A Blue, Blue Day

Saturday was a BIG rugby day:

• It was the final of the Super 14 - and South Africa has seldom made it to the final.
• It was against a New Zealand side - our arch rivals
• It was our regional team....The Blue Bulls of course... and it was a home game!

We did not have tickets, (too expensive and too cold) but that did not dampen our enthusiasm. As for the Curry Cup final last year our family got together again.

The L's were the first to arrive. Franco had tonsillitis and ear infection....again... despite all the Respitrol, Viral Choice and what have you. Poor little boy! Here his parents administer his medication with great care so that he won't throw up.

The H's made it just in time for kick off. I had bought Franco and Martelize "Blue Bull" uniforms - not the real Mc Coy - cheap jerseys from Pep, but its the blue that counts.

The game had started and would you believe it? The Chiefs scored the first try! Utter dismay!

What is rugby without "droe wors en biltong" (dried sausage and meat)? Frans bought us a heap and chewing helped to relieve the pressure.

Martelize thoroughly enjoyed sucking a piece of biltong. She soon protested when Thelwyn took it away when it became too soggy and a choking danger... she went through quite a few pieces.

Franco being Franco looked at his with disgust at first. Later he would lick his salty fingers, but never put the biltong directly in his mouth.

We had a bit of a problem! Franco had become very aware of the camera and as soon as the camera light came on, he started to pose.... gone was his usual smile and instead we had this new look. 'n Ouma wat uit haar maag uit vir hom lag, het hom natuurlik in sy "kwaad" gesterk.
(It's going to be tricky to get nice pics of him in future!)

The little ones soon tired of the game and preferred playing on the carpet - first with Franco's walker thingamajic...

And then Ouma's toys... but the favourite toys are the handles and the lever of the chess (see video below).

After eating some of Ouma's butternut soup, Franco was ready for bed in the sleeping bag his Ouma Elna made for him. At least Gert thought it was bedtime, but it turned out, Franco had other ideas.

So what happened with the game in the end? The Bulls won 61-17! Can you believe it! What a big record! What a morale booster...! It was almost like winning the world cup. I loved the way the players acknowledged where their strength came from. Bryan Habana, you are a joy to watch - especially after you have scored!
Tonight the Springbok team (our national team) will be announced. May all the deserving (and only the deserving) players of S.A. get a chance. A good rugby season might instill hope in these difficult times... and hopefully the rugby will inspire Bafana-Bafana (our hopeless national soccer side) as well.

"Whose lever is this anyway?" Franco and Martelize showing first signs of rivalry. He is 13 months and Martelize is 10 months old.

A winter warmer

On Saturday we went to brother in law, Marthinus's birthday celebration at his sister's house in Waverley. Half the guests watched the super 14 rugby semifinal between the Bulls (Pretoria's rugby team in case you didn't know) and the Crusaders (from Christchurch, Nea-Zealand - our rugby arch rivals). The Bulls won (of course)! While half the guests were glued to the T.V. some of us preferred chatting around the coffee table. Louise had the most scrumptious goodies as usual and well... goodbye diet! You can guess that I was one of the coffee table guests!

Marthinus's sister and husband had been to Russia in 1991 and they had travelled here, there and everywhere. I talked about what we were planning to wear on our trip later this year - to dress in layers etc. and she gave me the following tip:

Take a pair of pantyhose and cut out the gusset and cut off the feet - pull it over your head and you have a wonderful spencer! (Head through the hole you cut out, arms in the legs and the panty part over your torso.)

Today was a bit chilly, so I tried it out. (Had to search for pantyhose though - hardly ever wear them nowadays). I thought I would have to cut out a bigger hole than just the gusset, but it stretches incredibly -you really need cut out only the gusset. It fits like... well like the 2nd skin pantyhose is. It was wonderfully warm and not bulky at all. It fit under my tight fitting T-shirt. (I didn't buy the T-shirt tightfitting, it just sort of became tight fitting because I guess I sort of grew...) There is definitely no space for an ordinary spencer under this T-shirt and anyway, even if there was, a spencer would have stuck out at the neck. It seems all T-shirts and jerseys (sweaters) have open necks these days.

