Wednesday, 31 December 2008

Happy New Year!

Our New Year's Eve celebration may not have had all the whizz and bang the kids would have liked, but for me this last New Year's Eve while all my chicks are still in the nest, has been perfect.

We had a 'braai' on the deck, before the kids went their separate ways joining up with friends, or checking out the action on the beach, for the rest of the evening.

As we had done at Christmas, we made an effort to lay the table nicely, and make this into a festive occasion, even though we really miss our friends and family back home during these festive days.

To the boys' glee, we BBQ'd huge marinated 'Texas Steaks', boerewors from the local SA shop, meltingly delicious salmon steaks and garlic prawn kebabs. I made various salads and side dishes, and all was accompanied by my favourite red wine. We were so stuffed after all this, that we skipped desert. Anyway, the kids were all in a hurry to go out on their own.


How did Paul and I end the evening? Shhhush! Don't tell anyone, but us fuddy-duddys watched The 'Sound of Music' and then 'Show Boat' on TV. We must be getting old, because I enjoyed these old musicals more than any noisy party we could have been at!

As I'm writing this, it has started to pour down with rain. It's been a very humid and hot day, so the rain is quite a relief, but I reckon it will place a bit of a damper on the usual fireworks displays...

I am full of hope that the coming year will hold even more wonderful opportunities for us, our children and all our family and friends across the world. Here's wishing you all the very best for 2009.

Happy New Year!

Saturday, 27 December 2008

Just another day in Paradise...


After the Christmas overindulgence Paul and I thought we better get some exercise, so this morning we decided to walk the 5 km route from Somerville School to Cockle Bay and back home.



Our walk took us along a neat little walkway, nothing too strenuous, winding up the side of the cow-dotted hill and past the silvery estuary. The boarded walkway leads you up over the hill, under shady trees, down to the sleepy little boatyard, and then, if you catch the tide out, around the point to Cockle Bay, and further to Howick beach, if you wish. We wandered past the musky mangrove swamps, where hoards of little miniature crabs scuttle away the moment they hear your footsteps on the boardwalk. We stood for a few moments watching them tentatively creep out of their holes with little popping sounds. The moment we moved, off they scuttled again, much to our amusement.

After yesterday's clear, sunny skies, today was a much milder day, almost misty and the sunlight gentle. On days like today the colours are bright, and the air smells like honey. The breeze was cool, and ideal for a 5 km tramp.

Just before the boatyard, a few baches (holiday homes) are carved into the side of the hill, and we spied the owners lying peacefully in their hammocks in the shade. Everyone seems to have a boat, or yacht, and a couple of fishermen were fishing lazily from the beach. Here and there people taking their dogs for a walk greeted us in a friendly manner.

Once we got back to Cockle Bay, we sat for a while, just enjoying the children playing on the beach, and the older people sitting in the shade. We really are so fortunate to have the beach so close, and we do live in such a beautiful, peaceful area.

Here are some photos I took this morning, thinking that they may be nice to paint. Enjoy them with me!




I thought this little boat was too pretty to miss, with it's bright orange underside.

These fishermen were sitting contentedly on
up-turned buckets, waiting for the tide to come in.


People walking by are so friendly, and relaxed.
Dogs walk free, no leashes.
We've never seen a stray since we've lived here!

Friday, 26 December 2008

Blue skies on Boxing Day

We had a super, lazy day today. The weather was fantastic - sunny with blue skies, and a very slight cooling breeze.

Boxing day sales are very popular in New Zealand, but we chose to stay as far away from the shops as possible. Dan had to work (at Muffin Break - he says it was soooo busy!) Joe chose to sleep, eat, sleep, eat all day.

The twins went their separate sociable ways. It's so easy for teenagers to get around here - they just hop on a bus for about $1.65 and can get to various malls and shopping centers that way. It only gets dark at 9pm at the moment, so they're allowed to roam around until 8pm, as long as they clock in with me around 6pm and let me know where they are. Thank goodness for mobile phones!

