Happy New Year!

We are back and slowly getting back into a routine! I hope you had a fabulous break too, our trip was amazing and don't worry, I have LOTS of blog posts to write about it!

The trip back wasn't great, Ebi-kun got a fever the day we were flying, the first flight was at 5pm so it was a loooong day. Poor thing felt rotten, we took the first leg from Siem Reap to Luang Prabang had a  45 minute wait then got the next flight to Hanoi where we had a 4 hour wait, this was the hardest bit, not only was it way past his bedtime but he was burning up. Our luggage was checked straight through to Narita but we had to check in again at Hanoi, which of course meant lots of waiting in long queues. Once we got into the actual airport we gave him some bufferin and he slept for a while, he also slept most of the way on the long flight and of course, by the time we had actually got home he had miraculously recovered!

The flight got in at 6am and we actually got home at 10am or there about. So we went off to the launderette, did a huge amount of washing, went to the shrine, did the grocery shopping, had lunch then collapsed in a heap on the sofa!

New Year in Japan means a trip to the shrine, we take our previous years arrow to be burned…

Then buy a new one, this is hung over the door from the genkan entering the main part of the house, the arrow is to keep away evil and the plaque on it this year has a horse on it, since this is the year of the horse. The other things that you can see at the counter are good luck charms, you can buy specific ones for fertility, exam success, luck in love etc.

They also have a lucky dip type of thing, where you pay ¥100 then pick out a paper, inside is your fortune for the year. There are several grades of 'luck' and it tells you about work, life, love, health and money. If you didn't get a very lucky one, you tie it to the tree (or equivalent) in the shrine so that the bad luck stays there and doesn't leave with you.

I'm not totally convinced about it all myself! 

The rest of the day we just watched a movie, had an easy dinner and a lovely long bath then went to bed early. We all slept like logs and Ebi-kun even slept in until 8.30am, which is amazing, his longest lie-in ever!

Ebi-kun is back at school on Wednesday and then half days until Friday, so I am easing myself back into work! Next job, tackle the inbox *gulp* and the holiday photos - all 2000 of them (I kid you not), it might take me a year to sort through them…