A day in the life of Sam

Sam has found some good friends here and yesterday morning got up at 7:30 (yes, 7:30) to go out body boarding with his friend Ethan who lives across the road. The beach here is so close and Corindi is so safe that they can walk down by themselves and spend a good hour in the water without us having to worry (the biggest hazard is the brown snakes which live in the sand dunes but lets gloss over that one).

After body boarding he came rushing in to tell us that he was now going to the skate park, 'Don't you want breakfast we asked?' who was this child that had jumped out of bed at the crack of dawn and wasn't demanding food?

'It's fine' he said, rushing out of the door with skateboard under arm, 'we shared some chips earlier.' and so he disappeared to the skate park for a few hours.

It was Ethans Grandads birthday yesterday and we knew they were heading out for lunch so planned to drive to Woolgoolga to pick up some supplies. After the skate park Sam rushed in again, 'they've invited me to go for lunch,' he said excitedly, 'can I go? I told them that I didn't want to impose.' Good word I thought, proud of our progress in English, 'But they said it was fine,' he continued, 'so can I go.' After a hasty change into a clean pair of board shorts and a T-shirt with just a small hole in the side (his smart clothes) he disappeared with a $50 note and instructions to not order the most expensive thing on the menu and we wanted at least $30 change. We know what Sam's like let loose and wouldn't put it past him to order the fillet stake with pepper sauce and a side order of your finest prawns please waiter - but it was ok he just had the ceaser wrap and came home with the correct change.

Meanwhile me and Will went into Woolgoolga and bought Sam his easter egg and a few other bits and pieces. We also wandered around the local market and I managed not to buy anything (not even the beautiful leather belt which had pockets for storing things and would have been very handy). Then we drove to the golf course because Will had seen loads of kangaroos there yesterday. It's brilliant playing golf in Australia. You hire a golf cart and go into the bar and ask for beers. The barman fills up a cool box with beers and ice and off you go for your round of golf. Along the way there are literally hundreds of kangaroos on the course, lying in the sand bunkers, stood around the tees and the holes watching the shots, they are so close you could touch them and if they are in the way you just shoo them to the side. We sat in the club house in the sunshine and watched the golfers negotiating the kangaroos, brilliant. They come to the golf course because the grass is cut regularly and they like to eat the new shoots.

After a couple of beers we drove home and I went across the road to give Sam his anti-biotic. Of course it was John party and so we were invited in for a drink. And so we stayed until about 9:00 chatting, drinking beers and eating a sausage sizzle (lovely). We wandered the short distance across the road home and fell into bed.

Our plan was to leave today but yesterday Sam was showing signs of a cold and this morning has woken up with puffy, red, weepy eyes and a runny nose - he has a proper head cold (not that that will stop him playing with his friends) but we have decided to stay another day to aid his recovery (and because as usual we are crap at leaving). Tomorrow though, we will get up early, pack up the van and head off to Newcastle (I think!!!)

Picture attached of Sam and Mr Mick Fanning, surfing champion extraordinaire (and a man with a lovely chest I think you'll agree)!!

Random stuff

We are now back in Corindi and Sam is having the best day playing with his friends in the street. This morning he got up and went body boarding with them whilst me and Will went for a romantic stroll along the beach (a 13 year old is such a great age to take travelling (apart from the moods) because they are so much more independent and don't need constant supervision) after his body board he came home grabbed a piece of toast and has spent the rest of the afternoon skateboarding in the street and knocking on peoples doors and running away!!! In fact he is having so much fun he even turned down a game of golf. Will has just gone with Mark for a quick game and then this evening we are headed back to the Red Wok for a chinese.

