Soil Temperatures

Current air temperature = 2c (35f) at 9am.
Current greenhouse temp = 5c (41f)

Soil Temperature in the Raised bed is 6c (44f)
Soil temperature underneath the ground cover is 7.7c (46f)

Soil Temperature in the ground vegetable garden is 5c (41f)
Soil temperature undeneath the ground cover is 6.1 (43f)


The ground cover in the outside garden beds creates a difference of 2f overnight.
I will test this during a bright warm day and see what the temperature difference is between the soil regions.

Found

Found my old blog!

Haynes Point

Went on a scouting trip today to look at Haynes Point in Osoyoos. Awesome provincial campground that will be the future for a few of our camp trips. Great Location.

Long time ago

This is my first post in almost two years. It's been a long time but i'm still here. Still kicking.
Its January 12th here and today it was quite warm for December. I was able to take the road bike out for the first time this year which felt really good.

Day 3

Feb 17^th

It was an early night last night, in which I went to bed about 7pm Australian time which is well past my usual bedtime in Canada. I was pretty tired at this point and I happily awoke at 3am and watched some tv. I awoke feeling nice and refreshed but there is not really that much at all on tv this early in the morning on a Saturday morning. The only I thing I found was some black and white movies on the tv channel GEM Albury.

I got a little bored in the morning, so by 7 am I was already itching at the bit to do something constructive today, which meant by 9am, I had gotten myself a rental car, a Ford Falcon, to drive around in for the week. Having the car also allowed me to get a bike ready for riding. The day turned out clear and sunny allowing me to get some sun tanning done but I may however got too much sun and am feeling a little burnt. Hopefully the burn passes quickly and becomes a base tan for the rest of my time here.
Bridget and I were able to video chat in the afternoon and I happily watched as my love showed me her best assets. I love her so very much and I really wish she was here with me. Maybe next time.
26c and sunny

Day 2

Feb 16^th

After arriving in Albury yesterday, I went to bed at 10 pm Australian time and awoke at 3am which is 9am CAD time, yep you got it, my body is still on Pacific coast time. This morning I was able to get out for a run during a brief gap in the rain. Since last night, it has been consistently raining solidly. My run took me to my sisters house where I woke up the kids and borrowed a phone to be able to facebook a little more freely, that way I have some contact with people without spending too much money. I can facebook and tweet for free without paying for anything, how nice is that. I don’t even need any type of phone credit.

I borrowed my sisters car to take my bike home which was a little weird driving on the left hand side of the road again. I took the bike home and found the tyres were too big for my bike to work properly. Bummer. So I drove back to my sisters to return the car and played with the kids for a while. Still not sure what kind of bike I’ll be riding over the next few weeks or if I need a car to drive around in.
23c and Rain

Day 1

Feb 13th 2012

The day started at work at 7.15 am in Oliver, BC, Canada with 8 hours of work finishing at 3.15pm. At 8.15pm I boarded a flight from Kelowna to Vancouver at which point, I discovered that I my Visa to work in Canada had been accepted which was a huge relief as I was expecting upwards to 8 weeks on getting approval. This was a huge weight off my shoulders. At 11.40pm I started a flight from Vancouver to Sydney, Australia. I arrived in Australia at 9.10am Thursday the 15^th which is equal to 3 pm on the 14^th of February Canadian time. After arriving in Sydney, I had a 5 hour layover at the Sydney Airport whilst I waited for my 3 pm Australian time (9pm CAD time) flight to Albury. At 4 pm Aust time, I had finally reached my destination. I awoke at 6am February 13^th and finally got to bed at 4am February the 15^th. I was able to get 4-5 hours of restless sleep in and out of watching Friends.
Pilot said Albury was 30c.

