Going home

Wow, it has been a while since I went up country to stay with my parents. I was there briefly last year on the way to stay with Belinda when she had her baby, but before that it was when I was pregnant with Griffin and had a 16 month old Quinn with me. So Quinn does not remember the trip and Griffin has never been (apart from in utero).

With Richard out of the country and with my company year-end function in Johannesburg and Griffin's birthday coinciding this week-end we decided to all go up to Pretoria so the boys could stay with their grandparents, I could go to my function, and Griffin could do something different and special for his birthday.

On Friday I left work at mid-day, and went to collect the kids and our bags and we headed to the airport. The journey went very smoothly until 10 minutes before Johannesburg, when we hit a large and very turbulent storm. The lightning activity was impressive and exciting, but we were very ready for the flight to be over as we made the descent and were all set to land and what felt like meters from the ground when the engines suddenly screamed into life and the plane laboured and heaved itself back into the air. My first though was wtf?, closely followed by aaaaargh. I.am.going.to.throw.up. The boys were also green around the gills and I told them to breathe slowly, Griffin started loud Darth Vader breathing. We circled and stayed in the air for what seemed like forever before finally landing from the other direction. after the landing the pilot finally told us what had happened and that at the very last second it was decided it was too dangerous to land the first time and they had to abort the landing. His words were 'we are a bit late now, but at least we are all alive' YIKES!

All three of us climbed off the plane clutching our vomit bags and Griffin very nearly had to use his. I set off looking for a bathroom, and did you know there isn't one for miles. The first one is at the baggage claim which is a substantial distance away. I am sure they have to clean up the floor often! Luckily we made it and after some water and washing his face Griffin started getting some colour back, and didn't pass out or vomit as threatened. So not the best of flights then.

We got collected by my dad in his new and fancy Peugeot 604 and taken through to Pretoria, where we found that the entire family in a 2 hour travelling radius had rocked up for the occasion. There were the 5 daughters and their respective partners (all except Richard), the 7 grandchildren and the grandparents.

The boys settled in immediately and it is amazing to see how they are so at ease with their cousins despite hardly ever seeing each other, yet they always play as if they are best friends. Since we all gather so seldom there were many current and missed birthdays so gifts were passed back and forth as if it was Christmas day. Catherine arrived with 2 huge bunches of helium balloons which provided entertainment to all 7 children for the whole week-end.

There was much laughter, reminiscing and catching up. I miss that and was feeling a bit of nostalgia for Pretoria. It would actually be nice to live closer to the rest of the clan, and be able to spend more time with them.

4 of 7 cousins and moi.

We were served a wonderful meze and cold buffet dinner and Kristy had made a wonderful cake for Griffin, which I think we finally served at some time past 9pm - but the kids were still going strong. Catherine's husband has taken up running (and triathlon events) and was doing a race in Irene the next morning. I was tempted to join him, but when I found out it started at 6 I was no longer interested. I was not planning on getting up early, especially with a big part the next evening. I did promise him that I would run in the morning though - at a more respectable time. We finally called it a night some time around mid-night. I think I got to sleep at about 1am, as with the unusual heat and dogs barking etc. I just couldn't go to sleep.

Despite the kids going to bed at no earlier than 11pm, they were up and at it by 6am! They got entertained and fed by Kristy who was up with her baby and 2 year old.

At 8 as promised I was out for my run. Wow, Pretoria East is stunning. It is so lush and tropical and just nice. Everything grows so easily, and there are so many birds, and some are quite exotic. Also the plots and houses are so big and stylish and new. I love Cape Town a lot, but it is very different. I can really see myself living in Pretoria again one day. Maybe.

It was pretty hot by then, but I persevered. Pretoria East is pretty hilly, so I wasn't running very fast, but I think I did about 5km, and then circuited past the nearby VA gym, so I went in to get some water and earn some vitality points by accessing ;) It is a pretty nice and big club. I cooled down, and did a few light arm weights, and then ran back to the house and found my kids pottering around and happy, paying no attention to me at all.

By afternoon they were getting tired and a bit ratty but insisted they didn't need to sleep. Fearing that they'd turn into terrors with me gone, and be too much of a handful for the grandparents for the evening I imposed a 10 minute quiet period alone each. Both were fast asleep after 10 mins. Quinn hid away INSIDE the fold up bed to not sleep. ;)

This is not-tired Quinn, NOT sleeping (he folded himself into the fold up bed)

They were still sleeping when I left but reportedly woke up reset and cooperative and had a wonderful evening watching the Muppets and having pizza.

