After reading Kyk and Katt's volumous re-telling of the same, I fear that I will never do either of them any justice. They got to spend 4 glorious days in each other’s company and allowed me a momentary glimpse for a few hours on Sat.
The interactions started on Friday around lunchtime with taunting messages from Kyk about how they were enjoying the splendid spring day at Kirstenbosch. Unfortunately I did not get to see Kyk talking to the goose, the flowers or the butterfly... I missed the red-neck-teeth and talking to the turd-in-the-toilet... however having these events retold was a sight to see in itself as they were both still in hysterics.
Saturday evening was in a word... SUBLIME... Having met Kyk once before for coffee ("Kyk and coffee" HAHAHAHAH) I kind of knew what I was letting myself in for. When Katt said that she laughed so much that her cheeks hurt, she was in no way exaggerating. Kyk is truly one of the most naturally funny people I have met, it is absolutely effortless (or at least he makes it appear such).
They arrived bearing food and flowers, and after being ushered into the house carefully navigating the over excited kids and pets we settled into an evening of good food, good wine, excellent company and hilarious conversation. My house has what people fondly refer to as an open plan kitchen-dining room (which is a polite way of say crap small kitchen and dinning area shoved into one room) which at least makes it quite easy for people to sit at the table and hold a conversation with the person in the kitchen (in this case... Kyk).
Dinner was superb... all prepared for us by Kyk. Food always seems to taste that much better when someone else cook's it. And the conversation flowed from power tools and oversized drillbits to hunting, toy shopping, loves (of the current/potential and unrequired varieties), life and everything in-between.
After supper I was introduced to a new game... Pass-the-pig (you are now hearing from the self-proclaimed Regional Champ), followed by even more alchol (for Katt and myself) and ended with talk of elephants.
Definitely an evening worth repeating.
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Friday, August 25, 2006
Fun Friday - Best Irish Joke EVER
Paddy had been drinking at his local Dublin pub all day and most of the night celebrating St Patrick's Day. Mick, the bartender says, "You'll not be drinking anymore tonight Paddy". Paddy replies "OK Mick, I'll be on my way then."
Paddy spins around on his stool and steps off. He falls flat on his face. "Shoite" he says and pulls himself up by the stool and dusts himself off. He takes a step towards the door and falls flat on his face. "Shoite, Shoite!" He looks to the doorway and thinks to himself that if he can justget to the door and some fresh air he'll be fine.
He belly crawls to the door and shimmies up to the door frame. He sticks his head outside and takes a deep breath of fresh air, feels much better and takes a step out onto the pavement and falls flatonhis face. "Bi'Jesus... I'm fockin' focked," he says.
He can see his house just a few doors down, and crawls to the door, hauls himself up the door frame, opens the door and shimmies inside. He takes a look up the stairs and says "No fockin'way". He crawls up the stairs to his bedroom door and says "I can make it to the bed." He takes a step into the room and falls flat on his face. He says "Fock it" and falls into bed.
The next morning, his wife Jess comes into the room carrying a cup of coffee and says, "Get up Paddy. Did you have a bit to drink lastnight?". Paddy says, "I did Jess. I was fockin' pissed. But how'd you know?" "Mick phoned, . . . You left your wheelchair at the pub."
HAVE A TERRIFIC WEEKEND ALL!!
Thursday, August 24, 2006
Yaris sir, That's MY car!!!!!
Taking delivery this afternoon.... YIPPEE... HOORAY....
--------------------- UPDATE ---------------------
Typically the dealer made a boo-boo. I got there at 3PM after being told that the car should be ready around 12:30, only to find that I had to wait 30 min as it was still on it's way. Okay, fine that gives us time to get through the last of the paperwork, etc without me being distracted every 2 sec to stare in awe at my new vehicle. ANYWAY, 30 min pass and up pulls a brand new WHITE Yaris. I ORDERED A SILVER ONE.
