Sooooo Proud !!!

O.M.G I can't believe it my son'shine' came 1st in his class for this term !!!!!

His teacher had 'hinted' that Kelsey was getting a Merit Award at the End of Term Assembly but never in a million years did I think he would be getting 1st place as well !!!!! His Certificate of Merit ' was awarded for 'Consistent Hard Work & Positive Attitude AND he also got FIRST PLACE for this term in his class !!!!

Sorry the photo of him receiving his award is a bit blurred I couldn't stop shaking ... and of course the eyes full of tears didn't help me to focus properly (LOL)

L-R: Ms Chapman (Principal), Kelsey, Mrs Smith (Deputy Principal & HOD GR7 )
Takes any chance offered to chat up the birds !!!!
Waiting patiently for his turn:
Oh! have to mention this .... Ibis (whoop! whoop!) is top of the 'House Board' for this term ... go IBIS !!! (yup that's our team and the mum's have a bigger 'rivalry' going on than the kids)

Well done Kelsey... dad & I are the most proudestest of parents ever ... especially after the tough slog we've gone through to get you where you are now ... so the hard work begins ... to keep you at the top !!! "Love you my boy xxx mwah !"

Ok now all that excitement is over, well we've had 24hours of excitement ... Paul is here ... yup he arrived safely ... what a fright he got landing at Durban International Airport ... every ones luggage got searched by customs (well there's only 1 international flight a day at the mo. gotta give the guys something to do ... in prep for the hoards of tourist coming soon !!!!)ooops!!! T.G. the contraband was well concealed ... the 'Creme Eggs', the Pontefract Cakes, the Thornton's Licorice Toffee and the Pear Drops ... hey who cares about the half a dozen cell phones he was carrying !!! (OOOOPs did I print that out loud !!! ;-)

Of course Kelsey was sooo excited to see his dad ... all he wanted to do was get him home and open the 'said' suitcase ... (oh! look at the 6 PS3 games dad brought Kelsey !!!) and the half a dozen latest DvD'S tooo ... well 4 of the games are being kept as 'bribe' material for next term ... OK... ok maybe he deserves another game "did I mention he got 1st place" but he's not getting them all immediately...

Wanna know what I was sooooo excited about .... Not the big red box that has my name on it that I am only allowed to open next week ... No not the pile of Glass Beads that I had ordered and Paul brought over ... No not the pile of acrylic stamps that Sharon organised for me and Paul packed in his case .... YES! YES! YES! to ( ;-0 ) The BIG Padded Brown Envelope Stuffed with 2010 Catalogues OOOOOOOOOO NOW I need some serious ME time !!!!!! PMSL !!! In fact how sad am I ??? I am not allowing myself to open it until I have packed for our week away and done all my 'chores' like a goody 2 shoes !!!! ;-) I keep stroking it as I go past !!!

Nan ... sorry gonna go to bed early every night next week (yeah right)... have some serious reading to do ...

Friends ... won't be on line again now till after our 'Easter Safari' ... setting off at the un'god'liest of hours tomorrow am to get up there before dark tomorrow night .... wishing each and everyone of you all the Peace, Love and Chocolate for this Easter ... promise to update you all when we get back ... around about Monday 5th April .... ERM ... that date sounds familiar ???? gotta rack my brains to think what it is !!!!

1 more sleep to go ...

Yes! can you believe it but this time tomorrow Kelsey & I will be standing at the airport waiting for Paul ... AGAIN !!!

I hope this good weather holds out for him ... although it gets a bit cooler at night and 1st thing in the morning, but the days are gorgeous ... ;-)

I thought this week would just drag by but no ... and I still have to pack stuffs for our week away next week ... want to do tons of crafting and stuffs with Nan !!!! Oh well I'm sure I'll be able to throw something together for us to do ... and I still have to fit in Ouma's Bead shopping before we leave ... (oh I know it's a tough job but someone's gotta do it !!! ;-)

And then Friday at school is a short day ... End Of Term Assembly and then leave at about 10ish ... wow and another term over ... I can't wait to see my son'shines' report card ... I do believe we are in for a good one this term (I hope anyway). We're both very tired now and can't wait for the holidays .... we've worked hard this term .-)

I've done no crafting this week ... shock horror ... I got some more clay off Penny !!! (Have I lost my mind ??? maybe a little ... but I want to take it with me to have a play up at Nan's) I bought a set of Butterfly Cookie Cutters at the weekend and I can visualise (wow that's a posh word) what I'm going to do with them !!!!

At last Juno remembered (baby almost here so she has a good excuse ha! ha! )to send me the photos of the girls with their completed Tag Books ...

Don't they all look so good ... wonder how many will be back next term ... or will I have to start all over again????

So... what did you do this weekend?

Well I've had yet another socially acceptable weekend ... how about you?

Friday night saw me all dolled up for a Ladies Night at Hillcrest High ... what a great evening ... all those young hunky men ... definitely got the hormones raging a bit (well I don't have a man in my life all the time you know that !!!) managed to take a couple of photos before they turned the lights down low !!! really low once the kit came off!!!!

Such a pity the night was not supported by more people ... But those that were there had a great time...

Yours truly ... all dolled up:

L-R: Sally,Debbie & yours truly ... (no these 2 are not sisters !!! & believe it or not but they work together at Hillcrest Primary School at TA's)

Lana (the aqua coach) & me ...

The East Coast Radio Ladies Night Out Boys : check those rippling muscles ;-)

Saturday I took mum & Kelsey to the Pavilion ... I'd promised Kelsey that if he did well in his exams this term I would treat him to the CD he's been pestering me about "Clubtrax 2010" and a "Rugga-Rang"(it's a rugby training thing) ... needless to say he got both cos he has done soooo well ... plus he actually took his own money and bought himself a new rugby kit ... then as an extra treat (for both of us !!!) we went to the movies to see The Tooth Fairy... I sooo want to loose more teeth if I can get me a Tooth Fairy that looks like that ... Yummy serious eye candy

Today we went to Aunty June's for Sunday lunch ... delicious !!! Thank you Aunty June ... and Irena & I watched 8 episodes of True Blood back to back ... yet more yummy eye candy !!!! Now I am really Vampired out for a while ... that Bill Compton he's a bit of alrighty too ... sorry going on a bit ... and then tonight it was even more eye candy ... cos we watched Australia ... now I could definitely go for a drove with the Hugh Jackman ...

Heck the hormones are on fire !!!! Watch out Paul !!! LMAO ;-0

Finally ....

I've got my camera back ... I know I said to the guy I had to have it back before the end of March ... but I didn't think he thought I meant on the last day ... but it's back ... and just in time too ...

School Rugby has started again ... sorry guys you're gonna get swamped with photos of my Sunshine playing rugby .... they played yesterday against Northlands Primary ... of course our team won ... Kelsey played in the 2nd's team !!!! (better to play a full game in 2nd's than to sit on the bench in 1sts)

Now check out this handsome young man ... all the weight he has lost and boy, is he growing too....

Here I go again ... back on my soap box !!! (and sorry Kelsey if my ranting get you into more S...)I know results are the most important (for the school etc. etc.) but hey these are kids and it irritates the shit out of me that 'adults' get to play 'demi-gods' over these kids ... well Kelsey has achieved 4 out of his 5 goals already for this year !!!!and no matter what team he is on I am incredibly proud of my son .... his 5th goal being to get into the 1st team for Rugby ... seems although the 'coach' is stringing the boys along with his ' I haven't chosen the 1st Team yet' speech .... it it as obvious as the nose on the face .... of course he has ... hey it's all his blue eyed boy wonders ... with parents and kids who kiss ass ... (and you all know I don't kiss ass for nowt !!!!) BUT again all I can say the fact my son only started playing Rugby beginning of 2009 ... he has come along tremendously ... and I will continue to tell him what a wonderful young man he is and what a fantastic player he is ... even if other A#!! .. ? can't see ... he may not be the MOST athletic but he has the biggest heart and desire to play .... so stuff the lot of them who don't see it .... AND so endeth that rant !!!!

Where has the rest of the week gone ??? don't know? Does SA have a shortest day ??? at the moment feels like all of them are too damned short... Tuesday was the last of this terms Papercrafting class ... I took photos of their final mini-books using Juno's camera ...now just got to remind her to send me the photos !!! (she's pregnant so she is very forgetful ... not her fault LOL) I will post the photos as soon as I can ... !!! Seems next term might not have the same bunch ... girls hockey is so much more fun than my class (W.T.F) think some of them just not in it for the long haul ... kids are so fickle (LOL) ... well lets wait and see ... and my trusty helper (Juno) she's making silly excuses too ... like she'll have her new baby to play with instead !!!!

