Taking work to the bushveld

One of the joys of working from your cellphone and your computer is that you really could do it from anywhere ;-) and not too long ago, I did exactly that. I packed the bag and the kiddo and we joined the grandparents at Dikholo, a small game farm not too far of the beaten track

High on the mountain at a lookout - we spend quite a bit of time here looking at the animals and the beautiful vistas of endless rolling hills and bushveld. A little Dassie was warming itself in the sun. These little animals are normally quite shy, but not here, I am not sure if their strength is in their numbers (they were everywhere) or whether they are just so used to living in close proximity to humans that they have become quite tame.



The resort seen from the lookout point. It is beautiful, if a bit overdeveloped


We went for a walk one morning fairly early and I decided to leave my long lens...I am in a game farm and I left my long lense. I know, unbelievable. I was very frustrated halfway through as we got very close to the animals but the short lense just does not do them justice. I played hide a seek with this giraffe for a bit.

Fresh mountain water

My newest most favourite photo of E was taken in the mountains of Crete where we use to go every other day to collect fresh drinking water for the house. What a simple lifestyle people have there

On the map!

So today I got my very own postbox!!
I am seriously impressed with myself. Believe it or not, but it is a huge step forward in taking my life back.

WOOOHOOO!!!!

Faith Hope and Love

But the greatest of these is Love

I am heartsore as another family is standing on the brink of loosing a wife and mother to cancer.
I do not understand
He loves her so
and still he watches and waits for her to go
knowing that they will not share a tomorrow
Who can ever phantom such sorrow?

It makes me feel disconnected
a little dissected
Not ready to care enough
but so wanting to call this bluff

Wisdom(s) no more

So after I have put this little procedure off for more than eight years, yes eight years, I am happy to report that I have survived the removal of all four of my recalcitrant wisdom teeth.

I love the surgeon who did this, despite having a seriously impacted tooth that was growing horizontally…. and on its way out my cheek, this guy managed to cut me up without leaving any visible evidence of the butchery. I wonder if he practices in his spare time?

In the end, nothing about the procedure was traumatic at all, they gently put me to sleep with reassuring stickers and machinery tracking all my vital signs and I woke an hour later with a foul tasting mouth filled with thick dark, red. blood and a tongue that did not work. And that really was it.

Today I was really tired and spaced out, but I managed to get some work done, including cleaning my house and doing the laundry. Tomorrow we are back to business as usual with an all day workshop at a big client.

Soaked in life

Today as I was riding Shilogh I got caught in a thunderstorm with lots of rain and hail. It was wonderfull, I have not felt so alive in a long time

The smell of wet grass
On a hot baked earth
Horse breath steaming in the stables
Clothes clinging to my body
squelching shoes in muddy grass
Cold drops of rain running down my face
as i stretched my sore legs into a run

We are praying for you Cari, you are teaching me the value of my life, and I am praying that you will heal and live to see those beautiful children of yours grow into the adults you dream them to be.

All things theatrical

Yes I know I have a killer deadline for Monday and that there are more work on my desk than hours in the day and night. But E is on midterm break, so we went to the children's theatre today to be whisked away on a magical carpet ride to the modern mid eastern delight of Aladdin. It was wonderful. The four crew cast was superb and energetic as they magically recast themselves from evil magician to charismatic genie in a heartbeat. From spiders and dragons to a beautiful princess all the time captivating and interacting with their audience by the roll of eyes and sharing of jewels.

After theatre it was time to have a much needed haircut and some of our own home grown theatrics

Bum boarding

Just down the road from me is a 50m artificial ski slope on which we went bumboarding one piping hot Sunday afternoon. The exhilaration on E's face is all the story I need to tell. Needless to say, the little man was lights out by 18:00 that night and that was all we talked about for a couple of days.

The epitome of boredom

Is trying to find 150 creative ways to tell the same client that all their clients think their services really suck.....and no, this is not a ten page document. Imagine doing this for at least 400 pages and and at least the same number of graphs.

