Eve of Jamie's trip to Japan

Jamie leaves for a fortnight in Japan tomorrow morning.

I have spent all day running around getting him organised while he reads a book or XBoxes. Was getting a bit tetchy about that earlier.

We took a trip up to Echo Point (the Three Sisters), Katoomba this morning to get some touristy gifts for Jamie's host family. I thought it was the only touristy place in the mountains and had also been told that Blue Mountains City Council staff get a discount. I was wrong on the first - there is the Information Centre at Glenbrook - but right about the second - I got 20% off the cost of our purchases.

Asked the helpful man at the Echo Point Info Centre what the Japanese buy when they are there and came away with some native flora soaps, an aboriginal print scarf for the mother, a mug for the father, a baseball cap and wallet for the brother and a stuffed wombat and wallet for the girl, Nanako to add to the book and calendar we'd bought a little while ago.

When we left Springwood this morning the skies were dark and it was very cool. Katoomba is usually much colder than Springwood but by the time we got up there it was all blue skies and warm. The Three Sisters were looking lovely and we'd not thought to bring the camera (thinking it was going to be a lousy day) so bought a disposable one for some last minute snaps.

When we got back to Springwood I then had to go and find somewhere that could develop the film quickly. Also got some Tim Tams - biscuits which are very much like the British Penguin biscuits - apparently the Japanese think they are wonderful so I got 4 packs in different flavours.

I'm going to leave it at that, we have a rendez-vous at 7:30 tomorrow morning in Springwood. There is a bus taking the students, teachers and some parents down to the airport.