A walk down memory lane
I love looking at photos with my daughters especially the ones of the three of them before they turned a year! It is so amusing when they quarrel about who is in the photo and I have to step in to help with identification. They are all very photogenic and I have no doubt that they get it from their dad.
I’m not a fan of having my photo taken and am always extremely critical of the end result. It’s been said that practice makes perfect but I have no desire to practice. I love looking at friends pictures on social networking sites and it is a very telling exercise. Some care too much and some don’t care at all. I’m always telling my husband to refrain from posting pictures with loads of laundry and unwashed dishes in the background. I always find myself looking around the picture before actually looking at the picture. Thinking about it now just sounds so weird.
Note to self: A little practice might just help with my photo presentation!
Santa Claus is coming to town
This morning my six-year-old asked me if Santa was for real? Quite honestly I thought she knew the truth. I then very cleverly avoided the conversation. My family has never really kept it a secret and if you let your kids know from the get go at least you can steer their Christmas wishes towards reality. On the other hand if you pretend Santa exists you get to blame him and his head elf for non delivery!
Now I’ve been particularly good this year and I hope my Santa aka “the husband” will take that into account when placing my gift under the tree. I love this time of year and will be kicking off the Christmas carols from tomorrow. You better be good ’cause Santa Claus is coming to town.
Jingle bells
I absolutely love this time of the year. It is now exactly one month to Christmas day. I’ve tried to get a head start on my girls gifts and so far so good. I even managed to get their dresses sorted. They are a fantastic age to appreciate the festive season.
The city’s Christmas lights were switched on a fortnight ago and the streets look magical. Everywhere you go there are reminders of this special season. In addition to all of these festive reminders Birmingham also happens to have the largest Christmas German market after Berlin!
My tree is still tucked away in a box and I can’t wait to set it up. My husband has forbidden me from putting it up before December. ‘Tis the season to be jolly and I’m loving it!
Black Tuesday
Today was indeed a dark day in South African history. The approval of the protection of state information bill has sent shivers down my spine. The ruling party seems to favour personal privacy above the democracy that was fought for by many brave people. Being in public service requires some kind of accountability. My only hope now is that our relatively spineless president will see how ridiculous this vote is and ensure that the press and people of South Africa have the freedom to express themselves and stand up for what is right.
This culture of lack of accountability and secrecy is a common way in which countries with dictators are run. Surely we are past revolution speeches and just need to function as a true democracy. This bill has the potential to ruin the fabric of our free country and that would be a tragedy!
Morning has broken
I am completely frazzled by my inability to respond to my alarm clock. The truth is I really shouldn’t need an alarm for a 7am wake up call. I know I should be more responsible as a mother particularly of school going children. I have managed to get them to school in the nick of time. No matter what time I go to bed the result is always the same. I’m on the verge of accepting the fact that I’m a serious sleepy head.
Tomorrow is a brand new day and once again I’ll attempt to be the early bird but I’m not pinning my hopes on getting that worm!
The journey…so far
Wow! This is my 150th post. The journey has been more challenging than I expected. I have learnt many interesting things about myself, friends and acquaintances. I have been my fiercest critic and have tried to turn out the highest quality blog posts sadly this hasn’t always been the case. I had hoped to mark this celebration with a groundbreaking article instead I am plagued by a serious case of amateur writers block.
I look forward to sharing many more snippets of my colourful life with you. Let me take this opportunity to thank you for taking the time to read the ramblings of a legal alien. Cheers!
Yakety Yak
It’s almost three years now since my family arrived in Birmingham. These days I miss some simple things from back home. The thing I missed the most though and feared I would lose my mind over in those early days was conversation. Those days were very bleak and I would look forward to going to local shops just to have minimal contact with adults. My husband worked away from home so it was quite lonely hanging around with my very young children.
Of course things are very different now and I have amassed a wonderful group of friends who I love meeting with and having wonderful laughs. We are all so very different yet those differences make our friendship really special. I’m so thankful for people who were willing to give a talkative, conversation loving South African a talking chance!
The waiting room
Having worked in a hospital for some time. I still can’t figure out why patients don’t get seen on time particularly in a clinic setting! After all the time slot is allocated to you. So whether you’re early, on time or late you just don’t win – well perhaps the late comer wins in a warped way!
After attending a clinic today with my daughter I am led to believe that hospital staff have taken it upon themselves to improve our social skills by getting us acquainted with fellow waiting room occupants. Everybody sits there with the common goal of waiting for your name or number to be called. The look on people’s faces when their turn finally crawls around is priceless. A bit like winning the waiting room lottery.
