Always fun to win...

About a week ago, Jake got to meet 5 of the Protea cricket team (our national side).  We have friends (who we camp with) who run a restaurant in the V&A Waterfront and they'd received a press release that afternoon to say that the Proteas would be there that evening.  It wasn't a well advertised-ahead-of-time event, so Jake and I decided to rush through to go and get a seat.

The kids were allowed to go up on stage to meet the guys and to get signatures.  As a young cricket player, Jake was starstruck...

 Because he had a bat and a cap, he cheekily asked for 2 signatures...

 Needless to say, they have place of honour in his room at the moment...

The MC at the event was Ryan O'Connor, who's a local radio presenter and who also went to school with Jacques and I.  He had a few questions for our boys...

 And they all won tickets to the SA vs Pakistan test on day 3, which happened to be Saturday past...

 Our seats were great, center of the pitch tickets, which meant we could enjoy watching the bowler run, the batsman do his batting and see the odd 4 being whacked against the railing in front of where we were sitting...

 An excited guy, enjoying the atmosphere in his newly signed cap...

 The test was a particularly special one, because it was our captain's, Graham Smith, 100th test as Protea captain...

 During the player's lunch break, the field is opened up and people are allowed to go and have a bit of a walk around...

Checking out the wicket, being re-marked and tidied up for the next leg of the game...

It was during the lunch break that Jake decided that he'd had enough of the heat and wanted to go home.  A 5-day test match is not the most exciting cricket, in my opinion, and so I was quite happy to get out of the sun too.  I'd love to take Jake to a 20/20 match, or a day night game, I think it'll be way more exciting for both of us!

Sending lots of love,

 Sue XXX

PS.  The Proteas won this test match, so I'm glad we got to see a small part of it anyway!

 The weekend before Valentine's Day, saw Jake and I camping with friends at a gorgeous spot, called Trout Haven.  You all know, by now, how I feel about camping, but I'm trying really hard to overcome my issues for Jake's sake.  He really loves being outside and it does today's kids the world of good to get some fresh air!  The group of friends we have started camping with are really great.  All super down to earth and happy to share tents with Jake and I - it's always a bonus when I don't have to put up a tent on my own.

Trout Haven is in Rawsonville and one of the most interesting camp sites I ever seen.  It's a working farm and there are only 8 camping sites on the farm.  Each of the large sites are about half a kilometer away from the next, which gives your group some privacy.  Each site has their own ablution facilities, which means that you only share with your friends/family and that's a HUGE plus in my books.  Sadly, the weather was grim and it rained for a large portion of stay.  It was still quite warm though and it never rains continually, so we all managed to have tons of fun regardless.  I managed to get a couple of kids together in my corner of the tent one afternoon and we played Uno and 30 seconds for chocolate - it was heaps of fun! I don't think I'll ever be a winter camper though...

 The campsites are all along the river, which is supposed to have trout in it, but Jake didn't have any luck catching them.  The kids had great fun exploring the river and looking for interesting things to bring back to camp (check out those muscles!)...

 Like this heart(ish) shaped rock, that Jake lugged back for me...

 In between, the kids played cricket...

 Jake is super chuffed with his new tackle box and goodies for fly fishing, but tells me that he needs a cork rod, with some tubing, to help him fly fish better...

 A loo with a view...and not a single spider...

 Knowing that there was rain on the way, I tried to snap some pictures of the surrounding scenery while I could.  I know most people don't like sun spots on photos, but I do...

 Jake got me to go exploring the river with him in between the showers too.  I'm glad I did, we had lots of fun and it was super pretty.  This is looking downstream...

 Upstream...

 A sweet smile from a grubby, but happy boy...

 One of the families brought this huge blow up pillow with and the kids had lots of fun on it...

 Being on my own with Jake also means that he'll actually pose for photos for me.  I love you, Jake, and I love your happy smile.  It melts my heart a thousand times over...

 And I'll always be jealous of your super long eyelashes.  Why is it that boys always have super long eyelashes?  Not fair...

 OK, you'll have to use your imagination a little, but that's Jake and my shadows, side-by-side in the river...

By night the kids played with fire.  Jake is still a pyromaniac and they actually spent quite a lot of time during the day collecting "dry" wood to build smokey fires.  They did pretty well, even if the grown ups were left spluttering for fresh air from time to time...

 Burning previously burnt proteas first thing in the morning...

There were plenty of kids to play with.  This is Jake helping Ray to find his pocket knife that he dropped into the river.  Ray is 10 and  the younger kids thought he was the man, Jake included.  Ray's Afrikaans, by the way and even that didn't stand in their way...