So the rest of my afternoon was spent on the phone contacting insurance brokers to put make sure that my OLD car is still insured so that I can drive off with it (even though it is now owned by the Toyota Dealership as they baught is as a trade in), and take the 'new' car off the insurance. The dealer now has to phone the bank with the new car details (at least they have a silver one at their depot available for me tomorrow after it goes to have MY central locking and alarm system fitted)... the bank then has to draw up NEW papers for me to sign and then back to the dealer tomorrow. FUN FUN FUN
--------------------- UPDATE ---------------------
Typically the dealer made a boo-boo. I got there at 3PM after being told that the car should be ready around 12:30, only to find that I had to wait 30 min as it was still on it's way. Okay, fine that gives us time to get through the last of the paperwork, etc without me being distracted every 2 sec to stare in awe at my new vehicle. ANYWAY, 30 min pass and up pulls a brand new WHITE Yaris. I ORDERED A SILVER ONE.
So the rest of my afternoon was spent on the phone contacting insurance brokers to put make sure that my OLD car is still insured so that I can drive off with it (even though it is now owned by the Toyota Dealership as they baught is as a trade in), and take the 'new' car off the insurance. The dealer now has to phone the bank with the new car details (at least they have a silver one at their depot available for me tomorrow after it goes to have MY central locking and alarm system fitted)... the bank then has to draw up NEW papers for me to sign and then back to the dealer tomorrow. FUN FUN FUN
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Who are we REALLY??
On the weekend I had a discussion with a fellow blogger (over a cup of decaf Americano) about how we show different faces to different people and situations. How, for example, someone who is completely outgoing and extroverted on their blog can actually be very shy and quiet and melancholy in person. Or how we only show portions of ourselves and all of us have these HUGELY busy lives and things going on that no one ever really finds out about. I have always tried to be as true to myself as possible here, in other words the personality I have here is pretty much how I am (those of you who actually know me are welcome to comment on that one), BUT I will admit that there are large parts of my life that I do not mention here (or at least only hint at), but then again, I don’t talk about these things with anyone in the real world either (bestest bestest friend excluded). However, something momentous is happening in my life at the moment (not necessarily good, but positive in the long run) and I am going to loose my pensive self for the duration of this post and let you all in.
Background (in a nut shell)
My ex-husband is an emotionally manipulative, obsessive compulsive, jealous, control freak. Surprisingly though, when I was married to him I was young and naive in the middle of this and didn’t always see him for what he is, and when I did I would always try and make excuses for him and explain it away. It wasn’t until very near the end of my marriage that I started to really see him for what he is (something that everyone besides myself saw up to that point)… hindsight is 20/20 right? After a long drawn out divorce process of me trying to get us to come to some sort of agreement without getting lawyers involved only for him to change his mind or refuse to sign the papers at the 11th hour, I decided to go ahead with the original summons and just get the divorce. So in the end we parted (in the legal sense) with a basic divorce, visitation (I have custody) and maintenance amount set down. However, the house, which is still registered in both our names, remained as is. I honestly thought we could make this work, even with everyone telling me that all it is doing is giving him an in, a certain level of control over us as he still sees that house as his home.
Over the last 18 months he has slowly embedded himself back in our lives (or attempted to), he honestly thinks he can come and go as he pleases, that we will always be there to welcome him in. He even has the audacity to loose his temper at me if I decided to go with the kids and he comes around and we aren’t there. He insists on buying flowers (which he knows ends up in the bin) and gifts and offers of weekends away (if he had put in half this effort when we were married things may have turned out differently – well MAYBE), even after I turn down every single offer and tell him for the 100th time to drop the pseudo-family friendly-friendly bulls$!t. Whenever he finds himself backed into a corner there is one of two cards that get played… either the “woe is me, you only want everything, well then… take it all I don’t care” scenario gets played out OR the “I’m depressed and if I can’t see the kids everyday then I don’t want to see them at all, I’m going to work overseas or kill myself” scene. On the rare occasion, both – last night being case in point.
Growing up
I am, and have always been, the kind of person who tries to make sure that EVERYONE is happy. Putting everyone else’s feelings before my own, heaven forbid I should cause someone to be upset or hurt by something that I have said or done. Over the last year however I have made peace with everything that happened between us and am making a concerted effort to move forward with my life. And one of the big changes that comes with that is the realization that I need to come first sometimes, particularly when it comes to ‘HIM’. I have wasted far too much time and energy already trying to make sure I don’t ‘hurt’ him (can you believe it after all that he has put me through). I no longer allow myself to be manipulated by him.
