Poor Man, Rich Man: Bankruptcy – Year Three

Posted on 12 April 2014 by blackandblueman

2013-2014

Year One
Year Two

15 February 2014.

In the months leading up to that date, I began thinking about it more and more.

Finally it came, and went.

A few days later, I received a very important letter.

The letter included a certificate stating that on 15 February 2014, I was discharged from bankruptcy.

One era of my life and ended, and another had begun.

*

Regular readers of Black and Blue Man may recall my previous entries about the first and second years of my bankruptcy (see links above).

What was my third year like?

It was okay.

As I reported at the end of my Year Two post, my money situation was getting better – and in the months that followed until mid-year, it got much better. This was thanks to a few hundred dollars that stayed in my bank account for a few months and ensured that I didn’t have to live merely from pay to pay each fortnight.

During the second half of the year, though, a computer-related problem dragged on for months and resulted in a series of ongoing expenses that didn’t torpedo me…but it was a drag and a strain.

At one stage, I even raided my rudimentary savings system where every few days I emptied most of the coins in my wallet into jars (the only exceptions were 20-cent and one-dollar coins, which I have to use for the coin-op washing machine in my apartment building’s laundry). I was amazed, grateful and pleased that just doing that simple scheme for several months had resulted in $156…but I was also sorry to see it go.

What also didn’t help was my general life-situation and mood throughout 2013. As I’ve written in several other posts, 2013 was mostly filled with work dreariness and mid-life-crisis worry; as well, at the the end of the year there were a few incidents that were very infuriating or upsetting or both. Add all of that to my financial tedium, and the result is that at year’s end I was glad to see 2013 be gone.

Fortunately, the year thus far has seen some improvement. Work hasn’t been too bad of late, and there have been several new and rediscovered activities that have helped to make life better. New activities include the long walks I’ve been describing in the Black and Blue Walking Man series (with more to come); rediscovered activities include the return of Lego building, thanks greatly to a new social aspect (more also to come about that).

Financially, the year thus far hasn’t been too bad. I’m still living from pay to pay, but increasingly I have been ending each fortnight under less financial strain. As well, this time of year is a burdensome period of several big bills arriving at once, but I am dealing with them and have become less stressed about doing so.

My journey to financial peace of mind remains a long and slow one, but I am getting there.

Until next time, stay well and take care 🙂

Posted in Hope, Life Challenges, Life is Good, Life Strategies, My Story, Pain, Poor Man Rich Man | Leave a comment

The Lego castle in the forest at dusk

Posted on 17 March 2014 by blackandblueman
1978 Lego Castle (www.brickpicker.com)

1978 Lego Castle (www.brickpicker.com)

Hundreds of years ago during my childhood in the 1970s and early 1980s, two of my favourite toys were Lego and die-cast metal cars. Although there were several brands of cars, everyone referred to them generically as ‘Matchbox cars’ (after Matchbox, one of the leading brands).

I mostly played with my Lego and Matchbox cars separately, but sometimes I combined them by usually building Lego garages for my cars.

One time in late childhood, I somehow came up with another Lego idea for my cars – a castle.

As it turned out, the castle wasn’t all that impressive. It was basically a large square of most of my 2×4 white bricks, built two or three bricks high on a large grey base-plate. There was a tower at each corner and gateways in two of the walls, but I can’t recall if there were any gates. I also can’t remember if there were any battlements on top of the walls.

Inside the castle walls, there was nothing – just empty parking space for my cars. I think I was able to fit two rows of cars on both sides of the path between the gates.

Still, I liked the idea of parking my cars in a castle instead of in a garage – it was something different, and exotic.

One afternoon after school, a friend came over to play cars with me and he was impressed with the castle.

It was also during that play when I had a mental image that has stayed with me ever since.

As my friend and I drove our cars in and out and around my castle, I began imagining its ‘real-world’ setting.

First, I decided that my castle was within a European forest somewhere in a country like France or West Germany (like I said, this was hundreds of years ago).

Second, I imagined that dusk was falling over the forest.

Third, I imagined lights coming on in the ‘courtyard’ of my castle where the cars were parked.

