A Poem by Megan

Megan has written this little poem for the baby and I just had to include it as her first real piece of creative writing....thank you love!

A Poem by Megan

Baby Baby in that tummy,

soon you will be free.

Baby Baby in that tummy,

can't you wait to see me.

Baby Baby in that tummy,

I love thee

even though I cannot see thee.

Too sweet for words - both children are really starting to get excited now with less then 6 weeks to go.

A touch of Inspiration

It is funny how life goes.....yesterday I was feeling down and two things happened, first we were told the birth would be paid for (which I have already mentioned) and second, out of the blue I was invited to tea with two of the moms from school while Phillip was at rugby practise, and it was lovely.....we laughed and talked and the girls all played together happily and it was just really peaceful being in Karen's garden on a beautiful English summers evening....God really does watch over us and I am amazingly blessed as when I need it most I always find what I need to renew my strength.

I received this poem or story this morning from Linda and I just found it so inspirational (especially after yesterday) that I wanted to share it....enjoy!

The Wooden Bowl

I guarantee you will remember the tale of the Wooden Bowl
tomorrow, a week from now, a month from now, a year from now.
A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and four-year - old grandson.
The old man's hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered.

The family ate together at the table. But the elderly grandfather's shaky hands and
failing sight made eating difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor.
When he grasped the glass, milk spilled on the tablecloth. The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess. 'We must do something about father,' said the son.
'I've had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor.' So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner.

There, Grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner.
Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl. When the family glanced in Grandfather's direction, sometimes he had a tear in his eye as he sat alone.
Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food. The four-year-old watched it all in silence.

One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor.
He asked the child sweetly, 'What are you making?' Just as sweetly, the boy responded,
'Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and Mama to eat your food in when I grow up. ' The four-year-old smiled and went back to work.The words so struck the parents so that they were speechless.

Then tears started to stream down their cheeks.
Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done. That evening the husband took Grandfather's hand and gently led him back to the family table.
For the remainder of his days he ate every meal with the family. And for some reason,
neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled.

On a positive note, I've learned that, no matter what happens,
how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.

I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles four things:
a rainy day, the elderly, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.

I've learned that, regardless of your relationship with your parents,
you'll miss them when they're gone from your life.

I've learned that making a 'living' is not the same thing as making a 'life...'

I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance.

I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands.
You need to be able to throw something back
I've learned that if you pursue happiness, it will elude you
But, if you focus on your family, your friends, the needs of others,
your work and doing the very best you can, happiness will find you.

I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision.

I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one.

I've learned that every day, you should reach out and touch someone. People love that human touch -- holding hands, a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back.

I've learned that I still have a lot to learn.

Isn't that amazing....certainly makes you think..............well the children and I are having a pj day today to celebrate the start of the summer holidays and intend doing nothing but watching tv, playing on the computer and eating junk food. Off to Weston Super-mare near Bristol on the west coast to visit Cayne and Linda for the weekend and see their home for the first time.

Some days are diamonds, Some days are stone.....

Not in the interest of upsetting anyone, but in the interest of keeping our diary real, I feel I need to record the not so good days as well as the fantastic ones......and today I am afraid is one of the "not so good" ones. It is strange how these days creep up on you, and the silly little things that send you over the edge - in my case today it is the fact that I still can't seem to find a way to get my photographs printed, stupid I know, but this minor little frustration has me in tears wishing I could just pop into the fuji photoshop in Hillcrest and get it done, which leads me to a longing for a vanilla cinnamon latte' with Bee, Tracy and Lin at Mugg and Bean, and Chinese Chicken for dinner at my folks, and a stupid ginger and white cat called Hobbs.

So for those of you out there who have made a huge move like ours or are planning it, be aware that these days do happen, does it mean I am gagging to go back, of course not, does it mean I am feeling a bit low today, yes it does and I know that it is completely normal and it too will pass, especially as we are going up to visit Cayne and Linda near Bristol this weekend, and the familiarity of good friends always helps.

One little bit of good news however is that I have literally just heard from the Princess Royal Hospital that the birth of the bump will in fact be covered by the NHS and that is a HUGE weight off our shoulders as since Saturday last week there has been the possibility that we wouldn't qualify and have to pay ourselves, which if you think is expensive in SA, you have no idea...so you see there is good in every day, we just need to find it.

