People Spotting

 Hi Readers,

This would have to be a record, two posts in a day!!

I told you in my last post that I was pretty bored with a lot of time on my hands, so I need to occupy myself.

For the past few days I have been located in Melbourne in a unit on my own. Each day I have been permitted to visit the nearby hospital for two visits a day for an hour each time, however this has been on hold for the past 5 days due to Covid.

So what does one do when alone in a small unit for a whole day, while at the same time maintaining social distancing?

Luckily I have always been keen on maintaining my fitness, so getting out for long walks and bike rides has been a great way to keep my sanity.

But I have begun to notice a lot of things as I have been out and about, some amusing, and others completely frustrating!! People watching is an amazing thing to do while out exercising, and what I have seen some people do has made me laugh, shake my head, mutter under my breath and just wonder about the stupidity of some!!!

Walking and Running

Back in the day, I was lucky enough to be able to go for long runs regularly, but these days I am fairly restricted due to various injuries and ailments in my legs. (All self inflicted I must confess)

Exercise is long, brisk walks and slow shuffles up and down hills that for some reason doesn't seem to affect me as much.

From where I am in my unit I've been able to bypass the city and head to a track around the Botanical Gardens called 'The Tan', which is 3.8 km long. Just about everyone in Melbourne seems to be there some days, but so am I, so I can't complain.

What I love about this is that you see every type of person exercising, from every age to every shape. I must admit that my exercise gear could do with an upgrade after seeing what some people wear.

I swear, some people must spend hours doing themselves up and coordinating their gear just so they look "right" to do The Tan. And also making sure that they carry the obligatory coffee!!!

As for me, I get by in my faded running shorts and Colbinabbin Football Club singlet, and no doubt get disapproving looks from all the 'Dahlings' who look like they have just stepped off the catwalk!! Plus I'm hot and sweaty. That's not a great look!!!

At least around The Tan there is room to move and overtake, not that I overtake many.

Walking around the streets is another problem.

Rant warning here...Only read on at your own peril!!

Why do:

Groups of people insist on walking 5 abreast on the footpath, and then not making way for anyone to:

(a) Overtake them without needing to step onto the road or collide with oncoming pedestrians.

(b) Walk at a pace while still 5 abreast that makes a sundial shadow look like lightning!!

Why do:

(a) People insist on having their heads down into their phones while walking along the footpath, then act shocked when you just about crash into them, and have to feign an apology. (Well I don't anymore, I just growl at them!!😡)

(b) Have their heads in phones when crossing at lights ? Especially as so many cars and bikes ignore the red lights. They wonder why you bump into them, and also wonder why cars are on their horns as many of these people just step onto crossings regardless of what colour the lights are.

So, pedestrians on phones...Don't get me started!!!!!!

Cycling

Yes, I can hear some of you...Cyclists should be banned, cyclists should pay registration, cyclists should do this/that etc.

As a cyclist I hear what you are saying, as some give the rest of us a bad name.

Even I admit that I'm hardly a supermodel when I don my lycra!!!!

The past few days I have been riding on a designated bike path along the foreshore from Port Melbourne to St Kilda. Adjacent to it is a VERY WIDE PATH for pedestrians.

Why then, do groups of people feel the need to block the bike path, and then have heart attacks when you yell out to them to move out of the way? Or just stepping onto the bike path without looking, and wondering why you nearly crash into them? Or other riders who feel that riding in the wrong lane is acceptable, and that 3 abreast is not a problem?

And cars that suddenly brake in the bike lane to drop off/pick up someone....aaarrgghh!!!!!🤬

One needs to ride with both hands on the brakes just in case of a collision.

My attitude is to accept that person up ahead will step in front of me, or that car will cut me off.

When I got my motorbike license I was told two things that have stuck with me, and that I also adopt when cycling.

(1) Ride like you are invisible.

(2) What can't hit you can't hurt you.

I suppose it just means to accept the worst habits and actions of people in order to stay safe.

I saw a dad riding with 2 young kids down Elizabeth St ( a very busy Melbourne street for the overseas readers) They were about 100m from the intersection and the lights went from Green to Amber. Rather than slow down and stop, he just screamed at his kids to ride harder and go through the intersection. He was about 20m ahead of them, and by the time he entered the intersection the lights were red. Then he screamed for his kids to ride through as well, just as cars were entering. They were terrified and screaming, but got through. I could see all the other pedestrians who witnessed this staring in shock, and wondering how on earth their dad could be so STUPID and how lucky they were to have made it through in the end. Temporary Australians perhaps???

