#Adult Swimming Lessons Sydney

[cherriegyuu]

asellus australis | jww | part 1

pairing: wonwoo x f!reader genre: fluff, romance, idiots to lovers word count: 6k summary: Wonwoo couldn’t possibly be the only person living in Sydney who didn’t know how to swim, so he reluctantly says yes to the lessons his friends signed him up for. When he learns that you are his instructor, he figures learning how to swim as an adult isn’t all that embarrassing after all warnings: fear of water, mentions of drowning a/n: this is part of the @svthub 2024 world tour collab. please head there to check out other fics under this collab. if you enjoyed reading, please reblog and leave a comment, it really does mean the world to me and i would love to know your thoughts. thank you! 💕

It was the kids' laughter that brought your mind out of its newest daydream. It was hard to keep yourself focused on what was happening right in front of you rather than on what had already happened. It was a new feeling and so completely out of character for you. 

A couple of weeks had gone by since you attended a certain party, one you didn’t want to go to. You were too tired from the week and there was a little hint of emotional exhaustion to put yourself through a situation where everything would eventually turn out to be too much. 

It had been so easy to find a quiet place further in at the back, away from all the people and their noisiness. There was only so much music and chatter you could block out just by standing away though.

You sipped your drink, something sweet and fruity Kira had gotten you before drifting off to wherever she wanted to go. It was somewhat frustrating to have gone there because of her and having her pull away from you the second you got there. But at the same time, you understood why she did it. Whoever her new crush was, he was at the party, which meant that she saw an opportunity. Kira was never one to be at a party by herself, and unfortunately, Nina had a better excuse to not be there than “I’m tired”, so you had to be the one to tag along. Though it wasn’t entirely too bad, it was a little boring. 

And then he showed up. 

You had never seen him before, which considering that you didn’t know a single person at the party wasn’t surprising at all. You knew Kira and maybe a couple of others in passing. You made a mental note to ask her how she found out at that party. 

There was no way for you to look away from him. It was like there was this spotlight on him, just on him, making everyone else around pale. 

Somehow he had ended up by your side, claiming to also be running away from his friends and the noise. 

“This isn’t really my scene,” he said “I don’t even know how they managed to drag me out here, to be honest”

You blushed a little when he looked at you, a smile wide on his face. It was enough to make your heart skip a beat. 

“I’m Wonwoo”, his hand stretched out while his left one adjusted the glasses in his nose. 

“Hi”

You let your hand be wrapped by his. You had never felt quite that shy before while meeting someone. Usually, you were the talkative one. 

“I wasn’t supposed to come out tonight” you admitted “but I’m kind of glad I did”

Was that possibly crossing a line? You weren’t sure, it probably was but early that morning you read that you should be more open to relationships in whichever format they came from, the reason why you didn’t even try to stop Kira from dragging to the party. 

A long time had gone by since you felt anything similar while talking to someone — especially since using the word talking seemed to be a little much considering you had barely exchanged a few words. Wonwoo had your undivided attention from the moment he walked in. 

Wonwoo simply smiled at you again and looked up at the sky. The sun had long set and in its place the most beautiful full moon lit up the sky, accompanied by the countless shining stars. 

“There’s so many stars tonight,” you said and almost kicked yourself for it. 

It was probably the worst way you could have started a conversation with a guy. You half expected him to answer you at all, a nod or a hm, at best. 

“Did you know,” his words were almost shy, his delicious low voice dropping even lower, almost as if he was telling you a secret “that the stars have colors?”

His voice was so quiet while he spoke, his eyes still focused on the sky above. Wonwoo clasped his hands together, his knuckles turning white while he put way too much strength into something that needed none.

“Really?” you looked up for a second before turning your full attention back to his profile “I thought it was just some sort of optical illusion”

He turned to you then, his full attention on you as you waited for him to speak again. It was an odd feeling, for him to have someone interested in whatever he was saying.

“Yeah, there’s a few. Blue, white, yellow, orange, and red” he made a fist between the two of you, raising a finger every time he said a different color “The color depends on the temperature and life cycle”

Maybe you didn’t mean to, or perhaps you did, but you leaned your body a little to the left, your knee touching his.

“I had no idea”

He looked at you, slightly surprised that you were suddenly so close to him but smiled at you all the same.

“You can’t see the colors when you look at the sky?” his eyebrows were slightly raised, lips in a mix of a pout and a smile. 

You pulled your bottom lip in between your teeth in hopes that it could make you stop from inching forward and pressing them against his. If you were in his place you’d probably run away screaming “crazy” at the top of your lungs”

“I mean, I can, I just didn't think the star had actual colors. I guess I just always assumed it was all silver”

Wonwoo laughed, his nose wrinkling in the most adorable way possible. 

You were talking with him for a couple of hours, the most casual kind of conversation and it was probably the most fun you had in a long time at one of those parties. Not that you didn’t have fun. Nina and Kira were always fun to be around and it was something you always said yes to, being around them. But with Wonwoo it was just a different kind of fun. Usually, when guys approach you at parties the conversations always remain the same, and it was always made to make them look larger than life. 

Wonwoo however seemed to be much more interested in talking about the sky and the moon and the stars — “did you know that the moon moves away further from the earth every year? — and while you were aware that some of it was just to prove himself as smart, you found it cute and at times, even endearing. 

He seemed somewhat passionate about what he was talking about to the point where you could just stand there and look at him without ever getting bored. His voice, low when he had first sat by your side, had gone up a few notes, maybe partially because of the music around you, but you had a feeling that it was because he was just getting excited about what he was talking about. 

“I never saw you before at one of these,” you said

Wonwoo took a long sip of his drink, you weren’t sure of what it was but it wasn’t the cheap beer that was in your cup. 

“I don’t come to these often, my friends” he pointed at where the rest of the people were and you had no real way of finding out who his friends were “finally managed to drag me out. I would have stayed at the office if they didn’t”

It was a redo of the conversation you had before but you didn’t mind in the least, not when you could feel his warm breath at the top of your cheeks as he leaned down to talk to you. Slightly, you turn your head to him and for a moment you thought about just typing your head up slightly, just enough to reach his lips. 

“What do you do for a living?”

Wonwoo cleared his throat, his eyes moving from your eyes to your lips. He did that maybe a couple of times before he finally, finally, leaned in. And it was like little bells of you started to play inside your head. It was perfect for all of two seconds, his lips pressed over yours, soft and warm, his hand at the back of your neck pulling your face closer to his before someone screamed your name at the top of their lungs. 

He pulled away from you immediately and you honestly wanted to cry. The kiss had only lasted a brief second but you didn’t want it to end.

Kira was suddenly by your side, a look of complete desperation in her eyes. 

“We have to go… Nina…”

Before she even finished her sentence you were already up. You looked at Wonwoo quickly, hoping that he could see how sorry you were when you ran out. 

Looking back you wished you could have remembered to ask for his number before you left, or for him to ask for yours. But all of it had happened way too quickly that it had never crossed.

Ever since that night had been stuck in your mind, you couldn’t stop thinking about Wonwoo or the kiss. It was like your mind was in this infinite looping playing that one moment.

“The new guy is here,” Jinah said, Laughing a little.

You looked where she was pointing and couldn't help the low laugh that escaped your lips. Three guys were walking towards you. Maybe walking was a bit too strong a word, one of them was being pushed by the other two.

“We're already here,” the shorter one said, exasperated “You just have to go there and learn”

“You know, this is a terrible idea” the one who was being pushed said.

It was as if you had been transported back to that day at the party. It was precisely the voice you wanted to hear but had no real way of hearing.

“Wonwoo?”

Your voice was one that Wonwoo didn't expect to hear any time soon, or maybe ever again. After that day when he left the party in a hurry, without giving the slightest explanation, Wonwoo was sure he would never see you again. Sydney was far from a small town and he wasn't the biggest party-goer who had ever set foot on this earth, he knew that the chances of running into you again were slim to none.

But somehow, you were right there in front of him.

He had thought many times about what he would say if he saw you again if he was that lucky. Everything that had gone through his head had seemed wrong and now that you were in a place where he could see you, nothing came to mind. It was as if he had momentarily forgotten all the words he had learned throughout his life. That all the years he had spent trapped in an educational institution hadn't taught him anything.

Ever since that night, Wonwoo couldn't stop thinking about you. It didn’t matter what he did, however, he tried to think of other things or other people and focus on work. You were always there, in the back of his mind. He had never done anything quite like that before. 

That wasn’t to say that he had never had a girlfriend. He had, a few of them throughout his life but it never happened quite that fast and it was never quite life-altering. Sure, he had met a girl once at one of the many events he attended as part of his job and she had stayed in his mind for a couple of hours, but never days like it happened with you. 

And when he started to babble about the moon and the stars, because he had gotten nervous, you didn’t seem to mind. Instead, you gave him your full attention, seemingly inserted in what he was saying. But then suddenly you were gone and he didn’t even have the chance to ask for your number or anything that he could use to find you again. 

Wonwoo had been certain that you would, somehow, be the one who got away and yet there you were, in shorts and a black swimsuit with the logo he saw outside. 

He hated the word destiny, but maybe there was some of it sprinkled in seeing you again. 

“Hi!” 

Wonwoo’s voice came out a little louder than usual, making his friends turn to him with furrowed eyebrows. Soonyoung looked utterly confused while Jihoon just did his best to suppress the laugh that was bubbling inside his chest. 

“I didn’t think I’d see you again,” you said, smiling brightly at him. 

Wonwoo was completely caught off guard when you took a step forward and wrapped your arms around his shoulder. It only lasted a second and it wasn’t enough for him to react and hug you back. 

Your cheeks had a light pink on them as you stepped back. He smiled once he noticed that your hand was balled into fists. 

“Sorry, my mom is a hugger so I just sort of hug people sometimes” you were quick to explain, waving your hands in front of yourself. 

You closed your eyes tightly, your cheeks getting even redder. Wonwoo thought that you looked cute that night at the party, but this version in front of him was much cuter. He pressed his lips together, trying not to smile too big. 

“Do I get a hug too?”

Soonyoung took a step forward, arms wide open, smile so big that Wonwoo wasn’t even sure his friend could see anything at all. Thankfully Jihoon was quick enough to pull him back and angry enough to hit him in the back of the head. 

“No…”  

You took another step back and raised your index finger at him. Your reaction alone was enough to pull an honest laugh out of Wonwoo. You seemed horrified by the idea which made him think that your earlier allegation of being a hugger was probably a lie. 

“How dense are you?” Jihoon whispered and shouted at Soonyoung. 

You lightly shook your head, maybe trying to shake off any sort of dizziness, before smiling again. 

“Which one of you is the one taking lessons?”

In the queue, Wonwoo felt two sets of hands at his back, pushing him forward. Both of his friends were holding back giggles. 

He had hated the idea of taking swimming lessons as an adult. His friends were irreducible in his learning though so he eventually just caved and did as they wanted. However, all of the cells in his body that were against it dissolved the second he saw you. Now, learning didn’t seem all that bad or all that weird. 

“Great! I need you to follow me to the back if that’s okay?” you pointed over your shoulder with your thumb “You need to fill out a form before we can get started”

Wonwoo nodded and followed you. He was naive enough to look back at his friends once and he was glad that you didn’t do the same. Jihoon was giving him a thumbs up, a weird-looking smile on his face, while Soonyoung would be screaming if he could, if not for the hand covering his mouth. 

He loved his friends, he really did, they were one of the reasons why Wonwoo even had any kind of social life, and they were there for him whenever he needed them, even if he just wanted to complain about something — Soonyoung was especially good at hating someone he had never met before just because Wonwoo complained once about said, person. 

In silence, he followed you to the back, eyes focused on your back. He had to force his eyes to stay on the back of your neck and not on the way your hips swayed deliciously from side to side while you walked. 

You sat down on one of the tables and smiled sweetly at the receptionist who handed you a sheet and a pen. You slid the paper across to Wonwoo, followed by the pen.  

“While you fill that out, I’m going to ask you a couple of questions”

Wonwoo was never that great at multitasking, so he was sure that he would either write his information down or he would talk with you. If he did do two things at once, most likely both of them would be half-assed. 

“Why are you taking swimming lessons?”

He paused writing and looked at you. It made sense that that was your first question, he would just like it if it wasn’t on the list. 

“I don’t know how to swim, so my friends thought that it was good a idea to sign me up for lessons”

You smiled and nodded at him, not a hint of judgment in your eyes. It was new. When he told people that he didn’t know how to swim people usually looked at him like he had four sets of arms, it was almost like the look one got when one heard that they could ride a bike. 

“Can you float on your back?”

He simply shook his head and kept writing his information down. It didn’t go unnoticed to Wonwoo how you pursed your lips together and tilted your head to the side. 

“Do you feel comfortable in the water at all?” you asked, slightly confused. 

Wonwoo set down the paper and pen, now fully looking at you. He wanted to avoid the conversation, yes, but he knew if there was one place he had to be honest, it was there, with you. 

“I’m not the biggest fan of water,” he said, voice low matching how his eyes were kept on the table the entire time. 

When Wonwoo was a kid, while on a trip to the beach with his parents, he was playing in the water when a wave forcefully took him away. He had tried to scream for help but instead of pushing his voice out, all he did was pull water into his lungs. According to his parents, the moment didn’t last for more than a few seconds but it was enough for him to never want to do anything with the water again.

It wasn’t a problem to be at a pool, like the one he was in, as long as his feet could touch the floor and he had enough space between where the water ended and his head. But he had never been to the beach again. Not that his friends hadn’t tried to convince him to go to the beach, just to feel the sand between his toes, they never even mentioned the idea of getting in the water. But Wonwoo refused every single time. 

Why would he go to a place that only brought him bad memories when he could simply pretend that synch place didn’t even exist in the first place? Of course, living in Sydney posed as a minor problem to that plan, but it had never stopped him before. 

And yet, somehow, he found himself in front of you, asking for swimming lessons. The fact that it was you made him somehow calmer if such a thing was even possible. 

“Can you get into the water or is that something we need to work on?” Wonwoo looked up at you, eyebrows furrowed “Some people come here and they have a rough time getting into the water, so it’s something we have to work slowly on. Is that the case with you?”

“Oh, no” he shook his head “I can get into the water just fine”

You smiled at him while you looked at his information. Wonwoo felt his insides twist a little when your smile slowly dropped. 

“Is everything okay?”

Your eyes left the paper for a second and you smiled again.

“Everything is fine” you put the paper on the table again, now fully ignoring it “Should we get started?”

“He is a cancer!” you wailed, dropping your head on the back of the couch. 

Of course, it made absolute sense that the most dreamy and perfect guy you had ever met, was a cancer. Of course! 

“What is she on about?” Kira asked, making a weird face. 

Nina simply sighed and nudged you, placing the wine glass into your hands

“It’s the guy from the party,” you said, sipping the wine “He came in today to take lessons and I saw his birthday. He’s a cancer”

Both of them nodded as if understanding what you were saying, but you knew that they couldn’t care less about it. Between the three of you, you were the only one who cared about star signs. You were always one to simply look into it once and let it go. It usually gives you a way to understand someone better. And while it could just be some harmless fun, you know yourself well enough to know that something you let get a little too much into your head. 