Finally, who were the people who had driven to this castle deep in the forest and why were they there? They were glamorous guests at a special dinner or party in the courtyard, where they could talk and drink wine and admire each other’s cars.

As I said, my castle wasn’t much physically – but that afternoon, emotionally and mentally it became a wonderful place.

Over thirty years later, that castle in the forest at dusk has remained one of my favourite moments of childhood imagination to recall.

Although I was briefly a motorcyclist in early adulthood, I never learned to drive and probably never will. And most of the time, I don’t regret that.

As well, I never obtained the glamour or self-confidence or wealth or some or all of the above that would enable me to travel to somewhere like France or Germany, drive a nice car like a BMW or a Jaguar and be invited to a dinner or party at a castle or chateau in a forest at dusk. I probably never will either, and sometimes I don’t regret that.

Also, I never developed a taste for wine or most other alcohol. And I don’t regret that most of all.

But sometimes, either when I’m happy or if I get angry at myself and where my life has and hasn’t gone, it’s still fun to revisit that castle in the forest at dusk.

Until next time, stay well and take care 🙂

Posted in Happiness, Inspiration, My Story, Something to Think About | Leave a comment

The former office of Dr. Khan

Posted on 9 March 2014 by blackandblueman
The Far Side

The Far Side

Sunday, 9 March 2014.

At 3pm, I set off on another walk.

Compared to previous walks I have posted about here, this would be a relatively short one – a couple of hours or so along part of the Sydney Harbour foreshore to The Rocks, and from there over to Darling Harbour and finally dinner in Pyrmont.

It’s a walk I’ve done many times before, but the first 30 minutes or so from home down to Woolloomooloo would take me past a place I hadn’t been to since late 2012 – the former office of Dr. Khan, my former psychiatrist.

About fifteen minutes later, I was there.

And I was amazed, for several reasons.

First, Dr. Khan’s former office was empty and looked like it had been since he retired.

Second, as I peered in through the waiting-room window, I saw that all of his office was wide open. Not only could I see right into where he and I had sat and talked for so many Thursday afternoons from 2007 to 2012, but beyond that even the door to the bathroom was open.

Third, it was funny to recall how this now very bare and empty office had been such an important place in my life for five years.

I spent a minute or so smiling and studying the former office of Dr. Khan, and then I turned south and resumed my walk – which ended as planned just over two hours later in Pyrmont, and followed by a nice steak dinner.

Dr. Khan, wherever you are, thanks again and I hope you’re enjoying your retirement 🙂

Posted in Gratitude, Happiness, Inspiration, My Story, Therapy | Leave a comment

Black and Blue Walking Man: Beecroft to Rozelle Bay (Part 3)

Posted on 22 February 2014 by blackandblueman
Iron Cove Bridge, Drummoyne-Rozelle NSW (Wikipedia)

Iron Cove Bridge, Drummoyne-Rozelle NSW (Wikipedia)

Part 1
Part 2

I walked uphill into downtown Drummoyne.

Unfortunately, it was a more grim version of Gladesville – which did little for my disappointed mood from the Gladesville Bridge.

As well, what felt like a big blister was forming on the upper sole of my right foot.

Finally, as I made it to the top of the hill I saw that another big hill lay ahead.

I kept walking.

10-15 minutes later, as I went down the eastern side of the second hill, I decided to (a) take another break shortly and (b) treat myself. So, I crossed Victoria Road and went to a service station.

Fortunately, they had a deal where you could buy a large Coke-brand drink and a chilled Mars bar for only $5.

Unfortunately, a few minutes later down the road, I saw that instead of grabbing a regular Diet Coke I had mistakenly gotten a Vanilla Diet Coke.

Bleurgh.

But I decided to grit my teeth and drink it.

I crossed back over Victoria Road and shortly after came to a halt.

Just before another bridge, the Iron Cove Bridge.

There was nowhere to sit, so I leaned against a wall and began eating my Mars bar and drinking my Vanilla Diet Coke.

It was now 5pm, and since the Gladesville Bridge I had only been walking for about 30 minutes – but with what had happened since then, it had felt like I had been walking for much longer.

