I heart your blog, man...

I didn't for one second believe it would be possible that I'd recieve any kind of award from anyone reading my blog. Although people leave comments and notes (sometimes), I don't think I really, actually believe that there are other human beings out there who enjoy reading about my daily life. I can't believe that other people find it entertaining. Blogs have been under much scrutiny lately and there are many who think they're a silly way of keeping in touch with the world and making oneself heard. Like I already said, for me it's not all about making myself heard, so much as a place to jot down daily thoughts (when I get time). Anyway... Lee over at Pink Granite has awarded me with the "I heart your blog" accolade. Here's my prize...

It's so cool!! I'm stoked! Thanks so much Lee! It's true what you said on your blog, it's heaps of fun meeting new people in the blogsphere.

So, the rules of the game are as follows: -

1. The winner can put the logo on his/her blog;

2. Link to the person who gave you the award;

3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs;

4. Put links to those blogs on yours;

5. Leave a message on the blogs that you’ve nominated.

OK, so picking 7 other blogs that I love isn't as easy as it sounds. Who to pick and who not to pick... Why only 7??? Not that I'm ungrateful or anything, but still...

Anyway, hope no one's offended - and these are in no real order at all!!

1. Wendy at Lily Land

2. Ree at The Pioneer Woman

3. Sandra at Cabbages and Kings

4. Caroline at Family Life

5. Pia at Pia's Portal

6. Nicola at My Cheeky Monkeys

7. Mari at The Little Wriggler

There. Done. Flip, that was hard. Hope nobody else hates me out there!! Also, I've left people off who've already gotten this award. This makes things a bit tougher for those of you who read the same blogs as me - sorry, I hope you're not mad too...

Thanks for reading and for being there for me through thick and thin, no matter what the weather. Oh, and for putting up with my trillions of photos - I have hundreds from the weekend past, but work is just too busy at the moment!!

XXX

Happy Bandana Day!!

So, today is Bandana Day. It's a day many South African's ignore, but to us, it's a day that reminds us each year just how lucky we are to have a father. Bandana day is organised by the Sunflower Foundation (http://www.sunflowerfund.org.za/), which assists in raising funds for leukemia patients.

Globally, there are just not enough bone marrow donors and the chances of finding a compatible donor are, therefore, very small!! The Sunflower Foundation has assisted in increasing the number of registered South African donors from 1,200 in 1999 to just over 63,000 today!! Because the chances of finding a compatible donor are just 1 in 100,000, the number of donors needs to be increased up to 100,000 for the registry to be effective. In addition to this, ethnics also play a huge roll in finding a perfect match and as we live in such a diverse country, according to The Sunflower Foundation, we need to have approximately 400,000 registered donors in order for this system to work effectively in South Africa. Since tissue type testing is a relatively expensive procedure, from which you may never see a result, many people choose not to be tested. I am registered as a donor - 1 in amongst those 63,000 South Africans - and when I registered about 5 years ago, it cost me about R400 to be tested. Many South Africans don't have this kind of money to give away, which is where the Sunflower Foundation comes into play. They've raised over R4M towards testing and continue to do amazing things to improve the chances of finding that perfect match, should the need ever arise. And think about it - what is R400.00 now?? Imagine that it's your child is diagnosed with a life-threating blood disease and that he/she can only be saved by means of a bone marrow transplant? Imagine there is no compatible donor...

As many of you know, my dad was diagnosed with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronic_myelogenous_leukemia) in July 2007. He underwent extreme chemotherapy and radiation (up to an hour full body radiation at a time!!) under his amazing heamotologists - Dr Du Toit & Professor Jacobs and their team of nurses (or angels as my mom calls them). They literally took him to death's door and then brought him back to life again. Fortunately, my dad's brother, was a 100% match and was more then happy to donate his bone marrow to save my dad's life.

I remember visiting my dad in the isolation unit. It was a nightmare. Since his treatment meant that he had absolutely no immune system, we weren't allowed any where near him if we had so much as even a tickle in our throats. We had to go through a special section of the hospital, change from our normal clothing into hospital gear and we had to wash our hands and arms before we were allowed to go through into the isolation area. At times, because of the radiation, my dad was literally burnt right through. He couldn't talk, he couldn't eat, he was skin and bones and he was frail. There were days when he looked like there was no ways he could possibly survive, yet, somehow, none of us believed that he would die. And he was positive from beginning to end. I'm sure there were days when he thought there was no ways that he could take any more, but he did and he has come through this ride a champion. A hero to our family. While he has had a few setbacks along the way, he's all clear and it's been 10 years now since he had his bone marrow transplant!! Go Dad!!

Anyway, I must get back to work. Here's a shot of Jake wearing his bandana (or bandanna as he calls it) in celebration of Bandana Day. In celebration of life and in the hope that our small donations might help make a collective difference. By the way, he's pulling a special pirate's face for the camera...

Lots of love,

Sue xxx

PS. Tomorrow's Heritage Day (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heritage_Day_(South_Africa)) and a public holiday for all South Africans. It's also National Braai Day (BBQ Day) - I hope that you all have a fabulous day off with your family and don't forget to light the fire!! Enjoy!!