And you see, Wonwoo is a cancer, which in itself it’s not a real issue. Cancer men are known to be caring, loyal, and protective, all of which are great treats when you are in a relationship with someone, their groundedness is highly incompatible with Sagittarius women. They usually enjoy their time at home and are more on the introverted side. 

“Are you going to treat that as a problem?”

Nina had her eyebrow raised so high you were sure that if she pushed up a little more she’d be able to touch her hairline. 

“We are incompatible!” you cried, drinking the rest of the wine.

Both of your friends looked at you, knowing that the conversation would probably lead you to drink a little more than you needed, which in return would cause them problems. Truth be told you weren’t the best drinker out of the three of you. You were the worst of your group, to the point you avoided drinking out, but in the comfort of your home — or this case, Kira’s home — all bets were in and you could be as much of a bad drinking as you wanted to be. 

“You can’t let sun signs, moon signs, whatever it’s called, rule your relationship, babe,” Kira said, her voice sounding a lot like the one she usually used on the kids she teaches.

Kira was a kindergarten teacher, a real hero if you knew what one of those looked like

“Remember how you were over the moon after the party? You couldn’t stop talking about him and we all know that if you can’t stop talking, it also means that he was constantly in your mind as well”

Her tone was almost mocking you. The thing is your friends knew you, sometimes, better than you knew yourself.

“Do you remember Ben? He was a cancer” you said trying to prove a point, but knowing fully well that it meant nothing at all. Wonwoo and Ben couldn’t possibly be more different, even just at first glance. 

“Ben stole money from your wallet, used your card to his heart’s content, and then fled, making you pay for everything he ever bought. I’m sure Wonwoo is nothing like that”

You narrowed your eyes at her. She was defending Wonwoo a little too much. You knew Kira’s thoughts on your zodiac obsession and she was always quick to shut it down, but this time around, the way she was defending a man she had maybe seen for 5 seconds was a little suspicious.

“I agree with Kira,” Nina said, eyes still on her phone “Ben was a dick but Wonwoo might not be one. You said he was sweet at the party. Sorry I sort of ruined it for you that night”

Your friend smiled at you, her eyes a little sad. Nina had been the reason why Kira pulled you out of the party that night. She had been traveling for work and was in a car accident on the road on her way back to Sydney. She was fine, with no life-threatening wounds, but she was very nervous, understandably so. She was still insecure about being on the road again, but you were sure that she just needed a little more time. 

“It’s fine” You wrapped her shoulders with your arms, pulling her closer to you “No boy in the world is more important than you”

Your mind went back to the party and the way you felt that night, how you’d have stayed there the entire night with him unless you were pulled away — which eventually happened. Wonwoo talked about the moon and stars and you were that if he ever told you that he was the one responsible for hanging them up in the sky you would have probably believed him. 

“You’re so corny sometimes” She pushed you with her shoulder but made no real attempt to move away from you.

“You love me, so…”

“I guess the swimming lessons are much more interesting now, right?” Soonyoung teased Wonwoo.

Wonwoo simply rolled his eyes and kept his focus on the computer in front of him, making Jihoon snort by his side, which in return only made Soonyoung wine as he sat on the couch in the back of the room. Under normal circumstances, Wonwoo would probably already be home at such an hour but there were things that he needed to do if he wanted to have a truly off weekend. One when he could just focus on the lessons he was bound to have on Saturday. 

He was never one to anxiously wait for things, especially when those things had a lot to do with the water and yet there he found himself, wishing that Saturday morning came just a little faster than it usually did. 

For him, Saturdays mostly meant trying to come up with reasons as to why he wouldn’t be able to go somewhere with his friends. That was mostly Soonyoung, to be fair. His friend enjoyed being out and about, going to new places, and having new experiences. From time to time Wonwoo did too, but he liked his time alone time a little too much when it was just him and his stars. 

“It pains me to say this” Jihoon said with a sigh, almost as if he didn’t believe those words were coming out of his mouth “I agree with him. It looks a lot of fun now”

Jihoon and Soonyoung were a weird duo, that was for sure. They spent half of the time bickering like old men who have nothing else to do and the other half they were either in agreement or just pretending that the other didntdidn'tt. Somehow, it worked.

“I mean” Jihoon continued “She’s the girl from the party”

Wonwoo turned around in his chair, giving Jihoon a look with eyes wide. There was a reason why he didn’t mention you to Soonyoung, and it was quite simple: he would never hear the end of it and Soonyoung would, at the very least, contact every single person he knew at the party and ask if they knew you. His friend would stop until he found you and though seeing you again was something that he wanted, Wonwoo didn’t want to come across as someone who was desperate and maybe a little bit of a stalker. 

“What girl?”

He let his body slide down on the chair and closed his eyes. Wonwoo would never hear the end of it now with Soonyoung. 

“The party we managed to drag him to a couple of weeks ago? He met a girl there and she had to leave before he managed to ask for her number”

Another thing about the Soonyoung and Jihoon duo is that they like to gossip like teenagers. It’s the very stereotypical image of highschoolers whispering to each other in the hallways, except for the fact that they gossip about Wonwoo right in front of his face and there is nothing that he can do to just make them stop, and they haven’t been to a high school hallway in years. 

“Why didn’t I know about this?”

“Probably because you were too busy with whatever it is that makes you disappear at parties?”

The two of them exchanged a look and Wonwoo knew that they were talking without ever saying a single word. 

“So” Soonyoung turned to him again “you went to a party and talked to this girl”

“Kissed her, actually,” Jihoon said

Soonyoung’s body almost vibrated at the news and he was clapping his hands, making sounds that no human should ever be able to make. 

What is the closest emergency exit from here? Wonwoo couldn’t help but wonder. 

“This is the greatest day of my life” he laughed hysterically “You went to a party, something that on its own is already very out of character to you, you kissed a girl and now she’s your hot swimming instructor?”

He turned to Jihoon for approval, who simply nodded. 

“You should ask her out, she looked interested earlier  at the pool”

The image of you looking over his information and your smile slowly dropping came across Wonwoo’s mind and he couldn’t help but think that Soonyoung was wrong. Whatever it was that you say written there, which Wonwoo couldn’t possibly even phantom what it was considering that it was his most basic information, was enough to make you rethink something. 

“And she listed to you nerding out and still wanted to kiss you”

His mind drifted back to the night of the party. Wonwoo was certain that if you had stayed for a little longer he would have probably gotten your number and asked you out on the very next day and with some luck you would have said yes and who knew where it would go from there. 

“Oh, this just keeps getting better” Soonyoung clapped his hands.

“Again, this is very painful to say but I agree with Soonyoung, you should ask her out”

Wonwoo rolled his eyes. Jihoon talked a big game about not agreeing with Soonyoung but he always did. They were always in the same frequency of decisions and Wonwoo was usually the one who had a different opinion. 

“And maybe, who knows, she might have thought about you as much as you thought about her these past few weeks?”

Soonyoung grabbed Jihoon’s arm, his eyes wide with uncontrolled excitement.

There was something different about the way Jihoon said it as if he was in some sort of secret that Wonwoo had no idea about. Of course that was the entire purpose of a secret but it felt different. 

“If I promise to think about it, will you” Wonwoo pointed at Soonyoung “stop this weird, whatever it is?”

Surprisingly enough, the pool was mostly empty during the weekends, hence why they usually closed at noon on Saturdays. Parents usually sent their kids during the afternoons and most adults preferred either early mornings or after hours so the weekends were usually pretty low and you’d rather be anywhere else than at work but Saturdays started to look so much better once Wonwoo’s name was written on the board, right under yours. 

After the initial minor breakdown

You sat down on the edge of the pool, your feet on the water while you waited for him. With each passing second you grew more anxious, your heart beating rapidly inside your chest in anticipation of what would happen. 

A part of you expected it to be just a regular class, with normal small talk. The other part, this one much more hopeful and highly unrealistic, hoped that you could pick up where you left off the night of the party. But the truth was that you had no idea what was about to happen. You were certain that there was a secret third option that you couldn’t see or even think of. 

You turned around when there was the distant sound of a door closing and a few seconds later Wonwoo walked in, in black swim shorts and a black t-shirt, a towel on his shoulder. He smiled at you while pushing his glasses back. 

For a moment it was like you were back at the party that night and he was all that you could see again. There wasn’t anything or anyone else there but even then the space seemed to disappear.

“Hi,” he offered once he stopped next to you. 

“Hey”

You got up and walked to the other side, removing your shorts and folding them over the side of a chair. Wonwoo followed suit, dropping his towel on the chair and then taking off his glasses and shirt. It took everything in you to keep quiet and not just fully ogle him. You almost had to hit your face to make yourself remember how to breathe properly again. 

"You ready?" you said without turning to him. 

The only answer Wonwoo had to give was a small ruff, in exchange for making you chuckle. Though it was funny, it was not the ideal. 

“Listen,” you turned to him, hands on your hips “If you’re uncomfortable we can reschedule or maybe not even do this at all”

Wonwoo looked at you, his eyes going a little soft as he sat down on the edge of the pool, mimicking your early stance. His eyes were focused on the water in front of him, unblinking. 

“I’m tall enough that my head will stay above water, right?” 

“Yes, you’re good until halfway”

He nodded his head, eyes until in the water. If the situation was any different you’d have cracked a joke or anything else that could somehow lighten up the mood but there was no room for that. 

“Let’s just get this over with”

Most of the hour you spent with Wonwoo in the pool was silent. It was mostly you talking and him listening, trying — and failing — to follow your instructions. You tried to crack the occasional small talk, but he was having none of it. You couldn’t help but wonder if his lack of enthusiasm, or interest, was because he was still uncomfortable or if it was because of how you had acted when he first came by to sign up for lessons. 

It took you a few hours, and three glasses of wine, to realize that you had made a face when you saw his birthday written. And it wasn’t a nice face, you were sure you scowled at the paper. Maybe it was that moment you ruined it all between you and Wonwoo. Or maybe, he was just really unhappy. 

“Are you okay?” you asked him once again, hand on his shoulder. 

You were honestly so worried about him that it was hard to ogle him. 

“Yeah, I’m just not a big fan of water, that’s all”

This time you put both of your hands on his shoulder, turning his body fully to you.  God, he is too handsome. Forget the whole “too worried to ogle” thing. His chest, his very naked chest, was right in front of your eyes. You were only human, a human that had dreamed of the man in front of her a few too many times and none of them had been pg-13. It was fine to appreciate someone’s beauty. 

“Listen to me, you don’t need to do this, okay?”

“This is Sidney,” he said as if that was enough explanation.

The only possible reaction was to roll your eyes at him. 

“Who gives a fuck where we are in the globe? Do you go to the beach? The pool? Boats? Loves to be on airplanes who happen to fly across oceans?” when his answer to all of your questions was no you shook his shoulders a little bit “Then you have no reason to learn how to swim. Right now you’re just torturing yourself”

Wonwoo sighed and nodded, but he still looked sort of weird, if you were one to tell considering how little you knew him. You raised your eyebrows at him, hoping that it was enough to get him to talk. 

“It’s just…” he seemed to struggle to get the words out “I want to see you again”

This time you didn’t even try to suppress your smile or the butterflies in your stomach.

“You could ask for my number and ask me on a date, you know?”

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[poolsafefencing]

10 Simple Tips To Keep Your Pool Area Safe

The allure of a sparkling pool on a warm day is undeniable. It's the centrepiece of leisure, family fun, and even exercise. However, with this inviting oasis comes the responsibility to ensure safety, especially in a space frequented by children and adults alike. Maintaining a safe pool area with the help of a playground fence Sydney is not just about adhering to regulations; it's about fostering an environment where memorable moments are made without the shadow of preventable accidents.

Safety around the pool is a multifaceted endeavour, requiring attention to detail and a proactive approach. From the water's chemical balance to the behaviour of swimmers, each aspect plays a pivotal role in creating a secure and enjoyable space.

With plenty of considerations to keep in mind, let us delve into some simple but effective tips to keep your swimming pool space safe, ensuring peace of mind and endless enjoyment.

Regular Water Quality Checks

Keeping the pool water clean and balanced is essential. Regularly test the pH levels and chlorine content to ensure they are within the recommended range. Unbalanced water can lead to skin irritations and infections, and it can also affect the effectiveness of the pool’s sanitation process.

Non-Slip Surfaces

Wet areas are prone to slipping hazards. Invest in non-slip mats or coatings for the area surrounding the pool. This will significantly reduce the risk of falls and injuries, especially in areas that are constantly wet.

Clear Signage

Displaying clear, visible signs can effectively communicate important messages. Signs such as "No Diving," "Swim at Your Own Risk," or "No Running" serve as constant reminders of safe practices in and around the pool area.

Adequate Lighting

Proper lighting is crucial for evening pool use. Ensure that all areas of the pool, including walkways and steps, are well-lit to prevent accidents. This is not just a safety measure but also adds to the ambience of your pool area at night.

Emergency Equipment

Always have safety equipment like life rings or rescue poles nearby. In addition, a first aid kit should be easily accessible and well-stocked, ensuring you’re prepared for any minor accidents or injuries.

Regular Maintenance Checks

Routine checks of the pool’s filtration system, pumps, and other mechanical systems are crucial to ensure everything is operating correctly. This not only maintains the water quality but also prevents mechanical failures that could pose safety hazards.

Swimming Lessons

Encourage or provide swimming lessons for frequent pool users. Knowledge and confidence in swimming significantly reduce the risk of drowning and other water-related accidents.

Supervision

There should always be a responsible adult supervising when children are in the pool area. Constant, undistracted supervision is key to preventing accidents.

Establish Pool Rules

Set clear, enforceable rules for pool use. These might include no rough play, no glass containers near the pool, and limits on the number of people in the pool at one time. Consistently enforcing these rules helps maintain a safe environment.

Cover the Pool

When the pool is not in use, especially for extended periods, a pool cover and sturdy pool fence can prevent accidental falls into the water. It also helps in maintaining the cleanliness of the pool.

At the end of the day, while a pool is a source of joy and relaxation, its safety should never be taken lightly. Implementing these simple tips can make a significant difference in ensuring a hazard-free zone. It’s about being vigilant but also about educating everyone who uses the pool about the importance of safety. Regular upkeep, clear communication, and an understanding of basic safety practices form the foundation of a secure pool area.

Remember, safety in and around the pool is a shared responsibility. It requires the commitment of not only the pool owner but also of those who enjoy its pleasures. By fostering a culture of safety, you not only protect your loved ones but also enhance the overall pool experience, making it a haven for fun, relaxation, and priceless memories. Let's dive into safety with the same enthusiasm we dive into the pool, ensuring every splash is paired with peace of mind.

[qnewsau]

Queer teen film Aristotle and Dante to premiere at Mardi Gras

New Post has been published on https://qnews.com.au/queer-teen-film-aristotle-and-dante-to-premiere-at-mardi-gras/

Queer teen film Aristotle and Dante to premiere at Mardi Gras

US queer coming-of-age film Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe will make its Sydney premiere at the Mardi Gras Film Festival in a few weeks.

