Splash 'n Dash

It has been over 35*C all week so it was time to return to the beach.  This time it was Rockingham beach and why not throw in a splash 'n dash hosted by the local Tri club.  A great group of laidback yet completely athletic Aussies.  The husband of the husband and wife team who run the junior program was born in Windsor.  We were warmly  welcomed to come down on the Friday afternoon and take part.  The juniors went first and then the "vets/masters". 

We have to figure out a way to get some of these informal things set up in Canada.  If only we did not have winter and a few more ocean beaches.  With better planning, we would have brought dinner supplies as this beach has barbeques as well.  As it stood we made a a quick drive into town and picked up the ubiquitous fish 'n chips with some calamari on the side.  Home by 8:30 so Liam and I could watch the replay of the Footy match.

Beach Days

Whether it is a Friday night after a week of work or a lazy Sunday afternoon in Perth it is almost always a good day for the Beach.
On Friday evening Meaghan and I headed to Swanbourne beach for a barbeque with some friends.  At mnay beaches and parks they have public barbeques for people to use.  They also have extremely civilized open beer laws.
Swanbourne had a surf that breaks right onto the beach so it was high level body surfing in about 1- 2m of surf.  The most spectacular part of evening at the beach is watching the sunset over the Indian Ocean.

On Sunday it was South of  Perth to visit Coogee Beach.  This was highlighted by interaction with sea creatures.  Starfish which the kids held onto and then returned to the ocean floor, and then jellyfish.

There were three kinds of jellyfish- the clear innocent ones, the big ugly brown ones and the bluish stinging ones ( minor - no Survivorman cures required).  The kids picked these things up as well.  We are getting comfortable with the family friendly beaches- it may be time to seek out the surfing beaches!

Faster, Higher, Stronger in Little A

I made it close to three weeks without talking about the track and field down under.  And like many other things, I have to give it rave reviews.  The program is known as Little Athletics and is entirely designed and motivated by the idea of fun for kids.   Most Fridays or Saturdays during their summer at 15 -18 centre sites there is a track meet, with 4 or 5 events for each age group.  Our centre is  on a grass track at a great venue and it is organized by parents and volunteers.

 Both Liam and Meaghan have met great friends through it in only three weeks.  Last Saturday, Liam won his 200m heat and wrapped an Aussie flag around himself  afterwards.  Meaghan ran in a Canada shirt as it is our club colours (and Highland's I might add) and set a big PB in the 800m.  Both had great jumps as well and are working on their throws.
It gets my mind racing on how to bring this idea to Hamilton.  I am thinking of a revival of Mcmaster's old twilight series, once a month through the outdoor season.  The track is being redone at Mac and if done right it could become a family night like it is in Perth.

This Aussie is 11

Our first celebration of the year was Meaghan's birthday.  It was a little tough not having friends and extended family around, but the grandparents still managed to spoil her from half the world away (its in their DNA). We met a couple of other exchange families the day before at the beach (a regular Sunday excursion now).  The kids are going to a beach volleyball clinic on Wednesdays and we though a little training in 40km winds would be in order.  More importantly, no new sunburns.

While Diana and Meaghan made a cake, Liam and I took in the Perth Glory's last home soccer match of the season.  The home team went down to defeat 2-1, but it was a great little venue to watch the sport.
The next day we took her out to a burger joint for dinner.  Mark Sabourin- thank you for letting us know about the urban spoon.  We looked up kid friendly restaurants in Perth and found V- Burger; everything freshly made with all natural ingredients.  The guy behind the register was from Vancouver and gave Liam a thumbs up for his Canucks cap.
When my "full blooded Aussie" burger came, I thought I was auditioning for Man vs. Food.  It came with back bacon, chedder, an egg, barbeque sauce, beetroot(a veggie for show) and it was massive (see accompanying photo).  Add in some fried calamari and fries and everything was awesome.

King's Park

When we have asked about  sites of Perth almost everyone mentions King's Park.  So that sounded like a good idea for a Saturday afternoon.

It is spectacular, not just this enormous park, but the views overlooking the Swan River help explain how beautiful this city is.  As you saunter through the botanical gardens, looking at the plants of Western Australia, you get an idea of how different this environment is from Good old Ontario.  Peppermint trees, whose leaves actually smell like peppermint and the Boab tree that is the plant world's camel.  And I have to get back to the views of the River- awesome.

School Days, School Days, Good Old Fashioned Rule Days

Much to all of our dismay we are here for school, not just vacation.  For the kids it means going to a brand new beautiful campus at Wattle Grove Primary.  And it means uniforms!  As luck would have it their school colours have not changed- green and gold!

Meaghan is in a 6/7 split and one of the girls from her Little athletics group is in her class.  Liam is in a 4/5 split and has played cricket at every recess this week.  He says he is so bad he is good!
They are both taking Italian, there is no French at the school, and the rest of the kids have been learning since grade one- bit of  a steep learning curve.

I have seven classes, whom I see for one to four sessions a week.  They smallest is the Grade 11 Outdoor Ed Class and my two grade eight classes are the biggest.  All the high schoolers are wearing uniforms as well.  There are 16 buildings on our school grounds and I have managed to find all of my classes without a map.  (I did walk the routes before the kids arrived a few times).
There are a dozen other teachers in the department and they have been tremendously helpful. I can participate in the soccer talk, but I have to get up to speed on the footy banter.  They feel fully confident Aussies would embrace hockey because of the physicality, but the skating thing may be a bit of a challenge.
I have ultimate  and rock climbing tomorrow, so we are going to the beach to practice frisbee!