Amazing what the eye doesn't see...

I'm back in SA at the moment and had fun playing in my parents garden.

I love the macro function - it seems to show more than the naked eye does!!

These are little mushrooms that have grown on an anthill in the lawn...

Moss growing on the bricks...


A very pretty weed growing in the long grass

Isn't the look on Rosie's face priceless? "F%$^ off with the camera already!!"

We've had some pretty spectacular sunrises recently...

Having been a working mom and a stay at home mom...

I have to say that being a sahm is MUCH more difficult. I've been having one of those mornings and have been thinking while attempting to get Jason to build a tower of more than two blocks without knocking it down and have come to the following conclusions.

1. I get NO recognition. At least when I was working I had annual appraisals and increases. Customers also used to say thank you and tell me how wonderful I was if I was able to sort out their problem.

2. I am the nurturer and the peacemaker and everyone's memory. Occasionally I wouldn't mind being nurtered and reminded about something. I'd especially love to be waited on hand and foot and not have to be the first one up in the mornings.

3. I am abused. Jason is going through the slapping, hitting, punching, biting, nipping stage and I'm really getting fed up with it now. He only seems to do it to me so what gives? I am such a bad mom? I get more abuse than I get hugs and kisses now but Mike just asks for a kiss and gets one. I just get a slap or pinch.

4. When trying to ensure that the family gets a well balanced meal I get told I don't "cook nice stuff" and end up giving the food to the dogs. Nicholas doesn't even eat the snack I pack for him anymore. He says I make yuck sandwiches.

5. I never get ME time. I'm always being Mom or Wife. I'm never Sarah anymore.

Anyway...whinge over. Life goes on.

Mike was in Rwanda last week....

and because his flight only left late on Saturday evening he had some time to kill so he decided to go and visit the Kigali Genocide Museum. It's absolutely FRIGHTENING that people could do this to others. His taxi driver who survived the genocide explained that you could trust NO-ONE...not even your own brother and to this day, he still doesn't trust anyone. This is an excerpt from the website....

The murderers used machetes, clubs, guns, and any blunt tool they could find to inflict as much pain on their victims as possible.


It was genocide from the first day. No Tutsi was exempt.

Women were beaten, raped, humiliated, abused and ultimately murdered, often in the sight of their own families.

Children watched as their parents were tortured, beaten and killed in front of their eyes, before their own small bodies were sliced, smashed, abused, pulverised and discarded.

The elderly, the pride of Rwandan society, were despised, and mercilessly murdered in cold blood.
Neighbours turned on neighbours, friends on friends, even family on their own family members.
Rwanda had turned into a nation of brutal, sadistic, merciless killers, and of innocent victims -
overnight.

So on Sunday morning on the way to the shops in the car Mike told me about this visit and how deeply it affected him. So much so, that he walked out of there in tears. So I did some research....I'm not surprised he walked out of there in tears. I haven't even been there but it has affected me quite deeply.

Since then I've been thinking how VERY VERY VERY lucky my children are. Besides the fact that they have a roof over their head and food to eat, they are not going to be persecuted because of their race or religion. I am in future, going to try and make sure that they KNOW how lucky they are but given that they are only 4 and 1 I'm not going to expose them to the horrors that have gone on in the world.

I know that even if I donated $1000 it wouldn't bring back the women and children that were murdered but I CAN donate a rose in their memory. The Memorial Rose Garden for Rwandan Genocide Victims

I'm so shallow..

I'm contemplating moving Jason onto cotton nappies. Not the type that you have to fold and then put waterproofs on etc but the shaped nappy type.

Why use Cloth Nappies

The reason that I'm thinking of doing this is because disposable nappies are FLIPPING expensive here! Sorry but it's not about the environment although I do kind of feel like I'd be doing my bit for the environment.

Now I've just got to find out the most cost effective way of getting them to Kampala! LOL!

Oooh oooh oooh!!!