I hate this job, I hate this client
I am so glad that this will be last year
I am going to have to do this
It has been a loooong three years, let me tell you ;-p

Eating good healthy food

will make you grow into a big strong boy and now we have to measure him against my body twice during every meal.

He is convinced that he is bigger at the end each meal.

Cute little Elrich'sms:
Pantoffels are called tampoffels
All adults are moms and dads
Hostipal for hospital
You need engengy to do things and food gives you lots of engengy (energy)
He wants to know the type of fuel each car runs on - mom is that a diesel car or a petrol car?
When we drive I have to tell him what make and model nearly every car on the road is
He loves to tell me in which direction I am/or must turn next. Now that I think on it, back seat driving is his forte and we have non stop commentary on everything happening arounds us for most of the driving time.
He cannot wait for his next birthday to come because then he will be five and that is a much cooler age than four - and 'mom, look I am a cool dudes!' says he with his mirror sunglasses

The great composer

Elrich loves singing and he makes up imprompto songs about everything around him as he sees and experiences it. This is just a little clip I managed to get of his antics. Note the very bare little cottage I stay in - nope I have not bought that couch or that TV cabinent I have been dreaming about. Somehow, it just seems a bit too big a decision to make right now ;-)

I have no idea why this video is on it's side

Mixed feelings

Phil forgot about Elrich's athletics day at school today. Since E slept at his dad's house last night, he did not make it to athletics either. I am furious at Phil. I think that it was inexcusable and in future E will stay at my place the night before a big school day. But that is not all....

Work pressure and the build up to the family athletics day left me emotionally wrung out last night. So I told John that I was no good for any company and miserable. He told me that it is fine and no sulking from his side, he will see me the next day in time for the school sports day. I believed him that it was ok for me to crawl in my little cave and just sulk in silence. How wrong could I be?

This is our sms conversation today:

Maritha (as I woke up) Hello, I am more of a mess now that I was last night. I think it is because of the family thing today, I am a bit slow putting stuff together and understanding my own emotions. If u wake early and u want to come help me make shaker thingies that would be nice

John: Hi, I just woke up, my head is a mess. I wont b joining u this morning. I hope e and his team do well

Maritha: Ok, that is fine I will not sulk either ;-p

Maritha: But just to confuse you even more, at the start of this week I really really looked forward to having u around helping me to make the shakers, going to athletics together and being a little family. By Friday though I was over tired and an emotional mess and all I wanted to do was run into a cave and hide, so please do not see my emotions as a reflection on u. It is not it is just my mess I have to try and sort out or manager or whatever xxxx

John:Maybe you dont want us 2 b a lil family. Enjoy your athletics day.

Maritha: Now that was really insensitive and unnecessary

John: Neither was this ....lol I am sorry I am in no state to be nice and sensitive, I am tired and miserable and I am watching tv and drinking savannah. I understand it would be far nicer if I was excited and full of life but alas, what can I say (the message I send him last night saying why I did not feel like company)

Maritha: Yes, I know but it was not aimed at u, I was'nt miserable because of u. That is why I am scared when u say I make u happy because I know I am not emotionally strong enough to keep u happy. U need to be happy despite of me and the state I am in. Johnny I cannot have you fall down when I am a mess, I care about u but I am still a mess.

John: U took something that I was really looking forward to and fucked it up quick quick last night. I’m sorry Phil fucked u around but I am not Phil. Treat me like I am Phil, u will turn around and I will b gone. That seems to me that is what u want!

Maritha: John, if I thought you were Phil, I would not be around and u fucked it up for yourself. Last night I really thought that u were just letting me be, I did not realize that we were going to have an all fall down today. I honestly woke up this morning looking forward to spending the day with u. But I am a bit naïve that way.

John: well if that is how u c it, I fucked it up 4 myself then….

By that time I have had enough of this silly sms’ing. I was sitting at E’s school wondering where the heck his father is. Is it just me or is John emotionally more insecure than me? I just don’t follow his train of thought at all and it does not make sense to me in the bigger picture. I have not spoken to him since and quite frankly don’t see myself speaking to him anytime soon. Anyway – I just had to get it out of my system.