Seriously ...

I sometimes cannot believe that people have the audacity to do what it is that they do! I can't understand how they think that they are correct, have done nothing wrong, or do not deserve certain things happening to them and play at shock or horror or whatever other emotion they choose.

Example 1: We have a house in Windhoek that we have rented out for the last four years to a family. In the first two years the property seemed well-maintained and cared for. I was recently there to view the house and discuss them moving out as we are moving back to Windhoek, only to find that the property has been all but destroyed. Some bedrooms are painted awful colors, bathrooms mirrors are broken, the stove is broken, cupboard doors missing, and to top off the disgusting mess that the garden has been left in (full of rubble and shopping trolleys) they have burnt a gigantic hole in the solid meranti wooden deck ... 

I am quite proud of myself, I didn't lose my cool on the spot and jump up and down, nor have I since. The house is so disgusting I am shuddering at the thought of having to move back into it, but am out of choices really. Even the estate agent was shocked when she saw it and suggested that some repairs be done before attempting to sell, so I asked nicely for the lessors to mend the damage done and to ensure the property is in a fit state by the time that they move out.

Pffftttt!!!! We all know how that's going to go.

So now we live in Swakop, and after being here for three years we decide to buy the beautiful old house we are living in, as we can afford it if we rent out the 3-bedroom flat. This we do, and the people that move in seems just as lovely as anyone. They even warn me up front that there is the POSSIBILITY that they might not be able to pay the full rent for a couple of months due to a financial situation, but if it in any way is not possible they would pay in full, all I had to do was say. They would also then pay all outstanding money as soon as they received their pay-out.

So, I agree. The first two months are super, rent paid. After that it goes down to less than half the rent and no electricity. They are nice people and I don't bother them but rather try to help. Then comes the day I need to say, please pay your rent in full now as it's affecting my budget - I get an email simply saying they can't pay and want to move out. Sod the contract, sod two months notice as agreed, sod everything, just a flat we cannot pay and want to move. 

I am not overly impressed and say fine, move out mid-September, at least that gives me 2 weeks to renovate the flat yet AGAIN because they have badly damaged the paint and heaven only knows what else. I get ignored, and only after threatening a law-suit do I get a response, only to say that they have paid a little of what is owed and I must take the rest out of the deposit and they will then pay the remaining amount when they can. Amusing, as they never even paid a full deposit and seem to be full of righteous indignation that I have dared to ask them for rent!

So the story goes. I am going to make best buds with my lawyers soon enough!!

 

I Did It!

Ok, it's not much, I just made my first sale on the plants I have taken out of my garden. I take babies and cutting out of the garden and have had them sitting in neat little black bags for months, trying to get the courage together to sell them. I have Arum lilies, Spider plants, ferns, and some kind of cactus thing that I don't know the name of. 

 

I keep them separate for so long just to make sure they haven't gotten worms or snails or any other bug in them that people might be annoyed about and then come back to complain! I know for a fact that these haven't, are healthy and growing like bombs. Poor things aer growing out of their bags and I have roots creeping scross concrete and between paving stones.

My garden is a big and ongoing project. I thought I was clever and allowed some beautiful ground cover to grow inbetween my grass, not realizing that it would indeed take over and kill said grass. I have since had to butcher my lawn and chop out all the grass that was infected with evil ground cover and start again; this has taken weeks on hands and knees digging up the soil to get every last root out, as the evil stuff grows out of nowhere it seems. There was also no distinction between grass and flower beds, so I moved the flower beds right in, took some plants out, and have been planting grass all around them as well.

I had the palm trees shaved, and now with them all clean and nice, the beds shaped, and grass planted (although not yet growing) it is starting to look like something. It still needs a lot of work, and a lot of moving around, and if we stay here in Swakop and don't move to Windhoek I am going to put in some beautiful vegetable and herb gardens. I have already planted everything I want from seed, and am praying that they grow! Seeds are a little more difficult than seedlings already grown.

As I now have made my first sale, the money is going straight back into my garden. I need more grass seed, and would love some bright flowers as my garden is very green at the moment, especially just outside the back door. Some beautiful color wouldn't go wrong at all! So I might make a trip to the nursery this morning and see what I can spend my first sale on!

Do they honestly need all that????

I mean really, do they???? 

Yesterday morning I finally bit the big, scary bullet and phoned three different numbers to try and find out if I could apply for a 5-year family visa to visit the UK. This means that I would then be able to fly in and out on holidays and not have to worry about applying for a visa every time, and if there should happen to be an emergency I wouldn't have to go through months of an application process before being able to fly. 