Queer Screen’s 31st Mardi Gras Film Festival comes to Sydney cinemas from February 15 to 29 during festival season. National audiences can also stream films at home from March 1 to 11.

On the MQFF lineup is the queer teen flick Aristotle and Dante, one for the Heartstopper fans. The story of friendship and self-discovery has scored glowing reviews from both critics and fans of the young adult novel on which its based, by gay author Benjamin Alire Saenz.

The boy-meets-boy tale follows two Mexican-American teenagers in El Paso, Texas in 1987. Aristotle and Dante cross paths at a public swimming pool one summer. The pair form an instant bond that changes troubled Ari’s isolated life.

The free-spirited Dante introduces Ari to “music, poetry, and lessons about the sky.” Ari lets his guard down and “explores a new, unusual friendship and the difficult road to self-discovery,” the synopsis states.

Aristotle and Dante screenwriter and director Aitch Alberto said she read the novel in one sitting almost ten years ago.

Crafting the film adaptation spanned a seven-year period that encompassed the trans filmmaker’s own gender transition journey.

“[The book] unlocked something in me that I won’t ever be able to explain. After reading the novel I was determined to tell this story at all costs,” she explained in a chat with GLAAD.

“I hope audiences are inspired to believe that magic is possible and lead with more empathy and compassion. But more importantly, to accept and love ourselves just as we are.

“This allows us to notice the love around us, and accept that love. It makes us capable of anything.”

Over 100 films at the 2024 Mardi Gras Film Festival

Queer Screen recently unveiled the 31st Mardi Gras Film Festival’s entire 2024 lineup of over 100 queer movies and shorts.

The festival will open with the British neo-noir thriller Femme, and close with Australian director Goran Stolevski’s chosen family drama Housekeeping for Beginners.

Check out all the films and book tickets at queerscreen.org.au.

For the latest LGBTIQA+ Sister Girl and Brother Boy news, entertainment, community stories in Australia, visit qnews.com.au. Check out our latest magazines or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

[weshipyourride]

Meet Bikeflights Ambassador Sydney Wenger

Working a full-time career and racing mountain bikes at an elite level can be two conflicting endeavors, but Bikeflights Ambassador Sydney Wenger has found a way to make them complementary.

Sydney is a fifth grade teacher in the Roanoke, Virginia area, and she’s found a unique way to leverage her passion outside the classroom to enhance her effectiveness inside the classroom.

“I feel that being competitive in a sport helps me connect with my students in a way most teachers cannot,” said Sydney. “Many students at this age have high hopes for their futures, and I may be one of the only adults in their life who they know striving to be the best they can be or simply even following their passion.”

Sydney grew up in Ohio in a competitive cycling family, but was focused on swimming for much of her youth. Although she spent a significant amount of time immersed in the mountain bike race scene while both of her parents raced at a high level, it wasn’t until college that Sydney refocused her competitive aspirations on cycling.

“At this point, I had been swimming for 15 years and was burnt out,” she said. “When looking for colleges, I was originally going to be a dual sport athlete with cycling and swimming. Then, the cycling coach saw me ride and convinced me to just join the cycling team.”

Sydney competed in mountain biking for Union College in Kentucky, and later transferred to King University in Tennessee, giving her the opportunity to expand on her cycling disciplines into cyclocross and road racing. She graduated with a degree in Early Childhood education, but not before winning a national championship at USA Cycling Mountain Bike Nationals and earning first in her age group at the Leadville Trail 100 MTB.

In 2022, Sydney got the opportunity to race in the UCI World Cup at Snowshoe, West Virginia, competing in both the Olympic cross country and short track cross country, inspiring her to commit to UCI races across the US in 2023. Her plans to compete in five states made her a great fit for Bikeflights Ambassador program as she looked for ways to simply her travel logistics.

While she earned some prideworthy results in 2023, Sydney finds the most exciting thing about her cycling career is the opportunity to find new challenges and the opportunity to share those challenges with her students.

“After every race weekend, good or bad, I love going back on Monday and talking about how it went. They are always so happy and excited with what I have done, no matter how I placed.”

One such new challenge that was sure to be a great story for her students was the Garage Racing National Championships back in April, a unique race taking place in an underground parking garage in Arlington, Virginia.

“It was so much fun! Who can say they have ever been to a Garage Racing National Championships? I would say that considering I never race my road bike, I was pretty unprepared, but I did have a blast. I would love to go back next year!”

Despite having ridden her road bike exclusively on a stationary trainer during the previous two years, Sydney rolled through in fourth place.

But specific results are not the lesson Sydney brings back to her students with the stories of her race weekends.

���Even if I'm not winning races, I am still putting myself out there and showing them that you can do anything with hard work.”

[poolsafevd]

10 Fundamentals Of A Safe Swimming Pool For Kids

Having a swimming pool in your backyard can bring hours of enjoyment for family members of all ages – but it also comes with responsibility. If you have kids or pets, you want to make sure they remain safe behind pool fencing Sydney while taking a dip. To help manage this, some fundamentals should be followed when caring for a swimming pool where children play.

Make use of the following list to build a swimming pool that is safe enough for kids to use.

Install fencing and gates

Having appropriate fencing around your swimming area is one of the most important steps in keeping kids and pets out of harm’s way. A fence should be at least four feet high with a self-closing gate and additional latches on any doors leading from the house to the pool area. Depending on local regulations, you may need to obtain a permit to install this type of fence. 

Make sure the pool is properly monitored

It’s important to have an adult present at all times when children are in or near the swimming pool, and never assume that young kids can swim without proper lessons or assistance. Install a child-friendly alarm system around the perimeter of the pool so you can be alerted if someone enters the water unsupervised. 

Post safety signs

Place safety signs around the perimeter of your pool to remind everyone of important safety rules such as no running, no diving and no horseplay while in or near the water. You may also want to post rescue instruction signs so people know what to do in case of an emergency. 

Teach water safety

Before children are allowed to swim in the pool, make sure they receive proper instruction on how to stay safe in and around the swimming area. Explain the basics like never swimming alone, not pushing each other in, no running or diving from a height into shallow water, and always exiting the pool immediately after swimming. 

Keep rescue equipment nearby

Make sure you have a variety of rescue equipment like life preservers and ropes close by at all times while people are swimming or playing near the water. A good practice is to keep these items mounted on a pole next to your pool so they’re easily accessible should an emergency arise. 

Check for debris regularly

Leaves and other debris should be removed from the pool regularly to avoid any potential accidents or clogs in the system. It’s also important to keep toys, balls, and floatation devices away from the main drain as they can cause suction entrapment when stuck in the system. 

Store chemicals safely

Chemical products used for swimming pools should be stored out of reach of children and animals in a secure location such as a locked cabinet. Make sure all containers are labelled properly so anyone working with them knows exactly how much product to use and how it’s applied. 

Clean filters regularly

Keep your pool clean by maintaining its filtration system daily. This includes cleaning out the skimmer baskets, brushing and vacuuming the pool regularly, and backwashing the filter when necessary. 

Stay away from drain covers

Unless properly marked, you should stay away from any drains in the pool area as they can cause suction entrapment if a person or pet gets stuck under them. If your pool has multiple drains, make sure to have separate rescuers assigned to each one so no one gets left behind in an emergency. 

Check water temperature

Before allowing anyone into the swimming pool, always check that the water temperature is within safe levels – especially for small children or those with health conditions who may be more sensitive to changes in temperature. 

Following these tips will help ensure that your swimming pool is a safe and enjoyable place for everyone involved. By taking the necessary precautions and staying alert, you can make sure that your pool remains a stress-free environment for all its users. Have fun and stay safe!

[novelistash]

Life Simulators

Tinkering with life simulators are a guilty pleasure for me. The chaos of procedurally generated lives keep me far too interested. My mind fills in the blanks creating the story of these rich lives. It kind of goes against what I was talking about yesterday, but I think I said it was an issue up for debate? Well, if I didn't, you can basically say that about everything. Newtonian Physics was the only way to view the Universe until it wasn't after all.

Anyway, I'm going to drop the life of Alexandra Miller, a character who was able to live most of her life with perfect stats. Is this for posterity or just for me to keep a semi-obsessive record? Also this might be in multiple parts. Hmm, maybe I should turn this into an exercise.

Born in Sydney, Australia, my parents conceived me on a nude beach. Cate Miller, my mother, never knew who my father was, and never cared to find out. She was a 40 year old history teacher. She quickly found and married Samuel Hornsby, a 33 year-old army enlistee with a son, Kobe.

Alexandra (Lex) had trouble getting along with her new family at first. Samuel didn't want to take 3 year old Lex to the zoo when she asked, and she got into a fight with Kobe where she got so mad that she licked him on the forehead.

To help Lex feel welcome, Cate got her daughter a boxer named Baxter! Lex was very serious about taking care of Baxter, giving him baths at the age of 4 and feeding peas for treats. Her family warmed up to her, with Kobe talking to Lex about how scary the toilet was and Samuel discussing Lex's imaginary friend.

When Lex started school, she was anxious about the other kids. Some of them didn't seem to like her. In particular Ariana was always giving Lex the stink eye. Lex tried to be her friend. Ariana responded by telling Lex to jump off and calling her a sausage shark! Lex gave up on trying to make peace with Ariana and instead tried to be nice to everyone in class, showering them with compliments. She became friends with Ayla, the first girl to talk to her, as well as the smart cookie Clive. Lex cared so much about her grades in Kindergarten that she studied until her eyes were sore.

At the age of 6 Lex went to Pompei with her family and starting taking piano lessons. She learned to enjoy reading, finishing Corduroy and Stellaluna by herself.

At age 7, Lex became friends with revolutionary Archie and stylish Eleanor. One of her fondish memories of her father Samuel happened this year, when he took her sky diving! Afterwards, he gave her a compass that had been in his family for three generations. Whenever Lex was lost, she could look at the compass and know where to go.

When I turned 8, Lex's step brother Kobe became a cadet for the Sydney Police Department and moved out of the house. Continuing this theme of people leaving her, Baxter ran away from home. With compass in hand, Lex looking for her dog and found him hiding in a bush! They ate lemons together and hated it. In addition to piano lessons, Lex started taking taekwondo and voice lessons and dreamed of becoming a pop star.

An avid reader and compulsive studier, Lex was having trouble with her eyes at age 9, but the optometrist said she wouldn't need glasses if she just studied in the light. When she got a yellow belt, she learned how to perform the eagle strike in taekwondo.

Lex was content that some people would never like her, but those that showed her kindness, she'd always go out of her way to talk to them. She felt extremely luck to have so many amazing people in her life.

Kobe became a Patrolman, but Lex's 11th year would be anything but safe. Lex fell out of bed and hurt her jugular. She was bed ridden for 5 days. Baxter got in a street fight with another dog and died. Ayla helped Lex get over losing her dog and the two became best friends.

Sixth grade was the year of the great Disney movie debate, where Lex's entire class argued about which was the best Disney movie. Clive wanted to sneak into a neighbor's house to get a box of Reese's Puffs, but Lex stopped him from taking a suspicious risk. Lex was finally old enough to go to the library by herself and she started going there every week.

At the start of secondary school, Lex joined the school's orchestra! She did 26 hours of babysitting for a neighbor. She tried out for water polo but had too much trouble breathing to focus on the ball at the same time. She started going to the local gym and focus on breath control. Lex found that diving helped her get better and ended up joining the diving team instead. She started working with her mother on the garden. Her mother Cate said that the garden always reminded her of Lex.

Lex will always remember the day before her fourteenth birthday, because she met a boy from another school, Chase Edwards. After spending some time together, Chase asked to kiss her and she gave him her first kiss. When she felt him opening his lips she pulled back and decided not to spend any more time with him. A few months later, Lex went to a party with Ayla. Ayla spun the bottle and it landed on Lex. Ayla seemed like she wasn't sure if she was ready to kiss a boy, so Lex went into the closet with her. Once they were inside, Lex realized that she wanted to kiss Ayla, but didn't have the courage to try anything. Their seven minutes in heaven turned into seven minutes that were very much on Earth. Lex vowed to not live life in fear and focused on her taekwondo, earning her blue belt. While at the gym training for dive, she was asked out by Connor Robinson, and agreed to date him. Lex did work as a babysitter and lawn mower, and used that money to pay for her first mani-pedi. She joined instagram just to show off her nails. She was meditating a lot on the nature of the world and joined her school's recycling club. If all of that wasn't enough, she started taking guitar lessons.

Lex and her acne ridden boyfriend, Connor, snuck into Lex's attic, and found her mom's camcorder. There wasn't anything interesting. Lex became her orchestra's section leader and her mom, Cate, gave her a BMW after acing her driving test. Feeling like an adult, 15 year old Lex decided to go on birth control, and her mom had no objections. Ayla joined the art club, and Lex partied with her and her friends. She realized that she still had feelings for Ayla, but Ayla confessed that she was into one of her club mates and so Lex decided not to act on her feelings and stay with Connor. Ayla got a boyfriend and Lex felt like she was ready to commit to Connor.

Her sixteenth birthday was an emotional high point for Lex, and she felt like she was happy for no real reason. She became concertmaster of her school's orchestra. Everything was going great and she decided that she wanted to take things to the next level with Connor. Connor wasn't interested in sex before marriage, so she broke up with him. Her friend, Clive, helped her get over the break up by getting mani-pedis with her and they became best friends. Ayla had recently become single and so against Clive's advice, Lex decided to ask Ayla out on a date. Ayla rejected her, but said that she was willing to still be friends. Lex wasn't over her but gave up after her attempts at flirting continued to go nowhere. Lex's tutoring gig let her work with grown men from college. Clive thought one client was a pimp.

Kobe became a Corporal, Lex became dive team captain, and the family had a big party to celebrate. Lex told all of her friends that she was pansexual and everyone was more interested in going to the movies.

Lex decided to study biology at university. She met Charlie Edgecliff at the gym and asked him out. On their first date Charlie took her yodeling. After going to the movies, Lex gave her virginity to him. Lex joined the university's orchestra and swim team. For Charlie's 20th birthday, Lex took him cliff diving. They had a serious talk about cloning and decided that it would be cheating to hook up with a clone of your partner.

Lex's ex boyfriend Connor went to Lex's 19th birthday party and tried to get back together with her. Lex told him off without needing to use her brown belt in taekwondo. Between swim team, uni, and hooking up with Charlie, Lex was not only busy, but happy.

Lex became the section leader in her orchestra and somehow found time to do tutoring to pay for the many dates she went on with Charlie. She wanted to look her best for him and got Brazilians and laid on the tanning bed. She loved her body and her boyfriend, but one day at the tanning bed, she got out and threw up all over the floor. When she went to the doctor, they told her she had skin cancer. Lex had maybe five years to live. Lex couldn't accept that, she needed to try other options. When Lex talked to Connor about going to see a witch doctor, he laughed at her. She broke up with him and saw a spiritualist from Mexico. The woman told Lex to eat chihuahua hair as part of a ritual. Lex did and her cancer was miraculously gone! The 20 year old Lex had a new lease on life and she wasn't about to spend that life being single. She met the buff Kylie Mills, and dated her. Within a week they were not only girlfriends, but they were talking about moving in together.