I'm SO excited!!!

Someone has commented on my blog that isn't a friend or a family member!! Woohoooooooo!! Fame at last!!!! Well, hardly, but it's enough to make me feel like it's Christmas Eve!!

Ugandan Insomniac - why didn't I find this blog before?? I'm now "blurfing" her blog. It's been a while since I've giggled so much!! Thank you!

The standards of journalism in Uganda seem to be rather lacking

I don't often read newspapers....I have other more exciting things to do generally like read "My First Words" and "The Snow Dragon" so when I do read them I skim them. I do, however, read the headlines that are shoved in my face by the newspaper vendors every morning on the school run. There are three main papers in Kampala...

The New Vision

Red Pepper

The Daily Monitor

The New Vision and The Daily Monitor are mainstream type newspapers where the Red Pepper is a tabloid that is trying to imitate tabloids from abroad.

Well this morning's headline in Red Pepper was

"Drug Causing AIDS Used In Our Hospital".

How responsible is that??? From their website Red Pepper has a readership of between 25000 and 30000 so now guaranteed, these readers, if admitted to hospital are going to be so terrified of getting AIDS that they may refuse treatment. Admittedly, I haven't wasted however many shillings it is and I'm CERTAINLY not going to waste $10 on a months subscription to their online website so I haven't read the article but I wonder if anyone will take them to task about it or if this was even researched!! Talk about sensationalism!! Carte Blanche could get some pointers from them!

Then...a couple of weeks ago I was reading one of the more "serious" newspapers (can't remember whether it was The New Vision or The Daily Monitor) and I was reading the Medical column where they invite readers to write in with their medical problems. The person that was answering these questions was Dr Someoneorother - I can't remember the name but he had Dr in front of his name. Ok, most of them were hysterical to someone from an educated developed world background but one of them REALLY made me shake my head.

The writer wrote in (obviously a young teen / child) and wrote that he liked touching his baby brothers head because it had a heartbeat in it but his Mom told him not to because he could kill the baby. Ok...this question on it's own is laughable to you and I but it was the answer that nearly made my eyes pop out!! The essence of the answer was...."Some people have arteries which are BIG veins close to the skin and it IS very dangerous to touch them so your Mom is right...don't touch them." Now, I'm not a medical doctor (ok - I'm not even any other type of doctor either) but don't you think the writer was maybe talking about the baby's fontanelle?

Makes ya think...doesn't it? Ok...rant over.

On another note...during my research, I discovered that Red Pepper (Cayenne) can be used to improve circulation and purify internal organs. How ironically funny!!

Maybe he wasn't being a drama queen after all....

Nicholas that is.

He woke up one morning a few weeks ago and whinged that he didn't want to go to school because they make him WORK!! I, of course replied very non-sympathetically, thinking him to be making excuses as to why he must stay at home and made him go to school. Aren't I evil?

Anyway...yesterday I was looking in his school book bag to see why he didn't get a library book since it was Wednesday yesterday and Wednesday's are library day and found his SPELLING BOOK!!!! It's been there since 5 March *blush* and there are about 15 words that he has to learn to spell!!!!!!!!!!!!! Jeeeeeeezlike!! They really are making him W O R K!!! Poor thing!

At least it's end of term next Thursday so he can have some vegetating time to himself.

Rainy season has started

With a vengeance too!! This is a pic I took from our front door after about 10 minutes of rain....it PELTED down! The courtyard was totally under water and I was worried that it would come into the study and ruin the laminate wood flooring that we have throughout the house!

Kampala is surrounded by seven hills and an unfortunate side effect of the rain is that all the rubbish gets washed down the hills onto the roads and into the drainage system - if you can call it that. So, driving to school in the mornings we see all the "interesting" things that have been unearthed the previous night. It's amazing how many dead dogs and lone flip flops seem to land up on the road. Fortunately the dead dogs don't stay there for long and are usually removed by lunchtime....hopefully not FOR lunch! Blech!!! The rest of the stuff gets swept into piles and set alight but because it's usually wet it smoulders all day. Kampala seems to be under an even worse layer of smoke than ever nowadays...I'm sure it's not good for the children of the city.

