Jan 29, 2010 | Baby Photos
Start by simply stuffing toys in the washing machine.
If necessary, get up and push to fit the whole load in.
Take a look around to make sure no one is saying “Nooooooo.”
Carefully read the instructions to make sure you’re selecting the right cycle. Teddy is most certainly a delicate.
Push buttons and push buttons and push buttons while your Mom thanks the Lord you haven’t thought of closing the door.
Look for approval for a job well done. It’s good to be pleased with your work.
The cycle must take a few minutes at least. Settle down to read a book while you wait for your laundry to be done.
My thoughts: If he’s entertained, and he hasn’t figured out how to close the door properly so that the machine actually starts, I’m happy. At least I know where to find just about everything that’s gone missing around the flat.
Jan 26, 2010 | Travel..ling Tuesdays
With a friend visiting we took a quick road trip to a beautiful village called Hermanus a little further up the coast last week. It is really stunning and one of my favourite places to visit. Were it a wee bit closer to an international airport, I’d prefer to live there over anywhere else in SA, methinks! It has stunning views with mountains tumbling into the sea, there are opportunities to see whales up close and personal at the right time of year, and it just has such a relaxed, great feel to it.
Mark took this shot from our hotel room last year. We stayed in Hermanus when we were visiting Mark’s family in South Africa last Christmas (as in Christmas 2008). Who wouldn’t like this view every morning?
Along the way to sunny Hermanus, we stopped for a view of Turtle Rock. Well, I have named him Turtle Rock. Mark thinks he looks like Sid the Sloth from Ice Age. We are waiting for Sarah Wood and Rory Macdonald to settle the debate for us. Sarah, Rory, if you please…
Scott was kind enough to take a moment to pet Turtle Rock. I doubt he gets many visitors.
Another cool thing about Hermanus is these interesting little creatures (and you know I love interesting little creatures) called Dassies, or Rock Hyraxes. Apparently their nearest relative, in terms of their genetic make-up, is the elephant. Coulda fooled me…I think looks like a Nutria from Lake Mattamuskeet! (Sorry that was really eastern North Carolinian. It’s getting late.)
If you do decide to come for a visit to Hermanus, just beware…the Dassies can get up to mischief. You don’t want to explain the birds and the bees to your kids any sooner than necessary.
I hope that made you laugh. Now back to the real reason Hermanus is great — here’s one more slice of how beautiful it is!
There are paths to walk around these beautiful cliffs that line a lot of the coast of Hermanus. At the right time of year, the whales actually come into the harbour, just to the left of those rocks (to mate, actually — what kind of post is this turning out to be?) but you can stand right there and see them up close!
So that’s one of my favourite travelling spots in this neck of the woods. Beautiful, hey? Happy Trails — I hope the road rises to meet you wherever your journey takes you next!
Jan 19, 2010 | Baby Photos, South Africa, Travel..ling Tuesdays
Happy Tuesday! I hope your week is going great, dear ones! We went for a walk on the beach Saturday morning. The sun was high and shiny, the water cool and inviting, and the Bear more than willing to be a superstar photo subject. The pictures were too cute not to share. My apologies if you feel like you’ve seen too much Bear so far this week. We’ll move on tomorrow! 🙂
Enter said beach, stage left. And the Bear, desperately hoping a beach walk is on the agenda. Somebody preez open dis gate!! he seemed to say.
Here’s a good shot of a bit of the area where we live. A lot of the houses nearby are amazing, huge beach houses that people only live in one month out of the year. It’s kinda sad!
See the rounded windows with balconies in the background? Our apartment is in the complex through the entrance underneath. We would love to take care of one of those houses while the people are away, though! 🙂
The Bear decided that even if it’s chilly, walking in the water ain’t so bad! Yes, I can see his hair is scruffy and a cut is in order! Leave me alone about it, I’m not ready!
See the “GB” with an anchor spelled out of white rocks in the background of this next shot? (It’s rather faint). It’s in honour of General Louis Botha, a steady fighter of the Brits in the Second Boer War. (You might remember me telling you before that the Boer Wars were similar to the American War for Independence aka the American Revolution, except the British won. There’s a little more SA history for you in some other posts here and here if you’re interested.) Anyway, years later, Botha visited London seeking assistance for the rebuilding of South Africa after the wars and Winston Churchill remembered him as the man who captured him in a Boer ambush of a British armoured train! He eventually became the first Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa, the forerunner to the modern state we know as the Republic of South Africa. He was seen as the leader of the Boers for many years after the wars, so it was a good thing he had a mind to make peace. The Naval Station in Gordon’s Bay was originally named for General Botha, thus the letters on the hillside. How’s that for a history lesson from a blurry mountainside in the back of a photo?
And this is the excitement of seeing an airplane go by!!
Hope you’re having a great Travelling Tuesday, and the road rises to meet you wherever your journey takes you next!
Jan 18, 2010 | Baby Photos
Today is the Bear’s 17 month birthday. I am happy to say I don’t really feel like time has flown by, although it is amazing that he is so far along the road of life already. I’ve been able to spend so much time with him thanks to our work situation and, at the urging of so many others, I have been working on savouring and treasuring this special time. Although I think I am occasionally missing something while buried in my laptop, I still feel like I’m doing a pretty good job of getting on the floor and playing with him, savouring the moments of giggling and reading together, stacking cups and blocks and taking apart puzzles (since we don’t have the putting them together part down yet). It does feel like it’s happening quickly, but I don’t feel filled with sorrow or regret that I’ve missed something. And, to conclude this long digression, that’s a nice feeling.
Here’s a glimpse of the life of the Bear at Sweet 17.
These days the Bear is thoroughly enjoying the dishwasher box house.
We are still in the throes of discussing the imminent necessity of a first hair cut. But having fun with his long locks in the meantime.
After listening to an economy lesson on Baby Einstein, this clever 17-month-old has begun implementing the important principle of not enjoying things all at once, but instead carefully saving things for later…
That’s a piece of biscuit by the way. As previously mentioned, he is also a budding geologist, and a connoisseur of fine rocks and other specimens.
Yes, I see that the hat folds his ears over. But isn’t it cute? He has become Mommy’s little helper, aiding me in stuffing clothing into the washing machine, closing the soap drawer and even pushing the start button when directed. He however occasionally struggles with an impulsive desire to push the button again, when not directed…
Unfortunately, he has confused 17 months with 17 years, and is considering leaving home soon.
He’s all-around being a cutie-pie bear who brightens up our every day.
Happy Birthday to the Bear! We are VERY thankful for you, and our lives are so much brighter with your little face in them!
Jan 15, 2010 | Baby Photos
Do you think
that I need
a haircut?
Probably so, my Mom’s just not ready yet.
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