I packed my children a picnic lunch on one of those crazy mid-February days and sent them off to sit out in the sideways rain and cold wind for a few hours – which can only mean one thing; it was the date of the annual school swimming carnival. 

A wet blustery 20 degree day was not ideal to don a bathing suit, dive into an outdoor pool then sit damp and shivering in between events, but it certainly makes a child live in the moment and look forward to a hot shower sometime in the near future.  

Thanks goodness I had the foresight to stock-up on five dollar notes so my girls each had money for hot chips. I heard hearty tales of lengthy catch-ups with dear friends in the queue as the kiosk was overrun with freezing hungry teens.

No one begrudged Tiani missing Yasinta’s winning swims in a couple of relays because she had to hold her place in the chip line.

Our primary school stopped giving out prizes at sports days long before we even started attending, so Year 7 Tiani bagged her first ever batch of red and green ribbons for breast stroke and back stroke.  

They’re not medals, but they come close.  

These were hard-earned honours though, because after only four hours out in the elements, my baby came home looking pale, ate an enormous sandwich, soaked in a hot bath, then promptly fell asleep on the couch.  

I hit the peak of my parental plaguing that morning I can tell you, lining up snow coats and blankets and even asking Daddy to insist his daughters put on something warm!

With zero body fat and seven chapters of Mathematical Methods to plough through, I even stooped to the depths of strongly encouraging my Year 11 student to stay snug… at home.  

In an act of solidarity with her classmates though, she insisted on wrapping up in the team colours, packing lots of homework and joining the wait for chips along with all her friends.  

My girls are definitely community minded, and chip lovers.