Yesterday was interesting, one of those days where things feel like they are backing up against you. Sam has a sensitive gum so we took him to the dentist. Turns out he must have bumped it a few years ago and has exposed the nerve (something like that) anyway he is on anti-biotics and may have to have root canal (we are keeping our fingers crossed that this won't happen until we get back as it's bloody expensive to have dental treatment out here but we'll have to wait and see). He isn't in any pain at the moment which is good news so he will just need to be extra careful. His ipod also hasn't arrived after 3 weeks!!! A few weeks ago I woke up at 4am with cold sweats thinking the company we sent it to may not be legit and have taken our money and scarpered, I was so worried that I got up at 4am and called Barclaycard to see if they had cleaned us out - but it's ok - the ipod is now on it's way to Sydney so we should have it back soon.

We also now have a plan, we are leaving Corindi on Sunday and heading back to Swan Bay for a few days and then on to Chris where we will build the balcony and then we have a few days with ferg before we fly out to Perth.

I was just looking back through some of our films whilst we have been away - all very funny - and can't believe how much Sam has grown. The Flip has been brilliant (the Flip is a little hand held video camera) and it made me think about other useful items that we have brought with us so I thought I would write about them for any Lonely Planet readers thinking of doing a similar trip.

1)One of the most use items has been the sowing kit (not because I have fixed many clothes - although we have fixed a few) but the pin has been brilliant for removing splinters and we have picked up a few of them as we spent most of our time in NZ barefoot. It's just a little kit that I picked up free in a hotel. Also take tweezers, again, brilliant for the splinters.

2)The medical kit has also been brilliant with easy access to plasters/savlon/mozzie bite

cream/antihistemines and veruca treatment stuff. This is also a neat little travel sized bag which also contains surgical needles and things for more drastic treatments, which we thankfully haven't yet needed.

3)The head torches have been amazing for late night reading (especially in the van) and for power cuts in Central and South America. Have enough head torches for everyone though because otherwise fights break out as to whose turn it is.

4)Sleeping bag sheets. These are silk sleeping bag liners so are very cool to sleep in but meen that you don't have to lie directly on a dodgy looking bed, they also should be big enough to reach over your head if like me you are afraid of bugs and spiders crawling on you in the night. They fold up really small (get different colours for different family members).

5)The computer. We have a Netbook Acer and it has been fantastic for what we want. Which is basically uploading pics, checking internet and updating blog etc. We also watch movies on it on rainy days and the screen is big enough to do this even though it's only about 10 inches. The Netbook doesn't have a disk drive but this has only been a problem because we haven't been able to listen to Sam's French CD (much to his joy!) So far it's been reliable and the battery life is still pretty good.

6)Document folder. I have a small, document folder, a green plastic wallet which is great for filing things such as hotel confirmations, flight details, passport copies, insurance documents and receipts from treatments to claim back on insurance. Basically any important paperwork is kept neatly stored in this little folder (plastic is best because it stops it getting bashed).

7)Our rucksacks are brilliant. They are side loading so you don't have to shove it all in the top and then unpack everything to find something. I would agree with all the other travelling bloggers who say no matter how many clothes you think you will need, half it and then half it again. We don't have much but still have way too many clothes.

8)Guide books (Will disagrees with this) but I think they are amazing for finding the little things along the way that you would otherwise miss. For example in Central America we stayed in a little town called Montezuma. It was pretty touristy and not that great but we checked Lonely Planet book which directed us to a little restaurant on the beach front and here we had one of my favourite meals of the trip. If it hadn't been for the guide book we would have eaten overpriced garbage in a tourist trap instead.

9)Playing cards. Of course this is super important not just for boring waits in bus stations/airports etc but also good for nights out as people join in and it's a good way to meet new friends. Also a good way to occupy a bored child. Variations of card games are also useful and one of our favourites has been the Monopoly card game.

And that's about it. Make sure it's all travel sized and packs neatly away and you're laughing. We travel with just two backpacks and three day packs (although one is completely filled with school books)...oh and of course we also have the three surf boards, the fishing rod, the skate board and the yoga mat... but they are optional.

Above is an arty picture taken by Sam on the way to Byron...although I look like I'm about to sleep (yes Debs, eyes are closed again!!) and Will's head looks MASSIVE.

Moving on...

