Twinkle Twinkle...

We went through to town last night to see the Christmas lights. It's become a bit of a tradition for Jake & I (I love traditions) - we pick up McDonalds coffee/hot chocolate/milkshakes and take a drive through to town. My folks join us and it's always a bit of an adventure for Jake, staying up late and all.

Each year, it seems, we say that the lights are better then the year before, but seriously, they are really great this year. Very 'Cape Town' and I highly recommend a trip through to see the lights. I hope these photos don't spoil it for anyone planning to go through...

Oh little town...

The main theme was the soccer world cup...

The nativity set against a backdrop of Table Mountain...

An aloe-type 3-D Christmas tree...

The view down Adderley Street. The traffic was mad...

This one was my favourite...

Jake with the Christmas lights...

And then he realised he was standing next to the bin...

You'd better watch out...

Builders making the soccer stadium...

When it reaches roof level, all the crackers go off...

XXX

Little green fingers...

Not much has been happening on the gardening front of things lately. We've planted, we water daily and we spend a lot of time checking and waiting. Everything's growing nicely and the garden's looking green and gorgeous. We're also really enjoying the odd bits that Jake's already harvested. It's nice to know that his goods are totally organic and I've been making quite a point about trying to teach him about being "green". I think it's going to be our kid's generation, that's going to make the changes we should've made years ago.

We've had a really good crop of baby marrows and patty pans recently and Jake has really enjoyed watching these grow. They seem to grow so quickly too. We discovered that we have to help the birds and bees a little as far as pollination goes, so we make sure we fertilize female flowers (the ones with the fruit) with the male flowers. Otherwise the fruit attached rots before it gets very big.

So, we had this baby marrow that we somehow overlooked during our many garden patrols and it wasn't picked. Jake discovered it about 2 weeks ago when it was already quite big and we decided to leave it to see just how big marrows actually get. A bit of a garden experiment, if you like. Needless to say, the gardener has been dying to pick the marrow and we agreed to pick it yesterday. Jake was hugely excited and was quite obliging in having his photo taken with his veggies. When we picked the marrow, he also discovered 3 patty pans that were pretty much enormous and so we picked those too.

I've heard that marrows don't taste so good when they're bigger, but we don't really care, it's all about appearances when you're 4 1/2 years old. Apparently, when we cook it, the best thing to do is to cut it down the length, hollow out the pips, stuff it with savoury mince, sprinkle it with cheese and bake it - sounds yummy enough to me and we'll be having it for dinner tomorrow night, so I'll let you know how it turns out. I imagine the patty pans will be quite divine cooked the same way as the marrow. We normally just chop them up and fry them lightly with onions, mushrooms and garlic and we love them that way. Jake included. He's always been pretty adventurous as far as food goes, often enjoying things I'd never dream of touching. Surprisingly, though, he's never really been a big veggie fan. This said, he loves his own veggies and is always super proud to see us all enjoying his food.

Here are some photos of Jake and his "baby" marrow. Too many, I know, but he's also just too cute and I can't help myself...

Check out the deformed carrots - don't know where those came from. Can we blame the mole???

Checking his blackberries' progress...

I love this cheesy smile. He was posing for a picture for my dad...

And check out that patty pan in the front! I still can't believe how big it is...

XXX

The married man...

Yes, it's true. I went out on a date (very innocently) with a married man on Saturday night. I'm disgusted with him and the situation he put me in and swear on my life that I had no idea that he was married. I presumed when this pig phoned me on Friday morning to find out whether I was currently attached to anyone, that he too was unattached. Not 'happily' married for 18 years. Oh and, conveniently, his wife's currently on holiday with their kids, visiting her folks in Namibia. Shocker, hey?? And if I told you who this man was (OK, so some of you already know), you'd be even more horrified. He's not someone I know very well, but I have seen him a few times recently and while I did know he had kids, please don't blame me for trusting that he was divorced after the call on Friday morning... I should've suspected something was up when he suggested meeting at his office, instead of picking me up at home. And stupidly, I didn't check his hand for a ring, since he hadn't had it on the previous couple of times I'd seen him. It was only half way through the evening that I realised he had one on and asked a couple of questions. Anyway, you live and learn and I'm pretty much over the complications that just about all men bring (I promise to raise my son properly for those of you with daughters!). Who needs it?? I have a very full, happy life and I don't need some shit to make me feel bad about myself. And I do at the moment. I mean, seriously, what would this doctor's (YES!) wife think if she knew that he'd taken me out to a salsa dance workshop and dinner. When I asked him what she'd have to say, he ummed and aahhhed and basically told me that he believes that there are 2 people in a relationship and that you each have to do what makes you happy as individuals before you can have a happy relationship. He also told me that he couldn't possibly sit at home and do nothing while his family's away and that it's nice to get out and meet new people (still not sure why he feels that should include the company of an unattached 30-something female). Anyway... that's my latest sad story...

