Had a child-free half-term last week. Such fun!
Son was off skiing. Husband at work as usual. I didn't make it to the gym "every day" as I planned to because I had quite a few things to see to.
A cousin was over from Singapore to sit her PhD viva. We celebrated on Thursday her achievement of "Passed with minor amendments". Making those amendments should be a formality.
Son came back on Saturday (yesterday), a bit sunburnt, and he was pleased to tell us, while walking home from school, that he was named "skier of the week". He even has a T-shirt (ie "got the T-shirt") to prove.
He went on about how it is a very large T-shirt. Possibly because they didn't expect a 10-year-old like him to win that title. And that he would be wearing that T-shirt for the next few years.
When we got to the door we learned that some of them did the "giant slalom", "but that was only six gates".
Son did the "massive slalom" and he lost count of the gates. The result was he came in second amongst all those who took part. Most of the group was made up of boys and a few girls from another school who shared the bus and instructors with them.
So, Charlie (from the other school) came in first. He must be at least Year 10 (15 years old). Then came son, Year 6 (aged 10 going 11) followed by another boy from his school (Year 7, age 11 or 12).
As such son is top skier from his school, improving on his overall third position last year (despite being a novice and beating other more experienced skiers). He was also given a silver medal and he was very proud: "My first medal for a sporting event."
(Last year he was given a baseball cap for being top skier in his group (novice) but he managed to lose it at a museum in Singapore. Whoever found it never returned it to the Museum.)
This Friday he expects to be presented with the medal and certificate again by his headmaster at Assembly.
Meanwhile, it's back to the slog with his Grade V Theory Exam looming. He does not have the energy to do another mock exam, and I don't blame him. He just wishes to get it over and done with. Let's hope he is not too careless.
Trivia #1: O! He lost two molars on this trip. Last year he also lost a tooth while on the trip.
Trivia #2: Somewhere along the line his new friend Finn from the other school asked him (while waiting for the chairlift) asked him what his IQ was. So son told him. Finn then shouted to Charlie, "This kid is a genius!" I am still trying to get to why Finn would think to ask a person's IQ.