This morning we planned to leave Corindi and head up the coast to Byron. We got up and started to sort all our stuff out ready to leave. Will mowed the lawns and tidied up the tools and the garage. I washed all the sheets, another load of clothes which were hiding from me in the bottom of the suitcase, and cleaned the kitchen, the bedrooms and the bathroom. Sam did his school work online and then me and Sam cleaned out the van. Washed the curtains, Sprayed all the sides and wiped them down and mopped out the floor... and by the time we had finished it was 3:00 and we were starving...and so we had lunch and in true 'us' style, decided that we should stay another night and head off tomorrow morning.

So now we have another evening to relax at the house which is cool because we still have a few bits to sort out online etc. Yesterday turned out to be a really nice day. We went to the curry festival in Woolgoolga. There were lots of stalls selling curry and hundreds of people there. It's odd because curry isn't as big here as it is in the UK so there wasn't much variety. Most of the stalls sold butter chicken and a generic lamb or veg curry with white rice, and that was about it. We queued for 10 mins and had a very disappointing small portion of curry with congealed rice...and we paid about £7 for it!!!

We decided to abandon the festival (but not until Sam went on a fairground ride and ended up sat next to a at kid who looked like he was going to puke all over him...brilliant) than we headed to the beach with Mark and Trilby for a surf. Later on Mark and Trilby came over for pizza and Sam was invited to a BBQ at his friends house. We watched the film Australia which was really good (but then anything with Hugh Jackman is amazing).

Picture above is of the completes fence (well one side of it)!!

A bright rainy day

Things are looking up, Sam's demonic mood seems to have lifted and once again we have back, lovely, smiley Sam (who is also a bit more helpful). The teenage hormones are starting to kick in though and spots are starting to appear, not many, just one in his nostril and one on his nose!

Today it's raining but we have had a really nice day. We drove down to Coffs Harbour to all go swimming but when we got there the waves were really good and so Will decided to have a surf. He dropped me and Sam at the pool and we had a great time swimming. Sam was teaching me to front crawl and it all went well except I can't swim in a straight line, I can't keep my right hand flat and when I try to breath I look like a fish gasping for air - I think we can safely say that I didn't glide through the water. Anyway it kept Sam entertained because he was laughing his head off at me (which was brilliant because it echoed all around the pool and I'm sure everyone else was smirking). After the swim we went for a cake and drink in the local cafe and did the cross word in a magazine whilst we waited for Will to arrive.

The fence is now pretty much finished, we just need to fit locks to the gates and so that's a relief. The fence actually looks fab - Will is very very good at making fences! The other news is that I have started writing again (just to shut my parents up) and actually it's quite enjoyable. So i'm aiming for 1,500 words a day, this is not too difficult as long as Sam is not wittering in my ear.

I'm really looking forward to going to Perth and then Indo, it doesn't seem too far away now. We watched Top Gear, Bolivia special last night and it was brilliant. It was good to see them driving over the Andes and dealing with the altitude, driving on the long dangerous windy roads and through the Atacama and to be able to identify with it all. It was especially good for Sam. So onwards and onwards... I leave you with a picture of the jolly fishermen on a much brighter, sunnier day.

Grrrrrrr.....

God, this is moaning post after moaning post but I ask you, how the hell do you get a teenager motivated to do anything? I have tried gentle persuasion, I have tried rational talking, I have tried shouting and I have tried withholding fun things (which got the best response) but seriously it's like banging my head against a brick wall, a really tough, thick brick wall!!

Sam is the master of excuses and his laziness is not a nice quality at all, but it's also a really difficult trait to shift. As a result, the days become a series of battles, Sam doing his best sucking up job to get what he wants and then not doing a thing in return...well perhaps he offered to get a glass of water for someone, or begrudgingly went around to the shop but to him that qualifies him to do bugger all to help for the rest of the day!! Now we all know that Sam has always been lazy but seriously it's exaggerated at the moment.