 This is standing alongside our campsite looking down at the river and up the mountains - so beautiful...

 We all had big plans for swimming, but the weather wasn't fantastic and the fresh mountain water was icy...

 More exploring for the kids...

 I like being a fly on the wall and watching Jake when he doesn't know I'm there.  These are Ray's younger twin sisters.  Jake was showing them a bug in the water...

 Teeny tiny spiders living between the rocks, waiting for water bugs...

 They had a little boat too, which was heaps of fun...

More smokey fire making...

 And picture drawing with burnt sticks...

 Sitting by the fire, sharpening sticks with his fishing knife...

Exploring...

I had a bit of time to take some scenic shots too.  Flowers, some dead, some in fresh bloom...

 Tall grasses blowing in the winds...

  I found a few bugs, but really had to look hard.  This tiny butterfly was smaller than my thumb nail and the brightest blue on the other side of it's wings...

 A camouflaged hopper...

 that Jake thought was super cool and wanted to take home with us...

 More flowers - wish I had PhotoShop to fix this up, I like it...

 A last dead tree... 

 I know I'm revoltingly behind on my blogging, but I have been super busy.  Promise to try to be better!!

Lots of love,

Sue XXX

Feeshing for Love...

So, since it's Valentine's day month and I know ya'll is loving me a lot, Jake and I need your help!  We've entered a competition with the picture above and need you to vote for us.  Person with the most vote wins the competition.  With your help, we could be heading off to Mautitius for a week's desperately needed holiday!!  Pretty please???  It can be my Valentine's day present from all of you.  And I promise that I'll send you a postcard if I win!

What you need to do, is click on this link here and cast a vote for us.  It will take less than a minute of your time and would mean so much to us!!  every vote counts!!

Thank you.  I love you, well, only if you vote for me...

Sue X

PS.  You have until the end of Feb 2013 only!!!

It's a Jake-in-a-box...

 I've been clearing out my spare bedroom and Jake found this box that had a dinner service from Jake's great grandparents in it.  The box was way too big for the dinner service, so I've managed to save some space by putting it in a more suitable box.  I hate clutter and I'm trying to declutter wardrobes.  With a child like Jake in the house, it's an on-going battle.  That kid is a hoarder of junk!  Anyway, Jake's decided that this big box is very useful and so he's keeping it.  Until he's not looking, that is.  Anyway, it's moved from room to room so that Jake can pop out and give me a fright as often as possible.  Right now, it's got prime spot on the couch.  Jake spent his TV time sitting inside it, playing on his DS.  He was so engrossed in his new Mario game, that he didn't even know I was watching him...

 Finally, I've been spotted and get a little smile!! He loves his box, my funny little man...

Sue XXX

Oh the cutness...

Meet Pip!

As a new foster mom for the Animal Anti-Cruelty League in Epping, my mom has been called upon to take care of this little, little guy.  I don't know his full story yet, or what's happened to his mom and siblings, but he's seriously tiny!  He arrived last night, just one day old.  He's like a little rat and is so difficult to photograph, he just wriggles and wriggles. 

Because he is so tiny, our main job at this stage is to keep him as warm as possible.  He spent some time doing the Kangaroo thing with me and he loved that.  It's so hard not to handle him too much; on one hand, he doesn't have that physical contact and warmth that a litter would give him, on the other, he's just so fragile.  

He fits so snuggly into Jake's hand...

 

 And don't get me started (again) on those little pink paws.  Oh my.  His nose is wrinkly like all puppies and the white marking under his chin, goes down his chest and tummy.  The people at the AACL think that he's a black Maltese, I haven't got a clue what he is at this stage, besides totally cute...

 Because he's never known what it's all about to have a mommy to feed him, he loves his bottle.  He drinks slowly though and a feed can take up to an hour at the moment.  Considering that he feeds 2-hourly, it's no joke having a tiny pup to care for...

 Jake is beside himself with concern.  He just wants to hold the puppy and be with the puppy...

 As long as he's eating, he's getting stronger and so we'll all do what we have to, to help him survive...

 Incidentally, his name, Pip, comes from two places.  Firstly, he's such a pip-squeak!  Secondly, he's going to be a survivor, just like little Pippie Kruger!  For those of you, who haven't heard about this remarkable little girl, who survived 3rd degree burns over 80% of her body and made it through her 10% chance of survival, you can read more about her amazing story here and here, or google her.  What a beautiful, amazing little girl!  Hopefully our little Pip has the same sense of survival...

Sending tons of snuffly puppy love,

Sue

XXX