Carols by candlelight

17 December: we headed to Carols by candlelight at Kirstenbosch.

We tried to get a big group together but everyone faded. So we thought, in my best South park impression "Screw you guys, we're going anyway." Granny V was on hand to babysit.

The weather was a bit dodge, but the rain held off and there was only a bit of drizzle for a few minutes.

We brought in a picnic, including a full gatsby to keep us well-fed.

When the rain did come down, our blanket came in handy.

My beautiful mountain, with the tablecloth coming over the side.

The stage and the crowd holding their candles aloft.


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Emma enjoyed playing in the flowers (weeds) at the Heany house,

although she tried to eat them repeatedly.

Still, she looked cute.

Stellies Christmas party @ Leigh's

Who's that underneath the Christmas tree? It's Janine, the gorgeous.... Santa.

It was Christmas party time, and our Stellies friends get together every year to swap prezzies, stuff faces and catch up.

This year, we were around, having missed the last few due to being overseas.

The food was done by a bunch of people, but Andrew was the main man... and it was delicious! Tasted like some more though.

Our gorgeous gals.

Yep, Emma came along too - to meet everyone. We put her down for a nap upstairs but she got a little moody later - so dad had to dance around with her outside for a bit. Lucky dad - a gorgeous girl all to myself!

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We'd been waiting for this - and were determined that we couldn't let it pass without getting pics. EMMA FOUND HER FEET!

Ag, it was so cute man, but boy is she greedy. Not contant with just one toe,

she stuck four in her mouth at once!

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These ones I include because she looks so happy in one and so serious in the next.

And here she meets a friend - she's fascinated by other kids.

Wed 9 December - our day from hell

The day (well, 24 hours) began at about 9pm with the tenants in the flat arguing and slamming doors.

A bit of background first: Cath's folks' place has a small flatlet joined to the kitchen of the main house. We sleep above the kitchen. The flatlet, which is being let to a 40-odd-year-old lady (Erna), has one bedroom, a small lounge, a small bathroom and a tiny kitchen. Last month there were 4 people living there: Erna, her son, her boyfriend and his 77-year-old mother.
Interesting.

Anyway, Erna, the one we let the flat to, moved out with her son, leaving the other two there.
They were supposed to pay the rent- but Jan (the boyfriend) made an excuse every time we spoke to him - "money being wired from Mauritius", etc.

Then Erna came back for a visit, planning to leave with Jan on a seven-day holiday. Then the slamming of doors and shouting began.

So lying upstairs, I decided I (Cath's mom and dad have moved to Dubai, leaving us in charge) must ask them to keep the noise down - fearing the baby would wake up.
Which they did. Until Jan came a-pounding on the front door at 1am.
Nice.

Apparently, Jan and his mom had kicked her out of her flat and while she had been sleeping, taken all her bags and put them outside. We'd heard him yelling 'get out, get out' earlier.
He was knocking on the door to tell us she had called the police and he just wanted to let us know.
How kind.

Then (very drunk I might add) he bemoaned the fact that she was taking back the food she'd bought. She reckoned that as she bought it, it was hers but he claimed it was his. She produced a receipt and a card to show she'd bought it but he then changed the subject and bemoaned something else.
All at 1.30am.

Jan had a bit of an argument with me -outside the front door, me in my boxers - while Erna packed up her stuff, Cath watched on, and the old lady (also drunk) screamed at him in a high pitched voice... yelling "Pooky! Pooky! Pooky!" non-stop for five minutes flat.

Eventually, Jan, refusing to take any of the blame for any of this, asked me "Well what am I supposed to do?" to which I replied "What are you supposed to do? Number 1 - you get that woman to shut the f@#$k up. Number 2 - you pay your rent."

So long story shorter, we called the security company ADT to come give Erna a lift away. We live at the top of Constantia (which is about as high as the roads go) and they dont have a car. Why they moved in when they don't have a car and the closest shop or anything is about 5kms away, I don't know. But there you are.

The ADT guy couldn't give her a lift so I asked him to stay to make sure Cath was safe from the drunk Jan who had a habit of knocking on our door, and I took her to Tokai, where she works.
She cleaned that flat out.

She took brooms, the food, washing-up liquid, the TV, 3 bags, curtains, the dog - all sorts of stuff.
I thought she would just take stuff for her seven-day trip but she clearly wasn't wanting to come back in a hurry.

