Getting Closer

 The driveway has been poured so only a few weeks to go before our neighbours secure the keys and finally return!

Half a Century!

Andy gracefully made 50! He really didn’t want to admit it. Anyway being on a Monday with school, work and afterschool activities and sport it was a busy day. We did surprise Andy when he returned home.

Ella cooked his favourite meal - Beef Wellington and I’d cooked a baked cheesecake the day before.

The next day we had donuts delivered to work.

And we ended the week at Inari a really nice Japanese restaurant.

As for presents Andy has his sights set on a cross country ski tour either in Switzerland or Japan….

Gotcha

Finally Covid caught up with me! After a week at work, I was feeling like rubbish and took myself to bed early and without dinner. Had a terrible nights sleep and woke up feeling even worse the next morning. As many of the ACT Schools team had tested positive during the week, I decided to take a rat test and it lit up like a Christmas tree! Bugger. I did not emerge from my bed for the next few days. I was sicker than I’d been for a very long time! 

As for the rest of the household, Katy was also sick but never tested positive; Ella was fine and Andy still managed to evade dreaded lurgy despite sleeping in the same bed.

It took me a few weeks to mostly recover and another few to fully recover!

Meanwhile, I was not allowed to lift a finger. It was interesting to watch the rest of the family pick up the slack! Ella loved pressure washing the deck! What a fun and rewarding exercise! The deck was then promptly oiled the next day by Andy!

And a few days later the table and chairs were also cleaned and then oiled. We decided the pressure washer is a great tool and I think it might go on the wish list.

Flourishing

 Back home and checking out the garden. Fruit and vege growing well - potatoes sprouted, multiple heads of broccoli and cauliflower although it was almost going to seed; lots of nectarines, cherries and plums plus a few flowers on the raspberries.

 

The seedlings planted prior to the WA trip have survived and have begun to grow!

Last Event for the Kambarang Carnival

Held at Christchurch and MLC, two private schools adjacent to each other on the shores of the Swan River. Dad came out to watch which was great and the arena and course setting allowed for good spectating.

 

Courses were tricky in places, catching many runners out. Katy had a good run finishing just outside of the medals in 4th. Ella was 18th only 3 mins down on the winner. Andy’s calf held up and he snagged third!

 

Final night was spent with the grandparents. Everyone was fairly exhausted from the week of travel and competition. The next morning we only had time to get up, eat breakfast and pack before heading to the airport for our flight home.

 

Warming Up

The WA sun certainly shone at the Australian Orienteering Long Distance Champs. So much so that when the organisers realised the forecast was for mid 30's they moved the start times forward an hour to avoid the baking midday heat! A wise decision.

Today's competition was at Avon Valley (Quarry Road). An area we know well. It was first used in the 1988 National Orienteering Championships. Andy and I both ran in the 14A class. He came 2nd while I managed a win!

Katy and Ella both placed 10th in their age groups. For the W14 girls, ACT took out 1st (Sanda) and 3rd places (Mira) and in the W16A cousin Mia had a solid run to come in 3rd!

Andy took out the M50A and I walked around W45AS to come 4th. Cath managed to walk in a straighter line than I did, placing 2nd!

From the event we made a beeline to the beach to cool off and our evening was completed with a visit to a local brewery to celebrate a friend’s dad’s birthday. Nice night out.

Other Bits of Perth

When there was no orienteering, we swam at the beach every morning followed by coffee. Andy spent time at UWA working. I soaked up the Perth environs! We had numerous dinners out -  with my parents and their friends;  with friends and their parents and with just friends!! It was all very relaxing without our girls!

Meanwhile the girls spent their rest day riding around Rotto making friends with quokkas!

And back in Canberra Indi was kept entertained and worn out at Nadine and Sean's!

Relay Triumph and Fun

Cath and I were out early on Frazzle - for our 'turning on some units' walk. It was a nice morning traversing the large rock slabs and soaking in the views!

As far as I can tell, the ASOC relays is the best day for the girls. Crazy hair styles are embraced; zinc painted on in a variety of patterns and the general vibe is fantastic! Team morale was sky high.

 

 

Grandad made the drive out to the event and was treated to a fantastic arena and excellent course setting. With open farmland and a spectator control, we could see teams several times making for exciting watching.

Ella was in a team with Mia and Aoife. Mia ran first, followed by Ella and brought home by Aoife. Mia came in having a strong run; Ella had a great run catching a few minutes on several teams only to make a small mistake near the end resulting in them getting past her; Aoife kept her cool and ran well managing to keep ahead of the the other states. The girls finished 6th overall and made it onto the podium as 3rd Aussie state team.

Katy ran with Mira and Ari. In their team, Ari ran the first leg and came in hot on the heels of the NSW team. Katy was second leg. She had a solid run with a small mistake that allowed three other girls to sneak past. Mira pull the team up with a good run. The girls finished 3rd outright and 1st Aussie state team!

And to finish off a long day, the night culminated with the presentation dinner with Owen, Ari and Hayden named in the Australian schools honours team. Following the dinner was the much anticipated disco. The ACT team theme this year was pirates. Again from the whispers we heard it was a fun evening.