Heat Wave

For the first time in over a year, we have experienced the heat we grew accustomed to in Queensland. We’re no longer accustomed to it. We had a real heatwave in the past week, with temperatures regularly in the mid 30’s. It was HOT. We spent a lot of time at the beach and in the pool every day.

Monday was supposed to kick off my year at uni. But the children only had one more week of holidays and it was so hot – so I decided to take the week off for the last time. I love the flexibility of being a research student! We played Monopoly. It was not without its challenges, particularly since Chanel is really the only one old enough to play and understand the game. But all in all it went well. The afternoon was spent swimming, trying to keep cool.

Tuesday morning we took on a challenge. The Mt. Keira ring track is a 5km track that circles one of the local “mountains”. Some weeks ago we made a valiant attempt on completing the circumnavigation of the mount as a family, but were unsuccessful. This time we determined that we would conquer or perish! We trekked and trapsed through the heat and humidity with the children doggedly persisting, Annie in a carrier on my back. A 16 year-old from church, Rafael, came along for the fun too, and inspired the children to remain determined. After breaking our previous record and trudging further than we would have thought possible we finally arrived at the half-way mark. The rest of the walk was downhill, and on the western side of the hill, out of the sun. Our only obstacle was fatigue. But in a total of two-and-a-half hours we were back in the car – triumphant. And sweaty. Yuck. All in all, an astonishing success, especially with Abbie and Ella.

Tuesday we had a tennis night with everyone from church. It was mildly fun, though quiet, but one notable event occurred. Someone had brought along their little Maltese dog for a frolic with friends in the field beside the tennis courts. Ella had befriended the dog. I observed her carry the animal thirty or forty metres over the grass. She then dropped the dog on the ground and as it scurried away from her she gave it a great big kick! I immediately told her that was unkind, and asked her why she had kicked the dog. Her response: “But dad, when I kick it, it makes it go faster!”

Wednesday was an exciting day for all of the children. I went to university – but that’s not why things were exciting. They each were ‘promoted’ at swimming. The girls have been working very hard on their swimming and have all advanced in their classes. Chanel was particularly excited as she now moves into the “Kingfisher” squad, training for one hour. Her coach gave her some very specific and positive feedback that helped her understand exactly what she is doing well. She was very inspired by it. Each of the girls is showing renewed enthusiasm and dedication towards their time in the pool.

Thursday was hot! The morning was spent swimming at the beach. Unfortunately it was extremely windy too, so it wasn’t the most pleasant place to be. However, the heat was oppressive (as it was all week). We tried to have a quiet day, and wrapped it up with lots of fun. It was still warm at 6pm, but had cooled enough to be outside. We called some friends, got hold of some large cardboard boxes, and found a great big hill to go grass-sliding. The children thought it was a hoot! They laughed and ran and slid for an hour, and were disappointed when I explained that it was time to go home for dinner.

Thursday night I also had the privilege of sitting in on a discussion with the missionaries and one of the boys who comes to our youth nights at church. His mother is a church member, but not his father. I have spoken to him about learning more from the missionaries, and being baptised. He agreed that he would like to do that because he sees himself as LDS anyway. It was a good experience.

By the end of the week I was exhausted. Because it was so hot we had to keep all the windows open all night. But with the heat was an intense wind. It blew for several nights, and was so strong that all the doors in the house banged and rattled. I was up half-a-dozen times for a few nights in a row, fixing doors and windows, or simply being woken by the noise of the trees thrashing around outside – and no respite from the heat. It was horrible.

Friday I went back to uni for a few hours but was not particularly effective. I completed several odds and ends in preparation for the new year but that was it. We had a very quiet Friday.

Saturday I did a big bike ride before we jumped into the car to go to Gosford. It was hot again. By the time we arrived in Gosford it was over 40 degrees. Ouch. We spent the afternoon in the air conditioning getting hair cuts – long overdue – and then swam in the pool and jumped off the jetty. Fun, and nice to have respite from the heat. The children swam for hours. Mum kept Kylie and I up for hours watching a DVD of her favourite television series about spies in the UK. It was compelling, but far too late for Kylie and I who had slept for several days.

Sunday – day of rest – came fast. The whole reason we were in Gosford was for the baptism of Paris (my sister, Karina’s oldest daughter). Church itself was not as inspiring as I had hoped, but the baptismal service was very special. It was the first time Mat used his priesthood to bless a member of his family in such a special way. The baptism went perfectly, the talks were inspiring, and then Mat confirmed Paris. It was a spiritual experience for all of us, and very emotional for Mat. It was a real privilege to be there for it. And a perfect way to finish the week.