I got an email on Monday with the most cute photos of 2 Siberian Husky puppies that a colleague’s neighbour is sellling.  After chatting to Lance about it, we decided to take the boys (who were so extremely excited) to choose a puppy tonight.

However, this is proving to be a problem.  We can’t choose which one to buy, in fact we might end up getting both.

There are 2 available, neither of which have been named yet… which is a little odd in itself… how can you live with puppies for 8 weeks in your house without naming them?!

So, now the big thing is… choose a name… and a puppy… and collect it tomorrow.  But we can’t decide on a puppy or the names… so please help…

First up is the little girl…  she’s kinda quiet and gentle and she’s smaller than the male.

So far our names we’re thinking about for her are :

Kitara (from Avatar on TV)

Saskia, Anouk or Anushka (suggested by Camilla)

Next is the little boy… he’s gorgeous with pale pale fur and a stripe of pale grey/beige going down his spine.  He’s very playful.

So far we have the following names:

Hulk - as suggested by Connor ‘cos he wants a superhero name

Kent, Alaska, Kimo (suggested by Camilla)

Seriously, please help… we’re kinda useless with names!!

I’m not in a good space today.

Bradley’s been acting up a bit at home and school recently, he’s not concentrating and the teacher says he’s being disruptive in class.  Yes, the same child that’s normally a star and got merits etc etc.  Oh and he was bullied by a girl the other day in class, she called him names, so he hit her on the shoulder so he got into trouble for that too!

Anyhoo, Lance asked Bradley last night whether something was bothering him.  It took him a while, but eventually he spoke to Lance before he went to sleep, and said that he misses playing with us.

We don’t play with him anymore.

I suppose he’s right.  I’m forever working.  I’m either at work, or editing or at photoshoots.  Lance is always pottering around on his laptop.We’re not really spending time just playing with them.  Lance plays cricket with them in the afternoons, but that’s instructions again, and organised play, it’s not play!

It’s not fair.

Something is going to have to change.

And this blog is getting boring, and seems to me like I’m always moaning lately

I did actually go to work today, and while I was there I was quite productive… but I also did the following:

1.  Delivered photos… well, not personally… Lance printed photos for me and delivered them to a client (it’s handy to have him at home at times like this)

2.  Donated blood.  I haven’t donated since the HIV incident, and now that I’ve been the clear for so long, it’s safe to donate again  The blood service actually comes to our offices every 6 weeks and sets up stations for donations.  In fact, to remind their regular donors, we also get reminder emails and phone calls from the SANBS a few days before. It’s very handy, because I used to always forget.

3.  Trekked to the other side of the world to visit Nicole (my SIL) in hospital.  The trip home took forever in peak hour traffic, but I’m very glad I saw her with my mom, and she had some company for the hour that we were there.  My mom and brother have blogged about her hospital stay.  She’s been in hospital since last Thursday.  At first they suspected swine flu, but she didn’t respond to treatment and the blood results came back negative.  Thankfully, she’s doing slightly better now, even though they have no idea what’s wrong yet.  She’s not in high care anymore, and she’s now in the cardiac unit undergoing test after test.  Even the hour we spent there today, tired her out a lot, and she needed to go back on her oxygen canula when we left.  I really hope they get to the bottom of the problem soon, so she can go home.

4.  Saw Bradley ride his bike without training wheels for the first time with help!  That’s HUGE!  I’m so glad I was home to see it.  He’s hates not being able to do something, and it was frustrating him, but today he got it right.  OK, he’s not flying around on his bike yet, but at least he can go a bit without help. I reckon he’ll have it sorted by the end of the week, and then we can take him riding on the road again.

5.  Took the boys to get pizza.  It may seem tiny to you, but I’ve been getting home so late in the last few months that I’ve just got supper on the way home.  The boys love going to get pizza, and watching the guys make it etc, and it was nice to spend some time with them too.  One day I’ll get a job where I can leave the office before 5pm again, these late evenings kill me.

So, all in all, it was a good day

Lance had supper ready by the time I got home tonight.  And he’d been to the shops!! And the homework was done! Wow!

