A Power Weekend, It Must Be Said

A very busy weekend is what I have just experienced. We were going to have some friends around for a BBQ on Saturday. I decided to make a path out the front with concrete slabs. To prepare the ground you have to remove all of the grass and weeds, settle the area with water and soil wetter, lay down some plastic to discourage weed growth and then lay the slabs.

Yu-Jin helped me dig up all the soil and sift out the rubbish from the sand until twenty to nine. That was when the mozzies started to attack. By that stage we had dug up all of the earth required but only sifted a third of it. At 6:30 Saturday morning I was out there sifting away. Had the job done by about nine.

Miky wanted to go shopping for grocery items before we had lunch. We did this and also bought the boy a new swimsuit as he'll need it next year. Once we arrived home I spent the next two hours cleaning the house whilst Miky made salads, hamburgers and marinated the chicken. Then Yu-Jin and I took off for taekwondo. I had a catnap while watching him train. Man, I was buggered. It reached 38.8 degrees, nearly 102 on the old scale, and I was a bit knackered.

Our friends arrived soon after we got home and we chatted away until six o'clock before venturing outside to use the BBQ. Thankfully it had cooled down somewhat by this stage. We had a lovely tea with some lovely company. For some reason the dishes weren't piled too high to wash afterwards. An early night was called for but we put the telly on and watched some show about murders in Badger's Creek, I think. It was British and quite enjoyable.

Got to sleep in until 7:30 on Sunday morning. It's what I call a sleep-in anyway. Made the boy have his breakfast early as he had a taekwondo grading at 12. I went off to Subi to buy the fruit and veg from the market whilst Miky and the boy went shopping. The plan was that they should return home at 11 so that he could have some lunch before his grading. I bought the F+V, a few toys for stocking fillers because I remember how magical it was to receive lots of small toys one particular Christmas, a few groceries, filled my car up with fuel and returned home in time. At 10 past 11 the missus rings and says that she is in McDonalds. Not too happy about that and I told her to give him something for lunch. I ended up picking him up on the way through.

Bloody good thing that he had lunch. Although it was supposed to be a small group being graded there were heaps of kids and Yu-Jin was the last to be graded. I think he started about 1:15 and that is a long time to be sitting on your bum doing nothing. During his grading he had no partner so when it came to exercises that involved a partner another boy who had already been graded filled in. Instead of Yu-Jin doing a wrist grab exercise and then having it done to him, he had to do it constantly. Now, he's been told previously not to do the same pattern. So, once he had done it one way he didn't want to do it again. Not realising that once he had used all of his routines he should just repeat them as he had twice as many to do as the other kids, he just got lost and stood there. The same thing happened with one-step sparring. I felt really sorry for him as he knew what he was doing but became lost because the situation was beyond his control. Subsequently he didn't score very highly but still passed his grading. He's know a 5th gup, or two-tips blue belt. A great way to finish off the season. His grading didn't finish until about a quarter to two so I'm glad he had lunch previously.

On the way to grading I noticed a legendary number plate. I kid you not. What I saw was:

6ULDVANT

I had my camera with me but didn't have enough time to get a photo. So, it does exist.

After taekwondo we did over an hour reading together as a family and ate sushi that Miky had made. Yum. Yu-Jin is taking part in the Premier's Challenge which involves doing at least 15 hours of reading during the school holidays. I think that he will get there and it is a great initiative to keep kids' brains active during school holidays.

Later on we popped down to the video store. Their prices went up during the week but it was still only A$7 to rent five weeklies. There are lots of older movies we wish to see and not just the latest release blockbusters. Yu-Jin chose a Batman cartoon and Wallace and Gromit. Not the same titles as last week but they were the same proponents.

I've had it this weekend. Christmas and the break up to the New Year are being looked forward to, let me tell you.