The big leap

I had never even thought about jumping off a swing before Tim asked me if I did....WHAT? Jump from a moving object onto my delicate little pins? Very scary prospect!

The swing lackey said he liked to jump off them too! Did everyone just swing for the bit at the end where they jumped off?!?! I felt like I'd let life pass me by! I should also mention here that I don't dive into water either...not even a safety step. NEVER.

I think the two fears are connected.

So I made a conscious effort next time I went swinging to try and jump off but my arms got caught up in the chain and my alabaster skin got damaged (see opposite). I'm still trying everytime I swing but only increasing the height that I jump from (at this stage it's more like a step than a jump) very s-l-o-w-ly.

So you may ask whether I'm the right person to be writing this blog seeing as I'm not partaking in one of the popular facets of the swinging experience...but to that I say "make your own 'I love to jump off swings after I swing on them' blog". Ha.

Yo from Yeo Park

I love this blog because it means I have an excuse for naff titles like the one above. There's no precedent set, no standard to aspire to! Hooray!

So, me and my noble photographer/swinging lackey went to Yeo Park last week and I had a swing. It was pretty forgettable really. the swings were right next to Trinity Grammar's infants school on Old Canterbury Road in Summer Hill and they were set up in a most utilitarian fashion - just there in a bog line with blue frames and fake grass under foot. I can't even be bothered to rate these guys.

On a more interesting note, Tim commented that I hadn't talked about whether I jump off swings after I'm done with them...that deserves a whole post of its own I think....

Learning from the pros

Today I went to have a swing in the park and work on a list of the best songs to swing to. I tried Pivot but that was too slow and then the Yeah Yeah Yeahs - the Nick Zimmer remix of 'Turn Into You' (which was awesome!) I was trying out some rad dance moves, moving my hands and legs in time with the music and swishing my hair, when three young boys come up beside me and started talking up at me with awe on their faces. I couldn't hear what they were saying through the music and thought they'd soon pass my, but they kept talking and running near my legs as I swung up above them. When I took off my headphones one of them (the eldest and a bit of spokesman for the group) exclaimed "Wow! You're such a good swinger!" I said thanks. He was especially impressed that I hadn't had anyone push me, and another one asked how I got up so high. I said that it was because I was big and strong and was then asked by the spokesman if I could pick up a daddy elephant. I had to admit that I couldn't.

One of them came and swung next to me and they all giggled in fits, sounding like they were going to come unstuck. We then had a chat about comics (do I read them - no, the spokesperson loves them and explained one in great detail to me) and I decided that it was probably time for me to head home. Swings are so cool! They bring people together!!

I put my ipod back on and danced a little jig all the way home. And I thought about that little moment... I had on the list of what makes the best swing times, not having children nearby, but this was a welcome exception. These little guys made my swinging much more fun, a more authentic swinging experience even. I hope I see them again sometime.

Swinging with the Dr.

Dr H.J. Foley Park is in Glebe on the corner of Glebe Point and Bridge Roads. At first when I went on these swings I was thinking there was nothing to really set them apart, an 8 perhaps, but they allow you to go so high without a squeek of complaint and as you come up you're greeted by the open sky - it was very magical.

There are 2 baby swings, three regular rigid seat swings and one flexible rubber swing (that's the one I swung on). There's also an old-style roundabout there, which is cool as they're disappearing from playgrounds, only to be replaced with sterile equipment that's way less fun and potentially even more dangerous. This swing won me over - it gets a 9!

A mathematical formula

Here's a little diagram I've done to display the complex relationship between a chain's length and it's swinging capabilities: x=y=z*3.47891010, or alternatively b=z*hah!/wahay
Discuss.

Swings I haven't swung on (until now!)

A wise man once said to me (it was my Dad actually), there's no such thing as a strange swing, just ones you haven't swung on yet. What wisdom!

Today I went to Lambert Park in Leichhardt and tried out a couple of new swings. There is one with really long chains, which lets you swing up into a nearby tree (you can touch your head and your feet to the foliage). The seats are too damn narrow though! I hate that! It's next to two big roads so the ambience is a bit ruined... an 8 I think.


Then there's the other swings there, which are quite odd. They look like they've been designed by an Italian minimalist sporting a simple aluminium frame. The seats are even tighter on the old hips than the other ones, forcing you to sit right back on the seat, which makes for a bit of a perilous ride. The ground underneath them has been worn away so that it gets filled with water easily which is a bit yucky. The odd thing about them is that the chains on them are really short so you feel like you're swinging on more of a vertical plain - every swing feels cut short. It's a cool feeling. But the pain of the hips and the wetness underfoot makes these only a 6.5. See how fearless I am in my marking?! I'll not do any swing any favours unless they really do it for me!