Half a year...

Today, six months ago, Dawie left me. Today, six months ago, my heart was broken in so many pieces that I thought it could never be repaired again. Today, six months ago, I lost the one person in this world that I was truly willing to die for, I loved him so. Today, six months ago, my life changed forever. Today, six months ago, I thought that the easiest way to handle this pain was to end it all. Today, six months ago, I lost everything I held dear...


Today, I feel sad at the loss of my love, but also feel that I can handle life on my own again. Today, I feel as if there is something to live for, even if it is sometimes a little 'shallow and non-sensical'. Today, I can function pretty well most of the time, with the occasional breakdowns. Today, I found out that life is truly amazing, and the human spirit can heal - even if it's a slow process...


Tomorrow, I will rise and face another day, but today, I will do what needs to be done and nothing more. Today, I'm thinking of the past, and that one person that made my life worth living for...


TTFN

Normal...

So last night I'm having a ball of fun at Rocky Horror and then I get home... As I'm a Facebook/Voyeur.com addict (Think I've admitted this before.) I quickly log in to 'check' and my aunt (My Mom's sister - we have a very special relationship - long story, will tell it one day.) has left a note on my wall...

Lately she's been really busy writing the nicest things on her updates about how we should treat others, love unconditionally, be ourselves regardless, smile, be happy etc etc. Really profound stuff. And then she writes on my wall that at our last Family Festival in September last year (a yearly get together of family for a weekend) Dawie, who at that stage was already really sickly and weak, told her that he would lay down his own life for me at the drop of a hat if it could save mine... I remember him saying this, and at that stage I dismissed it as 'just talk'... Now she tells me that her inspiration for all her 'words of wisdom' come from this specific incident, and that he was (her words) 'a stunning friend/partner'.

And here I am 'dating' again and starting afresh. I did not sleep a wink. I'm tired, emotional and a complete wreck today. How dare I just go on with life if Dawie meant so much to me? How dare I think that I could ever replace him?

I'm a mess...

Gawd - think I should start taking those 'happy tabs' again!

The weekend.

The video had me in tears. Well, most anything has me in tears at the moment - a moose farts in Alaska and I'm in tears, but this is really brave and true...

This weekend we're off to scatter Dawie's ashes in a place called God's Window. It was one of our favourite spots in the world. It's stunningly beautiful and the view is phenomenal. I think he would appove...

So, long story short - another chapter is done this weekend. This book of me and Dawie is starting to slowly but surely become a book of smiles and not just sorrow. Don't for one second think I'm not still sad A LOT of the time, but some of the sadness has been replaced with happy momories.

As for Saturday - I'm going to be a wreck but at least I'll be surrounded by people who love me and who loved him.

One more day passes...

TTFN

April Fool.

Today would be the day that I would usually have gotten someone to call Dawie and try and fool him with some silly joke. Most of the time it did not really work, he was to bright for that but it was something we would share and laugh about later. I miss his sense of humour and razor sharp wit...

One year I got a friend of a friend to leave a message for him to call her back. She worked at a clinic that specializes in 'gender reassignment' surgery - sex changes. I had been complaining all week that my 'breast' hurt and were sensitive but could not tell him why. She told him that my appointment for the assessment would need to be moved as the doctor was ill - she then pretended to have called him in error. This one worked like a charm - for about a second. He called me at the office and asked me if there was anything that I needed to tell him. He promised me that he would understand but also stressed that a 'big built', six foot four man would not look good in a dress.

And, he said, my features were way too manly for me to go trough this type of operation... And then he said to me that this was probably the weakest of all my April fool's jokes ever! We screamed with laughter for quite some time after this.

I miss him...

Here's wishing you all good memories, lots of laughter on this day!

TTFN

My week...

This week has been a total 'baaheetch' with me being so busy that I hardly had time for my 'social life', or lack thereof really. Work is crazy with me running around at the moment playing 'silly bugger' with a couple of sub - contractors and employees. Why must everything be taken personally? Honestly, when I say that you're too pedantic I mean that in the nicest possible way... (EVIL GRIN!)Anyway, the week is over (well, nearly) and I'm now settling in for the weekend, and it is going to be a bit of a tough one...

Dawie's birthday is tomorrow - on Valentine's day. He would have turned 40 this year. I'm sure that he would have insisted on inviting all our friends around for a OTT party with lots of food and beverages, but I'm going to be spending the day quietly at home with doggy school in the afternoon - weather permitting. I don't think I want a whole bunch of people around me...

So, that's my weekend.

Hope y'all have a pretty one,

TTFN

Therapy...

