Ride across three bridges

This morning we decided we needed a bit of exercise, so we rode all the way to the other end of the Anzac Bridge. Declan was a bit reluctant, which was a combination of lack of fitness and keenness to get back to computer games, but he made it.

Moving rooms

Callum has now spent an hour or so moving into the playroom - and organising his bedside table to his satisfaction.

Declan was less pleased by the idea, but after spending a week on his own last week, is coming around to the idea. I reminded him about the many times they had their own rooms while we were travelling (they used to leap upon the separate rooms with cries of joy) and I think that helped.

Callum and I run across the Harbour Bridge

Callum and I did the 3.5 K run across the Sydney Harbour bridge last weekend. He was very pleased to use his new GPS watch (from Uncles Martin and Kevin) but still feeling the aftereffects of his cold, which is why we did the 3.5K not the 9K.

It was a glorious day, and the race actually started about 100m from our flat, so it was also very handy. You can see the finish video below.

Marathon-Photos.com Blackmores Sydney Running Festival

A room of their own

There comes a time in any family with enough space when the kids get their own room. We've loved the kids sharing but that time is now for us.

Cal spent last week in the playroom / spare room. He had to move out for a couple of days as Bob and Anna are visiting. But on Saturday the room will be formally re-designated 'Callum's Room'.

Callum pennant and debating

Callum received his third School Pennant at A-Day. Given how many good work cards and awards they have to rack up to get one that's it for his primary school career.

He has also been chosen to represent the school at the try-outs for the regional debating team for the NSW debating competition.

School contrasts

By chance we got letters from IGS (who we have not yet formally turned down for Callum) and Mosman High. Both invited us to information mornings and, very nicely, warned us we'd need to pay for things for next year.

IGS: $6000. Mosman: $60.

No surprises in that but it was certainly an in-your-face contrast getting them on the same day.

Sick Declan

Callum was sick enough on Friday morning that we let him stay home from school. It turned out, though, that Declan was the sicker of the two. Evan got the call at lunchtime to pick him up, and it turned out he had a raging ear infection, which was bad enough that the pain was making him vomit.

A course of serious antibiotics and painkillers made Declan somewhat better (albeit fragile) almost immediately, but he is still not right, needing a nap this afternoon, and definitely not able to do any kind of exercise.

He and Evan are planning to do the 3.5k run/walk across the Harbour Bridge tomorrow - we'll have to see if he is up for it.

Weights and measures

In the traditional measuring on their birthday, we measured Callum and Declan. They have each grown a couple of centimetres in the last four months, with Callum now 142.5 cm and Declan 136.5 cm. Callum is now 38.3 kg, and Declan is 32 kg.

Their heights puts them both around the 50th percentile (Callum a bit below, and Declan a bit above) but I'm starting to wonder whether that percentile measurement is out of date, given how short they both seem at school.

Callum turns 11

Callum turned 11 this week, and declared that he didn't feel any different for the experience. He did have a great day, though, playing with the nerf guns and new camera he got from his parents, and anticipating the new computer game he got from his brother.

He had the grandmothers and a representative uncle over for pizza dinner the night after his birthday, and despite not being in the best of health (with a lingering cold and cough), still had a great evening.

Night of Notables

Callum's big project this term has been night of notables. Each Year 6 student picks a notable person, and learns everything they can about them, with the  aim of presenting them on the Night of Notables in a "learning centre". The night starts with a bioriddle - a rhyme about their notable so that all attendees can guess who it is, and then continues with a "learning centre"which each student prepares about their Notable.

Callum, it will surprise no-one, chose Sir Isaac Newton. His learning centre contained a chemistry experiment (representing alchemy), an eyeball on a stick (representing Sir Isaac's experiments sticking things into his own eyeball), a demonstration of gravity, his science video about Newton's three laws, and some handouts.