Lest we forget
Today across Britain and many Commonwealth countries fallen soldiers were remembered. Remembrance day is a wonderful day set aside to commemorate these brave men and even women. I was in the company of some veterans today and they were very proud of responding to the call to protect their borders all those decades ago – and they should be!
Today many men and women across the world are still putting limb and life at risk for the safety of their countrymen. What a massive responsibility! Sadly though if I had one of many wishes it would be that we had no need for these extreme measures. I dream of living in a world with no borders, no war, no famine and no disease.
Finders Keepers
Yesterday my husband lost his wallet on a flight from Ireland. The panic that followed was quite tangible. Having lost a purse before it is quite crazy how your mind goes into overdrive. Finding a starting point becomes the biggest challenge. I guess the key is to do damage control which means contacting the bank!
When my husband contacted the bank to his utter surprise somebody had called in to report his wallet had been found. He was very relieved and after getting the location of the kind soul we made our way to a hotel to pick it up. It turned out to be the passenger who sat next to him!
Glad to know there are still wonderful people out there who make the effort for perfect strangers just because they can!
Best medicine
I love having a good laugh. You’d think everybody does but I do doubt that. Some people look terribly uncomfortable when laughing. For me there is only one way to have a good laugh and that is recklessly! I love to look on the funny side of life. Laughter is truly the best medicine, it is for me anyway!
Justice for Michael
Today Dr. Conrad Murray was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter of Michael Jackson and will be sentenced later this month.
It’s been reported that prescription drug use is the number one cause of death in the United States of America. Surely in the aftermath of Michael Jackson’s untimely death although I have no doubt he had probably had a few near death experiences there should be better regulation! The frightening part for me in this whole case was the unhappiness of a superstar who brought joy to so many yet had no peace in his own life. Having a resident doctor in your home shows just how dependant Michael was on getting his fix. While I have no doubt Dr. Murray was way out of order administering such dangerous medication outside of a hospital setting. Would you dare say no to mighty Michael Jackson?
Family ties
The gift of family is priceless. While I miss my family and friends it always seems to peak on the weekend. Having lived close to my parents and siblings a part of me always felt it would be that way forever. I guess change is inevitable. My husband and I decided to make a change to the general order of our lives and now live what sometimes feels like light years away!
On the other hand I’m so grateful for all of the super amazing people I’ve met since arriving in England. I suspect I shall be here for some time to come. In the meantime I shall cherish the memories of a land far away and continue to make the most of our time here. Living in the here and now – no regrets!
The Space
Sadly though I’m not referring to a piece of heaven in the countryside. I am in fact talking about the holy grail of all drivers – the parking space! Pondering on the craziness that seems to possess drivers when confronted with the possibility of losing a parking bay that seems like the only available one in the universe. Honestly I have witnessed some scary scenes while out and about. When taking your driving test they spend plenty of time instructing you just how to master getting into a parking space. Why is it that they never ever tell you how to go about claiming your right to the said space? Surely there should be some kind of etiquette about acquisition and use.
The parking etiquette manual should include guidelines like entitlement to the space to avoid sneaky glide ins. Prompt exit from the space since you now know how difficult it was to come by in the first place. Refrain from using the bay as a picnic spot. For goodness sake park between the lines. When somebody is trying their best to parallel park do not hang around hoping they eventually give up and make way for you. Do use caution when flinging your car doors open. Show some appreciation for drivers who take the time to let you know they’ll be vacating their space.
Enjoy the space responsibly!
Long in the tooth
There are many things which are said of the ageing process most commonly “age ain’t nothing but a number”. Sadly the number does count as we move along. As much as I’d like to convince myself that I don’t feel a day older than twenty-five everything about my life suggests otherwise. You just have to take a peep inside my bathroom cabinet. I could run my very own little franchise.
Now for many of us the experience will be different from failing eyesight, hair behaving badly and sensitive teeth. I’ve had poor eyesight most of my life so I just continue chugging along. More recently though my teeth have been giving me endless problems and I’ve just put it down to the age factor. On the other hand it may have absolutely nothing to do with age and may just be my laid back attitude in my years of folly coming back to roost. Whatever the reason I would love to go back to the days of ice-cold or piping hot without wondering if my Sensodyne toothpaste has been effective!
Whilst I’m not quite in the twilight years of my life I look forward to embracing each passing year. Here’s to growing older!
A CRY, A SMILE, A DANCE 
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