There was some kind of emergency rescue - or drill happening on the Atlantic coast yesterday. My mom actually took this picture - pretty sharp for a little 4mp camera. Speaking of which, the hubby has said I can get the Canon 20D Digital SLR camera 8.2 megapixels! Hopefully I should be able to get it in a months time! (I he's wants to get it shipped out from somewhere). This will really get me going on my new path. I will probably be getting a better lens with it though, for my children's portrait shots that I'm going to be doing. Mind you, I'll bet I have to wait and see...like the adsl, it may take longer than expected... 

I was a little naughty today and ordered some more cm scrapbooking stuff. I spent way more than I should have, but how can I resist when there is a whole new range of tools and papers available?? Now if I could actually find the time to get some albums done that would be great. As it is, I'm going on a scrapbooking weekend! A 48 hour crop! From 14h00 on Friday 10th Feb till 14h00 Sunday the 12th Feb, I really can't wait. As the invitation said, no kids (although I will really miss the bubby big time!), no dishes, no stress! Hooray!!
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Chronicles

Yesterday I went to see "The Chronicles of Narnia" and loved it so much, that today, I organised the bubby's grandparents to watch him for us over at there place and the hubby and I went off to see it. (Second time for me). The acting of the kids is really fantastic, I was really impressed with the little girl who plays the part of "Lucy Pevensie" she was SO amazing - and yet still so young. Even her laughter was natural - something which I know even I struggle to reproduce on command. They must have had SO much fun making this movie. It took my back to my childhood when stories were read to me, and I would fall asleep imagining myself a knight, swordfighting the evil monsters. Come to think of it I was a bit of a tom boy - I never wanted to be one of the sissy girls, because it looked like the boys had far more fun. I would be roaring across the Narnian landscape on the beautiful white unicorn. I cant wait till the score is available on CD so that I can add it to my collection of scores. I have quite a few which I like to listen to in my car. My favourites include: Gladiator (but of course), The Mask of Zorro, LOTR, Titanic, Conquest of Paradise 1492, The Mission, City of Angels, Armageddon, and a couple of others I can't remember at the moment... 

Today at lunchtime I went to see TCO "Narnia" at our local mall, while the hubby stayed home with the bubby. I was about to tell you what an amazing movie it was - but got distracted when the hubby decided to entice me with some 'married adult fun'. In the middle of our play-time, I smell fire... Now because of our dry windy weather this makes me leap up and throw something on...and head outside to check for the source of the smoke. I can see a huge column rising west of us about 700 metres away. We live next to a huge reed bed, which during the summer is very dry and likely to go up like kindling. So the hubby says he's going to check it out and not to worry, because there is the sound of sirens in the air. So off he goes. I stay on our porch watching the column of smoke. It appears to be getting darker and much thicker and of course starts blowing towards the start of the reed bed... My adrenaline kicks in... Strap bubby into car seat. Click car seat into pram wheel base. Wheel bubby into garage to be near car. (Can't put him in because car has been standing in sunlight and car is hot - enough time to throw more things in without having to load him and drive). He is fine in shade next to car. Push rear seats forward to make space for dogs in back cargo area (they normally go in the hubby's car - hence the reason for having to move the seats). Check column of smoke - still big and ugly. Grab baby bath. Throw diapers into bath. Throw baby clothes into bath. Throw cream and bottles into bath along with formula and boiled water in container. Check down street for hubby, no sign of him. Decide that if hubby is in trouble or decided to play the hero, would be best for me to keep packing. Jump to reach top shelf of garage storgage to get cat travel basket. Stuff two very bewildered cats into basket. Put cats in car - decide to leave car doors open for air so cats don't get too hot. Run back into house from car and run to porch, check smoke, still bad. Call dogs to car. Dogs wonder why being asked to get into mommy's car and not daddy's. Dogs run around driveway area behind our closed gate. Decide will persuade dogs with nice frozen bones from freezer if the fire gets any nearer and we actually need to go. Run back into house, grab photo albums and box of photos and stuff into car. Grab cropinstyle tote and stuff in car. Grab hubby's golf clubs and stuff into car. Check smoke column...bit lighter, but still blowing towards us. Go and get cell phone and hand bag. Try to phone hubby. Hubby's cell phone rings inside house. Swear outloud at thought of hubby going off to be a hero without taking his cell phone. Wondered about what my house would look like burnt out. Dash back inside for box of photo's which I'd forgotten. Dash back to driveway to put dogs and bubby in car. See nonchalant bloody hubby coming down our street. Yell "AND???" at hubby coming down street. Hubby yells back somethign completely incoherent. Wonder if hubby was yelling "Pack and GO!" or "It's all OK!" Decide from hubby's relaxed demeaner everything is ok. He finally gets to the gate and says, "It's ok babe, they've got it contained. Hey, why are my golfclubs in your car?"