The Marriage Meme

1. Where/how did you meet?

We worked together...he was in sales, I was in Ops - ARCH ENEMIES!!

2. How long have you known each other?

Ermmmm - 14 years I think...

3. How long after you met did you start dating?

Eish......I don't know!

4. How long did you date before getting engaged?

6 years!! I'd given up hope!!

5. How long was your engagement?

Eight months....everyone wants to get married in September and so did I.

6. How long have you been married?

In September it'll be 9 years. JISLAAAAAAIK!!!

7. What is your anniversary?

23 September

8. How many people came to your wedding reception?

About 80 - I'm selective!

9. What kind of cake did you serve?

Fruit Cake....is there any other cake to have??!!

10. Where was your wedding?

The ceremony was at St Saviours in Randjiesfontein and the reception was at the Indaba, Fourways.

11. What did you serve for the meal?

The usual South African Buffet....yawn!

12. How many people were in your bridal party?

1 best man - Mike's brother
2 bridesmaids - my sister and Mike's sister
1 Ringbearer - my nephew

13. Are you still friends with them?

Sadly....things have soured with Mike and his brother but the rest - yes.

14. Did your spouse cry during the wedding ceremony?

Surprisingly no!! I however, howled through my vows and sounded like a cross between a banshee and a chipmunk.

15. Most special moment of your wedding day?

My dad's speech. More tears!

16. Any funny moments?

All the speeches - maybe it was just nervous giggling on my part?!

17. Any big disasters?

Nah - the wedding was planned too well!

18. Where did you honeymoon?

Rocktail Bay Lodge Mike did a jigsaw puzzle / fished while I studied for exams which were two weeks away. Tres Romantique eh??!!

19. For how long?

5 days - was all we could afford!

20. If you were to do your wedding over, what would you change?

I would pay more attention! I also wouldn't get quite so carried away offering cake to by waving the plate around. Centrifugal forces came into play and I landed up flinging cake around the table.

21. What side of the bed do you sleep on?

looking at the bed from the foot, on the right hand side.

22. What size is your bed?

Four cats required a king size bed.

23. Greatest strength as a couple?

We don't argue over the remote?? Tricky question that one!

24. Greatest challenge as a couple?

Talking.... and I'm not talking about "how was work today?" talking

25. Who literally pays the bills?

Me...eventually!

26. What is your song?

We don't have one. That's sooooo teenager!!! If anything it would be "No Matter what" by that Irish boy band...can't remember the name!! OOh oooh....Boyzone (just remembered)

27. What did you dance your first dance to?

Beautiful in my Eyes - Joshua Kadison. This was only after MUCH negotiation because Mike WANTED a waltz. *rolls eyes*

28. Describe your wedding dress?

It was me...

29. What kind of flowers did you have at your wedding?

St Josephs lillies and the other usual type of arrangement fillers. White and green.

30. Are your wedding bands engraved?

Nah



I'm tagging...
Jeanette
Marina
Carol
Fiona

I am from.....

Courtesy of the SA Bloggers Awards I found Charlotte's Web in the category that is of particular interest to me - Best Overseas South African Blog. She made a post about where she is from and it's written so beautifully and it is so evocative of growing up in SA.

I-am-from

I think I'm going to give it a bash but not today....I need to have a good long think about it.



Speaking of blogs....Jenty's Photoblog has been nominated for best photographic blog so VOTE VOTE VOTE for her please!!! The link is in the Bloggerati list!

I KNEW there was something else I needed to tell you all!!

This is Jo-Jo. It's also her in the picture below of Nicholas.

