Lunch with the Girls

Just had a wonderful lunch with my long-time girl friends, Taz- since 1998, Mel since 2000 and Tanya since around 2003. It is amazing what we have been through over the years. Taz married her long-time sweetheart, Quintin and had her first baby after losing an ovary. Mel lost her long-time sweetheart in a horrific car-crash. Tanya had a horrible divorce- but has since met the love of her life and is pregnant with a little boy. Needless to say- I am sharing all the advice I wish I had received. It is so wonderful to have these friends who have been with you for so long- who know you so well - who know your history. Although I never turn down a chance to make a new friend. Christopher behaved like an angel as usual. We had a first- he sucked through a straw for the first time today. Daddy has just walked in the door now from show-house sitting. He says he is just like his father- dead-clever. Yes well. ahem, ofcourse dear. Noticed for the first time on Friday night that his feet were touching the footledge on his high chair. Iver thought the day would come. When we first got the high chair he was so tiny in it with his feet so far away from the ledge. My little baby is growing up- and I am so proud of the beautiful wonderful little person that he is. Anyway, time for me to go and wake up my little guy. Then dinner time, bath time, cream time, cuddle time, bottle time and my personal favourite- bedtime.

Bartering, fish and sweet potatoes

No jokes about our electricity accounts going up. Just opened my July account and it has only doubled. WOnderfuckingful. Picked up Poobaroo today and headed to the video store. George, the young black guy behind the counter who James always teases- makes a big fuss of Christopher. Christopher eyes him suspiciously. I don't blame him as he once tried to thieve his dummy off him. Anyway, it is still so sweet the way George says to him- Ja you always look at me but you never greet me. Jy hou my dop. What is that in English? He's keeping an eye on you- I reply. I find the interaction between Christopher and George funny. Christopher will usually smile at anyone and George is always so sweet to him but Christopher just eyes him warily. Nothing at video store and hubby heading home from golf. Picking up fish and chips. We have a wonderful fish and chips shop just around the corner from us- with a pucker British couple that run it. Fish doesn't get wrapped in newspaper- but blotting paper so close enough. Anyway- you probably need an ice-pick to remove the cholesterol from your arteries after eating their slap chips and battered deep- fried fish. Reminds me of my to trip to the UK when I met James family overseas for the first time. He was very proud to take me to one of their fish and chip shops. I demanded that we tried everything (except the battered, deep fried Bar One which just seemed like a weird idea). I My baby monitor that is sitting on the table next to me just let out a loud bleep...does the paranoia ever go away? Now at least I'll take a swift pace to his room and put my hand onto him to check that he is still alive. The first few times the beep beep (to use the technical name for it) went off- I think that I would have beat Sea Biscuit in a race to get to his cot- with my heart galloping along at the same pace. so back to the UK fish and chips shop- I tried the battered mushy peas. Yuk. Yuk. Yuk to the power of 15 grillion. I don't recommend it. Hubby back with fish. Have tasked him with pouring wine while I finish off. Susan has invited me to a Ladies Night out entitled "Bringing Sexy Back"- apparently presented by a French Life Coach with a sense of humour and only for the over 18's. Looking forward to that. I was just saying to James last night- how nice it is to do things out of the ordinary. I don't know whether it is because we are approaching the silly season- but lately I have been to quite a few "different" things and really enjoyed them. I met a girl called Lara at a ladies breakfast and presentation on money management this week. She has her own company called Mavaric. She claims that marketing and advertising are dead and that going forward networking and relationships are what it is all about, that money will become obsolete as we all return to a bartering system. Anyone for the bonsai'ed sweet potatoes we pulled out of our garden today?

Trying to catch it

I feel like my life has gotten ahead of me. Hopefully will catch up with it one day. We had our first experience with Croup. That was awful. Glad that I am a paranoid mother even if it means that my sleep is like a patchwork quilt- interrupted and stitched from scraps I manage to snatch here and there! Christopher was coughing and wondered if I should check on him. Good thing I did. We ended up at the Olivedale emergency rooms just before Pumpkin Hour. Me in my jammies with handbag- must have looked odd- but was waived through when we got there. Christopher does not like being nebulised- but luckily this is something that seems to go as quickly as it comes. I hope it never happens again- that ride to the clinic was one of the scariest rides of my life- I did not know if he was going to stop breathing any second. Luckily he is fine now except for a cough. Not great- having to juggle work with a sick child though- especially when you know that e-mails are multiplying in rabid fashion while you're away from work. But family first. Public holiday today, but went into work this morning. I am so glad to see the first spring blooms all over the place. There is a gorgeous coral tree at the boomed entrance of our suburb- and its flowers have just started to come out. I love that tree, in fact the whole avenue that runs through the suburb- is so pretty come spring. I definitely feel a psychological lightening come spring. Have discovered cross-stitch magazines. Some beautiful patterns that I have been pouring over. Don't know if I will ever get around to it. I always have something new that I am interested in... and lots of unfinished projects... Pat has pruned my roses outside my front door and I look forward to having my summer roses greet me whenever I return home. I noticed in one of the shops that I went into that they have "fuller figured" mannequins. It was just so wrong. Poor mannequins. Even they did not seem to happy about it. They looked depressed if that is possible. At least their leggies will never show hail damage. There is a woman across the road with a motorbike- a loud Harley sounding one. Why oh why does she rev it like that when Christopher is asleep. I am surprised that there are not more incidents of my-baby is trying to sleep rage. On the desperate note...Yay- desperate housewives on tonight. James and I have a little tradition of snuggling up on the couch to watch Survivor and the DH together. Look forward to that. If Todd wins Survivor- I am going to be mighty peeved! Feeling teary-eyed today as I read my cousins blog www.stoneburble.blogspot.com . Her hubby has returned after being away for 6 months and the pictures of her little girl in her ballet outfit- too preshus!!! Funny how we can take for granted being able to see our loved ones and knowing that they are safe. Adam- her hubby is in the army. Have to end off on a bit of political commentary. I don't know exactly how far one can go before you risk being sued for defamation, but I would like to say very defamatory things about the politicians in our country who think that it is a good idea to rehabilitate our prisoners by having them learn karate. In a country as violent as ours- we now enable our criminals to be even more aggressive? Because it teaches them concentration and discipline. Great thinking batman. What's wrong with fucking needlepoint???