The Real Jenty

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?

I think I need a new toy.

This time, I think I need a video camera.  I don’t want a big one.  I want one that I can easily post stuff on the web with.  It has to be funky.  It has to be small and compact.  Something like this one…

It has to be better than the crappy video camera on my Blackberry that’s a mission and a half to get the videos off. I took this video of Connor last week, thought he was cute and wanted to share him… and only managed to get the video off today… and post it today… I know it’s slack!! And it’s crap quality… but hell, he’s still cute!

PS.  It’s my birthday next month

Every single little girl grows up learning about the gracefulness being a ballerina.

Every single little girl, at some point in her life, yearns to dance.

Every single little girl wants to wear a tutu and a tiara and prance around on tippy toes and dance to her hearts content.

Every single little girl dreams of dancing to audiences on a stage and getting praise and applause for being beautiful and graceful and perfectly girly.

Dancing to me, is an essential part of growing up.

Dancing is an essential part of human culture.

I got the link to the Save the Cape Town City Ballet site yesterday, and I think it’s a crying shame that the company is not getting the funding that’s needed to develop and bolster all the little girls in Cape Town’s dreams of being a ballerina.

Basically the Ballet company will close down if it doesn’t receive urgent funding.  We cannot let that happen.

I don’t have a little girl, but I have a niece.  A little girly girl, who learnt to walk on her tippy toes, before she walked on flat feet.  She has just turned 3, and is forever twirling and dancing and prancing around.  The thought of her not being able to go to that prestigious company, if she ever gets that good, just because a few bureaucrats were shortsighted, makes my blood boil.

So, lets all pull together to do something about it.  Please tell your companies.  Please tell your colleagues.  Please tell your friends.

If you donate something, you also stand a chance to win one of the following:

• One of 5 sets of double tickets to the Poetry In Motion Gala Event, to be
  held at Artscape Opera House on Sunday, 9 May 2010 [ More info ... ]

• 24 Bottles of wine, kindly donated by Michael Oliver, along with 3 signed
  copies of his books.

• A magnificent poster-size photographic print from Cape Town City Ballet’s
  current photographer, Pat Bromilow-Downing.

Please use the reference JV1 for your donations:

Cheques should be made out to:
CAPE TOWN CITY BALLET and posted to
PO Box 94, RONDEBOSCH 7701

For direct internet transfers:
Bank: NEDBANK
Account name: CAPE TOWN CITY BALLET
Branch code: 123 209 (Please note: Some banks will require 2 extra 00′s at the end, eg. 123 209 00)
Account no: 123 200 8842
Reference: Name + Reference Number (JV1)

If you make a donation, please send an email to win@savecapetowncityballet.co.za and with details of  your name,
contact details and the amount donated. All emails received will be placed into a
random draw, to be held on Tuesday, 4 May 2010.

Laura posted a challenge on Female2Female today to blog about your first day of school.

Well, quite apt, considering it was Bradley’s first day in Grade 1 today.

Not that I can remember the day at all… and it looks like my mom only has a school photo from that year, and not from the first day.

The only thing I can remember from my early school days is Mrs Orsmond.  She was my favourite teacher, and used to read us stories while perched on the edge of her desk eating rose petals!

Seriously, that’s the only thing I remember

Wenchy has this review meme on her blog, and it’s been taunting me for days… the office is dead quiet so it’s as good a time as any to answer all these questions

1.What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before?

Charge someone for photography… and wow it’s really taken off!

Went away with Lance for a night and left the children with my mom, it was their first sleepover!

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

My New Years resolution every year is the same… boring I know… but then it’s achievable and it allows me to grow:

“Do or learn something you’ve never done before”

This year I’ve learnt a whole load about Web 2.0 and Social Media, and now it’s going to be the basis of my new job starting in Feb!

I’ve also learnt a LOAD about photography, but that’s not really new.

The big thing this year was starting my photography business.

Going into Soweto… I’ve been 4 times this year, and it’s really not as scary as I thought it would be! LOL! It was fascinating, and I felt safer than in the city!

Organising the charity work at the office.  That was a new one, and I really enjoyed doing it.

Next year… well we’ll just have to see.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

Celia and Louisa

4. Did anyone close to you die?

No, but I did take photos at a funeral… that was the strangest photo session this year and extremely difficult to do.