Tuesday 22nd July 2008

The weather seems to have cleared for a while at least and today has dawned with beautiful blue skies and promises of temperatures into the high 20's.....I must say if the weather will hold it will be a lovely way to start the summer holidays and the children and I are planning a trip down to the beach on either Thursday or Friday to see what Littlehampton looks like without the storm clouds (lol).

Phillip played in a football tournament yesterday and his year 3 team made it to the finals, much to his delight even the "runner up" team (they lost by one goal) where awarded trophies at the prize giving and he is very chuffed that this one he can keep and doesn't have to give back. He looked very grown up in his school football kit and is really enjoying all the sport on offer here. Megs was out for the evening at Tasha's school play which she seemed to enjoy and all in all the children's social lives are flourishing and I need a diary to keep track of their busy schedules.

Plans for today include ironing and possibly a little nap around lunch time, just can't seem to keep my eyes open at the moment, and unlike a first time mother I know I need to take the opportunities to rest now while I can, so am taking full advantage of my "condition" and getting my feet up whenever possible.

Sunday 20th July 2008

Another ridiculously busy weekend for the Robertson family, but such fun that no one is really complaining - my son has taken to sleeping whenever the opportunity presents, normally driving between activities and as for the rest of us, well we are just learning to cope at the faster pace...Megan thinks she has died and gone to heaven as she has always been the little activity queen in our family.

This morning met up with Robert and off we went to our first car boot sale in Sayers Common - amazing to see what some people will sell, and even more amazing to see what some people will buy. A car boot sale is not that different from a flea market, basically it is just lines and lines of cars and anyone can go along and sell off their second hand stuff at low prices, in fact a lot like a huge jumble sale. Well we spent a couple of happy hours dawdling along the rows and came away with a wicked drum set for Phillip and a couple of board games to keep us busy over the long summer holidays.

Lunch was roast beef at a local pub in Sayers Common which Kerry joined us for and I tried my first Yorkshire Pudding, and oh my word, another drug to add to my list along with Bramble Jelly and Frazzles (bacon tasting crispy chips).....really really yummy, can't believe that I have never eaten it before - must be something to do with the English water as both Phillip and I have become really adventurous eaters and my son is no longer the fussiest eater on earth and actually settled down to a chicken corma with relish the other night - long may it last!

Saturday 19th July 2008

London, London, London......where to begin and what to say about this city......it has to be the craziest, most congested place in the world, yet at the same time as being crowded and noisy, it is also the most vibrant, exhilarating place I have ever been.

This was my second visit to London (the last one being nearly 13 years ago) and I wasn't disappointed, my expectations were met and although it seems much busier then it was all those years ago, it is still a very slick operation and caters to the 1000's of tourists very well. I have to admit to a couple of emotional moments just realising that I was actually in London with my family was quite surreal, a year ago I would never have believed it possible, and now we are actually living the dream....I mean Megan announced a week ago that her field trip next year is 3 days in Paris, can you imagine.

Our day began with a 45 minute overland train trip from Haywards Heath to Victoria station which the children and I enjoyed immensely (dh was a bit blase, after all he travels the distance every day), I have decided that it really is the most civilised way to travel and am thinking of investing in a family ticket for the summer as it will much more pleasant to take the children to Brighton etc on the train then fighting the summer traffic down there.

On arrival at Victoria station I was once again amazed by this hub of activity, if you consider the thousands of people arriving at that station every hour it runs incredibly smoothly, and perhaps most notably, there is practically no litter. We managed to find a representative from the "Original Bus Company" fairly easily and soon had our "hop-on-hop-off" tickets in hand (for the princely sum of £55 for the family.....not bad when you consider it covered tour guided bus travel for the entire day, and they run a fantastic "children's tour" so Megan and Phillip didn't get bored).

Unfortunately about 20 minutes into the tour the heaven's opened (for the only time that day I am pleased to announce) and although we managed to stick it out for about 15 minutes (we are very English now and simply pulled out our macs and brollies at the first few drops) it eventually got the best of our South African sensibilities and we decided to cut the tour short and head for our first attraction of the day - the London Eye.

The London Eye really is a feat of engineering and for someone who, like myself, is terrified of heights it is a wonderful way to view the city without actually feeling frightened - as with anywhere in London, the queues are long, but they move relatively quickly and although there are about 25 people in each pod, you don't feel at all crowded and everyone has plenty of window space to look out of. Followed up the London Eye by lunch at Macdonalds - I am pleased to say that here their food is actually edible, and more importantly affordable and then we were off on a river cruise on the Thames which was included in our bus ticket - the trip was a bit of a disappointment as for some reason we didn't have any commentary, so many of the buildings were then meaningless, but it did give us a different view of the city and an alternative means of transport to the tower.

From the cruise we decided to hit Madam Tussuad's which is included on our Merlin Cards, again queues, queues, queues - Si and I have both said if they could just cut the number of people in or on all of the attractions by half they would be the most amazing places on earth - with that said however, we still had loads of fun being photographed with the "celebs" (please take note that my altruistic husband chooses to be photographed with the likes of Nelson Mandela, Ghandi and the Dali Lama, well shallow me goes for George Clooney, Prince William, Robby Williams and Tom Cruise ;0) and the children loved the "Spirit of London" ride which details a brief history of London in wax models.

Our last stop of the day was Hamleys, which, for those of you who are unfamiliar with England, is (I think) one of the biggest toy shops in the world and covers a staggering 5 stories - to say the children where overwhelmed with excitement was an understatement, so while I sat on the top floor in the coffee shop and enjoyed a pot of tea and a slice of chocolate cake, Simon good naturedly strolled around the entire store while Megan and Phillip decided what to spend their £20 on....around an hour later we were on our way back to Victoria Station again, only this time on the underground (at Megan's suggestion), the children enjoyed the novelty of being in the tunnels, but were by this time so exhausted they could barely stand on their own fee.

Dinner was another Macdonalds, this time eaten on the floor in Victoria station before we boarded the 19h30 train back to Haywards Heath - a very exhausted family arrived home just before 20h00 and by 21h00 the house was in darkness. A wonderful day that we will always remember.....already planning another trip up to see some of the other attractions the city has to offer.

The families impressions:

Simon's words: Busy, very very busy.......

Phillip's words: I liked going on the double decker bus and going to one of the biggest toy shops in the world calls Hamleys it was great fun and I liked going on the London eye. London is great because they have all these awesome places like Madam Tussuad's and the Dungeon, but I don't like it because there are lots of people and they leave litter in the river.

Megan's words: I was really excited when we went on the train and as soon as we got to London I noticed that it was really busy. My favourite part of the day was going to Madam Tussuad's and Hamleys and I went on a ride called the "Spirit of London" which I just loved. I thought the underground was really amazing, and I really liked going to Macdonald

Turned out to be a surprise baby shower

Arrived at Kerry's on Friday night laden with scrapbooking pages only to discover that the crazy, generous, super sweet lady had gone ahead and organised me a surprise baby shower with the ladies from my toddler group (remember the one that meets on a Wednesday).....I have to admit to being totally overwhelmed, just couldn't believe that these people who have know me such a short time took the time away from their families on a Friday night to help me celebrate the birth of the bump - had a lovely evening and was ever so spoilt, definitely don't need to do much shopping, which pleases my husband immensely.

Did also get to show my scrapbooking which was well recieved and some of the ladies where amazed that we would ever leave a country that looked like the one portrayed in my pictures...by the end of the evening it was decided that I should be working for a South African tourist company (lol). Just a wonderful evening overall and I came home walking on air and totally restored....so thank you again Kerry for everything!!!!!

Thursday 17th and Friday 18th July

End of another busy week and I am taking the opportunity while Megan is out on a play date and Phillip is playing lego in his room with a friend to do a quick update........

Another week just seems to have flown by and I simply don't know what happens to the days - Wednesday afternoon was spent doing a leisurely shop in Burgess Hill, followed by coffee with Kerry and a quick visit to Treasured Crafts (my new fav scrapbooking shop).

