When is a rubber not a rubber?

Trying to hook up Halloween costumes - @Ian thinking he's got the "Sorcerer's wig" done and dusted

Well, you were so great at my last riddle about the vacuum cleaner, how are you with this one? "When is a rubber not a rubber?"

Apparently, this one is providing lots of laughter for everyone in the staffroom at school. I am even having a great chuckle myself.

I can remember the conversation clearly. One little man had copied the number down from the board as 29 ... instead of 92. When I asked him to check it - he spotted it immediately and wanted to correct it. I suggested he could just cross out 29 and write the 92 next to it. Nope. He wanted to rub it out. 😩 And that's where the language barrier came into play. 

He had a pencil with a rubber tip. And he had a big white block rubber in his open pencil case. Being big on choice and empowering decision making, I then launched into "What do you think, are you going to use the big rubber or the little rubber?" And when he had made his decision, I persisted with the "rubber" talk advising him "How about you put the big rubber away to make more room on the table." 

Not that I knew it because I have only heard this at dinner tonight. By this time the other two adults in the room are choking down their laughter. Not that either of them said anything to me - but they did fill @Mindy in and suggested she had the "sex" talk with me at an appropriate time! Thank goodness that the original number on the board wasn't 96 - imagine how that would have played out in the staffroom retell. Thank goodness I am only in the 1/2 classroom. Imagine how that would have gone down in the upper grades. 

 And I'm serious, at one stage I had thought about taking in my thongs as my inside shoes.

This was all shared over dinner with @Mel's parents (ex teachers) so it was laughs all round right to the end of the day.

Other than my little language stumble it was a great day.

We enjoyed a very leisurely start to my non-school day. Had breakfast a 1 pm in fact! Did the rubbish run, wandered around #Nesters being frightened by Halloween stuff everywhere and looked up startled at 2.20 realising we had to jump in the car to pick up @Mindy for the Cross Country meet.

Bag lady at the rubbish centre!

Grim Reaper at #Nesters

This one was at #Squamish and it was BIG. Hundreds of children participating from year 3 to year 7. Loads of excitement, same "relaxed" format although with so many more competitors and boys and girls running separately with a staggered start, with huge range of abilities, the finish line and the associated sorting of ribbons and places was a little chaotic. Actually, up a notch and approaching shambolic. 

Lots more competitors at this meet - under their watchful eyes

A couple of the young runners were justifiably a little frustrated with the finish but "moved on" and I was quite thankful to see that the adults sorted it out eventually. Another great afternoon under clear blue skies with loads and loads of fallen Maple leaves. If only I had @Mr Symms and a busload of kids on the Sydney-Canberra trip I would have been in Maple leaf heaven.

Playing thin e Maple leaves - so many leaves

Moved on to dinner at what was a food truck attached to a pub and dining area. Lots of stories to share with @Colleen and @Daniel from #Ottawa who are very committed to getting @Melissa to give up her life in #Whistler and return home. Didn't want to be the one to break the news to them - but don't think she has plans to go back east - she has been here in #Whislter for 5 years now I think and was vocal in her determination that this IS the place.

Casual dinner after cross country - not KFC this week

Last job of the day was to walk the aisles of #Walmart. We were in the big smoke and had to stock up on all the essentials. That means we now own a pumpkin carving kit, have some decorations and of course stocked up on treats - under the guise of sharing them with children who visit in the neighbourhood. There are three packs of ten of his favourite Bounty in the stash - I will be interested to see how many make the 19-day countdown to #Halloween.

So many temptations in Walmart

Once @Ian had safely driven us back up the mountain, I thought I was finished for the night but made the mistake of opening my email. Correspondence flagged as "urgent" had hit my inbox from the Australian Electoral Commission. Had to deal with that before setting the alarm for an early getaway tomorrow for another chance at patterning. To settle myself into a slumber, I counted down "100 hundred erasers, 99 erasers, 98 erasers, 97 erasers, 96 .........

PS Still no sign of the postal vote in the letter box but as mentioned did receive an email from AEC with an attached "redirect" message from a delivery company to advise that the address provided to the courier did not exist. Not keen to click on any email link, I rang the AEC. Got a gentleman at the Call Centre who was short on detail but was certainly trying to help. He was able to verify that the address entered was correct and I later received a confirmation email that address has been re-provided to the courier.  See if there is a delivery tomorrow.  🤞 He did finish by directing me to the "Form" that you fill in if you are overseas and don't manage to vote. Somehow I think we will be following that link.

New mountain for us - Diamond Mountain - still covered in snow - viewed from #Squamish

PS We need @Gary here to capture it - but this afternoon #Diamond Mountain was lit up in "Alpenglow." This is a lighting effect that is best seen at sunset (that was us) or sunrise when the sun drops under the horizon. In that instant, the peak of the mountain, metre by metre, changes colour - the cold air and warm surfaces reflect different colours - the last colours that are visible for a little longer are the oranges and pinks - and finally the mountain turns a purple then grey shade. Very spectacular.