Sunday 14th September 2008

A glorious day outside completing a weekend of near perfect weather....blue skies and few clouds with just the gentlest of breezes keeping the temperatures manageable. Phil is off to rugby practice this morning with his dad, Nicholas is asleep upstairs in his cot (for a change) and Megs, Mom and I have just been hanging, finishing the weeks homework, tidying the house and doing the ironing, but all in a nice kind of girly fog which is quite lovely for a change, not a trace of testosterone anywhere in the house (lol) and oh so quiet!!!!!

Having spent yesterday at Tully's Farm, Mom and I are planning a delicious Sunday Roast with the most beautiful piece of roast beef, fresh brussel sprouts, cauliflower and roast potatoes bought at the farmstall and finished off with a raspberry pavlova using raspberries which we picked ourselves yesterday.

Tully's Farm is situated about 16 minutes north of us in Turner's Hill on the way to Crawley, the farms main purpose is fruit and vegetable production, originally for the London Markets and more recently through Pick Your Own for direct farm sales. Strawberries are synonymous with Tulley's and they along with raspberries form the back bone of the farm's summer fruit season.
They have the most stunning farm shop which is a converted milking parlour and prides itself as a high quality provider of local and regional foods.

Having seen the weather on Saturday morning we decided to meet up with Kerry and her kids and take a trip up there as Tully's were hosting their Harvest Tasting Festival, where you get to try the most magnificent products and my word, we all thought we had died and gone to heaven and spent a wonderful hour exploring the gorgeous farm shop and tasting the wares...... I discovered Pear and Vanilla chutney to eat with hard cheese.....omg, this is right up there with my Rhubarb and Ginger cake from Amberly's (the traditional country food in England is to die for and I just love getting to taste all these wonderful products before actually buying them).

After a picnic eaten in the field behind the farm shop, we all went down into the Raspberry fields and spent another happy hour picking our own fruit (something Mom has been wanting to do since she arrived), finished off by picking some Sunflowers for the lounge and then heading home exhausted, tanned and happy.

Although we were all very tired from being out on the farm most of the day, we dragged ourselves down to Victoria Park (the main park in Haywards Heath) in the evening to meet up with Tracy and her children for the end of "town day" and the firework display.....again omg....you have no idea, I am so glad we went, I thought at one stage mom was going to pass out from holding her breath, it was the most spectacular firework display I have ever seen and lasted for at least 30 minutes, truly breathtaking. So all and all a fantastic day and finished off in the best way ever, the children thought they had died and gone to heaven.

The things children say.....

A couple of days ago on a walk through the common with his gran, Phillip got onto the conversation of what kind of animal we all were in our past lives (okay, so we don't necessarily believe in past lives, but work with me here lol), and now that I have heard it, I simply have to record it.......in his words.

Phillip = an eagle because of his sharp eyes and strength
Megan = a butterfly because she is kind and gentle and very pretty
Me = a male duck because I am very protective and a bit bossy around my children
Simon = a warthog because he is lots of fun and doesn't mind getting dirty
Mom = an old mole because she is slow and a bit blind
Papa (my father) = a wise owl because he is also old, but he knows everything
Boompa (my grandfather) = a meerkat because he is very old and likes to sit in the sun doing nothing.

Oh the things children say....some very astute observations I think (lol)

12 September 2008

One thing that Nicholas has definitely given me (apart from sleepless nights) is the necessity to spend time at home allowing him to grow and get stronger.....these lovely slow days are so sacred and I think that often we don't make the time for them - I know that until our move here I certainly didn't and when I look back on my life in South Africa, the fast frenetic pace just seems a life time ago.

England has allowed me to re access my life and priorities and whilst I have no regrets about the life I have lived to this point and wouldn't change a second of it, at the same time I am grateful that the time has come for me to walk a different path and experience a different lifestyle, in essence, it is now my time to stop and smell the roses.....and we have been totally surrounded by roses and flowers since my mother has been here, she has completed our home with her lovely touches and her imprint will be here long after she has left.

