I remember my school day's swimming carnivals as being worthy of avoidance. It was compulsory to swim in events unless you could somehow evade the attention of the teachers who were trying to sign you up for races. I could swim well enough, just not competitively, so evasion was necessary. As it turned out I did start swimming races as I progressed through high school. When I became a teacher myself, I would often swim in staff races, not finishing anywhere special. I would have been much better over a distance.

Tom's school had their carnival on Thursday at Lawson Pool and things have changed. You don't have to compete and there are many novelty events to be had, so it is really quite a fun day. As it turned out he didn't even get in the water, though the temperatures soared. Perhaps he is taking a rather extreme leaf out of my book, though as for that, getting a free swim on a hot day was not something I would ever have missed as a kid. If there was a pool, we were in. I think kids these days are a little hung up on being cool, and way too conscious of their bodies. Brand identification is another lamentable fact - children want named things.

Anyway, here he is, with friends, on the day.