I must admit that I was prompted to write about this after a chat with a good friend from home, Damian Carew who mentioned that now I should know how motorists feel about cyclists!!!! Thanks Kruger!!!!

Rant over.

Sorry about that!!!

I won't be able to go for a ride now for a little while, I need to cool my jets!!!

Incidental Observations...

Now that I've had my rant, let me finish on a good note!

There are just so many things to see and take note of when wandering the streets of Melbourne, especially if you don't live here.

So, in no particular order, some incidental observations that clearly caught my attention...

1. The Tram Man.

I was waiting at a set of lights at a big intersection, with a tram stop nearby.

Picture it. The tram had pulled up, it was looking like it was ready to go. A young bloke across the road came sprinting up to the intersection, clearly trying to catch THAT tram. The lights go red. He looks panicked. He's surely going to miss it. BUT...being the dutiful citizen that he was, he waited for the lights to go green so that he could cross the road (I would have bolted across the red light I'll have to admit 🙄) They go green, he sprints, the tram doors close, he sprints harder. I could feel myself willing him to make it, but the tram starts ever so slowly to move. My heart sank, and so did his as he slowed down.

But so did the tram! And it stopped. And the doors opened! The young man bolted again and got on. The driver deserves a medal for kindness as he could have just as easily kept going. Just watching it happen seemed like it was in slow motion, I was weighing up his chances and possibilities and had a silent fist pump when he actually made it. 

It made me feel good.

2. The Heathy Lady

On my daily hospital visits, I walk past a business with a name that is something like 'Body and Health Creation' or along those lines.

Clearly a business that is devoted to one's health.

On a number of occasions I have seen a lady out the front wearing a lanyard ( could she be a worker there? Who knows, as there are a few businesses in the building) chowing down on a cigarette like there was no tomorrow. And coughing her lungs out as she walked back into the building. It made me look twice, because it was just the complete opposite to what the business represented. I'm not sure I'd go for some 'health creation' after seeing someone on the darts so determinedly. A cloud of smoke and a person who clearly didn't seem to be enjoying what she was doing.

3. Seagull Feast

A few days ago I was walking past Federation Square in Melbourne, and a bloke was carrying around 4-5 buckets of hot chips that were in a bag. Suddenly the bottom of the bag gave way, and the chips went everywhere. Instantly there was a pile of chips on the ground and I (and by the looks of it, many other people) could see the bloke trying to decide whether to try and scoop them up off the ground. Instantly a horde of seagulls invaded and were into them. After a moment of staring blankly at the chips, wondering what to do, he just shrugged his shoulders, bravely reached into the pile to retrieve the by now empty cardboard buckets to put into the bin, and left the seagulls to their feast. I could just feel everyone who witnessed it feeling so sorry for this poor bloke. His look of resignation was clearly palpable.

To rub salt into the wound, an older lady came up with another bucket of chips and emptied her remaining contents onto the ever diminishing pile that this bloke had so involuntarily created.

Picture Linus and his blanket from the Charlie Brown cartoons, this is what the bloke looked like as he walked off.

He looked defeated.

And so too were the people who he was obviously buying the chips for!!

4. Exercise Tracking

Let me point out something from the start.

This is not a paid or unpaid promotion for any app or business. (Not that they would be reading this anyway)

As I'm getting out walking and riding so much at the moment, I like to keep a record of my stats.

Strava is good for this, and it enables you to beat your own efforts, and that of others if you are into competing. 

It's good to look at the maps of where I have been on the bike, especially when I go through and around places and areas I've never been before.

I can follow the progress of other people, and it's just interesting to see what they are doing and where they go for their physical pursuits.

Another record keeper is the Health app on my iphone.

A great way to compare steps for each day (I'm not into steps, I focus on the distance instead) and look at so many ways your efforts are dissected.

Many would argue the accuracy of these apps, but for me it is a relative guide, and just gives extra motivation to keep going.

I'm lucky to be able to get out and exercise, so I'll continue to embrace them.