Beecroft to the Iron Cove Bridge, Drummoyne-Rozelle (Google)

Beecroft to the Iron Cove Bridge, Drummoyne-Rozelle (Google)

As I took my break, I regarded the nearby Iron Cove Bridge and thought about the rest of my walk.

Unlike the Gladesville Bridge, the Iron Cove Bridge wasn’t worrying me – it was horizontal and low above the water.

But as for the walk beyond…not only was there the feeling of a blister on my right sole, and the continuing ache in my legs since Gladesville, but there was also the time factor.

From here, I considered that Forest Lodge was perhaps another two or even three hours away.

If so, I wouldn’t complete my planned walk until 7pm-8pm.

By then, I would most likely be ravenously hungry, and even more in pain.

And home would be another 30-45 minutes away from there.

I weighed up all of those factors, and as I prepared to move out again I decided that today I wouldn’t reach Forest Lodge after all.

Instead, I would press on for another hour or so until the light-rail station at Rozelle Bay, from where I could travel right into the CBD to once again enjoy the pleasant post-walk experience I’d discovered after last week’s walk – a margarita pizza and a jug of diet cola at Star Bar.

Just behind me, there was a bus stop around the corner back on Victoria Road – but I decided to walk for one last hour instead, partly because I’m not a huge fan of bus-travel and partly because I wanted to give my walk a pleasant ending.

*

At 5:15pm, I set off again.

I crossed the Iron Cove Bridge without any issues.

Once again Victoria Road rose upwards in a long slope, this time to downtown Rozelle – which, unfortunately, reminded me very much of downtown Drummoyne.

What was also sad was walking past the derelict site of the original Balmain Leagues Club. For decades, it had been one of Sydney’s most iconic club venues. One night there in 2001, I had participated in an enormous trivia-night event with hundreds of other players. In 2010, the club had closed to make way for a controversial extension of the light-rail that was eventually scrapped.

Today, across Victoria Road, the graffiti-covered hollowed-out remains of the club sat there looking very grim.

I passed through downtown Rozelle and down the hill along the last stretch of Victoria Road that leads to the Anzac Bridge. Years before I had walked along this section of the road several times, and it was still as unlikeable as I remembered it being. It’s not that it’s dangerous for walking, and it’s no more ugly than the rest of Victoria Road since downtown Drummoyne…but to me this last section of the road feels badly-planned and over-contorted, twisting this way and that with an unevenness that I find jarring.

I reached the end of Victoria Road, crossed the busy City West Link road and headed a few hundred metres back along it towards the Rozelle Bay light-rail station.

As I glanced up at the small hilltop where the station is located, I saw nearby what I thought was construction or track-repair equipment nearby. This prompted the worrying thought that perhaps this section of the light-rail was still out as it had been for several weeks earlier in the year…

…but a few minutes later as I drew closer to the station I saw a CBD-bound light-rail service depart, and I relaxed.

I gingerly climbed the steep flights of steps that lead up to the station from Burawan Park, and at 5:53pm I stopped at a seat on the platform, set down my hat and backpack and officially declared my walk over.

Beecroft to Rozelle Bay (Google)

Beecroft to Rozelle Bay (Google)

About 10 minutes later, the next CBD-bound light-rail service arrived.

Shortly after 6:30pm, I walked into Star Bar to enjoy dinner and relax for the next few hours.

*

Despite that incident at the Gladesville Bridge and not making it all of the way to Forest Lodge, my third big Sydney walk for 2014 was another success – especially when I later discovered that I had walked about 20 kilometres, my longest distance so far.

When I got home that night I was stunned to see just how big was the blister on my right sole. The next day, after a painful hour or two trying to walk barefoot at home, I carefully drained the blister.

In the days that followed, I wondered – and hoped – that my right foot would recover in time for next weekend.

And if so, where would I walk then?

But that’s a story for another series.

