelic Dysplasia and now she is struck again and is battling with cancer.

E, you are like this Yucca/Agave americana. You will not be beaten.

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/campomelicfamilies/

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Skywatch Friday: Pacific Princess

It was a clear sky when my cousin sailed in the Mediterranean. When I heard of the Costa Concordia disaster, I thought of Bart. Fortunately he wasn't traveling on the ill fated cruise boat. Otherwise his clients might not want to travel with him again.

Here's Bart's itinerary: Sailing on Pacific Princess from Venice to Split, Croatia; Kotor, Montenegro; Corfu, Greece; Valletta, Malta; Messina (Siccily), Italy; Sorrento, Italy; Nice, France; Monte Carlo, Monaco; Portofino, Italy and end at Civitavecchia port to Rome




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Watery Wednesday: Papua New Guinea

Give me a choice, a holiday here or in an ultra modern city. I will like this bush anytime.




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Ruby red/rednesday: Piggy bank.

Lunar/Chinese New Year falls on Monday, 23 January 2012. Red is a favoured color, so is Gold. Restaurant do a roaring business.

At the counter of a Chinese Restaurant, they have an old gold Chinese ingot. Next to it is a red bear with some money in it. I presume it is a container for tips for waiters and waitresses. In New Zealand, it is not compulsory to tip your waiters and waitresses.

In fact, the service is so bad that you don't wish to tip. People come for the food.



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Save the world: Plant native plants

I have lived in the tropics, I have lived in the temperate climate. I loved gardening. Some people like to plant exotic plants from another region. They are frustrated when the plants fail to grow.

I was the secretary of the Gardening club of NTU in Singapore. I gave advice to neighbours from different countries. I use to collect saplings of the birds nest fern. I started a fernery, and I left five years ago. The ferns continue to thrive though nobody had tended the plants.

The water engineer went to "my" garden and took this photo. My legacy of living 16 years there.






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