With all the rain we've been having, our garden is like a mini swamp at the moment. Jake's been hating not being able to get outdoors to sort out his plants and to keep things in check. We've had moles too, so the garden needs quite a bit of attention, especially his new veggie patch. Plus, with all this water, weeding is essential, but we just haven't been able to get out there for ages and ages. There was a slight break yesterday and while it's still pretty cold, we were finally able to get out for a bit. Jake put his wellies on and loved hopping from puddle (or pool) to puddle. The deeper the better - he almost flooded his boots in one.

Anyway, the weekend is upon us once again and after a very busy week, I'm looking forward to an exceptionally quiet weekend. Besides a wedding celebration at a club in town tonight, I've got nothing else planned. Jake's spending the night with Jacques' folks tonight, so I'm free to enjoy myself and hopefully catch up on a bit of extra sleep tomorrow morning. We might go see Space Chimps, which came out on circuit today and Jake's dying to see it and we'll probably go see the air show that's on, on Sunday. It's so nice to be able to say "what should we do today" for a change.

'scuze the wall that needs a coat of paint (summer's coming apparently!).

Jake's first healthy raddish. He loves picking his fruit and veg...

Checking out his carrot seedlings Despite the rotten weather, we've still got hints of spring in the garden...

Lots of love XXX

new link...

I've just added a new link to the list of blogs I like to check out. It's called "Clever Girl Goes Blog". Just one of those random sights that I happened upon. It's owned by a Californian girl, Tia. She's an aspiring writer, but in the mean time is a hairdresser. Her latest post is titled "If women are from Venus, then men must be from whichever planet encourages farting in public". Check it out. It's light-hearted and funny...

Sue xxx

Seize the moment...

Life has a funny way of panning itself out. Just when you think that everything's working in your favour (for a change) something goes wrong and it all falls apart again. I've leant through the years that life's not about waiting for next year, next month, next week or even tomorrow. Life's about today and doing what makes you happy for each and every moment of each day you're blessed with. We just don't know what lies around the next corner and life's far too short to let precious moments pass us by. Sure, life is busy and we all have responsibilities, some of us more then others, but sometimes it's just good to just break out of the box. To not conform to that which is expected of us. To put ourselves on the line at the risk of ridicule and laughter. To take a chance at happiness. To love to the depths of our souls at the risk of heartache.

Two things have made me put this post up today, I've been meaning to for a while. First, an old family friend whom I don't know all that well, died this morning and it got me thinking about all the above again. Second, I recieved an e-mail from another friend with the following thought-provoking Instructions for Life: -

1. Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.

2. When you lose, don't lose the lesson

3. Follow the three R's - Respect for self; Respect for others; Responsibility for all your actions.

4. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.

5. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.

6. Don't let a little dispute injure a great relationship.

7. When you realise you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.

8. Spend some time alone every day.

9. Open your arms to change, but don't let go of your values.

10. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.

11. Live a good, honourable life. Then when you get older and think back, you'll be able to enjoy it a second time.

12. A loving atmostphere in your home is the foundation for your life.

13. In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don't bring up the past.

14. Share your knowledge. It is a way to achieve immortality.

15. Be gentle with the earth.

16. Once a year, go someplace you've never been.

17. Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.

18. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.

19. Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon.

Most of these "rules" are common sense to most of us, others get you thinking about love and life in general.

Anyway, seizing the moment, I just wanted to say that I know lots of you, my fellow bloggers, have plenty of personal hurdles to overcome at the moment. I love you all lots, each in your own special way. You are all amazing women and you deserve the best that life has to offer. Take time to enjoy the small things that we often don't give a second thought to. Sometimes when things are really bumpy, it's good to take note of the things you're grateful for. And remember, when you're down at your lowest, things can only get better.

Lots of love,

Sue XXX

A quiet day at work...

Today's one of those days - I'm feeling uninspired. I've got nothing to do! Well, that's not entirely true; I guess I could find something to do. I have overseas payments to draft for the end of the month, salaries to prepare, cheques to write out, money to collect (yuck - any excuse to get out of that!), clients to phone back, letters to post, insurance claims to sort out. I'm feeling more then a little demotivated and unexcited about any of it. My mind is drifting to who knows where...

We had some super weather over the weekend, Saturday was a gorgeous day - 26 degrees sunshine! Perfect for the wedding I went to in my little red & black polka dot sleeveless dress, which Jake told me made me look like Mini Mouse. I'm still not sure whether that was his idea of a compliment, but judging from his current Disney obsession, I'm guessing (hoping?) it was a compliment. The wedding was great and both Simon and Sam were very emotional. Simon (who works with me) specifically - he really battled his way through his vows and speech. It was very sweet and just proved how deeply they feel about one another. Sam's family are unorthodox Jews and incorporated some traditional glass breaking and dancing into the evenings events. Despite my own Jewish features (specifically my nose - thanks to my Jewish paternal great great grandmother), I'd never been to a Jewish wedding before and it was tons of fun. Plus, there was a lot of good red wine flowing, which left me suffering with a headache until about 6pm yesterday evening... It was SO worth it though, I had tons of fun!!!

