8 Years...

Is a very long time!! Last year I wrote about my 7-year itch and I can't believe that a whole year has passed since then, let alone 8 since the day I was married to Jacques...

As with most days like these, I try my best to remember the happy times that Jacques and I shared together. We had a really great time together, it was just cut way too short. I was blessed to have had the wonderful, kind, compassionate husband that I did have and we share a beautiful child, so a very special part of Jacques will always be with me. I never dreamed that being a parent would be such a wonderful, rewarding (and yes, very exhausting) journey. I never imagined that I'd have to do it without Jake's dad...

After Jacques died, I went for counselling. I saw a woman called Mary for just over a year and I don't think that I could've dealt with all that I've had to without her guidance. It was really good for me to get some very level headed advice from someone who was uninvolved. I saw Mary every week for a full year and she got me through some tough times. One of the best bits of advice that Mary ever gave me was that I could choose, that I could choose to be happy, or choose to be sad. There have been plenty of days when it would've been easier to just be sad, but I've made a very conscious decision to be happy. Sometimes it takes a lot of effort, but I think generally I get it right a lot of the time. I do my very best to make a happy life for Jake and I and we have tons of fun together. I also manage to get out and enjoy life with my friends a lot - I have some truly wonderful friends.

Thanks to all of you who have touched my life and have helped me enjoy the last couple of years - you guys are the greatest, where would I be without you? And wine of course. And chocolate...

So, today is going to be a happy day. The sun is shining, it's hot, I have a gorgeous little man to spend my afternoon with (might be going to see a movie), I'm going out to dinner with the girls tonight, I have chocolate and wine - what more could I ask for?? Am I sad about the past? Certain parts of it, most certainly. Am I excited about the future? You betcha baby! Besides, who could possibly be miserable on a day like today when you have this little boy to share it with??

Lots of Love, Sue xxx

PS. Please spare a thought for my dad this morning. He's having some scar tissue removed from his good eye at this very moment.

PPS. Congratulations to Caroline and Craig on the arrival of baby Niña May, born this morning at 9:39, weighing 3.22kgs! Glad to hear that you're all doing OK, I can't wait to meet the new princess! And we want photos. Soon! Congrats to little Amy too on becoming a big sister - it's a fun job!!

Sending lots of love...

To my dear friends Caroline (Family Life) and Craig as they become parents for the second time this morning (in about 10 minutes from now). I am thinking about you and wishing you a very memorable, happy and exciting morning. I can't wait to meet your new daughter!!!

With love, Susie xxx

Time out with the girls...

Once a year, our book club makes a plan to get away for a weekend. We normally pick a self-catering spot that's close to the beach and that has decent facilties. Generally, we're not out in the sticks and try stick fairly close to town. Because of Jake, I always only join the girls for one of the two nights, normally the first. Besides anything, I don't think my liver could cope with longer...

This year, we picked a spot out in Citrusdal, called Waterfall Farm . Citrusdal is 170km North of Cape Town, so it's a bit of a drive, especially after work and espeically with the outrageously high temperatures (over 40 deg C on Friday and Saturday) we had over the weekend. Jo drove through with me, so we left just before 4. It was really nice to have some time with her. And I just have to say - thank goodness for airconditioning in my car!!! I think we'd have melted without it!

Citrusdal is at the foot of the Cedarberg Mountains and inland, so the temperatures there were even warmer then those in Cape Town. Unfortunately, our accommodation did not come with a crystal clear blue swimming pool, however the girls very kindly gave Jo and I the only room with an airconditioner in it - what a relief!!

On Friday night, we had delicious lightly curried pasta with a Caprese Salad. We added chicken and bacon to our pasta and served it warm - it was really delicious. I try not to drink too much these days and, while I did take wine with me, I stuck to the Woolworths extra light shandies. They're less then 0.5% alcohol and are super refreshing - it was just too hot for wine!

After a delicious fried breakfast on Saturday morning, we headed off to the waterfall and rock pools for a swim. It was about a 20 - 25 minute light hike, but in the heat, we were all desperate to get in the cool water when we got there. We spent about 2 hours lazing around and enjoying the water, before heading back to the house (soaking wet to help keep cool on the trip back) for a light lunch. By the time it came for me to leave on Saturday afternoon, I was exhausted, but it was a good tired. Since I was driving back into town alone, I left well before sunset and was home just before 6pm. It was a fabulous break and I really enjoyed the time with the girls.