  My favourite hill to run up and down in the Botanical Gardens. I'm channelling my inner "Forrest Gump" 🚶‍♂️

Getting some good Km's in lately on the hoof!

An example of a Strava recording. The same can be done for just going for a walk.

Me with my trusty new bike, just perfect for the streets of Melbourne.

Well Readers,

Two hits in the one day. Hopefully it won't be a few weeks before the next post!!

Now I'm off for a walk, run and ride. 🚶‍♂️.  🏃‍♂️. 🚴‍♂️

Until my next post,

Cheers 😁

 

Jigsaws !!!

 Hi Readers,

Once again I open up with an apology for not posting for so long, but things have been pretty hectic the last few months in the swank offices of "The Bernard Files"

Due to a family illness, I have needed to take leave from my work as a school teacher for an extended period of time. This has been the case since early August and will continue on for some time.

As a result, I have had a lot of time on my hands at different periods, and being someone who can't sit still at the best of times, I have needed to find ways to occupy myself.

I guess we all have things that we say we are going to do, and I've been lucky to have achieved many of these.

Among them. ...

Run a marathon - Tick. A number of times

Bungee Jump - Tick. What was I thinking???

Overseas travel - Many ticks. Will never forget how lucky I have been, and the places I have seen.

Owning a Jeep - Tick. For some reason I had always wanted one. It was a great car.

Owning a motorbike - Tick. Tick. Onto my 2nd bike. My current bike is just so good to ride, can't see myself parting with it for a long time.

Learn to play the guitar - No tick here. I wasn't patient enough!!

Work in a bank - Tick. I don't know why, but all through my teens that's all I wanted to do. Once I left school I did it for a year and hated it.

Become a teacher - Tick. I must have liked this because I've been doing it for 36 years!!

Complete the Hawaiian Ironman course - No tick. My body wouldn't allow it now anyway!!

So, these are just a few of many things that I have done or have wanted to do. I'd love to hear some of yours!!

As I have been on my own and in some sort of isolation for a while, I am finding other ways to occupy myself.

          Jigsaws

My first task was to complete a 2 000 piece jigsaw that my wife gave me for Christmas in 2020.

I started off like a house on fire and did all the edges first and thought I was the King of Jigsaws. Then I saw the enormity of the task ahead of me and thought "What have i committed myself to??" I then sorted the pieces into containers that I presumed were in similar parts of the picture, trouble was, I needed about 12 containers!!😖

Needless to say, it quietly got placed under the couch "for another day". That day came about 10 months later when I found myself at home alone quite a lot and needed to kill time.

I must say at this point that the jigsaw was a map of the world, and as I have always wanted to travel, this has special meaning to me as I just love looking at world maps. We even have one in our lounge room.

After biting the bullet and pulling it out again, I set it up on our dining room table (rendering it unusable for quite a few weeks!!)

I was surprised at how addictive it was to work on it. What I think really motivated me was that I was rediscovering memories from places that Jenny (my wife) had been, and where our boys had been on their travels. It was not uncommon for me to do "just a few more pieces" before I went to bed, only to find myself still at it 2 hours later. I couldn't believe how quickly time flew when I was working on it. Even just walking past it would tempt me to add just a few pieces, and next minute I have been at it for more than an hour!!!

There was the challenge of actually getting it done, coupled with testing my own knowledge of where specific places were in the world. There was one piece in particular that I was 100% convinced belonged in Australia, only to figure out a few weeks later that it was part of Madagascar!!! 

And I'll confess that I cheated a little by using Google Maps from time to time to get an idea where certain pieces belong !!

So, here are some shots I took along the way.

Pay close attention to the last photo, and if you can, leave a one word comment about what you would say if this happened to you.

The problem is still in the unsolved basket 🤬!!

I was hesitant about doing this jigsaw, but absolutely loved it.

Two more jigsaws have been purchased showing places where Jen and I have travelled and are among our favourite places ever.

 In the beginning...

Just starting to find where the continents are.

Getting the "easier" parts done, not that there were many !

Getting the land done, avoiding the ocean !

    Bit, by bit...

I

By now I was beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel !

 I had been avoiding the ocean for obvious reasons !!

                                    Nearly there !! By now I was trying just about every piece                                      for each spot.

