Cancer claims another soul…

Posted on 11/20/2008 by Tanya

My Grandfather on my Father’s side passed away Tuesday evening after a short fight against liver & lung cancer. My Grandfather on my Mother’s side also passed away from cancer in June of last year. The fact that they were both in their early nineties does take some of the sadness away, but it is a really *really* ugly way to die. Cancer strips you of your dignity, quality of life and strength to live.

The other sad thing is because of distance (they lived in the UK) I never really had a strong bond with my Father’s parents. When I was growing up they would come and visit and a few times we went over there but it was never the same as with my Mom’s folks, who were a bit like yo-yo’s. They kept moving to South Africa, then would move back to the UK, back to South Africa – over and over again. Grandad H was the last of my remaining grandparents.

Here’s to you Grandad H :-) - may you rest in peace.

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We’re getting there, one step at a time

Posted on 11/16/2008 by Tanya

We had our first house warming today – well a mini house warming – lots of frantic tidying up and putting away of stuff. My folks, Wouter’s folks, Pieter, Muda and Woester came along.

No he isn’t dead.

We braai’d a couple of spatchcock chickens, potatoes in foil and salad – was lekker.

The in-laws also very kindly brought through the remaining bits of furniture we’d been storing in Pieter’s room. Apart from a shelf and a few more pictures on the walls (and of course a major sort out my cupboards) *my* room is almost complete. Lets also not forget the emptying of boxes… so many boxes!

I still need another counter above this but I think the room is really starting to take shape.

Another exciting bit of news is we have bought (at great expense I might add) Jessica’s kitten. A long time ago I promised Jessica a cat when we moved into a ‘real’ house. The park doesn’t allow pets, although you wouldn’t say so by the amount of animals wandering around there. She/He (we don’t know yet) is a half pedigree’d Siamese (it’s up for grabs who the father is) and we should be able to bring him/her home mid-way January.

We’re taking the one on the left, cute huh?

We’re planning on bringing Gymmie through late December and I really hope he doesn’t try and eat the new cat. Looking at this picture of ‘we don’t have a name yet’ cat… that’s about the size Gymmie was when I rescued him – it’s no wonder he’s slightly odd (ok completely insane).

And to end this post.. I had my “this is not my first” bath. As bathing experiences go – it sucked lollipops. First off I’ve discovered the cold tap – isn’t exactly cold – so the bath was HOT, secondly it still feels really gritty, has a lot of blobs of sealent all over the show and well if I want to lie down in it…. I’m going to need one of those mats one puts in the bath – because if I don’t…I’m going to drown (sucks being a kortgat {short ‘arse’} as Wouter likes to call me). And to top it all off…. when I let the water out, bubbles came out the hole in the wall.

The experience is being filed away as a non-experience… I have yet to have my first bath.

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I’ve finally made it!!!

Posted on 11/13/2008 by Tanya

Someone typed this into google… and my page was the first one that popped up….

My life is complete……

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I am *so* not ready to be a parent

Posted on 11/13/2008 by Tanya

Which if you consider I have two children is a bit of a problem. Situation went something like this – we’re driving back from the Arts & Culture Evening at Kommetjie Primary School and Jessica asks if her friend, plus two boys and possibly another friend can come over Saturday. My initial thought- *AAAARGH – I don’t want people invading my house*, second thought – *why do they always end up at my place?* followed by *boys????!*.  Throw in the mix a party at another girl’s house on Friday which we’d already decided she wasn’t going to because last time there was trouble with alcohol and goodness knows what else, which she suddenly wants to go to again and you have a powder keg ready to explode.

Lets just say the conversation didn’t go very well and by the time we reached home I had one daughter sulking, storming off to her room and slamming the door and the other one crying in her bedroom.

*sigh*

At one part of the conversation Jessica yells – “we’re not stupid kids, what do you think we’re going to do – go off into the bush and have sex?”

I wasn’t till you mentioned it!!!  Fortunately there are no bushes in our garden, well none that could hide two naked bodies that is.

I have a feeling it’s more the ‘invading my house’ thing that is bothering me, I can now understand my Mom a bit better – we never had friends over, well very seldom anyway. I guess (actually I know) she didn’t like people invading her house either. Which is why I’ve always been amenable to sleep overs and having friends over to play.  That is whilst the friends were girls and before I had a house which we’ve worked so hard on, and before boys!

I guess I should be pleased she feels comfortable enough to bring her friends over but boys!  I am *so* not ready for boys.

We compromised, we agreed she wasn’t going to the party Friday and I agreed to her having her friends over on Saturday for a limited time.  I swear if I find any of them behind a bush I will seriously freak out!