At the age of 21, Lex took her girlfriend Kylie to Kobe's marriage. Sergeant Kobe had married a school teacher, Kiara. At the reception, Lex's old friend Archie joked with her about how weird it was that he was dating one of his mom's coworkers, even if she was only 34. Lex liked Archie's dark humor and the two became best friends. Lex kept tutoring, swimming, playing, studying, and dating. She climbed up onto a try with Kylie and school children taunted them to kiss. They made out while the sun set.

The love of Lex's life, Kylie, graduated and became a Pilot Trainee for Salls Air. Kobe and Kiara divorced after having only been together for thirteen months. Six months later, Kobe was a father to a little girl named Kylie. After graduation, 22 year old Lex got a job as a Jr. Environmental Scientist at Pacific Consulting.

Not hindered by his divorce, Kobe got promoted to Inspector. 23 year old Lex, put everything she had into her job, working more and more overtime. She was determined to buy her own place and marry the woman she loved. Things wouldn't be the same as Kobe.

Kobe had another daughter, a girl named Hazel. No one really talked about who the mother was, but they were proud of him for taking her into his family. Lex's research discovered that used condoms were threatening the lives of duck billed platypus, so she engineered a biodegradable condom. This got her a promotion at work. Feeling like she could do anything, the 24 year old Lex read War and Peace. She purchased a ring of alexandrite and proposed to Kylie. She said "yes." They were going to get married!

At Cate's retirement party, Lex realized she'd been with Kylie for 5 years! Thought the two were madly in love, Kylie's financials were in doubt. She had a lot of debt and her job wasn't even covering her student loans. At Lex's mom's retirement part, she learned that Cate was actually independently wealthy, owning some 3 million dollars in stocks and bonds. Lex's brother was the one who brought this up, because he was pretty sure the two of them were going to get a million dollars each. He told Lex to look out for Kylie, because she could divorce her and take hundreds of thousands from her. Lex knew in her heart that she could trust Kylie, but when she saw a male proustite on the street, she found herself tempted. Maybe their relationship wasn't perfect. The still Jr. Engineer, Lex, asked her boss for a promotion, but despite having come up with a new condom, she was denied.

For Lex's 26th birthday, she went to Comic Con with her coworker Bella and her friend Eleanor. Eleanor became her best friend. Lex worked while sick with the common cold and got a raise. She applied for a mortgage and bought a town home on Evans Manor. Her mom had to help her pay for the place, because Kylie's financials were all tied up in her debt.

After celebrating Lex's niece Kylie's birthday, her fiance, Kylie wanted to get married. Lex was still house poor and asked her parents to pay for the wedding. They agreed. They were going to be wed within the year. Lex had a short battle with athlete's foot. She was really starting to think of her own mortality and the mortality of her mother. After going paintballing with her step father, Lex decided that Kylie needed to sign a prenup. When Kylie refused, Lex made her promise to wait to get married until Kylie could stand on her own two feet. Kylie wasn't happy and the two stopped having sex. Lex begged Kylie to go to couples counseling, but Kylie wouldn't try. It was then that Lex knew she needed to end things with her fiance. The 27 year old Lex cut down on her hours at work and decided to focus on herself. She had a one night stand with Archie Irvine and realized that it wasn't for her. She wanted something long term and went online to date Ariana Evans. Their first date was a parkour exercise. And even though things went well, Lex wasn't ready to start getting physical with Ariana. Ariana told Lex that she was willing to take things slow.

After giving her all to a company that didn't seem to appreciate her and a fiance that wanted everything, it was only after Lex stopped caring that things finally started to change. At age 28, Lex was finally promoted to Environmental Scientist. Ariana took Lex for a photoshoot to celebrate and the two finally got physical. It was then that Ariana admitted to Lex that she didn't need to work. She was independently wealthy, being worth nearly 5 million dollars from her family's wealth. Lex threw a party at her house and Ariana was content to live separately.

Lex was falling for Ariana, but she didn't want her to think she was after her fortune. She asked her mother to pay for the wedding, and Cate agreed. Lex bought a $500 platinum ring and proposed to the millionaire, Ariana. Lex took Ariana to a football game and proposed on screen. Ariana said "yes!"

At the age of 30, Lex finally married Ariana. There was only one catch, a prenup. Lex laughed and agreed to the prenup, explaining that her mom was also wealthy. When the time came to go on a honeymoon, the two women realized they'd rather just stay local and be with friends and family. Lex took Ariana's last name, becoming Alexandra Evans.

[morethanmonotonous]

MMXIX

It’s christmas eve so a little earlier than I start writing my end of year wrap up, but given that I didn’t finish last year’s - I’m being proactive. Slight edit here, I have been adding to this over the week and it is currently new years eve eve, still pretty happy with my progress.

We started off the year having friends over our place, the year of 20-nine-yeet. There was prosciutto thrown off the balcony, fireworks, and the best mates I could ask for.

Within 2 weeks we left for our Unify journey. This year, the key crew was me, ritchie, brad, and egg boy. It was so much fun, as always, and was the perfect way to start the year. It was a hot and messy year, with memories of a P-Boys crew, learning that Taking Back Sunday is actually the worst band in the world, Crossfaith party and the giant first group rowing that I’d been involved in, a weirdly blurry Trophy Eyes show, and not being bothered to get up to see State Champs. That girl had the tiny hand that I was sure Brad was going to steal (and may steal this year), we had an acid fuelled stacks on with Matt and Kylie, and laughed until we cried more than I can possibly remember.

We did our big America trip. I was reluctant to go to the USA next, and wasn’t sure how interesting or different it may have been to Australia, but I’m so pleased that we decided to go. The country was so varied and different across cities and states, the people were so friendly, there was just so much to see and do. The 4 weeks there felt like forever, but there still wasn’t enough time to see everything we wanted to see.

I fell in love with Vegas, unexpectedly, and never wanted to leave. Great coke, great shows (Counterparts, Criss Angel), and so much debauchery everywhere you look, it was magical.

The southern road trip was one of the fondest memories for me, seeing some of the weirdest places and people, going to the North Texas state fair, not being shot (it was a little closer than I would have hoped), but also feeling the southern hospitality and warmth and love of the people that I only hoped that Texas would have. I loved Austin and would like to settle there for a little while one day, with a great nightlife, progressive young population, and amazing architecture.

I think the biggest thing to have come out of our trip was my burning desire to move to New York. I love big cities full of lights and activity, and New York was everything I could have asked for in that respect. I would also love to live somewhere that gets snow, a white Christmas, and be able to experience american culture, living abroad (and the retail environment there!)

It’s always hard to explain why you want to move to a place, there is something about a magical city that just feels like ‘home’, and the desire deep inside you ever after to go back and make something in the city. Who knows what our 2020 New York adventures will look like but I don’t want to live the rest of my life without knowing.

I had an amazing year at RB, winning 2 Brave awards, climbing the harbour bridge, seeing Brene Brown, going to countless team events, and getting to know some absolutely amazing people. I’ve been inspired by people like Marj and Harry, and been able to grow so much as a person and in my career. Being my first pure category role has been great, I’ve learned a lot from Chris, about what I want to be as a manager and also what I definitely don’t want to be as a manager, and feel like I have gained so much confidence in my abilities, i have lost a lot of the anxiety I always had about being a young girl in a business, and also have been embraced for my tattoos, dog toys on my desk, and interesting dress sense. I have learned I can truly be myself at work and thrive.

I won 2 F45 challenges this year, I have really rediscovered my love for all things fitness, running, but particularly weight lifting. On the running front, I got my best time for a 10km on the city run that I did with Tash and James, and beat my best city to surf time by 10 minutes. It’s so nice to see that I’m continually improving and living my best life. I’ve been loving lifting weights though, I see running as a more meditiational exercise while lifting weights is so much fun and has been changing my body composition significantly. I am excited to keep this up, revise what success looks like from a fitness perspective, and to possibly get a lifting coach in 2020.

I had my first RB conference at Hamilton Island. I had so much fun even after only having been at the company for a few months, it was a great way to get to know everyone. I had my nose broken in the pool, with Harry, Josh, and Marj tending to me in my recovery. I was drinking Jager at the beach at 5am with the woolies team, and swimming in the freezing ocean surrounded by box jellyfish. I’m surprised I survived against all odds, but I am so glad I had such an amazing first conference experience.

Ritchie then met me at Airlie beach for us to spend a couple of days together. We had such a lovely time relaxing, going snorkelling, and seeing whitehaven beach. The walk and tour we did on the crazily windy and hurricane boat was amazing and fun, I feel like I can have a good time anywhere I go with ritchie. The weather cleared just at the right time to get beautiful views of the spiralling sand of the beaches.

For Valentine’s day I took ritchie to Narooma to swim with fur seals. It was honestly such a magical and surreal experience - the weather was perfect, the water was warm, and the seals were so playful. It was nice to play switch and relax in the little unit we hired, to eat pizza near the beach, and just spend time together.

Brisbane crew

Dubbo Zoo

I got new tattoos - my girl and tiger, frogs, wombat, La Dispute tattoo, and chipmunk, we went to good things in centennial park and saw some of my favourite bands like Violent Soho, ADTR, Enter Shikari (a new entrant), and Slowly Slowly. I have never been so dirty and bruised but it was an incredible time.

This year I made the leap and bleached my hair blonde / silver. I was considering it for a while beforehand and am so glad to have made the change. I’m feeling so much more myself and confident being a blonde, even with all of the money and time and maintenance.

I started to learn drums this year too. After winning the F45 challenge I decided to channel this money into lessons to become to me that I want to be, and fulfill the bucket list item I’ve always had of playing in a band.

It’s crazy to think that I almost finished this whole entry without mentioning Brooke and the deterioration of the friendship around about the middle of the year. I feel like that was one of the biggest social changes for me this year, and it has been tough, some days tougher than others, however I feel like I’ve gotten much closer to the other friends in my life and build a stronger appreciation for them this year.

I have been seeing my psychologist and have been realising how important healthy relationships are. I’ve been learning not to make assumptions based on passive communication, coming from the upbringing in my household, but to have open and honest conversations with the people in my life. Friends like Celia, Tori, Matt, Blake, Tash, have helped me so much with this, surrounding myself with easy going, kind, and understanding people. Ritchie has been incredible in this way too, always being open and honest, and helping to alleviate my anxiety around guessing how people feel and if I’d done anything wrong.

I feel that in reflection, 2019 was a great foundational year for the huge changes coming in 2019. I maintained 1 job, the same wonderful partner, broadly the same friends, and I feel like I am much clearer on what I want to achieve the next year. I have found that every second year of my adult like has been transformational, with the alternate one being more foundational, and I feel like this year has been the latter.

In the next year, 2020, I want to

-Continue to thrive with my fitness, running, lifting weights, doing whatever feels exciting and motivating at the time to continue to progress towards my goals

-Move my life to New York with Ritchie, setting up a new little nest and working to surround ourselves with new like minded people

-Drive my career, learning everything I can with relentless curiosity

-Continue to foster positive, loving, and connected relationships with the people who matter most to me in Sydney

-Learn the drums and continue to maintain my passion for music and grow my skills

-Above all, be kind to myself, allow myself to fail, learn, try again, and give myself the love and understanding to take my time building the life and going on the adventure that I’ve always dreamed o

[cherriegyuu]

asellus australis | jww (teaser)

pairing: wonwoo x f!reader genre: fluff, romance, idiots to lovers word count: 231 (for this teaser) summary: Wonwoo couldn’t possibly be the only person living in Sydney who didn’t know how to swim, so he reluctantly says yes to the lessons his friends signed him up for. When he learns that you are his instructor, he figures learning how to swim as an adult isn’t all that embarrassing after all release date: out now a/n: this is part of the @svthub 2024 world tour collab. please head there to check out other fics under this collab. if you enjoyed reading, please reblog and leave a comment, it really does mean the world to me and i would love to know your thoughts. thank you! 💕

“Hi!” 

Wonwoo’s voice came out a little louder than usual, making his friends turn to him with furrowed eyebrows. Soonyoung looked utterly confused while Jihoon just did his best to suppress the laugh that was bubbling inside his chest. 

“I didn’t think I’d see you again” you said, smiling brightly at him. 

Wonwoo was completely caught off guard when you took a step forward and wrapped your arms around his shoulders. It only lasted a second and it wasn’t enough for him to react and hug you back. 

Your cheeks had a light pink on them as you stepped back. He smiled once he noticed that your hand was balled into fists. 

“Sorry, my mom is a hugger so I just sort of hug people sometimes” you were quick to explain, waving your hands in front of yourself. 

You closed your eyes tightly, your cheeks getting even redder. Wonwoo thought that you looked cute that night at the party, but this version in front of him was much cuter. He pressed his lips together, trying no to smile too big. 

“Do I get a hug too?”

Soonyoung took a step forward, arms wide open, smile so big that Wonwoo wasn’t even sure his friend could see anything at all. Thankfully Jihoon was quick enough to pull him back and angry enough to hit him at the back of the head. 

“No…” 

taglist: @wonwooz1-blog, @ryuwonieebae, @sobun1est, @mirtaspace, @ho34gojo, @feat-sun, @wonvsmile, @belladaises, @mhlsymlysn, @swinterr, @immabecreepin, @uniq-tastic, @miriamxsworld, @aaniag, @byunparklimchoi, @k-drama-adict, @maiamorrrrrrrrrrrr, @yeeyoop0206, @tomodachiii, @ignoretheskies, @roguesthetic, @sofix-hc7, @scarlet789, @pluviophile-xxx, @moonlightgrleric, @r6njunlv, @mixling-blog, @cinnamongirl127, @haowonbins, @valgracia, @slut4donghyuck, @manutuankim, @shuabby1994, @anthropologymajorkpopmultistan, @sukiscones, @plumings, @shuasdrafts, @aaa-sia, @bouclesdefeu, @dreamsbloomout, @hyangg11, @maewhore, @blurrr3db3rry, @sea-moon-star, @roguesthetic, @writingbarnes, @strawberryroseee, @lovely-ficsfor-me, @lixisoul99, @jjeongddol, @whoa-jo, @poiibbtt, @seokqt, @itsmeaudrieee, @palmsugr, @hyneyedfiz, @Lixisoul99, @babybae-shisui

again, if you enjoyed reading, please reblog and leave a comment, it really does mean the world to me and i would love to know your thoughts. thank you! 💕

if you want to be tagged in my next fics, please fill out this form

[kansascityhappenings]

Same-sex penguins become parents

https://launch.newsinc.com/js/embed.js

SYDNEY – A same-sex penguin couple just became parents at an aquarium in Sydney, Australia.

Sphen and Magic — or Sphengic, as they are collectively known — proved themselves natural parents when they incubated a dummy egg given to them by staff at Sydney’s Sea Life Aquarium, where they live.

They were then entrusted with a real egg from another couple that laid two during this year’s breeding season. Because gentoo penguins usually have only enough resources to raise one egg successfully, the “backup” chick often dies.

Sphen and Magic began developing a strong bond and became inseparable before breeding season, according to staff at the aquarium. Visitors would often spot the pair waddling around and going for swims together, which was why they were deemed to be suitable prospective parents.