LAST NIGHT
After yet another weekday visit which results in him staying for dinner, he phones me later in the evening going on about “family” trips away to Natures Valley at which point something in me snapped… a switch was suddenly flicked and the doormat that was… is no more. I am sick and tired of sugarcoating everything I say to him, and so laid out the law in no uncertain terms. NO weekends away are EVER going to happen. All gifts/flowers/choc/etc will end up in the bin. The happy-family crap is going to stop NOW. He needs to get out of his self-absorbed, self-centered little world and acknowledge and accept the part the HE played in the breakup of our marriage. And True to form, he pulled both ace cards out his sleeve. “You take everything and I am never seeing the kids again”. Now, I am not a bitch in any form, and as much as I am really tempted to do just that, I cannot and will not. I have never had any intention of keeping the kids from him or “taking him to the cleaners” leaving him with nothing. Although it is really tempting right now.
He no longer has any control over our lives.
I need to get hold of a property lawyer and figure out how much it will cost to buy him out of the house (and if I cannot afford to then it will be going on the market).
So, even though I am fluctuating between laughing/shouting for joy and crying/breaking down in a heap on the mat… I know that all this IS A GOOD THING. I am stronger for it and will come out on top in the end.
Who ever said life would be easy
Background (in a nut shell)
My ex-husband is an emotionally manipulative, obsessive compulsive, jealous, control freak. Surprisingly though, when I was married to him I was young and naive in the middle of this and didn’t always see him for what he is, and when I did I would always try and make excuses for him and explain it away. It wasn’t until very near the end of my marriage that I started to really see him for what he is (something that everyone besides myself saw up to that point)… hindsight is 20/20 right? After a long drawn out divorce process of me trying to get us to come to some sort of agreement without getting lawyers involved only for him to change his mind or refuse to sign the papers at the 11th hour, I decided to go ahead with the original summons and just get the divorce. So in the end we parted (in the legal sense) with a basic divorce, visitation (I have custody) and maintenance amount set down. However, the house, which is still registered in both our names, remained as is. I honestly thought we could make this work, even with everyone telling me that all it is doing is giving him an in, a certain level of control over us as he still sees that house as his home.
Over the last 18 months he has slowly embedded himself back in our lives (or attempted to), he honestly thinks he can come and go as he pleases, that we will always be there to welcome him in. He even has the audacity to loose his temper at me if I decided to go with the kids and he comes around and we aren’t there. He insists on buying flowers (which he knows ends up in the bin) and gifts and offers of weekends away (if he had put in half this effort when we were married things may have turned out differently – well MAYBE), even after I turn down every single offer and tell him for the 100th time to drop the pseudo-family friendly-friendly bulls$!t. Whenever he finds himself backed into a corner there is one of two cards that get played… either the “woe is me, you only want everything, well then… take it all I don’t care” scenario gets played out OR the “I’m depressed and if I can’t see the kids everyday then I don’t want to see them at all, I’m going to work overseas or kill myself” scene. On the rare occasion, both – last night being case in point.
Growing up
I am, and have always been, the kind of person who tries to make sure that EVERYONE is happy. Putting everyone else’s feelings before my own, heaven forbid I should cause someone to be upset or hurt by something that I have said or done. Over the last year however I have made peace with everything that happened between us and am making a concerted effort to move forward with my life. And one of the big changes that comes with that is the realization that I need to come first sometimes, particularly when it comes to ‘HIM’. I have wasted far too much time and energy already trying to make sure I don’t ‘hurt’ him (can you believe it after all that he has put me through). I no longer allow myself to be manipulated by him.
LAST NIGHT
After yet another weekday visit which results in him staying for dinner, he phones me later in the evening going on about “family” trips away to Natures Valley at which point something in me snapped… a switch was suddenly flicked and the doormat that was… is no more. I am sick and tired of sugarcoating everything I say to him, and so laid out the law in no uncertain terms. NO weekends away are EVER going to happen. All gifts/flowers/choc/etc will end up in the bin. The happy-family crap is going to stop NOW. He needs to get out of his self-absorbed, self-centered little world and acknowledge and accept the part the HE played in the breakup of our marriage. And True to form, he pulled both ace cards out his sleeve. “You take everything and I am never seeing the kids again”. Now, I am not a bitch in any form, and as much as I am really tempted to do just that, I cannot and will not. I have never had any intention of keeping the kids from him or “taking him to the cleaners” leaving him with nothing. Although it is really tempting right now.
