Birthday picnics...

Yes, the birthday picnic season has kicked off, with the bilingual playgroup we tend to go for picnics as the birthday event of choice, mainly because Japanese houses are not very big so having a party at home isn't much fun and there isn't the whole birthday party shenanigans that goes on in England, where I hear (via my mom, a trusted source) that bouncy castles and hot-dog vans are the way to go just now! Either that or hiring out the Wacky Warehouse, hmm.

So, we tend to just go for the picnic and we do it as a potluck, I know some people don't like the potluck idea but I love it, I love the fact that we have so many people from different parts of the world that you never know what people will turn up with. Most of the time everyone makes the effort to make something, of course there are always days when that isn't going to happen but that is OK, no-one really cares. We also started a tradition where the parents buy a book for the birthday child and sticks in the bookplate signed from the playgroup.

Of course, chocolate cake had to be included, just what you need before running round the park like a loonie and....

rolling round on the grass with your best mate.

This morning it is Ebi-kuns first full day at yochien, he will be back at 2.23pm - whoo-hoo, so I am off to town to buy myself some new trainers, that is shoe shopping BY-MY-SELF.......