Sorenne started school today, the equivalent of North American kindergarten and what is called prep here, every day, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Because of the heat (Brisbane is the Tampa of Australia) and lack of refrigerators, cool packing is a must.

And it has to be pink for the princess (but ice hockey starts Sunday).

The humble lunchbox has taken on a life of its own with varieties now ranging from a basic $3 plastic container to an $85 stainless steel contraption.

And just as the choice of lunchbox shapes, colors and sizes is endless, so is the range of accessories.

Insulated carry cases, removable compartments, drink bottles and ice pack inserts are among the more practical extras.

We spent 10 minutes going over the various containers – frozen ice pack half-filled with juice, two compartments for morning fruit (grapes and apple slices) and a larger compartment below for lunch (salami and cheese sandwich on whole grain bread, with a peeled orange).

She’ll eat when she gets home. This was the fifth time I’ve sent a daughter off to school. No tears.