The handouts were chocolate coins. Unlike most other exhibitors, Callum refused to hand over the loot until his visitors had listened to his spiel about why the chocolate coins were important (Sir Isaac invented the milled edge during his time in charge of the Royal Mint, to deter people from shaving coins of their precious metals).

Callum had a wonderful time on the night (he was bubbling over for several days afterwards), but a fairly fraught time over the previous week or so getting everything ready to his parents' satisfaction.

Declan in the speak-offs

Declan represented his class in the speak-offs today and came second. This in spite of the fact that his teacher had spent the day trying to send him home because his cold is so awful. The combination of a common cold and his bronchial cough is making him a right mess.

Running on a beautiful spring day

With Uncle Bob and his girlfriend Anna visiting, Callum and I decided to give them a tour of the neighbourhood by going for a run. Callum and I are planning another race this weekend, so we figured we needed to do a bit more training than we have managed lately. And it was a perfect spring day in Sydney

Bob attended to a part of Callum's training that I have sadly neglected, by taking him through some stretches before we all went. 

Anna and I decided to wait and sit on the couch while they showed off their moves. I can feel my legs now, so perhaps some stretching might have been sensible!

Calculating siblings

Declan had a week of mathletics this week, as their teacher asked them to try and get their class up on the leaderboard for most maths. So both boys rediscovered it after a while. They took to doing the arithmetic speed challenge at exactly the same time so that they could compete in the same group of 4.

Most of the time they cheered for each other against the New Zealanders they were competing against over the internet (go Australia!), but occasionally they couldn't help but compete against each other. Declan, interestingly, had the edge on Callum in pure speed, and Callum dealt with it pretty well, a lot better than he would have a year ago, congratulating Declan each time and only looking slightly disappointed when he lost by the slimmest of margins.

Into the valley of English

In the latest in the stream of UNSW ICAS results, Declan got a High Distinction which is very pleasing. Callum got a solid Distinction.

Declan's presentation of the Charge of the Light Brigade for this term's public speaking also seems to have gone well. We were very impressed that he managed to memorise it in such a few days and then present it with lots of character and panache.

Dr Who Fail

There is a new season of Dr Who that has just started, so we decided it was time to see if the boys liked it. They spent a fair bit of time with their faces hidden in pillows, but otherwise seemed to enjoy it.

But at bedtime, the real havoc began. Declan spent 2 and a half hours alternating between lying in bed eyes wide open and coming to see us tearfully insisting he couldn't ever sleep again. And when Declan finally went to sleep about 11, Callum woke up and started visiting us in turn.

I think it will be a while before any of us try Dr Who again.

Walking Practice

We are planning to do the six foot track walk at the end of September, and although we are all now experienced hikers, we have been realising practice has been somewhat lacking of late. So today we did the Harbour Hike, conveniently from Milsons Point to Clifton Gardens (11Km). We started early, to give ourselves time to have a very early lunch, and then walk back (rather than catch the ferry which was put on for the occasion).

After a little bit of grumbling (before we set out on the way back) and a fortifying icecream for dessert, we walked the whole way back, which meant we walked 22km all up, officially the furthest any of us have walked in one day. Not nearly as much elevation change as the six foot track, but quite a lot further than any individual day will be, so we are feeling much better about how well we will do in a month's time.

It was a glorious day for it, beautiful sunshine, and just the right temperature for walking.

Fathers Day

We have managed to imbue the boys with our belief that Father's Day is a commercial conspiracy to get people to buy stuff so that no actual purchasing should take place. Nevertheless, they were keen to mark the occasion.

So cooperatively (after a shaky start when they both wanted to make their own) Callum and Declan created an Amazing Race for Evan, involving a requirement to watch one minute of television, play a round of his choice of computer game, and decipher a message using a caesar shift. At the end of it all, when he was the first person to arrive at the Pit Stop, his prize was a stash of marzipan, which he very considerately shared with all of us.

All that typing practice must be having some effect (both boys can type at around 25 wpm now), as all clues were typed and printed, rather than handwritten.