Hi all,
Well we had a nice trip out to Paddy’s Market – the kids
like how lively it is and love looking at all the things for sale. Chris found
himself a small silver ring and Elena a little ceramic pig, while Nicky bought
a drawing notebook, all with their own money. I enjoyed chatting with the
Chinese people around; it’s always a good chance for me to practice my
Mandarin, and of course it feels good when they comment on how well I speak! No
really.
After lunch of pizza ($9 3 kids & Roberto) and Chinese curry
noodle soup ($9 – Roberto & I, and very filling for two), we caught the
train home again. Again, I caught myself rushing, almost pulling the kids along
as I walked, and reminded myself – woah! It’s the holidays, you can take it easy.
So we stopped at the station and had a look around from the bridge over the
tracks while Nick and Chris bought themselves a lemonade from a machine on the
platform. It was good to just be there for the moment and not to have to hurry
off to somewhere else.
That night I cooked a big meal of (mildly) curried veges and
rice, salad and an instant puddling I had left over from a recent scout canoe
trip (was better than it sounds!). Robyn and Aparesha had been out all day
helping friends move house and they were so appreciative, I actually cooked
them a big pot of potato and lentil soup too, for the following night. It is so
good to help each other – we had a beaut place to stay with friends (and their
cute loving doggies), so it is always nice to do something in return.
In the morning Roberto awoke around 5.30 and we showered,
meditated quickly, made lunch, got the kids up and dressed breakfasted and were
off to the airport in our friends’ two cars by 6.30am. How? All prepared the
night before of course, with clothes laid out and bags pretty much all packed.
Thanks Apa and Rob, it was great to share your space.
