More momentous occasions...

Two important events today - Andrew's first day at Arup and George and Anna's interview with the principal at St Lukes.

By all accounts, Andrew's day seems to have gone well. He has arrived home today in good spirits having spent the day getting orientated into the company. He reports having been given a mug, a water bottle and a glass and says that there is free fruit on Wednesdays and Fridays and free biscuits all the time. Andrew is satisfied with this and I am relieved my husband will be properly fed and watered when out of the house. There are also pool cars and pool bikes. All good. He said he could go to Abu Dhabi next week, but has decided not to. I'm pleased about this, as I'm not sure I'm ready to be left here alone yet (although I'm not sure why...).

Similarly, the interview at St Lukes was a success. Having been priming them to ensure that they could remember what their hobbies etc were, and reminding them of their ps and qs, on the way I became concerned that I might have overdone it, and I didn't want them attaching too much importance to the event.

"Look George and Anna," I said, "Don't worry about this interview - you are both great kids and the principal would be mad not to let you in her school."

With a characteristic lack of enthusiasm, George commented that his only concern was that he might be offered a place....

However, in the event, they did me proud - answered all questions with a smile and even at times appeared excited by the prospect of starting school. Well, Anna did. I could see George was finding the process rather boring, and rather challenging in terms of how one remains cool and aloof, whilst being polite and pleasing your mother by getting into the nice new school.

Now all we have to do is try to understand the booklet of rules relating to uniform (jumpers must not, under any circumstances, be worn as the outer garment on the way to and from school etc), comfort George in the loss of an inch or so of his cool surfer dude hairstyle (male hair shall be above the collar) and regularly empty our bank account into their coffers. Lol.

On the way back from the interview we popped into the Mall to buy satnav for the car. I now have another electronic device which can send me inexplicable messages. In fact, I was thinking today, that in the absence of any friends, I am becoming rather reliant on technology to provide me with interaction. My satnav now chats away to me in the car, my computer tells me about tests that already no longer exist and my camera told me today that it's battery was exhausted (I know what it means...). Luckily this was after I took the picture above of the children on Long Reef beach watching the surf kiters.....

Catch you tomorrow...