 

New Button

Hey did anyone notice my new button on the right...I made a little discovery the other day. I'd always heard that brilliant actor Russell Crowe "had a band", so to speak, but the other day I got hold of some of their music, and was pleased surprised to find out that they're actually good. Not just OK, but really really good. Now I know I have spoken of Mr Crowe before, but I don't want you all to think that I'm just saying they're good because I think their lead vocalist is easy on the eyes. I'm VERY critical when it comes to music, but in the words of Randy from the US version of pop idols, "Man you can really blow". My favourite track so far is "The Photograph Kills." The band's music has that bit of rock, bit of country feel to it, which happens to be one of my favourite genres. Their website is linked to that button, so feel free to have a mosey - they have video clips of some of their music videos. I'm pleased to report that not only can Mr Crowe act unlike any other, but also write songs, compose them, and sing 'em. Now if 30 Odd Foot of Grunts would just tour South Africa I'd could check them out live. By the way you can get their CD's on Amazon.

Suspect Arrested

As reported by www.news24.com see pictures below.. Man arrested for CT blaze Cape Town - A 36-year-old British man is being held in connection with the wildfires which swept Table Mountain on Thursday afternoon and raged unabated into the night. Police spokesperson Tummi Godling said that, in addition to being charged with arson, he faces a culpable homicide charge after the death of an elderly British woman in the fire. Another spokesperson, André Traut, said the 65-year-old woman was killed while she walked with her daughter on the mountain. Godling said information provided by the daughter led to the arrest of the suspected arsonist. The dead woman was not identified pending notification of her family. Rescue workers found three German tourists on the mountain unharmed. Cleeve Robertson, the head of Metro Rescue Services, said two British tourists were admitted to hospital with injuries that were not life threatening. He also said two people were stranded on a rock below the cablecar on Table Mountain, but were not in immediate danger. Police said fewer people than usual may have been on the mountain because high winds forced the closure of the cablecar before the fires broke out. As reported by www.news24.com...

Scale in comparison to the buildings, that is a shopping mall in the foreground at the base of the mountain...courtesy of www.news24.com
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Here you can see the sheer scale of the smoke in comparison to the helicopter...courtesty of www.news24.com
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Here are some shots of the fire which broke out yesterday.
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Fresh flames on the side of the mountain..courtesy of www.news24.com
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Raging Fire

There is a fire raging within metres of homes on Table Mountain. Hannah, this was more or less your view from the Mount Nelson. Oh wait, you weren't there but in the Waterfront itself. This might sound really trite, but I'm thankful that this fire at this stage is not near us. It would have to rage down a mountain range to get to us, but thankfully our fire fighters and helicopter squads are amazingly good. The thing that breaks my heart most about 'veld' (bush) fires is all the animals that don't make it out in time. Another thing that scares me is the fact that the wind has not stopped galing for 24hrs now. The fire was started at about 15h00 today -and so far they can't stop the blaze, one woman has already died. You have to ask yourself, what the hell is going on? There are floods, in Bangladesh and India, Tsunamis in the far east, lowest recorded temperatures in Europe this season, my brother tells me of record highs in Australia in the last few days, apparently the oceans will rise about 28cm by the time 2100 is here. Now that I have kids - and I'm sure they will have kids - this stuff is going to affect them, and that really worries me! We cannot afford to keep doing what we are doing to the earth anymore. Explain to me why that whale swam up the Thames in London the other day - what the hell are we doing to the oceans that a whale has to swim up one of the most polluted rivers in the world?!! By the way, I read an article that Norway are building a secure seed bank - where they put examples of all crops and flowers on earth deep into the mountain and then seal it if ever there is nuclear war, or an ice-age or something, tell me -what the hell do they know that we don't??!