So, with so much that happened recently and me feeling quite alone at times, I thought that therapy would be in order. Now, besides the actual therapy where I get to speak to my therapist for an hour a week, other therapy has come to mind, and now I have to choose between:

1. Laying out a new garden and making it happen. Dawie and I both love(d) to be outside, and I feel that a new space at home will not only keep me busy over the weekends, but will also be a good thing to remember him by.

2. Redecorating. But I don't think so, as we recently did do the whole house and I'm not ready to change all of that yet...

3. Veg'in in front of the box. Once again, not a bad option but it does tend to make me feel, well, useless and numb. And, it seems that the universe is out to make me cry like a total girl - had a rerun of Ghost the other day on Classic and I sat and watched it... NOT a good idea!

4. Taking a nice long holiday. This, I feel, is maybe a really good idea! Mom and me, in a car just driving and seeing where we end up. Or, maybe just me on my own - I will still see... Or, really going for it and buying an air ticket to somewhere in the world I'd like to go - New York, Phuket, London, Sydney...

5. Retail Therapy - No, not really an option. Everything I want I have - except for the one thing that I really want and can't have anymore... Not that he was for sale.

The sadness is still here, the heartache is ever present, but the good memories are starting to win the battle. I'm sure that every first will be dramatic - first birthday alone, anniversary etc, but this too shall pass and he will live in my thoughts forever!


On another note. Dawie was quite a keen poet. He wrote this poem for me before he passed away.

I KNOW YOU LOVE ME

Darling, I know you love me
You don’t have to tell me, this I can see
When I was sick, your love showed as you stood by my bed,
Your love showed as you held me close and caressed my head.

You showed me love each and every day,
You showed me your love in many and all kinds of ways.
Your love for me held fast when I would give way to tears,
It was your love for me that helped me when I was filled with fears.

It was your love that helped me through times that were so trying,
Your love would never let me see frustration and crying.
Darling, I knew you loved me right from the start,
I will love you always, from deep in my heart.

I know that you love me,
Your love for me showed throughout the suffer,
I know you love me, so please God help me
To acknowledge the love of my lover.

Darling, I just know you love me,
‘cause a more loving lover there couldn’t be,
I will always have a special place for you in my heart,
I know this even if we are now apart.

Hope you have a blessed day.

Emptiness and keeping busy...

It's been nearly two weeks now since Dawie slipped away from me on Christmas Eve. I'm back at work (as of today) and arranging everything with his will and policies and 'stuff' has kept me occupied, mostly. It's tough. I don't wish this feeling I have on my worst enemy - if I had any that is. (Don't think I do, but averybody crosses somebody at some time in their lives...)

Anyway. There is just so much confusion in my life at the moment, and to be completely honest, I don't think his death has sunk in yet. I still think I should go and visit him in hospital, or expect him to walk trough the front door after a work trip... I will give up everything just to hold him in my arms for a few minutes more, to tell him I love him and to tell him to go in peace. We did talk about this, but it still feels like we did not have enough time to say everything.

I need to tell the story of his last few days, but it's still to raw for me. I need to tell it 'cause it's really beautiful, but not right now.

What the hell am I going to do now? He's no longer here and I have nothing more to really live for... I am surounded by friends and family but this is the lonliest I've ever been in my life.

What now? What now?

Seasons greetings.

To all my friends in Cyberspace I hope you have a blessed Christmas spent with the people you love and hold dear, and that it will be a peaceful time for all.

I'm off work as of today and will be fetching Dawie from the hospital this afternoon. He will be spending as much time as we can at home - depending on his condition, but the plan is to make this a very special Christmas for him. I decorated the house this weekend with lights and put up the Christmas tree in the lounge - thanks to my dear sisters and their husbands who helped me. So, this evening when he gets home it's going to look a lot like Christmas...

So - to all and their loved ones : Keep them near and cherish them, for one never knows what tomorrow brings.

B.

I can honestly say that I'm suffering from 'blog-lessness' at the moment. I don't have the time to read all the folks that I read, and I don't have the time to post on my own space either... 'Tres' frustrating I might add! My life at the moment is crazy busy and it feels as if I have no real control over it.

It's up at 5 in the morning to make sure hubby has breakfast before he needs to take his first batch of tablets, then feed the dogs and make sure everything is set up for for the hubby for the day - he's still at home and still quite weak so I need to make sure that he is comfortable and has everything within easy reach before I leave for work. I might add here that I'm SO not a morning person, so this is VERY tough. Then it's getting myself ready and in the car for a two hour commute to Jozie and a full day of work ahead. Rush back home - another two hour commute, and then it's making sure dinner is ready and the evening tab's go down. Then some quality time with the children and the hubby before I collapse into bed at about 12... And work is MAYOR stress at the moment too. I'm busy with a restructuring of operations and obviously not very popular, but it's par for the course.

