Tuesday 30th December 2008

Only 2 days left of 2008 and what a year it has been....certainly one for the books for the Robertson family and I don't think we will ever have another one quite so eventful....a new baby and a new country all within 12 months, eish, scary when I think about it.

This afternoon we took the children swimming at the Aztec pools at one of our local gyms. You have to be very careful here what you take photos of and there is absolutely no photography allowed anywhere children can be found in swimming costumes....they are very concerned about child abuse and protecting children's rights and I must admit before I came here I never really gave it any thought, but now I am quite relieved to know that no weirdo can be shooting pics of my darling daughter for sick and perverted reasons.

Nic was dressed in a little swim suit Tanya gave him a while back and the whole family spent a very happy 2 hours swimming in the heated pool...bizaar to think that outside the temperature was only marginally above freezing and indoors it was lovely and warm and Megs and Phil had a ball sliding down the slides and actually being able to act like children....health and safety in this country can be a bit strict especially when it comes to swimming and the older two do feel it, so they were delighted today when we found an activity not unlike South Africa.

An early night tonight in preparation of New Years Eve tomorrow....am feeling quite excited about it. Now that we are through, and coped really well with Christmas I am feeling very very positive about the future.....oh and the fact that my folks are scheduled to be here in about 4 months certainly helps.

How my children have changed

Today I stumbled upon this photo of Megan and Phillip taken days before we left South Africa and I can't believe how much they have changed in the last 7 months....not only have they slimmed down and toned up but they seem much more mature confident children.

I think having the responsibility of being allowed to walk into the village on their own (or Megan at least) and being able to play outside in the streets has toughened them up somehow and they are now a bit more streetwise then they were before.....I know that this doesn't necessarily seem like a good thing, but I think it has done them good to get out from under the over protective "wrapped in cotton wool" environment that was their past and into this new huge world with loads to discover.

In some respects however we are paying the price, they are more "mouthy" then they would ever have dared be in South Africa and they are more willing to stop and chat with strangers which I have to watch constantly, just because people are generally nice and friendly and we are greeted by every person we pass when we walk doesn't mean that the world is not full of sick people and it is difficult to teach them how to distinguish between the two.

I am ever so grateful that I am able to be a stay-at-home mom (in the true sense of the word) as at least I am here when they return from school and have been able to meet and get to know their friends. I think in a country where public transport is so accessible to them, and the independence that that brings, as parents we have to be even more vigilant of what they are doing and who they are spending time with then in South Africa where we can rely on fences and gates to protect them.

All said, I love the people they are becoming and I am so thrilled to have been able to give them this life changing experience and to have opened up their lives as we have....they have coped amazingly well with all the changes and literally seem to be blossoming before my eyes.

Sunday 28th December 2008

Spent just about the entire day upstairs on my bed with Nicholas, reading my book and hiding from the icy cold weather....it is nice to have time off with nothing to do (yup the ironing got left again) Simon and Phil were playing with Phil's new games and Megs was engrossed in in her DS.

At about 3pm Si suddenly decided that we needed to get out, so layered up in a vast amount of clothing and protesting slightly (it was -1 outside and the frost was still thick on the ground from the night before) we set off for a stroll into town to feed the ducks on the pond and then down to the park for the children to burn off some pent up energy.

Turned out to be a lovely idea and we came home chilled and invigorated and longing for hot chocolate and the central heating.

Saturday 27th December 2008

Spent the morning ironing as I have basically done nothing since Si and the kids went on holiday and I decided I had better get on with it....4 hours and 4 back to back episodes of Gilmore Girls and I am about 3/4 of the way through so should finish tomorrow....which will teach me to leave it for so long.

Joined Kerry, Rob and friends for tenpin bowling and then a light supper at Pizza Hut which was lovely fun...Megan and Phil beat all the grownups in our team and are feeling as proud as punch with themselves. We are really beginning to feel like part of something here and our friendships are growing in depth and dimension which is awesome.....we certainly have been very blessed with the people who have been sent into our lives since we arrived here.

