E - Vida

It was a week of many 'happy returns'...Well actually, it all happened on one day! On Monday, we celebrated P-J's father's birthday, with the arrival of P-J from Buenos Aires and Deb and Matty from Belgium! It's been a year since we've seen the other du Plessis family, and it was so exciting to see Jorja and Matty interact, 1 year later. We are so happy to have P-J home (thanks for staying, Aunty Dom)...bringing local treats like dulce de leche and the much loved alfajores! So the week has been pretty eventful - catching up on everything ranging from growth spurts and new habits to reunions and 12 day laundry backlog! Despite the fuller social calendar now with our special visitors, it's ironic that I feel more relaxed, knowing that P-J is around - my faithful tag-team partner. Things have busied at the Events Office this month as well, and we're preparing for 2 major back-to-back events, followed by an office move - and all this before Christmas,

In Cape Town, many are following the story of the murdered British tourist on the weekend. A tragic account that's gripped our country and really brought some bad attitudes to the surface. It seems that many locals are just using this opportunity to vent, criticise and de-face the image of the city, the law enforcement and the government. Few know of the 3-year old Argentine girl that was rescued yesterday after falling down a 21m well - the fact that she only sustained minor scrapes and bruises and that miraculously, this young child was able to follow instructions from the rescuers to strap on the harness correctly and be pulled out. What a triumph! How much time do we spend on the wrong type of news? Be encouraged to read news with fresh eyes, seeing it for what it is and amending our attitude towards it. You can make a difference! Here are some recent pics taken over the weekend (It wasn't in the published news, just in the du Plessis Dispatch ): Andel still looking

While I submit this entry from a grey and sometimes rainy Cape Town, my dear husband is just about getting ready to wake up at the start of his Friday morning in a hot and humid Buenos Aires! Travelling up on last Wednesday morning, the girls are 'doing it for themselves' here at home, and we miss Daddy so much! Thankfully, P-J had a good flight and arrived safely. It's full steam ahead on that side until he returns in 2 weeks' time, DV. In the meantime, Dom has moved in and we're trying to keep moving like a well-oiled machine! This weekend we hope to go swimming (30deg day predicted for Sunday) as well as spend time with Uncle Lee-David, who has arrived for a short visit from the States. Go figure. The brothers will have to have a concentrated catch up once they're back on the same continent... On Sunday we're participating in the Big Walk event and somewhere in between that and the pool, we've got to do the normal household chores too :) This week, I

Last Sunday, Rob, Ilana, Aunty Heidi and I participated in the 2010 Ithemba Breast Cancer Awareness Walkathon with my Mom - a breast cancer survivor herself! Seeing the thousands of people (and pooches) that turned out for the event, coupled with the good weather and beautiful view all played a part in a lovely day - but the best part was the walk! I desperately miss the walks that we took (every day) in Buenos Aires. There is something scarily advantageous ( for lack of a better word ) about not having easy access to a motorcar... So much so that I've asked P-J to consider packing it away on some days, encouraging us to walk or use public transport more often. Especially now that the weather is getting better too...I find walking to be a lot kinder than running, a very social exercise option and an effective soother to busy Jorja, most times. And let's not forget about being Green about it!