Nippers Carnival

The four surf lifesaving clubs on Cronulla beach competed in a Nippers Carnival today.
Charlee competed in the ocean swim (a lot farther out than I normally let her go!), surf board ocean race (Charlee drifted away from the pack in the strong surf and had to be pulled into a lifesaver boat - she was too excited about that and didn't worry about not finishing the race!), and sprints and team relay on the beach.


Adam competed in sprints and flags. For "flags", competitors lay on their stomachs 20 m away, facing opposite the flags. The organizers place one or two fewer flags than competitors. When the whistle blows they jump up, sprint to the flags and dive headfirst attempting to capture a flag. Those who capture a flag move on to the next round. Adam did well enough to make it to the finals!

We didn't get home from the Violins until about 11 pm last night and we had to be at the beach at 7:30 this morning. The event lasted till late afternoon but Charlee and Adam hit the wall after about 5 hours of beach fun. Definitely a worthwhile adventure that Charlee and Adam are likely never to experience again!

A Little Canadiana, Eh!

Ruby Violin had her First Communion on Sunday so the Graces and DiNuccis were invited down for the weekend. We could only come for the Saturday gettogether but had a wonderful time playing on the beach, swimming, surfing, eating, drinking, playing monster, and talking equally about Canada and Australia.





Surfer girl Charlee gets a lesson from Phil! Damn kids pick things up much more quickly than adults do!

Heidi received some coaching from Phil and was "hangin' ten" in no time!

We've spent more quality time with the Violins here in Australia than we did back in Oakville and it's sad to think we may not see the them for quite some time. They leave in a couple of weeks for Christmas in Canada and return in January just as we're about to head back. We've already told them we'll be back to their beach house in a years time! Thanks for another great time Liz and Vic - you have a wonderful family!