Chicken Treat Dunsborough

Sunday 23rd November 2008
It wasn’t easy getting up this morning, the weather was grim, overcast, drizzly and all backed up by a nice cool breeze.
We had to make an early start because Surf School was held at Meelup Beach this morning and it takes about twenty five minutes to get there, we think they go to different beaches from time to time because that way the kids will get used to different currents and wave patterns.

On the way to Meelup we had to drive past the Holy Mile, a row of campsites on a stretch of road about a mile long surprisingly enough that are mainly run by religious organisations. As we were driving past the campsites Marisa pipes up in the back “what is Angelica?” we had to think about this one, it is a long time since anybody has mentioned Angelica to either of us.
We came to the conclusion that it was a herb and that it was something you used to use in food in the dim distant past, Marisa then asks “why did they name a campsite after a herb?” then it clicked what she was talking about. We told her that she hadn’t read the sign properly and that what she had seen was the sign for the Anglican campsite.
It made us laugh.
Just in case you’re interested, Angelica is used in Medicine for Coughs, Colds, Pleurisy, Wind and Rheumatism amongst other things and also by Confectioners for Confectionary strangely enough and Liqueurs.

Today they certainly had a few waves to contend with, they were the sort of waves where if you were just learning to surf you would have thought that somebody was smiling down on you.
The majority of these kids that attend have difficulty swimming in the sea on the normal beach with no waves so it was going to be interesting, it appears that like ours most of these other kids have had or are having swimming lessons at the pool, but put them in the sea and they can’t do anything other than doggy paddle.
Our kids were a nightmare for it, every time a wave catches them in the face they want to get out and dry off before going back in again, their not as bad as they were but it does bring home the difference between pool swimming and sea swimming.
Our kids had loads of swimming lessons back in the UK and had reached a fairly good standard for their ages, so it is a bit frustrating for us that they don’t do what they learnt in the sea, then you look around the beach and virtually every other parent is telling someone that their kids can do it in the pool so why can’t they do it in the sea.
Kristian had to do another Iron Man today and yet again he was the star, the route was longer than he had done before and swimming through the waves we weren’t sure whether he would be able to manage it.
The swim was longer and he really did have to show his determination to get through it, by the time he came out of the water he could barely walk and Ian had to gee him up to start running.
The beach run was also longer and to help him along Ian ran along side him giving him words of encouragement, Kristian got a fresh head of steam and was running really well, unfortunately, as anyone who knows Kristian will testify, Ians words of encouragement were interpreted by Kristian to be a sign that Ian wanted a chat. So Kristian chatted and asked questions, Ian still running along side him tried to chat back and answer his questions in between gasping for breath and was pleased when they got back to the waters edge so that Kristian could paddle his board and Ian could get his breath back.
His paddling on the board was very good, he made really good time compared to normal despite having to go through waves, the only place he did come unstuck was when he tried to get off the board a bit too early and a wave caught him side on. He ran with his board over the line and got a round of applause from the organisers.
Ian was talking to a couple of the people that run Kristians group and they are really impressed with his attitude and commitment, they said that today there were twelve kids in the group who were better suited for that event than Kristian who didn’t take part and Kristian was out there setting an example to all of them.
After surf school Ian was helping put the boards away when our accountant, whose kids also go to surf school, turned round to Ian and with reference to the inclement weather said “you must be in your element with this weather” Ian replied “not bloody likely we aren’t daft enough to go down to the beach in this weather, it’s only Aussies that do that”.
By the time the kids had put on some warm clothes and Ian had finished putting the boards away, the sausage sizzle had run out of cooked sausages and were waiting for some more to finish cooking. The kids were cold so we decided that rather than wait, we would go into Dunsborough and get something from there.
Carolyn and the kids decided to go for Chicken Treat, not Ians favourite and not Carolyns anymore. Carolyn and the kids walked into the shop and asked for Chicken Burgers without Mayo, the girl behind the counter refused to make any without Mayo and then proceeded to remove her shoes and socks, using her hand while standing behind the counter. Carolyn and the kids left without buying anything.
We would like to point out that we do not think that the refusal to make a Chicken Burger without Mayo and the fact that she took her shoes and socks off behind the counter had anything to do with each other, and that it was probably just bad timing that she felt the need to remove her footwear at that particular moment.
After that we came home, got changed into something warmer and then went into Busselton for something to eat, we went to the Vasse Bar and had a lovely meal.
Then we walked down to the foreshore stopping for a look round the Art Gallery along the way, we then mooched around the Jetty Shop before stopping for coffee while the kids played on the beach.
Carolyn picked up Fraser from his camping trip at about 4.30pm and surprise surprise, he hadn’t left anything behind, apart from the corner of his bed roll which some other little oik had ripped off for him.
In the evening we all sat down and watched Indiana Jones, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, it was good wholesome family entertainment and we all enjoyed it.