So aside from Sam being a little S*!% at the moment today was nice. It's mothers day and we finally got out of Corindi and went to Yamba which is a town about 100k up the coast. Yamba has beautiful beaches and really nice little cafes and shops so we had a nice lunch in a cafe and a little walk to the beach and then home. It's funny in Australia because we have the radio on in the van and they play the same songs as in the UK but the don't bleep out the swear words, seriously, it makes us feel very prudish when we are in the van and there's effin' and jeffin' on the radio and me and Will give each other raised eyebrows every time a rude word is said... it's just something you don't get used to and makes me feel like about 60 years old!!

We are also setting up plans for the next few weeks which are loosely as follows: perhaps another week in Corindi and then up the coast to Byron, then back down with maybe a few more days in the house and then back down to Sydney via Swan Beach again and then away to Perth on 4th May.

Picture attached of Sam looking like a little angel (not!!)

Too Settled??????

Today has been pretty nice, we woke up this morning and Sam did some Maths with Will and then me and Will finished varnishing the fence. After this we went into Woolgoolga and Sam had a surf, we picked up a couple of pairs of cheap shades as I think me and Sam should start wearing them to protect our eyes from the sun and then we came home and now Will is watching a surf video and Sam has gone to the skate park... and you know what... I'm a bit bored. I'm not very good now at just sitting still. I like it when we are all out walking in the sunshine along the beach, or climbing up some ancient ruin or volcano, sitting in front of the telly is just not for me, never has been really, I get bored too easily.

This is when we all start getting edgy with each other as well. We have all got on brilliantly for so long perhaps we were due a rocky patch but who would have guessed it would have come when we were all nicely settled into a comfortable house, or perhaps that's the point. Being in a nice house is easy, we don't need to support each other to pull each other through unfamiliar territory or to boost each others morale. We can all just sit on the sofa and snipe at each other. Terrible isn't it? So i'm not quite sure how to pull us out of this one or perhaps the best thing to do is to wait for it to pass... see, it makes me worried about when we get back because we are so much nicer to each other when we are all squashed into a little van. Perhaps we should sell the houses when we get back and just buy ourselves a little caravan which we move around Bristol every few days!!!!

Think I'll go do some yoga and see if I can breath my way out of it.

Stroppy teenagers and... um... stroppy thirty somethings

Well it's been a while since I last had a moan so it's about time I rectified that. Today we are all at logger heads!! Sam is being a stroppy 13 year old and won't help Will paint the fence (well he did eventually - but he was pretty grumpy about it because he wanted to watch the Brady Bunch of all things!). Will is a stroppy 29 year old and doesn't think that Sam pulls his weight (he's probably right) but he thinks that when he was 13 he did EVERYTHING his parents told him because he knew they were older and wiser than him... yeah right... I don't expect his parents remember it that way!!... and I guess I am a stroppy 34 year old because I'm sick of the two of them bickering and it's hot and I didn't sleep well because Will has the fan on full blast in the bedroom so it's like an icebox on a night...there... rant over!

On the positive side. One side of the fence is now built and stained and looks beeeeautiful - infact the neighbours keep saying how nice it is and one guy said 'it's the best fence in Corindi' (there you go Jeff and Linzi, you'll have tours coming around to see the famous fence). Whilst Will and Sam varnish the posts on the other side of the fence I have made chocolate brownies a la Jamie Oliver and for the first time ever I have made a desert that looks and tastes like it should. This is a real achievment, usually my cakes don't rise and my biscuits look like small dog poos... but the brownies look just like they should, all crisp on top and moist in the middle. I think having the right equipment to cook with has made the difference, trying to sift flour through a collander never did seem the right way to go about things to me.

Sam is now officially on Facebook - this is great because he has got to catch up with all his friends back in the UK and most of the kids he is meeting on his travels also have profiles so he can keep in touch with them all. I ummmd and aaaahd about whether to let him have a profile but came to the conclusion that I have to trust him and let him grow up and at least whilst we are here we can teach him how to use it sensibly. We are now thinking about schools again and trying to work out which school he will go to when we get back. Colstons would be the ideal as there is no room at Mangotsfield but I'm not sure we can afford it after a year off... private education is super expensive, still I'm sure we'll work something out.