He no longer has any control over our lives.
I need to get hold of a property lawyer and figure out how much it will cost to buy him out of the house (and if I cannot afford to then it will be going on the market).
So, even though I am fluctuating between laughing/shouting for joy and crying/breaking down in a heap on the mat… I know that all this IS A GOOD THING. I am stronger for it and will come out on top in the end.
Who ever said life would be easy
Friday, August 18, 2006
My bed is not my own!!!
Maybe it is a winter thing, hopefully, but over the last 3 months I can count on one hand the number of occasions that I have woken up alone in my own bed. Normally I am cramped, one dead arm because I have been lying on it most of the night as on my left is a little man and on my right a young lady. Yes, I have an extra length Queen size bed, which in any normal family would be more than ample, but not with these 2 additions. All 3 of us actually like to spread out, have our space around us and this is where the problem comes in. On a few occasions I have actually resorted to sleeping in one of their beds and let them have free reign over mine. Most nights they come through around 5:30 AM which is okay as I know my alarm clock (all 3 of them) will be shouting at me in an hour and I have already had a few hours undisturbed sleep, but on others it really is the middle of the night (read anywhere between 11PM and 3AM). Add to this that we are a snoring family and I am in real trouble. In particular my daughter… if I am not asleep again before her, I do not sleep for all the noise that emanates out of her.
Like I said, I am hoping and praying that the only reason for this mid-night-bed-swapping is because they are getting cold. ROLL ON SUMMER.
Yes, please roll on summer… I am now sick and tired of cold, wet, windy, winter. And in true form we are in for another rainy weekend (after a gorgeous week of sunshine while we all sit in our office block)… oh and the sun will return again on Monday morning… Joke: What comes after 2 days of rain in Cape Town? Monday!! (HAHAHAHA)
UPDATE: Early last week I recounted the story of a wrestling match that ended in my son going to crèche in his pj’s… well last Friday they decided to have a school wide pj day. All the kids, and ALL the staff came in in their pj’s and gowns and slippers for the day. I am SOOO proud of my little trendsetter :)
Weekend plans: NOTHING… well almost… besides a coffee ‘date’ with a friend and a trip back to the Toyota dealer. Maybe I will catch a movie, maybe stay in with a DVD and a warm fire… I love the fact that I can do EXACTLY as I wish.
HAVE A GREAT ONE ALL!!!!
Like I said, I am hoping and praying that the only reason for this mid-night-bed-swapping is because they are getting cold. ROLL ON SUMMER.
Yes, please roll on summer… I am now sick and tired of cold, wet, windy, winter. And in true form we are in for another rainy weekend (after a gorgeous week of sunshine while we all sit in our office block)… oh and the sun will return again on Monday morning… Joke: What comes after 2 days of rain in Cape Town? Monday!! (HAHAHAHA)
UPDATE: Early last week I recounted the story of a wrestling match that ended in my son going to crèche in his pj’s… well last Friday they decided to have a school wide pj day. All the kids, and ALL the staff came in in their pj’s and gowns and slippers for the day. I am SOOO proud of my little trendsetter :)
Weekend plans: NOTHING… well almost… besides a coffee ‘date’ with a friend and a trip back to the Toyota dealer. Maybe I will catch a movie, maybe stay in with a DVD and a warm fire… I love the fact that I can do EXACTLY as I wish.
HAVE A GREAT ONE ALL!!!!
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Tattoo's...
Last year I got my first tattoo... it was the marking of the end of a stage in my life. In January my divorce was finalised and in June I resigned from my job. So on the weekend after leaving said job and before starting the new one I went and got my first tattoo. The Bug Bit. It has now been just over 1 year and I am in the process of planning my second.
I already know what it is going to be, I am now just searching for the perfect design, a FIRE DARGON. I have always had a fascination with dragons, which started as recurring dreams in my childhood, and there is a particular image from these dreams that I am trying to put down into something that can be used as a tattoo.
Here are 2 images I have already found (from a site which watermarks the designs)... they are very different but both have something about them that I LOVE, and although I am leaning towards the second one, it is still not quite what I am looking for, and seeing as I will be branding myself for life it HAS to be perfect.
