Spring In Melbourne part 1

So due to much public demand ( well one person did ask why we weren't blogging anymore) the Mungin blog has returned with vigour. I would like to say the same for spring in Melbourne being under the false impression that we lived in a dry and hot climate. Suffice to say the average temp during daytime has hovered between 14 and 17 degrees over the last couple of days and we even had hail. Apparently all the children in Caitlin's year looked on in amazement as ice fell from the sky, to which Caitlin remarked, "It's only hail!"

As Ciara's leg has returned to complete normality( it was diff to see where the break had been on her xray first week back) we have now started cycling to school. In fact I have begun to cycle everywhere in sandals and my new cycle shorts , oh and a top of course! This is in part due to my having given up running after another bout of injuries. Seb Coe I was apparently not, more like Eddie the Eagle well in trainers and minus the skies of course!

I have also returned to the early morning swimming although first dayI turned up at 5.30am in my eagerness only to find that the nutters don't start until 6am ! I was joined by Duncan Goodhue and the Australian olympic team who proceeded to swim, literal circles, around me as I attempted to do fly legs and crawl arms. Guess the instructor didn't mean housefly legs!

The last of my exercise regime involves a dance class on a Friday morning. Now those of you who are aware of my lack of dance coordination will not be suprised to find out that I stand at the back doing my own thing while the rest of the class try to find supportive words to encourage me,even the eighty year old granny whom I think must have trained in the Bolshoi ballet, seem to pick up the steps quicker than me. However true to form I persist in the abuse of body and street credentials in the happy knowledge that I'll only be here for another year and after that the mad semi clothed cycling, night time 'swimming' and she really shouldnt do that to music and in lycra, exerciser, will be a distant and hopefully hazy mermory in the Melbournian psyche.

I feel that I should also give mention to the fact that some of the people who live in Melbourne are completely sports mad! While waiting outside the swimming pool at 5.30am the other morning I saw numerous chains gangs of cyclists whizzing past . For those of you who don't understand the words chain gang, it is not as I once thought, a term for imprisoned folk chained together and made to do manual labour, but in the cycling world it is a term for imprisoned folk chained together and made to do manual labour for fun. And to think my husband wants to join this cruel sport!!

In fact he is pondering attempting another long distance cycle race and approached one of his new friends at work whom he knows does a little cycling. "Oh you mean you need a training partner. Yeah that could be fun but I just need to get the Marathon out of the way next weekend and the long distance sea swim race held over 10 miles then I'm all yours!! Grant was a little taken aback and after that stopped talking about it all.

The last thing I want to mention is 'The Return of the Ducks.' Yes once more the ducks have returned to our swimming pool. This is despite a) removal of their eggs from nest by the side of the pool.
b) me chasing said creatures around pool in my dressing gown as I am the only family member not scared of them
c) the liberal use of Duck Off - a substance recommended and then supplied by the swimming pool people - I was worried initially that this substance would do something unpleasant to our unwanted but lovely vermin,but I shoudln't have worried as they seem to love the stuff and I think it should be renamed Duck food!!
Anyway am hoping the warmer months and the sight of all of us Mungins in bathers should have the desired effect and if in fact this turns out to be the case I will be selling us on to other fellow 'ducks in our swimming pool' sufferers.