Days of saying hello and goodbye

He came, he partied , he left....a week ago.

Yes, the boy who came home at the beginning of November has now gone back to the land he loves- Australia. By working three months on farms, he's got his second year visa.

It seemed such a short visit, but boy, did he pack alot into four weeks.The bunting came out

 

 

 

the first Friday night.his brother, sister and sister's boyfriend. came home,we sat down for a large meal,  drank lots, laughed lots, and danced in the kitchen to Motown, Foster the people and more Motown tracks.For some reason his big brother ended up at one stage wearing a garish hawaiian shirt and a hat, and the boy a bear suit....

 

 

 

Their sister is far more restrained and usually keeps her clothes on....

The four weeks has gone so fast in a flurry of his friends popping into see him, the fridge being constantly ram raided and putting out industrial quantities of budweiser bottles outside for recycling...and so many hugs and chats.

Not seeing him for a year was hard...welcoming him back was wonderful, and saying good bye a week ago today wasn't easy.For any of us..so we had a final Friday session in the kitchen...all back for more music, more food and laughs.

Now all the gang have gone back to their other lives and it's rather quiet at home. Very quiet.Even in the kitchen . In fact, it's been rather a week in more ways than I imagined  so I've cheered myself up by keeping busy. And playing more music - loudly!

Today's track? Well it has to be Foster the people 's "Call it want you want" Great song which is my favourite on the album ....and I'm thinking of  the boy back in Oz who also loves this band.....

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A day of anticipation

I can't help this feeling I got....I've been like it for a few days.I'm fidgety,or antsy as they say in America.
I like that saying...I really do feel as if I've got I've ants in my pants -i can't settle or concentrate.

But there's also the most delicious sense of anticipation....my youngest son is coming home. I've not seen him for a year.That's twelve long months..and I can't wait to see him. Last year he was at school...now he's coming home from Australia.

He's been working in Freemantle for nine months and three months on various farms in Mildura near Melbourne.He's learnt how to prune citrus and olive trees, drive a minibus, he's developed pecs and muscles, and he's changed, grown up.

I can't wait to see this new incarnation of my youngest.He's flying in tomorrow to Heathrow Airport
Of course we've phoned, facebooked, and skyped...but it's been hard to say goodbye after skyping sessions, blowing kisses at a face on a screen .Tomorrow he's going to get the biggest, longest hug and kiss from me.I have warned him ...and I may cry...but hey, I'm his mother.


My daughter and eldest son are coming home later this weekend too...so it's going to be great having us all around the kitchen table once again.The youngest has asked for one of his favourite meals to be cooked....lamb cooked in red wine, with mushrooms, peppers,snd carrots.Roast potatoes and peas on the side, followed by apple crumble.He shall have it!

With all of them back home it's going to be noisy, there'll be music blaring out from every room,lots of their friends will pop in, I'll trip over all the huge boat like trainers on the kitchen floor. My husband and the boys will be talking sport, sport and more sport and my daughter and I will escape somewhere for a girly chat .

I can't wait.It's less than 24 hours away,I've waited a year...so why is now time dragging so slowly?

On the other hand , it doesn't seem long since I took him to one of his first gigs....just the two of us.Razorlight (remember them?) were appearing, it was an over eighteens gig - he was eleven.I was reviewing the band so he was let in. A small place with just room for about three hundred people , it was heaving....hot, sweaty, packed and atmospheric. It was too loud at the front for my son,but being so small he couldn't see a thing at the back.The next thing the roadies picked him up and stood him on the merchansise table.He had the best view in the house and loved it.


That was nine years ago. It seems like yesterday....now I'm just waiting for tomorrow.

This post's soundtrack has to be Razorlight- I can't stop this feeling I've got.