Until next time, stay well and take care 🙂

Posted in Action, Anger, Fear, Happiness, Hope, Inspiration, Life Challenges, Life Strategies, Pain, Travel | Leave a comment

Black and Blue Walking Man: Beecroft to Rozelle Bay (Part 2)

Posted on 15 February 2014 by blackandblueman
Gladesville Bridge, Gladesville NSW

Gladesville Bridge, Gladesville NSW

Part 1

About 10-15 minutes after my last break I approached the Gladesville Bridge, one of Sydney’s major bridges.

But as I drew closer, a problem emerged.

It seemed that a pedestrian footpath didn’t lead onto the bridge but instead came to an end at the bottom of the hill underneath it.

I consulted the Sydney Walker app and looked about.

I also looked up at where traffic was rushing onto the bridge. From what I could see, it appeared that there was a gap between the traffic and the bridge’s railing that looked wide enough for a footpath.

But how the heck would I get up there?

Later, when I consulted a more detailed map, I would discover that if I had followed the footpath to the bridge to its end down on Huntleys Point Road and taken a short walk down the road, I would have come to another footpath that wound its way up to the bridge.

Instead, I decided to brave my way across one of the nearby busy exit roads from the bridge and clamber up a short but steep hillside to where the bridge began.

I did that without any mishap and finally got to where the footpath began on the bridge, but during that I discovered part of that other footpath that wound its way up from Huntleys Point Road.

No matter, though. It had taken another 10 minutes or so to make it onto the bridge, but I was finally there and that was all that mattered.

*

While I had been standing on the hillside under the Gladesville Bridge, I saw a sight similar to the one in the following photograph.

Gladesville Bridge, Gladesville NSW (Grab Your Fork - http://grabyourfork.blogspot.com)

Gladesville Bridge, Gladesville NSW (Grab Your Fork – http://grabyourfork.blogspot.com)

What I saw amazed me, and made me appreciate just how big and high the Gladesville Bridge is.

About 10 minutes later, though, that amazing sight would have an unexpected impact.

*

I began walking up onto the bridge.

I glanced through the high external railing at the Parramatta River far below, and similar to the following photograph I saw another amazing sight that made me appreciate again just how big and high the Gladesville Bridge is.

Gladesville Bridge, Gladesville NSW (Grab Your Fork - grabyourfork.blogspot.com)

Gladesville Bridge, Gladesville NSW (Grab Your Fork – http://grabyourfork.blogspot.com)

A constant wind was blowing, quite hard.

The constant traffic going past didn’t just go Whoosh…whoosh…whoosh…. It was more like WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

I looked ahead and, yet again, up close it was amazing to see just how high the bridge curved upwards…

Suddenly, a very hard gust of wind almost tore my hat from my head.

Just in time, I clamped my left arm upon my head and saved my hat.

And then something completely unexpected happened.

I was terrified.

The sights I’d just seen similar to the above two photographs combined with my fear of heights and my OCD, and altogether they wouldn’t let go of me.

A fearful voice from the back of my mind said, I cannot cross this bridge.

And I came to a halt.

*

For the next minute or so, I stood there and debated mentally and furiously with myself.

Part of me didn’t want to go across the bridge.

Another part of me scolded that reluctant part.

Yet another part began thinking of alternatives, like back-tracking to a bus-stop or locating a nearby ferry-wharf…

…but despite being frozen in place by my fear, I ultimately decided that I wanted to cross the bridge.

No – I had to cross the bridge.

But how?

I studied my immediate surroundings again, which looked similar to the following.

Gladesville Bridge, Gladesville NSW (Must Use Bigger Elephants - pattyjansen.com)

Gladesville Bridge, Gladesville NSW (Must Use Bigger Elephants – pattyjansen.com)

To the left is the high external railing that looks out over the Parramatta River far below. I could keep my head down and continue walking near it (keeping left as a pedestrian in Australia is considered best practice), but there was still a good chance I would constantly see what I didn’t want to see…

…but there was also that low white internal railing to the right.

I went over to it, put my right hand around it, and started feeling better.

Now I knew how I could get across the bridge.

I would keep right, and keep my hand on that railing…

…but then another worrying thought came to mind.