The finished product !!!     Almost 😡 🤬

. I'm saving them for when she rejoins me soon and we will have lots of time on our hands to use up. Also, just the discussions with her as we complete them will no doubt rekindle even more memories of our trips away.

Well Readers,

I had originally planned to write about something completely different, but once I got started on the jigsaw story... well, you can see what happens!!

Would love to hear some of your own stories, please feel free to comment.

Until my next post (that was meant to be this one! )

Cheers 😁

Bother!! The BEST Maths Game!!

 Bother!!  The BEST maths game!!

I realise that on my last post I said that I was not going to focus on maths tasks here, but this one is too good to share as it has so much background to it.

Like all good activities, how they are introduced often mean how well they will be received by the kids.

I had been playing this game long before I was even married (33 years ago!) after being introduced to it by my now wife.

I'll admit that I am a terrible person to introduce new games to, and my wife knew this, so she obviously had the knack and technique to get me hooked! 

It was simply a card game that she assured me would be so quick to learn, and once done, I would be hooked.

Well, this was red rag to a bull, because I was then determined to not get hooked, only because she said I would!!!

Without stating the obvious, she got me instantly.

From the first hand (which I clearly lost!!) I was on a mission to eventually beat her, and this took quite some time. Not only was I hooked, but I was having fun, and totally oblivious to the wealth of learning that was happening at the same time.

You'll see that this game is called 'Bother', and we could both see how beneficial it could be in the classroom, as we are both teachers.

However, it wasn't introduced to me as 'Bother' because that is what you say whenever you lose a good card. But the original name is actually 'S#%T' !!! I guess you can make out what the original name was!!

We knew that the game would be great at school, but we'd have no jobs if we introduced it under the original name, hence, 'Bother'.

I still have a giggle inside whenever I hear the kids playing it, as one can often hear the original name being uttered each time a good card is lost in the game!!!

This year I have gone back to teaching a class full time after 11 years in other roles, and each morning before school I drop everything and play maths games with the kids for 30 minutes before the day starts.

I always leave the choice of games up to them, and more often than not this is the one game they always go for.

It's not rare to see me playing with 5-6 other kids, and often the kids will play as pairs, meaning that there could be up to 14 players involved at times. Add to that the number of kids who just love to watch.

We even get kids from other classes coming in, such is the fun we have playing games such as these.

The playing of games before school has so many advantages.

Not just the learning, but the socialisation and bonding that comes as a result. Some kids are nervous in the mornings as they may be introverted and just need that safety barrier or level of support. This gives them somewhere to be in a supportive and non threatening environment. For those who struggle with maths, it gives them a place to be where there is "maths without the maths" as I like to call it.

I was convinced of the value and success of this approach when the kids were becoming keener to come into the classroom each morning and were waiting at the door for the moment for it to be opened. Once in, they would unpack as quickly as possible and come and join a game.

Unfortunately, I have had to take leave since August due to a family illness, and I'm not able to be involved in these morning games, but I know the kids continue to play them.

Proof of the success of them is when I see them playing them at every opportunity, and when their parents let me know that the kids are teaching these games at home.

So, if you'd like to have a crack at 'Bother' ( or 'S%#T') go to the site listed below, or just go through the QR code to my YouTube channel.

mathsconnection.com.au

So Readers,

Until my next post,

Cheers!!

 Take Time To Smell The Roses!!!

Hi Readers 

After many years on this Blog waffling on about the mediocre things I have been up to, I made a decision to switch direction and add things that I am doing with my maths work.

A problem.

I really like writing in my blog about my mundane experiences, and my new approach wasn't enabling me to do this.

If anything, if you want to see my maths stuff, just go to my website at

https://www.mathsconnection.com.au/

Or click on this QR code to go to my YouTube channel where there are over 100 maths games and clips.

I finally realised that I was just putting the same information in two different places!!!

So, hopefully I am back on track and now putting you to sleep with my babbling!!! 😴 😴

Today I took some time out to "smell the roses"

Not the roses in our backyard, but to actually get out and enjoy all that this beautiful day has to offer.

But first, some background.

Due to an illness in my family, I have been away from work for a few months, and this will continue for some time.  I don't necessarily have a lot of extra time on my hands, but I do have time to dedicate to my various websites while I am at home.

Today, while I had a brief window, I decided to go for a quick ride on my motorbike (didn't Freddy Mercury sing a line about this??) and just enjoy the peace that this gives me.