We found her cowering in the hedge of the property next door to ours (well Bonnie and Josie did) and she was starving and had a sore leg. Nicholas decided we needed to keep her and promised to feed her and look after her....yar right!!!! So far I think he has fed her once! He does however play very nicely with her and she's just the right size for Jason to play with (although he seems to prefer Bonnie - the biggest of the dogs!!) so we decided to keep her. She's got a very sweet nature but hooooley mooooley....she chews EVERYTHING!!! She even chewed the carpenters shoes today!!!!!!!!!!! *Blush* She especially likes to chew on Jason's curls....he's not wild about it when she does it which is not surprising really! She seems to learn pretty fast too. She knows she's not allowed in the house and she also knows that she has to sit before she will get her food.



ALSO....we had to do our first test for Malaria this week. It's not a pregnancy test. Nicholas came home from school complaining of a headache and tummy ache so I made Mike go to The Surgery for some test kits. It was negative but quite traumatic for poor Nix. I had to prick his finger and put a few drops of blood on the tester and he didn't appreciate the needle. I hope I haven't given him a needle phobia now??!! I don't think he's going to be complaining about a headache / tummy ache again in a hurry.

btw

Thats Simon in the picture to the left. He loves sitting on the door step surveying his Kingdom. It's great because he keeps the dogs out too. The two great big galoomfing labradors are scared of a little black cat. Alllllllrighty then!!

Also....I've noticed I use a lot of exclamations when blogging (even e-mailing actually) It makes me feel like I've got my point across so if it irritates you - sorrrrreeeeeee for you!!!!!!!!!!!

About me / us.... :-D

So we didn't end up having to go to Tanzania...I was actually a bit disappointed. KWIM? Mike and I really travel well (when he isn't driving like a palooka) and use the time to really C H A T.

It seems like immigration isn't as rigid as we were led to believe. Mike took our passports in to get the visa's extended and then they gave him a piece of paper (about 4cm x 4cm - literally a PIECE of paper) and took our passports and said it won't be a problem. It really ISN'T a train smash if they do take offence to our being here actually. Mike has a "special pass" which only expires in April (he should have his work permit by then) so he won't get deported and if we (the boys and I) DO get deported...bargain!!! I can go back to SA on the Ugandan government's bill and get all the stuff I can't get here! Hehehehehehehe!!!

You'll be pleased to know that I also attended the SAWA (Southern African Women's Association) meeting on Wednesday. It was a bit nerve wracking but I made it through the whole meeting and didn't even leave first!!! I had to stand up and tell them all about myself though!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was AGONY!!! I LOATHE standing up and making "speeches" but at least I didn't make an arse of myself and say something inappropriate! LOL!!

Mike finally went looking for a car today...he eventually found one but it's way outside his price range but that's ok. Mike could sell ice cubes to Eskimo's so his boss will probably ok it! Hee heee hee. Oh....it's a Prado KZJ95 1996 model for the car aficionados out there.

I've met a really really nice lady here who has been SO helpful and has introduced me to SO many people! Her name is Vicky (she's also SA'n) and she's been here for about 6 months. She used to live in Bryanston - in fact I used to drive past her house every day on the way to work so we are from the same sort of area which is also nice. We can compare notes on which is the best Woollies! Tee hee hee! She's going back to SA on Wednesday and then Skiing in Chamonix for three weeks and Mieke is also away so it's going to be a quiet few weeks I think. Probably a good thing because I totally lost momentum with the whole unpacking thing and there's still a few boxes that have been half unpacked. In my defence (yes I know...excuses excuses) the study is a lot smaller than we are used to and the bookshelves didn't fit so we had some shelves made which will MORE than cover our requirements but...african time strikes again. It's been 3 weeks since we accepted the carpenter's quote. He reckons he'll be finished by Monday....stay tuned.

Not much else to report on at the moment...none that I can think of anyway.

About Jason.....

