Anyone remember the president of the Melbourne chapter of the Ferals?? This postcard is from Chris.

Hi All - Johanna and Neil first?

I thought that it would be appropriate to provide a quick update - now that we've been gone since April 2007!

Melbourne is going well, albeit with a gaping hole in my Saturday afternoons now that i dont have the feral runs to go to on the hill. Kate is still working the Police (much to my dismay) and i am still with the eng. consulting firm so i guess on that front we have been doing well. We are playing touch once a week down here which is great fun. Problem is, the temperature doesn't get above 35 degrees, so you don't get that dry - roasted feeling we onced cherised in Griffith. I am running a fair bit and swimming. they have these new inventions called a 50m pool down here, so that has been fun doing laps in.

I've even got Kate into adventure racing - when hansie and i raced our team name was 'BFAM: brothers from another mother'. Kate and i race under the name 'Lovers from another mother' but it doesn't get the same laughs.

I was busted doing the melbourne marathon again by Theresa, Arun and i heard Glenys was out there also. It was great to see some familiar faces out there on the war path. i ran in 3:35:06 this year which is 7 minutes quicker than last year and the conditions were pretty bad (hot) so i am really happy with my time.

We keep in regular contact with Hansie - He is in PNG and working as a coffee trader. He comes back to Austrlia every couple of months and we make him bring duty free grog and free coffee, so it's a relationship i'm keen to keep going. Rumor has it that he is meeting up with some girl he knew at Uni in South Africa when he comes back to Australia - i'm sure he's happy that i am telling everyone about it.

I have attached some pics from Melbourne Marathon and one of kate and myself overseas in June/July.

speak soon & keep running

One from Janet

Postcard from Vanilla Lilly

Regular Joggers may recall that in the coming Hotfoot competition we run on the new Vanilla Lilly track, across to Dom's Dilemma. Well now is a good time to go there and find out why it is called Vanilla Lilly.

The vanilla lilies are just now coming into flower along the track. The photo will help you locate one. Find one, cup the leaves and flower in your have and sniff. You will get the beautiful vanilla aroma.

If there are enough out, the aroma will be in the air!

Neil

Hello Ferals,

With the recent rise of China to the world stage (The Olympics), as well as that bloke from America that won a couple of medals in the pool, I feel that something must be done to ensure we can always compete.

The Choppings have therefore created the ultimate athlete…………Nicholas Ryan Chopping.

Although weighing in at 7 ½ pounds this little tacker has the blood lines of a champion. Measuring in at 49cm and with the head circumference the size of a small country look out who ever is hosting the 2016 games.

Nicholas will be competing in various sports, and has already shown great ability in the….spit the dummy stakes, as well as my pants are very, very dirty, All of which show his true fighting spirits.

The cheer squad have been doing well themselves. Mum still feels a little fragile (funny that you feel that way after abdominal surgery a spinal block and other related drugs [please don’t tell the Olympic committee as I am pretty sure she would fail the drug test]). Damian as usual……doesn’t seem to give a toss, and is far more interested in mum’s left overs and…….lols. Dad is becoming a little horse, from spruiking.

Beijing was good……..London will no doubt be forgotten, however look out 2016 (and Mr Phelps) as Nicholas will be nearing his prime at the ripe age of 8.

Please don’t reply to this email, as my typing ability is the equivalent of Damian’s (and it is far easier to call). However if you would like to sponsor any of the Chopping’s towards 2016 please by all means drop a line. Also can I say thanks to the first sponsor the Australian government who have chipped in $5K to start the ball rolling (they know a winner win they see one).

Cheers,

Ben Chopping

We arrived at the Sheaf not long after the lead pack, and in time for our fourth refreshment of the day. We joined the one or two locals on the footpath to watch the seventy thousand go by, and soon found our numbers swollen by runners dropping in for one or two before heading off to Bondi … although I'm not sure the "City to Sheaf" team at the next table were planning on Bondi.

The place got rowdy when the Smurfs arrived and were in no hurry to leave, and when the Storm Troopers arrived ten minutes later a roar went up and it looked as if there was going to be a battle of galactic proportions.

Racing shoes slapped the pavement. The band played on. Fairies danced by. The last few walkers dawdled past. Two police cars swept an empty road. Peace prevailed.

From Belli in response to an email exhortation to attend an Aquathon as part of a New Year's Resolution: