Martelize is 4 Months old today and guess what she can do!

Kyk wat kan ek doen! Mamma se hande is naby, maar sy hou nie vas nie.....!

Ek sit nog steeds...

Nie meer so stewig nie, maar darem....

Dis lekker om te sit, maar dis nogal harde werk....!

We have a "tame" Groundscraper Thrush (Gevlekte lyster). For two days now, it has been tapping against our bedroom or study window, but I have not yet managed to get a video clip. I would like that so that we can capture his call as well. It is fun to have our own special thrush, but it did wake us this morning with its tapping...

Yesterday the F's celebrated their grandmother's 90th birthday. Ouma Duifie is our chldren's Pretoria cousins' grandmother and as such she has always been part of our Christmas feasts and other family celebrations. She and my mother were close friends. (Ouma Ethie passed away a month before Franco was born. She was almost 92.)

The festivities started with drinks and a photosession. Franco was very interested in my juice. I had to really hang onto my glass or he would have grabbed it. "Nee, Franco, as jy nie jou bottel wil vashou nie, kan jy nie 'n glas kry nie!"

Last year we prayed that these three cousins would fall pregnant. And here they are together with their babies for the first time: Nelia with Urielle (2 1/2 months, Dorette with Franco (7 months 1 week) and Thelwyn with Martelize (one day short of 4 months)

Frans, Thelwyn and Martelize. Frans just had a very painful elbow operation. Martelize wore her sequined party dress again.

Martelize playing very purposefully with her toys. Her grip is quite strong.

The F's: Jansie, Ethie, Eugenie, Lalie, Gene, Jopie, Nelia with Urielle and Ouma Duifie in front.

Franco is a hungry little boy with a big appetite.

Franco is very fascinated in his father's sparkling grape juice.

"Oumagrootjie" Duifie with Martelize.

Franco drinking water out of a wine glass - it really was only water.
Martelize in her pram.

We tried to play but the Blogger didn't play along.

Dorette "touched" us… long ago… I filled it in immediately, but could only get Jan's input now. (The blog refuse to publish the t... post, so I am trying to publish it without the t word.) The edit bar doesn't work - so no bold, italics etc. Very frustrating!

What are your nicknames:
Miekie: Miekie (Ek is eintlik Marietjie)
Jan: Mr B

What TV gameshow or reality show would you like to be on:
Miekie: Een van die maklike vasvra wedstryde – partykeer verstom die mense se gebrek aan algemene kennis my – maar tog asb. nie Survivor of “Boer soek ‘n vrou nie.”
Jan: None


What was the first movie you bought in VHS or DVD:
Miekie: I can’t really remember – I think it was Davy Crocket for the children – the first (and only) VHS I bought for myself was Debbie – I wanted to let the children see what fashions we wore in the 60’s, but the video didn’t last long. Our first bought DVD was Ben Hur – it was on special.
Jan: City of Joy

What is your favourite scent:
Miekie: Perfume: Lace or Chanel nr 5 - gifts from Jan.
Food: Braaivleis – it always smells better than it actually is.
Jan: Roses

If you had one million dollars to spend only on yourself, what would you spend it on?
Miekie: I would like to travel with Jan – we still dream of going to Russia, to Austria, to Israel, to Greece, to Australia. We were busy planning a Europe tour a month or two ago and I said to Jan he’d better work on R8.80 per dollar in case the Rand weakens…. hahaha!
Truth be told, I suppose I would rather invest most of it. We are close to retirement and what if we outlive our money? 30 years ago one could fill a tank of petrol with R5 and today you need at least R500! A month’s groceries cost R14. Today it is more than a 100 times that! The financial future is really scary. We are glad to be in the hands of the Father.
I would also like to give a big chunk to Inkululeko, a Day Care Centre for disadvantaged children. I was the first principal and gave it 7 years of my life. It is still very close to my heart.

Jan: Pay my debts. “ Op my vrou … nee nie die hele miljoen nie.” I’ll invest it.

What is one place you've visited, can't forget and want to go back to:
Miekie: Nice and Monaco – I was there Old Year’s eve in 1973, but I was all alone – I would like to go with Jan.
Jan: Paris – “Ons was ‘n bietjie kort tydjie daar.”

Do you trust easily?
Miekie: Yes! Especially that people will do their work, even when I never check them…
Jan: Ja

Do you generally think before your act, or act before you think?
Miekie: 50 / 50
Jan: (without hesitation) I think before I act.

Is there anything that had made you unhappy these days?
Miekie: Yes! My friend Brenda’s got cancer. I was impatient with Tammy and I could kick myself, I irritated Hendrik when I cut his hair. What really makes me unhappy are the crooks who rob and hurt and kill – they create paranoia and steel our joy! Who wants to look at the garden through a security gate?
Jan: Yes, some aspects of the work situation.

What is your favourite fruit?
Miekie: Apples – but not Granny Smith apples. Dorette, you can keep them.
Jan: Bananas

What websites do you visit daily?
Miekie: Blogs and more blogs and my e-mails. Tammy and I search for something nearly every day, so I guess I should add Google search.
Jan: ABSA

What have you been seriously addicted to lately?
Spider Solitaire – there I have admitted it. I wish Hendrik had never taught me how to play it – he wants to show me other games: Nee dankie! And I suppose I should also admit that I (still) watch 7e Laan.
Jan: Solitaire

What's the last song that got stuck in you head?
Miekie: Difficult question – can’t remember. Nothing in my head right now. I think it was Money money of ABBA - Tammy likes playing "Mama Mia".
Jan: Daai wat hulle gisteraand gesing het.. la, la, la la. Die song se naam is la la., Is dit nie “All I ask from you” (Andrew L Webber) nie?

What is your favourite thing to wear?
Miekie: Nothing these days – I gained three kilograms and feel really depressed when I look in the mirror- nothing fits except my old fat clothes which I had sworn I would never wear again. Went to a concert last night and wore my green dress – It is 12 years old.
Jan: Short pants. (Miekie: Hy het nou een aan met gate – ek dink hy bedoel daardie een…)

Do you think Rice Krispies are yummy?
Miekie: Only when used in Rice Crispies Marshmellow cookies. Those are really yummy.
Jan: Yes.

What would you do if you saw $100 lying on the ground?
Miekie: What’s the chance of that happening in South Africa!
Jan: I’ll pick it up and exchange it.

What items couldn't you for without during the day?
Miekie: Fruit (lots of it) and Diet Coke and chocolate yoghurt.
Jan: My spectacles.

What should you be doing right now?
Miekie: Wash my face, make the bed and do dishes before Thelwyn’s people come to look at thehorses.
Jan: Shave.

Guess what time of the day it is? …. But it is Saturday! (At least it was early this morning, when I tried to post it! It is now 15:40 and we should already have left for Tannie Duifie's 90th birthday celebration.

Shopping in Menlyn, A family Reunion and a 7th Monthday!

Last Thursday Thelwyn and I went shopping in Menlyn for a wedding gift and some new clothes for Martelize. First we went to a coffee shop - a bottle for Martelize and pancakes and milkshakes for mother and grandmother! Martelize had a great time blowing dribble bubbles - a new activity. She has never needed a bib, but now?
Look my pretty skirt Ouma!
Thelwyn and I had a great time - the previous time we went shopping together in Menlyn we bought some purple butterflies for the "babakamer" and now that baba already needs 3-6 month old clothes and nr 3 nappies! Time flies!
On Saturday we had a great get together with Jan's family. Here he is talking to the eldest brother who is here on visit from Holland.

I found this cute "Plastics" shop with great toys and couldn't resist buying the grandchildren teddybear rattles. Martelize enjoyed the noisy rattle - until she hit herself against the head, that is! She has started to kick the toys on her mat with glee.

Franco turned 7 months on Sunday. We celebrated by letting him have his very first swim. He is still a little unsure about this swimming, but we got a few smiles out of him and no tears or protests! I am sure he is going to love swimming more and more - especially if it is not just before his naptime! This Ouma is a lazy swimmer these days, but Franco will get me in the water that's for sure. There is nothing like swimming with a baby! (Gaan jy eendag die Midmar saam met Ouma swem Franco?)

In case we want to remember the kitchen

Beth wished she had photographs of her grandmother's hands. I too wish that I had photos of my grandmother in the farm kitchen where she prepared such wonderful meals on a wood stove and I wish I had photos of us in the kitchen of the house where I grew up.
We used to help ourselves to something to eat on a Sunday evening after church - there were no chairs, but we would stand around or sit on the concrete slab table or even the kitchen sink and have long conversations. My father used to challenge our philosophies - especially those of the theological student boyfriends! We had some lively debates right there in the kitchen. Those were the days.
So just in case posterity or I become nostalgic about our kitchen one day, I took some photos of the two men in my life as they made breakfast. I have been spoiled for 33 1/2 years: Jan has always made the breakfast (a proper breakfast with egg and toast) and lately Hendrik does that when he is at home. My father used to say "Ek sal jou hou!" (I'll keep you) and that is what I say to these two special men.

Hendrik still a bleary eyed and with hair wet from his shower, buttering the toast. I use yoghurt instead of margarine on my toast, but it has not helped me to lose an ounce!

Jan is an expert at dishing up the eggs. His speciality is omelettes. Hendrik makes baked eggs with cheese. We eat breakfast at 5:50 - that's why the curtains are still closed!

An irrisistable 3 1/2 month old baby girl

Finally a photo to show that Martelize can easily roll onto her side.