The Christmas Season

Now that Christmas is actually here I have to say that it is not nearly as difficult as I thought it was going to be....I had a small melt down after speaking to my mom on Christmas Eve when the reality of what we were missing was very stark and a little more then I could manage - at that moment I decided that, apart from my parents, the only way to survive this first Christmas was to distance myself from all things South African for the next 48 hours...so for those of you who send texts and received no answer, it is because my mobile will be off until the morning of 27th December when Christmas is behind us and we are on our way to the new year.

Christmas eve was very different from what we are used to, dinner was a plate of saucy cheese and bacon chips (Megan's request) and then a walk down to Lindfield for Carols by Candlelight in one of the local churches....the service was lovely (even though we only recognised 2 of the carols) and a good reminder of what Christmas is all about - I like the children to be reminded that Christmas is about Jesus and not them, and although I want them to love their gifts and all the excitement it is also important to stop at times and celebrate our saviour. Once we returned home, I baked Si and I our traditional mince pies and we sat down to wrap presents before heading up to bed relatively early in anticipation of the dawn present unwrapping.

As expected the children where in our rooms bearing presents from Santa at a little after 6am and I am pleased to say that they were both delighted with their gifts and once again Santa had got it right. A brief conversation with my folks to wish them Happy Christmas before they left for the day at my Uncle and Aunt's farm and then it was downstairs for the rest of the unwrapping. For the first time this year I didn't bring out my camera and instead actually lived in the moment as opposed to just capturing it to document later, and I have to say it was great fun to be helping rip paper and put things together instead of just watching Simon do it through the lens. All the children (including Nicholas) seem very pleased with their presents and at around 7.30am Nic and I headed back upstairs for a little more sleep before leaving for Kerry and Rob's for lunch.

Lunch was perfect and this wonderful family opened up their home and their hearts to both the us and another South African couple here without family so that we could all have a happy day instead of sitting at home dwelling on what we have lost. Rob had decorated the cabin beautifully and the meal was out of this world....3 meats, 5 vegetables, roast potatoes to die for and 3 puddings including Peppermint Fridge Tart which was finished almost before it was put on the table......tasted just like home and it was wonderful to sit with other South African's and enjoy it.

Liesel and AJ

Rob and Kerry

The cabin where we enjoyed our Christmas lunch

Rob had decorated the whole room in gold and white, absolutely stunning and reminded me a little of mom's home

Donay, Zac, Phillip, Ben and Megs enjoying lunch together

Boys relaxing before lunch

Getting into the Christmas spirit

Nic enjoying his new Christmas present

In the Santa suit Kerry and Rob gave him for Christmas

After lunch the men all jumped in the Viljoens hot tub for a marinade and the girls killed time chatting and laughing until a game of Cranium finally ended a lovely day and we arrived home at around 9.30pm exhausted and happy.

Boxing day was another bitter sweet day with our thoughts turning often to Brett, Charlene and Tegan who have spent every boxing day with us for at least the last 10 years.....but again we made a determined effort and have enjoyed lazing around the house playing with Christmas presents, eating chocolate and watching one movie after another. We took the children out briefly to buy presents with their Christmas money from Granny and Papa (another new tradition that we have started....in England just about everything goes on sale of Boxing day and you can pick up the most amazing bargains). They are both thrilled with their purchases - Megs has two new DS lite games and Phil found himself 4 PSII games so all in all a good afternoon.

We have just finished our final meal of the festive season and during it each family member had the opportunity to talk about what they have loved and found hard over the past couple of days and although missing family and friends definitely came up, the general consensus seems to be it was a good one and the children are at peace. So for now I am just so relieved that we have all made it through Christmas in one piece and are still happy to be where we are not matter the cost.

Tomorrow we are off tenpin bowling with Kerry and Rob for Kerry's birthday and Si and the children still have another week on holidays so I am sure there are lots of happy memories still to come.

Tuesday 23rd December 2008

As many of you know I have often used the song "Some days are diamonds and Some days are stone" to describe our life here and as I sit tonight, a couple of days before Christmas and look back over the past 7 months I am thrilled to realise that we have had more diamonds then stones and today was another one.

