A Royalist at Heart

There has been something a little (okay more than a little) bit magical about living in England during the build up the the Royal Wedding on Friday 29th April and I have realised that deep down I am actually a Royalist and that I do give a damn about the traditions of the Royal Family and am desperately excited to watch Kate and William walk down the isle and commit to each other as our future King and Queen.

Every city, town and indeed village in England is festooned with the Union Jack and very few people haven't got some kind of plans for celebrating the occasion....I admitted to someone recently that if I wasn't so heavily pregnant I may have even found myself as one of the mad "tourists" out lining the procession way on Friday.

There is something totally unique (and unexpected to me) about living in a country with so much history and tradition and although it is not for everyone, and within our own household there are in deed those that find it a bit "fuddy duddy", I find myself falling more and more in love with the quaintness of it all....I mean imagine a wedding that will bring a country to a standstill, I really hope this love lasts and that the coming together of Royalty and Commoner will this time be a beautiful success.

Wednesday 27th April 2011

The children are back at school, while Si is enjoying three days leave between the two long weekends. The house is ticking along nicely and we are all cohabiting extremely well, the weather remains lovely and Nick's potty training seems to be finally happening. We have been invited to a "Royal Wedding" celebration at the Viljoen's on Friday and Cayne, Linda and the girls arrive on Saturday for the weekend...another good week with lots to look forward going into the weekend!

Sunday 24th April 2011

This long Easter weekend is certainly chalking up to be one of the best ever and has been filled with fantastic friends, lots of laughter, great food and warm weather.

We had a nice slow start this morning and our new "Easter Bunny" in the form of Megs was only required to head out and do her duty around 9.30am. Nicholas was DELIGHTED by the idea of finding chocolate eggs in the garden and after the "hunt" proceeded to sit down and eat EVERY single one before looking up with a big chocolate grin and declaring "Good!" (Have never been so pleased that Easter in our house is a small affair with not a huge amount of eggs lol)

Mid morning my NCT group started arriving for our first official bbq of the season (we try to get together with husbands at least once every 6 weeks during the summer). It was, as always with this group, lovely and relaxed and before long the garden was filled with the aroma of cooking chicken and sausages, this years "Summer Drink" (Malibu Rum, Pineapple juice and Lemonade) was flowing and the air was rich with the sound of laughter and friendship.

We are really in such a good place at the moment and are just celebrating life in every possible way we can find....these highs can't last forever, but while they do we are certainly going to seize the day and enjoy every single second!

Saturday 23rd April 2011

If this Spring is anything to go by then I think we are in for an AMAZING Summer this year.

As today was another magnificent day with electric blue skies and temps forecast to touch 26 degrees at midday what better way to spend it than back down on Camber Sands with some of our very special friends.

We met up with Kirsty, Kevin and their beautiful children Max and Lottie a little after 10.30am and Nick Nick and Max were soon running around the beach making it their own under the watchful eye of Kev, whilst Kirst and I sat in the sun chatting, Megs read her book and Si and Phil attempted to build a fort strong enough to resist the incoming tide.

We were joined after lunch by the Viljoens and all the children played so well together boogy boarding and just celebrating being young and alive. Rob bought a boat and some lilo's off people leaving the beach which I think was the highlight of the day for the kidlets and it was once again a very tired but extremely happy family that finally made our way off the beach 6 hours after arriving.

Although my pelvis is still giving me hassles I feel that all this sunshine, sand and fresh air has definitely strengthened me mentally (never mind turing my pasty white skin to a lovely golden brown) and I am finally able to face the next 6.5 weeks till bambino arrives.

Thursday 21st April 2011

PERFECTION....that is the only way to describe today...I know it sounds gushy and a little bit OTT, but we honestly had the most STUNNING day. Most of the UK is experiencing a mini "heatwave" at the moment and we are being blessed with huge big blue skies, cool gentle breezes and temps averaging in the mid twenties.

The children and I left home a little after 9am this morning to make the 1 hour 40 minute trip east to the stunning historic town of Rye and its gorgeous blue flag beach, Camber Sands. Whenever we do these trips to areas previously unexplored I am struck by what a beautiful part of the country we live in.

Si tends to get a bit frustrated that most places have to be reached by windy country roads as opposed to big, fast moving motorways, but I just LOVE it...our trip today took us past bright green meadows dotted with newly born lambs, vibrant yellow mustard fields and woods literally carpeted in bluebells.....simply breathtaking and the beauty certainly made for a very pleasant journey, well that and the loud music as the children and I all sang ourselves stupid to pass the time :0)

Camber Sands is as lovely as we had been promised and we very easily passed 6 hours sitting on the sand sharing time with our lovely friends, Amanda and her children Talisa, Bailin and Myla.

