Bits and bobs #2 - November

Beaten up by a one-year-old.

Playing in our bedroom - Cath, Emma and I - I wrestled lil Emma to the floor and thought, while I'm down here, I may as well have a nap. With Emma tucked under one arm and Cath under the other, I was happy as.

But then Cath left me, followed shortly by Emma.

Then my world exploded as a horrible pain hit my face.

Emma had stood up gone and fetched one of mommy's skin cream glass bottles and thrown it "to" me. I say to because she must have stood over me (me with closed eyes) and either dropped it on my face or thrown it down.

Blood everywhere and this was the black eye that I was left with - I was very proud of it as I don't bruise... told the guys at work I got it saving orphans from a burning building.

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Wow! A big bath. Wonder if the water is warm?

Learning to swim...

It was a smidgen cold - about 18 degrees - so Emma liked to cuddle after each length of the pool.

When people wonder why we do it - the whole parenting thing that is - this is the answer. One moment like this just makes all the nappies, the screaming during the night, the tantrums, the dropping glass bottles on your face while you nap - worthwhile.

Brave little swimmer!
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More of Emma Snr's 21st later, but Cath made her a cake for her birthday - to match her party theme of beach / Hawaii. What a cool cake!

Blue sea around the island, complete with fish and sharks and jellybaby swimmers.

Rock, tanners, animals, the works. I think Cath might like her baby sis?
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Emma's first real wotrk of art. Another nap for me, Cath playing the piano a metre away. Neither of us noticing that she had gone quiet. SIX DIFFERENT CRAYON COLOURS USED on our carpet! If I wasn't so mad I'd be quite impressed.

More crayons and playing with her pram.

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Speaking of 'proud of' stories... We bought the dog kennel, but we'd been feeding the cat inside and I wanted her food outside... but where to put it without Emma or the dogs eating it...?

So I made this little contraption...the cat perch.

Bits and bobs #1 - November

"Emma! Nicely with the kitty!~Gently with the kitty. GENTLY!"
"MEEEEEAOW!"

Not an unheard of occurence at Venus Street.
But little Emma is geeting much better now with not squeezing the cat, pulling her tail or putting sand on her head.

I include the above pics because I didn't ever get around to showing what the mast looks like from our street. Remember the mast? We cycled up to it a few months back... well there it is... forking high!

Emma has now mastered the sliding gate... which means she can open it, let herself out (unless we lock it) and go and play with the dogs'food bowls.

It also means she can go and play in the sand...

Happily drawing away.

Family round, we whip out the duplo. What's in the box Emma?



The duplo is a big hit, clearly.

Just gotta love Cape Town weather... last-minute decision to have lunch outside... why not on a great warm day. Pull the awning over to shield us from the sun and voila... what a great house we have!

And little Emma enjoyed her lunch too.

After lunch, time for a bit of destruction. "Can't quite empy dad's bookshelf unless I, waitaminute... if I climb in here I can get them all...."

Introducing Emma to the pool. Water still a bit cold though, summer hasn't hit us at this stage.

I think she likes it...

But once again, as with so many things when you're one, it was tiring work.

Alan's new weight loss plan

Cath wants kiddie number 2 - but not before we both get into shape.
We've given ourselves the target of losing 7 kilos each.
I'm actually about my ideal weight - 77kgs - I always wanted to weigh 80.
Only thing is, my tummy is about 70 of that and the rest , 7.

So this week I started cycling to work again. It's about 22kms from Tokai to CT, and takes me about an hour.

I figure if I can do it twice or three times each week, I'll be well on my way. That would be about
90-130 kms a week. I'll take the train on the other day and get to read a bit again. (on Saturday I drive in - no trains late in the eve when I need to go home)

Trouble is, it's my snacking that costs me. That bloody snacks trolley comes past at work and I want everything, and I usually do....

must be strong now....

Get rid of that trolly and I'm sorted...

Like taking candy from a baby - or a cellphone from my hands!

So.... I had my phone stolen out of my hand yesterday - Tuesday November 2.

Was sitting on the 12.40 from cape Town to Simonstown.
First stop: Woodstock. As the train began to leave Woodstock station, a guy standing near the door, grabbed my phone from my hand (I was playing the game pipe dream, and about to shatter my personal record score) and bolted.

I sat there like a deer caught in the headlights, with an attitude of 'well that's that' but then thought "maybe I should chase him". The guys were holding the doors open for me so I jumped off the (now) moving train and ran up the stairs.

I ran to the left exit and asked if they'd seen a guy in a blue cap and white shirt come running past.They hadn't. So I went to the other exit. They hadn't either.

Then someone told me to go down the stairs to the platform to the Cape Flats lines. I did and at the bottom of the stairs, I looked to the end of the platform and there was the fucker... about 30 metres away, right at the end.

He saw me and started moving away, which is when I started sprinting and screaming..."Stop that guy! He stole my phone" There was no-one around, but I needed to vent.

Over railway lines and stones we ran, for about 500 metres until he jumped over a wall and made for Woodstock.
I followed him over and searched up and down roads but no sign of him.

That's when I realised I had pulled muscles in each of my legs.
Clearly the sprinting was more than my body could handle.

Limping, I made my way back to the station.
Today, my legs are still stiff, though I did cycle in.

Silver lining: the glasses that were on my head are worth
about R2000. He could have gone for those.
Instead he went for my three to four year old phone - worth about R200.

Paintball! - Cath's bday party (early Oct)

Okay, so for Cath's birthday, I organised a group of about 20 of us to go paintballing at the place near Long Beach, Area 51, seeing as the Tokai arena has closed.

Some guys give flowers, some chocolates, I organise to shoot up my wife.

It was good fun, although the organisers were well... not very organised.
If you're thinking of going paintballing, I would suggest you go to another erena... maybe they have one in the N Suburbs...


Bianca makes sure Rob's ready for work... tie is straight, etc.



B and Rob, now ready, prepare to open a can of whipass on our opponents.

Simone and Matthew.

Our side...okay, we lost pretty much everything, but it isn't the winning that counts... right/ Right??!??!!



Romantic moments between your's truly and the birthday girl.



Cath shows her new beauty spot, a bruise from being shot on the thigh. See... that's what I gave her for her birthday...