Picture attached is of our Sunday Roast crew - the lovely Corindi neighbours.

Complete bravery...

Today Sam went to the skate park whilst all the other kids were in school to practice 'dropping in to the bowl' which basically means going off the lip of a skate board ramp down a really steep slope. The reason that I am writing about this is because it showed real character to do what Sam did today.

He was nervous about doing the drop whilst other kids were there so asked us to come to the park with him today. We also bought him arm, knee and elbow pads for the occasion. He stood at the top of the ramp, balanced on the edge and told us how nervous he was - we tried to encourage him and after a couple of minutes he had a go... and of course he fell off. He picked himself up and checked that everything was still in order and then went back to the slope and tried again. He repeated this about 5 times and each time we shouted further encouragement. 'I just need to remember that if I fall over it will hurt a bit, but that's all', he said, as he syked himself up to go again. 'Can I have a milkshake if I do it?' he asked, it seemed the least we could do in the presence of such bravery. 'My heart's beating really fast' he said...and then, he dropped down the slope and made it.

It reminded me of when I taught him to ride a bike, he kept riding down the hill and falling off at the bottom and then, suddenly, he just got it!! Well it was the same thing, as soon as he had gone down once there was no stopping him. He was dripping with sweat but really pleased with his achievement and rightly so. You can learn an awful lot in school but today was a real lesson for Sam in facing and overcoming his fears and what better reward than a milkshake.

This afternoon he played with his friends and they are coming over tomorrow night to watch a film and eat cake whilst we build and varnish the fence. So all is well in the world right now - especially for Sam.

Bellengen

This morning we got up and Scott left us to fly back to Bali. It has been really nice having him here as an additional member of the family (and one who can teach). I think he has also enjoyed being here, in the middle of arguments, with Sam wittering on in his ear and singing annoying songs, what's not to love? No seriously, I think he did enjoy being part of our family and being mothered (cooked for etc), so now we are back to three.

Yesterday we all drove to Bellengen but we didn't pick a very good day for it because it rained when we got there. We drove around a loop road called The Promised Land which ended up at Never Never Creek, honestly it sounds like something from a Peter Pan Story. The funniest thing was when Scott walked into the local garage to get directions and came upon a wise looking, sage like man behind the counter, 'Excuse me' he said, 'I'm looking for the Promised Land'. I'd like to say the the man, closed his eyes, took a long breath and, looking deep into Scotts eyes said,'you're already there my son, you're already there.' But instead he said, 'Turn right at the post office and just keep going'. Not quite so romantic.

The drive was quite nice but I'm sure that in the sun it would have been beautiful. We stopped for lunch in Bellengen at a little vegetarian restaurant. Bellengen is a bit like an Australian Glastonbury but not nearly so hippified, there are a few hippy types wandering around and the restaurants and cafes have that certain feel that only comes with a slightly spiritual place. It was actually a lovely little town and I would be really happy to go back and explore some more (on a sunny day) but as there is no surf within walking distance I feel my chances are limited. Wandering around the little shops is not Will's idea of fun! Bellengen also reminded me of Raglan in New Zealand, a gorgeous, old (ish) town with a relaxed vibe.

Now we are sat on the sofa eating a big brunch (not good for my expanding bottom) and then me and Sam are about to continue with our Physics (heating and radiation). Later we will go for a surf and then off to collect more varnish for the fence.

longboarding...

Last night I couldn't sleep because I woke up and thought 'Oh my god, we are in a house and everything has reverted back to normal - Sam is addicted to the TV, I am eating and eating and eating and doing not enough exercise and Will is working and stressed. Nothing has changed!!' So I decided the best thing to do would be to wake up Will and tell him my worries - and here's the thing, things have changed because Will got up and got me a drink and listened to me droning on at him about how I was worried that when we got back to the UK we would just slot back into the same old routine - and he said not to worry, things would be ok. Now 7 months ago, Will would have told me to shut up and go back to sleep.