I phoned the British Council - no answer ten calls later. I phone the British High Commission - please phone back after 10am. I phone back after 10 am - please phone our visa office. I phone the visa office - they can't actually tell me if I can apply for the Family Visa or much of anything really. Pretty useless. So I go print off the forms and have a read through - all ten pages of them that must be filled out in blue or black ink. 

So I make a cup of coffee and get started ...  details details details .... parents, brothers, sisters, nephews, aunts, uncles, cousins, telephone numbers, addresses, passport details, residence details, and so the list winds on ... my poor Mother has been tasked with getting copies of everyone's passports as well as details of their own private lives and letters saying that they would love to have me come stay!

And just try explaining in a 2cm square box that your boyfriend supports you, you don't work as you are not living in the country of your passport, but in another country altogether and don't yet have a visa! I can sense a ten-page letter coming on which will have to be attached to said visa form, which undoubtedly won't be read and sadly means I might not be lucky enough to get my Family Visa ... sigh. The box that they give you to fill in for other things that they should "consider" whilst looking at your application is rather small too.

So Mother has been sent a list of things that she needs to do and then courier to me before I can even send in my application, and in the meantime I will try and take on the Home Office here to at least give me a letter stating that I have applied for a visa and am legal here. It's all rather daunting really - here's hoping tomorrow it won't seem so bad!

Hope's Sprog

We first learned that my sister Hope was pregnant with her first child in March when my parents were visiting me from the UK. This was very unexpected but on the other hand we all know Hope will be the perfect mother so of course were all very happy for her ... secretly though a little sad as I knew this meant a very long delay before she would be able to come to me for a holiday again.

But nevertheless, my Mother and I went shopping for a variety of baby goodies and cute things that they wouldn't be able to get in England (like a Springbok baby grow lol) and packed them all into Mother's bulging suitcase to send home with her.

Hope and I have been communicating mostly over Skype, which at most times is totally useless, but I do get the occasional email when she has the strength to do so! I prefer emails as there is more I can read and quite frankly, remember. When I forget it means that I can go back and read it again - and here Hope is complaining about her baby-brain and not remembering anything ... 

Here is a scan of "The Bean" at 5 weeks and 5 days:

So with these things I honestly think that its only the parents that can ever see anything ... or is that just me??? I once had someone show me a scan like this and then gushed at me how the baby was actually waving at her. I mean really, actually waving. OK whatever, over-enthusiastic mother! All I could see was a dot much like this one. Although I must admit that when this is full screen I can actually make out the bean that is meant to be a baby :-D!!

So now that hope is progressing at an alarmingly fast rate and I must really get my rear into gear and get my visa sorted so that I can go visit them in November and hopefully be there for the birth around the 18th - although we all are well aware how Murphy works in our life! So I am quite sure I will miss it no matter when I fly, even though Hope is sure it will be early. 

Here are a couple more pics from the 5th July - Hope is now around 20 weeks in:

Here you can actually see Little One's arms, head and ribs, which is just too cute and amazing! Hope's comments were: 

"The cheeky little thing wouldn't stop moving during the scan, I can feel her moving often, but to actually see it happening on a screen was rather amazing. Today I am 20 weeks and 4 days, every Saturday is a new week. That makes me past the halfway mark now. Only another 19 and something weeks to go, but I get the feeling it will be early. I am being kicked now as I am typing. The scan wasn't clear enough to see the sex, but I am sure it is going to be a girl. Dad thinks so too."

I commented that us Jones's always have boys first, 2 in fact, and only then girls, so I am betting on a boy.

"Hi,

 

The Jones' may have boys, but this one is a Bloy! Every person I speak to looks at me and says, "that's a girl". It's thinking of names next. Luckily I have not painted anything. We are planning to move out of this house when the lease expires so it is a waste of money doing it up.

The due date was given as the 18 November, however all of mom's were prem, and I don't think the scan dating is accurate, so I am preparing myself for earlier. 

 

The weather here is awful, no rain, we are having a drought. Seriously, the corn and maize has barely grown at all this year. My grass is dead in the back garden, all plants need to be watered every day. 

 

Anyway, I am supposed to be cleaning the house, but I might have a sleep for 20 minutes first. Little one is kicking me and making my stomach feel like it is turning inside out. lol.

 

Talk soon.

 

P.S. Darren keeps talking about going to Namibia for a holiday......we will see if he gets the courage for it."

Darren is terrified of flying, so am really not getting my hopes up there. Our Aunt Anita mailed me recently too and said that they are taking bets on the boy/girl issue as now no one knows what color to buy or knit or embroider etc.  The concerns of being an Aunt or a Grandmother ha ha ha!

