South Head Heritage Walk and AFL Football Finals

South Head Heritage Walk

This past Saturday I was thrilled to be asked by one of Helen's (my exchange partner) friends, Jane to accompany her on a walk of the the South Head Heritage area in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney.  Here is a virtual tour of our walk:

South Head Heritage Walk

We first stopped at a small hidden beach in Vaucluse (an Eastern Suburb).  It is named Parsley Bay Beach, and it was simply charming!  I want to take our daughter, Katie there when she comes to see us in November!

Here is a little video about Parsley Bay Beach which was produced at a Film Making Course:

Parsley Bay Beach - Sydney

Water Dragon Lizard - Parsley Bay is known as a home of these interesting reptiles!

The short South Head Heritage trail offers something for everyone; incredible beach and harbour views, a glimpse into history and excellent whale watching opportunities.

Starting at Camp Cove in Watsons Bay, this short walk takes you on a stroll along an 1870s cobblestone road past Lady Bay Beach, before reaching historic Hornby Lighthouse with its distinctive red and white stripes. Take some time to explore the gun emplacements and keep your eyes open if you’re there during whale watching season.

The spectacular views of Sydney are sure to astound you, with Sydney Harbour to the west, Middle Head and North Head to the north, and the expansive Pacific Ocean to the east; and leave you wanting to explore more of Sydney Harbour National Park.

Jane with a cute kitty named Valentina!

wal

Thank you, Jane for a very enjoyable walk!

Mitch Attends the "Footy!"

While I was enjoying my walk with Jane, Mitch went to the footy with Malcolm!  He has been eager to attend a game and to learn more about Australian Rules Football.  What is it, and, how is it different from what we would call either football or soccer?

Here is a bit of information on Australian rules football:

Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, but also called Aussie rules, football or footy (and in some regions marketed as AFL after the Australian Football League), is a sport played between two teams of eighteen players on the field of either an Australian football ground, a modified cricket field, or a similarly sized sports venue. The main way to score points is by kicking the ball between the two tall goal posts. The team with the higher total score at the end of the match wins unless a draw is declared.

During general play, players may position themselves anywhere on the field and use any part of their bodies to move the ball. The primary methods are kicking, handballing and running with the ball. There are rules on how the ball can be handled: for example, players running with the ball must intermittently bounce or touch it on the ground. Throwing the ball is not allowed and players must not get caught holding the ball. A distinctive feature of the game is the mark, where players anywhere on the field who catch a ball from a kick (with specific conditions) are awarded possession. Possession of the ball is in dispute at all times except when a free kick or mark is paid.

Australian football is a contact sport in which players can tackle using their hands or use their whole body to obstruct opponents. Dangerous physical contact (such as pushing an opponent in the back), interference when marking and deliberately slowing the play are discouraged with free kicks, distance penalties or suspension for a certain number of matches, depending on the seriousness of the infringement. Frequent physical contests, spectacular marking, fast movement of both players and the ball and high scoring are the game's main attributes.

The game's origins can be traced to football matches played in Melbourne in 1858. Australian football became codified in May 1859 when the first laws were published by the Melbourne Football Club, making it the oldest of the world's major football codes.

Australian football has the highest spectator attendance of all sports in Australia.

The game that Mitch attended was the Sydney Swans against the Greater Western Sydney Giants. The only problem that Mitch had was that he did not know the colors of the teams, and he should have been cheering for the Swans since we live in Sydney instead of Western Sydney.  He found out that the color of the Swans is red and the color of the Giants is orange.  What did he wear?  His University of Texas Longhorn ball cap which is burnt orange, of course!  Well, the Giants won, so that was lucky!

Mitch says this about the game, "I had a lot of fun, but I still do not understand anything about the rules of the game!"

We are continuing to learn new things every week - I am now realizing that there is no way that we will learn even close to everything about the Aussie way of life before we come home!

A Final Thought to Leave With You

First - I have told you several times about all of the birds around us all the time!  We have cockatoos "out the wazoo" at home and at school!  We also have this neighborhood bush turkey at school who just makes himself at home nibbling on the leftovers from the lunch boxes:

Just outside my classroom

Many of you know that I have spent the majority of my professional life teaching and urging children to take responsibility for their actions.  It is such an important skill, and I believe that one can not be a successful adult without this ability.  That core belief  has been tested this year with my children and the birds at school.  Morning Tea occurs at 11:00.  The students eat a bit from their lunch box at Morning Tea, but not everything.  They are supposed to save the majority of what is in their lunch box for lunch which occurs at 1:00.  If they leave their lunch box outside and forget to properly secure it, there is a strong likelihood that a cockatoo will eat what is in there prior to lunch leaving them with no lunch!  

Such a dilemma - do I rescue the child and loan them money to get something from the canteen because the cockatoo ate their lunch, or do I let them suffer the natural consequence of their forgetfulness by going without food from 1:00-3:00 when school is dismissed?  

I would love to hear some suggestions about this dilemma, so feel free to respond.  Next week I will tell you what I did this week when this exact thing happened to one of my students. He literally had NO FOOD left for lunch!

Have a Spectacular September, dear friends!