The Arts and Culture evening was sweet – the Grade 7’s put on a play – their version of Rumpelstiltskin. Jessica played the King and she did a really nice job of it.

The whole cast…

Tamsyn played a short piece on the piano which had quite a few mothers coming up to me afterwards going – “I didn’t know your daughter was so good on the piano” to which I naturally replied “Neither did I”. Wasn’t received too well, sometimes a sense of humour can be a curse.

Jessica was also part of a recorder recital and then the evening finished with the choir singing.

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Winter pops back for a visit

Posted on 11/12/2008 by Tanya

Just when you think it is safe to pack away the winter woolies nature turns around and laughs at you. We had howling winds yesterday in Cape Town – the type that knocks a person over if you’re not careful – in fact I witnessed that very thing whilst driving to work.  Poor woman, mind you she had the good grace to laugh about it. Then last night it rained, and rained and rained – it was still raining this morning when the alarm went off.  Which can I just say goes off way too early, then again I’ve been getting up at 5:00 each week morning for over a decade – probably should be used to it by now.

We were meant to have people over for a braai last night but they cancelled at the last minute which was fortunate in the end because Wouter got stuck at work till 20:00. It did however mean I had a whole heap of salad ingredients so I made one of my ‘not yet’ famous salads.

I took out some kassler chops from the freezer and when Wouter got home he googled a recipe and we had chops, salad and baked potato for supper.  Was nice :-)

 

I also used the time I had to myself (kids stay with their father on a Tuesday) to have a glass of wine and a read in bath. Not in my bath sadly that still needs a few finishing touches. The wine we’re raving about at the moment is Altydgedacht Sauvignon their 2008 vintage – very, very lekker.

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You know it’s finally summer when…

Posted on 11/10/2008 by Tanya

you end up being invited to a braai every day of the weekend. Friday night – braai, Saturday night – braai, Sunday afternoon – braai… man it was nice. It did however put a bit of a limit on how much we could do around the house.

I managed to pack away the last of the kitchen paraphenalia and have realised we don’t have enough kitchen cupboards. Then again we knew this which is why we have contingency plans ie. another cupboard above the sink, shelves above the bar counter etc etc.  We’re just not there yet.

With a teensy bit of subtle hinting on my part Wouter put my bathroom light up.

It really is a stunning light fitting, cannot wait to have my first bath – we’re almost there – Wouter just has to seal the bath and check for leaks.

Of course our shower has been ready for ages but the shower door had to be ordered and initial estimate on delivery was amended to ‘towards the end of the month’. So much to Jessica’s disgust we’re back to using her shower – that is until Wouter sorts out the leak in Tamsyn’s.

We did manage to get some of the furniture and other bits and bobs I inherited from my Grandparents across from Bellville. We’d had to store it there as the Kommetjie place was far too small and to be frank already too full of crap.

When I was quite little my Grandfather would make me furniture for my dollies.  He made me a beautiful wardrobe which my Gran filled with clothes she’d knitted and it had little glass bottles filled with sweets on top, I adored that wardrobe. He also made me a cat from a fur coat my Gran had after she’d decided she wasn’t going to wear real fur anymore, which I still have I might add. He doesn’t have any whiskers anymore – one of my cats chewed them off many, many years ago – but he still feels wonderful. So it wasn’t really surprising that I managed to persuade him to build me a dolls house. I’m a sucker for anything that one can collect – you know those part works that come out every week - well they brought out one that would eventually become a dolls house and I thought this was the greatest. It took Grandad the better part of a year and a half to build with a lot of finnicky work. I have a feeling he enjoyed doing it because he made extra furniture for it (apart from what they supplied) and we (the kids and I) were never allowed to touch it. It now has pride of place in Tamsyn’s room and I’m planning on putting the furniture in it tonight, with the kids help of course. Well maybe, we’ll have to see – they just might break something :-).

I have also discovered that one should not put masking tape down on a wooden floor, leave it for 6 or 7 months and then expect to be able to pull it off easily. Took me nigh on an hour to get the wretched stuff off our bedroom floor.

 Wouter mentioned the biscuits he baked the other day – figured I ought to post the picture I took of them, they were really yummy.

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We’re our own worst enemies…

Posted on 11/06/2008 by Tanya

Jessica asked me to take a few photographs of her (yea I was also stunned) for some school project. At least I think it’s a school project – it could also just be something she and her friends have decided to do because it sounds ‘cool’. Not being one to miss a photo opportunity I gladly assisted and took some really nice ones of her. Sadly even  at the age of 13 we still look at ourselves and say things like ‘my thighs are so fat’. *sigh*

My attempts at an artistic shot.

I decided that I couldn’t wait for my work surfaces in my room so I have temporarily set my pc up and my printer – it’s really  my printer that I’ve missed.

