Skip to main content

Week 5



On Saturday morning, J and her Dad left for Maryland. The 9 to 10 hour drive would take them out of Vermont, through New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut and New Jersey! They touched on New York so lightly, that the best photo I got was captioned "There's the Empire State Building in the back!" Four days away from the rest of us was interesting... E helped me man the house - one of our biggest challenges being keeping everyone well fed, since the Chef was away. Meanwhile, the road-trippers were checking out the local sites and tasting the local fare. We were only too happy to welcome them back on Tuesday at lunch time - which the Chef prepared, of course!


Exploring Lost Pond River

"Look Ma, Empire State Building!"


We enjoyed a visit to the Vermont Institute of Natural Science (VINS) on Monday afternoon. We arrived just in time for the Predators of the Sky show, then walked through a Dinosaur Exhibit and almost literally flew past some Raptor Enclosures to get back to the car and keep tired Baby from mowing people down with her pram. The grounds are every bit the leafy reserve you would wish for the rehabilitation of rescued birds - that they offer there. The indoor and outdoor facilities make for an fun outing for all ages. I hope we get to go back again (with J) and to see some more of the centre. I won't lie, I was very glad to miss the Reptile Encounter show. Happy to wait in the car until that's over!

The famous bald eagle

Dinosaur conversations

Excavating - sand and dinosaurs - kids' dream stuff

In our quest to kill time as we waited for the travellers to return, we did our best to be ready and at the Library for 10:00 Story Hour on Tuesday. The children enjoyed 5 stories about summer and swimming, followed by games and a craft and then ...dum dum dum... a snack. A favourite phrase to use around these parts. If the stories, game and craft hadn't convinced my son to come again sometime, those choc chip cookies sure did! We met Mr Fish and his daughter as well - he sat at our table and E helped him colour in his page and handle his snack. What a gent. So proud.

Not keen on a Rice Krispie treat - thank heavens!!


Giving a helping hand

Since the weekend, we've also enjoyed cooler weather on some days and nights. And then some days, the temp is high but we've got threatening storms. Too hot to stay inside. Too dangerous to head outside! You just don't win. Last night there were thunderstorm alerts going off on the TV but nothing too close to our end. Turns out, the rain didn't even hit us last night and this morning when the heat did, we ventured down to the Gorge for a swim. Some people are still fortunate to be sleeping that outing off! 


Our cake of the week is a rainbow sprinkle vanilla cupcake, prepared for Didi and Dale's 51st wedding anniversary. Under strict instruction from the Chef, I was not to attempt the 'wedding style' celebration cake alone. So we settled for yummy cupcakes instead! I do hope Chef whips up that other creation before their 52nd! 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The week that has been...

"Life as we see it", right? My time so far at the cycle tour office is reminding me of just how demanding life in this age can be - a time seeking instant solution and gratification: We want it now! We won't wait! This is what makes a relaxing, easy going activity seem so rewarding! We've always been fortunate enough to cook with pleasure - obviously more for mine! And since returning from BA, we've also found great enjoyment from leisurely strolls in the neighbourhood or at Sea Point promenade. Take time for this! Here's what we've been a part of this past week: We were encouraged to see a group of students from Bishops come out (even in the rain) and join with the FBC team in painting a mural on the school's new diningroom and kitchen wall. For news and updates visit: http://www.fbcschool.org.za/ We joined over 15 000 walkers in a quest to feed the hungry children in the Western Cape, by participaing in the Blisters for Bread walk on Sunday. We tackl...
1 comment
Read more

That's so amazing about Grace

Scrolling through some photos this afternoon, I came across one of our friend Tarrin-Rae and her new baby girl, Isla, born last Thursday 31 October 2013. Isla Grace Graham I struggled to contain my own emotions as I observed this special moment in Tarrin's life (and new Isla's too) and thought back to my own experiences. I immediately asked Tarrin if I may use this to share a bit more of what I some times feel as a Mom... At first glance, I see relief . She's finally here! We can see her face in real life and we can say out loud "I am a Mommy!" Like my own kids, Isla was in no hurry to be born and labour was induced. What's worse than having to wait 40 weeks to meet your newest family member?? Having to wait longer still! I must confess, that this feeling was mixed with a fair dose of disbelief  on my part too - when I sat quietly resting between visitors and feeds, I had to pinch my literal self and realise - the baby was here. Then I see comfort ....
5 comments
Read more

A home-made birthday

Due to the fact that we celebrated Jorja's birthday with the Weber and Wilcox families in the UK last year - over a few days and in various styles - we were a bit out of practice. In fact, if Jorja had not brought it to my attention with just two weeks to spare, I must confess that I would not have expected it to arrive for another few more weeks! But Moms could never let that seem to be the case, so we got cracking on 5th birthday celebration arrangements... On the night before, I set out every baking ingredient, apparatus and accessory that I could find and hoped that we would make it work! Aunty Robyn and Aunty Ilana arrived just in time to help us bake off the first round of vanilla cake pops and cookies with sprinkles. At this point, there was no turning back, our kitchen was already in a state of bake! The biscuit batch baked beautifully (and bountifully) and Jorja was well pleased with her assisted effort. As she head to bed on the eve of her birthday, I popped the...
2 comments
Read more