An Age of Magic

School sports days never change…

I attended my son’s annual sports day yesterday and as he is my third son I have done quite a few of these special events. And not much has changed since the first one.

All the parents sit outside around an oval on outdoor furniture waiting to see their son/daughter run their race, throw their javelin/shotput, jump the bar or over the sandpit.

You take stuff to eat because it is amazing how much the kids eat during such an event and you also find yourself – dare I say it – a tad bored so a thermos of tea and some biscuits always brighten things up.

One kid always gets hurt, one usually ends up in tears and one parent/couple always argue with a timekeeper over a result. You applaud your kids efforts and you lightly applaud the other kids – you have to appear to be a good sport. But admit it – you only really go to see your own child participate and if they win something it is a bonus.

Popularity: 45% [?]

Is this the end for a once great Australian destination?

I was watching a current affairs program recently where a ‘fawlty towers’ type situation was reported on. The subject was a beautiful resort nestled in the Blue Mountains in NSW, Australia.

I remembered it well; Fairmount Resort was THE place to stay at when visiting the Blue Mountains. Celebrities from overseas always made for the beautiful spa overlookin the Jamieson Valley – it cost a packet to sta there even for a weekend. But now hard times have fallen on the Fairmount since it was taken over by an asian company.

They have sacked most of the local Australian staff and employed Korean’s who cannot speak a word of english and who have no idea how to clean a room, or change a bed, clean the beautiful Delta fauctes or sweep a floor. This is one reason why Australians are big on ‘Australian owned’.

The resort is now a filthy establishment with broken down facilities and a long line of very unhappy customers. Fortunately local tourism concerns are doing something about this; the resort has been removed from all tourism listings until the new owners get their act together. I hope it works – it is bad enough when foreigners take over something inherently Australian but when they make a mess of something that was once wonderful it is almost unforgiveable.

Popularity: 62% [?]

Kids need restraint

Fairgrounds can be a lot of fun to visit but they can also be dangerous places, especially for small children. The recent case of a two year old boy being killed at a fairground in London is one example.

The little boy ran away from his father and into the path of one of those kiddie roller coasters – the result was tragic. Parents need to keep their small children – a two year old is still a baby in my opinion – restrained. Whether it be by kiddie reins or a Bob stroller or just simply by holding onto their hand at all times, the dangers must be heeded.

Fairground accidents in the UK are very rare these days thanks to effective safety standards but nothing replaces effective parental awareness.

Popularity: 46% [?]