Megan and I enjoyed a lovely walk into the village this morning to finally post some last minute Christmas cards and buy a present for a birthday party she was off to this afternoon - it was good to have some girl time as we are now outnumbered in our house 3 to 2 and some times the testosterone levels get a little bit too high (lol).

Megs spent the afternoon at a horse riding party and it was such a stunning idea, the 8 children where all given a 1 hour riding lesson and it was fantastic. Megs is totally hooked and it is definitely something I would like to get her involved in some time next year - her little pony "Tammy" was an absolute delight and she was even cantering by the end of the hour.....took me back to happy times spent riding with my aunt on their farm, and I could see the same love of horses developing in her before my eyes.

I was also blessed enough to experience another first today, and what a first it turned out to be.....my friend Catherine is one of the luckiest people I know and she wins just about every raffle she enters, anyhoo, she had won tickets to see the Nutcracker in Brighton at our school fair and chose me to go along with her. Now an evening at the ballet would not necessarily have been my first choice but I went along - a first - and I am so glad that I did, it turned out to be in a very fancy theater in Brighton, and was performed by the St Pietersburg Ballet Company (direct from Russia for only 5 performances) which was something to behold. The costumes where out of this world and I sat totally entranced while the troupe performed in the most effortless way, literally appearing to float across the stage....breathtaking!

We caught the train in and then walked down to the theater (about 15 minutes) and I love Brighton during the day but oh WOW it is fantastic at night, so vibrant and busy...I made Catherine walk back up to the station once the show had finished just so that I could experience being out on the streets for a little bit longer (she is now totally convinced that I am a mad South African lol). Si spent the evening with Kerry and Rob as we have not managed to get Nic to take a bottle successfully and I think he was a bit worried he was going to have a screaming baby for 5 hours, but Kerry came to the rescue and "mommied" my littlest for me for the evening and it was a great success.....once again, don't know what I would do without the Viljoen family.

Don't think I am going to be able to sleep tonight, am on such a high from an AWESOME evening....loving my life!!!!!

Monday 22nd December 2008

After a bit of a false start (Satnav took us to the wrong place...they are not infallible it would seem) we finally arrived at Seven Sister Country Park near Eastbourne. The park comprises of 280 hectares of chalk cliffs, meandering river valley and open chalk grassland and is named after the famous Seven Sisters that form part of the chalk cliffs on the Sussex Heritage Coast, one of Britain's finest unspoilt coastlines.

On arrival the weather was positively dismal but we decided to press on and enjoy the lovely picnic lunch I had packed before deciding whether or not to go for a walk or just call it a day and head home.....as the children had already been in the car for over an hour and it was another hour home Si and I decided there would be no harm in stretching our legs and as it wasn't actually raining we would be thoroughly British and not let a little mist get us down.

The children and Si were thrilled to find this old relic from WWII

My children really do love each other and I love moments like this when I can capture that feeling

Turned out to be the right decision and we had a wonderful afternoon traversing this beautiful park where the scenery is spectacular and it was a real novelty to stroll amongst the grazing sheep and eventually find ourselves on the beach surrounded by huge cliffs. Fantastic photo ops and I was once again totally happy shooting away at anything that would stand still long enough while the children played in the puddles and Si and Nic took a slow stroll along the path.

As the temp dropped the children resorted to the Santa Hats for warmth, couldn't resist the opportunity to get some Christmas shots

And then there were 3

Had an early dinner at the Golden Galleon a lovely authentic little pub overlooking the park, Simon and my food was divine, the children's was a bit of a dissapointment, but overall a worthwhile experience and it just seemed to round off an otherwise totally English day....one thing can certainly be said for our lives since arriving here, we are definitely no longer treading water, but rather really living our lives and seeing everything we can see.

Sunday 21st December 2008

Another very lazy weekend, Si and the children are now all on holiday and we used the weekend to really ease into a relaxed state of mind....Saturday afternoon Megs had Lydia round to hang while I sat and watched "How to lose a guy in 10 days" for about the 25th time, and I loved it all over again.

