Trumpets & Snowballs

{ Blogging on the run.} Cafe: 'The Vineyard Deli' in Kenridge just a stone's throw from Layla's lovely little playschool. Blackest, luxuriously bitter Lavazza, and a new novel: 'The Enchantress of Florence' by Salman Rushdie. (I'm ashamed to admit this, but I'm a Rushdie-virgin... And reading is SUCH a rare treat for me, so I may as well read something rich in poetry and makes-one-think beauty.) However, getting time to write is just as rare a jewel, so I've split my little hour of solitude into 2 half-hour pockets. Reading? Tick. Writing? In progress.

This morning, I hurried off to Tygerberg Hospital's Dental Clinic --- in particular, the paediatric ward. With a boot full of toys and books Layla's outgrown, I felt elationjoygratitudewonder. And perhaps a small pat on my back from myself. It's unavoidable, I suppose, that giving to others will make one feel good about oneself. But still, feeling good about it made me feel a twinge of embarrassment. The Bible's instructions surrounding giving to others says we should keep it from others. That no trumpets be blown. (Guess I've gone and blown that commandment *no pun intended*!!) But still, I feel that just SOMETIMES, hearing about how the compassionate service and generous giving of others changes the lives of the broken, helpless and hopeless, is important. In fact, I'll go so far as to say it is critically important. Loving goodness is humanity's core function. Society only BENEFITS from loving goodness --- that is: courage, joy, pursuing peace, compassion, active kindness, empathy, humility and honesty. Gratitude for what one has, and lovingly generous 'giving' to others generates more gratitude and more generosity. A reverse snow-ball effect, if you will. (The flip-side of this is that dishonesty, greed and self-pity generates snowballs too...) But still, for what it's worth: when you see or hear about the love of others in action, jump in and get giving! Phone that person or organisation to see how you can get involved, be it money (R10 or zillions, time: an hour a month or more if you can, recycling clothes/toys/books...) Perhaps we can't save the world all on our ownsome, but we can change just one life -- if only for a moment. (*wink* Whatcha waitin' for?)
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Sympathetic Soutie

I'm not even going to try and convince you to forgive yet another long absence from these pages. Don't get me wrong -- I compose at least one blog post a day in my head, but - just as you probably are - I've been busier than a one-legged cat! But, happily so.
For example, I've been spending time with two new friends I met through Layla's new little school buddies. One of the families are freshly arrived from Korea (9 months ago) and the other has been in South Africa since August last year: an Indian family direct from Delhi with a prior 6 month stint in Newcastle, a la Muddy Isle.

Visiting Younju yesterday, she asked me why I don't write on my blogs anymore (a question, and I know it sounds like I'm blowing my trumpet very loudly, that I get asked very, very often.) It always ends up with the usual two excuses of 'too busy' during the day and 'shattered/buggered/nattered' at night. If my li'l princess wasn't such a nag-apie (Afrikaans word for 'night-monkey' -- see pic below) I'd probably be able to get in an hour or two's writing a night. But, I have always preferred to spend the evening with my little Layla than whip her off to bed hours before she's ready. It's also that I sympathetically identify with her night-owlishness; I spent many hours of my childhood nights beneath my duvet, torch lighting up the hungrily devoured pages of my latest copy of The Famous Five, praying the torch batteries wouldn't die before I got to the end of the chapter!) Anyway - I digress as usual...
What I was saying was (9 minutes left to write before leaving to pick Princess up from school *sigh*) that it was such an honour when Youngju revealed that she was reading my blog! With only 9 months of English under her Korean belt, it's absolutely mind-boggling that someone would be prepared to sit down and patiently decipher each of my usually-too-long sentences! Wow! I promised Youngju I would update my blog last night. Better late than never? I hope so, Youngju.

What I am especially enjoying about these two new friendships is the reverse sort of Soutpielism - and my ability to encourage and help them where I can. Sometimes it's with explaining South African culturalisms or answering a telephone call to clarify specific details with the often impatient caller. HOPEFULLY, and all my fingers crossed, I'll find a bit more time to write - even if it's in short little snatches? (This'll peeve my 'greatest, most loyal and most pushy fan', no doubt - eh, Mrs Melrose Cheese? *cheeky wink*)

Adios, all my amigos
x x x

Breaking News: Laziness Cured By Nap!

Today is one of those days. You know those days when you feel blah about absolutely everything? I don't feel like doing anything - not even making myself a cup of (yes, sugarless) rooibos tea. I don't even know why.

The snow storm from America has hit us, and that little journey on foot to the village post office no longer seems like a possibility. Soft, white and flossy, the snow looks deceptively gentle: until you open the door and step out into it. Then it bites you. Bitterly, and with vengeance. Nope - I'm not going to bother going out there AT ALL today. But how am I going to cure this lethargic ennui that has paused me in my tracks as if I were an interrupted song?

