Rob's time in Japan #2

Sun 14 Dec
OK, we'll start with today before reminiscing. Today was mad fun. Kohki had study - homework to do so I went out with Caitlin's host mother and daughter.
We met up with them at about 11-11:30 and made a quick stop back at their place before going to an ancient burial mound. After visiting these we went to the Peace Tower. It was spectacular. At the bottom was a rock that you stood on and clapped and the tower was built in such a way that the echo was metallic. It was really cool.
We then visited a gallery near the tower and I got a photo of a 'great tit' (bird) (very amusing though). We were then taken to the natural and ancient history museum of Miyazaki prefecture. Very interesting. Then we went shopping at the local plaza. Caitlin's host family is ridiculously generous. They wouldn't let either of us pay for anything. The lunch we had was delicious japanese food. They then took us to a game arcade in the mall. Caitlin and her host sister managed to talk me into getting photos done in one of those booth things.
In the arcade we met up with Sam and he and I had a go at a 2 p gun game. We were very mediocre at best.
After the arcade we went to a CD store. When I asked if a CD I had picked up would be able to play in Australia, they decided to buy it for me as a 'Christmas present'. I thought host sister had gone to ask if it would work in Australia and it came back in a bag and she gave it to me!! They then bought Caitlin a CD as well. We were then taken to an ice-cream store where they bought us each pop-rock ice creams which were very nice.
We then visited a store that sold a bit of everything where me and Caitlin were randomly bought comic glasses.
They then took us to a japanese style hippy shop. I was looking at star sign bracelets with Caitlin and they asked what star sign I was and which Caitlin was. We told them and they promptly took our respective signs off the rack and took them to the counter. No amount of protest from me or Caitlin would stop them.
I did manage to buy one thing by myself though, Mum's pressie from Japan although I made sure it was when they weren't looking.
Home-time next.
Nice dinner followed by watching Adelaide lose to Osaka 1-0 in the FIFA Clubs WC.
It was really upsetting when Kohki cried because I was leaving in the morning but his mother calmed him a little when she said she would ask his home-room teacher if he could have a half day so he could say goodbye at the airport.
Nevermind the reminiscing, I'm tired, some other night.
Rob

Channel 6 TV News Story

Wanted to preserve this. Well done to GD and Shirley for finding it and passing it on. It was a hoot. Ishbel loved it and so did my colleagues - as Gillian said today we're (that means you Mum and Shirley!!!) going to have to work hard to top that next year.

Search on for Ishbel Colquhoun: Naughtiest Person in the World

Christmas 2008

We were out on Christmas Eve with Janet, Steven, Georgia and Kate and Sharon and Holly. We decided that, instead of gift buying, we would have dinner out and rolled up to the Chinese restaurant at Faulconbridge at 6:30pm for a slap-up meal. It was chaos as we all ordered over each other, changed our minds and (Holly) spilt red wine all over the table! Since we were in a Chinese restaurant we played Chinese whispers - what a hoot. Instead of dessert at the restaurant we went back to Janet and Steven's for pavlova which no one ate a lot of in the end.

As you might expect, Ishbel was first up on Christmas Day. We made her wait until after 8am before going to wake up the boys - quietly, gently we said. She wasn't.

After presents opening - XBox for the children (all the Cowan grandchildren got one it seems), IOU for a "real" dog for the boys, trampoline for Ishbel, hammock for Ian, jewellry for Heidi, it was down to work for Ian and I.

I set to making lunch while Ian put the trampoline together. He did ok until trying to get the bouncy canvas bit in place. We ended up dragging the boys away from their XBox to tug and pull at the canvas while I tried to hook it to the springs. We tugged and pulled and tugged and pulled and were pulling our hair out as to how ANYONE managed to put one on when Ishbel gave us the benefit of her reading the instructions and informed us there was a special spring tool to help us get the springs in place! It was easy after that and Ishbel had her trampoline.

About midday I finally had lunch ready to start cooking and just as the chicken was going in the oven Karen, Dan and the boys arrived. We had a lovely lunch of chicken, ham, roast veg and salads and fruit mince pies with cream and little meringue nests with cream and fruit. Xavier was very obliging and slept through lunch and came awake to play afterwards.

At one point Xavier was looking over Karen's shoulder at the boys playing on the computer. He was watching them really intently and got quite aninmated. He looked like he'd like to join them.

Today, Boxing Day, has been quiet and relaxed. Ian, Ishbel and I took a quick trip down to Springwood Library to empty the After Hours Return bin before a trip to the hardware shop to get hooks to hang Ian's hammock on. After much debate about where the hooks should go, he got it installed nicely and was soon relaxing with a Lee Childs book. And there he stayed all afternoon.

Flickr slideshow of Christmas will be posted in the right hand side for a while.

Beginings of slideshow of Rob's trip

He's made a start on labelling his photos, the first 30+ are now in a slideshow in the right column. Keep checking it for updates.

Rob's time in Japan #1

This is from the book he took with him on the Japan trip. I will note here that on the page facing the entry I am about to transcribe, were names and addresses for loved ones. At the top I had written YOU MUST SEND AT LEAST ONE POSTCARD TO: Well, he bought the postcards but . . .

OK, it's Saturday 13 Dec. Time to start a diary. Let's begin with my day.