Hey sorry I missed y'all yesterday. I was at my mum's during the day and stayed the night as well. She lives kind of far away (about 50km) and so when we visit one another, it's always overnight. I thought the hubby would really enjoy being able to sleep like a starfish - but apparently he didn't sleep well. I imagine this is because my svelte and elfin self was missing from his near proximity. I myself didn't do too well on the the old sleeper couch, but it was great to say "here" to my mum and hand over the bubby, which allowed me to faff around doing stuff I felt like. Even though she has adsl as well (persuaded to obtain it by me and the thought of free phone calls to one another) I was so busy rushing around doing stuff - including getting my drivers license renewed in just days to spare too. Ap-parently it takes 5 weeks to process (welcome to Africa) during which time if I get pulled over by a traffic cop, I will have to either flash my cleavage (ample), or wave my renewal receipt in his face. I have yet to decide on which course of action is more fun :)

Days of Yonder

I discovered that I have a little knack for computerized restoration. I was trying to weedle all of my dad's photographs from Holland out of him (all his grandparents pictures etc) and in the midst of trying to persuade him that I must have them we came across this particular picture which was very dear to my dad. Turns out his mother is standing at the back in a white shirt, and his grandparents are the ones seated in front. Wow. So that's my great grandma & pa. The photo's were taken way back in 1919. My dad being 78 this year, doesn't have much computer skill, but his jaw dropped when he saw how it took me about 10 seconds to adjust the contrast brighten it slightly and redo the grayscale. He's now convinced that I should be doing photo restoration as a money making hobby. Honestly I dismissed the thought right away, but when he insisted that I think about it. I did. Just because there are people out there who do know how to restore photographs, means that there must be people out there who don't - and are willing to page money to preserve their heritage. This will be the third link in my scrapbooking, photography hobby chain... So, whaddya think. I know that I think that by the age of thirty I should know what the hell I want to do? Well I DO know that goal number is to be a SAHM, and if I can make a little grocery money doing it, why not?

30 Years Old Today...

Well, it's here, my birthday! The hubby took me out to dinner at Simons last night. It is this beatiful place in the local winelands at a farm called 'Groot Constantia' . The restaurant has recently been completely re-done. It used to be this wine-served-in-glass-mugs-sit-on-benches-under-the-vines-outside-stamp-your-feet-to-the-raucous-Dutch-German-accordian-music kind of place, but is now a bit more, Zshoosh. Y'know a little (lot) more sophisticated. I heard it was downright snobby, and was heart broken that this place I practically grew up in (we ate Sunday lunch there nearly every weekend, for YEARS) had changed to resemble so many restaurants in Constantia. But from the moment we sat down, it was a great experience, and not overpriced at all, in short, I had a wonderful time with my hubby, great wine, fantastic food and in all a great way to celebrate my birthday, albeit the evening before my actual birthday. I spent most of the evening driving the hubby nuts with my flashbacks to childhood. I used to ride in the area as well, so I sat and looked at some of the mountain trails that I used to take on horseback and would sit with a little smile on my face, remembering the wind in my hair going at full pelt. I think we'll probably go back soon for another meal. 

Here's pullin' a silly face to the weekend! The Bubby discovered he has a tongue and this is the result. I can't walk past him at the moment without him sticking the darn thing out. Oh yeah and the girl in the picture with the 'chorine green' blonde hair is me, with my bad attempt at home-made hair colouring.

Out of the Blue

I love my husband, I love my son, life is stable at the moment, and yet today I got a fist of depression in my stomach unlike I have ever known and out of nowhere! I was just coming back from Babies R Us with more formula and stuff, and in the car on the way home and BOOM it just hit me. I wanted to cry out loud with the pain of it. Once I was home and the bubby was having a nap, I started to try and fathom why it would have hit me the way it did. I came up with the following conclusion. I'm turning 30 on Sunday (thanks for the card Mary lou! - you rock!) Usually turning a year older wouldn't faze me, but this is an age where you're really finally an adult and upon reflection, I'm not entirely sure that my life has turned out the way I wanted it to when I was a kid and had awesome great dreams. Like I said earlier, I love my husband, I love my son (with all the love I possess) and yet, something in my brain is unsatisfied. It was probably just a little spurt of PND, because by the time I was home it had passed, but holy cow I hope that was the end of it!

Swoon...

I'm still suffering the after effects of watching yesterday's Golden Globe Awards...I hope I will have recovered by tommorrow...

