A Few Things of Note This Week

 We got out to our Chinese classes again - and discovered that Aiden needs a bigger bike, we've been learning online long enough for him to nearly grow out of his bike!

Aiden close to finishing the year's school work - that what comes of lots of time at home uninterrupted but lots of outings....

Dreaming of some time away - all of us have mentioned the desire to get away for a holiday just as soon as we can. It is tantalizing that some states have begun to allow for cross border travel, but not yet Penang.

Marble jars - We packed up a marble machine box and handed it off to a younger friend this week. She's super pleased, and we've rediscovered the beauty of a jar full of marbles. We're scheming about how we can hang them safely where the light will shine through.

"cable knit" crochet - Mom started a new crochet project after messing around with snowflakes since Christmas. It is a somewhat challenging project: Celtic knot squares for a blanket. It took at least 4 remakes before this square was satisfyingly correct. Since she's using crochet cotton and not yarn, it might take a long time to get enough squares to make a useful blanket!

Everyday pool time - Since the pool has reopened this week, Aiden is getting nearly everyday pool time with his friend even though his friend is now back to school in person.

Jasmin's first time seeing someone other than family in nearly 2 months - the girls got to visit a friend yesterday afternoon, and we were shocked to realize it is Jasmin's first time seeing someone other than family in such a long time!

It has been very dry here, unnaturally so as the rainy season was late and quite short. Then today we've had very stormy weather. It is much needed rain for the area and will break the heat and dry streak we've been having.

Aiden and Mom were caught out totally unprepared though, and even after prudently waiting until the rain stopped, it didn't stop them from getting soaked on the way home as it was simply a pause in the storm rather than the storm being over! Mom was as wet as if she'd jumped in for a swim in her clothes rather than simply biked home. Aiden was fortunate enough to have an emergency raincoat bag for him, but even then he was pretty wet.

March's Gift

 If a big gift of God to us in February was the rediscovery of beach time and in particular a fantastic new beach, a big gift for March is the reopening of our pool. We have missed it over this whole last year!  

Yesterday was the first day it was open, so it was well used. The SOPs for use are quite stringent, and we were brought up short a few times during our time there, but it felt so good to be swimming there again. 

The kids discovered just how much they have grown in the last year as Aiden can now touch bottom all over the pool, and the girls are both head and shoulders out of the water in most places. Still, foot fish, theatre, and other games were still good fun.

As one of the new rules is that we only get 45min swims at a time (because the capacity is set so super low at 10 people), we still had plenty of time for a long game of Catan Seafarers as well. A definite bonus for not going out to the beach. 

Forward March

Serendipitous discoveries of new beach playgrounds

Thrills of new challenging rocks to scale

Shoreline to explore

But barnacled and oyster encrusted rocks

High surf churning sand

Unknown rock locations for unsuspecting feet

Send us home with cuts and scrapes

Regularly necessitating minor surgery

To remove bits of shell, rock, sand from those rock cuts and scrapes

Dad had enough, "no more beach till our feet are safe!"

So Friday off to the mall we went

Feels strange...

When was the last time we went to the mall?

When was the last time we went out together?

When was the last time we biked this far?

When was the last time we shopped for something more than food?

How celebratory it felt

We met with friends!

We ate out!

We browsed in real life, not online!

And, best of all, we came home with water shoes for the beach.

So Sunday, off we went again

And the kids certainly tested their new shoes -

Exploring with a goal in mind

'Round the shore, conquering rocks to the next beach

It was 2 hours plus later that mom and dad saw them again

They had almost made their goal

Aiden ran out of steam and melted down within sight of the goal

But an overpriced milkshake brought him back from the edge

To practice floating in rough water

To cheer on the girls swimming out to the far rocks

To delay our return home "just a little be more"

Our Sunday beach times certainly keep us going through the weeks!

Valentines 2021

 How many ways was this year's February 14 unique?

1) We remembered to mark it! All too often it has passed us by in the flurry of normal or not so normal life.  All we managed to do was a simple "I love you because..." heart each, on which we each write a few reasons for each other. A small thing, but so easily significant!

2) Having remembered the day, it would have been nice to carry through on the casually offered date - but as there is currently no dining in or hanging out anywhere in public, it would be hard to feel like it was a date!

3) So we celebrated as a family. After all, this last week's schedule has been pretty ragged, and we needed time together. The girls read books in a pile on the couch for the hot part of the afternoon, and then we did something all together.

4) We went to a new beach (making sure not to travel together - only one biker at a time allowed ?! - and to go to a deserted place) and climbed rocks. Dad was a good sport but his soft feet didn't do well with the oyster-mussel-barnacle covered rocks in murky waves, so once we made it to a relatively smooth, high rock, Mom and Dad stayed there and the kids went on around the shore. So we kinda got an alone date anyhow :-) 

5) Though it would have been nice to remain and watch the sunset as we so often do, we headed home before dark as there is an unofficial curfew of 8pm being enforced.

6) We had take out burgers for supper! Dad agreed to stop on the way home and buy food and he brought home burgers! Not as good as YeaYea's burgers by far, but still a delicious treat for us usually vegetarian, Asian food eaters :o)