I already know what it is going to be, I am now just searching for the perfect design, a FIRE DARGON. I have always had a fascination with dragons, which started as recurring dreams in my childhood, and there is a particular image from these dreams that I am trying to put down into something that can be used as a tattoo.
Here are 2 images I have already found (from a site which watermarks the designs)... they are very different but both have something about them that I LOVE, and although I am leaning towards the second one, it is still not quite what I am looking for, and seeing as I will be branding myself for life it HAS to be perfect.
Updates...
Update 1: Weight...
Another kilo down, which makes it a grand total of 3kg's in 3 weeks. At this rate I might just be at my goal by my birthday (here's holding thumbs)
Update 2: Cars...
I took the Toyota Yaris Sedan for a test drive over the weekend. VERY VERY NICE. AND they offered me more for a trade in on my Hyndai than the Hyundai dealership offered (without knowing the previous quote). Still want to have a look at one or two more before I make my final desision though.
Update 3: Online dating...
Well... what to say... every now and then one or two prospects come up, but so far nothing promising. Seriously thinking of updating my profile with messages like "NON-NEGOTIABLE means NON_NEGOTIABLE" & "If you are still legally married F@#K OFF" & "If you know you are not going to send more than one or two one-liners, then don't bother making contact in the first place."
Another kilo down, which makes it a grand total of 3kg's in 3 weeks. At this rate I might just be at my goal by my birthday (here's holding thumbs)
Update 2: Cars...
I took the Toyota Yaris Sedan for a test drive over the weekend. VERY VERY NICE. AND they offered me more for a trade in on my Hyndai than the Hyundai dealership offered (without knowing the previous quote). Still want to have a look at one or two more before I make my final desision though.
Update 3: Online dating...
Well... what to say... every now and then one or two prospects come up, but so far nothing promising. Seriously thinking of updating my profile with messages like "NON-NEGOTIABLE means NON_NEGOTIABLE" & "If you are still legally married F@#K OFF" & "If you know you are not going to send more than one or two one-liners, then don't bother making contact in the first place."
Friday, August 11, 2006
Stop and smell the daisies...
Here are a few pic's from our glorious trip up the West Coast on Wednesday.
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
Wonderful Womans Day
Today was Woman's Day here in the beautiful South Africa, and mine has been absolutely fantastic. Originally the plan was to spend the day shopping for odds and ends for the kids (daughter has grown out of all her winter clothes again) and possible take a few more cars for test drives. But then, when I viewed the weather report yesterday and realised that we would be in store for a glorious spring day I changed all my plans. So this morning, after breakfast, I grabbed my camera, packed the kids in the car and headed up the R27 (a.k.a. West Coast road - aptly named as it runs all the way up the western coast of the country) in search of the renowned spring flowers which are reportedly in bloom a month early due to the rain this year.
WOW... and double WOW. We ended up in a dorpie about 200km's outside of Cape Town called Dwarskersbos and the surrounding veld was just bathed in beautiful white and yellow and orange and mauve flowers. It really was beautiful. We did the mandatory photo snaps with kids and flowers, a little walkabout to stretch out the legs and then turned the car around to start heading back, with the intention of grabbing lunch on the way.
Now, one of the very well known restaurants (and I use that word lightly - you'll see why later) is just outside of Langebaan and is called Die Strandlooper (literally translated into The Beachwalker). This is where I decided to pull in at noon for lunch not truely realising what lay in store for us. To set the scene... Die Strandlooper is quite literally on the rocks by the beach... there is no building to speak of, instead the tables are made out of cement with wooden planks for benches, open fires in rock mounds are everywhere. The atmosphere is completely relaxed. And the food... oh the food... It is a set price for adults, children under 12 pay per height and the under 5's eat free.
We started off with fresh home made bread straight off the fire with fresh cooked mussels (plain or garlic) AWESOME... this was followed by braaied Harder (a type of fish) DELLICIOUS... then seafood paella MOUTH WATERING... then lamb stew (yup lamb... couldn't quite figure that one out) DELECATBLE... then braaied Snoek ALL TIME FAVOURITE... then Stompneus (Stumpnose) and smoked Angel Fish INCREDIBLE... and to top it all off Crayfish tails WOWWIE. And along with all of these the fresh bread and home made preserves just kept coming. This entire EVENT takes about 3.5 hours to complete but it is the best spent 3.5 hours I have had in a long time. The kids were in heaven, they could run around on the beach (with buckets and spades provided by the restaurant) while I could sit back, enjoying the beautiful sun and having the most relaxing afternoon.