I meanwhile got chauffeured to Johannesburg to the hotel where I met up with the rest of the staff. I went to dress and then we headed off to the Year end function...

Quinn on Rugby

This was Quinn's explanation of the rules of Rugby this morning:

"You have to try to get the ball over the tribe line, and if you do you win a tribe."

Little Miss Sunshine

Last night I went to see a movie. I had to get the nanny to baby-sit so I could go to yoga, so I decided to make an evening of it and go see a movie afterwards.

I went to see Little Miss Sunshine, at Cinema Nouveau, which is where nearly all my favourite movies screen. What a gem of a movie it was! I loved it. I gasped, laughed out loud, cringed and smiled.

The official movie site and trailer etc are here.

It's hard to describe it, and actually make it sound worth watching, because the synopsis sounds as if it should be awful: a terribly dysfunctional family is forced by circumstance to travel across the country at short notice in an old beat up VW bus, to get the young daughter to the finals of the Little Miss Sunshine pageant'. Vomit - right?

Well it could have been awful, but instead it is brilliantly clever, subtle and really heart warming in the end. Much of the meaning, humour and message is unspoken, and there are some quite hilarious moments, although it is at times heart wrenchingly tragic. Go see it if you get a chance, you won't be disappointed.

"Little Miss Sunshine is an American family road comedy that shatters the mold. Brazenly satirical and yet deeply human, the film introduces audiences to one of the most endearingly fractured families in recent cinema history: the Hoovers, whose trip to a pre-pubescent beauty pageant results not only in comic mayhem but in death, transformation and a moving look at the surprising rewards of being losers in a winning-crazed culture."

HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHO TO MARRY?

Written by internet kids and my kids (mine were pretty tired and being silly as it was way after bed time).

HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHO TO MARRY?

1) You got to find somebody who likes the same stuff. Like, if you like sports, she should like it that you like sports, and she should keep the chips and dip coming. - Alan, age 10

2) No person really decides before they grow up who they're going marry. God decides it all way before, and you get to find out later who you're stuck with. - Kristen, age 10

Q: Which ever one is prettier and nicer.

G: If the person loves you then they will marry you.

WHAT IS THE RIGHT AGE TO GET MARRIED?

1) Twenty-three is the best age because you know the person FOREVER by then. - Camille, age 10

2) No age is good to get married at. You got to be a fool to get married. - Freddie, age 6 (Very wise for his age)

Q: 15 and over.

G: 17

HOW CAN A STRANGER TELL IF TWO PEOPLE ARE MARRIED?

1) You might have to guess, based on whether they seem to be yelling at the same kids. - Derrick, age 8

Q: Cause they have sex, and because you can see them in a car together.

G: They are together a lot.

WHAT DO YOU THINK YOUR MUM AND DAD HAVE IN COMMON?

1) Both don't want any more kids. - Lori, age 8

I forgot to ask this one until they were in bed. So the answer was not taken at all seriously...

Q: You are both baked beans. Good night baked bean.

G: I love you baked bean....

WHAT DO MOST PEOPLE DO ON A DATE?

1) Dates are for having fun, and people should use them to get to know each other. Even boys have something to say if you listen long enough. - Lynnette, age 8 (Isn't she a treasure?)

2) On the first date, they just tell each other lies and that usually gets them interested enough to go for a second date. - Martin, age 10

Q: You have dinner with another person.

G: They drive sometimes to the river and swim.

WHAT WOULD YOU DO ON A FIRST DATE THAT WAS TURNING SOUR?

1) I'd run home and play dead. The next day I would call all the newspapers and make sure they wrote about me in all the dead columns. -Craig, age 9

Q: Just go home.

G: I would tell them to get out of the car.

WHEN IS IT OKAY TO KISS SOMEONE?

1) When they're rich. - Pam, age 7

2) The law says you have to be eighteen, so I wouldn't want to mess with that. - Curt, age 7

3) The rule goes like this: If you kiss someone, then you should marry them and have kids with them. It's the right thing to do. - Howard, age 8

Q: When you know that they are fine. You need to know them a lot.

G: When you know them.I kiss Maxine a lot on the cheek and on the lips.

IS IT BETTER TO BE SINGLE OR MARRIED?

1) Its better for girls to be single but not for boys. Boys need someone to clean up after them.
- Anita, age 9 (Bless you child)

Q: Single for me.

G: Married for me.

HOW WOULD THE WORLD BE DIFFERENT IF PEOPLE DIDN'T GET MARRIED?

1) There sure would be a lot of kids to explain, wouldn't there? - Kelvin, age 8

Q: There would be thousands of people in thousands of cars. People would live alone.