Whilst I worked on the pc today preparing the photos for mom's bragbook, she opened the final ubag which included all my past scrapbooking pages and we spent a happy couple of hours going over the layouts and reliving our memories.....and this is my challenge to you, take some time this weekend to take our your albums and sit and remember your holidays and birthday and times spent with family and friends, take time to smell the roses and reconnect with loved ones, it is therapy for the soul and no matter how hectic your life, these quality moments are what makes it all worthwhile.

Have started a new routine with Nicholas today in a desperate attempt to gain some normality in our lives and so far so good, I am now waking him every 3 hours during the day for a feed and he has spent much of the day awake and "playing" so lets hope it works tonight and we actually get some sleep.

11th September 2008

Another quiet day at home, letting Nicholas and Gran spend some quality time together before she has to go back. Brief trip to clinic to check weight gain....and as with last week the milk in this family is mainly cream and the boy has picked up another 380 grams and now tips the scale at 4.32kgs - although all his feeding has left me absolutely exhausted, it is worth it when I see how wonderfully he is growing.....remember the photo of his first bath using my hand to show you how big (or in that case how small he was) well check out the comparison taken after bath time this morning in the "tigger" suit his grandpa chose for him, and which was way to big for him to come home from hospital in.


Megan's french trip was also confirmed today and although she made a mistake about the area they are visiting (they are not going to Paris, but to Hardelot, just south of Boulogne on the coast), I am still amazed that my daughter will be spending 3 days in France on a school trip and all for the relatively small amount of £250.

The centre they are going to is owned by the Kent County Council and is set on several acres of natural woodland with volleyball, football, pool, table tennis and table football on site and there is even a campfire area in the woods with an outdoor theatre - sounds absolutely wonderful. They will be visiting Boulogne, Nausica, Etaples and Montreuil sur Mer - lucky lucky girl, makes Bergville (where we went for our Std 5 trip) look rather sad actually.

Life is about changes

Alright I know that I am starting to sound like I am obsessing about the weather, but that really isn't the case, it is simply that I am so amazed by the distinct change in seasons in this country....less then 4 months ago the sun was setting well after 21h30 at night and tonight it was already totally dark by 20h00 and I believe that within another month the sun will have set by 18h00.

It is funny, but experiencing this change in seasons has made me realise that that is perhaps the greatest part of this adventure we are on...experiencing everything for the first time, the cultures, the food, the people and of course the weather. Being so far out of our comfort zone while at times frightening, frustrating or even just annoying is at the same time totally invigorating and for the first time in a long time I feel truly alive.

I have decided that from this moment forward that is exactly what I want to do, I want to strive to feel alive - that doesn't mean that I plan to move country again for a very very very long time, but I am determined to look at all life's experiences and day to day undertakings with a fresh eye like I am experiencing it for the first time, and really embrace the opportunities that I have been given through this move to grow as a person.

One of these opportunities is the meeting of new people - this morning I attended a course run by the National Childbirth Trust (NTC) and once again I was amazed by the woman that I met, the generosity of spirit is incredible and I can honestly say the more I meet these woman the more amazed I am - most of them are totally responsible for running their own households with no help what so ever, and many of them have more than one child at home all the time and yet they always have time for a chat and I have been stunned by their kindness and concern throughout this experience with Nicholas....I have met so many stunning stunning people and although leaving my friends behind was possibly one of the hardest aspects of this move, I have been given such an opportunity to expand my friendships and learn from many of these inspirational people.

It is possibly for this reason that I have been able to make peace with the fact that we will not be returning to South Africa in April....after much soul searching and many long discussions, Simon and I have decided that we have to look forward at this point and April is simply too soon to return to South Africa, the air travel alone will cost over R30 000 and at this time we need to consolidate all our resources and strive towards owning our own home here, and with the average cost of houses in this area ranging between R325 000 and £400 000 we have a long way to go....possibly one of the most difficult decisions we have made so far, but we believe that it is still not goodbye forever and we have resheduled the trip to December 2010 at this stage.

