Role Reversal

It's been a case of role reversal since Thursday as we traveled to Sydney so that Beth could do the course that I completed last month. Beth will now spend two weeks in school while I do the house husband thing at home. It's been great to spend some extended time with Alfie and take on the number one care giver role. It has certainly made me realise all that Beth does, not that I wasn't aware but there is so much to remember, carry and do!

I think that Beth enjoyed the adult company and is very much looking forward to life back in the classroom. She is going back to the school where I have been working for the last month and so she already knows some of the teachers socially which will help. After that she will be able to teach too and so there will be two of us waiting to see who gets the long straw and gets to stay with Alfie. Even though a six month old is hard work, it's great to spend time with him.

Down in Sydney Alfie and I spent time in Ikea, the local shopping center and the Olympic Park to pass the time as we waited for mummy to finish her course each day. I was having to learn quickly as I tried to read Alfie's signs and was taking all the advice I could get. We spent some time in the parents room and chatted to the mums, we also chatted to any other "dads n bubs" particularly if they were wearing the same weary puzzled expression as us! I did realise that Alfie's cute factor was very useful as people seemed only too willing to go the extra mile, help out or stop to coo! We even had to stop for a photograph with some Japanese tourists.... very strange!

We spent the Friday walking the Olympic Park which really was fantastic. Its a wonderful site which had a nasty industrial past. We really enjoyed seeing the different venues, the Olympic Torch, the parks and the coffee shops! We spent a few hours walking around with Alfie leading the way with his map...


Telstra Stadium - Think Jonny Wilkinson in the Rugby World Cup Final we won!

These poles have the names of all the thousands of volunteers that worked during the 2000 Olympic Games...


Alfie was clearly not impressed with the Olympic Torch... now an Olympic Fountain!


On the way back from the Park to pick up Beth we passed through the most frightening thunder storm, forked lightening all around with marble sized hail stones. We we're on the motorway which came to a complete standstill in all lanes due to the lack of visibility. Most tried to shelter under the bridges to shelter from the stones, there wasn't space for us and so we had to sit it out - luckily the car wasn't damaged.