Break a leg Kingsley

A theatrical line to wish the performers good luck. Just back from the world premiere of "A Garden Story" created, written and produced by the TP - year 2 children at Kingsley's school. While every child aged 5 - 9 had at least one line eight children had main parts and featured in most scenes. They were allocated after an audition process. TeamSAK are very proud to advise that Kingsley had the main part of the girl character called Fern with multiple lines on every page of the script . She was also in the creative dance performance as part of a flock of birds - necessitating the speedy costume change between her main speaking part scenes.

After reading Fairlie's entry today I went equipped with tissues in the event motherly love and pride caused my eyes to leak. Was very proud but focused on getting a video of the one hour long performance so got through the production dry eyed. Did teeter on the edge during the finale but I will put that down to oncology treatment making me a little fragile!

A wonderful performance by all students. A good learning experience learning stage craft and using wireless mikes etc. Matinee performance is now over with an evening ( 5pm ) after school tomorrow. Mili came today and MOS, DOS get the ticket allocation Thursday.

Ahubby was on still digital photos today but the output was only marginally better than the triathlon video.

Necessity is the mother of invention

Just what do you do when a Sunday afternoon family gathering decides on a spontaneous session of backyard cricket and there is no cricket bat? While you start the innings with a tennis racket , the very talented DOS finds a lump of wood and makes a cricket bat in the garage. While manufacturers of premier willow bats don't have to worry quite just yet the fine piece of woodwork was responsible for a number of backyard sixes!

Triathlon Pink

Kingsley was determined to compete in today's 7-9 y.o kids race which was part of the Triathlon Pink series. It was only a few weeks ago the training wheels came off , the new 21 speed bike arrived last week and now the first tri registration. A great event run by T3 Events which was held at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre in Albert Park.

The swim was in the outdoor( but heated) pool used for the Commonwealth Games trials. The 1.5km bike headed out and around the golf driving range and the run weaved its way out toward Kerferd Road and back across the pink finish line.

Days like these are not about times or winning but more about participation. There were over 300 women of all shapes, sizes and ages. In the kids' race, Kingsley exited the water in first place almost beating me to transition so I could get a photo! The race then evened out with all the girls smiling , having fun and doing their best. Kingsley finished with a smile- not first - not last- just proud to be a Pinkie!

Ahubby was in charge of the video. Let's just say he is more accustomed to racing than spectating and has room to improve in capturing the activity on film. S, who has years of spectator experience, captured the excitement of the event in 25 still shots. I would love to upload them all here but as there are children I am conscious of protecting privacy etc. Here are two which show you Kingsley , without really showing you Kingsley! Photo 1- part of the row of girls ready for the swim start. Kingsley is centre. Photo 2 - Kingsley just after mounting the bike and starting out of the ride.

Champagne and chocolates

How lucky can a girl get? Dear friends Fairlie and Impossible Princess dropped by bearing gifts to celebrate the latest milestone in the treatment cycle. Fabulous selection of chocolates from a premier chocolatier David Medlow with a beautifully written card featuring champagne! Looking forward to enjoying the treat with friends when the side effects from treatment wear off.

A Paid Chat

Those who know me , know that I am never backward in coming forward, like a chat and am prepared to voice my opinion and justify it when necessary. Given all that it was very exciting to be asked by my bank to participate in some research. It was only at the completion of the one on one 1.25 hour interview in my own lounge room that I was told it was a paid chat. The bank are donating $150 to a charity of my choice. No hesitation in nominating the Anti Cancer Council as the recipient.

A very productive afternoon all around while lounging in airconditioned comfort at home. However, I suspect my file is now marked with an asterix and a do not call again sticker!

Drug Yuletide

I've had festive season greetings from a few businesses I've dealt with in the past but this was a first. You know that you have spent too much time and money at the chemist when they wish you yuletide greetings before the end of November! Hope their profits won't be down next year if TeamSAK doesn't need to visit for the regular stockpile.

Three more days of the final chemo schedule of this treatment cycle left! With temperatures forecast to hit mid to high 30's Celsius it is perfect timing for a ( legally) drug affected S to settle inside in the lounge, draft a few blog entries, write a few Christmas cards in readiness for a December post, plan the Christmas present list, phone friends, read a good book ( but will miss Bookclub again!), have a few naps and probably be an environmental vandal by putting the air conditioner on.

Roll on Christmas when TeamSAK can celebrate the end of a very difficult year.

Give me a home amongst the gumtrees

Or so the song goes - only wish I could remember the title and rest of the words to give full credit. I do recall there was " a sheep or two and a kangaroo" with an old rocking chair.

This picture taken while seated on the front porch ( but not on a rocking chair) enjoying the beautiful day. Top of 28 degrees Celsius and it feels like we have reached it . While it is not the country views some of my friends enjoy or the water views from the holiday house it is also not a concrete suburbia. Very lucky to live in a green part of the State only 5km to the capital city.

Hope the weekend is just as perfect as today. Have a good weekend!

Just tri it!

Until recently, Ahubby was a fairly committed triathlete competing as an age grouper in mainly long course events with very good results. He raced Australian Ironman 4 times and each time qualified for world championships held in Kona Hawaii. He raced the Hawaiian Ironman twice, pulling out prior due to a bike crash injury during training in the third year and deciding to decline his registration spot in the fourth year. Averages 9hrs 30 mins for the Australian Ironman for the 3.8km swim, 180km cycle and 42.2 km run. He is also a past age group winner at the Noosa Triathlon which is an olympic distance race and also at the Half Ironman distance.

This year he has been so busy looking after TeamSAK that training and competition has fallen by the wayside. Kingsley has now decided she wants to do the Weetbix Kids Triathlon next year and has asked Ahubby to help her train.

