Winter sports

In the past two days Callum and Declan have had a huge learning curve on winter sports. Yesterday we all had a go at ice-skating. Callum and Declan both made it round the rink twice, the second time, in both cases, with a reasonable proportion without holding onto the side.

And then today, much more successfully, Uncle Bob gave them a two-hour ski lesson (just the two of them and the instructor). By the end of it, they both successfully skied all the way down the length of the Kinderslope without falling over. More promisingly, they were both very, very keen to do it all again, even though their trousers were wet from all times they had tumbled down.

Their German instructor Florian, (with excellent English) was very good with them, being appropriately strict when they fell over and argued with each other. Declan had a tendency to lose focus when he thought he had mastered something, and Callum when he was frustrated, but both could be snapped back by a Germanic "concentrate".

Cold

Beijing has been very very cold. We expected it, but it doesn't make it any less startling to experience it. Callum and Declan have been adding an extra layer each day as their experience convinces them to take the cold a bit more seriously.

Until today, when the day was a balmy zero degrees with no wind.

Declan started shedding clothes at a rapid rate. For a while, he was carrying both his hoody and his ski jacket, while complaining about how hot he still was. It's a welcome return to the Declan we're all familiar with, the one who refuses to wear anything but shorts, even in a Sydney winter.

Callum has been more phlegmatic, although he has been eagerly practicing wrapping his scarf around his face so that you can only see his eyes.


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Location:Tongfu Jiadao,Beijing,China

Chopsticks again

Declan has introduced us to a new game that is all the rage in Year 2 St Cammeray. It is called chopsticks, and seems appropriate that we are playing it frequently whenever we are waiting in queues here.

It involves the fingers from each hand. You hold out one finger from each hand. Each person takes it in turns to tap the other person's hand. They have to add the number of fingers you tapped them with to the number of fingers they are holding out. When you are holding out five or more, that hand is out of play. There are a few complexities, involving swapping fingers between hands, and getting hands back into play, which mean that if you know what you are doing, you can make the game last forever.

Declan is apparently famous, he tells us, for the longest games at Cammeray. He is very good at it. None of us has managed to beat him, and he's beaten all of us quite a few times.


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Location:Chopsticks again

Chopsticks

Now that we are in Beijing, there are no longer forks available instead of chopsticks. So everyone is using chopsticks for real, now.

Callum and Declan have, as usual, learned how to use them differently. Callum spent quite a lot of time in Singapore practicing, gradually getting better. Declan watched with interest as Evan gave him demonstration after demonstration in Singapore, and refused to practice.

Now that we are in Beijing, Declan seems just as capable as Callum. He really doesn't like not doing things well.

Both of them managed to pick up a pine nut with their chopsticks last night, and eat it. The fact that they ate it was the most amazing part.

Swimming improvements

In our hotel in Singapore, there is a nice big pool - probably 20 meters long and quite wide. It is 3.45 m at the deep end. On our first day, we asked Declan to show us what he'd learned at his 2 weeks of swimming lessons before we left. He was a bit scared of the deep end at first, but now he will happily swim a lap of the pool freestyle whenever he is asked.

He's also learned a very useful skill, which is back sculling, so that whenever he gets a bit tired and out of his depth, he can take a rest.

Now both boys are learning how to swim underwater as far as possible.

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Noodles without soy sauce

Last night for dinner we went in search of something a bit local, but after eating non stop for eight hours on an airplane, not too much.

We ended up in the local food court, where we got noodles and chicken for each of us. So far, so acceptable. The noodles were covered in soy sauce, though. Callum decided that he had to wash his noodles in the chicken soup that came with the noodles. Declan persevered for longer, but when he got close to the bottom, declared that he didn't like soy sauce much and revues to eat any more.

They both loved the noodles, though, so there is a chance that we will find something more acceptable tonight when everyone is slightly less exhausted.


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Excitement

The grandparents and uncles have been farewelled, the last day of school is over, a final pizza has been eaten.

Callum and Declan are lying in bed trying unsuccessfully to get to sleep.

Callum: is there any thing special happening tomorrow Declan?

Declan: can't think of anything unless you count TRAVELLING AROUND THE WORLD

School farewells

The last few weeks of term 4 tend to wind down, so we didn't feel too guilty about taking Callum and Declan out before term actually ended.

Declan had two weeks of swimming lessons, which he enjoyed immensely, despite it being pouring with rain at least half the time.

Callum got a day of surf ed (learning about rips and waves, etc) which he had fun at, despite the pool where they had to prove they could swim being very cold.

Declan's class gave him a lovely card and a special lunch to farewell him. Callum restricted himself to telling everyone he could think of his email and blog address so that they would be able to keep in touch with him overseas.