I wish I could put the brakes on somehow, to stop time from flying by so fast here in Australia. I know that there’s nothing we can do but enjoy it to the fullest, so we have been snowballing in social activity and outdoor play, while everyone back home is actually making snowballs and hunkering down into hibernation. Last weekend I did tell some friends that it feels a bit odd biologically that we won’t get the slow down of winter until another year from now. But I am not complaining in the least!
Nov 1
At the turn of the month Twill has a minor obsession with ducks. The ones he makes out of Duplos whet his imagination, he really needs to see some in real life. So we find the nearest park, the Roma Street Parklands, and walk there on Wednesday, October 31st, just to see the ducks. The next day, November 1st, our friend, Kashelle Knox, suggests we meet at the Roma Street Parklands, because we’d asked her where we might see some ducks. So we walk back out there, two days in a row, to see friends. We even ride the train through the park with them.
Nov 3 (and 10,17,24)
We have a new Saturday routine for the month of November. Chris starts running Park Run at South Bank. He runs to campus at 4am for his 5am meeting, then runs down to Park Run for a 7am 5k race. The boys and I race through the 20 minute walk to get there in time to see Chris finish. Then we swim at the beach, play at the park, and enjoy breakfast over the grill with folks from church who also regularly run Park Run. It feels like we are experiencing more of Brisbane, getting out so early every Saturday morning.
After breakfast breaks up, we all walk home, grab the trolley, and head immediately over to the Davies Park Markets. I fill the trolley with the week’s produce, and Chris lets the boys each spend $5 on a treat. It’s fun to see how they pool their resources and share sometimes.
The last Saturday Chris doesn’t have a meeting, so Lewis and I run Park Run. It’s a treat to see the trail through the QUT Botanical Gardens that I hadn’t yet seen. Lewis really pushes me. I am looking for a conversational pace, but he is motivated by the competition to pass people the whole time.
Nov 7
The West End State School holds a rain dance, along with many other schools state-wide, to support rural kids affected by the drought. The boys have been practicing and talking about it for weeks. Chris, Twill, and I sneak into the school grounds to watch, with a handful of other parents. I am so glad we do! We can’t find Lewis and Stewart amid the sea of over 1000 students, but we spot Wesley before it begins, thanks to the color coded bands on prep kids’ hats. Wesley surprises us with how well he knows the dance! I get it on video and am still marveling.
Nov 14
Twill and I meet Amelia and Tamsyn from church down at South Bank for a playdate at the beach. Twill is a curious observer of the real friendship that Hailey and Oliver have at 3 and 4 years old. Levi and Arthur are still babies, not exactly on Twill’s radar. I keep thinking I need to get Twill more time with his peers. Our friends ask if we miss things about home. I have to admit that, even though I hate the cold, if I were here more than one year I would really miss a snowy Christmas. They say there seems to be a strong sentiment around it even in Australia, in their decorations and books.
Nov 16
I am determined to teach Twill to walk on his own, because my back is buckling under his weight. Our attempts to walk to the park Monday and Tuesday of this week end quickly when he doesn’t listen to stop. So by Friday he is pretty determined to listen and make it to the park. He does so beautifully, holding my hand and talking to me most of the way to Orleigh Park. When we get to the larger playground there is a free event going on for kids his age. We join them, but Twill mostly observes. Afterwards I ask him if he wants to find more of these park events and he surprises me with his enthusiastic “yes!” When we get home I sign him up for one the following week. It’s all about exploring nature with our 5 senses and sounds perfect for Twill.
Nov 19
Chris invites Twill and I to join him for lunch on campus! After getting groceries at Aldi, we catch the bus into the city, return library books, get Lewis and Twill new swimmers, and walk through the Roma Street Parklands to Chris’ campus. By the time we get there we are pretty hungry. We find Chris in his office, find some Turkish kebab together, then get some new library books at the campus library. Afterward we get to see the route Chris walks every afternoon to get the boys from school. Twill sings happily to himself in the carrier, and the hour walk feels almost like a date.
Nov 21
Twill and I have a new Wednesday routine of going to the beach. The last couple months it has been our local library story-time day. But the 90 degree weather makes the free local beach seem a bit too enticing when Chris is spoiling us with so many good books from campus. This day he grows particularly bold in the sand, wanting to not only bury me, but be buried himself. I celebrate that he is getting more comfortable in the water. We get my parents on video chat and show them our beach.