Oh Please ... what is more important -no really what is ????

We've got a long weekend ahead to look forward to ... Sunday is Human Rights Day ... so the kids get Monday off school for the Sunday Public Holiday .... NOT BAD ... Tomorrow they finish even earlier than normal ... seems our school is hosting a teachers conference so the kids get let out early so we parents can free up the car park for the conference delegates !!! (Have you ever!) THEN ... next week is the last week of the term ... we finish on Friday at 10ish after final assembly, and we're off for 2 weeks ...

Paul arrives Thursday night so he'll be here for final assembly too ... Kelsey likes to 'show' the other kids he does have a dad ...

Then we're going up to Polokwane for a few days, over the Easter break ... to Ben & Nan's again ... just gotta go and make sure Ben is looking after all those animals on the Game Reserve properly (pmsl)... plus Nan & I hope the boys are going to take the kids off to do 'Things' so Nan & I can CRAFT all day !!!!

Oh! the simple pleasures in life ... early sunrises, the roar of the lions, the sound of the bush, the heat of the sun, the smell of the braai, the taste of the wine (or any alcohol for that matter but for poetic justice we'll keep wine in that sentence!!!) the true feeling of peace ....

What more could anyone ask for ???

Something I forgot ...

I forgot to mention ... the sunshine of my life, my boy was in the newspaper ... and no not in the 'wanted' adds !!! lol ....

I think I mentioned the school kids were allowed to celebrate 100 days to the Soccer World Cup by dressing up in Bafana Bafana's colours ... here's a photo that was in the local rag showing their support : Anyone spot my boy????

I know some of you think I forgot MOTHERS DAY ... well I didn't ... we (here in SA) celebrate Mother's day in May ???? Don't ask me why I have no idea ... seems Africa again has it's own set of rules .... but for those Mothers out there that did celebrate it on Sunday 14th, in the UK ... and other places in the world ... hope you had a really great day.

Here is a little poem I was sent and it lets mum's know how important we really are (little eyes see everything):

WHEN YOU THOUGHT I WASN'T LOOKING

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you hang my
first painting on the refrigerator, and I immediately
wanted to paint another one.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you feed a
stray cat, and I learned that it was good to be kind
to animals.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you make my
favorite cake for me, and I learned that the little
things can be the special things in life.

When you thought I wasn't looking I heard you say a
prayer, and I knew that there is a God I could always
talk to, and I learned to trust in Him.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you make a
meal and take it to a friend who was sick, and I
learned that we all have to help take care of each other.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you take care
of our house and everyone in it, and I learned we have
to take care of what we are given.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw how you
handled your responsibilities, even when you didn't
feel good, and I learned that I would have to be
responsible when I grow up.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw tears come
from your eyes, and I learned that sometimes things
hurt, but it's all right to cry.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw that you
cared, and I wanted to be everything that I could be..

When you thought I wasn't looking I learned most of
life's lessons that I need to know to be a good and
productive person when I grow up.

When you thought I wasn't looking I looked at you and
wanted to say,'Thanks for all the things I saw when
you thought I wasn't looking.'

Thanks for being my Mum.

OOooops !!!

Well they say a change is as good as a holiday ... so I'm having a Caribbean, Sunny, Volcanic break !!! based on the new hair colour ... ooops maybe it's a little 'different' so I'm back on an ORANGE faze ???? Hey maybe I look good in orange ??? Oh well the hair will grow and the colour will eventually fade ... wanted to make a statement for when Paul arrives and hey it says on the box : 'Craving some Personal ATTENTION?' well !!!! what's the problem then ?

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Does it look like I'm going bald tooo !!!! O.M.G!!! No it's just it's been cut really short again .... with all the water sports (LOL) I'm doing it is so much easier !!!!

