Judging distances

Friday:

I did BodyPump this morning, kids in creche. My weights for Pump are around a quarter of those for similar movements when I am using the weights machines -- but on the machines I'm only doing about 3 x 20 seconds with short breaks -- in Pump I'm doing 3 or 4 minutes straight! It's a different animal entirely.

After a quick shower and putting together a picnic basket (and eating a banana and some cheese and a couple of squares of chocolate, as usual I was starving after exercise) we set off for the War Memorial which had school holiday activities. The kids made a bookmark and a red paper poppy (significant to our soliders) and explored a replica helicopter and a submarine. Then it was off to the lake where we met Tim for a picnic lunch -- his office is only a block away from the shore. It was a lovely sunny day. We tossed a couple of bread crusts to a lurking crow, and to our surprise it took each one to a different tree and apparently buried it at the base, tossing extra dried grass on top. Saving it for later? Surely ants or something would get it.

I'd decided that the kids and I would walk to Floriade from the picnic spot which was further down the lake than the area between the two bridges where I usually walk. I guesstimated that it would take us around half an hour. Tim walked with us for a while then turned back to return to work. It took us an hour to walk the 3 km. Although Aiden can beat me in a 400 m race he can't keep up that pace over the long haul. At one point I said we could turn back if they wanted but I had offered them an icecream at Floriade so we pushed on with only minor compliants of sore feet. I was more worried about sunburn in spite of our hats and sunscreen. Jasmine and I are so fair. As the song says: "One's like snow, the other's more like milk." Aiden had a bit of trouble with his hat, there was a strong wind off the lake and a couple of times he had to go running after it.

We eventually got there and enjoyed our icecreams. I accidentally jogged Aiden's arm and caused him to drop the last sixth of his, but he fought back the tears. I wasn't going to buy another one when he'd eaten most of it. We wandered around a bit and patted some reptiles -- a couple of pythons and a goanna which is a huge lizard, its handler said it was really very cuddly -- had a drink and taste-tested some things and I got the kids a sour lolly rope, they saved some for daddy, and gave the flowers themselves almost no attention. We also re-applied sunscreen at the Cancer Council stall.

Then began the long walk back to the car. It wasn't too bad, both kids had tired feet (well, so did I) but they didn't complain much. I promised them some of the nougat I'd bought for myself when we got to the bridge at about the 2/3 point and that kept them going. They said it gave them a power boost and both did some sprints after they ate it! I wasn't boosted enough for that, but it did give me a hit of energy. Yay sugar! Tim had mentioned earlier that he often saw rabbits in one spot as he rode to work, and sure enough we saw eight or so there hopping around on our walk back. We also saw a guy on the lake, I don't know what you call the sport but he was on a surfboard-like contraption and was being pulled along by a parachute thing. Looked awesome fun, but also requiring a lot of upper body strength.

We got home after 5 pm after a long but very enjoyable day. Three hours of solid exercise plus extra strolling around, not bad. But I might not have attempted it if I'd known it was so far. I suck at judging things like that.

It's Friday night and Tim's home at a decent hour for once and has taken over kid-wrangling duties and I am looking forward to a relaxing evening in front of the TV/computer and maybe a hot bath to soothe those tired calves.

Oh, and the ankle is doing great. I think I'll stop wearing the support bandage now.

Another long weekend! Yay.