Narangba Community

It is bright, it is colourful, it is technicolour and reversible. This is my latest creative piece and I think I need to do more creative and less practical and safe items. I want fun but a pair of khaki green shorts isn’t really fun, and is more practical then creative.

I went into spotlight a while ago and came across this bright stripy material on the specials table. I just couldn’t walk past it as it was light and breezy, perfect for summer clothes. I wanted to make something with a hood to be worn in summer, or a pair of pants, or something that would scream out and gather attention (though most likely to be worn at home), but then I panicked a little and decided it needed toning down, something which was still bright and would bring joy but could also be plain.

I raided my stash and came up with some tan gaberdine material. It was perfect. I had bought it to make shorts for my husband many years ago but never done that. And when I ran out of material I was able to source more from spotlight.

The pattern itself was a dress pattern I had bought many years previously. It was a wrap dress and the first, and only, time I had made it I was unhappy with how it turned out. It looked more like a bathrobe then a dress. So, I partnered it up with a hood, skipped any buttons, clips, etc and made it into a jacket. It is still not flattering but now it looks how I imagined and will fit me for quite a while.

I doubt I will use that pattern again. And, yay to creativity no matter how bright it is.

It was a good day to be out and running through the Australian bush, along dirt trails. The day started with light cloud cover, giving false promises of a cool and even temperatured day. It wasn’t long upon arriving that the clouds decided to dissipate, and with that the humidity rose. It was still pleasant however, it just meant you sweated a little more.

Today I ran with my 4 girls, which was an interesting experience in itself. One was super eager to run and took off as soon as the gun went off. Fortunately the track was really well marked and there was no need for her to heed my instructions should she get lost. She did fine and apparently arrived in before the first 10k runner (we were doing the 5k). The others stayed with me on strict instructions not to get out of my sight. My eldest, who has had a break from running, struggled under the humidity, heat and hills. Possibly also the fact she didn’t eat breakfast beforehand either. She made it around and for that I am proud of her. My youngest two did well and quite often I would send them ahead to the ‘next white ribbon’ at which they would get a little break and sometimes a sip of water. The ribbons were about 50m apart.

All of my girls did well on this run, especially considering the level of training they have had recently, which hasn’t been a lot. I think it has also given them a taste for these types of races. We came dead last in the 5k but we completed it and the girls got extra claps from the spectators for completing it all.

Ask them what the best bit was, and they will surely say it was the bbq brunch and pool afterwards. Ask me, and I will say it was the atmosphere, especially since everyone was a winner and everyone was accounted for.

I must give a shout out to the organisers of this event – TRAQ – Not only are they friendly and helpful, their volunteers are the same, and when my 10yr old won a bottle of wine in the random draw prizes, they were only too happy to exchange it for a block of chocolate. So thanks heaps for a wonderful event

Pictures to come once the photographer gets home from shooting it.

Happy New Year

Goodbye to the old year and hello to the new year of 2012.

This past year has been one of ups and downs. Life has been a struggle but also a blessing.

This past year

- I saw my grandfather pass away

- financial struggles as we continue to learn to live on a salary (it was a blessing also as we could finally budget knowing what our income would be)

- I had to stop running due to an injury of overuse and bad shoe inserts

- conflict in our street, which now seems to be resolved

- weekends away with friends doing something I would never have done before

- a house move at the beginning of the year

- nutrition studies done and finished with the best possible score (99% on one and 100% on another). I now want to continue this line of study, though it will have to wait

- progress in my dyslexic daughters school work

- the offer of a traineeship for my eldest daughter

- and lots more.

I am glad the year happened as I feel that I have learned much from it. I feel that it has given me direction for next year, and the coming years. I feel that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, that I won’t always be stuck doing this, that I can achieve, but that life will still suck some times and pull me down, but I can get back up and keep going. I have friends, I have family, I have God, I have somewhere to live and food on the table.

I have taken a lot of photos in 2011 in all sorts of genres. Around 80,000 or so. I have chosen some of my favourites from each month and showcased them here. I hope to improve my skills and widen my repertoire next year.

January 2011

February 2011

March 2011

April 2011

May 2011

June 2011

July 2011

August 2011

September 2011

October 2011

November 2011

December 2011

This vide is a good watch to get some really creative juices flowing - imagination drives innovation and invention.

It has been a week of ups and downs, exciting stuff and mundane stuff.

I have had the opportunity to spend some of it with some awesome kids (young and old), some awesome friends (young at heart) and my own awesome family.

Saturday saw my family descend upon another and for those few hours I got to walk in the shoes of a single mother of 8 kids. I now appreciate more how hard it is. I still had a good time though.

Sunday

Church and a reassuring word for our pastor

Monday

We splashed about in a freshwater creek before heading out on a rewarding bread run (we got prawns and chatted with new friends)

Tuesday

A relaxing day at home

Wednesday

A full on day spent with friends, swimming lessons and family

Thursday

Spent with my gorgeous and intelligent niece, and a walk around the large block (5km), in the rain, with my hubby. We talked!

Friday

The laptop had an accident but still works fortunately, then I had fun with a dear friend, no kids and a shopping centre

Tomorrow and Sunday

more friends, and gorgeous kids, and I am looking forward to it

I asked my 12yr old (nearly 13 as she would remind me) daughter to draw a couple of pictures of mums on the run. This is what she came up with.