G: The people wouldn't get babies. You would live like an old lady with her shoe.

HOW WOULD YOU MAKE A MARRIAGE WORK?

(1) Tell your wife that she looks pretty, even if she looks like a truck. - Ricky, age 10

Q: I don't know. Don't fight. Buy them six roses and put them next to a mirror so it looks like twelve - like Daddy did.

G: You have to love them. Do something nice.

First night race

Last Wednesday evening I ran the 14th Oxygen Old Mutual 10km Road Race. I had decided to do it a month or 2 earlier when Lindy mailed the flyer to me.

My criteria for selecting a race are simple. It needs to be 10km or less, at a convenient time (i.e. not before 7am in the morning or during work time), not too far from home, and the terrain needs to be friendly. This race qualified on all counts so I couldn't really not do it. However I had only done 3 x 10km events before and only 2 of those were runs - and both of those were festive, well supported and sponsored runs. Additionally both of those were on Sunday mornings.

After working a full day, and I do mean FULL day - I was on the go from start to finish without a moment to think (or browse the internet!). I wasn't sure I was up to doing a 10km run. Also I was still at my desk at 5pm, so I thought I wouldn't have time. I phoned Richard hoping he'd have some crisis I would be summoned home for, but alas no luck, the home front was calm and under control and he even encouraged me to just go and do it.

So I got in my car and secretly hoped the traffic would be bad and I would be too late to get there on time, but that wasn't to happen either, the traffic was better than usual and I got to Mutual Park at about 17:45, with a full 30 minutes to go before the race. I had plenty of time to change, register and get myself ready.

Being at Mutual Park was strangely nostalgic and I found myself pining (excuse the pun - Mutual Park is in Pinelands... arrgh!) after the old days of working for CSC. I was also hoping to bump into Daniel September who was one of my manager and was a very avid runner competing in everything right up to comrades level. He did his 10th comrades the year he turned 50. I used to tell him I could hardly run around the block and would *never* become a runner. It would have been fun to say, 'Look at me, I can run 10km now!', but I didn't see him, pity.

I forgot to take Basil's small key and tried putting the big electronic goodie in the pocket of my shorts, but I decided it was too bulky, so I was standing in the queue to hand it in at the locker facility, when a Pinelands runner (Lic:5557 I won't ever forget) offered to put my car key in his tog bag. I was like, 'er, no thanks'. He turned on the charm and next thing my arm reached out and gave him my keys. He asked me what my running time would be and I told him around an hour. He was like 'Oh, I'll be much faster than that'. Which got me think, how is that GOOD for me? He will have my car keys and will finish the race long before me... hrm. Anyway I decided to trust him...

With 10 minutes to spare I joined the queue for the obligatory pre-run pee stop. With the clock ticking down the precious minutes before the race Lindy suddenly ran in panting and JUST in time to change and dash to the starting line with me with a minute or so to go before the race started.

I didn't think to weave my way closer to the front and stayed near the back, so when the race started I realised I was stuck behind walkers. Grrr. I hate not being able to move when it's time to start.So I made a plan to weave my way through the throngs and managed to get a bit of a rhythm going. I lost Lindy in the first 500m - but I am not a social runner anyway, as I can't talk and run and I really need my music and quite loud to keep my legs moving.

The first couple of KM were not bad, but when we got to 3km I had hoped it would be 4 and at 5km I wanted it to be 6 and by 6 I was fed up and tired and was finding the course a bit dull and boring so I stopped and walked for a bit. At 7km was the longed for water table, one of only 2 on the whole course... and it was bone dry! I had been holding out for some water hoping it would revitalise me and finding none was really annoying. Bad planning as far as I am concerned. Anyway I wrote it down to it being a club type race and not one of the big commercial events. From there it seemed it was a direct run down the hill and back to the Mutual Park fields. Not too bad, but then horror of horrors, instead of a direct run we were tortured and taunted by a maze of undulations, taking us tantalizingly close to the finish and then veering away again, until I was tempted to just duck under the bunting and make a run for the finish at one point, but my moral fibre and unrelenting spirit would not let me. So I dutifully plodded on.

I knew I would not be breaking any land-speed records and I was happy to just be finishing. I was so glad when I rounded the last corner and finished. YAY. I checked my time and it was close to 57 minutes. Not my best, but not terrible. I got my OM water bottle at the finish. The queue for the coke table was too long, so I went up to the pub (which I know all too well, teehee!) and got my own can of coke and filled my new water bottle with ice and water, and that was fantastic.