So, if you are like me, lucky enough not to suffer from hot flushes, (hormones are such bliss) I can really recommend this. I was feeling snug as bug all day - without layers of jerseys and jackets. (I only put on a thin jacket when Jan and I went for a walk at 18:00.) And the "spencer" did not stick out anywhere, anytime. And it did not itch or scratch or anything.

Of course if it does get too hot on the trip and I want to take it off, the "pantyhose spencer" will easily squash into my handbag.. or I can throw it away. It's not like it cost the earth. I think this is the best invention since..... well since pantyhose!

Russia, here we come!

What is a journal without photos? Martelize was the only pebble on the beach this weekend. She has discovered the fun of crawling outside. She is a very determined crawler and it takes her only seconds to get up the stair of the scullery and out the back door....

Why does Pharaoh move away when I get near?

I just want to pat you...

Crawling on the lawn is better.

Crawling on stony terrain slows her down, but it doesn't stop her. Here she is on her way to her Oupa who came back from inspecting the newly made fire breaks.
Have a great week!

Only one photo week

Only one photo this week, but it has been a wonderful week. Jan and I celebrated our wedding aniversary by going to La Fayette for supper - very romantic - loved the music. We talked and dreamed a lot.
Saturday was spent cleaning the house and Jan gave Hendrik some advice on a "labour of love" that he was working on. (Love so brings out the best in a person.) Despite working till late, he did not quite finish it and was a bit frustrated with himself.

Sunday Jan and I went shopping - not our custom to shop on Sundays, but it was fun. We bought... a white slave for the scullery - the type you plug in. He/ she / it better live up to our expectations and do a good job. At least all my plates - even the large old fashioned Noritake plates - fit in this one. Advice for anyone who wants to buy such a slave: Do not buy the type whose name starts with a K and ends with an r - not even if it is a R1000 cheaper and not unless you have tiny plates. There is a lesson to be learnt here!

We also bought the dogs better blankets than the grey ones we bought at Makro about 2 months ago. The dogs have shredded those to pieces. My plan is to cover the blankets with mini-mat. Hope the material is strong enough. The idea is to have bedding for the dogs that is warm, but also easy to wash regularly. (Now I just have to do it - along with a heap of other sewing like shortening sleeves. Any tips on how to shorten the sleeves of jerseys? And jackets with linings? I keep putting it off.)

We also bought Jan a fleecy jacket and a thick windbreaker jacket for THE TRIP later this year. These two layers are a lot cheaper than the ones with the zippered lining... like R1000 cheaper....Plans....Dreams...Fun...!

However, the Green Cross walking shoes I had bought had to be returned. I never fitted the left shoe in the shop and it was decidedly uncomfortable. (There is another lesson to be learnt here!)

We had lunch with the L's. Franco had had a terrible fever earlier this week, but by Sunday he was fine. However, he started to sport an awful looking rash. We decided it was "Baby Measles" i.e. Roseolla.

Hardly saw the H's this past week. Martelize was apparently not too well either. I hope to see Thelwyn soon. My Russia DVD's from Amazon have been delivered to her work. I can't wait to get them.... Amazon warned that they might not work on our DVD player because they are region 1, but I decided to go ahead and order them anyway. (So hope that there is not a lesson to be learnt here!)

Frans and Thelwyn had a funeral on Monday: The parents of close friends of theirs had died in a car crash last week. A terrible, double tragedy.

(What if it had been us? What if both of us had gone... right now!? What if the children had to come and sort out our mess? We'd better get our buts in gear and start... what? Sorting our stuff? Updating our testament? Book space in a retirement.....!? At least there will be some (organised) memoirs in cyberspace!)

Elrika's Baby Shower

A week ago Thelwyn, Martelize (of course) and I went to the baby shower of Elrika. She has been Thelwyn's friend since they were two years old. Her mother, Elsa, two other friends and I had an "exhange" play group back then. Each of us would get a turn to look after all the children once a fortnight. That meant 3 child free mornings every in return for the "service"! Real life savers for us moms: it meant (inter alia) one could go shopping without towing the toddlers and babies along! I would recommend such an arrangement for any stay at home moms! Elsa, Brenda and I have remained very good friends ever since.

