Now what on earth could a map of the Melbourne suburban train network, a very large box of chocolates, a swimming pool and this little girl have to do with commitment ?
This little girl (aka our quiet one) was snapped on her sixth birthday proudly showing off the (natural age related) gap in her top teeth and the cast on her arm caused by a tumble from her bike trying out the ‘activity track’ her older brother had put together in the back yard. A determined little devil she was – and still is. She became a scout and having achieved their top award The Scout Medallion she then moved on to Venturers where she worked towards and received the Queen’s Scout Award from the Governor of Victoria
Not long after that she became a Rover and now at nearly 21 still enjoys the ‘rough and tumble’ but also working hard on her Baden Powell award has the maturity of someone involved with her community. Determined and committed !
Anyway back to last week
Our quiet one works in hospitality in an inner city suburb. So with not much – well, no – parking nearby she uses the bus from the end of her street to the station and then train and trams to get there and back and up until now she’s usually been able to get a lift (or the bus) home from the station. A couple of weeks ago her mother (our little girl) and her father went up to Queensland for a bit of a break, then her aunt (our big girl) and her sister (our little redhead) joined them for a week and because there were no ‘ family taxi drivers’ around and having several evening shifts down on her rosta Grandma committed herself to meeting the late trains.
And late trains meant 10/11 pm ones arriving long after our very local bus service had stopped running!
Having a daughter (our big girl) involved with the parent company of Cadburys with her office located in the Bayswater factory grounds giving her access to the ‘shop’ – you know the place where for very low prices they sell all the seconds and other associated goods – sounds like fun?
Yes, it was fun for a long long time but not these days – except when she brings a really really good bargain to her father’s eye.
Now The Golfer and I are is partial to chocolate so 5kg of unwrapped badly shaped small picnic bars for $5 was received from her with open arms before she went off to enjoy a week in the sunshine with her sister. Seeing that large box and knowing what it contained made me all the more committed to restarting those morning visits to the pool.
I can tell you that a week of early mornings at the pool coupled with late nights waiting at the train station made for a very tired (but committed) Grandma.
ps I did a swap with our quiet one – the day I bagged up and gave her some of the chocolates she surprised me with a gift of flowers 😊
pps Is it alright to have one little bar of chocolate Maggie – I’m sure pool work will help with the BP and the calories 😎😊
Still Waters 
Of course it is alright to have one wafer thin morsel of chocolate. And you have reminded me that I need to get back to the pool. If my costume still fits.
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Hahaha EC – a wafer thin morsel of chocolate….what would that look like?
Happily there’s is no vanity to be seen at the pool early in the morning. We’re all in it together- in looks and size as well as intentions:)
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I bet you slept very well for the duration of early starts and late finishes.
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Very well indeed Andrew – into bed almost as soon as I returned from dropping R off and out like a light not long after!
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“pps Is it alright to have one little bar of chocolate Maggie – I’m sure pool work will help with the BP and the calories 😎😊”
Exactly what I was thinking when I read about your chocolate! Self control is something I do not possess when it comes to chocolate, there is no out of sight out of mind in my case, it calls my name from wherever it sits in the house, insistently. The pool work probably more than compensates for such a small treat. Enjoy. 🙂
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Lol Maggie – Out of sight out of mind doesn’t work for me with potato chips especially cheese & onion ones so those don’t come into the house now. I can even walk down that aisle in the supermarket without pausing 😊
Believe it or not, even though I joke about the draw of it, I’m not too bad where chocolate is concerned so I’ll not be rummaging through the box.
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Lol. I tell myself the same but it doesn’t work, Cathy!
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I’m channeling my inner self control Marie 😊😎
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That box of chocolates makes me drool. How sweet of her to bring you flowers. Great post!
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It was a lovely surprise Gigi. A way to say thenk you she knew her grandma would like
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Nice family story! I swim early mornings too and I agree there is no vanity; all shapes and sizes! I would sure be tucking into that chocolate, though.
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I will admit to having a piece or two (or three) Dar 😊
There’s definitely no standing around the pool posing at 7am – it’s a bit like ‘nothing to see here, move on’. Off with the top clothes and straight into the water – then out, wrap in towel and off up to the change room. It’s nice and warm in there during the winter with the heaters on lol
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chocolate – anytime is great….
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My daughter had a gap in her teeth there, when she was about that age, but it wasn’t natural age-related. Yet, she loved to show it off!
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