I hadn't been on the bike for quite a few days due to the weather, but today was perfect.

One thing that really struck me were the smells that I was noticing as I travelled through the various parts of the city I live in. 

Was it the open face helmet? Was it just coincidence? Were my senses heightened today? Was I being paranoid with my hayfever? Who knows!!!!

All I know is that as I rode around, I noticed one particular smell, then another, then another. This heightened my awareness and next thing you know I'm trying to be as aware as I can about what smells would be in each locality.

And it wasn't just the smells. It was the fact that each smell took me back to various parts of my life. They took me back in time to various experiences and memories, good, bad and anywhere in between.

As I became more aware of this I was keener to ride to different places and see what eventuates.

Also, before I went out, I had decided that I needed to begin writing on my blog again, but I didn't really have a solid idea about what to write on.

How ironic that my sense of smell jumped in and saved the day!!!

So, here are a few snaps of where I went and what they reminded me of.

I'm sure you've had similar experiences, and if so, I'd absolutely love it if you could add these in the comments box. Be totally anonymous, I don't mind, I kind of think you might actually enjoy doing it!!

I was riding past the lake in Bendigo when the warm smell of the water and weeds floated up to me. Instant memories of so many times as a child and an adult going swimming in dams, creeks, rivers and irrigation channels in the country town I grew up in.

These days we are so super cautious about where we would let our kids swim, and even I would be hesitant to let them swim in some of the places my brothers and friends swam in. Nowadays it looks just too dangerous, and the things we did??? Just ridiculously stupid!!!! How we ever made it out of our teens is anyone's guess!!

Anyway, it was always fun. Some summers were so hot we were constantly in and out of the water. There was a pool in our town, but that was the last place we would go to for a swim!!

I remember doing my early swimming lessons in this pool, and the water was the same as the water in the channel nearby. A floodgate was opened to fill the pool, and then closed when the pool was full. Not uncommon to find leeches, yabbies and sometimes small fish in the water.

The best thing was that you could let your feet touch the ground and the instructor would never know as you could not see in the water!! But just about everyone in our town was a good swimmer, so something worked!!

There was something comforting about the smell of this dark water, evoking memories of jumping off bridges just before trains travelled over them, leaping from trees hanging over the water, or just sitting in water to escape the heat.

As we grew older, our pushbikes were replaced by cars and speedboats, and picnics became camping expeditions, bbq's, fishing and yabbying. (Overseas readers, Yabbies are like small crayfish. Lovely to eat!!)

Yet the constant throughout all of this was the smell of the water, the mud and the vegetation that grew in and around the water. I don't know if smells have a temperature, but when I say "It smelt warm" like today, it is the most accurate way that I can explain it.

Needless to say, I am not as much a beach person as I am a fresh water person. My wife is the opposite, as she grew up by the beach. 

I could go on and on about this initial smell that caught my nose while on the bike today, but you would nod off before too long.

Do any of you relate to this????

And now for another smell ( and another token photo with my bike!!) 

Actually, I couldn't leave the bike out, as it is as much a part of the story and my recollections as the smells that I encountered.

The bike is my absolute relaxation, and where I go to clear my mind. There is something about riding it that is too hard to explain to someone who would not understand.

An old school friend who is a fellow bike rider once told me, "The ride that you don't take is the ride you will regret". I never understood that at first, but as soon as I started taking rides for enjoyment, rather than just to get me to and from work, I totally got it.

So, what was on the nose here??

It was a football ground near our home, and the grass had just been mown. Once again, it just smelt 'warm'.

Instant memories of the freshly mown football ground when I was a kid at Colbinabbin, a township of around 150 when we lived there. When the oval was mown, the sprinklers were often turned on soon afterwards, and as kids we would tear around like headless chooks getting knocked over by the powerful sprays. Throwing clumps of warm, wet grass clippings that just stuck to you, then trying to find the safest way to get the sprinklers to wash you clean, without getting hurt in the process.

Of course, we would get into a bit of strife if we were ever caught mucking around with the sprinklers, but that was just part of the process.

The other memory was that as the water began to sit on the surface before soaking through, it enabled us to treat it like a massive slippery slide, as we could run up and dive onto our stomachs, bottoms or backs and skid along the wet, warm, slippery surface. The more accomplished kids could do it upright on their feet.