Martelize was as good as gold in the car to Midrand and at the party - that after having had a crying spell all morning. (If only babies could say what was wrong!) Here she is unpacking Thelwyn's bag while we were waiting for Elrika to come down. She did not know about the baby shower: here in South Africa we like to keep it a surprise. Her friend had invited her for a massage and while they were busy upstairs, her mother and other friends quickly set the tables with really delicious goodies. Elrika never suspected a thing - she did not know about the cars that were being parked on the sidewalk while she was being pampered. I thought having the guest of honour in the house beforehand was a very clever idea, because the parked cars can be a dead give away.

Another good idea was to have the tea party before the opening of the presents. That gave Elrika chance to say hello to everyone, and anyone who was in a hurry could leave whenever they wanted. Here is Elrika (the pregnant one obviously) talking to friends. Elrika is expecting baby daughter Janelle in 5 weeks time. We were over the moon when we heard that she was pregnant. They had struggled to fall pregnant for years.

Everyone settling down for the opening of the presents. My friend Elsa in the foreground.

Thelwyn and another very good Kempton Park friend of mine, Rouxlene. Rouxlene was also part of the exchange playgroup at some stage. She was an excellent math's teacher and a real inspiration to my children. She and Elsa now work for her engineer brother. Elsa was also a teacher before. (Rouxlene, by the way, if you are reading this, we hope to be reading your blog soon. Just go to www.blogger.com and create a blog - it's that simple! Even if you don't start a blog, just register, so that you can at least comment and let me know when you have read my blog.)

Another very dear Kempton Park friend, Irmgardt. We come a long way too. Like some of Elsa's and Rouxlene's children, her children were in my "official" (i.e. not exchange) playgroup and she referred many friends to me. I had a playgroup in Van Riebeeckpark for 9 wonderful years - until God sent me to Con Amore, a school for severely mentally handicapped children - but that is another story. As usual, I digress....
Irmgardt and Annemarie visited me just the other day, but we had so much visiting to do, that I completely forgot to take photos. (Sob!)

Another very good idea: Elsa's cake she had made out of nappies.

(Jy is baie kreatief Elsa - dit was 'n heerlike partytjie, so baie dankie vir die uitnodiging. Ons sien saam met julle met groot verwagting uit na die koms van Janelle!)

Mother's Day and Anne's birthday

My sister, Anne, visited us this weekend. It was her birthday on Mother's Day, so it was a double celebration. It was great having some of her children here too. Here she is with daughter Marianne.

Hendrik, Marianne and Thelwyn went for an early morning ride.

Hendrik on Klasie.

Franco with his best Ouma smile and Ouma bib. He was supposed to be sick, but generally he was his usual cheerful, busy self.

Tired? An active man needs to rest sometimes. Franco leaning on the "walker" we gave him for his first birthday. (They make the cutest toys nowadays.)

Martellize woke up soon and as usual the two cousins were very interested in each other.

Martelize discovered she could crawl up the steps to our bedroom and did it a few times with Franco following in her wake.

"Wat maak Martelize, Franco?"

"Sy kyk vir my!"





The hooter of the bus says "Toot-toot-toot"!

"Don't swallow the blocks, Martelize!"

Two cousins enjoy Tannie Dorette's antics. "Rol op die tolletjie..... trek, trek, klap, klap, klap!"


I hope you all had as great a Mother's Day as we had!

Funny pics

Although the "nice" pics of the weekend are coming up soon, I thought I should not publish only the good ones. I had a good laugh when I saw these - perhaps the children will enjoy them too one day.





I meant to take a photo here - that's why the camera is twisted - only later saw what Franco was up to

So why is he crying, when he is pulling her hair? His Dad scolded him...!

Our babies are "talking" and "walking"

Franco, 12 months and Martelize, 9 months old, having a great time at the windowsill overlooking our garden. All my ornaments had to dissapear of course! The videos are symptomatic of an Ouma who can't choose - I just had to try and capture their first conversations, but of course by the time I realised that these were Kodac moments, the real excitement had passed...