Now I think it is time for me to go to bed, it has been an emotional day and not the easiest one with Nick, I think he has picked up on my stress at having to make the decision about the trip and therefore perhaps disappoint the children and so many people back in South Africa and has been a bit unsettled.....he really is another one of those amazing opportunities to grow, I feel very blessed at this time in my life.

Tuesday 9th September 2008

Sunday we shopped....I know it sounds like we do that a lot, and I guess at the moment we probably do, but this time it wasn't for furniture (much to Simon's relief, no more items to build, it was for much needed winter woolies - the temperatures are dropping by the day and the time has finally arrived when even Phillip puts on a jersey when he goes out, (and those of you who know him well know that he almost never wore anything resembling a jersey even in mid winter in SA) we have also tested out our central heating a couple of times and I think mom is actually starting to count the days until she is out of the cold and back into the South African summer.

While the children and Simon went to watch Kungfu Panda at the Crawley Cineworld, Mom, Nicholas and I braved the crowds at Primark and came home armed with bags and bags of new clothes at extremely affordable prices, and my first parking fine (stamp foot and kick small furry creature in frustration), I simply cannot believe that I forgot to pay the "Pay and Display" parking and ended up spending a cool £50 instead of the £2.40 had I actually remembered aaaaahhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!

Monday passed uneventfully, but extremely pleasantly with coffee in the morning with Cathryn and in the afternoon with Tracy, lovely to be starting to make friends and have coffee dates again, it is one of the things I miss most about Hillcrest. This morning kicked off with tea and jam donuts with Kerry and then mom and I spent the remainder of the day at home chatting and spending some one on one time now that the older two are back at school.

As for Nicholas he is 6 weeks old today and we are yet to see that smile - he is an extremely serious little boy, but I guess that is allowed after the start he had.....delighted to say however that he is now a rather large little boy and is rapidly developing the "Robertson Baby double chin". Spent another happy afternoon snapping away with the camera and below are some of the shots I got....quited chuffed with them - a very photogenic bunch of kiddies if I say so myself.

Thursday 4th September 2008

Back to school this morning and I can't tell you how totally weird it was to watch my children go up a grade in September.....talk about confusing, it is a new academic year but we are only 3 months away from Christmas. Megan is now in year 6, which is her final year of junior school in this country and Phillip has just started year 3, both seem very comfortable and confident with the new year and Meg has come back a library monitor and Phil a IT monitor so both are as pleased as punch.

Nicholas had to have his kidney ultrasound today and I think it was the first time ever that they needed 3 people to hold down a 5 week old, I had his head and arms, a nurse had his legs and the radiographer was trying to deal with a squirming tummy. They kept commenting on what a strong little man he is. Anyway the ultrasound came back fine and there was no sign of any problems with either his kidneys or his bladder so that was wonderful news.

We also visited the clinic this morning and Nicholas has gained another 400 grams so is now 3.9kgs and growing like a little weed - don't have any idea of his length or head circumference at this stage, but the health care worker will measure those when I see her in a couple of weeks, the sister at the clinic did comment on how long he is though so I am expecting some pretty dramatic changes when next he is measured....high quality milk if I say so myself.

The weather here has definitely started to change and winter is well on it's way - I am going to have to invest in a warm jacket pretty soon and we will have to make a journey into one of the larger towns to find some new clothes for the children.

An interesting sight

This morning dawned overcast and chilly so my dh asked if I would mind driving him into the station rather than him cycling in as riding in the rain isn't much fun at all.....on the way back from the station I was amazed to notice that there are almost as many people walking to work ( or rather to the station to catch the train to work) in this village as there are in Hillcrest - the only difference (and it is a major one) is that all these people are dressed in suits and the ladies are made up to the nines and in high heels ready for their day in the city.....slightly bizaar, but lovely to see, guess it comes down to the wonders of public transport.

