Since we have gotten back we have had an interesting time…..
Searching out and buying only imported foods.
It has also been decided that I have enough water to fill the local pool!

The first week back we had the biggest quake I had felt since the ‘big one’ which brought tears to my eyes. It was a 7.4 and a big one….we all go outside and watch Mrs. H slim conifer tree SWAY back and forth. I call G who is home in the next street and he says all’s good here he tells me and then goes on to tell me that he is watching the house sway.
To say I was slightly freaked out is putting it mildly. We have also found out our house was built to withstand an 8+ ….. Not that we want to see just what it can withstand!!!!!
Needing to leave the house late at night when just nodding off to sleep is not fun!!!!!
Every creak, noise and movement I am convinced it is another Quake…small or big.
G has been told he is not to bounce his leg while I am sat on the sofa with him and I was on ultra alert because I thought it was ANOTHER one.
I know have the app (all in Japanese) to let me know there might be another quake in 20 secs…I had to set it quite high or it was going off a lot…(don’t need English, just the alarm to warm me!!!!)
I also seem too addicted to the Japanese metrology site to see what happened during each night. Well not just to check what happened during the night, but whenever I think we have had another

The Friday of J’s first week back at school we were at home, all settled for the night…well I thought we were until J says ‘I have left my iPod in Mrs. H’s car. So I call Mrs. H as we need the IPod for the following day, lots of errands to run and J is coming with us and even at near 12 we get ‘I am bored, How much longer or can we go????’ so we walk round to Mrs. H who is getting ready to leave. J and Mrs. H check the car, no sign of it. So J says I think it might have gone down the drain, now with any other child I would have said really, you think that might have happened…with J I was REALLY, only you could do that!!!!
So we are looking down the drain and Mrs. H, J and Miss G (who has now joined the looking down the drain) and myself and they all think they can see it….A torch is brought out to check…I am still not convinced I can see what they are seeing…but we are talking about J and his iPod and as we all know what J is like, who am I am to question. So I lift this big metal drain cover which is not only heavy but extremely smelly!!!!!
Mrs. H says I have something that we need; I am thinks maybe pegs for our noses???? She comes back with a garden rake and she starts fishing for an iPod that will by know be ruined. All we find apart from a bigger smell is lots of leaves. The one neighbor is looking out of her window by now….well no iPod to be found… I tell J to go look again…while I am putting the drain down and wanted desperately to watch my hands I say goodnight to Mrs. and Miss G and promise I will call if it is found…I am not holding out any hope. As they drive off here comes J running around the corner with iPod in hand…seems it was in his pocket all the time…..oh dear, ARRRGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!!

This week we had a cookie exchange. I made haystack and Rocky road and I also made a huge monkey bread which I first had when we were staying with the Queen. It went down well…maybe a little too well…lol Lots and lots of beautiful tasty cookies , my sugar high and sugar come down was not the best!!!!
We also had dinner with some evacuees this week. We were asked if we could bring some fruit. So along with many other we took oranges, apples and bananas, one of the little girl was asked what her favourite fruit was and she replied PINEAPPLE, there was no pineapples 
I gave J some packets of pencils and some colouring books to hand out to the children.
Next week Mrs. H and I are going to where the families are staying going to do help with the washing. Even then I am not actually doing it the washer and drier is……

So this week I think we have pretty much finalized our holidays…..I can’t wait to see family and friends
I am thinking of all the things that J could do between now and then…Do I not let the kid out? Do I not let the kid play ANY sport? May be I should not allow him to use the stairs. I mean he has fallen down them.

This year J is actually getting British Easter eggs from us…..first time in a very long time…was he interested when he came down this morning…NO he wanted to know when he could start buying
apps…I mean REALLY….So I said do you know what Easter is about? To my utter surprise he did….So I have done something right!!!!

So Ham is in the oven, pavlova made and decorated….Am I good or what????

Happy Easter