It is scary though, to think that we will be home soon and then what? Will being home all the time be enough for us after our mad cap adventures, will we slot back into a routine as if nothing has changed? In the clear light of day I can see that we have a choice in this - that yes, things could go back to the way they were... or... we can choose to change them and to take the lessons we have learned with us. So this morning I got up with a different attitude. I had an apple for breakfast and when the boys went surfing, I took the long board out and had a fun session myself. If I want to stay fit and healthy and keep up with the routine we have established then it's up to me to keep on top of it.

Playing on the long board was loads of fun and I will definitely do it more often... after a session in the sea we had a Macdonalds and yes, I had the healthy option, and then we went and bought the National Geographic for Sams lessons... picture attached of me on the surfboard. Tonight we are going out for a meal with the neighbours.

Plans

So it's been a beautiful, hot day in Corindi. The fence posts are now firmly concreted in place, the ipod is on it's way to being repaired (well we have found a company who can do it) and Sam has finally introduced himself to the kids who live across the street... ahhh lovely.

Today we have worked on English and I have realised that we need to work a bit harder with the English to extend vocabulary. I am going to buy the National Geographic magazine from now on as this will help with the Science and also the English. After a frustrating lesson we went to the shops and had a gorgeous lunch in Woolgoolga, I had linguini with salmon and tomatoes in case your interested... and then we went to the beach but the waves were rubbish. It was nice for me though because there was a cool breeze so I did some yoga and had a little run. Now, the boys are doing yoga and I am about to make a potato and cauliflower curry and Sam is watching 'The Big Bang Theory.'

We have a few busy days ahead as Scott leaves us on Tuesday and we have quite a bit of sight seeing to do... Tomorrow we are going to the Big Banana, which I think is a fun park and then out for tea with the neighbours. On Saturday we are going to Bellingen which is a beautiful town near by and then on Sunday we are going to Red Rock which is another beach that we haven't been to, We also have to fit in the Surf Museum and the Aboriginal Centre... phew!!

I think the plan is for us to stay here for another week or so to complete the fence and then we will head to Byron for a few days followed by a return to the house and then back to Sydney, flying out to Perth at the start of May and then on to Bali on May 20th.

I also found a guy selling books near here and picked up three books for $5 - brilliant (am now reading the Dali Lama's book of wisdom).

Loving the van

Last night Sam went to his room early so he could watch a film in bed and Will and Scott sat in the front room watching videos whilst I lay in bed reading my book and suddenly I realised how great it was living in the van because for that short space of time we were all together and all sharing the same experiences... but really sharing them - not sat in separate rooms, having different experiences.

I realised that playing cards by the light of the torch before bed was a really cool thing to do and not having television meant that we had to make our own entertainment and get out there and do things... sometimes it's so easy to sit in front of the telly and miss the day, we talked a lot more when we were living in the van. It also makes me realise how quickly we could slip back into our old patterns if we aren't careful when we get back and lose the important lessons we have learned along the way.

I probably didn't fully appreciate the van fully until now, and the song, 'don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you got til it's gone' keeps running through my head as I write this. Thinking about it now, we really did pull together like a tight little unit in the van. All doing our own little jobs and making the adventure run as smoothly as possible. Not that I would like to go back to living in the van - but my point is that I also don't want to lose those lessons and I hope that Sam appreciates them too and also remembers how much fun it was.

But anyway - enough nostalgia - back to the here and now. The fence building has started, well that's not strictly true, the tree digging up has started. This involved Will climbing up rickety wooden ladders and sawing branches off the tree (almost hitting me I might add) and Scott pulling on the end of a rope attached to the branch so that it wouldn't fall on Will's head!! Sam was chief sawer upper and sawed the little branches of the fallen big branch so they could be removed... and all in the rain. I decided that it would be a good time to tidy the house, wash the clothes and clean the toilets (anything's better than standing in the rain avoiding falling branches). So now it's 7pm and I'm about to start tea, pasta tonight, and the boys are outside still digging.

Internet is very slow today so I'm afraid no picture!

Bits and bobs...