What if someone on a bicycle was coming the other way, or from behind? They would have to go around me –

– and that prompted a mental scream of OH, FOR FUCK’S SAKE! THEY CAN GO AROUND ME!

Angry and ashamed and frightened, I began walking.

Fast.

*

For the next ten minutes or so, I hurried over the Gladesville Bridge.

I looked down at the concrete footpath, kept my right hand on the white railing, kept my left arm clamped over my hat and head, and moved as fast as I could.

As I passed over the top of the bridge and began my descent towards Drummoyne, I looked up more towards the reassuring sight of land but kept my right hand on the white railing.

Traffic continued to blast past – WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH! – but there were no other pedestrians on my side of the bridge.

Finally, I finished crossing the bridge.

Ahead, Victoria Road rose on a long steep slope to downtown Drummoyne.

Despite that uninspiring sight, and still being shaken by what I’d just experienced, I continued walking.

TO BE CONTINUED

Posted in Action, Anger, Fear, Life Challenges, Life Strategies, Pain, Resilience, Travel | Leave a comment

Black and Blue Walking Man: Beecroft to Rozelle Bay (Part 1)

Posted on 8 February 2014 by blackandblueman
Beecroft station, Beecroft NSW (Wikipedia)

Beecroft station, Beecroft NSW (Wikipedia)

Saturday, 18 January 2014.

Similar to the previous Saturday, I got up at the leisurely time of 9am.

By 10am I was once again at the local Subway, although this time I grabbed a foot-long Turkey and Ham and a Diet Coke to go.

Shortly after 11am, I boarded a train at Town Hall station, got a seat and was soon eating my sandwich.

And just before noon I got off the train at Beecroft, about 22 kilometres north-west of the Sydney CBD.

It was another glorious, if very hot, summer’s day.

I threw my Subway wrapping and empty Diet Coke bottle into a bin, left the train station and began walking south-east back towards the city.

*

For most of my childhood, my late paternal grandparents lived in Beecroft. At least once a month my family would drive up from the Illawarra to see them, and we always went there for Christmas Day.

Sometimes after seeing Nanny and Pa, we would drive from Beecroft to the Sydney inner-west suburb of Forest Lodge to see my late great-grandmother, as well as my great-aunt and my second cousin (both still alive and well, and now living in Queensland).

Thus, the plan for today’s walk was to retrace that route by foot, or as much of it as I could.

As well, I was inspired by something I had read back in 2005 about media personality Clive Robertson. At the time Robertson had been working mornings at ABC radio in Ultimo, not far from Forest Lodge, and after work he would spend 3-4 hours walking home back to Epping, not far from Beecroft.

Originally, I had planned to do Robertson’s walk in reverse from Epping to Ultimo, but in the end I decided to start at Beecroft and finish, if possible, in Forest Lodge.

*

The first stage of my walk was from Beecroft to Epping, south-east along Beecroft Road.

Most of it was pleasant and leafy older suburbia, and downhill.

About thirty minutes later Beecroft Road crossed the broad expanse of the M2 Motorway and climbed uphill towards Epping.

There was a mildly disruptive period where I had to cross the road because there was no pedestrian access on my side, and then cross back when there was the same lack of access on the other side, but after that was a very welcoming sight on the outskirts of downtown Epping.

A 7-11 service station.

I grabbed a large Raspberry Slurpee from there, continued into downtown Epping past the railway station and crossed the bridge over the railway to my first stop.

For fifteen minutes I relaxed at the corner of Blaxland and Epping Roads, and slurped my Slurpee.

Beecroft to Epping (Google)

Beecroft to Epping (Google)

At 1pm I set off again, south along Blaxland Road.

The first 5-10 minutes were pleasantly downhill.

Then, as it began passing along the eastern edge of Eastwood, it climbed steadily uphill.

Soon, Blaxland Road turned south-east, leveled out for a while and then went up and down for the next half-hour or so through more leafy older suburbia.

About halfway through Denistone I saw another 7-11 ahead, but it was across the road and traffic was constant.

I continued past the 7-11 a little longer until I saw a place that looked rather apt to sit near for another fifteen minutes and drink some of my water – a reservoir.

