Sports day

Sunday was the annual Sports Day at the local primary school. The Sports Day is a massive event, with marquees arranged all around the sports ground for the parents and of course the local dignitaries invited (presumably the same bunch that gets wheeled out for graduation ceremonies and the like) and the kids all practice for weeks and weeks beforehand.

So you get to see lots of acrobatics like this:

and this:

And there are running races for the tinies:

And a massive tug-of-war.

Those tents at the back are where all the Proud Parents are cowering in the shade enjoying picnic lunches while the kids sweat in out in the burning sun. (And if you look really carefully you can even see the sparkling sea there behind the tents… sorry… am I sounding a bit too much like a travel brochure?)

During the festivities they had the results up on a big board at the front. Felix was happy because the White Team (his team) won the day on points:

Meanwhile in other exciting news, the pool at the primary school is due to open in just a few short weeks. The pool up at the junior high school is also being prepared for the summer, and guess who gets to scrub down the walls before they fill it: that’s right, Ruby and her compatriats were all out there today armed with brushes and towels and hoses. (Ruby “accidentally” got her best friend Kasumi wet but managed to buy her off with a muffin.)

And on Saturday Felix and I went to Onomichi to do some shopping and found this quaint little coffee shop where they make coffee using equipment that looks like something out of a mad scientist movie:

The coffee itself was pretty ordinary but at least we had fun watching them concoct it on the bunsen burners.