Sound like it's crazy and it is, but I'm really thankful that I can be here while my man recovers and gets stronger again, and I'm thankful that I can afford to appoint a housekeeper that can keep an eye on him during the day. I'm thankful that his boss has told him to take as long as he needs to recover and that his job is safe, and that they are not cutting into his earnings at all even though he's used all his sick leave due to him! Amazing! And I'm thankful for a Mom that drives to him every second day to 'check on my son'. Bless her big time!

So, long story short - I'm busy! Hope y'all are having a really pretty time now...

TTFN

A very frustrating week...

It's been one of those weeks were you wish that EVERYBODY would just piss off and go and flush themselves down the toilet. The stress at work is getting crazy - too much to do with too little time and a very sick hubby at home that needs attention all the time, stress at home getting a little too much - very sick hubby that is frustrated because I tend to be overprotective and then he gets frustrated with me, and all of this with a three hour commute every day due to the loving government that are working on every single access route into Johannesburg for the 2010 soccer world cup... At least by 2010 traffic will be a breeze - mostly 'cause everybody's dead due to road rage! (Not to mention the price of fuel!)

At least from next week I can work mostly from home as there are fewer meetings to attend and less 'in office' tasks to complete. And my PA will be more comfortable with her job description so she will not need me to be there all the time - poor thing only started this week. (Apparently I'm mean and very bombastic! Not really, just very demanding...) God bless the inventors of the Internet/broadband and telephones!

Long story short - looking forward to a weekend of doing as little as possible. Spending time indoors with my man, and just pottering around the house.

Hope y'all have a loverly weekend as well!

TTFN

An update part two.

Firstly, to everyone that has sent me notes, text messages (guys, remember the time differences OK!), phone calls etc etc - thanks a stack! Y'all are really wonderful people.

It's been a few days of up's and down's but mostly up's. Hubby is a lot better (he's starting with his fussy ways again...) and we are home - our domestic worker has offered to stay over the weekend (even thought it was a long weekend in SA) to help me and to make sure that I also get some rest. The meds etc are quite demanding and meals have to be served at certain times and with certain ingredients. Something we've never done before, so this is quite the adjustment. We used to be very happy go lucky with meals and mostly ate when and if we felt like it. Anyway, at least it a square 6 meals a day now...

On the health front - he's breathing better and sleeping better because of that. The surgery scars are still very painful but the stitches are out and the specialist says it's looking good. He's picked up another 3 kilos (and I've picked up a kilo as well - eating in sympathy!). All in all, its still not nearly easy, but it's getting better every day.

As for work - the new post is great but very demanding - but the bosses understand that my priorities lie somewhere else at the moment. They've cancelled all my travel arrangements until the end of July in order for me to be home for a bit - good guys then. And I get to work from home if I want to, as long as the results stay the same. RESULT!

Hope y'all are well and happy and none of my US friends have been fried to a frazzle in that little heat wave.

Will keep y'all posted.

TTFN

A little update...

It's been about two weeks since I've posted anything on 'me little blog'... Sorry, but it's been a really crazy, crazy couple of weeks here and my priorities have been elsewhere.

Dawie is home and recovering at the moment. He had to undergo a biopsy on his lungs and is still very sore and can't really move to well. The most important thing is that they FINALLY figured out what has caused his severe weight loss and his general 'bad health' - it also does not help that he is quite proud and has not been completely honest with our doc - but that is a different post for another time.

He has a variation of TB - something similar to a birdflu that he most probably got when he was working all over rural KZN. This is causing him mayor weight loss (he truly is as thin as a rake!) and also caused him great difficulty breathing. He also did not have a good reaction to the anastethic and had to spend four days in ICU for post op recovery - I must be honest, in front of him I was very brave, but behind his back I honestly thought I was going to lose him. As I'm typing this, my eyes are filling with tears again - I would not want to live without him - ever...

Anyway, that was last week and as we speak we have moved in with my parents in order for my mom to keep an eye on him during the day while I go to work. (Thank the Good Lord for wonderful parents!) It won't be for too long - maybe until the weekend, because we also need our space. His recovery will be a long and very involved process (About two years according to the specialists), but we can already see an improvement and he's picked up a whole 2 kilo's in a week, so mom is feeding him well!!!!