Beecroft to Denistone (Google)

Beecroft to Denistone (Google)

At 2pm, I set off again.

About 20 minutes later I was at downtown Ryde, and stunned by what I saw.

The last time I’d been there many years ago, Top Ryde Shopping Square had been quite large.

But it had now been replaced by Top Ryde City, which was enormous.

So much so that I spent the next 10-15 minutes walking inside to find the Aldi there and get some more water.

Alas, the Aldi was out of 1.5-litre bottles of water so I went to the nearby IGA instead.

At 2:45pm I sat down outside the IGA and spent the next 15 minutes drinking one of my bottles empty.

Beecroft to Top Ryde City (Google)

Beecroft to Top Ryde City (Google)

At 3pm, I set off again.

I left Top Ryde City, found the last south-east length of Blaxland Road and followed it to the route that I would follow for most of the rest of my walk – Victoria Road, one of Sydney’s major thoroughfares.

Fortunately, for the next two hours or so Victoria Road would be mostly downhill.

Unfortunately, about half an hour later as I began passing through downtown Gladesville my legs were starting to hurt.

Maybe it was because I’d spent the previous week back at work, sitting tensed behind a desk.

Or maybe it was because the terrain of this walk had been harder than my previous two walks.

Whatever the reason, I didn’t recall my legs starting to hurt this much this soon than during my harbourside walks.

It was disappointing.

What was also disappointing was the landscape. I knew Victoria Road wasn’t one of the most picturesque places through Sydney, and downtown Gladesville wasn’t bad…but like a lot of other Sydney town centres I’d seen during the past decade or so, and especially like other town centres bisected by wide busy roads, it had its share of vacant offices and shopfronts and felt a little like somewhere you mostly drove through on the way to somewhere else, like a Westfield shopping centre (or Top Ryde City).

As well, there was a place that made me stop, feel both happy and sad at once, and also try to take a photo of it (but I couldn’t because it was across the busy road and I’m camera-illiterate).

It was a Volkswagen specialist, and crammed into its small front yard were about 10 old Beetles in various stages of disrepair.

I was happy because old Beetles are always charming, and because they’re becoming increasingly rare it was good to see so many at once.

I was sad, though, because they looked so forlorn.

As I put away my unused iPhone I gave the Beetles one last look and hoped that one day they would be all be looking their best once more.

Then I returned to my walk.

*

This time I walked for a full hour until 4pm, all the way through Gladesville.

I could have crossed Victoria Road to Gladesville Reserve and rested under some shady trees, especially when I saw that my side of the road only had a bench with no cover at all from the blazing sun.

But I thought What the hell – it was only going to be for 15 minutes, and I had been sweating like a hog for hours already anyway.

So I sat on the bench, relaxed, drank and sweated some more.

Beecroft to Gladesville Reserve (Google)

Beecroft to Gladesville Reserve (Google)

At 4:15pm, I set off again.

And about 20-25 minutes later, for the first time during my walks thus far, I suddenly experienced something completely unexpected.

Fear.

And for a moment, it stopped me completely.

TO BE CONTINUED

Posted in Action, Happiness, Inspiration, Life Challenges, Life is Good, Life Strategies, Travel | Leave a comment

‘Natalie Wood: The woman Sydney forgot’

Posted on 5 February 2014 by blackandblueman
Natalie Wood (1924-2003), aged 20 (The Sydney Morning Herald)

Natalie Wood (1924-2003), aged 20 (The Sydney Morning Herald)

Back in August 2011 I posted ‘All the lone people’, which had been inspired by a sad discovery not far from my home the month before – the 2003 death of Natalie Wood, which had gone unnoticed for eight years.

Today, The Sydney Morning Herald has published more about Natalie Wood’s story.

Posted in Something to Think About | Leave a comment

Black and Blue Walking Man: South Head to Sydney CBD (Part 2)

Posted on 1 February 2014 by blackandblueman
Darling Point, Sydney NSW (Wikipedia)

Darling Point, Sydney NSW (Wikipedia)

Part 1

So up I went the Marathon Steps.