Tuesday 2nd September 2008

Today would have been my paternal grandfather's 104th birthday and although he did live to the ripe old age of 89, I guess it would have been a bit of a push to wish that he was still alive today....whenever I think of him, I always remember a true English gentleman and I guess living so close to where he was born and raised brings him to my mind even more often.

Grandpa lived with us for 17 years and I will never forget sitting on the arm of his white recliner while he tirelessly read me the stories of Winnie-the-Pooh, or his white bread and polony sandwiches made lovingly for me every afternoon after school - he was one of life's real treasures and I was exceptionally blessed to have had him so closely involved in my life for so long - I just wish he could have met my children, I think Megan's love of books would have bought him great pleasure and he would have been exceptionally impressed with Phillip's ball skills, having been such a keen sportsman in his time.

It is wet and rainy here today and we are beginning to feel the first touches of autumn in the air, the leaves are starting to change colour on the trees and the village is taking on a whole new look which I will photograph shortly.....if I remember to charge my camera batteries (to those of you who know me well, you will know the impact Nicky is having on my life if I have managed to let all the batteries in all my cameras run out and actually went out over the weekend without a single one - Simon did of course turn around and go back, but the fact that I actually left them behind says it all)

30th and 31st August

I can't believe that yet another weekend is here, we just seem to have started the week when it is gone in a flash and we are busy planning another outing. My mom has been here a month already and is really settling into life with us, although I think sometimes when Nicholas is doing his best impression of a horror child and screaming his head off she wishes she was safely back at 20 Nelson Road with Dad, Boompa, Hobbs and the dogs (lol)......my dad has been absolutely wonderful about mom staying so long and it is now confirmed that she will only return to SA after Nicholas has completed all his tests and is 2 months old which will be on 28th

September 2008, so I am a very lucky girl.

Saturday dawned to bright blue skies and warm weather and we quickly decided that an out door outing was in order.....having consulted the "ABC" (a magazine printed here twice a year including absolutely everything to do with children and handed out free of charge), we settled on Amberley Working Museum in Amberley about 50 minutes drive from us on the way to Arundel.

Amberley working museum is an open air museum situated on 36 acres and is dedicated to the industrial heritage of South East England with a special interest in communications and transport (right up Simon's alley as you can imagine). The museum is sited in a former chalk quarry where the chalk was converted into lime for use in cement and remaining on site are several kilns, including a De Witt set, and associated buildings including offices, bagging shed and locomotive shed. Also to be seen is the quarry tunnel (which appeared as Mainstrike Mine in the James Bond film A View to a Kill).

On arriving in Amberley we discovered that the museum was also hosting a food and drink festival so while Simon and the kids explored some of the exhibits, Mom and I took a gentle stroll around the food stalls tasting the wares.....came home with a bottle of delicious lemon curd, a bottle of rhubarb and ginger jam and a bottle of raspberry and walnut salad dressing, all home made and to die for. I also tasted a piece of Rhubarb and Ginger cake and let me tell you it was a life changing moment......carrot cake has absolutely nothing on this experience....this was right up there with Bramble Jam.

The highlights of the day for Megan and Phillip were learning Morse code and being able to send a message for which they were both awarded a certificate for their efforts, and being allowed to spend some time playing with the potters clay and creating masterpieces for the garden. Mom just enjoyed being out doors in the sun and kept mentioning how civilized everything was....she is becoming more British everyday, although she admits to missing SA every now and again, especially when she smells lamb chops cooking or thinks about her comfy bed (she is sleeping on the bottom bunk of Megan's bed at the moment).

After 6 hours at the museum, we finally (and the children and Simon very reluctantly) decided it was time for home and as usual the trip through the beautiful country side on our way home made the perfect ending to another wonderful day.

Sunday dawned cold and overcast and apart from a little bit of housekeeping, was spent in doors cuddled under warm blankets.