It's So Quiet

It's been so quiet with big son away in Japan. Food is going off too! You don't realise how much a 15 year old puts away until they are not around..... I am baking with all my browning bananas... and our grocery bills are almost non existent!

We celebrated little one's birthday last weekend with a Pikachu birthday cake, made lovingly by his old nanny..... who has made him a cake every year since he was one. 

He was over the moon when he first laid eyes on it. Pokemon is BIG in this household ("but not during the school week", they chorus, on cue!)

Little son headed off to a computer game/animation course this week, at his request. Quote/unquote, "it's so much better than being at home". I think the shed work was getting to him! Not the most exciting way to spend the school holidays, especially with best friend/brother notably absent.

I was left to my own devices and busied myself with work and my little Masters makeover project. 

The hardest job was ripping the paper off. So well wrapped. You could tell they'd come from Germany.... the craftsmanship even extended to the wrapping.

Voila! ...the coveted outdoor chairs I have been stalking the Masters site for.... ever since they appeared as a promise of 'New Season Stock' a few months back. Love them to bits. They are so solid and so beautifully made.

Whipped up my little courtyard makeover and have been enjoying it all week.
The stinky soccer boots have been relegated to the far corner of the garage.
This spot is now all mine, mine, mine! 

Will reveal all later next week when I will also announce the winner of the $500 Masters Voucher. Beyond exciting.

In Japan news, contact has been brief and rushed. Skype hasn't really worked for us for some reason, only IM through Skype has given us snippets of our son's travels. An email arrived last night which was received with great excitement! He is currently with his host family in Mie. He was a bit nervous before he met up with them as he is staying with them on his own but from the tone of his email he has settled in with them nicely. There is a boy, and a girl, in his host family, who both attend his school. He had his first day at school yesterday. I sent him good thoughts all day. He says he LOVES school and that the girls sit in the corner and giggle and point. Knew he'd be a 'rockstar'!  He is very confident with his Japanese now and says he can understand and say everything. Nothing like a week's immersion. 7 years of lessons... but one week in the country was all that was needed for it all to sink in!

He loves the girls. I am so glad I packed plenty of female host/friend gifts... I knew he'd be needing them!

So yay, it's Saturday! We don't have to be anywhere. That said, we might take little one to the local Koala Sanctuary.... and look for stick insects in the gardens. It's just down the road and it's a beautiful day.

What are you up to?


PS. Would love you to email me if you are noticing any strange things happening with my blog as you read it. A few of my bloggy colleagues have been experiencing 'strange-ness' too..... redirection to spam sites, etc. I am moving over to my wordpress blog over the next couple of weeks. Couldn't come at a better time. This old rattler has had it's day!

PPS Katrina is on to it. May I just say, she doesn't just design blogs... when done, she monitors and fixes and tweaks and responds to 'IT gumby distress calls' 24/7. Great customer service. #justsayin #loveherguts