Today has been a "housework" day as I do my weekly shopping on a Friday and then sort out ironing etc before the weekend as I simply refuse to do anything vaguely domestic (apart from cook) on a Saturday and Sunday.....everyone deserves a day off after all (lol). Tonight I am off to Kerry's for a girl's night and to introduce some of her friends to the concept of scrapbooking and get some feedback on an idea I have, so really looking forward to that, and then tomorrow we are off on our first trip to London since we have been here, so I promise if you visit on Monday there will be lots of lovely photos to see.

Baby Update

Went to visit the midwife yesterday, and on coming home realised that I haven't really updated the bumps progress on the blog in a while.

So in the interest of that..........I am doing fine, and am now 33+ weeks, which effectively means I have between 7 and 9 weeks before this baby puts in an appearance. Bumps heartbeat is good and strong and so far seems very relaxed and at peace with life....midwife is pleased with progress and at this stage is expecting a normal delivery towards the first week in September.

My blood pressure and sugar levels are normal and apart from sore back and terrible heartburn I am also relaxed and at peace with life - although Si may tell you another story if you ask him (lol). Bump is still lying in the breech position, but the midwife is happy that we may have a big turn during the next two weeks, and if that doesn't happen I will be referred to a consultant to discuss trying to turn the baby or doing a caesar if that is unsuccessful.....to be honest at this stage not really stressed about it at all as Phil turned at 38 weeks (almost unheard of), so I am sure this little one just doesn't want to stand on its head any longer then absolutely necessary and will make the position change in its own sweet time - one of the good things here is that they won't automatically caesar 2 weeks before my due date, but wait for the due date to arrive before they intervene.

Other than that not much to tell - feeling loads of movement now and my stomach sometimes looks a bit alien, but all of you who have had babies will relate to that....Megan and Phillip are really starting to look forward to the arrival and I have such a good feeling about this new addition to our family that I am just certain everything will be just fine.

Off to toddler club this morning - don't have the required toddler "entry" fee, but the ladies are letting me go anyway as we break for the summer holidays today and the next time we meet I will have a little bundle.

Children's School Reports

I have received Megan and Phillip's first school reports in the UK and although they are unable to comment on any academic scores at this stage, I was absolutely thrilled with the reports and just needed to get them down on the blog so that they are recorded in our "history" forever.

PHILLIP

Phillip has settled in beautifully, making good friendships and being well liked. He has become a lot more confident and is prepared to do most of the tasks I set him. He has shown he is capable of a good standard of work and, knowing this, I hope to see an increase in the amount of work he completes for each task set. His handwriting is beautifully rounded and neat and his spelling is very good. Phillip does however struggle with imaginative writing, so next year he will need to stretch that imagination and use the wealth of experiences he has locked away to produce work that is worthy of his verbal vocabulary. He is a very able mathematician, who can keep pace with the top group quite easily. I was very pleased the Phillip was prepared to play for a year 3 team in the football tournament and I look forward to him joining the tag rugby team next year. He is very polite and joins in well during class discussions, sharing valued and sensible comments and knowledge. I look forward to Phillip being in my afternoon class next year. Well done.
(Mrs Reason - class teacher)

Phillip has settled well into his class and our school and is showing himself to be popular and very pleasant. I look forward to getting to know Phillip more next year.
(Miss Chaisson - Head Mistress)

MEGAN

Megan has settled into our school and class well, at a time when the normal timetable has been somewhat disrupted with end of term activities. She is always cheerful, and has from the beginning, displayed a very kind and thoughtful attitude. She is extremely well mannered and is always ready to help. Megan should continue to listen at all times and take every opportunity presented to her. She has a considerable amount of catching up to do, but I am sure that with all the joint support available, together with Megan's desire to succeed she will be able to move forward quickly. Taking part in the Country Dance display in her second week at school was a huge challenge to which Megan rose admirably. She has learnt the words to the production very quickly and is showing promising acting talents, being very willing to take advice, watch others and learn from them. I have enjoyed working with Megan over the last few weeks and look forward to the year ahead. Well done!
(Mrs Gee - Class Teacher)

Megan has settled well and is a positive addition to her class and the school. She needs to consider her targets carefully for next year so that she can make the best of year six.
(Mrs Chaisson - Head Mistress)

I am definitely one very proud mommy....Well done guys, you have outdone yourselves!!!!!!!!