The yet-to-be-named sub-Antarctic penguin chick was born on Friday, October 19 weighing just 91 grams (3.2 ounces).

BABY SPHENGIC IS HERE!

Born Friday 19th October @ 5:46pm, weighing just 91g! Gender TBC in 2 months. Both dads are doing well and are so in love with their precious bub.

Full story: https://t.co/3Nllhq3N3o #BabySphengic pic.twitter.com/yESrjbLXqI

— Sea Life Sydney Aquarium (@Sydney_Aquarium) October 26, 2018

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

The aquarium announced the birth on Twitter, saying: “Born Friday 19th October @ 5:46pm, weighing just 91g! Gender TBC in 2 months. Both dads are doing well and are so in love with their precious bub.”

Although males are generally heavier than females, the sexes closely resemble one another and therefore experts often need to observe penguins’ behavior over a period of time to determine their gender.

Tish Hannan, penguin department supervisor at the aquarium, said on the attraction’s website: “Baby Sphengic has already stolen our hearts! We love watching the proud parents doting and taking turns caring for their baby chick.”

The two fathers will be responsible for feeding the baby up to 10 times a day over the next five to six weeks. Once it is big enough, it will start to lose its baby fluff, start growing its adult feathers and begin swimming lessons.

Hannan added: “With that said, the first 20 days of a penguin chick’s life are the most vulnerable so it is extra important the chick is very happy, healthy and well fed by his parents.”

Unusual as their situation is, Sphen and Magic are not the first same-sex penguins to welcome a new addition.

Written by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell, “And Tango Makes Three” is a children’s book based on the true story of Roy and Silo, two male penguins at New York’s Central Park Zoo who reared their own chick.

from FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports https://fox4kc.com/2018/10/26/same-sex-penguins-become-parents/

from Kansas City Happenings https://kansascityhappenings.wordpress.com/2018/10/26/same-sex-penguins-become-parents/

[bluesies]

LGBTQIA+ books coming out in 2017

there are a ton of lgbtqia+ books coming out this year so i decided to compile a list of all of them! if i made a mistake or if you know of a book that should be on this list but isn’t, please don’t hesitate to let me know!

JANUARY •flying lessons and other stories by ellen oh | jan 3 | diverse middle grade anthology •the cursed queen (the imposter queen #2) by sarah fine | jan 3 | wlw ya fantasy •wing jones by katherine webber | jan 5 | ya sports contemporary, wlw secondary character •history is all you left me by adam silvera | jan 17 | mlm ya contemporary •whiteout (seasons of love #1) by elyse springer | jan 24 | mlm contemporary romance •dreadnought by april daniels | jan 24 | ya superhero ft. trans mc •nor the battle to the strong (intertwined souls series: eva and zoe book 6) by mary d. brooks  | jan 24 | wlw historical fiction •the you i’ve never known by ellen hopkins | jan 24 | wlw ya contemporary •making love by aidan wayne | jan 30 | wlw fantasy romance •rogue magic by kit brisby | jan 30 | mlm urban fantasy   •our own private universe by robin talley | jan 31 | bi mc, ya contemporary •ida by alison evans | jan ? | bi mc+trans and non binary characters, sci fi/fantasy •flowers of luna by jennifer linsky | jan ? | wlw sci fi •warrior: a collection of short stories by antonica jones | jan ? | multiple lgbtqia+ protagonists, sci fi/fantasy ya anthology

FEBRUARY •the impasse (miles #3) by franci mcmahon | feb 1 | wlw western  •be safe by doug weaver | feb 2 | mlm literary fiction •my ladybird story by magus tor | feb 3 | trans mc, contemporary •claiming mister kemp (baleful godmother #3) by emily larkin  | feb 6 | mlm historical romance   •embers (common law #2) by kate sherwood | feb 6 | mlm, contemporary romance  •hacked up by ethan stone | feb 6 | mlm, mystery/thriller •working it (ringside romance #1) by christine d’abo | feb 6 | mlm, contemporary romance   •at the edge of the universe by shaun david hutchinson | feb 7 | mlm ya contemporary •island of exiles by erica cameron | feb 7 | bi mc, ya fantasy •the stars are legion by kameron hurley | feb 7 | wlw sci fi •once bitten by kate owen | feb 8 | wlw fantasy •the wolf and the moon by kayla bain-vrba | feb 8 | mlm fantasy •fighter (the brick yard #1) by carol lynne | feb 9 | mlm, sports contemporary •stolen ink (ink  born #1) by holly evans | feb 10 | mlm, fantasy/paranormal •as i am (all saints #3) by a.m. arthur | feb 13 | mlm, contemporary romance •half by eli lang | feb 13 | mlm, fantasy/paranormal  •hard wired (cyberlove #3) by megan erickson | feb 13 | mlm mc, m/m romance •amounting to nothing (tacoma mounted patrol #3) by karis walsh | feb 14 | wlw mystery •birthright by missouri vaun | feb 14 | wlw fantasy •crescent city confidential by aurora rey | feb 14 | wlw contemporary romance  •guarding mr. fine by helenkay dimon (tough love #3) | feb 14 | mlm, m/m romance •love down under by m.j. williamz | feb 14 | wlw contemporary romance  •love is love by mette bach | feb 14 | trans love interest, ya contemporary •same love by tony correria | feb 14 | mlm ya contemporary •the fury by camilla quinn | feb 14 | wlw fantasy   •the right kind of wrong by p.j. trebelhorn | feb 14 | wlw contemporary •we are okay by nina lacour | feb 14 | wlw ya contemporary  •wishing on a dream by julie cannon | feb 14 | wlw erotica  •worms of sin ( m’coul and ghoul series #2) by lyle blake smythers  | feb 14 | mlm, thriller   •a welded wave by z.a. tanis | feb 15 | trans+mlm mc, contemporary romance •behind bars (pandemonium #2) by meredith katz  | feb 15 | mlm, fantasy •cornwall is for lovers by h.p. medina | feb 15 | mlm mc, historical romance •finding fire (finding home #2) by shelia powell, liz mcmullen | feb 15 | wlw paranormal romance •humanity for beginners by faith mudge | feb 15 | wlw, fantasy/paranormal •peter darling by austin chant | feb 15 | trans+mlm mc, fantasy retelling •skyborn by helen maeve | feb 15 | wlw, fantasy •something there by jayne coleridge | feb 15 | wlw, contemporary romance •soundproof by c.a. blocke | feb 15 | mlm mcs, m/m romance •sparkwood by daria defore  | feb 15 | mlm, fantasy, romance •the death of israel leventhal by boom baumgartner | feb 15 | asexual, bi+homoroamntic+mlm characters, paranormal urban fantasy       •the last american hero by nicole field | feb 15 | trans+mlm mc, superhero/fantasy   •tread lightly by catherine lane | feb 15 | wlw, urban fantasy •when did thirty become such a big deal by alessandra ebulu | feb 15 | mlm, m/m romance  •you’re fired by shaya crabtree | feb 15 | wlw erotica •beneath the stars by lynn charles | feb 16 | mlm contemporary romance •dating ryan alback by j.e. birk | feb 20 | mlm, m/m romance  •a conjuring of light by ve schwab | feb 21 | bi+genderfluid mcs, ya fantasy •an unseen attraction by kj charles | feb 21 | mlm, m/m historical romance  •single malt (agents irish and whiskey #1) by layla reyne | feb 21 | mlm thriller •as la vista turns (queers of la vista #5) by kris ripper | feb 27 | wlw contemporary romance •10 things i can see from here by carrie mac | feb 28 | wlw ya contemporary  •a good idea by cristina moracho | feb 28 | bi mc, wlw, ya mystery/thriller

MARCH •a careful heart by ralph josiah bardsley | mar 1 | mlm contemporary •america #1 by gabby rivera & joe quinones | mar 1 | wlw mc, comic •fury's bridge (afterlife, inc. #1) by brey willows | mar 1 | wlw fantasy •darkness (common law #3) by kate sherwood | mar 6 | mlm mystery •the other f word by natasha friend | mar 7 | wlw parents, ya contemporary •the inexplicable logic of my life by by benjamin alire sáenzs | mar 7 | mlm parent, ya contemporary •the pants project by cat clarke | mar 7 | trans mc, middle grade contemporary •you’re welcome, universe by whitney gardner | mar 7 | wlw parents, ya contemporary •the northern heart (kingdom curses #2) by sasha l. miller | mar 7 | mlm fantasy •ghosts & ashes (broken moon #2) by f.t. lukens | march 10 | mlm ya sci-fi •attention to death by alisha abraham | march 10 | mlm, mystery/thriller •fair chance (all fair’s #3) by josh lanyon | march 13 | mlm, mystery •insight (the community #1) by santino hassell | march 13 | mlm fantasy   •sons of devils by alex beecroft | march 14 | mlm historical fantasy  •danced close (portland heat #6) by annabeth albert  | march 14 | mlm, m/m romance •divided nation, united hearts by yolanda wallace | march 14 | wlw historical •lightning strikes (lightning #1) by cass sellars | march 14  | wlw thriller •love in disaster by charlotte greene | march 14  | wlw erotica  •queens of geek by jen wilde | march 14 | wlw ya contemporary •secret hearts (romance #14) by radclyffe | march 14 | wlw contemporary •sins of our fathers by a. rose mathieu | mar 14 | wlw mystery •star-crossed by barbara dee | mar 14 | questioning mc, middle grade contemporary •the new old me: my late-life reinvention by meredith maran | mar 14 | wlw memoir •the sniper’s kiss by justine saracen | mar 14 | wlw historical  •troop 18 (a dr. kate morrison mystery #3) by jessica l. webb | mar 14 | wlw mystery •worthy of trust and confidence (agent o’connor #2) by kara mcleod | mar 14 | wlw mystery •future leaders of nowhere by emily o’beirne | mar 15 | wlw ya contemporary •in the direction of the sun by lucy j. madison | mar 15 | wlw contemporary •winterbourne's daughter by stephanie rabig | mar 15 | asexual, biromantic+bisexual, trans characters, and poly relationship, fantasy •growing pains (toronto connections #3) by cass lennox | mar 21 | mlm contemporary •shadow run by adrianne strickland | mar 21 | genderfluid+gay secondary characters, ya sci fi/fantasy •strays (urban soul #2) by garrett leigh | mar 27 | mlm contemporary romance •the lotterys plus one by emma donoghue  | mar 28 | wlw+mlm+transgender characters, childrens/middle grade contemporary •honestly ben (openly straight #2) by bill konigsberg | mar 28 | mlm ya contemporary •watch as my world ends by kayla bain-vrba | mar 29 | mlm fantasy   

APRIL •at attention (out of uniform #2) by annabeth albert | apr 1 | mlm, m/m romance   •death goes overboard (a detective heath barrington mystery #2) by david s. pederson | apr 1 | mlm historical mystery •relationship status (ethan & wyatt #3) by k.a. mitchell | apr 1 | mlm new adult contemporary •strawberry summer by melissa brayden | apr 1 | wlw contemporary romance •don't feed the trolls by erica kudisch | apr 3 | gender questioning mc, new adult contemporary •home fires (common law #4) by kate sherwood | apr 3 | mlm contemporary •loose cannon (the woodbury boys #1) by sidney bell | apr 3 | mlm contemporary •ashes to asheville by sarah dooley | apr 4 | wlw parents, ya contemporary  •get it together, delilah! by erin gough  | apr 4 | wlw ya conetmporary •the truth about goodbye by russel ricard | apr 4 | mlm contemporary •the paths we choose (lillac town #2) by m hollis | apr 6 | wlw mc, na contemporary •hopeless romantic by francis gideon | apr 10 | mlm+trans characters, contemporary •the upside of unrequited by becky albertalli | apr 11 | secondary wlw, ya contemporary  •razor's edge (american yakuza #3) by isabella | apr 11 | wlw thriller •placement by abby elise | apr 17 | bi mc+asexual+agender characters, dystopian  •wake up call by j.l. merrow | apr 17 | mlm contemporary romance •escape in time by robyn nox | apr 18 | wlw historical time travel •forget me not by kris bryant | apr 18 | wlw contemporary •highland fling by anna larner | apr 18 | wlw contemporary •meg & linus by hanna nowinski | apr 18 | wlw+mlm ya contemporary romance •phoenix rising (storm’s quarry #2) by rebecca harwell | apr 18 | wlw sci fi/fantasy •soul survivor by i. beacham | apr 18 | wlw contemporary romance •the edge of the abyss (the abyss surrounds us #2) by emily skrutskie | apr 18 | wlw ya sci fi/fantasy  •the girl on the edge of summer (micky knight #9) by j.m. redmann | apr 18 | wlw mystery •unknown horizons by c.j. birch | apr 18 | wlw sci fi  •city of dreams by sydney blackburn | apr 19 | mlm, fantasy/romance •puss in prada by marie jacquelyn | apr 19 | mlm, fantasy/paranormal •lumberjanes vol 6: sink or swim by shannon watters | apr 20 | wlw+trans characters, ya fantasy comic •necessary medicine by m.k. york | apr 24 | mlm contemporary romance •thaw (seasons of love #2) by elyse springer | apr 24 | wlw adult contemporary romance •back piece (skin deep inc. #1) by la witt | apr 25 | mlm, contemporary romance •looking for group by rory harrison | apr 25 | mlm+trans characters, ya contemporary

MAY •cask strength (agents irish and whiskey #2) by layla reyne | may 1 | mlm thriller •concourse (five boroughs #5) by santino hassell | may 1 | mlm, contemporary romance •risky behavior by l.a. witt | may 1 | mlm mystery/suspense, romance •georgia rules by nanci turner stevenson | may 2 | wlw parents, middle grade contemporary •how to make a wish by ashley herring blake | may 2 | wlw ya contemporary •my fairy godmother is a drag queen by david clawson | may 2 | mlm ya contemporary •noteworthy by riley redgate | may 2 | bi mc, ya contemporary •the dark prophecy (trials of apollo #2) by rick riordan | may 2 | bi mc+mlm, ya fantasy/mythology •bad beginnings by nicole field | may 3 | mlm, contemporary romance •the silksmith’s girl by reece pine | may 3 | intersex mc, historical fiction •release by patrick ness | may 4 | mlm, ya contemporary •the seafarer’s kiss by julia ember | may 4 | wlw fantasy retelling •bend by nancy j. hedin | may 8 | wlw contemporary •faking it (ringside romance #2) by christine d’abo | may 8 | mlm, contemporary romance •girlhood by cat clarke | may 9 | bi mc, ya contemporary mystery •it’s not like it’s a secret by misa sugiura | may 9 | wlw ya contemporary •ramona blue by julie murphy | may 9 | self-identified lesbian questioning (bi)sexuality, ya contemporary •undercover girl: the lesbian informant who helped the fbi bring down the communist party by lisa e. davis | may 9 | nonfiction •the penalty for holding (the games men play #2) by georgette gouveia | may 10 | mlm, contemporary •wish on the water (the sole experiement #3) by eve francis | may 10 | genderqueer love interest, contemporary •primal need by parker foye, holley trent, k.l. white | may 15 | mlm paranormal romance anthology •summer stock by vanessa north | may 15 | mlm contemporary romance •the alpha's claim by holley trent | may 15 | mlm paranormal romance •forsaken trust (luce hansen thriller #2) by meredith doench | may 16 | wlw, mystery •gatecrasher (the maverick heart cycle #2) by stephen graham king | may 16 | mlm, fantasy/speculative fiction •her best friend’s sister by meghan o’brien | may 16 | wlw, contemporary romance •letter of the law (lone star law series #3) by carsen taite | may 16 | wlw, mystery/thriller, romance •new life by jan gayle | may 16 | wlw, contemporary romance •rough patch by nicole markotic | may 16 | bi mc, ya contemporary •royal rebel (a royal romance story #2) by jenny frame | may 16 | wlw, contemporary romance •serendipity by max c. payne | may 16 | mlm, contemporary romance   •the love interest by cale dietrich | may 16 | mlm ya contemporary •this would make a good story someday by dana alison levy | may 16 | wlw parents, children’s contemporary •unbroken by donna k. ford  | may 16 | wlw, contemporary romance  •where the light glows by dena blake | may 16 | wlw, contemporary romance •wicked frat boy ways by todd gregory | may 16 | mlm, erotica  •straight expectations by peggy cryden | may 18 | nonfiction  •queer, there, and everywhere: 23 people who changed the world by sarah prager | may 23 | nonfiction  •eternity in an hour (eternity #1) by matthew merendo | may 24 | mlm, fantasy  •fraud twice felt (the oddities #2) by j.t. hall | may 29 | mlm, paranormal romance  •heels over head by elyse springer | may 29 | mlm, contemporary romance 