I must confess, I'm always a little freaked out about going to weddings on my own. Yes, I know it's weird and I know there are normally quite a few other singles at these events, all of whom are probably feeling pretty similar to me, but there's just something about having a good friend with you at a wedding. Someone in your corner to tell you that you look nice and smell pretty; someone to walk with you to the bar; someone to hold your tissues for you - just in case; someone to dance with and laugh with; someone's eye to catch across the crowded room. The majority of my my guy friends are either married, or live far away. Besides, no woman would appreciate their husband/partner going with another woman to a wedding - no matter how tight the friendship. So I go alone and I'm learning to enjoy that (granted, with a glass of wine in hand). I'm slowly starting to learn how to fit into that 'singles' category again, though it's taken more then a little while. And no, I'm not out on the prowl - I'm just learning to enjoy my own company!!

Anyway, thanks Simon & Sam for a super-duper evening (how delicious was that cake??). You guys are so well suited and you both looked so beautiful and so happy (besides when Simon was sobbing, but we all know they were tears of happiness... Right?) on Saturday. I wish you guys a lifetime of love and every single ounce of happiness possible. Thanks for having me there to share the day with you, I wouldn't have missed it for anything! Enjoy your honeymoon up the Garden Route!

XXX

A trip down memory lane...

This week has been BUSY! Although, we had a relatively quiet weekend, which was divine for a change. The weather's been terrible and we've had really heavy rains, along with some icy temperatures over the last few days. Last week Thursday, though, was a perfect day and Jake and I took a drive through to visit our friends at Buitenverwachting. It's still a very difficult outing for me, but we always have tons of fun when we get there. It still feels so much like home and it's all still so familiar, even though there are a few changes every time we visit. To me, it's still the most beautiful place on earth and I'd give anything to be living there again. Jake also loves it there, he loves wondering around the vineyards and I always feel like this is a very special place for him & I to share. It's quite a surreal feeling being there with him and imagining how life should've been. Anyway, I've made my mind up! This summer I'm going to take complete advantage of the picnics they do at Buitenverwachting and Jake & I are going to be regulars on the farm again! It can only get easier the more we visit. Here are some pics from our last trip.

Heaven's Door...

The entrance to the farm... The front of the manor house... Jake getting to know some of the new farm dogs... This is Charlie. He looks surprisingly like our Rhodesian Ridgeback, Amber. Jake took a particular liking to friendly, young Charlie... They were playing on the picnic site, infront of the old manor house... Smile! What a clown. He doesn't get this from me... Still no smile, but it's better then eyes squeezed shut! Throwing sticks for Charlie - see how much he looks like my princess? Jake thought it hysterical that Charlie had his privates on display... The vineyards. Our house was just over this hill and to the right. Pretty, hey? Looking in the opposite direction... Running to the cellar. Jake's latest is that he wants to pick the grapes growing on our old vine at home, put them in his grape squasher and make me some wine. That boy knows the way to his mother's heart... A barrel just in the entrance to the cellar. It was just the message I needed. Quite deep for a bunch of burly men, don't you think... Jake getting up to mischief in the vat cellar... More scenes from the farm...

Saturday past was a friend's birthday and we went out to the most gorgeous nursery on the other side of Durbanville. Jake had an absolute ball and the weather was good again. The nursery also has a bit of a farm-type thing going, so the kids went on a tractor ride, had horse rides, fed the chickens, pigs and sheep and collected farm fresh chicken's eggs. Jake also managed to sneak in to watch them milking their cow, which was quite an education for him.

This is Danielle, the birthday girl... Feeding the horses... Chasing chickens & pigs... Jake looks so big in this photo. I can't believe he's so grown up already... Yes, incase you were wondering, his shoes were a disaster after all the mud and farm muck. He even thought they were gross - check his face. He really got into the swing of things a bit later and by the time we left, he was muddy almost all the way up to his knees... Helping to milk the pregnant cow... The view from the "dairy"... This is Jake's favourite photo of the day...

And lastly, here are a few pictures of the heavy rains we've had between Sunday and today. Our house is built alongside a nature reserve, which was previously a swamp. They've installed drainage, which has caused some changes to the enviroment, but has meant that our gardens don't flood up any more. Anyway, it's rained so much, that our garden is once again flooded like it used to be back in the old days...

I took this picture this morning after 10 minutes worth of rainfall. I wasn't going outside, just took the photo from the stoep at work. The road outside is flooded almost up to the top of the pavement... This was yesterday morning outside our house. That river running infront of our driveway is more then a meter wide. Jake's sitting at the front window, waving goodbye to me...

Other then that, got dinner club tonight with the girls - we're off to Ginga & Shoga. It should be really nice, I've been dying to get there. We've also got most of our group coming tonight, so it really will be a good party. Wendy's joining us too, so it'll be good to have one last catch up before her and Lily go back to the UK. Tomorrow night, I'm out to movies with another friend and then we'll be back on a downward spiral to the next weekend.

Lots of love,

Sue xxx