M is for Mmmmmm

Well, Marianne's lover has been named. His name is Miles. "M" for short. After the James Bond character. The Co-Habitant likes M so much, that he's made him a name-tag. Behold:

"M" is for "make it yourself!" Ribbon. Oil Crayon. Old canvas bag that you're not worried about ruining.


"M" is for "Men's frames can also be beautiful!" I just love the clean, elegant lines of this bicycle. And the silver is a surprisingly warm colour, with a touch of champagne and sage in it.


"M" is for "Makes it easier to see in the dark!" No lights yet. Any suggestions for a good lighting system for road bikes are welcome.


"M" is for "Mmmmmm!"

Big Al Spadijer

Here at jjobrienclimbing we've had hundreds of letters fromreaders asking when are we going to profile a real man and not just some stringy little kid.

We couldn't find one so here's Al Spadijer!

Property news:Prices around Mt Coolum have slumped in recent times.

Al has bought a new house in the neighbourhood.

Coinicidence?













Style:Al, and several billion of the Earths poorest inhabitants, make up a fashion movementcoined by jjobrienclimbing"Economical". Whilst the vast majority of"Economicalists" arevictims of place and circumstance, Al voluntarily embraces the movement with a strong sense of "Dishevelled Chic".





Spoonman 28'Hey mate well done on the send. Not bad considering your conscious state was one notch above coma.'

Bradley Babel (facebook)What Allan Spadijer doesn't know right now, amongst other things, is that the lost roll of finger tape heforlornly searches for is under Frey's rope mat and not in the long grass.

He also climbs.



If only Oli's mum knew who he was hanging around with.











Fall Turns

There's been some great skiing on the Muir Snowfield this fall so far. Between storms, and those 'tweens have been small, there have been some good snow conditions for skiing. I last went up to Camp Muir on Friday November 2nd. All those gargantuan suncups have been filled in. Ski penetration has been pretty nice at less than 5 cm in most places so skinning up was fast.









I've taken the webcam down for the season. Although we did get it working again, it's just too much to maintain in the winter, so we'll save it for next season.




Public shelter is open, but it may be snowed in when you get there. Expect to shovel out the entrance. Could take a long time and you may be exposed to the wind while you're digging (and tired and cold)...




A toilet is open near the public shellter, which may need to be dug out, too.




Remember a few things this winter:

 -Get a forcast from the NWAC before you go.

-If overnighting, remember a permit, a pass and to park in the overnight area at Paradise.

-Pack for contingencies, such as getting stuck out for an unplanned overnight.

Asian Trending: ‘Filipino High Tea’

Move over old English High Tea and make room for the new ‘Filipino High Tea!’





When I am in Cebu I always stop by at Café Laguna for some Filipino merienda indulgence. My all-time favourite here is mangga (mango), puto (sticky rice) and sikwate (chocolate drink/dip from traditionally processed cocoa tablets). My family used to have this as breakfast during the weekends eons back when we were kids.



Anywho, I was about to order the usual mangga-puto-sikwate fare when I caught sight of ‘Filipino High Tea’ for only Php 310.00 on the menu, good for 2 people.



Here’s what you get for the Filipino High Tea:



- A pot of ‘pandan’ tea with 2 cups

- Mini ‘puto’ (rice bread) burgers with shredded chicken adobo

- Mini banana turon covered with caramelized brown sugar and sesame seeds

- Espasol wrapped in banana leaves

- Mini ‘bibingka’ (rice cake) topped with kesong puti (white cheese) and itlog maalat (salted egg), and garnished with coconut flakes.





‘Pandan’ tea and ‘espasol’.





‘Turon’ and mini ‘puto’ burgers with shreds of adobo.





The ‘bibingka’ (rice cake with cheese, egg and coconut flakes).



I’m not a sweet tooth type but I enjoyed the banana turon and bibingka while Dutchman says the pandan tea tasted like boiled socks, lol. Rating is 4 stars out of 5!