WOW... and double WOW. We ended up in a dorpie about 200km's outside of Cape Town called Dwarskersbos and the surrounding veld was just bathed in beautiful white and yellow and orange and mauve flowers. It really was beautiful. We did the mandatory photo snaps with kids and flowers, a little walkabout to stretch out the legs and then turned the car around to start heading back, with the intention of grabbing lunch on the way.
Now, one of the very well known restaurants (and I use that word lightly - you'll see why later) is just outside of Langebaan and is called Die Strandlooper (literally translated into The Beachwalker). This is where I decided to pull in at noon for lunch not truely realising what lay in store for us. To set the scene... Die Strandlooper is quite literally on the rocks by the beach... there is no building to speak of, instead the tables are made out of cement with wooden planks for benches, open fires in rock mounds are everywhere. The atmosphere is completely relaxed. And the food... oh the food... It is a set price for adults, children under 12 pay per height and the under 5's eat free.
We started off with fresh home made bread straight off the fire with fresh cooked mussels (plain or garlic) AWESOME... this was followed by braaied Harder (a type of fish) DELLICIOUS... then seafood paella MOUTH WATERING... then lamb stew (yup lamb... couldn't quite figure that one out) DELECATBLE... then braaied Snoek ALL TIME FAVOURITE... then Stompneus (Stumpnose) and smoked Angel Fish INCREDIBLE... and to top it all off Crayfish tails WOWWIE. And along with all of these the fresh bread and home made preserves just kept coming. This entire EVENT takes about 3.5 hours to complete but it is the best spent 3.5 hours I have had in a long time. The kids were in heaven, they could run around on the beach (with buckets and spades provided by the restaurant) while I could sit back, enjoying the beautiful sun and having the most relaxing afternoon.
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
Family Update…
Let’s start with the angels/demons (depending on the day).
What I have noticed is that they are never both angles or both demons on the same day. They seem to take turns with each, for example… Yesterday morning my daughter (the headstrong, stubborn, self confident, 7 year old) who is normally the SLOWEST person on earth when it comes to getting dressed in the morning, having to be reminded of every little thing from where her shoes are to packing her bag, decided that she was actually going to get herself up and dressed and packed all with out me having to say a word. ANGEL. My son on the other hand (the equally headstrong, but still small enough to be picked up and put in his place, 3 year old) decided that he was not going to get up, and when I did manage to rouse him from his slumber at around 7:30AM (when I should be heading out the door), he decided that he simply was not going to get dressed, this in turn led to a wrestling match with me pinning him down to get his pj’s off. Round one to mom. Now imagine little three year old tearing around the house in his undies, locating his pj’s and putting them back on in delighted defiance. He ended up going to crèche in his pj’s, with a change on clothes in this bag for when he decided to co-operate. DEMON. And in perfect contrast, this morning I was back to rushing her along while he quietly got himself dressed in his room. Maybe I should be grateful… single-handedly dealing with demon’s in stereo does not sound like a pleasant task.
Next update… the EX. Leopards will truly never, ever change their spots. This he proves to me time and time again. Friday being a case in point. Now that I am no longer the naive little girl that he married and am no longer susceptible to his manipulation and lies and deception I am able to see though all the afore mentioned and see him for what he truly is. That said, he doesn’t seem to realize this yet. Anyway, to cut a really really long story short, he pulled a typical stunt and completely dropped off the face of the planet on Friday, this being the day that he was meant to pick the kids up from school as they were to spend the weekend with him. I in the meantime ended up in the usual Friday afternoon chaos at the office, but seeing as no-one could track him down had to leave early to do the school run all the while trying to track him down (which I eventually did manage to do). He was holed up at his step mothers house (which he is house-sitting) with all forms for telephonic communication unavailable, that is at least until I rang the doorbell at which point everything miraculously started working. Now for those of you who don’t know the history here (which is most of you) he has a certain addiction to things far too readily available on the internet, and his step-mom’s house has a computer, a modem and a telephone line… not a good combination when he is added to the mix.
Oh... Life... what else can I say...
