We live next to the golf course, and most mornings we go for a quick walk to kickstart the day. We often take Max with, and he loves these outings. He is an absolute ball fanatic though, so that means the golf course has more than its fair share of Distractions.

We had some sports yesterday. There were two rather old (and grumpy) men playing an early morning game. Now what I've picked up about old men and golf is that their game seem to deteriorate with age, cos more often than not their balls go way off course.

So as we're walking along we suddenly hear them yelling, and the next moment a golf ball hits the tree next to us somewhere high up in the branches. Then for a few moments it plays a bit of pinball while we're anxiously waiting for it to drop. (Funny how slow those few moments seemed to pass....)

The second the ball hit the ground Max grabbed it and started running! My first thought was: Oh shit! Luckily I could get the now slimy ball, and then dropped it somewhere in the vicinity of where it dropped in the first place, and then had to drag the dog away!

I thought it was pretty funny, but I thought the two old grumps both had heart attacks right on the spot!

Ai...

As daar nou een ding is wat my grensloos irriteer, is dit hoe mense kla oor die weer. As dit warm is, kla almal. En as dit koud is, kla almal daaroor ook. As die wind waai is almal ontevrede. Almal wens dit wil reën wanneer dit vir 'n ruk nie gereën het nie. En as dit dan reën, dan kla hulle dit moet ophou!

Dit help nie om te kla oor dinge waaroor ons geen beheer het nie, mense! Trek nog 'n trui aan of koop vir jou 'n sambreel. Vat wat jy kry en kla eerder oor iets wat saakmaak....iewers anders...waar ek dit nie kan hoor nie. Dankie en totsiens.

For a while now we've been talking about the big move abroad, planning etc. But up to the moment the visas were approved it wasn't really real for me. Now I'm in first gear, and moving full steam ahead. I was hoping for that click in my head, cos its all been moving seriously and frustratingly slow up till now.

OK, so I'm sorting through all our stuff, trying to get rid of most and minimize what will be shipped to our new destination. Funny how a while back, when we first started talking about the move, I had thought there were just too many things we won't want to leave behind...and we'd end up with a huge load. But all of a sudden I couldn't care less about most things. There are a few things I'm sentimental about, but that's about it. Its actually quite freeing.

But now I'm having quite the struggle with the two girls. Things they haven't looked at for years are suddenly important to them, and they want to keep so much! *sigh* On the one hand I just want to chuck stuff away when they're not looking, but on the other hand I kinda get that... I've always been quite sentimental, and have many things from my childhood (though I'm getting rid of a lot now) and love going through them once in a while. Do I really wanna deprive them of that experience? Oh well, I guess I'll just find the midway.

Anyhow, here are a few pics from my recent trip to the US. I had such great fun shooting in NYC at night. There is just so much life there!

Okie dokie, its final. I have a new visa in my passport and am moving to the US very shortly! :D Up until now my mind has been like a roller coaster....over thinking and doubting everything at least once or twice a day. Now that all the thinking and waiting is over, and everything has been approved, I am SO content, and completely ready to go! *phew* Pity there is still so much to do on this end though...

I am exhausted after today's excitement, and on my way to bed early tonight. I actually have a mild headache...and yawning so much I might dislocate my jaw! Goodnight :)

D day.

Tomorrow is a big day. I'm not really worried, but I'm a teensy bit nervous. Its gonna be an early morning and I know I should get to bed, but I just can't settle. Grr.

Its Monday and I'm almost holding my breath for something to happen. It has already started not-so-great, and I am hoping the week's gonna be less eventful than last week.

On Monday we spent most of the day at the hospital - the husband had a procedure done which had us a bit restless beforehand, but everything turned out fine (well not 100% but nothing some meds won't fix anyhow).

Tuesday I took Max the wonderdog to the vet for his own little procedure - to have his jewels (mostly) removed. Actually, I did not really know what the procedure entailed since I haven't had male dogs before, and never really thought about it - only when he got home with little raisins(!) did I think to go read up. Anyhow, the vet's office called about 5 hours before his scheduled pick-up time to say Max really wants to go home and I can fetch him. I thought he was gonna be groggy and lay around for a while, but he came home with SO much energy and wanted to play the whole afternoon!