Tip to Café Laguna: partner with beach resorts, hotels, tours and travel agencies all over Cebu to include the ‘Filipino High Tea’ (or Filipino/Cebuano Merienda) at any Café Laguna branch as part of the city tour. Not only you will be promoting your restaurant but this ultimately promotes Filipino cuisine as well. Just think about the (massive) opportunity. It’s about time!

'Victorian Gold Laced' Primrose

This primrose is a recent addition to the garden.

Big Bend :: Lost Mine Trail

Last summer, I told my brother that I was in the best physical condition that I'd been in for many years. Like maybe more than 30 years ago when I got out of the Navy! What I didn't say was that I was still in woefully poor shape. Well, if I were really physically fit I could have hiked more trails in the Chisos Mountains but I was happy with what I was able to do.

Once piece of advice: Don't take anyone's word on whether a trail is “easy” or not! Based on the advice of one of the people working in the Visitors Center, the first trail I hiked was the Lost Mine Trail. She said it was relatively easy. Let me just say that her idea of easy and mine certainly don't coincide! It was not easy. I later read a trail guide that described it as “somewhat strenuous” which to me was more accurate, but still not quite right. Let's just say it was challenging.

In shape or out, I huffed and puffed nearly all the way on the outbound stretch. The description that I read later said that the Lost Mine Trail “rises to 1100 feet over 2.4 miles” and “provides excellent views of the surrounding mountains and desert” and what that really means is that it was uphill most of the way! Oh yeah, lots of huffing and puffing! But it was a gorgeous day. Blue skies, sunshine, and warm temperatures. Not hot. Not cold. Comfortable.

Casa Grande Peak, looking back on the trail, about a quarter of the way in. This was one of the easier stretches. Thank goodness it wasn't all uphill all of the time!

From the halfway point, looking south. Views like this is what made the trek worthwhile!

And this! The view from the top! Casa Grande on the left. The “v” shaped area is called the window, for reasons I'll explain later. The Basin is the low area in the center and is where the campground was located. The white ribbon streaking through the center is the road leading to the Basin and the Lodge. The Lost Mine Trail began about where the road disappears in the center going toward the Basin.

A zoomed-in shot of the Basin and campground.

Heading down. Again, this is one of the easier sections of the trail. Lots of switchbacks. Lots of rocks. Going down took almost as long as going up. It was also harder on the legs, but much, much easier on the heart and lungs! After 4.8 miles and 3 hours I felt tired, for sure, but also exhilerated. It was my first “long” hike, and I made it back safe and sound.

Photographs taken February 21, ...

Watched ‘La Bayadère’ Ballet Show at the Estonian National Theatre

On my wish list in my visit to Tallinn was to watch a ballet show. Eastern Europe is the gateway to the ballet world and I wanted to have a taste of this in Estonia. I was lucky enough because when I was there the ‘Bajadeer’(also spelled as Bayadère)was premiered at the Estonian National Opera House! I could not have been more happier!







So here I am in the lift of Meriton Old Town Garden Hotel ready to go to the show. I was lazy to wear something else, so I improvised and put on my black heels (and not the stilettos because the cobbled streets in Tallin are a pain to walk on) and my dependable black shawl. Done! Would have loved to do something with my hair but did not have the time.







This is the Estonian National Opera Theater and this picture was taken from this trendy café called Kohvik Komeet located in the shopping mall across it. A very nice place to spend a break especially with this view.







The lobby of the theatre taken during the afternoon I bought the ticket. I bought the ticket a day before the show directly from the ticket counter of the theatre.









The Bajadeer ballet performance show is a 2-hour show including the break.



I also have a very nice seat, quite lucky I should say, near the middle on the lower balcony. This is the interior of the theatre. Very nice.










And look at that ceiling!