I was worried this was some sort of scam or evil plot so I was a bit suspect about driving her around - also that it could have been an intricate plot of theirs to get a free house move out of us. Along the way she told me that Jan gambled all the rent money away, that his mom and him finished off a bottle of brandy during the night and that he has been committed to Valkenberg (the mental hospital) twice.
Oh goody, we have a drunk, mentally-disturbed weirdo under our roof.

Anyway, I dropped her off, unloaded the car (at 2am on the deserted streets) and returned home. There had been no further disturbances.

The next day Jan began by telling us that "she even took our cheese!" and insisting that none of this is his fault. Apparently nothing is his fault. The fact that the rent money has not come in is not his fault either.

So we called the police and had them round after we went off to view a house with my parents - who are not in Dubai. They, the police, were quite helpful and it seems we can throw them out as the lease is not with them at all - which means they are, in effect, trespassing. But the old woman is 77 and I think they play on that - "they won't kick us out" mentality.

The police are returning today but we're also getting a social worker around.

The day concluded with baby Emma pissing on me while I got her ready for her bath, then after the bath, once she was clean, puking on herself.

Then the dog had diarrhea all over the landing floor (I was out, Cath cleaned up) and then again this morning when I came down at 5.20 for breakfast.

When I go home now, Jan will want to explain to me how none of this is his fault, guarantee me that the money is on the way, and bemoan the fact that he has no money left for anything until the end of the month and that Erna stole his cheese.

Swimming in the big league now

Emma went for the first swim in the Heany pool.

Babies like water really warm, so we weren't expecting her to like this too much but she seemed to enjoy it.

I would say she took to it like a fish to water, but that would be a lie. But she was awe-struck by the sun reflecting off the water.

And then the best part... the warm towel afterwards.

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Big Dave looks after lil Emz while Aunty Emz reads to her. She loves her aunt and uncle.

Mom enjoyed getting to watch others look after the little one. Ah ... a break at last.

SA thrash the Poms at Newlands

You know, I know these pics will bore a lot of people... "3 squillion pics of the night cric - whoop-de-doo Alan" - but I don't care. I was there to watch SA thrash England at Newlands.

It was packed. Buff landed himself two decent tickets, but he was unable to make the first half af the game. So I took Cath along for a few hours, sent her on her way and Buff replaced her later on.

I even managed to wangle us parking across the road, thanks to my new media card.

The SA flags were everywhere. I love our flag!



Pies? Where? Oh my stomach you mean. Shaddup!



Great weather too. A few red necks around later that night methinks.

When it came time for Cath to leave, we found we had been parked in. The parking dudes had thought "Ah no-one will leave the game"and had let cars park behind us (we had parked behind someone else). To make matters worse, there were also cars to the left and right of us so we were really boxed in. After an hour or so of trying to get police help, etc (Cath needed to get home to Granny and Grandpa to feed Emma, I got some parking marshall guys to help me and we bounced a car out the way, bounced our car sideways, drove out the gap, then bounced the other car back to the way it was before.

Back to the cricket, Buff joined me but I have no pics of him cos he's too cool for pics. Besides, he'd crack my lens.



Then the night part of the night cric and suddenly it was freezing. Luckily we didn't take too long to mop them up.

Braai at Yollie and Roxy guards Emma

Why these pics? Well they tell a story actually...
When Emma sleeps, you want to let her sleep - she can be CRAN'KY when she wakes up or if she doesn't get enough. So if you come home in the car and she's sleeping but you have things to do... you leave her. (With a towel over her chair to block out the sun)

But Roxy wasn't leaving her. Without being asked, she slotted herself down and sat on guard. Cute man!

Warning: Hair muncher!

Warning: Poopergirl.

John and Yollie's braai in Durbanville


We took Emma along to meet more friends and Vicky, who was down from Canada or the States, I forget.

There was no tearing Emma away from Yollie... methinks someone's getting broody.

We had a swim, we ate meat, we sat in the sun, we played cricket. Good times.

Until we hit the ball over the wall to the neighbours. You see, in England you can go years without knowing your neighbours. In SA, one game of cricket means you know all of them ahead or square of the wickets.



Dad's batting skill was all too much for Emma.

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Emma in her cool dress - made by Granny V, I think?