Tiny Cars are Awesome!

We are a 2-vehicle family again.  Our 'new' car is a 2004 Citroen C2.  It's bigger than a Smart Car but smaller than anything I've ever owned.  It fits in every parking space very easily.  Rusty is enjoying going into work early so he can be home early.  He still carpools once in awhile, but he can now go to World of Golf every day for lunch if he wants to, and I can go anywhere I want without having to call someone for a ride.

The hailstorm last week was certainly an interesting event.  I hadn't expected my lawn (or 'garden' as everyone calls it here) to ever be white.  We lost a couple of small palm tree branches and the patios were covered in debris and leaves.  Luckily my gardener was scheduled to come the next day so it all got cleaned up nicely.  

Last week I visited the Byanston Organic Market which reminded me of the Apple Festival I used to go to at Ward Meade Park in Topeka.  It was an outside venue with different booths set up where people were selling their hand-crafted goods.  I found a hand-carved wooden candle holder, a couple of ostrich-feather hair clips, and several other things I will have to go back for someday.  I also had the most delicious spinach-quiche I ever tasted.  The weather was absolutely glorious!  I was able to leave Miranda and Jackson at home with Anna so I could have a much-needed kid-free outing with friends.

Miranda is now a bike owner again, this time with a JD Bug Training 'Balance' Bike.  It does not have pedals, the seat is low enough for the child to reach the ground, and it helps train kids to balance so they will not need training wheels when they switch over to a regular bike.  She is improving every day although she rejected it at first.  These bikes have been around for 10 years, originating in Germany.  They are very popular here.  Jackson is walking all over the place.  He takes more and more steps every day, although he still prefers to crawl or zoom around in his walker.  Today he walked all the way across the room and looks so proud every time.  He has figured out how to open the washing machine door and his favorite spot is to sit in the big drawer under the TV that houses all his toys.

The bird that got stuck in our chimney yesterday made his way into our fireplace this afternoon.  He spent a very long time trying to fly in and pecking at the glass door.  After an hour or so, Rusty was able to rescue it with a pitcher and a newspaper.  The bird was pretty exhausted, but after releasing him outside, he flew away.   

Having the Flu Sucks

It's been a couple of weeks since my last post due to sickness that went through our house.  I blame Miranda's preschool, especially when she comes home telling me which kids were out sick and which ones were complaining about tummy aches all day.  So last weekend was spent with each of us taking our turn with the stomach flu.  We tried to take advantage of the nice weather this weekend to make up for it.  On Sunday we went to the Pretoria Zoo.  The drive there was quite scary as downtown Pretoria is not a nice place to be.  I have never been to Detroit, but I can imagine what the worst area would be, and that's what we drove through.    The zoo was ok, but since it is winter here (65 degrees), a lot of the animals were hiding inside their little homes and the vegetation was dry and dead.  We plan on going back this summer and renting a golf cart so we can see the zoo in it's entirety.    

I have found a new favorite place to be, and that is World of Golf.  You might be thinking, "I didn't know you played golf!"  I don't.  But I might start.  This place is every golfer's dream.  For only $55 a month, you get access to the entire club which includes a gym, restaurant, and several areas to practice all your golf swings.  There is a little 9-hole pitch-and-putt course, a putting green, a chipping area, and a bunker area.  There might be even more that we don't know about.  Of course there are plenty of tees to practice with whichever club you desire, with an unlimited supply of golf balls piled in a pyramid next to each tee.  There are also nice covered wooden bench swings which is where I sit, breathe in the non-humid air, look at the beautiful blue sky and gaze at palm trees.  Miranda plays in the kiddie area and Jackson eats cereal while sitting in his stroller.  It is paradise.

I do not understand the people in charge of electrical things here.  The outlets are not only few and far-between, but they don't exist in the bathrooms.  You also have to flip a switch to turn them on.  You'd think that if you bought an electrical item at the store in Africa, for example, a hair dryer, that you could take it home and plug it in at your Africa house.  Nope.  You need an adapter.  Some stuff has 3 prongs, some have 2.  The ones that have 2 prongs, some are round, some are oval, and some have a hexagon shape.

I went to Super Spar again last week and scored big time.  They will import American items, and you can also request things, but it's hit-or-miss on what they have.  I have been pretty good at accepting the things I cannot have, but I'll admit I spent way too much on luxuries.  My Mrs. Butterworth's syrup was $7, and Froot Loops with marshmallows was $8.  A&W Root Beet was $1.30 a can, and a box of fruit snacks was $6.  The store is not down the street so I do not go very often.  At the other grocery store I usually go to (Pick N Pay), I found mint-flavored canned peas.  I bought one, but have yet to taste it.  

Miranda still enjoys preschool, but is now on winter break until September 5th.  Poor thing spent 8 hours throwing up last Saturday, but by dinnertime she was back to normal.  I wish I could bounce back that fast!  We went to our next door neighbor's 3rd birthday party on Friday and she spent the whole time playing with a girl from her class.  After singing the traditional "Happy Birthday" song, everyone does the "hip-hip-hooray" cheer three times.  They also do not open gifts at parties which isn't too bad of an idea.  Jackson seems to finally be over his cold.  Two weeks ago he got a fever and wouldn't eat or drink, so I took him to the doctor and he was given antibiotics for an ear infection.  I think we're all healthy now, hopefully we'll stay that way for awhile.  Rusty took a 4-day weekend because today is a holiday.  It's "Women's Day" which commemorates the national march of women in 1956 to petition against legislation that required African persons to carry the "pass", special identification documents which curtailed an African's freedom of movement during the apartheid era.

We have booked my dad on a flight to come visit on the first of October for 20 days.  We're only here for 2 years so if you've ever desired to see South Africa, you will have a free place to stay!