I could see these on a shirt somewhere

My knees hurt, I need to loose weight and I am tired.

I hate complaining, but we all do it, and sometimes it even stops us from getting out and running. I know it stops me and that is why I have given myself a challenge, well, more of a lifestyle change. I am giving myself until Christmas to change a few things, get ready for the new year and form some good habits.

There are stretches, and exercises, that I can do to strengthen my knees and legs. This should take away a lot of the knee pain.

There are diet habits which can be changed, and will be easy since we are in the time of the year when salads and fresh fruit are plentiful (and my garden is blooming), so loosing weight and still enjoying food shouldn’t be a problem. This will help all three complaints to disappear.

I have started planning a daily exercise regimen which will include a variety of exercises (strength, aerobic, stretches). I have made it easy to achieve and simple enough that my girls (7yrs through to 15yrs) should be able to replicate in their lives. It is only short so time shouldn’t be a problem, and it can always be expanded as I get fitter, stronger and healthier.

I want to be able to do more and not be held back by injuries, so I need to start now, not later. There will be no New Years resolutions from me. Next year is already starting for me and I am setting small, achievable goals which will hopefully rub off on the rest of the family also.

How do you get past the complaints?

It's just over a month till Christmas, so that is only about 3 weeks of school left (for us anyhow, or at least until I have had enough). Had a good morning of exercises with the younger two and it got me thinking..If I can do something, whether it be stretches, aerobic, or muscle toning, I can/could do something every day, and if I can make it till Christmas then I should have some good habits going. Hopefully by the new year I will be able to start back strong and ready to go (next year is already a busy year)

Some links and resources about how to improve your use of Windows 7 and understand more about cloud options with Windows tools and server technology.

• Getting the most from Windows 7 - Microsoft Technet article with lots of links
• Optimising Windows 7 Across the Enterprise - a good read for system administrators and architects
• Windows Tweaking and Optimization: Myths and Reality - this is great stuff - main tip - uninstall crap you don't use!
• The Cloud on your terms - a 30 part series
• Screencast - building a private cloud - 3 part series
• Windows, iPad and Android - Managing and Using Your Office Assets in a Tablet World - a 6 part series

Windows 7 is definitely the most advanced OS Microsoft has produced to date. Slicker than Vista. less memory hungry and smaller install footprint as well. Way more secure than XP and more efficient user of memory, it also takes great advantage of GPU memory (in video cards).

Windows 8 is coming and it is a huge step up from Windows 7. It will feature touchscreen tablet like screen layouts (similar to the Windows Phone touch screen objects, and will allow metro style apps to be developed and displayed anywhere you like on your screens.

Here are some news items, links and videos etc. for you to preview.

Improvements in Windows Explorer in Windows 8

Previewing Windows 8

Download the Windows 8 Developer Preview

A preview of Windows Live for Windows 8

From Jeff Alexanders Tech Net email.

Lots of good how tos and information on the Windows 7 phone how to page also.

Easier sharing, smarter applications and a better web - Mango is here!
Friday, 21 October 2011

Hi there,

Hello and welcome to another edition of the Australian TechNet Flash. This edition is all about Windows Phone and the recently released Windows Phone 7.5 Update that has just come out. First up what’s this update all about?

The good news is Windows Phone 7.5, codenamed Mango, is now available to Windows Phone 7 users in Australia! If you haven’t already been prompted for the update you will very soon. This latest update improves on the existing OS and adds over 500 new features to better connect you with people, applications and the web.

Some of my favourite features released in the mango update include:

• Groups - Organise your employees or work colleagues into a single group to quickly and easily email, text or chat with a whole group at once. You can also pin this group to your Start Screen and you'll be notified with any missed calls, new messages and even social networking updates from the group members.
• Outlook Mobile - Outlook Mobile on Windows Phone now also supports tasks and conversation view to offer an enhanced email experience on the go.
• People Hub - The addition of Twitter and LinkedIn to the people hub so you can now get your feeds from all your favourite social media sites.
• SharePoint Workspace Mobile - Makes it easier to collaborate with your coworkers when you're away from the office.
• Internet Explorer 9 - Harnessing the power of your phone's hardware for faster, smoother web browsing.
• My Windows Phone – Check out the new revamped My Windows Phone site and manage your phone on the web, find a lost phone or even reinstall all your applications easily!

These are just some of our favourite features, to learn more about the mango release as well as how to get it click here.

Now on to a personal story regarding this update. I got a chance to use the newly revamped My Windows Phone site and in particular the Find my Phone feature. My wife recently left her Windows Phone in a restaurant after a night out with some friends. Of course she was worried her phone was gone. Well the next morning I logged into the My Windows Phone site with her Windows Live ID. I got a screenshot like the one right.

The above is just an example but what it shows is the GPS built into my wife’s phone showed me where it was which turned out to be the place where she left it. At this point I had 3 options. I could Ring the phone, Erase it or Lock it. I decided to lock it and put a security PIN on it with a message to ring our home number.

Well we went back to the restaurant the next day when they opened and there was the phone locked with the message I put in along with a sad smiley face! A great result. If I did decide to erase the phone, reinstalling apps is much easier with Mango using the App Purchase History which is now part of managing your phone on the web.

Have a good one folks and see you next time!

Jeff Alexander
IT Pro Evangelist
Microsoft Australia
My TechNet Blog | IT Pro Australia Blog | Twitter