Goodbye to August....

It has been a tense week.

I am slow at negotiating when and how to address issues.

Tonight was the night.

The catalyst was a text message. "Can I come home late tonight?"

Response-"Not today."

When picking the girls up from the train station, I told M sorry for not allowing her to have a night out tonight but it was a busy night.

Roast chicken in the oven, FHE, stories to N, M home sick and needing attention.

I allowed myself the opportunity to talk with her about my concerns for her social life

and my expectations.

I spoke with the host mother of her friend she hangs out with.

I told her my concerns and ways we could curtail them ie early homecomings.

I have suggested they go to the Big Breakfast on the bridge near southbank this sunday seeing as neither likes to go to church.

She has resolved her loneliness during class time by watching DVD's in English.

Today she has been watching "Willow".

I took her and another Swiss girl Irina to Byron Bay on Saturday.

We visited the lighthouse, had fish and chips, the girls wandered the shops, and quickly dipped their feet in the ocean and squeaked their feet in the sand.

The migrating whales performed beautifully for us slapping their tales and spouting water.

We sent an email to M's school seeking information for J turns up in November.

I also received an email in French from a Bishop in Annemasse just across the Swiss/French border not far from where J will be staying. J suggested she may like to visit a French Ward.

The Bishop's are so on the ball there. As soon as they receive my letters, they write to me and discuss my needs with other Bishops. 3 Bishops are on task now. I wish I got that sort of response and attention here. I did a online translation of the French and got a giggle.

"Bus" was translated into "drunk".

"where she stays" was translated into "box."

M tells me the verb for drinking is similar to bus and although I live in a box, she doesn't.