Hugging her giraffe. Thelwyn regularly changes her toys. In the back is the "feely" blanket that Karin has made her.
After Sunday lunch... Frans seems ready for a nap, but Martelize is wide awake. Quite content to lie on her Daddy though.

A little later he put her on a blanket so that she could kick and roll. No-one could resist this cute little baby on the floor. Here is Hendrik playing with Martelize and Eyore - a soft toy found in a packet of nappies and one of her favourite toys.

Jan on his way to the kitchen also stopped at the "Martelize station" for a while. Oupa het 'n groot mond en al is sy hare kort kan sy dit trek!

Finally it was Thelwyn's turn to play with her. There is no-one like my mommy!

I have finally learnt how to take a video! (Ek is maar baie dom met sulke goed! Wens ek het nou die dag vir Franco gevideo toe hy so gelag het!). Hope you enjoy her babbling as much as we do!

Thunderstorm!

I do not normally take photos of streets, but today the clouds were so beautiful, I couldn't help myself. I have often wanted to capture the special moments in my day and today I did it! God is everywhere! After the drought in September and October, the rain is extra special!

Thank you God, for making even the streets so beautiful! This was Zambesi Road, on my way to Thelwyn. The clouds were so dark!

Zambezi Road 1 minute later!

Zambesi Road, after the storm (18:00) "And the glory of the Lord shone around them."

The infamous Moloto Road. Thank you God that you bring me home safely every day!

Turning into Boekenhoutskloof - a wet Boekenshoutskloof! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Home! Turning into our plaaspaadjie at 18:30.... Thank you God for this lovely day! A loving family and beautiful nature! We are so so blessed.

Our "plaaspaadjie" It is wet and green! And what a sunset! Praise the Lord!

Rattles, Crime Prevention and Sick again

Martelize is 3 1/2 months. She often turns onto her side, but I have yet to capture it on my camera. She prefers lying on her back, but she moves about a lot - here she has moved right off the blanket.

Happily busy with her rattle and her feely blanket.

Why is Jan opening the gate in the middle of the night? Because this is South Africa!
There have been quite a few incidents of robbery in our community the past week. We are all in radio communication with one another. This week we started with a new strategy neighbourhood watch ("buurtwag"). The idea was to monitor any vehichle driving through the area. Here we are on our way for our first watch session from 1:00 to 5:00 (a.m.) and that after not having slept much the previous night due to all the radio commotion about a crime.... Did not sleep much the next night either - again due to a lot of commotion about two attempted robberies and one real one - the real one 15 minutes after the various watches were told to go home to tend to the safety of their own homes. The armed gang did not enter the community by car... they must have been inside already and convinced that they would be able to steal a getaway car. (They did!) (The people who were robbed were not yet on the radio system.)

This is what you look like at 1:00 in the morning after only 3 hours sleep, on your way to a 4 hour stint of neighbourhood watch!

Do I look sick? I am believe it or not!
Poor Franco (6 1/2 months) has tonsillitis! I looked after him today, because I did not have school today. (A happy co-incidence for me, but a sad day for Tammy: they went to her grandfather's funeral.) Anyway Franco was still feeling a bit grotty and had to be either entertained or put in his cot for another short nap. (I lost count of how many times we went up and down the stairs...) But he had times when he felt fine. His Bambino swing is a real blessing. He loves it, and it keeps him distracted and happy for ... well for reasonable periods. Here he was squeeling with delight!

Not a royal wave but Franco spinning the toys on his swing with enthusiasm.

We tried outdoor as well - smelled the roses, touched the stones... Franco enjoyed sitting on the grass for at least....well, only for a few minutes, but it was fun while it lasted!

'n Blommetjie? Moet ek daaraan vat? As Ouma so se...

By the time Gert got home, Franco was feeling much better, and again squeeled in delight on his father's knee. He loves "riding horse" and playing with a nappy over his face.

After my stint with Franco, I quickly went to see my other grandchild. She enjoys her playmat more and more. Here she has discovered the noisy sun!

Thelwyn stares at her computer with disgust. There is something wrong with her blog and she cannot upload any pictures. Big frustration for all. (See my bloglist). Look at her lovely new cushions.

Martelize with Oupa Jan

A very proud Oupa Jan!
Our dear friends Frank and Maritha (spel?) Haupt visited us today - but we forgot to take photos! Frans, Thelwyn and Hendrik were also here. While Frans and Thelwyn went to the stables, Martelize woke up and Oupa Jan enjoyed playing with Martelize.

Wat doen Oupa? Nibbling cute little fingers, but not much reaction.

But a big smile when Oupa brought Eyore close.

Concentration! Holding Eyore with two hands.

A smile and a royal wave for Oom Hendrik. Her clothes said 100% Huggable and that she is! Hendrik thought she looked particularly adorable in this suit and so did we. (Today was the first cool day in weeks. We had 14 mm of rain.)