What I have noticed is that they are never both angles or both demons on the same day. They seem to take turns with each, for example… Yesterday morning my daughter (the headstrong, stubborn, self confident, 7 year old) who is normally the SLOWEST person on earth when it comes to getting dressed in the morning, having to be reminded of every little thing from where her shoes are to packing her bag, decided that she was actually going to get herself up and dressed and packed all with out me having to say a word. ANGEL. My son on the other hand (the equally headstrong, but still small enough to be picked up and put in his place, 3 year old) decided that he was not going to get up, and when I did manage to rouse him from his slumber at around 7:30AM (when I should be heading out the door), he decided that he simply was not going to get dressed, this in turn led to a wrestling match with me pinning him down to get his pj’s off. Round one to mom. Now imagine little three year old tearing around the house in his undies, locating his pj’s and putting them back on in delighted defiance. He ended up going to crèche in his pj’s, with a change on clothes in this bag for when he decided to co-operate. DEMON. And in perfect contrast, this morning I was back to rushing her along while he quietly got himself dressed in his room. Maybe I should be grateful… single-handedly dealing with demon’s in stereo does not sound like a pleasant task.
Next update… the EX. Leopards will truly never, ever change their spots. This he proves to me time and time again. Friday being a case in point. Now that I am no longer the naive little girl that he married and am no longer susceptible to his manipulation and lies and deception I am able to see though all the afore mentioned and see him for what he truly is. That said, he doesn’t seem to realize this yet. Anyway, to cut a really really long story short, he pulled a typical stunt and completely dropped off the face of the planet on Friday, this being the day that he was meant to pick the kids up from school as they were to spend the weekend with him. I in the meantime ended up in the usual Friday afternoon chaos at the office, but seeing as no-one could track him down had to leave early to do the school run all the while trying to track him down (which I eventually did manage to do). He was holed up at his step mothers house (which he is house-sitting) with all forms for telephonic communication unavailable, that is at least until I rang the doorbell at which point everything miraculously started working. Now for those of you who don’t know the history here (which is most of you) he has a certain addiction to things far too readily available on the internet, and his step-mom’s house has a computer, a modem and a telephone line… not a good combination when he is added to the mix.
Oh... Life... what else can I say...
Monday, August 07, 2006
Decisions, Decisions!!
I will be getting a New New car (as opposed to a new used car) that is one thing that I know definitively. Now the question is, what?
For the last four and a half years I have been driving my faithful Hyndai Accent 1.3 XS 1998 model. It is now starting to give me one or two indications that it is reaching it’s sell by date and is ready to be traded in for a newer better model. I know how much I have to spend so the next step is to go on the hunt via all channels available. I have narrowed the search down to the following….
The New Improved Hyndai Accent 1.6 HS
I took one of these for a test drive on Sat and was very impressed. The old Accent was also a very reliable and comfortable car to start off with, but the designers have put a lot of thought into the finer details where it comes to the comfort level of the driver.
The other options in contention for the title of Mom’s cab are the Toyota Yaris Sedan
and the Chev Aveo (and if blogger had been playing nicely I would have had an image of it aswell).
A colleague of mine then pointed me in the direction of cartoday.com (why, oh way I had never found this before is beyond me). This is definitely the one place anyone who is considering the purchase of a car (new or used) should know about. Anyway, on to the car comparison, excluding the new Accent as it is toooo new for this site, and it looks like the Toyota might be taking it – it is the only one that comes standard with a service plan.
So, next step… with Wednesday being a public holiday here in SA, and me making use of this by taking Thursday and Friday off, I will be going for a few test drives and visiting bank managers to organize financing.
Oh, this is just like being a child again… but, just like when I was a child, I can hear my mom’s voice saying… YOU CAN ONLY CHOOSE ONE.
For the last four and a half years I have been driving my faithful Hyndai Accent 1.3 XS 1998 model. It is now starting to give me one or two indications that it is reaching it’s sell by date and is ready to be traded in for a newer better model. I know how much I have to spend so the next step is to go on the hunt via all channels available. I have narrowed the search down to the following….
The New Improved Hyndai Accent 1.6 HS
I took one of these for a test drive on Sat and was very impressed. The old Accent was also a very reliable and comfortable car to start off with, but the designers have put a lot of thought into the finer details where it comes to the comfort level of the driver.