I found a quick snippet in YouTube of the Bajadeer ballet show, see below:








And here is the show… these pictures were taken from the website of Estonia’s National Opera. It is not allowed to take pictures and to film during the ballet performance so obviously not to embarrass myself, I slipped my camera back into my little bag.











Here is a little summary of the Bajadeer Ballet Show:



Ballet by Ludwig Minkus

World premiere on January 23, 1877 at Mariinsky Theatre

Premiere at the Estonian National Opera on May 16,



“La Bayadère” is a story of eternal love, vengeance, and justice. The ballet recounts the story of the impossible love between a temple dancer (bayadère) Nikiya and the noble warrior Solor. In a moment of forgetfulness, Solor becomes engaged to the Rajah’s daughter Gamzatti and in order to assure the young man’s love for Gamzatti, the Rajah decides to kill Nikiya...



To read more, go here: La Bajadere at the Estonian Opera



I found the show very delightful. I especially loved the scene with the ‘wild guys’. So much energy and power. Exhilarating.



During the break I went downstairs to the café at the basement for some martini. It’s a 15 minute break (umm, I think longer, not sure anymore) and you can elect to order food in advance. If you do this, you will have to go to this VIP room to enjoy your food, which I didn’t do because I didn’t want to eat in the theatre. Nevertheless, not ordering food during the show was a good decision.



My martini below at the cafe in the basement and the hallway outside the lower balcony level of the Opera House.







The Opera house after the show and the Bajadeer official poster.







Now back in the Netherlands, I’m looking forward to seeing something of this calibre or better in Amsterdam!

Cool Blue Borage

A drop of water on a borage flower.

Jurassic way from Gretton to Harringworth Lodge

Friday 15 April. 4.7 miles there and back. A little detour on a path up to the right just after the lake (coming from Gretton).



Quite fast, took camera for a few pics in spite of grey weather. But not able to upload them until I install the software.

Shipping Bicycles: a Delicate Matter?

Over the past couple of years, I have gotten the sense that shipping bicycles in the USA has become increasingly difficult - particularly bikes that are larger and heavier than a standard modern roadbike. Bike boxes aren't typically made large enough anymore, and the correct size can be next to impossible to hunt down.Shipping companies can give dramatically incorrect estimates for what the service will cost (this happened to me the last time I sold a bike and shipped it myself).And there are lots of accounts of bikes getting damaged in transit despite careful packaging.




For the recipient, receiving a damaged bicycle can be heartbreaking - especially if the damage is something major, like a dent in the frame. For the sender, damage in transit can mean having to pay for it, or at least meeting the recipient half way, if the shipment was not insured or the insurance does not come through.




Personally the only way I feel comfortable shipping a bicycle now is via a bike shop. Yes, we can pack bicycles ourselves and we can do an excellent job. But nonetheless we are not recognised as "professionals." Bike shops are. This apparently can play a role if there is damage in transit and an insurance claim is filed. "Was the bike professionally packed?"




Unfortunately not all bike shops are willing to ship bicycles anymore, especially not large or heavy bikes. This seems to be a recent development: A couple of shops in my neighbourhood used to offer this service, but stopped a year or two ago. Still, in my view finding a good bike shop that does provide the service is worth it. And getting the shipment insured is a must.




What has been your experience with shipping or receiving bicycles over the past year? Do you prefer to ship bikes yourself or to use the services of a bike shop? And in cases of damage in transit, how was the situation resolved? Tips and advice much appreciated.

Jemez Creek Rest Area

Approaching Storm

A Storm Approaches, originally uploaded by ParsecTraveller.

While out hiking on Mt. Diablo, we could see dark storm clouds coming in from the north. Eventually they began to block out the Sun, but not without creating a beautiful sky. The lighting quickly became ethereal and ominous.

Anyone else have interesting weather these days?

Bull Riding

I got some of my best photos of the bull riding. Most of the bulls were gray/white and it kind of looks like the same bull in a lot of photos but there were different ones as can be seen in the last photo of the pen of bulls. Last photo is of the area after the event.