Scooters, Sambuca's & White Water Fun

It's been a busy week of not doing much... I've left it a little too long to be able to tell you what we have done each day but I can sum up the week in brief.

Jack has had a haircut which makes him look like a little punk rocker but a cute punk rocker...

Jack's new haircut

All the kids have spent the week playing in the pool and recovering from the Bali road trip express.

I've had a few more lessons on the scooter and am now driving on the road with a passenger on the back. I am feeling a lot more confident with my scooter riding abilities (Bali beware), but not with everyone else's haha!!! The other morning I drove Richard and I about 2 kilometres to the coffee shop and back. As we were leaving, the kids were hugging their dad and saying goodbye like they'd never see him again, obviously they have very little confidence in their Mum's abilities (no argument from me)...

Richard braves my driving

Watch out Bali - here I come!

It only took one bike ride and before I knew it, I had my own bike which Richard has rented for me.
It must have been the oldest one in the rental shop with more dents than I've ever seen on a scooter. I think he hand picked it especially for me :-)
On Thursday night the 19th of July...Richard and I decided to head out for dinner to celebrate the end of Richard's 3 week dry spell. Yipee, my husband was coming back.
We took the scooter to Metis, a lovely french restaurant, where we had entree and a cocktail, before heading to Mama Sans, an Asian fusion restaurant for another drink and dinner.
When we got there we bumped into our friends Gen & Mono and some of their friends and dinner was all but forgotten.
We arrived home after going via a few bars on the way... it was a fun night - thank God Richard is back drinking again (I know I have won supportive wife of the year award).

Friday morning, the 20th of July, I got back into my power plate session before heading back to the Villa. Nina and I then went to have a hair cream bath and pedicure. Sounds really relaxing, and it was - until the lady doing my pedicure cut a big slice of skin off my big toe. Ouch!!!
She still charged me the full price. Ouch again!! (must have been for the cost of cleaning the pool of blood off their white floor)
Saturday morning the 21st, (big toe bandaged)  I had a session with a personal trainer at the Canggu Club, boy did he put me through my paces.
Saturday afternoon, I left the boys to watch the footy (another Eagles disaster) and I headed off with Nina... very excited to be catching up with one of my good mates Mak... She had been staying at the Dynasty for a few days but had been unable to catch up with me, because she was nursing a sick husband and sick little boy.
I decided I had to see her.... we were both so emotional to see each other and we sat by the pool at the Dynasty and chatted and sipped cocktails and chatted and ate and chatted and had more cocktails, it was perfect.

Mak & I (with our toblerones) it's too hot in Bali for Sambuca's

I was also spoilt once more for my birthday, my Sambuca friends giving me a beautiful necklace with Richard and the kids names on it. It blew me away!!!

My beautiful necklace

Mak & I resolved to catch up again during the week but after an afternoon of not coming up for air (we had 7 months to catch up on) we bid farewell and Nina & I headed off to meet Richard and the boys at The Seminyak Hotel, where Gen & Mono are staying.
The hotel has the most beautiful outlook from the pool.
We watched the sunset before heading out for dinner to Trattoria, the local Italian restaurant at Canggu Plaza, where Ron & Lee met us....

Nina & Harry in The Seminyak pool

The stunning sunset

Today, Sunday morning the 22nd of July, was an early one... we were all up and on our way to Ubud after promising the kids for weeks we would take them white-water rafting.

Ready to go white water rafting

Jack, Sonia, Nina, Lee, Richard & Harry, set to hit the rapids

Ron decided he wasn't feeling up to the adventure so he stayed back and waited for our return but Lee braved it and shared a raft with Jack...

Lee & Jack share a raft

Harry & Richard

Jack & Lee in the raft ahead of us

Nina tries to smile

Everyone had a ball going through rapids and at first Nina enjoyed it too. That was until we hit a fairly hard rapid and I fell on top of her. She decided at that stage she'd had enough. Being wet & cold wasn't helping much either.
I think she was more excited to get to the end than most. I was secretly happy when it was over and I think Lee was too. The mammoth task of having to walk back up hundreds of stairs had us all ready for a drink and lunch - which is where we met up with Ron....

Ron takes a snapshot of Lee & I at the end of our rafting adventure

After a long drive back to the Villa... this afternoon was a lazy one - everyone was happy to chill out after such a full on morning.