OK rest of Weekend ... Saturday the show was busy ... not too many big spenders but the sales were there and I think Penny was very, very happy with the final tally .... I think we'll be doing that show again and as we have nothing to compare it to !!!! We did manage to get about 8 pages of addresses etc. to start our mailing list ... everybody and I mean everybody was desperately looking to do workshops !!!! Like I have a problem with that ... all I have to do now is find 'bricks & mortar'!!!!(some of them even begged to come to my classes ... they thought I was fun!!! LOL they will learn eventually !!!... no comments you lot out there !!!) ;-)

Here's some photos of the bit's & pieces I made eventually .... by Saturday I had mastered the clay ... and it's properties ... Penny still thinks the vase of flowers should be on her shelf !!!! .... I decided to keep even the broken ones ... thought I could make a 'he loves me, he loves me not' card with the broken off petals !!!! How good am I eh?

I made the necklaces based on the colour schemes I was going to wear each day ....that's the beauty of making your own jewellery .... These little roses came about because there was another stand that was selling 'porcelain roses' 1 rose for the price of a whole block of our clay ... so I stared demonstrating how to make your own roses ... before I knew it I was also showing the 'cake decorators' how to make roses out of 'plastic icing & moulding paste' .... Seems now-a-days they just use moulds ... so I showed them how easy it was to do these, no more moulds sold! ...at 1 point we had about 20 cake decorators standing around !!! See how versatile I am !!!!

The final vase .... by the end of the weekend ... Penny I promise I'll make you a vase too .... with all the left overs from the weekend .... ;-)

All the heart pendants ... Penny broke one of the main cutters I had started out using so we went to plan B ... I then used the heart cutters instead !!!! Yes I know Mudpie - I don't do hearts, but the customers doooo !!! and they loved these too ... mind you so do I now ...

Don't ask me what I'm going to do with all the hearts ... I'm sure I'll make a plan !!! In fact I can just see them hanging on a wire tree standing in The Polymer Clay Store ... when we get it opened !!!

Yesterday was a proper ... day of rest ... long lie in ... it was wet & miserable ... lots of comfort food ... book reading and 'girly' sloppy movie watching ... Kelsey also had a long lie in. "They didn't get much sleep but they had a lot of fun" at camp and I think he was grateful for a weekend of nothing-ness .... Mind you he can't wait for dad to come out now ... he's mastered all his current games and he's hoping dad is going to bring him some more ????

Only 10 more sleeps till dad gets here !!!!! 11 more sleeps till the school holidays, hurray !!!!

He's Back !!!

My Boy is back .... yup and this is just the things he had on !!!! look at the colour of those WHITE !!! sox (NOT) O.M.G and mum had washed out his shorts before I got in ... BUT he said he'd had a great time ... seems they spent most of their time in MUD !!! all this team building, obstacle coursing, orienteering, trekking, hiking, outdoorsy type of stuff !!!! And of course he has a sore throat ... just like last time ... I'm told it has something to do with the 'War Cries'!!! OK ;-0

A couple of lovely ladies that we met yesterday ... Heidi & Pearl took some photos of Penny & I at the show ( looking oh so professional NOT) and Heidi very kindly e-mailed me the photos ... thanks doll ... lovely meeting you both.

This was Durban this morning at 8am... from the terrace of the racecourse ... look at the colour of that sky ... it was a scorcher of a day today too .... only 32c (ooops sorry just had to get a weather mention in somewhere !!! LOL)

Our stand all set up and ready for business today ...

Look at the lovely pot of flowers I made today (MINE) seems Penny think it has her name on it ... NOT ... Gorgeous eh??? and I made them all using the Kato -Polymer Clay ... see maybe I can do something with this clay after all AND they are flat backed so I could always add them to my cards or a scrapbook page or two !!! LOL
We had another great fun day ... here's Penny counting all her 'dosh'. Funny there seemed to be less people today but the takings for the day was up from yesterday ... we had the big spenders in !!! ;-)
Now we've been given 2 stories for tomorrow ... apparently there's over 800 people booked (which is good!!!!) BUT they aren't Big Spenders ... oh! well just think of all the lovely flowers I'll get to make tomorrow .... but I've been given strict instructions ... early to bed and wake up all bright eyed and bushy tailed .... He He !!!!

Interesting ... very interesting !!!

So here we are Thursday night ... AGAIN ... what can I say other than where the hell has this week gone again ???