Let me tell you that chair thingy is flippen hard to sit on.

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There *is* light at the end of the tunnel…

Posted on 11/03/2008 by Tanya

Phew, what a week and weekend – exhausting, stressful, emotional and exciting all at the same time. As you know we’ve been in the house since Friday 24 October and for the first time Wouter cooked last night.

I know it seems like he has no clothes other than that grotty looking t-shirt and jeans, I swear he does – these are his work clothes.. and as he’s always working (for which I am eternally grateful) I’ll live with him looking like a hobo in the pictures.

I spent most of Saturday sorting out boxes, packing away things and crying over broken glass and bottles of Sprite Zero, emotions were a tad close to the surface. Jessica on the other hand spent much of her time sorting out  her bookcase and putting up her posters.

Both their bedrooms are pretty much finished, Mom gave me a curtain for Tamsyn’s room and whilst shopping on Sunday we found a pretty curtain for Jessica’s room. All that really needs to happen now is for the network points, plug points and hooks for pictures to be put in.

The lounge is coming along, we still need to find a lounge suite (I’m thinking something on the cream side to complement the carpet) and curtains – but as a ‘for now’ arrangement it isn’t bad.

 

Personally, I think Wouter’s wardrobe and the green mattresses adds a touch of class to the lounge :-)

 

This is what the kitchen looked like on Saturday evening…

And this is what it looked like last night…

Oh come on, there is a *huge* difference!!

Wouter finished off a few of his cupboards and all that is left now is the tall cupboard and appliance garage – ok that isn’t exactly ‘all’, we still need to tile the splashback, paint the back of the cupboards, get the bar counter tops etc etc.  So erm, yea – we’re ‘almost’ done in the kitchen.

‘My’ bathroom border tiles look awesome, Frank still has to grout them but I’m delighted with the way it looks – once we have the glass shelves in (and the bath, basin, shower door etc etc) it is really going to look swanky.

I prettied up our bedroom, well made the bed – still quite a bit to do in here too.

I have also managed to make some sense out of the chaos of my scrapbook room (shoved a lot of stuff in the cupboard), there are still a lot of boxes (mainly books and my computer paraphernalia) that can’t be unpacked because I’m waiting for the bookshelves in the lounge and a work surface in my room.

(/me refrains from saying anything about granddaughters following in grandmothers footsteps)

We had Frank and a buddy come on Saturday to clear away the ‘crap’ and load it into the z-bin or whatever it is called – amazing how much ‘crap’ that thing can hold.

We also handed over the keys to the Kommetjie place (oh and a word to the wise, honesty isn’t always the best policy.  Apparently my mentioning the mice that sometimes take up residence in the kitchen cupboards and have this cute way of waving to you when you open the door can freak some people out). The chap who bought the place let slip that his girlfriend was majorly freaked out by this. Eish, what is a mouse or two between friends?

You’re probably wondering why I mentioned them in the first place – combination of reasons – 1. I didn’t want them to discover mice frequent their kitchen cupboards and think to themselves, that bloody woman never mentioned mice 2. I didn’t want them to discover little mice droppings and think to themselves, that bloody woman never mentioned mice and 3. There was a lull in the conversation and I felt obliged to full it with the first thing that popped into my head. *sigh* I know, I’m my own worst enemy.

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Posted on 10/30/2008 by Tanya

Mom has been helping the kids sort their bedrooms out, and a damn fine job she’s been doing too. Jessica’s room looks fantastic and as soon as it is fully finished (she still needs her computer desk and curtain rods) I’ll take photos. They worked on Tamsyn’s room yesterday and as she doesn’t have everything in her room yet she left me notes… too cute.

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Does this happen to you?

Posted on 10/29/2008 by Tanya

I sure hope it does, otherwise I’m getting myself tested for altzheimers…. I’m in the cafe yesterday because I suddenly had the attack of the munchies and needed reinforcing before I tackled the ‘no matter how much I pack there still seems to be more’ packing at Kommetjie. As I’m walking towards the ice cream fridge (don’t judge me) this bloke gives me a huge smile and says in that *gosh haven’t seen you in ages but I sure know you* tone “Hi, how have you been?”

Internal response…. “Who the *beep* are you?”…. actual response *mumble* “Finethanksandyou?” I then took ages choosing an ice cream and loitered around the back of the shop waiting for him to leave so that I didn’t end up having one of those awkward *I’m talking to you but I have no friggen clue who you are* conversations.  I swear I’ve never met him before in my life.

Scary thing is, this happens to me A LOT, either I look a helluva lot like a whole bunch of women out there or I’m losing my mind.  I need another ice cream.

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