5. What countries did you visit?

Only South Africa.

6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?

Lance to find a job or his business he’s thinking about to be successful, so that I can do photography full-time in 2011… this year is a bridging year as far as my planning goes.

7. What date(s) from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

The day Lance told me he was not working anymore.  It’s changed our lives.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Taking on clients, and realising that my photography is up to scratch.

9. What was your biggest failure?

Not changing jobs earlier, I’ve lost my spark in the process.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

Nope

11. What was the best thing you bought?

The 50D camera body that I got for myself for my birthday.  The 24-70mm f2.8 Sigma lens that I got earlier in the year, and the 70-200mm f2.8 Canon lens that’s waiting for me in Hermanus.

12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?

Bradley who got a term merit award at school as the top performer in his class for this year

13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?

No comment

14. Where did most of your money go?

Daily living expenses, and camera equipment

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

My new camera equipment, sad, I know

16. What song will always remind you of 2009?

Uhm, no clue

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:

• Happier or sadder? sadder
• Thinner or fatter? fatter
• Richer or poorer? poorer

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?

Spent more time playing with the kids

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?

Working

20. How will you be spending Christmas?

We spent it with my parents at their house

21. How will you be spending New Year?

No plans

22. Did you fall in love in 2009?

I was in love already

23. How many one-night stands?

Nope

24. What was your favourite TV programme?

I hardly watch TV anymore

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?

Nope

26. What was the best book you read?

I haven’t really read this year

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?

Uhm, none

28. What did you want and get?

New camera body and lenses and I made that happen

29. What did you want and not get?

To stop working and do photography full-time, and it’s not going to happen next year either.

30. What was your favorite film of this year?

I only saw Ice Age 3

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I turned 37.  Lance took me on a surprise trip to Forum Homini What an amazing place… so we’re going back next year for his 40th

32.What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

Not having to worry about money

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?

It’s changing… I’m loving Urban and Big Blue clothes and I need a new wardrobe.  I’m tired of Ginger Mary stuff, so it all has to go!

34. What kept you sane?

Driving home alone, I learnt that the hard way when we only had one car for a while

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

None

36. What political issue stirred you the most?

Can’t remember, couldn’t have been that much of an issue

37. Who did you miss?

Me and my spark

38. Who was the best new person you met?

I’ve met a lot of bloggers this year, and I can’t think of only one person

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009.

Take photos of your family before it’s too late.  Id booked a photosession for a colleague whose husband was ill, and it was postponed… he ended up dying a week before the new date

… photos become your memories and are very important.

40. Quote that sums up your year.

Every time you photograph someone, you tell them, “You’re important enough to remember.” Make the most of it. (via PhotoDino)

The kids watched “Return to Neverland” on TV tonight, and they loved it as much as I do.  There’s something about magical and fairy stories that I just love.  And of course there’s something even more magical about Peter Pan.

It sparked a few things in the house too.  Within moments of Jane learning to fly with magical fairy dust and then watching the Lost Boys fly too… both boys started trying to fly around the room and saying that they wished we had a fairy that could sprinkle magical dust to make us fly.  Connor was even lying on his tummy on the floor pretending to fly.

Then towards the end of the movie when the Lost Boys spat on their hands and then high-fived each other, Bradley started spitting on his hands too.  Lance tried to stop him by telling him it was disgusting, and then I reminded him that he must’ve done it as a child too.

I started thinking about another daft thing we used to do as kids… one that will never see the light of day again (or rather, it shouldn’t be happening).  Remember pricking your finger with a pin and your friend doing the same, and then touching fingers… so that you were blood brothers?  I remember that.  Everyone did it.  I can’t even imagine trying to explain that to my kids… thankfully they’ve (or rather Bradley) has had it drilled into their heads that you’re not to touch anyone that is bleeding.

And so the course of your child’s experiences start differing to your experiences… those games are no longer as innocent as they used to be.

Hmmph! I got an email from my school reunion Facebook group this morning with all the details of the reunion and I’ve been steaming about this ever since.

It was clearly organised by a whole load of people who had their kids when they just left school (so the kids are now adults) and a bunch of singles without kids!!  It’s been organised as a lunch on a Saturday with no kids, and spouses if they have to be there!!