Other then that, we had another petty busy weekend. We've had mice (disgusting, I know) move into our garage/laundry, which is where all my furniture is being stored. It's meant unpacking, sorting out, chucking out and re-packing boxes, moving furniture, scrubbing floors and pretty much working like a labourer to get everything sorted out. Not to mention that it's been 30-odd degrees this weekend. So, we spent a good part of Saturday and Sunday working like dogs. There's actually a lot of things that I'd forgotten I even owned. Some, I'm really happy to see again, but there's also lots of stuff I'll probably never use again, so I've been able to really get stuck in and be a bit ruthless. It's an emotional and physically draining job, but we're well on track and things are almost back to normal again. My dad is on leave, as is Gareth (my sister's fiance) and the two of them are doing the 'heavy' jobs this morning. By the time I get home from work, we'll probably just be finishing off packing away what's been stashed all over the garden.

Tonight's Uncle Paul's Party - I absolutely cannot wait for that. Something about remembering my childhood and sharing it with my own child. Jake's been counting down the days, he's just so into Christmas this year, he's going to love the whole thing. It's magic to be a kid. And life was so simple back then. I'll only get the photos up on Wed/Thurs - tomorrow's a public holiday here (YAY!). We'll also be putting our tree up tomorrow, so there should be some more news by later in the week.

Must get another 2 posts together before I go home, thank goodness my bosses have both taken the day off! Hope everyone's well.

Lots of love, Sue xxx

Oh my, Christmas is coming...

The festive season is basically upon us. It seems to have snuck up on me this year. And, while I started Christmas shopping in October and feel like I have things mostly under control, there are still a few odds and sods that will have me trailing around shopping centres at the last minute. I just know it...

The festive feeling is definitely in the air - besides Jake's school Christmas party, I've also had my office party, which was really good fun. We went off to Mojolena, which is part of Madame Zingara - the food was delicious and we all over indulged. They serve the same food as Madame Zingara and also have live entertainment (lady singers for our party), but they don't do the whole circus act thing. Madame Zingara's Theater of Dreams is currently in London and by the sounds of things, Mojolena is planning to stick around in Cape Town for good. Might be a nice idea for a dinner club party sometime.

So the office Christmas dinner was last week Friday and Saturday was my book club Christmas party. We booked a picnic at Nitida, which was divine, close to home and a really great way to relax with the girls.

Sunday was my good friend, Jacki's birthday and she took a group of us out to Moyo (http://www.moyo.co.za/)at Spier for lunch. It was unbelievably hot, so we drank more water then wine (sadly). I'd never been to Moyo before and really enjoyed it. The food was good and there was no rush in us getting done, so we were able to take good breaks in between plate fulls, which is always nice. So, happy birthday to Jacki, I hope that you have a wonderful year! Thanks for all you do for me, you're an amazing support and I don't quite know where I'd be without you!

After lunch, I met my parents, in-laws and child at De Grendal for Christmas Carols and a picnic (I still managed to eat after my enormous lunch). It was the perfect way to end my crazy weekend.

This weekend is set to be slightly quieter and, since next Tuesday is a public holiday here, next week should start to slow down a bit at work too. Today, Jake's got a party and later, this evening, we have our dinner club Christmas party. My parents have been a huge help with looking after Jake, so that I could get out and about lately and I'm looking forward to having a bit more time with him this weekend. Speaking of the little man, he has a serious list for Santa this year. The poor old man is going to have to make 4 trips back to the North Pole to get all Jake's gifts. Seriously, Jake's going to make Santa bankrupt... Where was I? Tonight - Jake & the folks are going to watch The Polar Express while I'm out, a great Christmas movie, if you're looking for one. Tomorrow I have no plans and Jake is going to be with Karen (probably wrap presents - something I don't want to be doing on Christmas Eve again). We're probably going to take a drive into town tomorrow night to see the Christmas lights up Adderley Street again. We're making this a Christmas tradition and will be picking up coffee/hot chocolates at McDonalds on our way. On Monday night (that's only 4 sleeps away), we're going to Uncle Paul's Party - I CAN'T wait for that. On Tuesday our tree goes up and then Christmas is really here.

Have to run, it's nearly time for me to go home. Whoo-hoo!!

Mojolena...

I work with this nut. His name's Simon and he's promised Jake that hat. That's Madame Zingara's signature dish, by the way - chocolate chili steak. Oh and by the way, it's also tradition at MZ, that you get a hat to wear when you walk in the door. Generally, the waiters swap hats between guests, which is pretty disgusting. Mojolena has a shop selling hats, so you get to wear your own hat without sharing...

From left to right: Simon, his wife Sam, Brad (one of the partners), his date Mundy (weird name, I know), me, Daine dressed like Britney Spears, Steve, Eddy (the other partner), Eddy's wife Ingi and Penny (the angel who works afternoons for me)...