The latest correspondence from Dopey - received this morning, reads as follows:

"Hello,

 

I have to apologize, I never get around to keeping in touch.

 

Well the top of the uterus has now grown to above my belly button and so I am starting to really look pregnant. I have some pain as my ligaments are stretching, and my hips are loosening, which keeps me awake at night, its quite painful. I also have an itchy belly as my skin is stretching, so i have to keep it well moisturized in the hope of keeping stretch marks at bay. And then don't forget the baby brain which makes me drop everything i pick up, and forget everything that is said to me or what I did 5 minutes ago.

 

The baby is fully formed now, it has all it's organs......heart, lungs, bladder, the works. All fully functioning. It has fingernails, eyelids and eyebrows. And it is starting to produce a layer of fat under its thin skin. Apparently I could go into labor at any point from now. Baby can hear loud sounds and already knows my voice, poor child. Baby is about 28 cm's from crown to heel, and weighs about 450 gms.

 

And I am so tired I think that is all I am going to be able to write!

 

Dad is doing ok, still having a few pains. But he is off to see the doc on wed.

 

Hope all is well your side."

Lets hope that she doesn't go into labor anytime soon ... we still need to wring another 18 weeks out of her! Our Dad keeps giving everyone the fright of our lives by going into hospital with chest pains after his recent heart attack so lots to worry about when so far away :( but am really looking forward to November and seeing everyone - that means get my butt into gear and get this visa sorted out!!

2011

And so a New Year begins! I always thought that depending on how you start the New Year is how it should go; if that's true then I'm in some serious kak! I think it was possibly the worst New Year's Eve ever for me although Joani and Saskia made it great. It started off good enough and then slowly took a downward spiral from which my poor car has not yet recovered.

So to start a New Year badly always feels like a really bad downer but hopefully we can get past that and move forward. For some inspiration from The Purple Hat by Erma Bombeck and to try and live this year by these rules:

I would have gone to bed when I was sick instead of pretending the earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren't there for the day.

I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it melted in storage.

I would have talked less and listened more.

I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained, or the sofa faded.

I would have eaten the popcorn in the 'good' living room and worried much less about the dirt when someone wanted to light a fire in the fireplace.

I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth.

I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day be cause my hair had just been done.
 
I would have sat on the lawn and not worried about grass stains.

I would have cried and laughed less while watching television and more while watching life.

I would never have bought anything just because it was practical, wouldn't show soil, or was guaranteed to last a lifetime.

Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy, I'd have cherished every moment and realized that the wonderment growing inside me was the only chance in life to assist God in a miracle.

When my kids kissed me impetuously, I would never have said, 'Later. Now go get washed up for dinner.' There would have been more 'I love you's' More 'I'm sorry's.'

But mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute, look at it, and really see it . . live it and never give it back. STOP SWEATING THE SMALL STUFF!!!

Don't worry about who doesn't like you, who has more, or who's doing what
Instead, let's cherish the relationships we have with those who do love us.

My New Profession

Is really nothing exciting. Since the gardener walked out, that is what I am: a gardener! 

Today I mowed the lawn for the first time in my life, which was really rather hard work for my scrawny arms, particularly as my joints are all still particularly crotchety and arthritic after my recent run in with a streptococcal virus. I have no nails left, I'm constantly filthy, and the garden looks no different!

Well the cut grass makes a world of difference actually; it looks really good, although I should haves tarted in the back and not the front garden. As it was my first time ever I had to figure out how to use the lawnmower; not all that logical really, but I did it. Why on this planet do you have to press the extremely hard button AND hold the handle permanently? My poor right hand is dead and sore from squeezing the bloody handle that kept stopping the moment you slacken grip for a second. 

Then, which is rather funny, all of a sudden half way through the front lawn the mower stopped, and nothing would get it started again. I thought I had been real blonde and broken the mower within five minutes of using it, and was already planning my argument with Pio about it and booking myself in to have my nails done, never to garden again! I then walked inside, flopped disgustedly in front of the computer, only to find it off ... 

Yes, the power had tripped! The plugs in this house trip everything constantly so it really should have been something I should have looked at but there you go, lack of brains I guess. So on I went, and have cut neat little circles into all the edges as it took me some time to work out how to cut an edge without digging the blade into the ground. Needless to say you live and learn and the back garden looks real spiffy compared to the front. 

