Thank you and Siyabonga

Thank you and Siyabonga

Precis

Worked on my blog (yes, this!) till 3:30am this morning, got into bed and got a deep voiced 'Good afternoon' which emanated from this shadowy mass in the bed... am having a paperwork day today plus have some grapes to seed. Forgot to send Joy lamb chops (sorry hon), and am researching for our Saffa holiday in December... Kruger Park, Joburg and Cape Town sorted, currently looking at houses to rent on the KZN wild coast, with a private pool close to the beach.

My old design was with the image above on a pristine white background... this black elephant background is new.... not sure if I like it yet. Will see how I feel in a week or so's time ;)

Precis

Busy and productive week thus far! Apart from usual busy work day, am proofreading a website for an English photographer friend moving to Cape Town in December (and may have helped him get his first wedding client tonight woohoo!). Helped sister with some stuff for her trip to the States tomorrow. Looking at Umhlanga Rocks on Google Earth at the mo (one of our Dec holiday destinations). Nope, cannot see any sharks.

Elephant charges car in Kruger Park! Gotta watch those ellies ;)

Beadz2pleaz ~ what a beady find!

These are the personalised spoons that creative Chery Beadz2Pleaz made for my nephew and nieces :)

Cheryl is Cape Town born and bred, and now lives in Texas, USA.... and makes superbly crafted beaded ware... for weddings, personal gifts, the kitchen etc. I am delighted that my nephew and nieces love their little spoons.. and am having (shhh... don't tell my brother and SIL in Joburg) more made as we speak. Plus a couple of items for moi. I will post pictures here as I receive them.

Creativity and innovation rock!

British Citizenship - 4 August 2010

Taxi home!

Jazz singers in the back ground of the Moroccan Restaurant.

We got it!!! Finally.

There was a rainbow in the sky last night, which was fitting. A new dawn :) We have lived in the UK since 2002, and paid many thousands of £ to live and work here and it'll be a relief that this can now end. Even though we have full ancestry immigration rights, it has taken a while. We could have got it a year ago already, but preferred to wait till my sister also qualified for it, so us 3 could do it together.

We celebrated with a lovely Moroccan dinner last night and will be celebrating with our English family soon. Doesn't feel too odd tbh, we have such a strong British heritage and the bond has always been there. It fits.

My lineage is 100% British... my mum just happened to be born on Saffa soil, then moved back to Cheltenham, then she and grand-parents returned to SA.

I'm still a mad Saffa chick... just with a larny accent now ;)

Do any of you have dual citizenships? Care to share your story?

Odd call...

'Oh hello, I am sending xyz over to you this afternoon, she'll be there at 3pm'

(baby tries to grab phone cord)

Erm... 'sorry, who are you?'

(shuffles baby to other hip)

'Oh, it's Olivia'

(baby starts squeeking for attention)

'From where?'

(baby stuffs gob-soaked hand down my blouse)

'Reed'

(wondering what Reed is... rescues baby's hand)

'And what is this in connection with?'

(stops baby from eating my hair)

'You are Jennifer, aren't you?'

(baby starts getting niggly)

'Yes I am. But I have no idea who you are..?'

(baby getting more niggly...)

After a good few mins it was ascertained she was trying to get hold of Jennifer xyz from abc company who were recruiting. How she didn't acknowledge there was a child with me is beyond me.. who takes their baby to the office...?

Now... if she had told me at the start who she was I could have told her straight off she had the wrong number...

Precis

It's been a productive week with the kids, I am a SaffaBrit now, looking forward to tonight's massage and pedicure session with the girls, and then some fishing with the hub tomorrow - I am chief beer-passer.

A tough couple of years

In October 2008 we were told we could never have a child together, and for Lance, who is a born daddy, and me, who always wanted 4 kids, this came as a HUGE shock. I had a severe asthma attack a week later, I believe due to the stress of it all.

Thankfully I was at the doctor at the time as my breathing had been labouring for some time, and the ambulance came quickly. I was on breathing apparatus for 5 days in hospital. So within a week, we were told we could never medically have a child together, plus I nearly died. This hit Lance extra hard, and he withdrew.... from friends, church et al. I followed suit soon after.

Friends and family were worried about us, but we were had each other and wanted no-one else. We clung to each other during those dark days. Cried out to God a lot. After about 6 months of this, we saw my sister occasionally but no-one else.... I started reading some good books written by Christian women re their infertility struggle with their partners, and how they got through it all.. and I realised what I was feeling... anger, grief etc. were perfectly normal. This helped me loads... and I started looking for a new church.

Our old church - whereas the teaching was spot on, there was a continual baby boom there and it was VERY hard to pretend we were happy for other couples all the time, when they were having their 4th or 5th or 6th child!. The senior pastor of our old church was on the Israel trip with us in February and I had a chance to quietly chat with him re why we left and he appreciated it... and understood. They have baptisms every week practically... it's just crazy! Great for everyone BUT not great for an infertile couple who have to put this frozen grin on their faces.

So I found a new local church and started going. On my own. For 6 months. Lance wanted nothing to do with church still. I think he felt more anger and took it harder as (a) the fertility problem was his and he felt much guilt, and (b) he had nearly lost me.

When my family came for the month over Christmas it was wonderful in so many ways.. the best being that Lance joined us all at the Christmas Eve service.. first time he set foot in a church for a year. He has been going since and then we had Israel, which has sparked so much more biblical interest (biblical archaeology)... and we're on track again. The hurt is still there, but the anger is much abated.

We have only in the last 8 months started opening up and sharing with out friends what we have been through re trying to have a child etc. One goes through a grieving process, and I don't think we'll ever be over it, till perhaps we have adopted/had a miracle child. We will see. Thankfully this has only made me and Lance love and appreciate each other all the more the past 10 years.

I await results and it is nerve wracking and frustrating. But I must say that I do believe God will not give us more than we can handle. I am amazed we have come through thus far as we have.

I pray the results are clear and a surgery date is set soon... we can then start planning our month long holiday in December to South Africa!!!

AKULUMA BANI - my old high school's war cry!! :)