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This is Day 14 in the 30 truths for 30 days meme

Seriously, how difficult can this really get?! Not sure why I did this meme anymore :/

I can’t think of one that has let me down. I haven’t had many actually.

The person that has been my hero for my whole life is my dad.  He’s never let me down, even though at times he thinks he has.  He’s one awesome man!

This is Day 10 in the 30 truths for 30 days meme

Yes, I know, 2 today… but I’ve got some catching up to do

Easy answer to this one… NO ONE!

I believe that everyone that comes across your path in your lifetime has a purpose.  There’s a reason they’re there, and they shape your destiny.

This is Day 5 in the 30 truths for 30 days meme

Today’s topic is easy peasy!  There are loads of things I hope to do in my life… so I’ll stick to 5

1.  Watch my boys grow up to be successful men

2.  Be at my childrens’ weddings

3.  Get to know any grandchildren that I might have in future.

4.  Publish a photographic book – this one is a new one for me… but I’d love to be able to get people to buy a book of mine… with my art…  not just photos I took for them or of them.   The book doesn’t have to be in a IRL bookshop considering where things are going… but an online book seller of sorts.

5.  In the same vein… have a gallery exhibition of my art.

One day

Don’t you also get flash backs of memories when you eat or even just taste certain things?

That happened to me this morning, and in fact happens every time I eat Otees cereal.

Otees’ cereal is one of Connor’s favourite type of cereal, and I had a few while I was getting his breakfast ready this morning.  Not the fancy strawberry or chocolate flavoured one, just the plain one.

Just the taste of them sets off my memories.

I immediately remember being on holiday, as a child, at my grandmother’s house in Harare, Zimababwe.  I thought it was a huge treat to eat that type of cereal when we visited her that time (no idea when that was, but I’m sure my mom will give the answer in the comments to this post). I loved it, the cereal that is

And every time I eat it now, I immediately picture myself eating them in her diningroom.  I also remember the cuckoo clocks, and the kitchen, and the enormous garden with big trees… and the private road that they lived on, that for some reason fascinated me.

Isn’t it funny how such a simple taste can bring back so many memories?

Sleepy Jane posed a question on her blog:  What, for you, would be a really great day?

My great day would include:

• being able to sleep in late and not have to clean the kitchen from the doggy doo’s
• kids not fighting once
• going shopping for a new Macbook and new wardrobe without having to worry about budget
• having lunch with friends at a nice adult food restaurant with a fabulous play area with fantastic service and a brilliant kids menu too (now that’s a mystical place… there isn’t a place like that in JHB especially with the service!)
• taking photos of friends and family without them running away
• going to bed early without having to edit said photos

I can dream…

It’s been a rough week.  I’ve heard terrible things, and spoken to friends and hugged friends both virtually and in real life…. there are terrible and sad things going on in my world.

Let me give you a run down of just today’s conversations… and yesterday and the day before was no better

• Someone’s mom died
• A blogger/tweeter’s mom is seriously ill
• A friend went for surgery to remove a cancerous tumour and I’m following her progress on Facebook
• Another blogger/tweeter’s grandfather is seriously ill
• I visited a home and discussed a baby which might not make it
• I spoke to a friend who had been in an abusive relationship and I never knew at the time
• I spoke to another friend about getting help after she did a terribly frightening thing 2 days ago
• A friend’s family member is in hospital after having a cancerous tumour removed
• Someone I’m close to has got to go for a biopsy

I did a lot of crying today

I can’t believe the difference that only 6 years can make.

I read my mom’s blog post that she wrote yesterday about my grandmother.   I now have tears in my eyes.

It was Granny Sylvia’s birthday yesterday, and she’s living in a home in Somerset West.  When I saw her 18 months ago, she didn’t recognise me at all.  She had no idea who I was.   **I can’t actually believe it was so long ago that I went to CT, jeez! Just realised as I typed that sentence!  I have to do something about that!**

Just as my mom wrote in her blog post, I won’t remember my granny the way she is now.  To me, she’s a free spirited lady who always dressed impeccably and was always ready for action.  I remember her playing tennis and bridge and doing flower arranging and loving life.  I’ll always remember the birthday where she wanted to go white water rafting down the Zambezi, but went on a trip to London on her own instead.

And this photo that I took from my mom’s blog says it all… mucking in with playing with Bradley…

Granny and Bradley in 2004

Belated happy birthday Granny!

Oh and remember I told you about all the hair that Bradley had as a baby… check out the last photo on my mom’s blog post!

1. I confirmed that if I drink red wine in the evening, which is my favourite past time, I am guaranteed to fall asleep at my PC while editing photos. It’s a really sad state of affairs considering how much I love my wine
2. Even though he wanted the puppies so badly, Bradley was a little uneasy with them the first few days. The dogs woke Bradley up at 4:30am on Saturday, and I found him cornered next to the front door, with Kimo bouncing in front of him… trying to get at his slippers. LOL! It was quite funny.
3. Doing a family shoot with 14 people is not easy… especially when you can’t place the one person… I could not for the life of me understand where she fitted in… and she wasn’t listed in my brief.
4. Our house needs a serious revamp… that photoshoot yesterday was at my dream kind of house… and I’m now itching to change my home!

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