I couldn't move the hammock as it weighs a ton so that will be Pio's little patch to do when he gets in but otherwise, my garden looks very neat and clean at the moment. This would be a good thing but it means that the cleaner and neater the garden the more rubbish I have piled around the side of the house that I have to load into a bakkie and take to the dump ... sigh ... the grass was so long there is easily three bin bags worth of cuttings that need to be binned. Joy of joys.

Anyway, I have also planted tomatoes and my first plant has tomatoes on but am not sure if they're going to be useable; time will tell. I have planted my other 4 tomato plants out so am waiting to see if they take and grow. I also planted my lettuces out so am praying they are going to take and grow and that means I won't have to buy lettuce for the whole of December! 

Yesterday I put more seeds in; onions, spring onions, more lettuce and gem squash. I now have to wait ten days and see if they grow; should be interesting! Today I want to plant carrots, lettuces and herbs but I am trying to find the ideal spot for them. The herbs will best grow in pots but I don't have any pots so should probably go buy more. 

I also want to start growing from cuttings out of the garden; the plants in the garden are just phenomenal so want to get some hormone powder and start cutting and growing, either to sell or in case we move and then I can start a new garden wherever we go to with plants from here! Not at all cheeky lol. 

Right, am off to water all my seedlings and see if my tomatoes have survived being planted out!

Halloween

 Is on its rather grim way and as here in Namibia any excuse is used to party, here comes another one. I do like dress-up though (everyone is a child inside) and so really think that I would like to take part this year. 

History states that the celebration of Halloween has been derived from a number of ancient festivals, such as the Irish Samhain, Roman feat of Pomona, or the festival of the dead, Parantalia. It is a celebration of the end of the Summer months and the beginning of the dark Winter; laying in stores for the cold months to come, and dousing all fires apart from the celebratory bonfires, from which the home hearth's were again lit after. 

This alone means that surely here in Africa where our seasons are reversed we shouldn't be celebrating this holiday, and if we wanted to, it should be at the end of summer and not the beginning - but who knows!

The belief is that on this particular night of the year, the curtains between the mortal world and the world of the dead are much thinner and the spirits can pass through to our realm, causing whatever havoc they may be able to if they so chose. The practice of wearing masks was thought to ward off the evil spirits and prevent them from doing any harm to the villagers and their homes.

The act of dressing up and going door to door begging for sweets and treats seems to have originated from something called "souling", a medieval act of beggars going door to door on Hallowmas (November 1st) receiving food in return for prayers for the dead. 

So all in all it is a rather grim day, and reminds me of the Crow movies, but there you go, dress up we shall and see if we can win any prizes for being the most creative. It's a far cry from the real significance behind Halloween and All Saints and All Souls Day.

Dentistry ...

For many years now I have been meaning to go have braces put in and to correct my awful teeth. I started in England and then got scared and backed off, and then ignored it, but every time I see a photo of myself I freak and so today bit the bullet and off I went to the dentist. 

Now, I was firstly not impressed as he double-books patients so at 8:45am he was already running 20 minutes late. This gave me the time to peruse his treatment room, which only disgusted me further as it was filthy and there was even blood on the cupboard bin and the whole place looked like it hadn't seen a cloth and detergent in months. Me with my freaky OCD doesn't cope with stuff like this, and it is even worse as this isn't just somewhere you can sit and walk away from, they will be sticking things in my mouth and if they can't clean their rooms will they even be able to clean their equipment??? Also their equipment looks as if it is about 200 years old apart from the x-ray machine. 

So do you go to another dentist and pay much more or do you bite the bullet and deal with the dirt???

The dentist says that my jaw has grown wrong and not developed correctly, so the chances of correcting this are slim and there could be many side-effects that could damage my teeth and roots permanently. I also may have to go to Cape Town for an operation to have my jaw broken and shifted forward which will correct the overbite but that will be at the end of the treatment. My top jaw has also developed incorrectly, and so is much narrower - that will be corrected by shifting my teeth on top sideways to widen it slowly. 

He took an impression made from this gooey stuff that he said tastes like ice-cream (my ass) which hurt like hell and x-rays, and I need to go back on Saturday to find out how it will work and what the cost will be. He also says that NHP probably won't pay it at all and the plan that we have is crap but once he has given me all the paperwork then I can go to them and see what they say.

So we shall see what the outcome on Saturday is, but if I don't do it now then I guess I never will and I hate my teeth with a passion, they are a real embarrassment to me and would love to have them fixed so that I can smile without being self-conscious or criticizing every photo that I see. Pio seems to think that I should get a second opinion so that will have to be done as well - yippee!

Here goes nothing! I am debating whether I will have the courage to go through with it or run like hell lol.