I told him this evening, that I could get used to this house-husband thing.  If I made enough money for him to stay at home, I’d be fine with going to work and doing my photography on weekends.

He was horrified!! LOL! Which is hilarious considering that’s what he’s been joking about doing since we got married!

I think the last few weeks at home have cured him of that illusion.  He now reckons he’d sweep streets rather than stay at home all day

I’m so freaking stressed right now, and I can’t even blog about it.  But, saying that, I can’t keep this quiet for much longer, people are bound to realise what’s going on.  And no, I’m not pregnant   That would just be the cherry on top.

Needless to say, I’m just working like a demon.  And working. And working.  It never stops.

We went to Parys again yesterday, and I thought before I started my little rant that I would post a happy photo from playing with the kids in the garden.

I got so cross with Lance’s mom (MIL) yesterday again because of the stories she was talking about in front of the kids.  Firstly the house is absolutely damn freezing, and for some reason they think that it’s colder outside so they refuse to venture out into the sun.  So anyhoo, if you’re wondering, the camera and the new skipping rope was my way of getting the kids to play outside in the semi-warmth of the sun.

Because inside… it’s not fun for anyone.  There are china dogs on the floor… yes folks… dinkum I’m not lying.  Ooh and not to leave out the pink china cats and the brass flies hanging on the wall, and the pink china bell things with gross fake birds stuck to them with prestik.  And you try keep a 2-year old from touching stuff like that!! It’s not easy!

And that’s just the start.  The kids play with their toys on the carpet while Lance and I try and get her to speak in Afrikaans (once Tannie Gwen and Oom Hennie leave at 2pm on the dot for their weekly visit to their friends).  Now ordinarily that would be weird… to make someone speak in a language that the kids don’t understand.. but believe me… it’s a whole load better than Bradley and Connor listening to her talk about all the hijackings, murders, car accidents etc that have happened in the entire province (because she’s worried about us).

Every time it’s the same topic.  Oh and her new-ish one… the fact that she can’t get medicine from the clinic because of the doctor’s strike and the fact that a 20 year old gay coloured guys took her blood pressure last month and she didn’t trust him because he was far to young to know what he was doing.

I would absolutely LOVE to see more of the town one day, and maybe even go for lunch one day… but heaven forbid we suggest that because she doesn’t trust restaurant cooking at all and they might just poison her.  Oooh and to suggest to take her somewhere is just a waste of petrol and all the other drivers on the road are out to kill her anyway.

It’s exhausting, and very depressing. And to make it worse, because of all the negativity we dare not tell her much of our news because all she’ll say is how she’s so very worried about us driving because of all the crime etc etc etc and then the whole story starts again.  So she doesn’t actually know what we get up to.

And so it’s over for another month… before we have to drive the 90 minute trip to spend 90 minutes with her, just to drive 90 minutes back home… because we cannot possibly spend more time there on a particular day.

On a happier note, the kids actually love going there, because they love her cooking, and we all get to play outside and play catches and kick the ball etc, so it’s not all that bad.

It was Lance’s birthday on Saturday and we got him a hammock… which he loved… and then packed away because the little monsters thought it was their new swing!  Oh well, hope he’ll get some use out of it!

Connor is feeling better.  He’s not 100% yet but he’s well enough to go to school tomorrow… and hopefully they’ll be able to get him to eat! I’m only getting the results of the lab tests done on his seconed urine sample in the morning, but I’m sure he’s fine… apart from the NEW spider bite on his knee!! Blummin’ heck, even with the pest exterminators coming in he’s managed to get another bite!

My parents came for tea on Saturday afternoon, and my dad used my camera to take photos of the 4 of us because we don’t have ONE; and my grandmother wants to frame a photo of us! Easier said than done… here are the best 2 of the lot.First one would be perfect if everyone was facing the camera.  Second one… well apart from the obvious dummy in the way… spot where Connor’s hand was!!  LOL!

I’ll have to crop it, and we’ll have to find her a long narrow frame   Either that, or take one again!!

Note how swollen Connor’s face is… he wasn’t a very happy puppy yesterday.

How sad is that?  Bradley’s homework today was to count to 30, and bring a family photo to school.

