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.

Fun and laughter

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.