On Wednesday our power went out (and that while I was working on something for a client that HAD to be done within the next 2 hours). The mains kept tripping with no apparent reason. Even after I switched everything off and pulled out every plug in the house it kept tripping. So called around for advice and was told to get an electrician. In the meantime Max started fiddling with his stitches and it started bleeding. It seemed to be coming loose too. So had to make a trip to the vet to go get an Elizabethan (lampshade/cone) collar (gosh but are they expensive for a piece of plastic!). He did not like that much (duh), but it didn't keep him back. He kept playing and running around, bumping into everything and anything, and within a few hours it was broken.... Still worked though. (BTW, his raisins are kinda back to normal now).

So Thursday the electricians came. It was a father and son team, and they both had the most amazing blue eyes! Anyhow, they too couldn't understand why the power kept tripping even when everything was switched off and pulled out. The problem had to lie with the main distribution box, so they decided to open it up. So while I'm chatting to the dad the son removes the cover, then suddenly steps back and says: "Uhm....this might be your problem....".

There was a rat inside, lying across the live wires!! Then the dad started singing that old UB40 song: "There's a rat in my kitchen what am I gonna do..." and we all chipped in. It was sooo funny. And this was my birthday too...

Friday was less eventful, but I received bad news. Twice. It was our anniversary though, and we got to spend a nice evening out.

Saturday had a number of little frustrations, and by Sunday I just wanted to stay in bed!

But now its Monday, and I'm positive this is going to be a good and productive week (I'll just keep telling myself that).

*sigh*

So, the new school year starts again on Monday. I kinda knew it was coming, but life is so hectic at the moment that it snuck up on me very suddenly. And then I realized today: the little man needs new school shoes! Only one of his current pair is intact. The other acts like a duck when he walks...and its only about 3 months old!

And then he also reminded me tonight that he kinda needs a haircut too! He hates having his hair cut, so him coming to me to remind me (a big first) means it really is very bad... :-/

So guess what's on my Sunday to-do list...? *sigh*

Whooshhhh...

So in a flash the summer holidays, Christmas, and everything else that goes with it is just over. It happened so fast im still in a daze. Its the middle of January for crying out loud! When did that happen?

A highlight of the holidays was a trip to the other side of the country for a cousin's wedding. Seeing family and family of family that I haven't seen in many many years was absolutely awesome. It also made me realize how special family is and that I make far too little effort to keep in touch. That's gonna change.

It was a beautiful wedding btw, and it felt rather strange not working :) At first I had decided I was gonna leave the camera at home and just enjoy it, but in the end couldn't help myself and ended up taking more pics than I usually do at a wedding...and that just at the reception alone :)

I had such a love wedding shoot this weekend. Compared to the disaster wedding of last weekend.....well, there really is no comparison. The only thing that went wrong was the pastor being about 30 minutes late. When the bride arrived the groom jogged out to stop the car and tell them to wait, and everyone yelled at him to stop. He turned around with an incredulous expression: "What?! Someone has to tell them...". "Yeah, but not YOU!" That was pretty funny.

Everything was beautiful, and it was a really fun and festive event....right down to the groom stripping down to his "little" Superman suit during his speech. (I'm very tempted to post a pic of that btw, but not sure it is appropriate lol).

I had the privilege to shoot the most incredible wedding this past weekend. And I don't mean incredible as in good.....I mean BAD! It was completely hectic. Everything that could go wrong, did. I felt so sorry for the couple.

The bride and her entourage arrived almost 45minutes late. They then had to wait for everyone to be seated Again. The wind picked up (it was an outdoor ceremony), and it did not take long for the (very time consuming to do) curls in her hair to disappear. The bridal couple went indoors to sign the wedding register, and in the meantime the little confetti girl was sent out so the guests could all get their handful of rose petals. But the little angel put down the basket somewhere, and then disappeared! When the bridal couple was ready to come out again no one had confetti, so they had to wait so the basket And the girl could be found.

The champagne ran out when only half the guests' glasses were filled (halfway I should add). The food was 2 hours late and ended up being served after 10pm! By then there were more than a few grumpy guests. The roses on the tables were wilted and browning. The DJ did not have the requested song for the couple's first dance...the song to which they practiced. The bathroom window (that looks out on the dance floor) did not have a curtain!

And the list goes on... You'd almost think the marriage was doomed. The couple have been together for 13 years though, and still very much in love. I hope their marriage runs smoother than their very memorable wedding...

Ohh...and apparently the couple canceled the honeymoon, because the groom's mom (who was going to pay for the trip) decided she was joining them... *frown*

Had a little surprize this morning at home. I heard some weird noises in the house and then thought: do we have a rat?! Sneaked up, wanting to see the damn thing....but when I slowly opened the door and looked in, it was no rat. It was a freaking burglar!