Boom Boom Boom

I was just watching the 'live from the red carpet' segment on E! where all the stars are arriving at the Golden Globes. I gotta tell ya, I saw Russell Crowe arrive and there is just a leettle (HUGE) somethin' somethin' about that man that stops my heart in it's tracks and then makes it pound furiously. Yes I know that he has allegedly been badly behaved on a few occasions, but honestly that just adds to his 'grrr-ness' for me. When he threw that phone at the concierge - I bet he wasn't even aiming at him - but just passionately trying to get hold of his wife. I dunno about you - but a man with THAT much passion and love for his wife is a very attractive thing to me - as long as he's not throwing the phones at his wife - which of course he isn't. LOOK at that picture and tell me that you won't let him wrinkle YOUR sheets given the opportunity. We have a saying in Afrikaans (Dutch derivative) which goes "Skeur my kleure, kreukel my lakens en maak my joune!" which I won't translate - but is a really nice descriptive phrase when you have a big crush on someone. I know Leslie has a Mel Gibson thing going on - who else out there has a little (giant) crush on someone famous and good-looking? (Ok ask Michele to translate for you if you really want the direct meaning). 

I spent ages yesterday on a great post- nice picture and everything, then I accidently hit 'discard' instead of publish... I know, I'm an idiot sometimes. The other humdinger I did today was lose my husbands remote control for our gate, and garage door. Which wouldn't really be a trainsmash if I hadn't already lost MY remote control for the same thing but a scant two days ago! Luckily, of course my husband left for work cursing and pulling really awful faces at me and using the word 'pathetic' over and over again - immediately after which of course I found the damn thing. So in revenge today instead of doing housework - at least this morning, I'm going to rebel - and go and spend the day in my friends pool, which on days like today (hot as hell would like to be) is the only place to stay sane. 

 

Nobody tagged me, but I''m filling it in anyway so there!

Four or more jobs you’ve had in your life: Running Shoe salesperson Optometric Assistant Summer Camp Counselor Travel Agent IT Network Administrator Four movies you could watch over and over: Contact Star Wars (all of them) LOTR (all of them) Centre Stage (and dance around the room everytime) Four places you’ve lived: Cape Town Stellenbosch Upstate New York (does 8 months in two years count as 'lived?') Hey do different suburbs in the same city count? Four TV shows you love to watch: The 4400 (why did they take it off, why WHY?) Alias Ah, yes...Smallville CSI Miami (the Horatio one) Four places you’ve been on vacation: USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Holland, England, Mauritius, Germany, Hong Kong, Namibia, Botswana Four websites you visit daily: News24.com Google (geez I'm reaching here) All of your blogs! Amazon (I load that wish list baby!) Four of your favorite foods: Bacon-banana-garlic pizza (homemade) Roast Lamp with potatoes and mint sauce Chinese take out from our favourite place called "mainland" Chicken cordon bleu Four places you’d rather be: Actually nowhere, although maybe on holiday in Mauritius Four albums you can’t live without: Bon Jovi - best of (ooh, and some tracks from Aerosmith) Centre Stage Soundtrack Anything by Enya Anything by Hans Zimmer, John Williams, James Horner or Ennio Morriccone Four to pass this meme along to: Um anyone who wants to cut and paste and fill in this sucker.

About 5 years ago, I was still riding socially and competitively, and concurrently, I was running a little online horse equipment supply business which I sold when my horse retired. One of my favourite activities would be to find other online suppliers from all over the world, especially those with cool and funky merchandise. So this morning there I was taking a stroll down memory lane, and I found this really fun site called Best Turned Out which supplies stuff in the funkiest of fabrics, my favourite of which is the camoflage range pictured here. Also one of my favourites, is the "camel check" which looks just like the well known Burberry plaid. There's also stuff for other pets people!

Beautiful View

This was taken during my hubby's golf trip back in October, the hubby is driving the front golf cart. It's just a few hours drive up the coast from us - and my hubby said it's unlike any other golf course he's played. Anyway, I thought the views were pretty awesome never mind the golf which bores me to death. The golf estate has a website, Pezula if you want to check out yet another reason to see our beautiful country! Aside from looking at my husbands golf pictures again (I promised him a scrapbook album dedicated to just that), I've been 'shopping' up a storm with my Amazon wish list, I know I'll never get around to buying everything on it, but it's just fun to beef it up anyway. Now if it will just appear on my friggin side bar. What annoys me is that the 'preview' button shows you one thing and when you actually save your changes and publish it - it's another and you've buggered up your whole blog!