As I have often said before Amanda has become a very dear friend to me over the last months and time with her is always a tonic for the soul. Sadly for me their family is moving another hour further away from us next weekend and so we won't get to spend as much time together, but we already have some lovely memories and although they will be further apart I am certain we will continue to have some special visits in the future.


Days like today never fail to make me eternally grateful to my husband for the fact that I have been exclusively a stay-at-home mom since arriving in this country....spending time focused exclusively on my children, making special memories is a gift I didn't even know I wanted in SA and yet it has turned out to be the greatest gift of all!

Sunday 17th April 2011

7.20pm and we have only just come inside after a couple of hours out working in and enjoying our garden as a family. We have lived in our new home for almost 3 months now and as the summer is evolving we are enjoying it more and more.

I have often said that God works all things for a purpose and I am more convinced than ever that our time spent renting at both Finches Gardens and Portsmouth Lane were all part of our learning and growth process. Si and I have been lucky enough to always own our homes (before coming here) and so had no idea of the reality of renting, I guess in many ways we took our homes for granted and never fully appreciated the sense of belonging that ownership brings.

We settled in England a long time ago, but now for the first time we are really able to start putting down roots and it is AMAZING how we are enjoying all the DIY tasks around the house and every little thing we finish is a MAJOR achievement...even mowing the lawn with our new lawn mower is a family affair and we were all out working together, the boys learning how to become master gardeners whilst Megs (under a small amount of teenage duress) even joined us for a bit and I cut back some killer thorn bushes around our fence.

This is a new kind of happiness and contentment and I am as ever grateful that it is part of our journey and that we are still continuing to grow almost 3 years into our adventure.

Saturday 16th April 2011

The children have been on holiday since Monday and we have managed to combine some very chilled pajama time with visits to the movies (took Nick to see Rio), lunch with friends (viva la Burger King), lazy library mornings and time in the park....a good balance and we are nice and relaxed going into the second week.

A "DIY" weekend planned as we prepare for the first part of our housewarming next weekend (with our "English" friends, the "South African" version is taking place the following weekend). Amazing how the pace has slowed down since we moved in and all the little things have been left....but not today, today we work, well that is until Rodney arrives that is and then we visit :0)

I started editing the 2009 edition of my blog book yesterday and just LOVE reading back through the entries and enjoying our experiences all over again...am very hooked on these books and have lots of plans for many more over time.

Monday 11th April 2011

I know I am going on and on about the weather, but this may just be it....6 consecutive days of hot sunshine in England in April is a real miracle and not something to be taken for granted...once again Nick, Phil and I took advantage of the magnificence and spend a couple of very happy hours in our local park with Ben and Zac.

Maternity Photo Sneak Preview

Sunday 10th April 2011

Every now and then (if we are really lucky) happiness transcends to pure bliss and for a few moments, hours or days we feel on top of the world and everything seems to come together in perfect harmony.

That is what this weekend was like for me...Saturday morning dawned magnificently and with temps promising to top out in the mid twenties Si and I decided that the first braai of the season was definitely in order. My lovely TUT partner and blog buddie Claire and her hubby Lance were due in around lunch time and we couldn't think of a better way to get to know them than sitting in our little garden soaking up the sunshine and breaking in our new Webber BBQ.

Claire kindly agreed to make the long trip from Wales to be my "maternity" photographer and it was AWESOME to finally meet this fabulous lady in person...it was fun to sit and chat and learn more about each other and she had the most AMAZING ability to relax me enough in front of the camera that I think we may actually have got some shots.

Sunday was again gloriously warm and after waving goodbye to Claire and Lance we started preparations for yet another braai, this time with the ever wonderful Viljoen family. Si and I feel so privileged to have all these incredible people in our lives and weekends like this really leave us feeling fulfilled and incredibly happy.

I can't really express the sense of satisfaction that has rolled over me time and time again over the last two day....our new home has brought us so much more joy then we could ever have imagined and to use my gorgeous Phillip's words from Saturday...."It is good times Dad, good times" :0)

Friday 8th April 2011

One of the things I LOVE most about the English is their ability to relax and be happy when the sun shines. In parks, cities, beaches and gardens around the country people are out chatting, playing with their children and walking, literally soaking up the vitamin D...they really do know how to make the most of glorious weather.

On Wednesday the weather cleared and it has been pretty close to 20 degrees for the last two days (in fact on Tuesday it topped out at 25 around lunch time in Haywards Heath), now by South African standards that is still jumper and scarf weather but here it heralds shorts, t-shirts, sunglasses and ice-cream.

I have personally felt like a new person and the children and I have spent every last second hanging outside, the sky has been HUGE and bright blue and you simply can't help getting caught up in the holiday fever it creates....lets hope it lasts for the school holidays which started today.

I feel a phenominal summer comming on!