A New Year - A New Start

Gold Coast: sunshine and surf with my mum

A new year, a new start and how better to kick things off than switching from - 5 degrees C and skiing in Austria to + 42 degrees C and surfing in Australia! Ok really this was actually a much bigger transition than I had first thought when I made the plan, 50 degrees is a massive temperature switch. But a fantastic week living on the beach and exploring the Gold Coast with my mum and sister at a family friends amazing wedding helped ease the crazy temperature and lifestyle switch.

An amazing wedding by the beach.
Louise is maid of honour for her childhood best friend Christina

Christina and Anthony tie the knot

Louise, Mum and Me

A lovely beach lunch

Louise and Mum enjoying a walk in the sand

Then some quality time in Sydney and the Blue Mountains with my Mum, Dave, Pete and Jez fully cleared the jet lag and settled me back into life in Oz.

Sydney Opera House with Mum

The Blue Mountains with Mum

Enjoying the stunning views with Jez 

Beach Closed!?!

Playing in the waves with our own lifeguard team watching

Night sets over the opera house

Stunning views of the city at night

Soon enough though playtime was over as my mum left to head back to Russia's -23 Degree C (a 65 degree C!!! temperate switch) and snow in St Petersburg and I stayed with the lads in Oz with a plan to start training in the sun. Distracted slightly by amazing beaches, a beautiful city, outdoor movies, Sydney Olympic park, coastal walks, playgrounds, water fountains, inflatable stone henge bouncy castles, mountain biking, roller blading, ice skating, swimming... the list goes on. And a crazy amount of heat, did I mention it got to 42 degrees C, and sun. Training didn't quite kicked off as planned, but with 3 months left out here i'm not too worried as I know that I will soon settle into a routine and then the training benefits will come.

Fun times at a bouncy Stone Henge

Dave at the top of the kids playground

I found a fountain

So we had to play in it

In fact, today for the first time since the worlds finals I squeezed back into my Murky Water Slip and had one of the most fun boating sessions I have had for ages. Just playing, not training as such, just throwing the boat around and having fun. I felt so good being back in the boat and i've not forgotten anything which is great. I'm a bit rusty for sure and my feet didn't know what was going on being squash back into the tiny boat again. But I loved it and already can't wait to get back out on the water again.

Loving being back in my boat again

Playing around with some crazy photo angles

Fun times

Squirt Boating is such an awesome sport

Let the training begin :)