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!

Stay-at-home-Dad

Last night once the kids where all asleep Si and I sat down to watch a recent episode of "The Good Wife" in which there were a group of "Stay-at-home-Dads". After watching for a while my husband (who I love dearly) flippantly commented that he would LOVE to be a "Stay-at-home-Dad" and how he would so enjoy having the time to play with his experiments, work on his maths problems and program things that interest him.

Without missing a beat I asked him how he would find time for that between taxing children to and from school/clubs/friends, shopping, cleaning, washing/drying/folding clothes, duck feeding, park time, cooking, managing the family finances, arranging car services/MOT's/cleaning etc etc etc coz when he had worked it out could he PLEASE tell me as I barely find time to go to the loo.

He has decided to stick with his day job lol

Sunday 3rd April 2011

Today is Mothering Sunday in England and although I wasn't spoilt materially (we don't go in for that kind of thing) it has been a very special day filled with lots of little thoughtful moments that mean the world to me.

I was woken this morning by Megs with a big cup of tea (made just the way I like it), two chocci biscuits (the girl knows what her mother likes lol) and a cute homemade card telling me why she loves me.

About 15 mins later it was Nick Nick's turn and Si had even facilitated him making his own card which he proudly gave me with the biggest smile on his face - he then spent the next 5 minutes explaining what all the different "squiggles" where....would seem my card consisted of a duck and rather a lot of spiders lol.

Phill followed shortly after with a tray of bacon and eggs and of course another homemade card detailing the reason's he loves me. As I said, spoilt spoilt spoilt. Breakfast was finished off by two toasted hot cross buns (another of my absolute favourites) and it was a miracle that I could actually get out of bed at 10am with all the food I had eaten.

Si and I took Nick out for a long walk mid morning at one of our local conservancies (well we walked and he slept) and having picked up a good chick flick for me for this evening (Eat, Love, Pray), I think I can honestly say it has been one of the nicest Mother's Day ever, no one has fought, we have done lots of laughing and the children have all tried really hard to put my needs in front of their own....a special day, thanks guys for all the effort :0)

Saturday 2nd April 2011

As I have been struck down by yet another horrible cold we had a very slow start to the morning. Fortunately after a couple of extra hours sleep I managed to drag myself out for a bout of frantic shopping for school project stationary, shoes etc before dropping Megs off for a friend's birthday celebration at "Stomp" in Brighton.

As the weather is def warming up the boys and I decided a nice stroll to the park was the order of the afternoon and it was fun to watch Phill and Si practising Rugby maneuvers while Nick Nick threw his own ball around and generally got in the way :0)

Walking to and from the park I couldn't help but be struck by how the English spring is defined by its flowers....first come the Crocus and Snowdrops in the middle of Feb, these little flowers stubbornly peak their heads above ground at the first sign of warming weather and help to lift the spirits tremendously after an often long and hard winter.

Towards the middle of March it is the turn of the Daffodils, which are fast becoming my favourite flower, the huge patches of yellow everywhere herald so much promise for summer and they are often accompanied by the beginnings of tree blossoms towards the end of the month.

Now, the beginning of April is the turn of the Tulips, I had never seen these flowers growing in the wild before coming to England and they make for a spectacular show with the vibrant reds, yellows, pinks, whites and purples. Next to come will be the Bluebells towards the end of May and the fields and fields of blue mirror the gorgeous skies as the summer finally arrives.

I am so delighted that the unwritten law of not picking flowers is respected by the majority of the population as it results in everyone being able to enjoy the beauty...my mom always tells me to stop and enjoy the flowers and never to take for granted how magnificent England is at this time of year, so that is exactly what I did today and I am feeling much better for it :0)