Dirty Dancing

The 14th marked one year since Patrick Swayze's death, and Sharon and I both having the same ideas decided to watch good old Dirty Dancing again - although not together as we are on separate continents. So I snuggled up in bed on my own and was drawn into a world where appearances still meant so much, where men were still gentleman and believed in opening car doors for women, and people took pleasure in something other than TV.

It's a story that has been repeated hundreds of times in different ways - people from different sides of the tracks fall in love and overcome the obstacles that confront them in a society where that still mattered, but this movie somehow managed to become popular with all ages and throughout the years. It definitely made Patrick Swayze's career, but unfortunately didn't have the same effect for Jennifer Grey.

For me, my first memory of watching Dirty Dancing was as a child in my Aunty 'Nita's house in Durban - her beautiful sprawling house where she lived with her family and my grandparents. It must have been when it was first released as I was very very young, and my Father was still scandalized that I had been allowed to watch it at such a young age as he felt it was hardly appropriate for a child to be watching - he was probably right.

The memories of that house awed me as a child - I saw that side of my family as worldly and glamorous; through a child's eyes they sparkled. My grandparents loved their dancing, and even though it is probably not true, I saw them as coming from that same age and time, my grandmother sparkling in her beautiful gowns and high-heeled shoes that she had in her cupboard and occasionally allowed me to play with and try on. To this day I still remember hobbling around in a pair of high-heeled gold shoes that the sight of Penny's in Dirty Dancing always reminds me of. 

I wonder if in 60 years time, people will look back on the "noughties" and think that they were as glamorous and sparkling as the golden years of the 50's and 60's, and I somehow doubt it.

Ball-less Bear ...

So the deed was done ... my poor baby had his crown jewels lopped off!

We took him in on Wednesday, and I was almost in tears at the thought of my poor baby being mutilated and very nearly backed out and said sod it, he can keep them! I think he must have known something was wrong, as he was as hyper and mad as always dragging me through the car park and vet offices. He also made his mark and peed on the table in the middle of the consulting rooms! I almost died, idiotic dog. 

He then had to have a thermometer stuck up his bum to his great disgust, and between climbing into my lap and almost sitting on said thermometer (I shudder to think what that removal would have been like) he spent his time snarling at the vet Saskia as if he was about to kill her. She even took a step back at one point and I had to hold his mouth shut whilst she listened to his heart (complaining all the while that she could hear nothing over the vicious rumbling) and then he got really mad when he had to have the first injection to dope him down slightly. 

The vet, Saskia, was probably pleased to chop off his balls after that.

I can only imagine he must have known what was coming to be in such a foul mood as he normally loves Saskia - well he just loves everyone really and doesn't have a vicious bone in his body. Well we then had to get him into the cage, which he adamantly did not want to do, and then I had to leave my poor child looking after me with big mournful eyes and no doubt dreading what was to come. 

In the meantime Kita was standing in the front chunking her head off as she hates being separated from her Teddy Bear so Pio had to take her back to the car. She was meant to be done as well but the daft cow picked the opportune moment to come in heat and so they couldn't operate on her. 

So Bear spent the day in lockdown, and I spent the day panicking over my child and counting down until I could go fetch him at 3pm. On arrival he was lying in his cage, all doped up and miserable, but when he heard my voice he was up and chunking in a shot, and launched out of that cage as fast as his still-drugged and very wobbly feet could take him, straight into my arms. He then took off out of the place dragging me behind him, bumping into walls and tripping down steps as he frantically sought for a way out of this horrendous place. 

Even whilst still drugged, he insisted on peeing on gutters and car tyres before jumping into the car and very nearly missing it entirely. He sat on the back seat, head out the window, still drugged and falling asleep, but once home insisted on trying to play with Kita and peeing on everything in sight whilst his wonky legs almost gave way beneath him - Pio and I almost died laughing at the poor thing almost falling over whilst desperately trying to mark his territory.

He was spoiled rotten that night with a huge meal and bones and I even gave him my lamb chops to try and ease the guilt I felt - no doubt he clearly knew this and those brown eyes got sadder and sadder as he eyed me, my plate of food and gingerly licked his non-existent balls until I gave him anything he wanted. 

He went for a walk on Thursday, and howled so much that he got his run behind the car as well, and by today he is back to his irrepressible and crazy old self - still jumping, biting me on the bum, and trying to hump Kita every opportunity he gets. It seems as if all the action in his nether regions (even though it was negative) has made him feel quite the stud and he is even worse at trying to get onto Kita that he has ever been, so not sure how long this is going to last!