Seeing as we had the day to ourselves, Paul and I took our fancy little portable, foldable beach chairs ($9 at Bunnings Warehouse) and had a picnic down at Cockle Bay, which is a 5 minutes stroll from our house. We had a book each, a couple of sandwiches and a drink. We found a quiet, shady spot, and settled in for a few hours of sun, surf and snooze.

The pebbly beaches are clean, peaceful and shady, with huge pohutukawa trees and grassy verges. Quite a few Islanders joined us, but they are so softspoken and jolly, and no alcohol is allowed on the beaches, so the peace was not marred at all.

Later we returned home for a nap - hardly necessary, but the sun had made us lazy. Dan stopped work at 7:15pm, so we picked him up and went home for a late supper of Christmas leftovers.

In the evening Paul and the boys watched a Jacky Chan movie, while Rae made a few urgent phone calls, and I updated my blog, and had a quick Skype chat to check in on my folks. It's just so great that we can chat on an almost daily basis for no charge!

A lovely, lazy, laid-back day in Paradise is over, leaving us feeling contented, relaxed and happy.

Thursday, 25 December 2008

We've had iPeace and iGoodwill this Christmas!

Hosting Christmas in a faraway country, with only four teenagers as 'the family' can be taxing and turbulent, to say the least. This year, however, we found the magic wand that creates Peace and Goodwill in the homefront: iPods!

Paul and I decided we would forfeit our annual Christmas holiday, and spend the money on buying decent gifts for the kids instead. The choice on gifts was easy, really. It just had to be the new 8Gb iPod Nano. You can download music, videos and photos on to it, and use it to play games. The ultimate in teenage entertainment, and according to Apple, a good educational aid.

Rae's mobile phone had just broken for the umpteenth time, so she got a new phone, and a cute little pink iPod Shuffle instead. And guess what - the shop manager threw in a Shuffle for me for free! (I don't think he could believe his luck at the lady buying 3x iPod Nanos, a phone and an iPod Shuffle all at the same time!)

Christmas Eve was a happy and joyous occasion. I cooked a lovely meal with all the traditional trimmings. Rae and I laid the table beautifully in red, gold and black. We had sparkling wine (Nederburg) and red wine. (Obikwa and Two Oceans - cheap South African plonk, but good.)

After dinner we sat down to open our gifts. Everyone had gone to great lengths to buy gifts for each other, and we had a veritable pile of gifts which Dan handed out. Watching the kids open their iPods was such a treat! Worth every sent spent. Little did I know the best was yet to come....

Well, yesterday, Christmas Day, was an uncharacteristically quiet affair. It was Peaceful, and filled with Goodwill.

Paul and I basked in the sun on the deck, while Dan did the BBQ. Mind you, our Chef kept disappearing, and I later found out he was downloading songs on to his new iPod. Niel and Joe had an amicable badmington game on the newly mown lawn, iPods around the neck - so no bickering.

Rae had a very sociable day - sitting quietly with us at times, standing on the balcony sometimes, texting away on her new phone, with earphones on... In the background we had the peaceful sounds of birds chirping away in the trees, and the strains of Bing Crosby's Christmas Album. Our choice of music, for once!

No one spoke to Paul or to me. We could actually have a real, grown up conversation, for once. No bickering. (Well, not as much as usual.) No smarmy comments. (Well, very few.) And no-one responding to any requests from my side. (Which did cause some hurt feelings, but Oh well, what is Christmas without a bit of emotional turmoil!)

All in all, I would recommend to any parent of teenagers - Buy the kid an iPod! It's a wise investment, and restores the pre-parenting calm into your household!

Hope you all had a marvellous Christmas and that 2009 holds in the very best for all of you!

PS. My American brother has let me know that, in his opinion, Zune is better than iPod. What do you think?

Sunday, 14 December 2008

My Mother's an artist, and my Father's a poet...

