BigBlog

Work doesn’t seem to stop lately, but that’s not a bad thing as I have been able to start shooting episodes of a new show I am hosting called ‘Battle Front’.

It’s a Backyard Blitz style show where there are two teams of three people competing against each other. That’s really all I can say right now, other than it begins its TV run in August.

August will be a good time for me as I am looking to take holidays and spend dome time in China for the Olympics.

Even though I don’t want to compete anymore I still follow sport keenly and will enjoy watching what could be a very interesting Games in China, especially within the current political climate.

Speaking of the Olympics, I think the correct decision was made in regards to Nick D’Arcy not being on the team.

In due time Nick will get to tell his side of the story, we might even have him on Wide World of Sports, but for now I think things may have run their course and it would be best for everyone, including the swim team, to move on.

I recently shot a new commercial for Uncle Tobys and it’s a bit more grown up than the one I shot years ago when I was swimming through a house.

This weekend I will be up in Sydney and in the pool at the iconic Icebergs on Sunday.

The Nelune Foundation (who raise money for cancer research) is hosting the day where we will be competing in relays and each team gets an Olympian.

I haven’t trained at all and think I might be in for a toweling with the likes of Libby Trickett, Sophie Edington and Duncan Armstrong competing. It will more than likely be freezing, but as it’s for a good cause I don’t mind.

I’m also looking forward to heading to the Royal Children’s Hospital on Tuesday to brighten up the days of some sick kids.

Giaan

It’s been full on fun and games over the last few weeks, with barely a second to spare, however I do have some interesting stories from my time on the road for Getaway.

The most memorable being my trip to Singleton to cover the Australian Wife Carrying Championships.

We showed up with the cameras and met Anthony, the man who had agreed to be my faux husband for the event. He was a big guy, around 6’6” in the old scale, but his first question which he said with a dismayed look on his face was a sheepish.

“You’re a bit taller than I thought you would be. I don’t usually ask a woman this, but how much do you weigh?”

Was I taken aback? Slightly. Did it matter? Not really.

Anthony had won the event before and explained his previous partner was a bit smaller, but we surveyed the course and decided we would do reasonably well.

The course was 220 metres long with obstacles and it was compulsory for me to put a helmet on as we encountered hurdles, haystacks, limbo poles and a pool (in my element there).

The pool was the final obstacle and was about 10 feet long and 4 feet deep. The adrenalin kicked in and we charged around the course, until Anthony threw me in the pool, which proved to be the correct tactic as we cruised to victory by two seconds.

The new problem was the winners received an all expenses paid trip to Finland for the World Championships and Getaway had told me I couldn’t go. As we got up on stage to accept our trophy the official asked Anthony if his real wife (who was pregnant) would let him go. She said yes, he said yes, but I had to say no.

From there I did a couple of accommodation stories and headed to Sydney for the Golden Slipper where I once again did my dough backing Von Costa De Hero straight out.

I was also able to host my first live edition of Wide World of Sports with Kenny Sutcliffe. It was all new to me as I had never used an autocue before but I got through it with no on air gaffes.

Back up to Sydney then for a trip down Darlinghurst Road from the infamous Kings Cross the trendy Potts Point. I found the best restaurant/café there and recommend you check out Fratelli Paradiso. They bake all their own croissants, bread and brioche and the food at all times of the day is some of the best I have ever had!

The last stop on my three week jaunt was the Logies and I can honestly say I would rather get on the blocks than go on the red carpet. I’ve never been taught how to pose and felt a little like a deer in the headlights.

If it wasn’t for all the effort my designer Manuel and Moore put into my dress I would have slipped in a side entrance. The whole Logies experience is quite tiring. The day starts at 1 and finishes at midnight and then there are the after parties (which I didn’t attend this year).

As for the fashion I loved Natalie Bassingthwaite’s dress. It was a beautiful yellow and as for the battle of the models I liked Jennifer Hawkins’ dress more than I did Megan Gale’s. Having said that either of those two could wear a potato sack and look stunning.

I also loved Sophie Falkiner’s dress and of course my own!

There wasn’t too much gossip, but I have to say I felt sorry for Sam Newman being booed, no one deserves that. There were a few people making Todd McKenney jokes and Hamish and Andy were very funny all night long.

Giaan

What an Olympic Trials we had. There were so many great swims and all the world records which were broken made my job a whole lot easier. Interviewing swimmers who have just broken a world record is a lot easier than interviewing someone who hasn’t gone as well as expected.

As I said there were a lot of great performances, especially those of Stephanie Rice and Eamon Sullivan. However for mine the best performance came from Libby Trickett.

Libby’s records were milestones. She became the first woman under 53 seconds for the 100 metres freestyle and also the first woman under 24 seconds for the 50 metres freestyle.

The unfortunate incident with Nick D’Arcy after the trials was what it was and it’s up to the AOC to decide what to do with him in regards to it.

One thing I don’t agree with is any pressure being placed on the athletes to boycott the Beijing Olympics.

