E - Vida

Since the last post we've had two more weeks of Papu visiting with us and then one very long week since we dropped him off at the airport. In mid-July we went to Burlington Airport en route to my final exam, and recreated what should have been his triumphant arrivals lounge experience in June. PJ took him to Lake Champlain and surrounds while they waited for me to complete the test and then treated me to "the test is done" lunch. We spent a rare hot afternoon at Silver Lake Park swimming with friends, we shopped 'til we dropped at The Vermont Spot, we were able to see the clean-up operations happening in flood-stricken Montpelier and even managed a quick stop at the Vermont State House.  We visited the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe and enjoyed Ben and Jerry's ice cream at their factory. We took a drive around my old VTC campus in Randolph and Gifford Medical Center where I practiced this past year. We drove through the Dartmouth campus and the Boat House on the Conn

 It's been another 10 or so days of Papu in Vermont with us, and he's experienced more heat, severe flooding, Summer holiday camps, a long-awaited touristy activity, and many, many late dinners!  We returned safely from Plymouth VT just before mudslides, flooding and road erosion caused all major routes between there and home to be closed. It's been raining nonstop some days! The snack shack that we visited in Papu's first week suffered flooding similar to what they experienced in 2011's Hurricane Irene, and many more surrounding towns have been struggling to get on top of water diversion and mopping up efforts. We are fortunate to be safe and able to access necessities, and bar one wild drive in a thunderstorm last Thursday, we are trying to time outings around extreme weather forecasts. Of course, this means that we haven't been out much! Last Saturday, however, the sun was shining, and PJ took the crew into Boston for a bit of sightseeing. They visited Fenway

For the last 10 days we have been enjoying having Papu here with us so much that we completely forgot about the plan to post daily blog entries about his trip!  Yes, I considered this special visit the perfect reason to resurrect the blog and write more... Well, it turns out that when your Dad is visiting from overseas, you don't have much time for anything else besides trying to do 180924523093284 things, be in the moment, and take a photo of it! Here are a few photos of the first week-and-a-bit: Day one. The equivalent of driving to Plettenberg Bay I'm told! We experienced smooth open roads in some parts, midday congestion in and out of Boston, heavy downpour with flash flood warnings towards Burlington, and some interesting GPS navigation. But the passenger and his luggage reached us safely at the end of a long day. At last he was able to wrap his arms around Papu! Ethan and Adrienne arrived back from their trip to Lake George the day after Papu arrived and have been doing

  Gran Jean's Birthday 2020 When something significant happens, I feel a lot of pressure to say something profound. A wedding, a pregnancy, a milestone birthday, a death, an achievement, a disappointment... All of these moments are major occurrences and the pressure is on to say something powerful and to mean it!  So it's really bothered me that I haven't been able to put into words what has been swirling in my head since we received the news that our dear Gran Jean passed away in June. When Gramps Ikey passed away ten years ago, the words fell into place almost instantly and I felt that they encapsulated both my memories and grief so well. But this time, between the distance and the unexpectedness of her passing, I am still in a state of disbelief today. My Grandmother was so much more than the beesting cakes, lengthy special occasion speeches, homeopathic remedies, everyday life hacks and choice phrases that often come to mind - especially over these past two months - an

If you've stuck around, ever hopeful of a new blog post, I'm here to reward (?) your long-suffering. Read on... If you'd prefer the abridged version here it is: The last post before today was published in March 2020. Today is August 2021.  It has been a minute. What a year it has been. Since our last post we've gone from school-at-home in March to June 2020, to summer holiday under our first "lock-down". School for the kids was back in-person for the entire academic year beginning August 2020 until June 2021 and their reward was ten weeks of summer holiday ... and now here we are, one week away from the 21/22 school year - masks and all. Somewhere in between that, I graduated from college and participated in our online graduation ceremony as the 2021 student speaker! ( Yes, I don't know either... ) Completing the two-year degree felt really good and I'll admit that a part of me misses it already...but don't tell anyone I said so.  It seems as thou

We woke up with the sun Some self-isolated under the duvet  until well after 8am We mixed chocolate into breakfast oats And we lay out our best made plans We smiled, wondering if they would be implemented today or ever? By 9.30 we were driving on new roads On our return we forfeited stockpiling  For urgent bathroom breaks But when we arrived we enjoyed the sun from inside the parked car instead After lunch the devices rang non-stop Beep! Ring! Buzz! Mail! Chat!  Real time, ceaseless demand  All those unseen germs that we swipe left and right with our dominant hand and press to our cheeks Yikes  I start a grocery list I should start with food staples and emergency supplies  I write "chocolate"  I wonder how long the internet will last under this pressure Perhaps tomorrow I'll unplug it for a while, to rest It's only Day 1 

"You just get to the point when you realise that even if you were to drive straight to Boston Logan and board a direct flight, you wouldn't get to Cape Town in time for Christmas." Once I reached that point this week, I exhaled a little.  The look of Christmas time may be changing for us but the meaning remains the same. And as I dust those hard-to-reach-so-just-ignored places, put on the holiday playlist, light some candles and set the table for lunch, I'll have a lump in my throat - no doubt. But I resolve to have a more thoughtful Christmas -  to smile more and yell less,  to put aside for someone needy and be a gracious hostess,  to think about Jesus - the real gift worth giving  and make that the focus of a life worth living  Merry Christmas!  (Christmas Doodles found throughout the house, by Ethan.)