Jason is the cutest, ticklishest, playful, happy-go-lucky, gorgeous 19 month old on the planet! He has realised that even though things are bigger than him he can sometimes pick them up...eg - the nappy bucket, the blue step. He then feels the need to bring them to me as a "love gift" with much grunting and groaning as if to say "you'd better appreciate this!!"

He's also...

playing with his shape sorter and more or less getting it right

talking quite a bit! I don't understand the majority of what he says but he says Mommy, Daddy, Dog, meaouw, woof, rawr, wall, shoes, juice and a few others but I can't remember them all!

very loveable. Hugs and kisses are given very willingly and he's even learning to close his mouth and pucker up for a kiss now.

climbing onto / into everything. The dining room table is a big favourite at the moment. I found him standing on it this morning!!!!

revolting sometimes!! This morning he brought me a cat poo from the litter tray!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!! And then of course he has the whole loo brush fetish thing too!! Read here about the loo brush thing

Drawing on everything...I have to hide any crayons / pencils / pens etc because otherwise the house would be covered in Jason creations! I don't know what I'm going to use when the Goo Gone is finished!!

put on weight nicely since we moved into our house. It's almost as if he knew that we were finally home and has been eating like a horse. He weighs 11.2kg's now compared to the 9.9kg's that he weighed just after we arrived in Uganda.

very affectionate towards the cats, particularly Simon which is not difficult considering Simon is such an affectionate cat!! He hasn't been scratched by them yet but I reckon the day is nigh...he loves hanging onto their tails while they try to escape from him!! I know it's not nice for the cats but it is RATHER amusing to watch!! I must try and get some video of it actually. He also likes to try and sit on the Simon (like a horse)...I'm not sure why but he's never got it right yet. SURPRISE!!

loving reading books. Even on his own!!

got hair that is going green...yes GREEEEEEN!!! There must be quite a bit of chlorine in the water here because in the sunlight, his hair has a greenish tinge to it. The joys of being blonde I guess?

busy cutting his eye teeth and not really enjoying it. The bottom two were a NIGHTMARE and really affected his sleeping and eating but the top ones don't seem to be AS bad. Thank goodness....I was feeling a bit zombified.

About Nicholas....

He's settling in very well now. He hasn't mentioned anything about missing SA or his friends for the last week but I think that may be due to the fact that he has his "posse" at school now! There's Lukas (from Holland), Cian (from Ireland), Chisha (from Zambia) and Nicholas and they seem to be quite good friends! Lukas, Chisha and Nicholas had a playdate last week and there were no tears / fights / sulks!! *SHOCK*!! He's quite excited because next week they are coming here for a playdate so they can see his dogs and toys and everything!! Let's just hope it doesn't rain because apparently we're coming into rainy season now. Doesn't seem to be a girlfriend yet...I think his heart still belongs to Kayla in SA! This is a letter she wrote to him. It says

Kayla B loves my Nicholas. I miss you so much. Please come back. I love you so much. I am crying. Love always Kayla xxxxxxxxxxxx

..how cute is that?

School wise he is learning his letters and their sounds now so we can actually play I spy in the car now. He can even spell cat / dog / hat / mom / dad etc!! I'm not sure if he can write them yet but he can certainly identify them when you write them down.


He's still just as soft and gentle as always but he has his boy moments. He's very friendly to everyone and says hello to everyone while we are at the shops....gets a bit embarassing sometimes!! The Ugandan's love his friendliness though - they are not really very outgoing but they love children so when a Mzungu child (a foreigner in Lugandan) talks to them they are TOTALLY charmed by it! There's a little boy that has a birth defect that sits outside Shoprite on weekends and when we are there, Nicholas ALWAYS goes to him and chats to him.

And....he's picked up an Americanism (aaaargh!). If you go too fast for him he shouts out..."Wait up Mom!!" and his accent is perfectly American too!! I don't know where it comes from because the only American that I know of in his reference field is the Head of Primary...Mr Peterson!!! I doubt he would be running after Nicholas shouting "Wait Up Nicholas!!"