They were steep, and kept going…

…and going…

…but eventually I made it all the way up to Marathon Road.

A moment later, I turned north onto Darling Point Road and began my walk around Darling Point.

*

Back in 1993-1995 I lived in Rushcutters Bay with my eldest sister and her partner. We’d often drive to neighbouring Edgecliff to do our grocery shopping, and as we did I’d often glance past Rushcutters Bay Park to Darling Point and wonder what it was like over there.

Today, I found out.

Like the other suburbs I’d walked through that day, Darling Point is affluent – but of them all, I liked it the most because it was especially cozy and leafy.

As well, it was even more quiet than Point Piper.

Walking around Darling Point was a pleasant way to unwind after the Marathon Steps.

*

Eventually, I came around to the western side of Darling Point where it joins Rushcutters Bay.

Originally, I had considered continuing through Rushcutters Bay Park to Elizabeth Bay, and from there through Potts Point and Woolloomooloo to the Sydney Harbour foreshore walk that would take me to the Sydney Opera House…

…but not only was I starting to feel the effects of my walk, and realising that getting to the Opera House was perhaps too far, but another unexpected development had arisen.

I was getting hungry.

I thought about what to have for dinner, and soon one idea became very appealing: a margherita pizza and a bowl of Italian slaw washed down with a jug of diet cola at Star Bar, one of my regular haunts in the Sydney CBD.

Star Bar was at least a further 30-45 minutes away, if I took a direct route there.

That sounded like a plan.

So instead of bearing north-west through Rushcutters Bay Park I instead went south-west to follow Bayswater Road up into Kings Cross.

After the Cross I descended west along William Street to where it joined Park Street, and I ascended my last big hill for the day through Hyde Park to finally enter the CBD.

By 6pm I made it to Star Bar where I officially declared my walk over and ordered my dinner.

And just as I had hoped, it tasted wonderful.

*

My second Sydney long-walk for 2014 was another success.

Already, I was looking forward to my third possible walk on the weekend of 16-17 January – partly because it would also be after my first week back at work.

I wasn’t expecting my work-week to be horrible, but having something major to look forward to next weekend was a big plus.

So as I had dinner and relaxed at Star Bar, I began thinking about where a third walk would take me.

And soon, I decided where.

But that’s a story for another series.

Until next time, stay well and take care 🙂

Posted in Action, Happiness, Inspiration, Life Challenges, Life is Good, Life Strategies, Travel | Leave a comment

Walking for life and a good cause

Posted on 27 January 2014 by blackandblueman
Jay and Luke Hawkins (used with permission)

Luke and Jay Hawkins (used with permission)

Saturday, 25 January 2014.

I went on another long walk that I will describe in a future post or two, but I had a great encounter that I’d like to mention now before it’s too late.

At around 12:30pm I was heading south along the Pacific Highway through Wahroonga, a suburb on Sydney’s Upper North Shore.

As I headed along a narrow footpath, I saw coming towards me what at first I thought were a pair of council workmen, with the one in the lead pushing what I thought was a cart of landscaping tools.

As we drew close I stepped aside to let them pass, and as they thanked me I noticed a very familiar question on their front of their cart: R U OK?

And above that, the words ‘Walk For Life’.

I excused myself and asked about the R U OK? reference – and their answer astounded me.

To raise awareness for R U OK? they are walking from the Mornington Peninsula down in Victoria up to the Gold Coast in Queensland.

That’s a distance of about 1930 kilometres (almost 1200 miles).

And they are planning to do it in 40 days.

I decided not to hold them up much longer, so I made a donation and wished them all the very best indeed.

Hours later after my walk was complete, I looked them up online.

You can learn about, support and follow the progress of father-and-son team Jay and Luke Hawkins at their fundraising site and their Facebook page.

Jay and Luke, all the very best again and stay well and take care 🙂

Posted in Inspiration, Life Challenges | Leave a comment

Black and Blue Walking Man: South Head to Sydney CBD (Part 1)

Posted on 19 January 2014 by blackandblueman
Hornby Lighthouse, South Head, Sydney Harbour National Park (www.sydney.com)

Hornby Lighthouse, South Head, Sydney Harbour National Park (www.sydney.com)

Saturday, 11 January 2013.

