What's been going on in our house this week?

It's been head-down for me here as I try to get everything vital done in my various roles before we go away on our summer holidays on Friday.

This time last year we'd already begun
our epic camping tour. This year's holiday
will include less camping, but we will,
Lord willing, get three nights under
canvas at a lake up north.

I've been:

• doing final checking of the Summer issue of Japan Harvest magazine
• working on content for the new OMF Japan website (due for launch August 4)
• working on acquiring and producing blog posts that will feed content onto the above website (and you know how addicted I am to blogging—it's been a bit difficult to focus on anything else)
• learning new software: Wordpress.org in order to do the above
• editing articles for my writing critique group, and for the Autumn issue of Japan Harvest
• chasing up articles that are late for the Autumn issue
• editing my own writing for several different sources

So yes, really all text- and computer-based. My dream is that one day I might be able to ease into going away, rather than work to the last minute and pack with my head only half on what's to come, but mostly on what's not quite finished!

David's been at school for part of most days. He's been doing things at his desk, while simultaneously providing access to the robotics room so that some scouts can tidying it up before the new school year, a service project, I'm told.

The boys are all very relaxed, going to bed late and getting up late. Sometimes hanging out with friends, but generally quietly doing things at home. Really very different to when they were younger. This morning both David and I left before anyone got up. I went to a coffee shop to work and David to school. It's very different, this stage of not having to have someone at home to supervise every moment.

Last night we enjoyed hanging out over a BBQ with nearby friends before we each leave town on our respective summer holidays. It's real bliss to have the freedom to do that on a Monday night!

We've also had a heat-wave come through these last couple of days. Up till now the temperatures have been in the mid to high 20s (Celsius) most of the time. But since the weekend it's been low to mid 30s, with high humidity. It was 32C in our bedroom last night when we went to go to bed. I bailed and we slept on our air mattress in the air conditioned lounge (we don't have functional air con in the bedrooms). That was after a bad sleep on Sunday night. The night started out at 30C and was down to only 28C by the morning.

These temperatures this early in the season are unusual, but it won't be long before it gets that hot and stays that hot until late August or mid September. It's a dilemma as to whether I dislike a Tokyo summer or winter more.

Now, though, it's raining. I'm guessing that the heat has broken for the time being.