E - Vida

In the first 4 years of our First Born’s school career we’ve endured slings, drawstrings and padded back packs - in shades of purple, blue and even two toned; heeled shoes with buckles and gel soles with lace ups; jerseys and fleeces; skirts and bermudas …and copious amounts of hair ties and head bands that only survive week one. And then this year, she calmed down considerably - to the point where it pained me every time she turned down a new piece of stationery or other equipment. I only realised later that this was her valiant attempt at a distraction, to use the credit for daily sushi requests after! Honestly, if I were her, I’d be quite excited to head back to school too… Six weeks with two younger siblings cannot be at the top of your list of holiday fun. But did she have enough fun? No.question.about.it. Kicking off with her delayed birthday celebration at the Urban Park in early December, she waltzed from pool play date to pamper day, a theme park visit, movies ...

Stopping to catch my breath, then glance behind me and also squint ahead, I have made a few goals for the new year. In no particular order, here they are: 1. Less Screen Time 2. Invest In Friendships 3. Ride The Harley 4. Read Through The Bible 5. Establish A Structure In The Job 6. Play "All I Ask" On The Piano 7. Enjoy Bedtime Stories With The Kids 8. Make Things Minimalist At Home 9. Say "No"  10. Share Quality Time with PJ 11. Show Gratitude 12. Make Those Photobooks  13. Live In The Light Of The Cross 14. Travel Whenever Possible 15. Be Present And Intentional 16. Eat Less Junk Food 17. Spend More Time Outdoors 18. Celebrate (20)18 Things? Totally unplanned! And I wouldn't change a thing. Love the opportunity that a New Year /   Week / Month / Season brings... I can't help but wipe the slate clean and try again.  May your new leaf shine bright and beautiful as the dawn tomor...

Spending some time looking through the last 7 Decembers shared on this blog, I am truly thankful to be here. My heart hurts for those who find themselves on hard times right now - a nasty surprise, a loss, an unexpected turn for the worse, a disappointment. I have heard about so many hurts in the past few weeks - and no gift under the Christmas tree could simply solve that. But Christmas. Please forgive me, I don't mean to sound casual nor insensitive. The pain that you and I feel is real. And so is the power of that baby born on that first Christmas Day. As my children grow older, they expect more. More input, more results, more more more! My eldest is a self-confessed Santa slayer. Since the get go, she's known that he was just a playful inkling of our imagination to help spread the festive feeling of this time. So I know she's not waiting for the magic - but she does expect me to give her the low down on why we celebrate Christmas. And it's my job to give it t...

I was up to watch the sun rise...and on a Monday morning, nogal! I Skyped with the kids before they left for school, finished packing, sipped some tea while watching the butterflies playing in the garden and even caught some Test cricket (eek!) before the day  had really begun. Saying farewell to Dan and Tim in Norfolk was short 'n sweet. Uncle Ed drove like the wind to get me across to London Heathrow by 2.45pm. We even enjoyed soup bowl sized coffee at Costa before I hugged them goodbye and walked through to the first round of security checks. By the time I'd collected all of my things, the board signalled that my boarding gate was CLOSING! You know when you're running...and you're thinking..."I should not be running - mostly because it's not one of my strengths"...but you know you just have to run...so you run...and then when you get to where you need to be, you stop and your lungs feel as though they're going to explode right out of your chest?...

In a moment of 'skoon frantic' (as my Dad would call it), I hoisted my bag up without adequate knee/arm prep and my back shouted "ouch!" Given that it was early morning and I had to catch my train to Norwich, I let it slide - even though it hurt. For the reward of getting to Norwich as planned, would be the Weber family waiting for me on the other side. And they did not disappoint. Country side dodgem cars with Uncle Ed, baking with Aunty Lynne, cricket with Dan, long overdue catch up with Tim and even a running Whatsapp commentary with Chris who was on a coach back to Cardiff. A little more family time squeezed into this two week business travel trip. Yay! By the time midnight rolled in, I was moeg. But my tank was full with new, rich memories of Norfolk - not forgetting the tastes of the day: cranberry, raisin and pumpkin seed bread, spinach-creamcheese-leek-bacon swirls, crispy fried chicken wings and coconut tart.  I reshuffled a few things in my bag, in preparati...

We had to set the alarm for quite a bit earlier today, given that we were on duty from 9am. Having someone to talk to on the train made a big difference to the travel and at one point I'd lost track of what I had done with my phone and purse! Mild heart attack moment. Arriving just on 8:45, we set up the stand for the final day of exhibition and gave our best effort for the next 8,5 hours. My smile muscles are slightly more stiff than my feet! Breakdown at 17:00 was quick but left us all wondering about our luggage weight restrictions, having collected souvenir bells, bottles and books over the duration of the show. Terri and I met up with Dave and then took a different route back, due to the now overcrowded train platform. At my host's recommendation, we went for dinner in Elephant​ & Castle. Chinese - yum! Veggie spring rolls, sticky bbq spare ribs, DIY crispy duck pancakes, sweet n sour pork, beef with black beans and lemon chicken. Mayyyyy bru. Pics to follow soon. ...

It's the second day of us doing the Expo dance. Caught out dozing on the train to the venue, I'm just glad that I didn't end up in Beckton with no more train track ahead! A regular reminder of why I prefer being behind the scenes, we fielded many questions, South Africa-specific comments and a few complaints about the wind! But we also met many local and homesick expats​ with a special love for our country, custom and events. I think they find our accent quite entertaining too. The trip back to Oval was at a chilled pace and Terri even met me at the top of the road for some company. Dave was back home preparing dinner - their Friday ritual. On the menu tonight was pizza (including charcoal sourdough - a first for us all!!) Followed by salted caramel and chocolate torte with clotted cream ice cream. What a treat!