And as always, it was the smell. The smell of fun. Also the smell of our sport, as we all played sport in our town, and the football oval was the centre of everything.

And finally, the smell of the bush just near our house. This was a total mix of smells. A recent fire had the wiff of ash still wafting through the area, also the aroma of wet areas from recent rains. Add to this the once again 'warm' smell as the day was starting to heat up a little.

There is something about the smells generated from the local bush. My primary school years were spent at a school surrounded by thick bush. 

Even though the nuns forbade us from jumping the fence and playing in the bush, it never stopped us. It was just the best playground ever. Cubby huts were plentiful, hiding spots were guarded secretly, and just about everyone had their first kiss (or pash!!) in one of the many areas designated to be ideal for such memorable occasions!!!

There was even a dam tucked away in the bush near our school, forever known as 'The Claydam'. In the really hot times, we would skoot off to the Claydam during lunch ( but would have to be super quick as it was quite a trek). There would be lots of throwing rocks and whatever into the water, and even some bouts of skinnydipping were par for the course!!! We had to be super careful doing this, not because of a fear of drowning, but due to the fact we did not want to have to explain to our teachers when we got back why we had such wet hair!!!

Can you imagine it now if kids nicked off from school in the lunch break and went swimming in local waterholes???

No-one ever drowned, and I think the worst thing that ever happened was when someone stole your shorts or undies and wouldn't give them back, or threw them up a tree. Climbing a tree with no pants on can be problematic!!!!

Just writing this, I can smell that water, and the intense smell of the eucalypts on those ever so hot days.

Words cannot explain enough how much this 30 minute ride today has had an impact on me, and the memories that just came flooding back. I just must have been in a receptive mood!!

Also, I have always enjoyed this writing, and don't care if 1 or 1000 people read it, as it is very relaxing and calming.

I was just looking back through previous posts, and at one stage for a few months I was getting nearly 600 readers a day. I never knew where they were from, or why they were reading it so regularly, but for some reason they dropped off over a short period of time.

Maybe I wrote something that upset them? Maybe they just got too bored? They eventually fell asleep? All of the above??

I got around 50 the other day all of a sudden, so I hope if you were one of them, you found something that interested you, bored you, angered you, whatever! As long as it gave you some sort of response.

I tell my kids in my class when they are writing, to always prepare for an audience that they could be surprised by. I certainly have been, and I hope once again to re-commit to being more consistent and regular in my posting in the next few months, as I know I will be in a situation to do so.

So, until my next post,

Cheers 😁

 Maths For Mums and Dads ...Subtraction

As parents, we are often unsure how to do maths the way our kids are taught.

We were often taught a different way.

Who hasn't had the stress of trying to help their kids with maths homework!!!

Hopefully, this will help you understand how it is taught now, enabling you to have more stress free moments working together.

For this and loads of other FREE resources, Click on the QR code, or visit any of the links.

Maths Connection https://www.mathsconnection.com.au/

YouTube https://youtu.be/Nur39BIQdx4

 Direct Instruction...With Fun!!

Do you do subtraction and addition differently to your children?
Ever wondered how to do it?
Learn how to do it in a fun way, without the tension!!
Strategies and sequence for using direct instruction in a fun and engaging manner.

Or just click on the QR code for even more videos.

Get Connected!!

 Get Connected !!

Another fun way to learn your Number Facts.
Use your skills with games like 'Connect Four' to try and get 4 counters in a row as you predict the outcomes of rolling a pair of dice, or picking up two playing cards.
Easily modified to suit all ages.

OR

Click on the QR code.

 Remainders Race

Remainders Race

This is another fun way to hopefully develop your number facts.
At the same time, learn different ways to divide numbers and identify counting patterns.
For this, and loads of other FREE activities, go to
https://youtu.be/WmhMCFpEz5o
Or scan the QR code for direct access.

 Part, Part, Whole

Explore strategies to solve number problems.
Discover ways to use subtraction to solve addition problems, and vice versa.
All activities can be easily adapted to suit different ages and abilities.

Find this game, and lots more at

Give and Take !!

 A fun way to develop your number facts, using multiplication and subtraction together.

Be the first to get 4 or 5 in a row, get rid of all your counters, you decide how to win!! Easily adapted to suit all ages.