JUNE •troublemakers by catherine barter | june 1 | mlm side characters, ya contemporary •action (murmur inc. #2) by quinn anderson | june 5 | mlm, contemporary romance •on point (out of uniform #3) by annabeth albert | june 5 | mlm, contemporary romance •perfect ten by l. philips | june 6 | mlm ya contemporary romance •tash hearts tolstoy by kathryn ormsbee | june 6 | asexual mc, ya contemporary •from prejudice to pride: a history of the lgbtq+ movement by amy lamé | june 8 | nonfiction •american family by catherine marahsall-smith | june 13 | mlm, adult general fiction •an unnatural vice (sins of the cities #2) by kj charles | june 13 | mlm, historical romance •how to survive a summer by nick white | june 13 | mlm, adult general fiction     •marriage of a thousand lies by s.j. sindu | june 13 | mlm+wlw mcs, literary fiction •the gentlemen’s guide to vice and virtue by mackenzi lee | june 20 | bi/pan mc, mlm ya historical fiction •seduced by the tide (dragon soul #2) by sean michael | june 26 | mlm, paranormal romance/erotica •a destiny of dragons (the tales of verani #2) by tj klune | june ? | mlm+asexual characters, fantasy

JULY •love and other hot beverages by laurie loft | jul 3 | mlm, contemporary romance •spun! (the shamwell tales #4) by jl merrow | jul 3 | mlm, contemporary romance •the other five percent by quinn anderson  | jul 10 | mlm, contemporary romance •the art of starving by sam j. miller | july 11 | mlm ya contemporary •sovereign (nemesis #2) by april daniels | july 25 | ya superhero ft. trans mc •the backstagers vol. 1 by james tynion iv | july 25 | mlm fantasy comic •the gallery of unfinished girls by lauren karcz | july 25 | wlw ya contemporary

AUGUST •we now return to regular life by martin wilson | aug 1 | mlm ya contemporary •barrel proof (agents irish and whiskey #3) by layla reyne | aug 7 | mlm, suspense/romance •little & lion by brandy colbert | aug 8 | wlw ya contemporary •what is gender? how does it define us? and other big questions by juno dawson | aug 10 | nonfiction •the gang’s all queer: the lives of gay gang members by vanessa r panfil | aug 15 | nonfiction •dress codes for small towns by courtney c. stevens | aug 29 | ya contemporary questioning mc •illegal contact by santino hussel | aug ? | m/m romance •the tiger’s watch by julia ember | aug ? | genderfluid mc, ya fantasy

SEPTEMBER •girl made of snow and glass by melissa bashardoust | sep 5 | wlw ya fantasy retelling •lgbtq politics:a critical reader by marla brettschneider, susan burgess, christine keating | sep 5 | nonfiction •mask of shadows by linsey miller | sep 5 | genderfluid mc, ya fantasy •they both die at the end by adam silvera | sep 5 | mlm ya sci fi contemporary •autoboyography by christina lauren | sep 12 | mlm ya/na contemporary romance    •caterpillars can’t swim by liane shaw | sep 12 | mlm mc, ya contemporary •echo after echo by amy rose capetta | sep 15 | wlw ya •kaleidoscope song by fox benwell | sept 19 | wlw ya •the queer history project: no way, they were gay? by lee wind | sep ? | middle grade nonfiction

OCTOBER •27 hours by tristina wright | oct 3 | mlm+wlw ya sci fi •that inevitable victorian thing by e.k. johnston | oct 3 | wlw ya sci-fi/fantasy •the ship of the dead (magnus chase and the gods of asgard #3) by rick riordan | oct 3 | genderfluid mc+non-labelled lgbtqia+ character, ya fantasy/mythology •the tiger’s daughter by k. arsenault rivera | oct 3 | wlw, ya fantasy •top ten by katie cotugno | oct 3 | bi mc, ya contemporary romance •like water by rebecca podos | oct 17 | wlw ya contemporary •the 57 bus by dashka slater | oct 17 | agender mc, ya •mick & michelle by nina rossing | oct ? | trans mc, ya contemporary •the consumption of magic (the tales of verani #2) by tj klune | oct ? | mlm+asexual characters, fantasy

NOVEMBER •boomerang by helene dunbar | nov 7 | mlm ya contemporary mystery •chainbreaker (timekeeper #2) by tara sim | nov 7 | mlm ya sci fi/steampunk

UNKNOWN RELEASE DATE •alan cole is not a coward by eric bell | ? | mlm middle grade contemporary •amelia westlake by erin gough | ? | wlw ya contemporary •here so far away by hadley dyer | ? | mlm ya contemporary •hold my hand by michael barakiva | ? | mlm ya contemporary •if found return to astropop by lucas hargis | ? | genderfluid mcs, ya contemporary •these books belong to ken z by r. zamora linmark | ? | mlm, ya contemporary

[ganymedeandcallisto]

someone asked me for the 100 questions but tumblr is fuckin up so here u go my friend

1. What’s your middle name, and do you like it? a: lea (pronounced lee), it was my grandmas middle name and yes I do love it 
2. are you artistic? a: fuck yeah I am I sing and play instruments and do art 
3. Have you had your first kiss? a: yes 
4. What is your life goal? a: to be happy TBH 
5. Do you have any expieriences with a famous person? a: my dad went to grade school with this guy who won an Oscar! also Bernie sanders came to my high school for a rally which was so so cool 
6. Do you play any sports? a: what is a sport 
7. What’s your worst fear? a: that everyone I love is pretending to like me TBH 
8. Who’s your biggest inspiration? a: Kim from Matt and Kim ngl, also the people in Costa Rica who created the giant dog sanctuary 
9. Do you have any cool talents? a: I play 6 instruments and also I have a really good memory 
10. are you a morning person? a: YES I love getting up early especially when I don’t have to do anything 
11. How do you feel about pet names? a: hate (dyldoge) 
12. Do you like to read? a: YEAH I DO it’s so fun to me 
13. Name a list of shows that have changed your life. a: the office, game of thrones, the walking dead (mostly cause glenn and maggie) 
14. Do you care about your follower count? a: nope unless it’s 420 or 666 
15. What’s the best dream you’ve had? a: probably one where I was either flying or hugging someone 
16. Have you ever kissed someone of your same gender? a: I have not 
17. Do you have any pets? a: YEAH I HAVE TWO BEAUTIFUL BABIES (dogs) 
18. Are you religious? a: I am not 
19. Are you a people person? a: ahahahahaha noooooooooooooooo 
20. Are you considered popular? a: I’m not sure?? TBH 
21. What is one of your bad habits? a: saying yes when I want to say no, also procrastinating 
22. What’s something that makes you feel vulnerable? a: showing music I love to people 
23. What would you name your children? a: *dogs I love all dog names 
24. Who’s your celebrity crush? a: Marcos is the biggest celebrity of my heart 
25. What’s your best subject? a: English/history that uncovers how awful white america is/has been 
26. Dogs or cats? a: both!!!!!!!! but TBH dogs more 
27. most used social media besides tumblr? a: I’m not sure but I’m gonna say chat snaps 
28. best friends name a: Marcos and varla ofc <3 <3 <3 
29. who does your main family consist of a: my sister and my mom and dad and my two beautiful dog children 
30. Chocolate or sugar a: chocolate 
31. have you ever been on a date? a: yes! not formally like “would you like to go on a date with me?” tho 
32. Do you like rollercosters? a: I did……but Marcos and I went to the fair last summer and concluded that we are too old for this and our joints are too stiff 
33. Can you swim? a: yes and I love swimming so much 
34. What would you do in the event of an apocolypse? a: grab everyone I love and live in a Costco 
35. Have you struggled with any kind of mental disorder? a: yes ednos, depression, and trichotillomania 
36. Are your parents together? a: yes they are 
37. What’s your favourite colour? a: green forever and ever 
38. What country are you from/do you live in? a: USA :^) 
39. Favourite singer? a: I’m gonna say my favorite artist is Matt and Kim but there are so many other favorites ahahah 
40. Do you see yourself being famous some day? a: no TBH unless it’s for cooking 
41. Do you like dresses? a: yeah I fuckin love dresses but they are uncomfy sometimes 
42. Favourite song right now? a: poplar street by glass animals or vampire money by mcr honorable mention: planetary [go!] by mcr, well it’s true that we love one another by the white stripes, northeast by Matt and Kim, man on the moon by zella day, the way we move by langhorne slim and the law, when you’re young by Edward sharpe and the magnetic zeroes 
43. Does talking about sex make you uncomfortable? a: no I actually really like talking about sex! I think it’s healthy to 
44. How old were you when you first got your period? a: like 11 I think lmao 
45. Have you ever shot a gun? a: nope and I don’t really wanna 
46. Have you ever done yoga? a: yes 
47. Are you a horror girl? a: hell yeah give me some of that 😩💯😭👌🏽✔️✔️👅💦💦😳👀😍 babadook 
48. Are you good at giving advice? a: sometimes like I know exactly what I wanna say but I talk around it bc I’m bad at explaining things 
49. Tell us a story about your childhood. a: one time when I was 4 my cousin was bothering me and putting a pillow over my face so I bit him so hard it bled and now he’s a trump supporter but I can’t bite him bc I’m an Adult 
50. How are you doing today? a: I’m good!! I had a really great breakfast with my RA Rebecca and my roommate Sydney! 
51. Were you a cute kid? a: there was no kid cuter than me up until like 1st grade when I got glasses 
52. Can you dance? a: when no one is watching TBH 
53. Is there anything you do that you can’t remember ever not doing? a: eating with chopsticks and also wanting to be in love 
54. Have you ever dyed your hair? a: nooooo but I wanna 
55. What colour are your eyes? a: brown 
56. What’s your favourite animal? a: horses and dogs!! 
57. Have you ever made a huge fool of yourself? a: yes I definitely have :^)))) 
58. Do you have a good relationship with your parents? a: I think so!! they support my decision to change my major and I’m so so happy 
59. Do you have good friends? a: like 3 maybe who I never get to see ://// 
60. Are you close with anyone of the lgbtq+ group? a: ya bich it me (also yes!! many of my friends are) 
61. What’s your favourite class? a: this quarter, Asian American studies 
62. List all the tv shows you are watching. the walking dead, westworld, full frontal with Samantha Bee, daily show, game of thrones, I think that’s it? 
63. Are you organized? a: honey………no 
64. What was the last movie you saw? Opinion? in theaters I saw rogue one and I loved it so much THERE WERE POC LEADS 
67. Which tv character do you relate to most? a: I don’t know actually but probably Pam from the office TBH 
68. What are some things that stand between you and complete happiness? a: distance :/ and financial instability :/ 
69. If you received enough money to never need to work again, what would you spend your time doing? a: taking care of dogs 
70. What would you change about your life if you knew you would never die? a: id change the not dying part…….it’s gotta happen sometime just not now 
71. What would you do differently if you knew that no one was judging you? a: I’d dance all the time in public 
72. If you could start over, what would you do differently? a: stand up for myself 
73. Would you break the law to save a loved one? a: is this even a question of course I would 
74. When was the last time you travelled somewhere new? a: in August when me and Marcos went to SLO 
75. When you think of your home, what immediately comes to mind? a: the living room and my dogs greeting me and getting in n out for dinner 
76. What have you done to pursue your dreams lately? How about today? a: I found out I can change my major really quickly 
77. What did you want to be when you were a kid? a: a paleontologist I loved dinosaurs 
78. If you dropped everything to pursue your dreams, what would you be risking? a: not too much actually I dream of being financially stable with my love Marcos and being surrounded by dogs and having my family live not super close but not too far away 
79.When did you not speak up, when you know you really should have? a: in class bc participation is part of the grade 
80. Describe the next five years of your life, and your plans, in a single sentence a: I’m going to finish college with a steady job, hopefully travel a lot, and spend all the time I can working towards The Dream™ 
81. What would happen if you never wasted another minute of your life, what would that look like? a: me: graduates college and gets a masters degree within a year 
82. If you could live forever, how would you spend eternity? a: looking for a way to make Marcos also live forever and then taking care of all dogs 
83. How would you spend a billion dollars? a: I’d buy a big house that has a lot of land for my dogs to run around in and pay for a bunch of kids’ tuition and buy my parents a bunch of vacations and create spaces for dogs everywhere and donate to Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren……that’s kind of a big question 
84. If you could time travel, would you go to the past or the future? a: the past so that I can see all the history white people cover up 
85. What motivates you to succeed? a: The Dream ™ of being financially stable in a nice apartment with a few dogs and the love of my life Marcos 
86. What dream that you’ve had has resonated with you the most? a: I had a nightmare that trump became president 
87. Would you rather live in the city or the woods? Why? a: woods bc city smell like pee and is smoggy 
88. Do you believe in life after death a: kinda but I hope it’s a life where I don’t really have to Do anything 
89. What teacher inspired you the most? How did they? a: my great uncle because he was a professor of English and he loved my great aunt so much and had a house in the middle of nowhere surrounded by forest and deer and it had a greenhouse and a place for bats to roost 
90. What’s your fondest childhood memory? a: making pillow forts with my sister and then destroying them by jumping on top of them 
91. If you could have dinner with any one person, living or dead, who would they be and why? a: I wanna have dinner with Donald trump, specifically so I can stab him in his orange face with my fork 
92. What would you have to see to cry tears of joy? a: not too many things TBH I cry very hard at practically everything 
93. What is the hardest lesson you had to learn in life? a: you shouldn’t have to change something about yourself in order to deserve love (unless ur a neo nazi or a mass murderer or something like that obviously) 
94. What do you think happens after we die? a: party in the afterlife 
95. What would you do if you would be invisible? a: probably steal money from trump but make it look like mike pence or richard spencer did it 
96. What’s something you can’t do no matter how hard you try? a: whistle ahahaha 
97. Would you want to choose the sex and appearance of your offspring? a: all dogs are beautiful 
98. How did your first crush develop? a: my first crush was on Luke Skywalker and it developed by me watching a new hope 
99. Is there a feeling you are trying to ignore? What is it? a: it’s the feeling of That Fuck Shit and i ignore it on the daily 
100. Do you live or do you just exist? a: time is meaningless and none of us Actually exist

[nichetraveldesign]

Niche Travel Design has been nominated for The Liebster Award!

