Wednesday - Monday, February 1 - 6 2012 (diary)

As I may have mentioned before in this Blog : since I have decided that Darwin is my permanent home, I feel more stable here and, amongst other things, am in a better postilion to contribute to the local community.

In my case that means bridge, bridge and more bridge.
In October last year I started monthly bridge lessons for Intermediate players who wish to improve and learn more.
The language of bridge is continuously evolving and there are always new aspects (especially of bidding) to learn about and pass on to others.

These monthly sessions have become popular as well as beneficial and also have a social aspect, as we have a joint lunch at the Casuarina Club (which hosts the event) before the lesson starts.

I am also starting another Bridge Course for Beginners, which is scheduled to commence on Saturday February 18.
The participants these days tend to be older than the students I used to teach in the 1970s, 80s and 90s, and require different teaching techniques which I very much enjoy creating and testing out.

On a very different topic : about 15 years or so ago I badly hurt my left upper leg or hip, by being smashed by a huge dumper wave in the Mooloolaba surf. I could hardly move my left leg for several weeks after the incident, but over time it recovered to a degree. I always prefer to let natural healing take its course and although not 100% as it was before in moveability the leg has been quite OK for the last several years.
Last Wednesday I slightly twisted it and as a result woke up next day in considerable pain, hardly able to move around.

It has been very painful for quite a few days, but now a week later, it has almost returned back to normal. However it leaves me with a reminder that things like this can happen now and then. Hopefully not however when I am doing my walks in Europe later this year.

Tuesday - Friday, February 7 - 10 2012 (diary)

According to a TV documentary I watched some time ago, the first colours which were perceived by living organisms (in the sea) were the primary colours blue and yellow, distinguishing night from day by means of the blue sky and yellow sun. Later in the evolution process green and red were added.

When I was a young boy my favourite colour was yellow. I painted the walls in my bedroom canary yellow, except for a green rectangular area of the wall against which my bed stood.   Later on my preference shifted to blue, especially inspired by my longing for the (in Holland oh so rare) sunny days and blue skies in summer.

I am sure this colour preference, which I shared with those archaic sea organisms a few billion of years ago, played a significant role in deciding to leave Holland at the earliest opportunity (after completing my studies and National service) and move to Australia (in 1965), where indeed I did find what I had been longing for all those early years.

But, undoubtedly induced by growing up in the woods of Martinshof, the colour green has always been a strong subconscious contender. No wonder as it is the secondary colour mixing blue with yellow.

These days I enjoy all three. Sunny days and blue skies, surrounded by meticulously maintain green lawns complemented by green mango trees and bushes accentuated (year round) by splashes of bright red flowers. In terms of colours, my life could not be better.