Air Canada

The past week has been a little stressful, Yes i am flying, No i am not flying, Yes i am flying, No i am not flying and eventually, i am flying. Earlier in the week, news broke that Baggage handlers would go on strike starting March 12 at 12.01am which was to be the day before my flight to Australia. Word was that even if they did go on strike, Air Canada would do its best to keep flights on time and active. I was a little nervous about whether or not my flight would take off at all.
Next came news that Air Canada would lock out its pilots if they did not accept an agreement which was also to occur March 12 at 12.01am, so even if the baggage handlers didn't strike, there may have not been any pilots to fly anyway. This one had me more worried then the strike notice but in the end, the Canadian Government stepped in and declared that any strike order or lockout could not take place. So once again, i am flying.

Todays Riding Conditions

What Happens Next

So I was unable to get an entry into the Granfondo in July here in Penticton, I could still enter but i am not that interested in paying $200 for something that i could do for free, so at the moment, that looks like it is on the backburner. I will still aim to ride 160 km that day like i had planned, just not in a big bunch like that at the Granfondo.

The next two months are the most important of the year for me, they are the lead up to my summer in Canada. They can either make or break my year. These two months are very important as they are Base Phase 2 and 3 which is all about building my aerobic endurance for me to be able to ride longer and faster at the same intensity. I am really hoping to improve on my Base Phase 1 which i only trained 16 hours out of the planned 34 hours which is less then half of the required training time.

I have two weeks left before i leave for Australia, where the weather is warmer at this time of year. I will hopefully have a bike that i can train on while there which will be great. If i am unable to find a job while there for the 5 weeks, i will have nothing but time to just ride and enjoy the warmth (well warmer then here, it's currently snowing here in Penticton). I arrive in Australia right in the middle of my biggest week in Base Phase 2 in which i require 11 hours of training time, this could put a dent in my training. I figure that i will be out of commission for at least 3 or 4 days (I lose one day in the time zone change, one day for travel and probably one or two days to get use to time zone change). My arrival back to Canada is right in the middle of a rest week which is perfect timing, i only need 5 and a half hours that week.

Well stay tuned, hopefully in two months time you'll be reading about how well my time was spent in Australia and that i am fitter then i have ever been. That's what this is all about, to make sure my health is improved due to my high blood pressure condition and to give 110% to see how far i can push my body to be the best athlete i can be.

2012 is going to be a great year!

Tom Cruise

A list of my Top 10 Favorite Tom Cruise Movies, in order of Favoritism.
Only ones i have seen are on this list.

Top Gun
The Last Samurai
A Few Good Men
Knight and Day
The Firm
Mission Impossible
War of the Worlds
Minority report
Collateral
Days of Thunder



#top10 #favorites

Dogs and Cats

A dog thinks: Hey, these people I live with feed me, love me, provide me with a nice warm, dry house, pet me, and take good care of me ... They must be gods!

A cat thinks: Hey, these people I live with feed me, love me, provide me with a nice warm, dry house, pet me, and take good care of me ... I must be a god!

Not so Smart Phone

I think my smartphone is broken. I keep pressing the Home button, but I'm still working.

Base Phase 1 Review

So the year is flying by with a review of base phase 1 already, it only feels like a few days ago that i was talking about working hard in my prep phase. Well, Base Phase 1 is nearly done with, just the rest week this week coming up, then Base Phase 2 will start.
Basically, BP1 started quite slowly with the weather being cold and work, i wasn't able to get out for as many hours as i would have liked.
Week 1- I completed 4 hours and 12 minutes.
Week 2- 7 hours and 47 minutes
Week 3- 5 hours and 11 minutes.

Week 1 was a little slow but things started picking up with week 2 and 3. Almost 8 hours on week 2 was a pretty good week of training including a race on Sunday at the Peachland 5km February Freezeup. At the race i personal best my time for 5km with a time in the 24minute range. I was feeling fairly happy with myself and wanted to keep the momentum going. Looking back, i should have had a day or two off after the race to let the body recover.

Week 3 started out well after the race with a few good long rides with a total of 5 hours of riding in two days. The week was looking like it was going to be one, well in the excess of 10 hours but nope, my body said no. Had i taken a day or two off after the race, maybe i could have allowed my bodies immune system to be a little stronger to fight off a cold that i ended up getting. So Week 3 ended up being only two days long with the rest of the week being spent laying in bed.

