From Merrivale 13.2.1995

From Merrivale

13.2.1995

Dear Melissa & Jolene,

I swam in the Midmar Mile on Sunday and it was quite different from the swim at Lake Trevallyn. The water temperature would have been warmer than the heated pool at Glenorchy as I estimate it was approximately 25-26. We had 2 very hot days on Friday & Saturday, Friday was 40 and I don’t know what it was on Saturday but we had a Hugh storm on Saturday afternoon. After the storm we went and swam at the Agriculture College swimming pool. My mother managed to get a key from someone she used to work with. The water was also very warm and they had two diving platforms which the children loved.  Matthew found a frog which he nursed until he let it go back to its swimming. All your cousins were here on the weekend except Donovan and Taryn. They stayed at home with their father. Shelia and Ronald don’t have a very happy relationship and Donovan doesn’t live at home. He boards at a residential hotel. I think the reason he might not have come was because I saw him carrying a packet of cigarettes and I told him he was not to smoke near me. Jimmy and Lesley also smoke and don’t seem to care where they smoke which is a bit of a pain. I was going to go and stay with Jenny and Jimmy at the hotel but now I will go and stay with Debbie & Lionel at their caravan and just visit the Collighans.

I have not had any of the results of the Midmar Mile but I think that the winner finished in about 19 minutes. They were expecting about 10000 entrants and they had three gates going into the dam and the cars were bumper to bumper going in. It was pouring with rain and there were 5 events. I reckon there would have been about 2000 people in my events. The whole way you are jostling just for a place to swim. I got kicked by quite a few breakstrokers. All the swimmers had to have a bar code stapled to their bathers and your bar code was taken at the end. I have no idea how long I took. /the water was very rough because the weather was bad but I enjoyed the swim. I spoke to a few swimmers before the race and a lot of the swimmers aim for about half the amount of time that you do.

I want to go and see “Babe” with the Besters if it starts showing while I am here.  It is listed as a forthcoming attraction at the cinema. I have told Debbie we never got “Muriel’s Wedding” which they knew nothing about and I told them it has a South African connection. I think you girls would get on with most of your cousins. They seem to be just like normal young teenagers. Clinton wants to start playing rugby and come swimming with me. Byron and Donovan love surfing and Jonathon was “man of the match” at cricket on Saturday. Sherry-Lee rang from the Cape and was very upset that she had just missed us. Apparently she only went back home shortly after we came. I hope you are both coping well with work and training as well as housework.

                See you soon,

                                                Mum