A quiet weekend...

With Human Rights Day celebrated across South Africa yesterday, we were all blessed with an extra day to our weekend.  I think we are all feeling quite grateful, especially knowing that there's a short week ahead of us, although I have a mountain of work to get through before I can even start thinking about next weekend!!

The weekend was a lovely one for Jake and I, the weather was great and we did quite a bit.  I didn't get to spend much time with Danie, which is always disappointing, but such is life.  Jake & I are used to being on our own, so we always make the most of our special time together.

Anyway, the weekend started off with Jake and I going with his Granny and her sister to visit Jacques' cousin's farm at the back of Durbanville.  Despite the heat (it was about 38 deg), it was a lovely outing and we have promised to visit them again soon.  Jake had an absolute ball, running wild with the "farm kids" and it was so nice to see them all playing nicely together the entire time we were there.  It was also great to catch up with Annamarie again - I haven't seen her since her last baby was born!!  She's such a laid back, lovely person, who very bravely home schools her four children aged between 10 and 4!

Jake loved the animals on the farm (bunnies, chickens and horses) and I'm sure he's destined to do something outdoors involving wildlife one day.  Annamarie took us on a tour around their grounds and we were able to meet all the animals.  Jake wanted to take a bunny home with us and they were quite happy to let one go, but we have enough pet problems at the moment without adding to the equation...

 This is the view from Annamarie's front porch...

 Meeting one of the horses.  I love the tenderness in Jake's eyes in this photo...

 The boys were quick to take a dip under the sprinkler - in the heat, I didn't blame them and it took a lot for me not to join in their fun.  Jake loved the freedom of being able to get himself soaking wet and filthy dirty without getting into trouble...

 More horses...

 Still wet, the boys then discovered a pile of building sand to slide down and dig in...

 There were two other little kids visiting from a neighbouring farm.  They cannot speak a word of English, but loved joining in the fun...

 One of the workers found a baby snake, which was right up Jake's ally.  It was apparently just a little slug eater, so nothing dangerous.  Jake wanted to take it home too...

 Hahahaha - look how little it is!

 Looks more like a centipede than a snake and I was even brave enough to hold it!!  The thing with holding snakes that really bothers me (and I am pretty scared of snakes), is where are their bottoms?  They don't have toilet paper, or hands to wipe with, so are they clean or dirty animals?  Sorry, but that's just the kind of thing that worries me about creepy crawlies...

 After that, it was time for a dip in the slightly green pool.  The kids didn't care though and they were only too happy to cool off!!  And get rid of some of that sand, I'm sure...

 The dog is a pro swimmer too...

 And then it was time to head off back to the concrete jungle - I think I am a farm girl at heart and Jake definitely loved every moment!! 

 These are all the kids together.  It's surprisingly difficult to get 5 kids to all look at the camera, smile and keep their eyes open all at the same time.  From left is little Ruth (4) Abigail (10), Joel (6), Luke (9) and Jake, of course, stuffing his face with a cappuccino muffin.  I think he was very chuffed to discover a whole new bunch of second cousins and he is dying to visit them again...

 Friday night was spent shopping for gifts for 2 kids parties on Saturday.  We had a quick bite to eat at the Spur too, which was nice.  Saturday was another scorcher and the first party (for Danie's niece, Kira) was almost unbearably hot.  The second party was a pool party, with a slip and slide for the kids, so most of the adults landed up in the pool too.  Had I known, I would've packed my cozzie too.  Saturday evening, Danie had to head home early as he was riding with friends on Sunday morning.  Jake slept in my bed and we had a midnight feast when I joined him after Danie had left - it was such fun!!

Sunday morning was a bit of a stressful one for us; Jake's hamster got himself stuck on his water bottle.  I discovered him on Sunday morning, hanging upside down from his back right leg, chewing desperately to get himself free.  We went off to the vet and ended up having to leave him there so they could anaesthetise him to get a proper look at his little leg.  R355.00 later, I collected the hamster and we are monitoring his progress.  On Sunday evening, the silly boy got himself stuck in his cage again, which left me in tears, watching him eating away at himself again.  Rosanne and Gareth were quick to rescue him (and me), thankfully.  All this for a hamster that Jake got free with the cage and contents.  Oh and I'm not partial to rodents of any form and he does bite, so I can't touch him.  One of the guys from work has suggested flushing Bullet down the loo, but I think it would be a poor example to Jake to just have him put down without trying to save the poor thing first.

We caught up with Danie on Sunday afternoon and went to see a model airplane show, which Jake loved, especially the plane that dropped sweets from the sky for the kids to catch.  Unfortunately, I left my camera at home, but it was quite an impressive display.

Sunday evening we were home alone again and I had another early night with my book (Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult - BRILLIANT!!).  Monday morning, we caught up with Joanne and Connor at the aquarium.  It was great to see them again, it feels like it's been so long since we were last together.  We are used to seeing Connor most days at Mom and Dad's, so it's been weird not seeing him so often.  Jake and him had lots of fun. 

We spent the afternoon at Danie's.  I took Jake to do a bit of fishing off the nearest bridge, which was great until he got his lure stuck in a tree and we had to go home.

And that's it.  Hope you all had a great long weekend too!!

Sue XXX