Where is it?...

This is the question I find myself asking aloud, rather desperately at times.  And I guess it's a rhetorical question - I have come to discover the general answer.  Jo jo has a fascination with our bin.  Stuff goes in - but where does it go? Cause it never comes back.  Since he learned to stand - he discovered the art of recycling.  He has thrown away my Panasonic cordless phone, tupperware, toys, and of late I have discovered my nice expensive Woolies cutlery has dwindled in numbers - and it hurts me emotionally.  I love Jo, but come on, really - the Woolies cutlery was here first. These are just the items of which I am aware of.

The trouble with material things is that they can get 'slippery', and keep disappearing or get broken.  I guess there are always lessons that children can teach us.  They(the kids) are more important than the lounge suite, the phone, the tupperware, the cups, bowls and cutlery, that pair of white pants, the inside of my car - heck the outside too.  My nice woolen carpets, the clean walls, my wooden floors - and even though it's a lesson I have learned many times, they seem convinced that it needs to be re-learnt by me...over & over again.  Little sweeties. 

Summer in South Africa

The smells, sights & sounds of South Africa during summer.  The sound of crunching in the window frame as I close the window on another gecko, forgetting to do the usual warning tug to scare them off.  The buzzing of another mozzie at my head in the middle of the night....waking up with itchy feet in the morning from self same mozzie who was buzzing at me head...tree frogs popping up everywhere...in the bathroom, in the bedroom, on the door frames...grey ones with orange eyes, green ones with dark eyes.

Snakes at the front door...snakes in the garden(attacking tree frogs)...snakes on the garden fence...big snails, small snails, snails eating snails, snails on top of snails....slime slime everywhere.  Wasps in the tree tops, wasps in the roof tops...stupid wasp stinging me as I grab the bottle brush tree to steady myself!  Pain pain pain.  Big spiders, tiny spiders, hairy spiders, crab spiders under the cupboard, on the wall, on the ceiling.  Walking down the stairs into spider webs in the evenings, walking down my stairs in the house into spider webs in the morning.  Giant praying mantii checking me out as I walk through the house. 

Flocks of hahdedas calling to each other through the valley in the early hours of the morning...honking away happily...in the branches of the pine tree right outside my window.

Surprise Guests..

I have just been on Skype with Bronwyn - we have to chat though, she has not progressed to a head set yet at home.  She is the ultimate Skype friend in my opinion - I often wish I could frame our conversations, just to get a good laugh every day.  Certainly outlandish in many respects, yet there is much brutal honesty that is stated by us both in a very open way that makes me smile & gets my fingers flying across the key board.  I do believe we have even had a whole conversation about something that never happened and never will - but we both thought certainly should!  We could even forsee all the positive spin offs if it did.  Sigh. 

Now that is a person who has touched my life for the better.  My surprise guest.  She can arrive at any time, the house can be a mess - (and it mostly is) and she does not even bat an eyelid.  In fact she often comments on how tidy it is.  Amazing.  I know she is being sincere, cause I've popped in at her place before.  This girls fully understands the concept of 'messy'.  She has even offered to wash my dishes for me!!  And when she was almost 9 months pregnant she pitched up at my place to come plant grass - she knew I needed it done and felt like serving to clear her head.  A doer.  And she has has inspired me so many times, to try new things, see something from a completely different point & be happy with myself.  Everyone needs a Bronwyn. 

Then I have this other friend, her name is Nadine, I call her Nades.  The other day, I was sick - rather sick actually.  I was sitting in my car waiting for Sophie and received a text message from her, she discovered I was ill during the course of our texting - organised a delicious meal for my family & I and sent it over in a cute a basket just in time for dinner.  I could not taste a darn thing - but aesthetically - this meal was spot on.  I did have some the next morning for breakfast - I could taste again by then.  Brod made the kids sing for the last 4 blocks of chocolate - any mistakes and he got a bite of their block.  Phoebe was the only one to happily sit and chew her piece unscathed.  I believe Jo, Noah & Sophie were so worried about not making a mistake that they blundered along in their renditions. Shame.  So anyway, Nades is an amazing person who always knows what to do and when to do it - her timing and presentation are spot on. 

Just 2 examples of many of the wonderful people I call friends.