And if you’re wondering about the adult kids bit… it’s the 20 year reunion   I’m THAT old

There’s no way I can go to it now.  I spend enough time away from the kids and Lance with my photography and my day job!

Oh well, no use whining too much, I probably wouldn’t have had much to say to them anyway.  And in fact, none of the people who have said yes were my close friends anyway.  And I really didn’t enjoy school…  I never fitted in… I was a bit of an odd-ball.

So, it’s really no great loss… but still… I was quite curious to see everyone

On Friday afternoon I bumped into an ex-boyfriend as I was leaving the office (he works in the building).  He was a little vague unusually so I wished him a good weekend and I was about to go to my car when he obviously changed his mind about telling me his news, and he told me that he was having twins.  In November!

It was so funny when I congratulated him.  He was genuinely surprised that I was happy for him.  He eventually said that he’s only just got used to the idea, but that he is happy about it… now.  Strange man   He then started reminiscing and saying how far we are now from our varsity days with endless pub and drinking evenings etc. LOL! I agreed with him and said that now things will really change, now that he has 3 kids!

As I said goodbye, I mentioned that he’s going to have to get bigger cars too.  Especially with twins.  And I knew that would be a major thing for him because he drives old jags and minis!  There’s no way his brood will fit now!  So he laughed and said he’d have to get a crap caravelle or something to fit everyone.

He made me remininisce too.  While I drove home, I was thinking how funny it was that he’s come full circle.  When we were at varsity he used to drive his dad’s VW combi.  LOL!  And one epic holiday we went with a whole bunch of mates to Knysna on a camping trip with this clapped out combi.  It took a month of sundays to get there!  It wouldn’t go more than 80kph and we had to carefully work out whether we had enough petrol to get to the next town to fill up because it chowed gas!  LOL! In the end it was a good thing we took the van because it rained the entire time we were in Knysna and everyone else’s tents leaked so most people had to sleep in it too (Al and my tent was watertight so we were fine)!

That was a GOOD holiday.  I’m surprised I remember so much about it, considering the volumes of Tassies (very bad plonk) and OB’s and Amarula Cream that we consumed!

Hehe so he’s going to have to get a massive car again Love it!

I saw something a little disturbing on the way to the  shops yesterday.  In one sense, I could completely understand how angry the mother must have been, but the rest of me felt very very sad for her poor son.

I was travelling the car with the kids.  We were going on a busy road, when I saw a car stopped on the side of the road.

A woman got out the car and ran around to the back door on the passenger side of the vehicle.  She opened the door and yanked her son out.  He must’ve been about 7 or 8 years old, and he landed on the floor and kicked her.  She didn’t say a word to him, then slammed the door shut, ran around the car again and jumped into the drivers seat and turned the car on.

And then I couldn’t see any more.  I wonder whether she actually drove off without him.  If she did, she couldn’t have gotten far, because he wasn’t there when I went back home that way 15 minutes later.

Can you imagine how scared that boy was?

I think that must’ve been a very scary experience even if his mother had allowed him back into the car before driving off… let alone if she’d actually left him there.

And before you say why didn’t you stop… I had the kids in the car and didn’t want them to be influenced by her crazy antics. If he was on the road when we came home, I would’ve picked him up.

This has got me thinking… that mother has no idea how much damage she’s doing to him.  He’s going to grow up thinking that it’s OK to get angry enough to leave a loved one on the side of the road… and that’s never OK.

It made me wonder whether a guy I knew a long time ago had a similar experience when he was younger.  Let me elaborate.

One evening, long time ago, a friend and I met 2 guys in a bar.  I had a fling with the one guy, she ended up having a fling with the other guy.  My fling ended quite quickly… as my relationships tended to during that time , but she saw this guy for a while.  And he ended up being quite a scary and scaly character.

A few months later, she bumped into his next girlfriend in a club, and she asked how he was doing.  This woman told my friend, that they ended up fighting quite hectically, and one night, he got so angry with her, that he stopped on the highway (in the middle of the night), threw her out the car and just left her there!! She didn’t have a cell phone or anything, and had to find her way home… and she hadn’t seen him since.

Scary shit! So lady in the car… if by chance you’re reading this blog… just careful what you’re teaching your son!!

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.