Nov 22
Twill and I take bus and train up to Kalinga Park for the Active Parks event we’d signed up for. I am somewhat disappointed that Twill is the only kid there for the first half hour, and there’s not much attention to the 5 senses. The young workshop leader is a drama instructor, who’s great with dramatic little girls, but doesn’t exactly draw out my shy, sensitive little boy. Regardless of my feelings, Twill seems to enjoy it quite a bit. We race back to the train station, just as the rain lets loose, and enjoy a return trip in the rain. A nice young man shares his umbrella with us as we’re crossing the street between train and bus. Twill and I enjoy an apricot that we bought from a local farmer who’d set up shop in the train station. We wash our hands in the rain pouring off the awning above stop 44. Chris has a conference on campus with a banquet late into the evening, and is missed sorely at bedtime.
Nov 27
Every Tuesday this term Twill and I attend Wesley’s swim lessons at school, and enjoy Lan’s company between school drop off at 8:40 and the 10:15 lessons. Twill calls her his friend too, and loves going to her house. This particular Tuesday there’s an odd break in the heat wave, just for one day. Twill and I do not want to go inside on such a beautiful day. So after swim lessons we pack a picnic and hike to the park on Paradise Street. Chris ceremoniously hid the carrier over the weekend, to wean Twill off it. The walk goes well, even though the park is further than Orleigh. We meet Simon and his son Ocean at the park. Ocean really wants to share his hotwheels cars with Twill, and Twill warms up to him as I visit with Simon. Simon grew up in Florida and Toronto, but has a lot of nostalgia about Toronto, because of the four seasons, even though he’s spent over half his life in Australia now. It makes me appreciate them more too.
Nov 28
Our new friends, Javed and Shagufta, who are refugees from Pakistan, come over to meet with Wez and I. I met them in a park a couple months ago and have been hoping to get to know them better. Friday when Twill and I were weeding our front yard they walked by and we exchanged phone numbers. They have a fascinating story of persecution and hardship, but English is still quite a challenge. Wez and I brainstorm how we can help them settle in here. We have a few Iranian refugee families at Sojourn who are going through the asylum seeking process. Afterwards, Twill and I head down to the beach, but end up mostly in the fountains. I can’t believe how bold he’s getting, and revel in his dancing. I am sure all this time under the sprays will help make showers more enjoyable, but am sorely disappointed when it doesn’t.
Nov 29
Twill and I walk down to the Queensland State Library with Chris after dropping the boys off at school. Chris enjoys the cool, quiet workspace, and Twill and I enjoy a morning of nursery rhymes and songs. We catch the end of baby rhyme time from 9 to 9:30, then play until they sing more toddler rhymes at 10am. They tell of even more singing, with a guitar, that will be happening in the 11 o’ clock hour, and Twill is definitely keen to stay. I finally have to drag him away from the farm animals he grew attached to a little after noon. We walk home, still with no carrier, and a hungry little boy. So we get a doner kebab and piece of falafel at a place near the local public library. Twill was pretty disappointed that we couldn’t take books home from the State Library, so we get 20 more from the West End library after lunch and make it home.
After dinner we all head down to the West End Recreation Hub for exercises on the river for my cenita. It’s so cool in the evenings on the river, in stark contrast to the heat of the day. You can see how I buzzed Wesley’s hair way too short here. Yes, that is a skunk stripe down the center. It is so incredibly hot that I wanted to go short, but didn’t realize that no attachment effectively means a shave. Thankfully, Wesley’s hair grows fast.
Nov 30
In the evening we try the Sunset Social at Davies Park for the first time, with Lan, Rich, Antonio, and Hugo. I try a kangaroo burger, which has very unique flavor. Lewis is having too much fun playing soccer to eat his pizza. The boys run with a soccer ball, or run laps, or chase birds, or find sand piles all around the huge field. As the sun goes down the huge fruit bats come out. Rich says they’re called flying foxes, but he’s a bit of a joker, so we wonder. I wonder why we haven’t done this sooner, and learn that we will definitely bring water bottles next time. As we walk home under the tree shadows we hear the Christmas concert that started a bit too late for us to enjoy. The Christmas music feels so out of place to me. I secretly rejoice that the older boys actually ask to shower before bed.