I am very fortunate that during my career I never had to deal with anything like this, but I believe politics should be left to politicians and not Olympic athletes.

There is obviously a problem in Tibet with China but to ask athletes to give up on something they have trained their whole lives for is in my opinion not fair as it could be their only chance for Olympic glory.

The other problem is the Olympics have reached the stage where they are so big that only the biggest cities in the world can afford to, or are capable of, holding them.

Outside of all things swimming I have been keeping busy with my presenting roles I spent a good deal of last week in Canberra filming at the National Museum focusing on the 100 Years of League exhibit with Andrew Johns.

It was a pleasure to watch some of the footage with Andrew, especially that of the Knights two grand final victories which he was able to tell some really interesting stories about.

I then filmed the ‘Tour de Kids’ bike ride. It’s forty businessmen cycling from Albury to Sydney raising money for the Starlight Foundation and thus far they have raised over $600,000.

It’s a huge effort and I wonder how they were feeling because I was saddle sore after just one day on the bike.

I then headed to the races at Canterbury on Saturday. Ranvet Stakes day seemed to be a huge hit. I think it was mostly due to the good weather and hopefully it will stay that way until the Golden Slipper in two weeks time.

I’m doing a photo shoot with my mum later today for Women’s Weekly and very much looking forward to it.

Giaan

This is my first blog in a long time, but not to worry I will be making them more regular from now on. I have been so busy with work and travel that I have barely had time to catch my breath.

I’ll start off where I left it and that was my Christmas holiday to the USA. It really was a winter wonderland for Christmas and I had a great time.

From the moment I was home it was back to work reading the weather on Today and on to Getaway projects after that stint finished – more on that later.

This weekend Channel 9 brings back a weekend staple The Wide World of Sports. Ken Sutcliffe is hosting the program again and I have been lucky enough to be named one of the co-hosts and get to be the co-host for this, the first weekend.

I believe we are keeping the classic clip where the gymnast runs into the vault for the show’s intro.

I have wrapped up a story on the new Speedo suit our swimmers will be wearing this year at the Olympic Trials and in Beijing. I think the usual suspects will come to the fore in the trials, but as always there will be a few up-and-comers attempting to steal the show. It will also be interesting to see who takes Jodie Henry’s spot.

I don’t understand why she would pull out five weeks before the trials. Anything can happen in five weeks and it should be enough time to attempt to overcome an injury. If it were me, when I was competing I would be trying anything to get to the Olympics.

Still on the sporting front I was happy to see my team St Kilda win the NAB Cup. Hopefully it means the boys are in for a big season and Nick Riewoldt is a great choice for captain.

Getaway has seen me have quite a few adventures so far this year. I’ve done everything from driving The Great Ocean Road and doing a women’s walking tour there – which was absolutely beautiful, to travelling to Old Melbourne Jail and Geelong Water Park.

However the best trip so far was to Thailand, Laos and Cambodia.

Laos is beautiful and what I would imagine Vietnam was like before it became a tourist destination.

In Thailand we travelled to the Golden Triangle and then on to Cambodia where the crew and I visited the Sien Riep temple. If it was in the west we probably wouldn’t be able to step foot in the temple. But in Cambodia we did. Along with the other 6000 tourists who visit it every day.

Make sure you catch me on The Wide World of Sports - Giaan

I’ve been a lady of leisure for the past week, but holidays officially come around at the end of this week when I head off to Utah, and that means I am going to miss my little dog Lester.

He is always waiting at the door for me when I get home and we are always genuinely happy to see each other. It’s that unconditional love from your pet which makes me honestly believe that everyone should have one. From Lester I get 100% adulation all of the time, no matter whether I am happy or sad he doesn’t care if it’s wet and miserable either as he will always go for a walk..

Lester is actually my first dog and I got him from the Lort Smith Animal Shelter who do a great job of looking after and finding homes for animals. He turns two in May and is finally starting to break out of his puppy phase which means I can tire him out a bit quicker

If you want to get a pet for Christmas please make sure you are ready for the responsibility as so many get left behind at this time of year. There are a couple of places you can visit to find or talk about a potential pet: http://www.lortsmith.com/
or http://community.trading-post.com.au/pets/

Aside from Lester I always had cats growing up and until recently had Megs as well, but I have always been into animals. I would be the one who would bring home a stray duckling, or nurse a hurt bird back to health at home, not to mention invite bluetongue lizards into the living room via a meat trail as a child.

I’m also a horse lover, and would love nothing more than to have a farm full of horses I can ride around on all day, but the chances of that actually happening are pretty remote, so I am going to have to rely on my experiences of going to the races and polo, which I recently attended. It makes for a pretty interesting day out, particularly if you have good company and take a picnic basket.

I guess this will be my last blog for a while before I ‘get away’ to the States and then later get ready to head off for Getaway to Cambodia, Laos and Thailand, so have a happy and safe Christmas.

Giaan