Kingsley did a 5km ride on the weekend while pacing Ahubby on his first training run in a long time. Video shot by S on a little pocket digital camera which I have done before and uploaded with success but I had problems with the upload on Blogger as well. Let's hope it works!

Report Card- Needs to Improve

If it was a test you could study for the S would have passed with flying colours! Yesterday's blood test results were not quite good enough to start the next cycle of treatment. Have been given permission to resit the test Friday so fingers crossed I can start on Saturday. Hopefully the next report card is better.

The Things You See in Suburbia

TeamSAK were enjoying a fine Melbourne Saturday munching on a "gourmet" lunch when we heard the unmistakable clip clop of horse feet. Ok - we live in a fairly green area with a river at the end of the street but for all intents and purposes we are "inner city". Kingsley and I grabbed our hats and sunnies and headed out to investigate.

Two horse drawn carriages were waiting patiently for their passengers. A collection of interested neighbours gathered , while the kids patted the horses, watched them being fed and having their "poo bags" attached. An extra long white stretch limousine arrived and the gig was up.

It wasn't an elaborate children's party activity but the transport for a very beautiful bride and her 6 attendants. None of us knew her or of her but we all wished her well. The Bride left for the church a mere 40 minutes after the scheduled departure.

The Coffee Aroma

One of my favourite smells is that of freshly ground coffee so it has been a severe disappointment that I have been unable to contemplate partaking in this drug over the last 9 months. With a more normal sense of smell and taste returning the lure of Aromas at Noosa on the weekend was too much.

Team SAK broke all our principles and sat in the Parisian style chairs facing Hasting Street enjoying a tourist priced coffee fix. Given my new inability to finish a cup I have taken to having coffee served in take away cups even while dining in . This cafe is a place to see and be seen and for that reason we rarely frequent it. While yet again I had to take one third of the drink away we actually had fun watching the passing parade of beautiful people, elite athletes, AFL and ARL footballers, ultra fit triathletes, business tycoons, grandparents babysitting toddlers and men pushing prams.

Wonder if they were thinking - "Oh look - there's TeamSAK!" while we were watching them.

The Kindness of (Almost ) Strangers

On Sunday TeamSAK had the pleasure of meeting a cyber colleague in person. One of the websites S frequents is a triathlon related forum called Transitions. I have been a member of this since its inception in May 2003 and have met a few friends on the way . Hello Foxy and Ronnie!

Hellman ( online aka) is one of the many members. He very kindly extended an invitation to any Transitions member to drop by and say hi at the Cube HomeLoans marquee at the Noosa Triathlon on the weekend. With new found bravado I walked in and introduced myself ( and online persona) to Mrs Hellman. Kingsley had great fun hanging out with the Hellman kids and we enjoyed meeting our cyber colleagues.

Ahubby wasn't racing this year and found the whole spectator thing a little difficult so it was good to have a spot with some cover to watch the events of the triathlon unfold. A big thank you to the Hellmans and Cube Home Loans for wonderful hospitality and TeamSAK look forward to returning the favour and hosting you to a meal the next time you are in Noosa.

Landing in the cold

Not quite the scenic coast line we see flying into the Sunshine Coast but still some special views as you arrive back.

The first one is a favourite view with the blue skies and blanket of white cloud beneath the plane.

The second picture was the plane descending into Tullamarine airport in Melbourne upon our return home. Even through the cloud and perspex window you can see how devastingly dry the land is. Temperature was a little cooler than on the Sunshine Coast too!

Flying high into Sunshine

Last minute decision and TeamSAK headed to our Sunshine Coast home on Saturday 3 Oct for some sunshine, R & R and to support friends competing in the 25th Anniversary Noosa Triathlon Festival. ( More on that in a later post!)

No matter how many times we fly into Maroochydore I still am in awe of the coast line and the physics that enable a plane laden with fuel ,people and luggage to fly and land safely. This time I had my little Nikon Coolpix S8 in my handbag and took this shot through the dirty plane window.

The monolith in the distance is Mount Coolum and Noosa is at the top of the photo.

Movember- One for the boys

We all have a dad and some of us have brothers and sons as well. November is now Movember. A special promotion to raise funds and awareness of men's health issues with particular emphasis on Prostate cancer and Depression. In the interests of equality I had to give equal blog time to this cause as I had previously mentioned Breast Cancer during October.

Here's to a very hairy month. TeamSAK will be supporting 4 male teachers at Kingsley's school who are growing moustaches for Movember.

Collaborative art

Last night Kingsley and I briefly attended the opening of the annual art fair at school. It was wonderful to see the extent, variation and depth of art created by all students from 3 year old to 12 years in age. Because of the nature of their International Baccalaureate PYP program there was a lot of emphasis on integration of the units of enquiry and a collaborative approach in the art curriculum. Kingsley had a charcoal etching of a bug on a leaf and her tree sculpture on show as well has her contribution to the joint work pictured below.

It is an interpretation of the new adventure garden and dry creek bed at school which the children helped plant and install. The inhabitants are imaginary creatures the children invented and wrote poems about. It was presented on a transparent background and in real life is quite impressive with the detail and definitions.

1967 - a very good year!

Funny thing about the fact that everyone born in '67 is now celebrating turning the big 40! Today is no exception and another wonderful person has reached this milestone. Sending very happy birthday wishes to Ronnie . The party is scheduled for Saturday night and I am so disappointed not to be able to get there to help her celebrate after being lucky enough to score an invitation. Looking forward to plenty of stories and photos on your blog next week!

A cyber bunch of flowers for the birthday girl.