This morning Meg was out to visit Lydia and then this afternoon and evening she is out with Sophie, so she is on top of the world and loving the social whorl that her life has become since we have moved here. With a Megan sized hole in the house, my little Phillip didn't really know what to do with himself so I decided a walk was in order and it turned out to be a real treat.

The weather is warming up and it was around 10 degrees when we head out at around 3pm.....a slow stroll through town, a quick football game in the park (between me and Phil as Si is nursing a nasty cold) and then into the "Standup Inn" a little pub in the High street for a cider and guinness on the way home - I think Phillie enjoyed being an "only child" for a little bit (Nick slept all the way) and it was wonderful to have some good quality time with him. We are going to try and take a walk everyday during the holidays and plan on heading down to the Seven Sisters park near New Haven tomorrow.

Friday 19th December 2008

I did it, I made my way all the way into London on the train and back without hitch and with Nick and I still in one piece.....now to those of you living in England, particularly the ones who have been here a while, that probably doesn't seem like such a big deal, but trust me to someone who only caught her first train a couple of months ago, it was AMAZING and I felt incredibly powerful and it is like I have unleashed a monster as I am already planning my next adventure.

Today has done a couple of things for me in fact.....(1) restored my faith in human kindness - as Si was at work, I had Nick, his stroller, a nappy bag (and we all know how BIG those are) and a bag of presents to get on and off trains and more specifically up and down flights of stairs at the stations, and every time someone offered to help me carry the pram thus making the trip so much easier and reminding me that nice people do still exist in the world.....(2) reminded me that I can do ANYTHING I set my mind to and do it successfully, again I know this probably sounds crazy, but for me going into a strange suburb of a strange city completely on my own was totally daunting and coming out the other side unscathed has restored my belief in myself.....(3) allowed me to enjoy the privilege of living in a relatively safe country, and I am NOT South Africa bashing, it is simply that I was able to walk 5kms return trip from Wandsworth Town Station to the Riverfront completely on my own, without feeling threatened at any time, and although I was careful and I did watch my back, at no time did I find myself in anything even resembling a dangerous situation......(4) cemented my belief that a satnav is something you just have to own, and it can be set to "walking directions", admittedly I did get a few strange looks from the locals as the satnav (strategically placed on the roof of Nick's pram) told me to "turn right in 300m" - Si made an interesting observation tonight, he said that at least if it had been stolen by an enterprising thief I would have heard it ask him to politely "turn round when possible" (lol)......(5) I am living a dream, this really hit me today perhaps more so then ever before, when I found myself strolling through London with an electric blue sky and icy weather and I felt totally and completely alive

After dropping the presents with the concierge at Andrew's apartment, I took a lovely stroll along the Thames and then fed Nicholas in Wandsworth Park which was first opened in 1903 - nothing like a bit of history to round off the day.

OMG the English are fit....

I know I know, I have said this before, but today my trip home from clinic was another stark reminder of this fact, and I just have to capture it.....picture this.

As has become my tradition, a visit to the clinic is not complete without a visit to the village bakery as well, for a warm sausage roll and some kind of delish danish, now the weather has become too cold for eating by the pond (although this morning the mercury hit 6 degrees and it is positively balmy in comparison to what we have been experiencing) so on my way home I am standing in the queue outside the shop (yes the goodies here are so delish you queue all the way down the pavement for them) and I start chatting to this dear old English gentleman about Nicholas (cooing endearingly in his pram), the gentleman happens to mention, in conversation about his grandson, that he is 75 years old.....

Well we continue chatting until our turn arrives to be served and then it so happens that we are both walking home in the same direction...and this is where it just gets sad (or rather, pathetic in my case)....we head off together and before long I am positively jogging up the road next to him heaving and wheezing as I try to catch my breath, needless to say the old dear took pity on my and said his goodbyes and before I knew it all I could see was the soles of his feet as he strode off across the park, but the time I reached the corner he was out of sight, and I was positively exhausted! No wonder there are more people over 75 years old in this country then there are under 5....they are so damn fit I swear they live forever.

Dishwasher being fixed today, it has been a long two weeks without it and I am frantically wrapping Christmas presents for teachers and family and friends at home - oh and watching Gilmore Girls of course.