MMM Monday .... mum doggy sat for Aunty June ... I went to Aqua ... then went home ... ummm... can't remember what I did till picking Kelsey up from school, then we ran around getting the rest of the things he needed for his trip this week , picked mum up ... he went for a swim ... I had too many aches and pains to go Line Dancing and then ... onto Tuesday ... Crafting ... the girls started a new project last week .... I introduced them to Chalk Pastels and the ever famous 'Tag Books' .... the kids were fascinated at what you can do with chalks ... some of them had never even heard of Pastels before !!!

Here's some of my samples ... no there's nothing wrong with you computer if it looks like the colour's changed from picture 1 - 4 ... I'm busy making 2 Tag Books for 2 very special occasions ... but I can't show you the finished books yet cos it would spoil the surprise and I know both the people read my blog ... Keep you all guessing !!!

These are the blank -white- concertina Tag Books ....
Firstly we colour them using decorating chalks or soft pastels ....

Then give the edges definition by inking around them with Chalk Inks ...

Next you can stamp the background ... That's all for this session ...

I have to remember to take some photos of the kids books when they are finished ... I am really proud of the work they are doing ... how much they have learnt and progressed in 5 short weeks ...

Tuesday night we packed Kelsey's kit bag ... I'm a typical mother ... over stressing... has he got enough clothes has he got the right stuff ... he was just lay on the bed watching me running around like a turkey !!! Sound familiar ????

Well Wednesday saw him packed off to school ... sleeping bag and all ... and then I was back home and packing my car for the show !!! ...

First I had to find the place ... Greyville Racecourse ... one of the biggest in our area ... they hold the Durban July there every year and I remember Stef & I going there once for Ladies Day at least a millennium ago !!! PMSL ....

I have to say it was the quickest set up I have EVER done ... arrived at noon and was on our way out by 1.30pm ... Penny was 'skiving' from her full time job to get set up !!! (oops!!! Hope no one important - like the boss - reads this ??? ) she set up in her lunch hour (ha Ha)

The stand:

Then this morning I had to do the commute into Durban during morning traffic ... hell why would anyone in their right mind do that every day ??? You must be CRAZY ... considering in non rush hour traffic it took me 45mins to find my way home ... this morning it took me an hour and a half !!!(and I was supposed to know where I was going lol!so why do they call it rush hour when it lasts so bloody long ????) BUT we did it we were ready for the customers on time ... and the day progressed ... after a while the 'bull s...' ooops I mean banter came back, and I felt like 'I WAS HOME' ... the customers were a hoot ... they all had a great sense of humour (well they needed it with me rabbiting on ) and before we knew it it was lunch time!!!

The show is set up a lot different from the ones in the UK ... every stand has tables & chairs around them for demonstrators and customers to sit at and watch what's going on ... there were PAID workshops going on in between stands ... apparently the entrance fee includes a lunch ... so between 12hoo and 14hoo there's a serious lull in the numbers wandering around ... and we even got time to eat ... (not that that ever stopped me before ... NO M&M's though !!!) seems that's the way they do it here ... but very nice... lots of interesting things to see from beading, crafting, painting, teddy bear making ... and lots more. (never be competition for the NEC)

Here's Yours Truly doing her stuff ...

Penny ... baking clay not cookies ... guess there's no dinner in there house tonight ... that's her house stove ... !!! LOL
During Lunch Time ....
And then we finished off at 4.15pm and had to be out by 4.30pm ... WOW ...

Well another day tomorrow ... let you know how it goes ... oh Nan tell mum she would have had a Ball !!! and an empty purse !

Oh got home and the house was soooo quiet ... really missing my boy BUT it was sooo nice not to have Homework to do ... well I don't have school homework but Penny gave me homework ... she wants a necklace just like mine ... I made mine out of the 'scrap' bits of clay she was going to throw away ... now she wants one !!!! I mean really !!!! Will take photos for tomorrow.

Weekend Entertainment

Well for a change we've had a hectic social weekend ... and the sun has decided to show it's pretty face ... so I'm H.A.P.P.Y !!! again ... see weather related mood swings !!!