When I was in KG II (Grade 2, or Year 2 to the SA and NZ readers), my teacher asked me what my parents' occupations were. Well, at the time my Dad like to write little rhymes and limericks to amuse us, and Mum - well Mum painted. I answered my teacher's question as truthfully as I could: "My Mother's an artist and my Father's a poet." (In reality, at the time both worked in the Standard Bank.)

Mom and Dad, June 2008

I can tell many amusing stories about my creative childhood.

Dad's writing has progressed from limericks, to board reports, to eulogies.... (Sorry, but it's true. He does write them achingly beautifully, though.) Dad stayed creative in many ways - he's a great musician, whistles and sings, and audiences in Swellendam love him. He also does exquisite carpentry, and is still busily filling orders at 71! Recently he taught Laphious, my 'brother' how to make some furniture, and helped him earn some income to help his wife in Zimbabwe. Dad should write a book, though. I shall tell him that!

Here's my Dad, Koos, with Laphious, my Zimbabwean 'brother'. He kindly keeps an eye on my parents for me and lends a helping hand when they need it.

Mom has been painting as long as I can remember. My earliest memories are of our house in Rusape, and of her going to Art lessons.

My fond childhood memories are filled with the smell of oil paints and turpentine, much as other children remember the aroma of freshly baked scones. (Needless to say, Sixpence baked the scones...) I also chuckle when I remember my Grandma's disgust at my Mum using the silver-plated cutlery as a palette knife. She really did... S'trues Bob! She still would, if she had any left. But the rest got bent when she was gardening. Need I say more? I could tell many stories of a freezer filled with.... not freshly prepared lasagnes, or melktert, but... palettes of oil paint.

Growing up in such a creative household had it's merits. To this day I love all forms of Art and I dabble in all sorts of creative arts and crafts. Also, very few quirks of humankind shock or dismay me. I've learned to accept that some people are 'a bit different', and that's OK. One day when I grow up, I want to be an Artist too, just like my Mum!

Here's some of her work. The one on the right is of her latest, which has just been sold by her art dealer. Check out her page on the web for more examples of her art work.


Artwork: Rae Smit, Swellendam. Sikelelaart.com

Saturday, 6 December 2008

Sun, Summer, Surf and Scooters!

We've just had a sun-kissed, exciting weekend. Our batteries are recharged, and we're ready for the final onslaught and the countdown to 2009.


Paul and I decided to leave our darling, grateful and delightfully pleasant teenagers at home so that they could have some peace and quiet, and we left for two days to Waiheke Island. The trip takes about an hour by ferry, and once you're on the island you commute by one of the many buses.

I must admit, the bus trips were not my favourite part of the weekend. We kept landing up with the same grumpy, young hell-raiser of a busdriver. He zooms around the corners, zips up and down the narrow lanes, and misses the many pedestrians and scooters by inches. Scary stuff!

Whenever I'm on Waiheke I rediscover my inner hippie. I invariably come back with some new bag, scarf or beaded, wrap-around skirt in muted, root-dyed hues. People on the island are super-laid back. The local women wear long, flowing dresses, scarves around their heads, and leather shoes. The men have long hair, tied back with a leather thong, and beaded waistcoats. My kinda place!


Paul and I had so much fun. On Saturday afternoon we rented two sea kayaks and spent the afternoon paddling in the bay. It was sublime. At times it was quite windy, and the waves a bit choppy, but it was so exhilarating!


Today we rented two scooters and explored as much of the island as we could in four hours.

We had lunch at one of the vineyards, and sampled their estate wine.


Back home, we found the kids sweet, accomodating and happy. The kitchen was sparkling, and they had prepared a wonderful, tasty meal for us. Yeah, right!

The weather was fantastic - I have the sunburn to prove it - and the island vibe, as always, was great. So ends our two days in paradise...

Yes, this is me, doing my kayaking thing. (The kayak photos were taken from Paul's cellphone, so they're not terribly clear!)Paul on the little scooter we rented.