I’ve spent the last hour trying to find a photo of the 4 of us out of the 10000 (yes, you read that right, my camera clicked over to 1 again) photos that I’ve taken in the last 7 months… and nothing… not one!

How pathetic is that?  I’ve got photos of almost everyone else’s family, but not mine!

So poor kid now has to take an A4 collage of photos   A bit of overkill, but what can I do?

I flew back from Hermanus this afternoon. I’m so very glad that I made the effort to go to Grandpa’s memorial service.

It was so strange seeing my grandmother without him being around. They were married for 65 years, and I can’t remember EVER seeing them apart. When I got there on Wednesday morning, we took her out for lunch, and it was just very very weird.
She’s doing very well under the circumstances, but I think it’s because he’s been going downhill for so long, that she expected it… and also my granny has always said that she could see death coming… and even though she hasn’t said anything… maybe that’s one of the reasons why she’s so strong now. I think she’s been preparing for this for a while… and that’s a good thing.

She also showed a bit of her spunky side again which was great to see, even though we all asked her not to do it again. She very proudly told us that she’d walked to town from the home last week!! Across a piece of veld and then along the road. OK, it’s not THAT far for able bodied people… but it must be more than 1km… and she walks with a walking stick for crying out loud! I’m chuckling while I’m typing this because I think it’s fantastic that she’s showing a bit a spunk again… but OMW… she could have fallen again… who would have helped her?? It’s not like she carries a cell phone to call for help!
LOL, and then when my dad gave her a bit of grief about it, she just replied “OK, well, I’m going to just go around the block for now… ***silence***… and then slowly go further and further away” LOL! I thought he was going to have a fit!!

Anyhoo, back to my grandpa… I’m not sure I’ll ever forget this (but I have to write this down anyway)…
The memorial service was lovely, and my dad said the most wonderful things about his father. My dad spoke about his history and about a few of the things that we’d all discussed and remembered over dinner the night before. All about the sport he played and the fact that he was the resident Mr Fix-it who built all mine and my brother’s projects at school and fixed anything that everyone else was willing to throw away.
It was very emotional for everyone, especially for Granny Marie. At the end of my dad’s speech, I looked above my dad’s head… and all I saw was Grandpa looking at us and smiling and chuckling… with his shoulders moving just like in my favourite memories of him. I know his spirit was with us in that church that day.

I’m very thankful that I could say my goodbyes.

Just before I went to work today, I told Bradley about my grandpa dying, and gave him a hug.  He seemed a bit quiet but at the time, he seemed OK, and he seemed to have understood a bit.  I felt I needed to tell him because he’d seen me crying, and he needed to start preparing himself for me leaving to go to Hermanus for the funeral.

In the early afternoon, I phoned my mom to find out if she knew what the plans were yet, as I needed to organise my leave.  She told me that Bradley was extremely sad, and had been since she picked them up from my house.  She said that he kept just lying on the floor or hiding away and he was very quiet… especially after he heard my mom and dad talking about the arrangements.

Eventually she got the reason out of him… he was sad because he was worried because I was so sad. I felt terrible when she said that.  I feel I was right in telling him what was going on, yet it’s affected him so much today.  I decided to leave work immediately to try and sort it out.

The plan was for me to take the boys with me to Cape Town by plane.  My parents are driving tomorrow morning, and I can’t ask them to take all of us by car.  But, the plans have changed… I asked Bradley what he wanted to do, and after a few minutes of thinking about it, he’s decided that he’d rather stay at home with his dad (and Connor).   I think that he doesn’t quite know how to deal with all the sadness. Poor kid, he is only 5!

It’s probably a blessing in disguise, because I’m not sure how I’d be able to cope at the funeral with both the boys… on my own… let alone the 2 hour flight and 2 hour car trip to Hermanus!!

So tomorrow, I’m getting my hair cut… finally… then we have a lunch with friends and then I’m packing for CT.  As much as I love the place, I wish I wasn’t going under these circumstances.

My biggest regret… not fulfilling my promise to my grandparents… I said we would go and visit them in October…. and we just didn’t get there.