More than anything, I think, is this sense of being overcome with exhaustion in my body. My blood feels thick, dark and heavy in my veins, and my brain is certainly not firing on all cylinders: my perception feels distorted and vague, like I am viewing life down blurry, back-to-front binoculars. Oxygen and endorphins created by exercise could definitely help. But hell, I am just not in the mood. You wouldn't be either, so don't point your finger at me, ok?! (Sheesh - add 'paranoid' to the list as well then.) But anyway, getting back to why I think I feel like this can be put down to the fact that I didn't get enough rest on the weekend. With Craig at home, I try and take complete and utter advantage of the fact that I have a babysitter I don't have to pay but can emotionally blackmail with things like, "Oh, so you don't want to spend any time with you daughter then? Nice one, Craig. Nice." But my poor little Pudding-Pie struggled with teething all weekend... This time, it's her molars. Has any medical professional ever been able to measure the extent of the pain our little ones go through due to teething? My mom says that by the time I was 15 months old, all my teeth had come through. Maybe Layla will suffer the same fate?

................. as is to be expected, I was interrupted (maybe I should change my blog name to 'Girl, Interrupted') by needing to put Layla down for a nap, the Tesco delivery guy being unusually exuberant and the never-to-be-missed opportunity to ask 'Is that a South African accent?' followed by the usual questions regarding the weather, crime, blah blah blah -- which woke Layla 20minutes into her nap. Bugger. With my groceries sitting and defrosting in the limbo of the passage, I climbed into bed with my baby while nursing her back to sleep. Two hours later, and I feel FABULOUS, darling! That was all I needed: a bit of extra sleep. Now I feel ready to conquer the world (and that toppling pile of clean laundry to be folded)! Also on the Domestic Goddess Cards, is
1. Roast that Butter & Herb chicken - then divide the cooked meat into small portions for Layla to have through the week with meals or snacktime. (She needs more protein and fat in her diet.)
2. Continue to try and solve the increasingly irritating riddle of why my .avi files won't write to CD...
3. Get dinner on the go: Bengali aubergines in yoghurt, served with lamb kebabs. (Packing my groceries away, I spied a lonely garlic clove in its antique pink bowl next to the olive oil, sea salt and black pepper grinder. How, oh how am I POSSIBLY going to get through the week with only ONE garlic clove??? PANIC STATIONS!! I'll have to ring Ang down the road to see if she has any to share!)
4. Have a bath with Layla (while I pray that this dratted snow stops before it causes the mad mayhem of previous occassions!)

O wat 'n skande, Mevrou Oosthuysen!

Today the sun has won its fierce battle against the predicted days and days of atrociously grey, wet weather! And only because I can, did I spend the morning in bed, listening to music and sipping tea and dismantling Sunday's newspaper - hunting for anything that would tickle my fascination - but more particularly, for something that I could use as a departure point for my next Soutpiel entry. All that really related to South Africa was a paltry side article on the British government wanting to clamp down on immigrants coming into the UK and a more elaborate section with full colour photos of (gasp!) a scandalised South African-born MP! One Ms Oosthysen and her lie through omission: "They never asked me if I had a police record. I would have told them had they asked!"

Her crime? Scratching her ex's car with her keys in a bit of a rage -- but unfortunately caught in CCTV camera...

Having thought my registration and application with Protocol Education was complete, and waiting as patiently as possible for work - I was mildly annoyed that they needed yet another certifying document: this time, a South African police record certificate (something I have NEVER been asked for! And which, rather stupidly, left me feeling blushing and indignant!) But, seeing as Protocol Education are one of the top employment agencies for teachers and supply teachers, with international offices in Cape Town, Canada and Australia, their standards are impeccable: they have to see originals of every single document! Thankfully, my mom could just zip over to the Cape Town office to show them my original university degree certificate: very, very handy indeed!
Their Cambridge office is a claustrophobic 6 miles away from Soham - the school janitor, Ian Huntley, who abducted and murdered two young girls a few years ago. There was a huge uproar - not least because his criminal record, which had plenty to worry about, hadn't been checked...

Tonight is a TV night - a rare occurrence for me because I usually steal off to bed to luxuriate in whatever novel I've got my nose stuck in! After a supper of a pasta I'm yet to feel excited about (neighbour Ang joining us), we'll watch Gok Wan's Miss Naked Beauty, followed by what looks like a fabulously detailed and glossy documentary about British fashion (bring on Galliano, Vivienne Westwood et al) and then another documentary: this time, an investigation into what women will resort to for love - looking this week at polygamy in the United States!

Tomorrow will be a day dedicated to writing, writing and more writing - so expect more news, epic sagas and tall tales very, very soon!