Saturday I got my wished for lie in ... well till 8.45 ... then realised I was wasting 'drying' time ... so it was a load of washing in the machine ... then I went and 'snoozed' for about another half an hour ... see this was the reason I wanted it to be wet & miserable so I could spend the day in bed and not feel guilty about wasting a perfectly good day !...

Now my sister-in-law Penny has somehow convinced me to 'demonstrate' for her at a Craft Show this coming weekend ... so I hear you say what's the problem ??? well her store is called 'The Polymer Clay Store' so .... guesses as to what I'm demonstrating ???? (It sure as hell ain't paper !!!) so I have been playing with clay !!! Can't (or rather won't) show you any of my 'samples' cos they're bad ... real bad ... I hope I get a bit better before I have to sit in front of folk and talk ... mind you the talking bit is easy (PMSL) Don't get me wrong I think I've got some great ideas but they never turn out quite like I can see them in my head (LOL) (paper is soooo much easier to work with !!! )

Penny popped round to finalise the arrangements for the weekend and we had a look at my stands and stuff ... so I got to do a bit more moving around in the garage ... (hell I have a lot of stock out there !!!) oH well that's another story I guess ...

Kelsey had a great Saturday ... he was invited to a '13th Birthday Party - Disco' in the evening ... so my boy got himself all 'spruced' up and went for a 'joll' (a bit of a dance!!!) ... he says he had a great time ... I guess the fact he was crashed out on the couch asleep within 10 mins of getting home says it all ...

Today was my day for yet more socialising ... it was Juno's baby shower ... and what a great afternoon ... her friends organised a lovely 'spread', lots of yummy food ... the theme was frogs !!! so we even had frog shaped cookies and chocolates too ... and Juno got some lovely gifts for baby ... due 8th April ... (she is sooo going to be in for a hard time ... an Aries - Girl ... sister you have no idea ... ask me !!! PMSL)

But in between getting up and going to my social event ... I decided I was a little late with February's Calendar Page ... so did half before I went ...

And finished it off this afternoon when I got back ... hence the 2 colour schemes ... the change in light from am to pm ....

OH! Kelsey is away for 3 days next week ... the Grade 7's are going to Roselands ??? So we've been sorting out his 'kit list'! - how come you know where everything is till you need it ??? And how typical is it ... his group are going Wednesday/Thursday/Friday ... and I'm working the show Wed/Thur/Fri ... see the pattern here ... I had hoped he'd go in group 1 which is away Mon-Wed ... but not my luck ... now I've had to organise someone to collect him Friday to get him home after camp ... oh well another challenge I guess ... T.G. I have some good friends I can scream 'help' to !!! (isn't that right Juno??) BUT Penny did say I could go early on Friday if I needed to ... I'm just having a moan for the sake of it and trying to make others feel 'bad' !!! the trials & tribulations of a single (NOT) mum !!!!

And that just about sums up the weekend ... Hope yours was a good as mine ... but I'm not sure we got 2 full days this weekend ... and there I was not so long ago moaning about my dislike for weekends !!! Never Happy this woman .... xxxoooxxx.

Not such a good week ...

I most definitely, 100%, positively think my 'frame of mind' (if I have one) is related to the weather !!!!

I've had a crap week this week - mentally, emotionally, everything-ally ??? and I can't explain why except for the fact that from the 1st March the weather has changed !!!! It has been much cooler (in fact bloody cold!!!) and I just don't seem to be able to get myself motivated or even remotely interested ... I feel like I'm just going thru the 'motions' ... the routines ... (oh wo is me) SO I figured if 'journaling' is supposed to help and as I can't be arsed to put pen to paper ... I'll blog it instead ... theoretically this is journaling ... isn't it? without the pretty papers, pictures and colour ... but I can change the colour of my words if I want.

I'll tell you my week and you let me know if there's another 'logical' explanation for it !!!

