Exercise Is Bad For Your Health...

I've been here for almost a week now and I'm still waking up at around 4am and struggling to get back to sleep. So today I decided a run was in order to help put me off to sleep tonight.

I set off up the street and it wasn't long before I saw a beautiful white parrot with a big yellow plume on its head. "I'm in paradise!" I said to myself as I kept on going. It wasn't long before I got to the nature reserve that is behind our house with this sign (see right) at the gate. I shrugged it off and told myself they'd all be behind fences out of the way.

As I jogged along the path I saw a group of kanagroos a few hundred metres off in the distance to my left. There was a fence running along both sides of the path so I assumed (!) all was safe. It wasn't until I rounded the corner to the left that I saw that these roos (check out my local lingo) we not behind the fense, but rather right in the middle of the path.  I stopped and we stared at each other in a scene straight out of a Clint Eastwood western. Apparently I don't look too intimidating 'cos one of them decided to have a go and came bounding towards me. It was around about this point that I wet myself and turned and ran. But did Mr Roo stop his pursuit? NNNOOOOOOOO!!!!

Now I know that you all back home are giggling to youselves about what I wuss I am. But you should know that the cuddly image we have of kangaroos is no reality. We've heard stories about how they punch, but yesterday I was told about how they have big claws on their hind legs! Apparently they hold you with their arms and then hack at you with their hind claws. Just recently a 9yr old boy was slashed down to his belly button! The only thing that saved his life was the fact that he was wearing a leather belt!

So I ran as fast as my little legs could carry me. I kept looking over my shoulder only to see that he wasn't gonna give up easily. Eventually he decided I wasn't worth it and I decided I'm never going for another run again!