I'll end off with lots of pictures...

The view from the covered patio...

The patio...Sunset over the orchards...

One of our pets...View of the house (on the left), braai area and covered patio...Orchards...This was our swimming pool. The water was clean, they filled it when we got there. Despite the heat, we didn't use it...Getting ready to go out to the waterfalls...The view en route the waterfalls...

A bunch of hot and bothered girls....

The first little waterfall...The main waterfall...They had this nifty little shade thing on the beach at the waterfalls. It felt like we were on a deserted island...The water was really refreshing (cold), fresh from the mountains...But we all got in and sat chatting while we cooled off...These last pictures were taken on my way home. This is the dirt road leading to Waterfall Farm - I must be honest, I was a bit nervous of having Jo in the car with them bumps...This is the river that feeds the waterfall...Just past this river, about 20 baboons ran across the road. After living on a farm where our rubbish was raided, the vineyards ripped apart and my precious dogs were attacked (not seriously), I don't like baboons...These are the fields in Piketberg - I love their honey colour. Not the greatest photo, but I was driving at the time...Another fire wrecking havoc in our mountains...

And then I was home. Safely.

XXX

There's an angel in my bed...

OK, it's probably not a little angel (more like a holy terror), he has no wings and he's pretty filthy, but still - what a gorgeous little boy he is. And it takes me every single ounce of resistance not to wake him up and hold him tight and tell him how much I adore him. Aren't kids just at their cutest when they're sleeping? I had my macro lens on my camera and Jake didn't flinch when I took these pictures of him sleeping on Thursday night...

I love these little hands, that aren't actually so little any more...

And one day they won't want to hold mine any more...

I love these toes. They're so like his dad's, it's quite funny...

Not a food blog...

As most of you know, I'm not the world's most enthusiastic cook. Sure I can cook, fairly decently if I'm honest, but I prefer not to. Still, Tuesday was a good day for me. Jake had a friend over to play after school and I made them fish fingers with some crisps, a little cucumber, tomato and a few grapes.

The kids got busy playing and I wasn't feeling lazy, so started getting things ready for dinner. Jake has grown the most beautiful aubergines, which are hellishly expensive at the moment, so we were going to have them for dinner. The weather was gorgeous - the kind where you don't feel particularly hungry and we all felt like a light dinner.

Anyway, I'm getting distracted - I just wanted to share my tzatziki recipe with you, I'm not sure if any one's ever made it for themselves, but it's so easy and so much better value (and quality) then the ready made ones you get in the stores. Plus, I had my camera on the counter while I was making it, so have a few photos to share. We made and ate this literally every day while we were in Greece, so it always reminds me of that trip in 2006.

So, first you take a cucumber, grate it, sprinkle it with salt and leave it in a colander to drain. I'm usually too impatient to leave the cucumber to drain, so I end up just squeezing the juice out. Makes no difference to the end result...

Then you take some fresh garlic and grate that too. We don't have a garlic press, so I just use the grater - much easier then chopping. I normally use 3 - 4 cloves (yes, you will STINK after eating this)...

Toss the garlic in with the cucumber...

Add your yogurt - I used about 500ml, but I was also using fat free yogurt, which is thinner then extra thick, creamy, rich Greek yogurt, so you use less. Just keep adding until it looks right...

Add about a tablespoon of olive oil...

A tablespoon of white vinegar...

A little salt - just a teeny bit, the garlic adds peppery flavour and you want to taste the cucumber and yogurt. And then you're done...

So, once the tzatziki was ready, I got going with the aubergines. We had four that Jake had grown. I cut up very thinly, rubbed them down with olive oil and topped with Dukka (an Egyptian spice blend that I am in love with). I lay them flat on a baking tray and baked them at 220 deg C for about 15 minutes. I think, in all fairness, that I needed to bake them a for little longer - I wanted to get them a little crispier. Still they were delicious with the tzatziki...

And then you have to have one of these for dessert! We eat them all the time and they're divine. There's an art to eating them though - if your biscuits break, it gets really messy. You kinda have to squash the marie biscuits as you go and lick the ice cream around the outside as it squishes out. Tons of fun and so, so yummy. Oh, this one was made with banana split flavoured ice cream. Totally divine...

Enjoy!! XXX