The End of Summer

A 12th birthday celebration for Jessie. This was her
'Idina Menzel in a crate' cake

After our blast in the Balkans, we returned to Cyprus happy to be back home in our own surroundings and ready to re-engage with life.  But...there were still two weeks of summer holidays left until school term started!  Temperatures averaged high 30's every day, none of the children were keen for the beach (much to Mum's dismay), and even a trip to the pool was met with a groan.  "We just want to go back to school!" they all said. This statement alone confirms for me that 12 weeks out of the classroom is just too long!

Nevertheless, we managed to pass the time.  Anna had her cast removed and could finally swim again, school supplies and shoes were purchased, a trip to the Waterpark killed a day, and sleep-overs and play dates helped to keep time moving. I can re-call one morning when I filled up a bucket of water and had them all bobbing for apples! (anything not to bring out the paints...)

Rashid joins us for Crepa-Land night at home

During most of this time, Menaka was taking a holiday back in Sri Lanka.  So, it was kind of lucky we were still on school holidays with not much on, because I found myself quite busy with domestics.  An clumsy feeling at first and a little physically tiring (never really thought of house-wives as 'fit' yet they are) but after a while I realised it was just like riding a bike; you never forget.  What I did find a bit tricky, even though I usually love it, was the cooking.  There's a certain rhythm that one develops in the way one prepares food and moves about their own kitchen, making the process quite quick and efficient and ready to reply to the kids asking "when's dinner?".  Unfortunately (or fortunately) I've not developed that 'flow' here and found myself forgetting all sorts of basic stuff and even burning a sauce. Shame, Sarah, shame.  As a result; between now and when we return in four months time, I've vowed to cook twice a week with Menaka tutoring me on one of those days. Mmmmm...I seem to remember that it was me who taught her to cook!

So, on September 2nd, it was with much delight that I drove down to the airport to pick up Menaka.  Now, I don't know about you, but I have this strange inclination to clean up for the cleaner.  So there we all were, rushing around like ants putting everything away and back in it's proper place, ready to welcome home Menaka.  I think I was probably trying to prove to myself that I can live without a maid and that somehow I'll manage to get by without her in Australia. Still quietly hoping that the government might introduce a new policy allowing foreign domestic workers in.

Today the children started back at school.  Anna looked very grown up jumping on the bus with her siblings at 6.55am!  Sam couldn't wait to be with all his friends again and Angus was pumped for playground football.  Jessie of course, would have started high school today, had it not been for her London trip - more on that later.  So there I was at 7am, with a full morning ahead of me until the 1.40pm pick up.  I wouldn't say I was euphoric but I was pretty happy to have the house to myself for a bit.

The early evenings are so beautiful at the moment; that lovely 'end of summer' feel in which the air temperature can only be described as 'balmy'.  Tonight we were all out the front; Anna hitting a tennis ball, Gus practising headers with his football, and Sam eating his yoghurt whilst he counts Anna down until it's his turn to grab the racquet.  I don't know why but I just sensed that it was one of those lovely moments with the kids that I never want to forget: their age & stage, their conversations, Anna's laugh etc... 

A few little quotes as well:
Angus after his first day of 6th grade: 
"yeah, today went pretty well" (about 10 times! - is that because he's approaching the mono-syllabic age I wonder?)
Anna whilst playing tennis: 
"Mum, I think I could be really good at this - like those people who play tennis on the TV"
Sam whilst playing tennis: "hey Mum, this racquet could be a great prop; you can dance with it and hide your face behind the strings" (said with accompanying theatrical movements).