I mean nothing else has changed this week, Tuesday I still did my class with the kids ... and I threw a 'hissy' fit cos they stuffed up my already stuffed up chalks ???? But ... I then went home and moaned about the food mum had prepared (yes it has only taken me 6 months to get her there !!!!) and I stuffed it up cos I 'complained' that she makes her salad too chunky !!! I mean really it's salad Janet ... W.T.F. ....(she then said something to me... I said something back ... you know the routine ... we went to bed p'd off ... and still feeling the tension !!! )

Kelsey seems to be having even greater difficulty getting out of bed this week .... but then again so am I ... I mean suddenly 1st March hits and it's dark in the morning !!!! I'm sure last week it was light when I was getting up ... it doesn't help that since the beginning of this year I have been having difficulty sleeping ... a couple of hours here and there ... didn't seem to bother me as I've never been a great sleeper ... and I wasn't feeling tired or anything ... NOW all I want to do is sleep ... we were late this morning cos I turned over and went back to sleep ... can't blame poor Kelsey for that ... but we were late the rest of the week cos he wouldn't get out of his 'pit' ... I can't wait for tomorrow .... I intend to sleep ALL day (bet you the damned sun shines!!! LOL)

And then this morning when we did eventually manage to get ourselves out of the house ... thick mist, wet, damp, with the sky sitting on our heads ....

Monday's Aqua class was the first time since I started that I didn't enjoy it ... I left there feeling all miserable and down in the dumps !!! I was COLD !!! even though the sun was shining ... the water just wasn't warm enough BUT then Wednesday it was raining & misty, we did Aqua and it was lovely !!!! Go Figure !!!!

Kelsey was due to play Cricket yesterday ... we got there ... his team went into bat ... due to the weather they limited it to 15 overs ... our school never got to field ... it was rained/misted off ... the kids couldn't see the ball half the time .... !!!!

We have had continuous 'power' outs this week too ... Monday all day on and off ... last night for NO apparent reason ... power went out at 6pm ... dinner wasn't yet ready ... and I had a mum's meeting to go to ... so I took Kelsey & mum to a restaurant for dinner ... I had my meeting and then I joined them ... when we got home at 9pm the power was back on, and last nights dinner becomes tonight's !!! (well at least that's 1 less thing to 'stress' over)

So DR. based on this information & the 'tone' of the week ... diagnosis ???

Soap Box Central ...

Sorry folks but I'm on my soap box again ... shouting about the injustices etc ...

Here we are in 'sunny'(well not exactly today) South Africa, we're supposed to be living in a modern country !!!! with a democratically elected government etc. etc. etc. ... we have our share of 'issues' we have our share of wealth & poverty !!!! and we have a government that 'ALLOWS' the ONLY electricity supplier in our country to increase their prices by 28.5%!!!! W.T.F

Did you know there are still people living here in SA that don't even have access to electricity never mind increasing it by this amount ... but hey that's not REALLY why I'm on my soap box !!! Saturday night we had no electricity from 8pm to midnight !!!! Sunday night we had no electricity from 8pm - 10pm !!! and then again all day yesterday the power was on and off like a disco light !!!! BUT WE STILL HAVE TO PAY THE 28.5% increase ...

East Coast Radio (our local radio station) had a talk show/phone in etc. on the other day and there was a lady (a pensioner) who came on the radio. She told the listeners the kind of money she receives as a pension (which literally is less than peanuts!!!) and with the price increase, her and her hubby have to make a decision whether they will pay the increase or have no food for the month !!!! YES FOLKS that is how bad it is ... they said they are going to have their electricity disconnected ... they are going to buy gas bottles, a gas cooker and gas lights (as in camping gear) because that will be the only way they can afford to live !!!! AND trust me when I say this they will not be the only ones ...

And so endeth that rant !!!!!

Apparently there are only 100 days left to the 2010 Soccer World Cup !!! (like who cares really!!!) I guess the kids at school are happy ... today they are allowed to go to school in civvies as long as they are the colours of the SA flag !!! and all our kids are getting extra time of school in June/July while the World Cup Soccer is on .... 5 weeks holidays !!! added to the existing school year ... I mean do our kids not need the education or will the Soccer World Cup provide them with those all important pieces of information that will help them to pass this year ???? (hopefully all the kids will pass Geography cos they should at least know where in the world all the teams are from !!!! )

But hey!!! lets not mention the huge big stadiums that have been built (who pays for them?) the extra roads that have been built for all the extra people due !? (who pays for that?) the 'building' improvements, the bigger airports, all the extra accommodation that is going to be needed for all these tourists(?!!?) AND THEN what happens when the Final Whistle is blown ???? Just who will be left to pick up all the pieces !!! (and the bills?!?)

AND so endeth THE lesson .... ?