We stood staring at each other for a second or two...dumbstruck in disbelief. And then I chased him. I can be very scary at times LOL.

Only afterwards I thought about how I reacted, and how badly it could have gone if anything had gone differently. Unfortunately, in this country violent crime is at the order of the day, so discovering a burglar in your house could get really ugly.

Later we discovered that a bunch of stuff is actually missing, which means he must have been in the house before seeing as he was empty handed when I chased him. We suspect during the night, because the dog barked at one stage.

Fortunately nothing important or valuable is missing. We are moving soon, and the items that were taken were from the things I am planning to donate to charity.

So no harm done, but a little wake up call nonetheless...

"It is better to regret what you've done than to regret what you have not done" (or something like that).

I don't know who that quote belongs to, but I keep reading it...status updates on facebook, on twitter, etc.

Its speaking to me.

Gosh, its been almost a year since I last wrote! This is obviously not close to a priority for me. Oh well...

What a year this has been for us.... 2009 was an awful year, everything that could go wrong did. 2010 has been hectic, and not all smooth sailing, but its been an exciting year if nothing else.

Its the time of year now when everyone keeps commenting on how happy they are that the year is almost over, how they're looking forward to the holidays. Me on the other hand...the end of this year arrived way too soon. There is just too much unfinished business. I just want to pull the breaks and get stuff done without the world spinning so fast. I feel dizzy...

Day of Reconciliation

We took a nice walk up Tygerberg Hills today. Its quite dry here this time of year, so not my favourite time to go up the hill. It was rather hot, but there was a very nice breeze, so it was quite pleasant. There was another reason we walked up today though. In honor of the Day of Reconciliation the cannon at the top of the hill was fired at noon. Twice.

They did a demonstration of how it was loaded and fired during old times, everything except for the cannon ball. My husband was disappointed and said it would be fine if they just aim it at our neighbours' house......and then DON'T MISS!! They didn't budge...

The first blast was quite strong and hit me in the chest. My left ear was half deaf for a little while after the blast, and there was a 'zing' in my ears for quite a while afterwards! During the second blast I decided to put my finger in my left ear. Right hand had to hold the camera :D

Let me introduce you.....

..to the noisiest member of the family. This is Emily.

My middle child (lets call her Miss Stubborn) has always wanted a Basset Hound - and I mean always. Basically since she could talk. Circumstances did not allow for it though. But since she turned 13 this year, we decided its now or never. So earlier this year we got a Basset pup.

From a batch of mostly black and brown pups, we chose her since she was different - mostly white with some brown only on the face and ears. And brown freckles. The older she becomes though, the more freckles she gets!



She has the most amazing personality, and is probably the most lovable dog we've ever had. And so cuddly! Unfortunately she's also the stinkiest dog we've ever had, and just loves getting dirty! Love her to bits though :)

Out of the blue, today, I suddenly remembered: oh yeah....I have a blog!

So decided to visit. My first thought was 'how boring', and then changed the title, theme template, boring old picture.....and deleted half the boring old posts too (almost deleted the whole damn lot!). They say change is as good as a holiday.... well, I am in desperate need of a holiday!! :-D Now maybe I'll come back more often....

Priceless

One of many amusing conversations in our car:

Child #1 (14): " 'Beat It' is my favourite Michael Jackson song."
Child #2 (13): "I hate Michael Jackson."
Child #3 (9): "Who's Michael Jackson?"


UPDATE: This happened a few months before MJ passed away. Now they're all fans :-)

Quite happy to be oldschool....

My daughter recently went on an outdoor school camp for a few days. Its something I remember fondly from my own school days. Night marches were the best!

They still go on hikes like we did, but there is one big difference.... We used the stars for navigation, the sun's shadow on your wrist watch, once in a while a compass. Nowadays they use GPS!!

How things change.... Its quite amusing actually.

Hmm..

Got a letter in my mailbox yesterday addressed to someone I don't know. The address is mine though. Seeing that there was no indication where it came from, I opened it.

Turns out it was a notification that it is time for this person to renew his driver's license. And he should apply in person, because they might require an eye test and fingerprints. OK, so we'll send it back to where it came from, adding a little note that the address is wrong.

Then I notice the date of birth: 11/04/21. I doubt this person needs this notification....mmm?

I didn't know....

Came across this interesting fact today:

Thomas Edison designed a helicopter that would work with gunpowder. It ended up blowing up and also blew up his factory.