More Bubby Swimming Pictures!

The hubby and bubby enjoying their first swim together. It won't belong until their trying to dunk one another whilst playing water polo and I'm sitting on the side wondering who this dashing young man is - and why the hell he grew up so damn fast.

Dreams are what we are made of!

Remember when I used to blog about winning the huge UK lottery? Well, there is a major jackpot on the Euro lottery this week for about (converted to US $) 122 000 000, or 70 000 000 pounds sterling. I mention the pounds because I tend to think of that currency a lot, owing to the fact that my husband is Scottish. Who doesn't start to daydream about what you could do with that kind of money? You wouldn't even be able to spend the monthly interest quick enough! Anyway a combination of daydreams led me to a website that discretely sells Scottish Barony Titles, being sold by gentry who need to profit from the sale of their own title. Most likely those who have in some way or another lost their lands and fortune. These titles are available to anyone who has the cash and the desire to own one. There are of course scams on the net which charge you money and then provide you with perfectly legal papers allowing you to merely change your name to Lord or whatever. However this particular one was the real deal, doing as as the gentry have done for over a thousand years - brokering the sale of a real title. If you decide to purchase one, you are entered into the registry of Scottish Landed Gentry and receive a deed of your 'nobility' along with the right to call yourself Baron or Baroness - and as it's a real title your children inherit it as well. Isn't that a great way to leave your kids an investment? A real tangible tie to their 'homeland'. You don't really have to call yourself Baron, (ok who secretly wants to call themselves 'baroness' me me me), but at least it's an investment that will grow over time and one day your kids can either make use of it - or sell it if they need the finance. Personally I'd like to use it just to get attention! Imagine the following: Credit card company: you need to make a payment on your card Mrs X You: actually that's Baroness X and the peasants haven't paid their taxes yet. Traffic Officer: License and registration please?....pause.... Forgive me Ma'm (as in Marm) I didn't recognise you. You may continue on your journey. I humbly apologise for detaining you from official business. Maitre D: Our best table in the house M'am and by the way, dinner is on the house, you may order whatever you wish. Champagne? Valentino: Please were my dress to the oscars. You: Hmmm maybe. Prince William: Are you free for dinner Saturday? You: Only if you bring your gran along ok? The Queen: X! Been dying to meet you! You: Ok, enough about that, when are you giving Scotland their indepence back? Ok, I'm seriously exaggerating here, but I did say that dreams were fun eh? Anyway I must dash darlings, I'm off to check out some castles - you can pick them up for nothing these days you know - only about a million pounds, peanuts I say!

Joy and rapture - logging on whenever I want to has brought a new frosty glow to my life I must say! (Hey Mary Lou - tell your phone company that "hey buddies - there are places in Africa that have adsl before Whidbey - can't you guys hurry up and upgrade the lines?" - By the way - love the new look of your blog. (thanks for the Christmas card too!) By the way I did a google search for "Valkyrie" and found this picture, I also got pictures of a more adult nature which I will NOT post here for obvious reasons. Now if I could just figure out how to design my template around this, my blog woul be a 'rockin'. I am just in awe of Leslie's current look - as well as Mary lou's new lavender look. Anyone have advice for me?

Ready OK! Go Valkyrie Go!

This is the level of joy and jubilation that I experienced today? Why, pray tell? Because beyond all my expectations, and beyond all preconceived opinions, I got a phone call from the telephone company to say, "Are you home? We'd like to come and install your ADSL now." (Are you shi**ing me?) Get your butts over here right now!!

By the way i just pulled that image off google. We don't have real cheerleaders here in the RS of A. But one thing we do have is drummajorettes - heck I used to be one! When I finally get this computer station properly set up I'll be able to scan in old pictures and also download pics from my phone so then I can REALLY bore you with daily details :)

So hot it's Africa hot (bad sarcasm intended)

Oh my god, if ever there was a time to either put in a swimming pool, or at least get one of those cheap porta-pools, then it has been this week. It is close to 30 deg celcius DAILY. I open every single door this house has in an attempt to coax in even a slight breeze - and I live a mere 2km from where the waves are crashing on the atlantic coast you'd think a nice cold mist once in a while would be good right? BAH!