Unlike last Saturday, I got up at the leisurely time of 9am.

By 10am, I was at the local Subway enjoying a foot-long Meatball sub.

By 11am, I was down at Circular Quay.

And just before noon I stepped off a ferry at Watsons Bay Wharf, near the entrance to Sydney Harbour and 11 kilometres east from the Sydney CBD.

It was another glorious, if very hot, summer’s day.

I began walking.

But first, I headed in the opposite direction.

*

About half an hour later I was at South Head, right at the entrance to Sydney Harbour.

About a kilometre opposite was North Head and a few kilometres beyond that was Manly Wharf, where I had begun last’s week walk.

For about 10 minutes I read the interesting historical plaques about the history of South Head and looked out at the intimidating expanse of the Pacific Ocean.

Then I headed back past the Lady Bay nudist beach and the HMAS Watson Military Reserve to Watsons Bay, and at 12:50pm I sat down near the famous and busy Doyle’s On The Beach seafood restaurant and had my first break.

I didn’t have anything to eat, though, as I wasn’t hungry and I’m allergic to seafood anyway. Instead, I drank from one of my two 1.5-litre bottles of water and replaced my chewing gum.

At 1:05pm I got moving again.

*

For the next hour I headed west, around the waterfront edge of the affluent suburb of Vaucluse.

It was my first time ever in Vaucluse, and it was a very pleasant and picturesque walk.

Similar to last week’s discovery of the Reid Park footbridge over in Mosman, I found and crossed the wonderful footbridge over Parsley Bay.

I mostly followed streets around the peninsula, but at Vaucluse Point I took a brief detour onto a walking path where for a few minutes there was no sight or sound of civilisation. It was amazing, like suddenly being in rural bushland.

Eventually, I arrived in the neighbouring waterfront suburb of Rose Bay.

At 2pm in Forsyth Park, with a spectacular view of Rose Bay below and Sydney Harbour beyond, I sat down for my second break, drank my first bottle empty and made a start on my second bottle.

My second bottle was one of the two I’d bought during last week’s walk. I also still had some of last week’s muesli bars, but I didn’t feel like any yet.

*

At 2:15pm I set off again and followed the winding downhill New South Head Road into downtown Rose Bay, where I detoured again.

This time I headed inland to a Bunnings Warehouse hardware store where I bought a few things for an upcoming chore at home. Even as I’d entered downtown Rose Bay, I’d been debating yet again whether I should do something so mundane on an exciting walk as go to a Bunnings, but in the end I decided Why not – after all, it is the closest Bunnings to my place.

About 20 minutes later I returned to Rose Bay where I bought a new bottle of water, and as it was almost 45 minutes after I’d left Forsyth Park I decided it was time for another break.

This time, I went into the Rose Bay Hotel, sat down for half an hour and enjoyed a glass of diet cola while I played some Plants Vs. Zombies 2 on my iPad and marveled at the Hotel’s large-gauge model trains that run on ceiling-hung tracks.

*

At 3:30pm I left the Rose Bay Hotel and continued westward.

I followed New South Head Road to the Point Piper peninsula and walked all the way around there. Part of that walk took me along Wolseley Road, which in 2011 was ranked by Financial News as the 9th most expensive street in the world. Point Piper was similarly picturesque like Vaucluse, and also very quiet.

After Point Piper came the northern edge of the equally affluent suburb Bellevue Hill, and at 4:30pm I entered Steyne Park in Double Bay where I decided to take another break.

*

For half an hour I relaxed on a park bench, drank some more water and finally had some muesli bars.

At 5pm, it was time to move on again.

I headed a few hundred metres towards the nearby Darling Point peninsula…

…and I came to a daunting sight.

It was the aptly named Marathon Steps.

Like the Gallipoli Steps I descended last week over in Seaforth, these several flights looked very narrow and steep.

But unlike the Gallipoli Steps, these ones I had to go up.

And after five hours of walking.

I groaned, steeled myself and began.

TO BE CONTINUED

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