Hope everyone had a nice, restful, relaxing holiday time. For the first time in 16 years we didn't have any family gatherings over the holidays. Normally, we would have 3-4 get togethers at different homes (including ours) on different days. This year we only went to our friends Kylie & Kenny's home on Boxing Day. Despite not having to deal with as much time juggling as we normally would, we definately felt a void this holiday season and we miss our friends and family very much.
In order to fill the void of friends and family we've been spending a lot of time at the beach. We've been trying to go every morning. The water has been amazing and the weather has been fantastic. Unfortunately, our beach is starting to wash away a little bit and is exposing some rocks underneath. It is still usable and enjoyable but it may not be for much longer. Fortunately, there is a lot of coastline and beaches in this area but we may be forced to drive to get there.
One of the things that most concerned us about living near and playing in the ocean was our swimming abilities. We can all swim but we swim like Canadians. Being in the water is a way of life here and Aussie's grow up in the water. They take their swimming seriously. So, we've enrolled the kids in swim lessons. As it turns out the lessons are taking place at the outdoor pool at their school. Today was the first lesson and all three of them started at 8am. They were not pleased at having been woken up at 7:15am but they managed nonetheless. They are a little bit behind the other kids but they should catch up fairly quickly. They've already learned a few strokes they didn't know. Nad and I are also planning to take swim lessons primarily to increase our strength and endurance in the water. We thought we'd spare the kids the embarassment of going in the same lessons as them.
Swimming outdoors at 8am may seem a bit early and cold by Canadian standards. However, when they got in the pool this morning it was 28c. The kids were complaining that they were cold. They are fitting right in here. The high today is forecast for 37c and tomorrow is forecast to be 38c. These are typical summer days here. The low 30's we've been experiencing are considered cool here for this time of year. In January or February they expect it to get up to the low to mid 40s. Thank you air conditioning!
Besides the regular hazards that come with living near and playing in the ocean (rip tides, sharks, jellyfish, me in a swimsuit...) there are also some other unexpected negative consequences. Our camera got sand in it and the zoom feature no longer works. So, we'll either have to get it repaired or get a new camera. The bad news is that it means we won't be able to post or send many pictures. The good news is that we won't be able to post or send many pictures of me in a swimsuit.
If anyone needs to get a hold of us we can be reached at mnklamer@live.ca. We are also available for Skype and/or Facetime. Our Skype name is "klamerfamily". We are currently 15 hours ahead so 2pm in Calgary is 5am in Perth.
Finally, today (in Canada) is my sisters birthday. She is now and forever will be older than me and yet somehow remains perpetually in her 40s. Same with my mom. The women in my family have some weird genes . Congrats Pupirichka! Hope you have a great day.
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