I was nominated by A World in Reach for this peer award. For a somewhat new blogger like me, this is a special treat.  It’s always a great feeling to be recognized by your peers. Thank you, Sydney and A World in Reach.

What is the Liebster Award?

The Liebster Award is a peer to peer award, given to bloggers, by bloggers as a way to foster collaboration and support. What a nice idea.

I noticed a message board in my German friend’s house that said “liebe und respekt.”  I asked what liebe or liebster meant.  She told me it means dearest or kindest. Thus, bloggers being dear and kind to one another. This is an award I can get behind. I am always seeking advice from others and I am happy to promote the idea of collaboration. I strongly believe in the theory that what you give comes back to you.   The Rules of Engagement

Once you’re nominated with the Liebster Award, you have to follow a few rules to celebrate your win and spread the award throughout the blogging community.

1. Thank the person who nominated you, and put a link to their blog on your blog.

2. Display the award on your blog.

3. Write a small post about what makes you passionate about blog posting.

4. Provide 10 random facts about yourself.

5. Answer the questions from your nominator and provide a fresh set of questions for those you nominate.

6. Nominate 5 – 10 blogs that you feel would enjoy blogging about this award.

7. List these rules in your post.

How I Began My Blogging Journey

I began blogging when I first moved from California to Parma, Italy in 2011.

When my daughter was a toddler she frequently made up words that sounded similar to the adult versions. She would say strawbellies instead of strawberries; froggy instead of foggy. One of the words she transposed was Parmesan. In her toddler mind, Parmesan cheese was Purple John cheese. For years our family asked each other to pass the Purple John cheese at the dinner table.

Imagine our surprise when we realized that we were moving to Parma, Italy – the birthplace of Purple John cheese.  Apparently, the universe has a sense of humor. It seemed like serendipity. What we did not know is that an international move is difficult. Life in another country is difficult. It is not all adventure.  I had 2 very sad children who did not want to move and leave the comfort of their home.

[dropshadowbox align=”none” effect=”lifted-both” width=”auto” height=”” background_color=”#ffffff” border_width=”1″ border_color=”#dddddd” ]Read about the reality of an international move here.[/dropshadowbox]

All that being said, life in Italy was often quite funny because things were soooo different than what we were used to. Thus, my original blog, Purple John, began by me just telling friends about the difficulties and the funny stories that we encountered along the way.

[dropshadowbox align=”none” effect=”lifted-both” width=”auto” height=”” background_color=”#ffffff” border_width=”1″ border_color=”#dddddd” ]Read funny stories about life in Italy in the drop-down menu here. [/dropshadowbox]

And of course, just when we were settled into life in Italy, the universe struck again and we had a second move to Malmö, Sweden. Once we moved and settled into Malmö, I toyed with the idea of reworking my past experience as a travel consultant and incorporating the blog as part of the business. The kids were older and they did not need me as much as they did in Italy. This last year I began my existing blog Niche Travel Design using my name and domain name from the travel business that I ran in the USA. So now my travel business has a blog attached to it.

My blog still occasionally includes funny ex-pat tales of excitement and woe, but now I am more focused on the business of travel. The funny thing, though . . . that little toddler that inspired my first blog name, she now works with me on the business.

At Niche Travel Design, our philosophy is that designing the perfect vacation is as much an art form as designing a home’s interior or a garden’s landscape. We curate a unique experience for each of our clients. 

We are experts in finding the best cup of coffee, the most interesting art gallery, the best place to sip Prosecco while watching the sunset, and the best accessories to make your adventure more comfortable.

The perfect cappuccino

Aperol Spritz – the classic summer cocktail

Niche Travel Design is more than a travel blog. We are a community featuring stories of life abroad, cultural experiences, recipes, ideas, and tips for creating unique memories to last a lifetime. We also recommend products and services.

10 Random Things About Me

I once sort of crashed a funeral. My friend was supposed to go and I was staying with her so I went too because it was celebrity filled. In the end, I felt like a heel and a looky-loo. People (even celebrities) were grieving. I don’t recommend it. Not my best moment.

I always top off my gasoline, despite the warnings.

I love Gene Kelly movies and I got to meet him once and had a conversation with him about his more obscure movies. It was amazing and he was so kind.

I am secretly a Carpenters fan. I guess it is not a secret anymore. 

I sing all the time in public even though I really shouldn’t.

I once got into a car accident on the way home from a car accident and neither one was my fault. I know you don’t believe me, but it is true.

Apparently, according to my family, I say Google incorrectly? Who knew?

I hate, I mean really hate, The Pillsbury Doughboy. His voice makes my skin crawl.

I once stayed at a “pensione” in Barcelona that was actually the host’s children’s room. He was clearing toys out of their bedroom. It was weird, but it was late and there was a train strike so I paid to sleep in a stranger’s kid’s bed.

I generally don’t like chick flicks despite being a chick. I seem to be missing a gene or something.

A World In Reach’s Questions For Me

What is the most important lesson you’ve learned during your travels? That once one strips away all the cultural differences, we are all the same. We all just want safety, family, friends, love, and respect in our lives.

What’s your favorite part of traveling? Exploring and learning about a place. Finding off the beaten path things to do. I am a researcher and enjoy the discovery of new things to do, a great local restaurant, a specialty shop, an unusual experience in a typical tourist spot. Least favorite? The getting there bit. The airports, etc.  Ugh.

Do you collect any souvenirs from your travels? I used to collect art from each place but now I have too much. I had to stop. No more room to hang anything. We have also always collected ornaments for our Christmas tree. It is nice to remember our trips as we put up each ornament every year. Now I collect photographs and memories.

What is the most unique experience you’ve had with a local while traveling? Swimming with horses in Croatia. Just incredible.

[dropshadowbox align=”none” effect=”lifted-both” width=”auto” height=”” background_color=”#ffffff” border_width=”1″ border_color=”#dddddd” ]Read more about swimming with horses here. [/dropshadowbox]

If you could travel with one person you’ve never traveled with before, who would it be? Barack Obama. He is intelligent, funny, has done some cool stuff and met a bunch of interesting people. I’ll bet he has good stories. Plus, he gets V.I.P. treatment and if we were traveling together I’d get V.I.P. treatment too.  

How did you come up with your blog name? It was the name of my travel business in the USA. I focus on niche, unique, unusual travel experiences. I curate and design your trip for you.

What tip would you give to a new blogger? Learn all the technical stuff before you begin.

Is there a book or a movie that has inspired your wanderlust?  No. My wanderlust was developed as a child. Actually, I feel like it has always been there. 

What are the top 3 things on your bucket list? Africa – all of it!  Australia/New Zealand and Asia.

What is your biggest travel regret? I had a chance to go to Africa for a summer. I didn’t go because it wasn’t practical. I should have gone.

My Nominations for The Liebster Award

I have really enjoyed the Liebster Award process. I also enjoyed reading about each of these bloggers that I am nominating. I hope that you each take the time to read up on what they have to offer.

1. Divine Kabwe at beingyourselfblog.wordpress.com 

2. Diana Danciu at ourblindlife.com

3. Jenny Toney Bhatia of travelingpartyof4.com

4. Temeka Flack Green of worklifemommyhood.com

5. Heather Eyre of thefemalefactor.me

6. Jamie Joseph of wearefreeindeed.wordpress.com

7. Samantha Norman of SammiNormanFit.com

8. Louise Emerson of 12books.co.uk

9. Mallory Herrera of mamaonparade.com

10. Megan Henderson of thehendersonhouse.org

Questions For My Nominees

Since I have a travel blog, my questions are all about travel.

Where would you go if money and time were not issues?

What is the best advice you would give to new travelers?

What is the one accessory that you cannot travel without – your phone and/or computer don’t count?

Where is one place you would return over and over again? And why?

Where is one place you’ve been but never want to return to? And why?

What is the funniest travel mishap you’ve had?

What is the scariest travel experience you’ve had?

What is your favorite travel souvenir?

What is your favorite local cuisine?

What is your next destination?

Looking forward to reading my nominees’ answers and getting to know them better.

And once again, a BIG THANK YOU to A World In Reach for my nomination!

Everyone, please be sure to check out Sydney’s blog for ideas on budget travel. A World In Reach can provide you with all sorts of ideas on traveling on a budget.

The Liebster Awards Niche Travel Design has been nominated for The Liebster Award! I was nominated by A World in Reach…

[melodywooo-blog]

Great Barrier Reef, Queensland: where to dive, snorkel and stay

As David Attenborough’s new three-part reef documentary begins, here’s our guide to exploring the world’s largest living structure and its Australian coast, from scuba diving trips to rainforest excursions – plus the best places to stay

                                                                                    Hardy Reef, on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef

      The Unesco world heritage-listed natural wonder is a ribbon of blinding blues and greens, a constellation of islands and reefs, running parallel with the Queensland shoreline from the tip of Cape York in the north 1,600 miles south to Bundaberg. At the reef’s southernmost end are Lady Elliot and Heron islands, two stars of David Attenborough’s new three-hour documentary (screening at 9pm on 30 December, BBC1); heading north, Airlie Beach, Townsville and Cairns are popular starting points for reef explorations.

      Great Barrier Reef and Queensland, Australia

      Airlie Beach and the Whitsunday Islands

      It’s easy to spend an entire holiday exploring the Whitsunday archipelago’s 74 jungle-clad islands. The jet-set flocks to ritzy Hamilton Island (owned by wine baron and sailing enthusiast Bob Oatley) but nature lovers can delve into uninhabited isles fringed with coral reefs and perfect beaches. Fly to Hamilton Island’s Great Barrier Reef Airport or Whitsunday Coast Airport, a 20-minute drive from Airlie Beach.

      Stay

                                            Airlie beach. Photograph: Tanya Ann Photography/Getty Images

      Airlie Waterfront B&B

      Airlie Beach, gateway to the Whitsundays, attracts visitors eager to wallow in tropical pleasures without paying the hefty price of an island resort stay. Between day trips to the reef and islands, unwind at the town’s manmade lagoon, 200 metres from Airlie Waterfront B&B. Lounge on a deckchair in the B&B’s garden and survey the dramatic rainforest-meets-reef coastline. The double-storey property is all modern geometric lines with a deep veranda up top to catch the sea breeze. • Doubles from AU$179 (£88) B&B, +61 7 4946 7631, airliewaterfrontbnb.com.au

             Palm Bay Resort Sunrise or sunset? Catch both at Palm Bay Resort, which sprawls over the neck of Long Island (travel there by water taxi from Shute Harbour near Airlie Beach). The 23 suites and Balinese-style villas, with hammocks strung out front, provide a great getaway. Unusually for an island resort, this is self-catering so some planning is required to source provisions. Meals are cooked in a communal kitchen. In 2015 the resort added a cocktail bar that shakes a mean Long Island iced tea. • Doubles (beachfront villa) from AU$209 (£103), +61 1300 655 126, palmbayresort.com.au

      Activities

      Dive the outer reef Want to brag that you learned to dive on the world’s most famous reef? Cruise Whitsundays, based at Port of Airlie, ferries divers, snorkellers and day-trippers via high-speed catamaran to a pontoon anchored alongside a coral wall at Hardy Reef. The day-long tour (from AU$230/£112) to the outer Great Barrier Reef includes snorkelling, visiting the underwater observatory and touring the reef in a semi-submersible; scuba diving costs extra. • Dive lesson AU$119 (£59), certified dive AU$99 (£49), +61 7 4846 7000, cruisewhitsundays.com

      Scuba and sand combo

                                            Snorkelling near the reef. Photograph: Robin Smith/Getty Images

      Combine a dive with arguably the Whitsundays’ most popular attraction by going to Whitehaven Beach with Airlie Beach-based Mantaray Charters for a visit so leisurely there’s time to climb Hill Inlet for an elevated view over the gorgeous white sand. Peer into the shallows to spot juvenile sharks and rays before returning to the boat for lunch. In the afternoon, plop into the clear waters near Hook or Hayman Island to scuba dive or snorkel. • Day trip AU$197 (£96), introductory dive AU$100 (£49), certified dive AU$80 (£39) (second dives $60). Bookings essential, +61 7 4948 1117, mantaraycharters.com

      Whitehaven Beach Whitehaven Beach on Whitsunday Island – the group’s largest island – has become a must-see destination for its blue waters and white sand. This means there are plenty of day-trippers along the 7km sweep of dazzling silica; so, for something a bit different, sail over for a day trip (including morning tea and lunch) on the Lady Enid, a former racing yacht. Get the beach (almost) to yourself by taking a barge from Shute Harbour with Whitsunday Island Camping Connections and then camp overnight (the barge company also rents camping gear). • Sailing (eight-hour trip) from AU$225pp a person (£110pp), +61 407 483 000; ladyenid.com.au. Camping permits AU$5.95pp (£2.90pppn) a person a night, +61 13 74 68, nprsr.qld.gov.au Return barge AU$155pp (£76pp), +61 7 4946 6285, whitsundaycamping.com.au

                                                                    Shute Harbour and Conway national park. Photograph: Ted Mead/Getty Images

      Mountain bike in the rainforest Peer over your shoulder in Airlie Beach and you’ll realise the town is not only a reef gateway but right next to Conway national park. The rugged coastal rainforest is a birder’s paradise: keep watch for emerald doves, sulphur-crested cockatoos and orange-footed scrub fowl. From November to March, buff-breasted paradise-kingfishers travel from Papua New Guinea to nest in termite mounds. Get among it on an all-day guided mountain-bike tour with Airlie Mountain Bike Tours that includes stopping for a dip in a waterhole. • Tour from AU$120 (£59), +61 408 800 159, airliemountainbiketours.com

             Townsville and nearby islands

      Townsville, Australia’s largest tropical city, is more business than pleasure but it’s the perfect gateway to a handful of reef islands. Magnetic Island (Maggie to the locals) lies just offshore; think of it as a far-flung Townsville suburb. Spend a day or two exploring Townsville’s attractions, which include a huge aquarium and an unlikely pink-granite hill overlooking the city.