Brad being hit on by the maitre'd... we all had a shot out of the bottle, it was GOOD. Fortunately, we didn't all get the leg treatment. Penny got a lap dance though... And things just got silly after that... I'm not posting all the photos of me in different hats - you can look me up on facebook for that...Our book club Christmas party at Nitida. Left to right: Jo (check that belly), Andrea, Lauren, Wendy, Ciska, Belinda, Sam and Greer...

Carols by Candlelight - Jake & my mom...

Jake & I getting into the swing of things...

Lots of love XXX

Go read this blog...

Our local paper (can't remember now whether it was the Tygerberg or TableTalk) had an article in it recently (I read it this morning, or at least my mom did and then she told me about it) on this, so I've been to check it out and it's well worth the read...

I won't tell you too much, or it'll spoil the read on their blog, which was started in October. Basically, this woman was 5 1/2 months pregnant with her second daughter, when her husband was involved in a car accident (as a passenger) and damaged his spinal cord, leaving him a paraplegic. He's been told that he'll never walk again, but is determined to prove his doctors wrong. This is his 'journey to walk again' http://www.myprojecttowalk.blogspot.com/

On another note, today is Jake's very last day of play group. I can't believe that as of next year, he's a pre-schooler!! Where has the time gone? Why do children grow up so quickly?? I mean, Jake's 4 1/2 already! Seriously, when did that happen??? It feels like he should still be a teeny baby, waddling around in nappies, let alone learning to be independent!! It seems too hard to believe. Today marks the start of the 6 week school holidays for Jake too. I'd like to do something fun with him - perhaps go out to dinner. Knowing Jake though, he'd be happiest at home with a braai...

XXX

A visit to the farm...

Yesterday we went through to Buitenverwachting for a picnic lunch. Just Jake & I. The weather wasn't great on this side, but it was absolutely perfect when we arrived on the farm. Not too hot, not too cold and best of all, not a breath of wind!!

We said our hellos and settled down at our table on the lawns to laze away the afternoon. Our meal was delicious and I am still full! It included Peppadew dip, snoek pate, mushroom quiche, black forest ham, meat balls, chicken roll, Greek salad, potato salad, brie, Ricotta rolled in Pecan nuts and drizzled with honey (I'm still dreaming of this), cream cheese with sweet chili sauce, cheddar, fresh fruit kebabs, breads, biscuits, koeksisters & chocolate brandy balls (absolutely divine)... Of course, I had a glass of the best and a cup of coffee to wash it all down. Anytime anyone's keen to go, I'm in (let me know - we need to book). It was a lovely afternoon and it's always good to catch up with people we don't see often enough. I'm always a little disappointed when I visit, by how much things have changed. Even the people have changed and each time I go, I know fewer and fewer faces. Yesterday was really great though and we saw so many familiar faces, including tractor drivers and gardeners. The co-owner of the farm, Lars, came and sat with us for a while; Hermann, the other wine-maker, came to join us for a bit (his wife, Adrienne, runs the picnic site) - we felt so special. Besides anything, Jake had a ball running on the lawns and playing with Hermann & Lars. I love that he has the opportunity to spend time at Buiten and that he will grow up know the people his dad worked with. He really makes himself very much at home when we get there and, for a change, I even got him to pose for some photos. With smiles...

At our table, before the food arrived... Tucking in...

Getting into the swing of things - lazing on the lawns...

Still eating... This time it's the Brie. Jake loves stinky cheese, something he definitely didn't inherit from me...

Did you notice his hand though? Now that he definitely did inherit from me. Not the dirty finger nails - one of each dessert though, thanks...

We popped into the cellar to drop some money off for wine I collected last week. This is Jake with Hermann having a scooter ride on the cellar's new trolley... Ready to go home... There are some newish cows on the farm that we stopped to look at on our way out. Jake noticed the difference between the girl cows and the boy cows (bulls)... When he saw the bull's nether regions, his comment was "Yo, those are impressive balls!". They are, though, aren't they? The farm kids were having a mini game of rugby on the fields alongside... Our last stop was for a classic photo of Jake in the vineyards in front of the manor house. 9 times out of 10, if you ever look up Buitenverwachting, chances are you'll find a picture of this homestead... Showing off the young grapes. He's got one in his mouth, hence the silly face... Vineyards without Jake... This is probably the other picture you'll get if you look up the farm. It'll be from the other end of the road though. I'm secretly hoping that Rosanne won't find it too emotional to have her wedding photos taken here. It's so beautiful and it's really close to their reception venue. I can just see them walking up this road in their finery. Or standing up against one of those big oaks... I took this through the window in the car on the way home. I know it's nothing spectacular, but it just showed how rubbish the weather was on the other side of the mountain, after our stunning day on the farm...

I think I've suitably redeemed myself this week, after so few posts the last couple of weeks. I'm totally up-to-date on all our news and pictures, so no complaining!! I've also noticed that this is my 200th post...

Lots of love, Sue xxx