"I need to be taller"

Went to Ken Maunder Park in New Lynn to watch Young L at soccer this morning. His mother directed me to another park first (the headquarters of their club), and when we arrived his team was not on the list to play. So she looked at some site on the internet and found that we were some distance away from where we were meant to be. Back in the car and got there ten minutes late to find that all the children were warming up by doing some exercises. The games had yet to start.

This was one of the exercises. In pairs they dribbled the ball around cones, and then went to where they had to be thrown the ball by their team mate and kick it, knee it, chest it or head it. I liked the earnestness of the two in this shot.

I have added three photos from his team's second short game. They were three against four in both games, and both times the other team were the only goal scorers. Throughout, Young L had a wee smile on his face. 

Except for when someone kicked the ball hard and it scraped his face. He lost his smile briefly, shrugged and carried on playing and soon had his smile back. I was so impressed with how he just accepted the not "winning", the pain of the ball on his cheek, and the cold and wet. And had fun. 

I have also added a photo from my run down by the beach after we came north. Daughter J also thinks my photo of the variable oystercatcher in flight is good.