Today I was up at 7:30. At about 8:30 I went with my host mother and brother (Kohki), along with Kohki's friend, to a local community centre to make New Year's decorations out of rice straw. To me they look like Egyptian anks but hey, I have the photos. At the end everyone was given a bowl of soup. It was actually really nice.

Then we went to the local science centre. Kohki is a member of the science club there. Today we were making little robots (have pics). I joined in and made my own, although I think I might leave it with Kohki.

Then my host mother took me to udo shrine. It is about 30-35 mins from Miyazaki city. It is built on (near enough) the side of a cliff.

After this outing we met up with Kohki and his friend again and with the rest of Kohki's friends family went for dinner at a restaurant called Do-luck. It was really really nice. In a room beside the restaurant was a BB gun range. OMFG!! It was sooooo much fun.

Anymawho I'm going sightseeing with Caitlin and her host family 2mrw. Apparently Kohki has a couple of tests coming up and needs to study and do his homework.

Oh, and it turns out a friend of mine I made on this trip who is also in Miyazaki got some sort of throat irritation and saw the doctor 2day.

Visiting the high school was sooooo much fun. I had 2 Japanese girls come and tell me they love me and many more told me and the other four foreign students we were cute.

I could get any group of staring school girls to start giggling outrageously just by waving. Ah, being blonde in a dark hair society. The downside being that Amelia taught a bunch of them to call me "blondie".

I also had Robert translated into kanji. Turns out I'm "Rain Lord Wave Asia Star" which I thought was pretty cool.

LOL CAitlin's is "Happy Love" which I came up with a few jokes about.

What else . . . . .

Oooh!! I know

On the subject of jokes, and being jocular, I can't wait till my bus group gets back together. I miss Cameron (NZ), Broc (Aus - Manning Point), Mel (Aus - Dubbo) and Kat (Aus - Melbourne). BTW Kat, the gay awkward turtle is running from the brown g-string (Rob informs me this is some sort of in-joke)

Well, that's all for now.

Might write 2mrw, tell ya's all about the sightseeing.

Night.

Rob

Japan Trip DVD trailer

Rob's new friend Cameron from NZ has taken a whole lot of video of their trip - here is a trailer. He has a full 26 min DVD in the pipeline.

Watch out for our boy in the very first few seconds . . .

He's back!

He had a fabby time, he's off to Leigh's!

He's got hundreds of photos which we'll load on to Flickr and attach as a slideshow once they've been put in order and labelled.

Rob comes home today

We've all been up since 5 this morning - Robbie is coming home so Ian and Ishbel have gone down to collect him.

School woes have me tearing my hair out!

Before we did our European Grand Tour in 2006 we wrote a letter to each of the kids' schools to inform them of the dates we would be away. To our frustration, when we got home it was to several letters from each of the boys' schools at least (can't remember if the primary school also offended) telling us that school attendance was compulsory under The Education Act 1990 and that we were required to explain our child's absenses. The offending schools got a very terse, sarcastic letter back.

Last year we had a letter from Robbie's school asking about an unexplained absence. A quick look on our calendar revealed that he was on a school excursion on the day in question.

Last night I was visiting my friend, Joanne, in hospital. I mentioned the above experience and we laughed about the possibility of it happening again. Guess what! Yup! When I got home, there was a letter asking us where our son was! We got another one tonight! He's on a school-related trip ~ if they don't know where our son is are we in trouble?

I was only at the school earlier in the week, collecting Robbie's School Certificate. I explained I was there because Rob was in Japan. Today Ian got a phone call asking him to come to school to collect an award!

Not impressed!

There is still time to make this for Christmas!

Christmas Cake Ingredients:

* 2 cups flour

* 1 stick butter

* 1 cup of water

* 1 tsp baking soda

* 1 cup of sugar

* 1 tsp salt

* 1 cup of brown sugar

* Lemon juice

* 4 large eggs

* Nuts

* 1 bottle Brandy

* 2 cups of dried fruit

1. Sample the brandy to check quality.
   
2. Take a large bowl, check the brandy again. To be sure it is of the highest quality, pour one level cup and drink.


3. Repeat.
   
4. Turn on the electric mixer. Beat one cup of butter in a large fluffy bowl.
   
5. Add one teaspoon of sugar.
   
6. Beat again. At this point it's best to make sure the brandy is still OK. Try another cup . . . just in case.
   
7. Turn off the mixerer thingy.
   
8. Break 2 eggs and add to the bowl and chuck in the cup of dried fruit.
   
9. Pick the frigging fruit up off floor.
   
10. Mix on the turner. If the fried druit gets stuck in the beaterers just pry it loose with a drewscriver.
    
11. Sample the brandy to check for tonsisticity.
    
12. Next, sift two cups of salt. Or something.


13. Check the brandy.
    
14. Now shift the lemon juice and strain your nuts.
    
15. Add one table.


16. Add a spoon of sugar, or somefink. Whatever you can find.
    
17. Greash the oven.
    
18. Turn the cake tin 360 degrees and try not to fall over.
    
19. Don't forget to beat off the turner.
    
20. Finally, throw the bowl through the window.
    
21. Finish the brandy and wipe counter with the cat.
    

Bingle Jells!