The other options in contention for the title of Mom’s cab are the Toyota Yaris Sedan
and the Chev Aveo (and if blogger had been playing nicely I would have had an image of it aswell).
A colleague of mine then pointed me in the direction of cartoday.com (why, oh way I had never found this before is beyond me). This is definitely the one place anyone who is considering the purchase of a car (new or used) should know about. Anyway, on to the car comparison, excluding the new Accent as it is toooo new for this site, and it looks like the Toyota might be taking it – it is the only one that comes standard with a service plan.
So, next step… with Wednesday being a public holiday here in SA, and me making use of this by taking Thursday and Friday off, I will be going for a few test drives and visiting bank managers to organize financing.
Oh, this is just like being a child again… but, just like when I was a child, I can hear my mom’s voice saying… YOU CAN ONLY CHOOSE ONE.
Friday, August 04, 2006
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Pic of the Week
This is definitley one of my favorite pictures of my daughter. It was taken on top of Table Mountain, could it be as long as two years ago. She really has grown up quickly.
And this little man is my son, attempting to help with the gardening at ouma and oupa's holiday house. This is also about a year old and he has changed soooo much in that last year. He is still my little blonde haired angel, and always will be.
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
Taste is all relative
Someone asked me recently about my CD collection and what type of music I like. I have a very varied taste in music; basically it includes everything except Rap and Country (and even in these 2 categories there are a few that I will listen to). So, what I decided is to put my music player on random and cycle through the 1500 songs I have. Below I will list the artist, title and first line (as I hear them) of the first 15 songs that come on - might give a little insight into the chaos that is my mind.
1) Nirvana – Lake of Fire – Where do bad folks go where they die…
2) Kill ‘em all – Seek and Destroy – Scanning the scene in the city tonight, looking for you to start up a fight…
3) Seether – Broken – I wanted you to know, I love the way you laugh…
4) Linkin Park – Faint – I am a little bit of loneliness little bit of disregard…
5) Audioslave – Yesterday To Tomorrow – Beauty is what eyes behold…
6) Live – All over you – Our love is like water…
7) Maroon 5 – The sun – After school, walking home, fresh dirt under my fingernails…
At which point window media player “encountered a problem” and had to be restarted…
8) Savage Garden – Affirmation – I believe the sun should never set upon an argument…
9) Coldplay – Talk - Oh brother I can’t, I can’t get through…
10) James – Laid – This bed is on fire with passionate love…
11) Live – Take my anthem – War in me, war overseas, aint no difference between…
12) Robbie Williams – Karma Killer – Are you cut-up, or do you easily forget…
13) Metallica – Carpe Diem Baby - Hit dirt, shake tree, split sky, part sea…
14) Dido – Take my hand – Touch my skin and tell me what you’re thinking…
15) Eric Clapton – Wonderful tonight - It’s late in the evening, she’s wondering what clothes to wear…
Actually that might explain quite a lot… and Kyk, thanks for the inspiration.
1) Nirvana – Lake of Fire – Where do bad folks go where they die…
2) Kill ‘em all – Seek and Destroy – Scanning the scene in the city tonight, looking for you to start up a fight…
3) Seether – Broken – I wanted you to know, I love the way you laugh…
4) Linkin Park – Faint – I am a little bit of loneliness little bit of disregard…
5) Audioslave – Yesterday To Tomorrow – Beauty is what eyes behold…
6) Live – All over you – Our love is like water…
7) Maroon 5 – The sun – After school, walking home, fresh dirt under my fingernails…
At which point window media player “encountered a problem” and had to be restarted…
8) Savage Garden – Affirmation – I believe the sun should never set upon an argument…
9) Coldplay – Talk - Oh brother I can’t, I can’t get through…
10) James – Laid – This bed is on fire with passionate love…
11) Live – Take my anthem – War in me, war overseas, aint no difference between…
12) Robbie Williams – Karma Killer – Are you cut-up, or do you easily forget…
13) Metallica – Carpe Diem Baby - Hit dirt, shake tree, split sky, part sea…
14) Dido – Take my hand – Touch my skin and tell me what you’re thinking…
15) Eric Clapton – Wonderful tonight - It’s late in the evening, she’s wondering what clothes to wear…
Actually that might explain quite a lot… and Kyk, thanks for the inspiration.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)