It was then that I remembered about my car keys! I went looking for 5557 and couldn't find him. I found his club tent and camped there and I still couldn't find him. Eventually someone told me he had been there a short while before, and I realised he was probably waiting at the finish line, and sure enough there he was with my car keys ready for hand over. Thanks (name forgotten) #5557! :)

I found Lindy and we had a natter about this and that until I nearly froze to death as it suddenly got cold so I went home. I slept very well that night.

So another 10km run under my belt, and my official result is as follows:
#552 Weideman, Jane Lic:17417 Time:0:56:51
Out of a total of 884 finishers.

So it wasn't an improvement on my last time, or on par with my trend of being in the top 10-20%, but I think this was more of a serious running event with less week-end and charity shufflers... well that's what I am going to keep believing anyway ;)

I started entering the races as I joined SA Active this year specifically to get Discovery Vitality points so that we could stay on GOLD status and qualify for 30% of flights etc etc again. We need 100 000 points for the year to do this. I have now earned 21000 points. \o/

My fwend

I was going through an old photo the other day and found this picture of me with Dave.

Aw...

http://static.flickr.com/108/291339618_7077d50859.jpg?v=0

(Blogger won't let me attach an image again - sigh, I'll fix it later.)

Score

We try to support our local children's home, the Marsh Memorial Home, especially now that it is literally a stone's throw from our house. I donated a lot of stuff to them when we moved, particularly a lot of baby stuff which they could use, like prams and toys etc.

So when I saw it was their annual fund raiser on Saturday I was keen to pop in and show some support and maybe get a pancake or something. It was just Q and I, as Griffin had slept over at Maxine's house (note to self - make sure they are suitably chaperoned from now on ;) ).

So Q and I tootled over pretty early as we had a list of things to get done in the morning, and oh my goodness it obviously pays to go early, because did we ever score there. I found a complete Pictionary set with everything except the drawing paper for R25 (Dave - pictionary!!!). Then we found Bionicles at R15 each (They are close to R100 new). I was pretty sure they'd be incomplete sets, but we took them home and not only are they indeed full sets but they are really cool, and the nicest ones we have! The flaming chicken thing is funny and has an elastic so it's head can make pecking movements, and the tall one is very cool with it's spiky spine.

We also got sets of special sparkly Tazos for R0.50 each (yes, I hate them too, but they gain Q street cred at school, and he swops, sells and plays various games with them).

We also found a plastic survival knife for R2, and a brain teaser puzzle and book, and Sully figuring (from Monsters Inc) and a hand puppet all for R2-R4 each.

We had about as much as the 2 of us could carry all for around R85. Score!

New Bionicles

The talk

The following is a conversation we had in the car on the way home from gym this evening, we were discussing our trip to JHB this week-end and seeing several of the cousins.

Q:'Mommy what is Alastair to us?'
Me:'He is your cousin'
G from the back:'He is my cousin too'
Q:'Is he Jessica's cousin too?'
Me:'No not really because Jessica is Daddy's sister's child'
Me: 'Cousins are any children of YOUR mom and dad's brothers or sisters. So my brothers and sisters and daddy's brothers and sisters children are your cousins, but Daddy's brothers and sisters children are not Alastair's cousins, but his Daddy's brothers and sisters are.'
Q:'...oh...'
Me:'So your (you and Griffin's) children would be cousins, and you would be Griffin's children's uncle (more long convoluted explanations)'

Me: 'If you decide to have children'
Me: 'or even get married for that matter, because you don't *have* to'
Q: 'I don't think I am going to get married'.
Me:'why?'
Q: 'I don't know'
G: 'I am going to get married. I am going to marry Maxine!'
G: 'But I can't be silly. So I am not going to be silly, because she will only marry me if I am not silly'

Q: 'So do you decide to have children, the eggs things don't just start to grow?'
Me: 'No, when a girl gets to about 13, she should be much older but from when she is about 13 every month one of the eggs gets ready, and she has that bit of blood every month if the egg is not going to grow. That what the pads and tampon/sticks are for'
Q: 'So what makes it grow?'
Me: 'Well the daddy has to plant a seed in the egg'
Q: 'How?'
Me: 'Well they have to decide they want a baby and then they... well they have a thing called sex'
Q: 'Oh I know, all that *kissing* and stuff'
Me: 'Well yes, and that's normally when they are married and love each other a lot'.
Q: 'So did you and daddy have sex'
Me: 'Yes, we decided to have you and we did'
G pipes up from the back: 'I love Maxine and we are going to get married and I am going to have SEX with her'
Loud giggles all round.
Me: 'Right, so what are we having for dinner?'

Yikes!
Maybe I should have gone with the stork story!