Commonwealth Games
07 May 2006
The Commonwealth Games was held in Melbourne in mid-March. Australia seems to be the only country that takes this really seriously, but there were teams from 71 countries representing a third of the world's population. Like the Sydney Olympics in 2000, there was a lot of cynicism in the press beforehand about whether the event was properly organized, but once it got started everyone seemed to enjoy it and it went very well.
Jay and I went to the opening ceremony. Though his sister says I can't hold a camera still (and wonders if I have Parkinsonism), I thought I got a pretty good hand-held shot of the crowd in the dark. We all had flashing lights to turn on at a particular moment in the ceremony. The Queen was there and she sat opposite us across the ground but she didn't wave. The fireworks were quite spectacular and we were lucky to have a view of the tall buildings in the city which also had fireworks set off from the roofs.
There were also fireworks along the Yarra river which we saw on the scoreboards. We went down to the river during the day and had a look at the 71 metal fish (one representing each country) which had been put along the middle of the river. It was pretty weird. In the distance you can see the stadium.
With my parents we went to the first day of the track and field competition. When I bought the seats I didn't get any indication of where they would be and we were right near the back of the top tier of the stands. The organizers seemed to have a quite disproportionate fear of a terrorist attack and so there were metal detectors and bag searches for everyone on the way into the stadium. I suspect that the Commonwealth Games were not even on Al-Quaeda's radar.
In April we had Kelvan, a friend from San Francisco, staying with us as he visited Australia and New Guinea. Port Moresby seemed like an odd holiday destination, but he had a good time there and it certainly wasn't the average sun and surf holiday. While he was in Melbourne we visited the Twelve Apostles, as I had with Kristina who stayed last year, and also the Fairy Penguin parade at Phillip Island. In Melbourne we went to the Pissaro exhibition at the National Gallery and this picture was taken outside. For a future holiday destination more out-of-the-way than New Guinea, I suggested North Sentinel Island.
At Easter my sister invited my mother to go with her to the Canberra Folk Festival. They had a great time and my mother said it was "like going back to the 70s". While she was away I was to look after Saxon. To make this feasible, Jay and I took him to the beach house at Sorrento for five days. A friend from Sydney, Jim, came to visit while we were there and he got on well with Saxon too.
As it was the start of Autumn, the weather was not really beach weather. The dog didn't mind swimming in the cold water, but I did nothing more than wading to throw the ball in the water for him. It was a nice break away from the city and I got to catch up on my reading of medical journals and watching DVDs and revise my skills at lighting a wood heater.
Sorrento is on a peninsula and has beaches facing both Port Phillip Bay, which are quiet sandy beaches with sailboats, and facing Bass Strait, which are rough surf beaches with sandstone cliffs. There is a National Park which includes the ocean beaches and has walking tracks. Here Jim and Jay are facing into the sunset with the ocean beaches behind them.
At work I played host to two visitors from Thailand, Dr Pathomporn and Nurse Anaesthetist Patcharin, who asked us to call them "Fon" and "Lek". They came to observe our neuroanaesthesia practices, particularly carotid endarterectomy done awake with regional anaesthesia. Here I am receiving a thank you gift from Lek. Looking at this picture I realize that we both look really tired even considering I have a cold. I think I should try getting to bed earlier.
Next on our agenda as the days grow short is organizing to escape to North Queensland next month to visit the rainforest and Great Barrier Reef and see some sun.
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Jay and I went to the opening ceremony. Though his sister says I can't hold a camera still (and wonders if I have Parkinsonism), I thought I got a pretty good hand-held shot of the crowd in the dark. We all had flashing lights to turn on at a particular moment in the ceremony. The Queen was there and she sat opposite us across the ground but she didn't wave. The fireworks were quite spectacular and we were lucky to have a view of the tall buildings in the city which also had fireworks set off from the roofs.
There were also fireworks along the Yarra river which we saw on the scoreboards. We went down to the river during the day and had a look at the 71 metal fish (one representing each country) which had been put along the middle of the river. It was pretty weird. In the distance you can see the stadium.
With my parents we went to the first day of the track and field competition. When I bought the seats I didn't get any indication of where they would be and we were right near the back of the top tier of the stands. The organizers seemed to have a quite disproportionate fear of a terrorist attack and so there were metal detectors and bag searches for everyone on the way into the stadium. I suspect that the Commonwealth Games were not even on Al-Quaeda's radar.
In April we had Kelvan, a friend from San Francisco, staying with us as he visited Australia and New Guinea. Port Moresby seemed like an odd holiday destination, but he had a good time there and it certainly wasn't the average sun and surf holiday. While he was in Melbourne we visited the Twelve Apostles, as I had with Kristina who stayed last year, and also the Fairy Penguin parade at Phillip Island. In Melbourne we went to the Pissaro exhibition at the National Gallery and this picture was taken outside. For a future holiday destination more out-of-the-way than New Guinea, I suggested North Sentinel Island.
At Easter my sister invited my mother to go with her to the Canberra Folk Festival. They had a great time and my mother said it was "like going back to the 70s". While she was away I was to look after Saxon. To make this feasible, Jay and I took him to the beach house at Sorrento for five days. A friend from Sydney, Jim, came to visit while we were there and he got on well with Saxon too.
As it was the start of Autumn, the weather was not really beach weather. The dog didn't mind swimming in the cold water, but I did nothing more than wading to throw the ball in the water for him. It was a nice break away from the city and I got to catch up on my reading of medical journals and watching DVDs and revise my skills at lighting a wood heater.
Sorrento is on a peninsula and has beaches facing both Port Phillip Bay, which are quiet sandy beaches with sailboats, and facing Bass Strait, which are rough surf beaches with sandstone cliffs. There is a National Park which includes the ocean beaches and has walking tracks. Here Jim and Jay are facing into the sunset with the ocean beaches behind them.
At work I played host to two visitors from Thailand, Dr Pathomporn and Nurse Anaesthetist Patcharin, who asked us to call them "Fon" and "Lek". They came to observe our neuroanaesthesia practices, particularly carotid endarterectomy done awake with regional anaesthesia. Here I am receiving a thank you gift from Lek. Looking at this picture I realize that we both look really tired even considering I have a cold. I think I should try getting to bed earlier.
Next on our agenda as the days grow short is organizing to escape to North Queensland next month to visit the rainforest and Great Barrier Reef and see some sun.
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