Week 4 has started off as the previous week finished but at least earlier today i was able to get out for a walk. Hopefully by the end of the week i can start getting out for a run or two which will allow me to start Next week, Base Phase 2, with a BANG and get in a good solid week. There will be no testing at the end of this week which i had actually planned for the end of the week but i will cautiously avoid the testing because of the cold and finish the week with basic aerobic work. Instead i will use the race from end of week 2 as a benchmark for future fitness especially the 5km run.

Homer Simpson Quotes

A list of my top 10 Favorite quotes from Homer Simpson. Reading this list, you will probably get an idea of my sense of humour.

1. Bart, with $10,000, we'd be millionaires! We could buy all kinds of useful things like...love! 
2. I'm normally not a praying man, but if you're up there, please save me Superman.  
3. Son, if you really want something in this life, you have to work for it. Now quiet! They're about to announce the lottery numbers. 
4. Lisa, if you don't like your job you don't strike. You just go in every day and do it really half-assed. That's the American way. 
5. I'm going to the back seat of my car, with the woman I love, and I won't be back for ten minutes!
6. I want to share something with you: The three little sentences that will get you through life. Number 1: Cover for me. Number 2: Oh, good idea, Boss! Number 3: It was like that when I got here. 
7. How is education supposed to make me feel smarter? Besides, every time I learn something new, it pushes some old stuff out of my brain. Remember when I took that home winemaking course, and I forgot how to drive? 
8. That's it! You people have stood in my way long enough. I'm going to clown college!  
9. Beer: The cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems. 
10. I'm in no condition to drive...wait! I shouldn't listen to myself, I'm drunk! 

10 Favorite Sports Teams

These are teams that i will nearly always tend to favor when watching a game involving the teams below. They are in no particular order.

• North Melbourne Kangaroos (AFL)
• Vancouver Canucks (NHL)
• Greenbay Packers (NFL)
• Australian Cricket Team
• Los Angeles Lakers (NBA)
• Culcairn Cricket Club (Local Cricket)
• Manly Sea Eagles (NRL)
• Arsenal Football Club
• BC Lions (CFL)
• Penticton Vees (Local Hockey)

Looking out my window

This is more of a "trying to look out my window". This is the view of my car windscreen with snow on it. Not the best view as you can see.

#outmywindow #photos

Out My Window

So yesterday i took a photo looking out the window of a beautiful morning in which the mountains were clearly seen. Today, well, lets just say the weather can change so quickly. You couldn't even see the mountains and the snow was coming down heavy before this photo was taken. The snow plows had already been through at this point as you can see the roads had been "salted" and the traffic had started clearing it up a bit.

Out My Window  If you are wondering what "Out My Window" is all about, it is a bunch of photos that are taken by me of the view looking out my window. I always find it interesting to look back and see what i thought was interesting earlier in my life.

February 15th 2012

Looking out my window.
A view of the street and mountains Looking South from the Living room.
Penticton

Lost Moose Lodge

Took a ride up to the Lost Moose Lodge situated above Penticton. The road from Penticton heads in a vertical direction and just seems to keep on going all the way to the Lodge. I rode this knowing that it was going to be a solid ride and boy, i was not proven wrong. For 8km the road just seems to climb at an average grade of 8% which totals around 2050 ft of climbing. Today this took me roughly 1 and a half hours.
The way down is a lot quicker only taking me 15 minutes which is kind of lucky because my fingers were frozen by the time i got half way down the mountain.
This has been my biggest climb to date (626 metres/ 2050ft). I stopped a few times taking photos so no doubt in the future, i shall surpass the time i did today with a much better time. The mountain bike was the choice for today and it was probably the wise decision because the lower gear ratios allowed me to spin up the mountain rather then grind my way up the mountain like i would have on the road bike.

Strava - Looking for the Moose