It's difficult to know where the days go, if someone told you, you have a year off to travel with no work, you might wonder, 'How on earth will I fill my days? Won't I get bored? Well let me tell you, both these thoughts crossed my mind but it's amazing how quickly the days whizz by.

Generally we are pretty motivated and none of us like to sit around all day watching telly (well that's a lie because Sam would, given the chance) so we tend to get up between 7 and 8, have breakfast and watch the news and then either do the school work or head off for a surf. Whilst the boys are in the sea I will either, read my book, watch Sam catch waves, do yoga or go in for a long board or body board (it's usually a mixture of all of the above). Then we will have lunch, normally back at the house, followed by school work/a food shop/tidy up/wander or read and then it's dinner time and before you know it the day is over.

Today we went to get prices on timber for a fence that we are going to build for Jeff and Linzi. They want a wooden fence and of course Will is in his element as he gets to dig holes and use power tools again. Sam thinks it's really cool as he will also get to help with the measuring, digging, ordering etc... I think we'll call it DT.

We went in to a town called Woolgoolga which is about 10 mins from Corindi and, after getting some prices, stopped in a cafe to have a snack, I had a coffee and the most gorgeous warm banana bread with maple syrup butter..mmmmmmm.... then we came home and Sam did his schooling. We have just finished Chemistry and he had a test on rocks and weathering in which he did pretty well and was achieving a level 7 (which is pretty good). So next week we start Physics (which looks pretty scary - not my strongest subject). Yesterday we watched Amelie for French, which was fun (until she started talking about counting Parisian orgasms at which point I wondered if it was a mistake to watch the film, but then, as Sam pointed out, it's ok because you can't see anyone's vaginas!!!!! I ask you!!!)

What else? We are having a roast on Sunday for a few of the neighbours which should be lovely (and hopefully not too stressful). We have also nearly been here for a month now and need to start thinking about heading to Perth (probably mid April) as the cost of flights are going up and up so we will try and book them over the next few days.

And that's about it for today - no cooking tonight - fish and chips for tea... hooray for food!!

Picture attached - Beautiful Piha sunset

The lesson of the day...

Yesterday Jeff and Linzi's friend Scott came to join us at the house in Corindi. He is also travelling for a year and is a deputy head from Jersey who has spent the last few months travelling in Bali.

Of course news of his arrival sparked my usual maternal ferocity - I really do have a problem, when someone else that I don't know is coming to share our space (or we are going to share their space). I have visions of drunken parties followed by copious amounts of swearing and vomiting, you know, worst case scenario kind of stuff and very extreme (and in reality pretty unlikely behavior in a deputy head).

So when Scott arrived I crouched before Sam emitting a low growl, teeth bared, ready to pounce should he make a sudden lunge at Sam and try and eat him for dinner... and then, about 20 seconds later, I realised that he was not in fact a child eating predator but just a jolly nice northern fellow and so offered him a cup of tea instead.

And so a nice evening followed. I cooked a vegetable Thai fusion curry (which is basically a Thai curry gone wrong, but tasted quite nice in the end). Scott being a good northerner is great because it basically means that he, like us, will eat pretty much anything. We ate food, drank beer/wine and made Scott talk shop all night as we discussed the benefits/hardships of home schooling and moaned to him about the UK schooling system. We rambled on about how brilliant Sam is and poor Scott probably sat thinking, 'Oh yes I see thousands of poor deluded parents like you, if only knew what he was really like!' But to be fair he didn't voice any such thoughts and the evening ended with us (Me, Will and Scott) prancing around the front room learning how to do a memory test!!!

So there we are, it all worked out well in the end and the lesson is that sometimes it's quite nice to try and see the positive in people rather than assuming that everyone is a crazed party animal who will have Sam smoking crack by the end of the night. I also accept that I will probably always feel a bit this way when we are sharing our space with someone that I don't know - but will try and remember the important lesson... that it only takes about 20 seconds before I invariably really like them and want to make them a cup of tea and give them a hug.

By the way that's Will on the wave above.