      Stay

      Rambutan Rambutan, in Townsville’s nightlife area, bills itself as Australia’s first “glam-packers’” resort. The low-rise property, which opened in 2015, turns the concept of a backpackers’ hostel on its head with a stylish rooftop bar and pool, air-con and en suite for each room, and a restaurant serving American-style food (think barbeuce pit meats and southern fried chicken). Accommodation ranges from undercover van sites to mixed and single-sex dorms, private rooms and a four-bedroom villa. • Van sites AU$34 (£17), dorms from AU$30 (£15), doubles from AU$119 (£58), +61 7 4771 6915, rambutantownsville.com.au

      Magnetic Island B&B

                                            Guests are given a mini-tour of the island – and perhaps a glimpse of a resident koala – when Magnetic Island B&B’s owners fetch them from the ferry. The B&B is at Horseshoe Bay at the island’s northern end. Most of Maggie, which has 23 secluded beaches and bays, is national park. Spend days rambling along bush tracks to lookouts and picking a favourite swimming spot before returning to relax around the pool. • Doubles from AU$140 (£69), +61 7 4758 1203, magneticislandbedandbreakfast.com

      Hinchinbrook Island

                                                                    Trekking the Thorsborne Trail. Photograph: Will Salter/Getty Images

      Hinchinbrook, one of Australia’s largest island national parks, is famous among bushwalkers for its cloud-wreathed mountainous backbone, lush rainforest, melaleuca swamps, waterfalls and rugged headlands. Only 40 people at a time can traverse the spectacular 20-mile east coast Thorsborne Trail, which is best enjoyed over four days. Seven campsites offer limited facilities (mainly toilets and picnic tables) along the trail, which requires creek crossings and rock-hopping around the headlands. • Camping permits AU$5.95pppn (£2.90), +61 13 74 68, nprsr.qld.gov.au

             Activities

      Adrenalin Dive Experienced divers can explore the wreck of the Yongala, a passenger steamer that sank during a 1911 cyclone. Lying 15 metres underwater, the ship is one of the world’s best wreck dives. It attracts sharks, manta rays, turtles, sea snakes, giant trevally and schools of tropical fish. During winter, divers may see humpback whales. Adrenaline Dive also takes snorkellers and divers to Lodestone Reef – popular with parrotfish, angelfish and clownfish. • Two Yongala dives from AU$255 (£125); two Lodestone dives from AU$250 (£122), snorkelling AU$220 (£108), +61 7 4724 0600, Facebook

      ReefHQ Learn all there is to know about the Great Barrier Reef at reefHQ – the world’s largest living coral reef aquarium. The idea behind the attraction was to replicate the reef on land to make it affordable and accessible to all. Highlights include the coral reef exhibit that’s open to sunshine, moonshine and storms – just like the real thing – and a predator exhibit with black-tip reef sharks and a replica section of the Yongala that can be viewed through an underwater tunnel. • Admission AU$28 (£14) adults, AU$14 (£6.90) children 5-16, +61 7 4750 0800, reefhq.com.au

                                            Photograph: Alamy

      Hike Castle Hill Central Australia has Uluru but Townsville has its own unmissable monolith in the shape of Castle Hill – a pink-granite landmark that looms 286 metres above the city. Despite the heat and humidity and the fact there’s a perfectly serviceable road, people persist in taking the hard way to the summit. There are more than a dozen marked and unmarked trails to the lookout – offering views over the city and Magnetic Island. • Free. Trail map at thegotownsville.com.au

      Cairns and beyond

      Cairns is the northernmost point of Australian tourism’s “golden triangle” (Sydney and Uluru are the other two). While the city’s fortunes have waxed and waned over the years, it’s now on an upward trajectory following major investment in several developments.

                                                                    Coastline near Port Douglas. Photograph: Alamy

      Stay

      Ryan’s Rest Stay in a traditional Queenslander – think corrugated-iron roof, louvre windows, high ceilings, deep veranda and timber floor and walls – with nine rooms ranging from singles with shared facilities to self-contained two-bedroom apartments. Seven blocks back from the lagoon, this place attracts guests seeking a quieter stay away from the city’s party zone. There’s also an on-site pool for those needing a close-at-hand dip. • Doubles from AU$66 (£33), +61 428 514 738, ryansrest.com.au

             The Hotel Cairns In a city with its share of generic hotels, The Hotel Cairns stands out for architecture that channels the tropical surroundings. The hotel has an excellent location: it’s only a block from the Esplanade, home to a spectacular all-year swimming lagoon and beach. The Hotel Cairns has its own pool, framed by towering palms, while rooms are kept cool with plantation shutters, terracotta tiles and that all-important air-con. • Doubles from AU$129 (£63), +61 7 4051 6188, thehotelcairns.com

      Port Douglas Motel With pops of primary colour, the Port Douglas Motel exudes a joyful 1960s vibe. The property’s central location makes it easy to stroll to both Four Mile Beach and the marina – the departure point for reef tours. Jump into the motel’s saltwater swimming pool or watch others frolicking there while cooking up a storm at the communal kitchen. The resort town of Port Douglas is about one hour’s drive north of Cairns. • Doubles from AU$125 (£61), +61 7 4099 5248, portdouglasmotel.com.au

      Activities

      Cairns Dive Centre Snorkellers, first-time divers and certified divers travel via Fitzroy Island before reaching the outer Great Barrier Reef with Cairns Dive Centre. The daily trips cover two reef sites offering great viewing of the reef’s famous fish, as well as turtles, stingrays and reef sharks. The full-day trip includes morning and afternoon snorkels and dives, with lunch served aboard the catamaran. • Snorkel day trip AU$150 (£74), add introductory dive AU$50 (£25), certified diver day trip AU$200 (£98), +61 7 4051 0294, cairnsdive.com.au

      Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park

                                            A ‘Night Fire’ show at Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park,. Photograph: Alamy

      Learn about the region’s strong indigenous culture at Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park, which unveiled a multimillion-dollar makeover in 2015. There’s a humorous touch to performances relaying the beliefs and stories that have shaped this ancient culture. At night, an interactive dinner show includes a fiery finale. The park neighbours the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway to Kuranda. • Park admission from AU$60 (£30) adults, AU$40 (£20) children, AU$160 (£78) family; Night Fire AU$120 (£59) adults, AU$75 (£37) children, AU$315 (£154) family; Tjapukai with return Skyrail, from AU$135 (£), +61 7 4042 9999, tjapukai.com.au

      Moore Reef pontoon Those who aren’t water-confident can still enjoy a day on the reef thanks to a pontoon anchored at Moore Reef 40km from Cairns. Sunlover Reef Cruises runs day trips to the covered platform where visitors can snorkel, hop in the glass-bottom boat and semi-submersible coral-viewing boat, check out the underwater observatory and explore the marine touch tank. Extras include Seawalker helmet diving, scuba diving and a guided snorkelling safari. • Day trips from AU$199 (£97) adults, AU$99 (£49) children 4-15, +61 7 4050 1333, sunlover.com.au

      Mossman Gorge Centre

                                            Photograph: Adam Bruzzone

      What’s better than leaping into a waterhole deep in the middle of a rainforest? Try pairing that experience with stories from the local Kuku Yalanji people. The Dreamtime Gorge Walk at Mossman Gorge, 77km north of Cairns, begins with a smoking ceremony to ward off bad spirits. Learn about bush foods, traditional plant uses and how to make ochre paint before finishing the 1.5-hour tour with tea and damper (soda bread). • Shuttle bus into the gorge AU$8.90 (£4.40), Dreamtime tour AU$60 (£30) adults, AU$30 (£15) children 5-15, AU$150 (£)74 family, +61 7 4099 7000, mossmangorge.com.au

[newbrunswickweb]

Swim lessons won't keep your toddler from drowning — in fact, they could increase the risk

A toddler jumps onto his mother during a swimming class for babies at Lane Cove pool March 16, 2007 in Sydney, Australia. Getty Images/Ian Waldie My son has almost drowned twice, and both times, it was my fault. He had been frolicking in the shallow end for 45 minutes in both cases. Then I got distracted for a minute, and when I glanced back, he was gone. There were multiple people in the pool with him each time, some within a couple of feet, a few of them relativesand nobody saw that he had drifted back to where the water deepened and had sunk below the surface. The only reason I noticed was because when I looked for him, he wasn't there. These two experiences are among the most traumatic of my lifeI still have nightmaresand they were pretty scary for him, too. Thankfully, he was fine, at least physically. But the incidents proved to me that drowning kids don't call for help; they don't kick or splash. They just sink and quietly disappear. More American kids die today from drowning than from car accidents, making drowning the leading cause of injury death in kids ages 1 to 4. Even when kids survive a near-drowning, as many as 10 percent suffer permanent neurological damage. My son took group swim lessons after the first incident. But after the second, I signed him up for private lessons. The absolute best way to prevent him from drowning, I surmised, was to ensure that he learned basic swim skills. I was wrong. As I discovered when I dug into the literature on childhood drowning, the idea that swim lessons prevent drowning, especially in young kids, is a dangerous one"part of the problem, not the solution," says Kevin Moran, a longtime lifeguard and drowning researcher at the University of Auckland in New Zealand.

Toddlers explore the water with their parents during a swimming class for babies at Lane Cove pool March 16, 2007 in Sydney, Australia. Getty Images/Ian Waldie The American Academy of Pediatrics takes a more conservative stance, but it, too, argues that there is not enough evidence to recommend swim lessons for young kids.* A single, small US study suggests that swim lessons make drowning less likely, but they aren't even close to a panacea, and the notion that knowing how to swim keeps kids safe can paradoxically put children even more at risk. I know what I'm saying is sacrilege to many readers; research suggests that 68 percent of parents think it best to start swim lessons before a child turns 3, and more than half think swim lessons are the best way to prevent drowning in toddlers. Our local gym has waitlists for infant and toddler classes, and its website touts that the classes teach kids "water safety," which any reasonable parent would take to mean "drowning prevention." The American Red Cross states that "the best thing you can do to help your family stay safe is to enroll in age-appropriateswim lessons," which it starts offering at the tender age of 6 months. Yet the statistics are clear: Swim skills are simply not enough. Two-thirds of kids who drown, believe it or not, are excellent swimmers. The fact is, young kids don't learn survival skills in regular swim classes, in part because they can't. "Mostly, what these lessons do is prepare the child for swimming by making them comfortable in the watergetting their face wet, going under the waterand teaching them some rudimentary skills," says Barbara Morrongiello, a professor at the University of Guelph in Canada who studies parent safety practices and drowning prevention. There's nothing wrong with this; if classes foster a love for water play and swimming, that's great. What's bad are parents' assumptions that the classes do more. "Swimming programs for youngsters under 4 shouldn't really be considered a drowning prevention strategy," Morrongiello explains. read more That's because the ability to survive a near-drowning typically requires more than just the types of water skills that keep children afloat in normal swim situations. Kids might drown because they're really tired, have gotten a muscle cramp, or have been injured during water playand they need to learn what to do in these specific situations to stay safe. Children are also especially at risk after falling into water fully clothed, because clothes make swimming more difficult. Cold water has the same effect. And then there's the need for panicked, near-drowning kids to stay calm and focused enough to swim to safety and to be able to hold their breath for more than a few seconds, which wee ones can't usually do. "Swimming competency is but one of the many physical and cognitive competencies needed to prevent drowning," Moran explains.

A toddler held by his father swims underwater in a search for toys during a swimming class for babies at Lane Cove pool March 16, 2007 in Sydney, Australia. Getty Images/Ian Waldie In other words, knowing the crawl typically doesn't suffice. (A note to anyone wondering about those viral videos that show babies can be trained to be "drown-proof": Read this, please. Those videos and claims are dangerous.) Making matters worse, research suggests that swim lessons can cause parents to become overconfident about their kids' abilities and watch them less carefully. In a 2014 study, Morrongiello and her colleagues regularly surveyed parents over eight months as their preschoolers (ages 2 to 5) took swim lessons. As the kids acquired more lessons, parents began to believe that their kids knew how to keep themselves safe in potentially dangerous water situationsthat they were, for instance, good judges of their own swimming ability and knew to stay away from pools when unsupervised, which aren't things that swim lessons generally teach. The parents also began to assume that their kids needed less careful watching around water, which isn't necessarily true, either. (The small study I mentioned above suggesting that swim lessons reduce drowning risk has what are called wide confidence intervals, a statistical sign that it's impossible to tell just how strong the effect is and that it may vary a lot between kids.) In another study, Morrongiello and her colleagues asked parents to judge how well their kids had mastered various swim skills in their lessons and found that parents overestimated 1 in every 5 skills. (This overestimation of competence tends to be especially bad among fathers.) Some researchers also worry that when kids have had swim lessons, they, too, will lose their natural fear of water and be more likely to, say, jump into the pool without telling anyone. Yet the last thing we need is more kids frolicking in the water unsupervised. I'm an obvious teaching example, but many parents are lax observers: In a 2009 study, Moran and his colleagues observed families at the beach and found that 29 percent of parents didn't adequately supervise their kids under 5, and nearly half didn't adequately supervise their 5-to-9-year-olds. Indeed, a national 2004 survey found that 88 percent of US children who drowned were supposedly being watched at the timebut caregivers get distracted. They talk on their cellphones or to other pool-goers; they read; they eat; they sunbathe. A study of kids who drowned in Washington state found that only 12 percent of preschooler drownings were actually seen by anyone, which suggests that most kids drown with caregivers nearby who are simply not paying close enough attention.

Toddlers explore the water with their mothers during a swimming class for babies at Lane Cove pool February 16, 2007 in Sydney, Australia. Getty Images/Ian Waldie Another thing to consider about swim lessons in young kidsinfants especiallyis that exposure to chlorine in pools may heighten the risk of respiratory problems such as wheezing, bronchiolitis, and asthma. And when swimming, kids swallow a whopping four times more water than adults do, which isn't great, because doing so can cause recreational water illnesses including infections and diarrhea (hopefully not in the pool). And if they inhale even a little bit of water into their lungs, they can also sustain lung damage. Most of these outcomes are quite rareI'm not trying to totally freak you outbut they are things to keep in mind when pondering swim lessons for very young children. Both the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Canadian Paediatric Society do not recommend swim lessons for children under 4, but as of 2010, the AAP doesn't recommend against them, either, noting that "a parent's decision about starting swimming lessons or water-survival skills training at an early age must be individualized on the basis of the child's frequency of exposure to water, emotional maturity, physical limitations, and health concerns related to swimming pools."* Morrongiello points out that there are water competency classes that focus more on drowning-prevention skills, such as Canada's Swim to Survive program, but they target kids third grade and up because young kids don't have the strength and stamina to reliably use these skills. I'm not antiswim instruction, and I'll continue with my son's private lessons (he's 6 now) because I think they're wonderful for a number of reasons. It's important for parents to recognize, however, that a child who knows how to swim is not a child who cannot drown. The AAP recommends that parents remain within touching distance of their kids at all times; I sure wish I had been closer to my son when he went under. The organization also recommends four-sided pool fencing and that parents know CPR. Floaties are great, but they aren't a talisman, either, because they can get tangled in pool equipment or unstrappedmy sister's son was once saved by a lifeguard after quietly taking his flotation device off and jumping back into the pool. (And avoid the inflatable ones.) Bottom line is this: "The only way to ensure your child is not drowning," Morrongiello says, "is by watching them." *Update, June 21, 2017: This article has been revised to clarify the AAP's current recommendation on swimming lessons for children under age 4. http://www.businessinsider.com/swimming-lessons-could-put-your-child-at-a-higher-risk-of-drowning-2017-6?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=referral