IMAD Blog

My road to the Geriatric Olympics Or reflections on diet, exercise and lifestyle change I have always exercised considerably but the benefits of my exertions have been overshadowed by overeating and a poor diet. My Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) in the latter part of 2025 was a wakeup call, and my response has been as follows. Food   Following the professional advice of a dietician, Emma Nassif, I proceeded with a low GI and high protein diet and lost 3.4 Kilos in 28 days. And I’ve lost a further 3+ kilos in the 2 months since. I feel a lot better, although I’ve had to get a new wardrobe, and especially as my vital medical numbers have vastly improved: my blood sugar numbers in particular have been trending down. The way I’m going according to my endocrinologist I may be off Insulin injections by mid-2026. Best of all I enjoy the food on offer and don’t miss I overindulged in. Portion control is also ok and I’ve reduced coffee to smaller cups. Plan is to continue losing wei...

  Communion with Carmel My birthname was Calogero, but you Carmel in your primary school wisdom decided to Anglicise it to Colin. Colin, I have been in all documents, in education, military service and to everyone who has known me. although at home I was Coli. Ausie ausie ausie oi oi oi. Food and Travel Carmel you were a Master Chef in which Carmel’s Restaurant Ruled. You instinctively knew how to tantalise the taste buds and whip up a feast at a moment’s notice. Hemingway titled his 20s Paris memoir A Moveable Feast, and so it was for you at home and your travels abroad. Many can attest to your hospitality and culinary delights. Music Carmel you could hold a note in any choir or operetta. In the annual Messiah concerts your Hallelujah was more Handel than Leonard Cohen. Must confess I loved Leonard Cohen’s version. Friends Carmel your friendships were wide and enduring, and you worked at them and were admired for your efforts. They somehow fitted into your busy schedule...

  A review of my history of fitness. I have always invested considerable time in my fitness. My health watch provides a wealth of data, as far as I can determine, for only 90 days but going back to my high school and uni days I have strived to be fit. As a teenager I was passionate about skin /  SCUBA diving and achieved an A Class Diving certificate which apart from the theory involved 10 free dives to 10 metres (an atmosphere) in 10 minutes. No problem. At the University of Western Australia, we regularly played underwater hockey which far exceeds water polo in effort. See google for details. Back in those days I was able to swim the length of an Olympic Pool, wearing fins, with deep breaths at the start. I was a pool attendant at the Beatty Park Aquatic Centre which hosted the Commonwealth Game. In those days I automatically bounded up stairs and walls of over a metre in height. I was also a daily gym junkie and played squash. I also gained a lifesaving certificate which ...

  Dusk  https://photos.app.goo.gl/ xpHH4hSurXGUcx7b8 Mouse over for video.

  Milpa system  Basics of Agroforestry.

  Back entrance and fish tank. Setting up office. The set up from the entrance. Building a fish tank for better humidity and charm.