Not going to go on too long as I'm trying to type this while he takes a nap - I'm just glad he's getting better... Thank you to everybody who has sent me notes of encouragement, love and support - we both appreciate this so much.

I will try and post more regularly to keep y'all updated.

TTFN

It is official...

Yes, it is official. I am relocating back to South Africa by the end of next month... And, to be honest, I'm completely confused. I wanted this - I wanted to be 'home' to look after the hubby and to make sure that he is his own self again. It is my duty, nay, my pleasure to be there for him in his time of need and I'm looking forward to being the man he deserves. After all, love flourishes not just during the good times, but also during the hard times So why am I so sad?

I've learnt to love this country... No, not just this country, but I've learnt to love the people here.

The friendly, totally phenomenal nature of the Kenyan nation makes me feel at home - always. And that is what makes this place so wonderful. In fact, someone said to me a while ago that I'm a Kikuyu of South African Decent - but I think that because I'm so utterly tight with money! Oh well, I saw it as a compliment... I will miss my members of staff that I've learnt to love dearly, I will miss the humour in the traffic in the mornings when the Matatus drive like absolute maniacs. I'll miss the chaos of the city, and the peace and quiet at my home. I will miss the fruit that still taste like fruit - not just 'shiny mudguards' on the outside and watery and tasteless on the inside. I will miss my friends and work mates. Sad? Yes, sad that I have to leave this place and move on to other things, but also glad that I've been able to spend a small portion of my life in this place, and with these people. Glad that I've had the chance to learn from them, and that I've been able to see that joy comes from within...

Ah well, so it is then. ('So is dat dan' - my Dutch uncle used to say!) Now to decide what I'll call my blog from the end of the month? Any suggestions?

Have a pretty day now y'all!

TTFN

A weekend, a Monday and other stuff!

The weekend was probably supposed to be quite and relaxing, but allas, it turned out differently. Well, not that this is all bad, but sometimes one needs to just switch off a bit... Anyway, such is life and I did (begrudgingly) enjoy myself most of the time.

Friday night I had a few people over for dinner as a work friend (also 'family') from Cape Town was here and stayed with me for a couple of days. She was the guest of honour and we had a lovely Hungarian Goulash with Basmati Rice and a Chickpea, Feta and Spinach salad. This was followed by Ice Cream, Strawberries and a rich chocolate sauce. Then we opened another bottle of wine, and then another, and then another and then... (You get my drift!) It ended up with a bottle of Wild Turkey being finished and us seeing her off for her 7am flight without bothering too much with sleep. Here I just want to mention, I'm not really a heavy drinker anymore, but my dear friends are, and as the host, had to stay awake for this little episode. The house looked like a bomb had hit it, and the poor housekeeper was kept busy the whole of Saturday morning to clean up after this bunch... (Bless him!)

Did not feel like crawling into bed immediately so just cleaned up a bit and then went for lunch with E at the Yaya Centre. Also got a haircut and manicure and now felt like a new person. Went home, the power went out and I decided - might as well go to bed... Slept from around 7.30 to the next morning around 9! Have not done that in a looooong time.

Sunday was spent just veg'ing in front of the TV and watching one movies after another... The main thing is that I'm missing home. It's been OK to be away from home for over two years now, but with Dawie not really being well at the moment, I need to be there to look after him and to ensure that he gets better. We have a blessed relationship, and here is the man that I want to spend every moment of my waking life with and I'm just not able to get to him quickly enough to take care of him. Yes, the process has started, and yes, it looks like my transfer will take place at the end of next month, but time is now dragging and it's driving me nuts!

It's not that he is not able to look after himself, or that he really 'needs' me to be there (He's quite indipendent), but I need to be there and to be with him trough his difficult time. He has always supported me in every endeavour that I've tackled, and now, during his time of need I'm not able to be there for him just because of my job... It's frustrating! Time must go a little quicker now!

In the meantime my loving parents are looking after him in my absence (It was mom's 66th birthday on Sunday), and my two sisters are there to support him every step of the way. Thank you dearest, dearest family! I do not know what I would have done without you...


TTFN

An update.

The first batch of results came back yesterday and it all seems very positive. I'm so glad! You see, Dawie does a lot of his work is rural Kwazulu Natal and there are all sorts of creepy crawlies that do the rounds there, so we were a little worried that he might have contracted something strange and tropical while working there. At least that's been eliminated and now we're waiting for the final tests to come back later today. The doc seems very positive that she will be able to sort something out for him. (We trusts her, she's been our GP for some time now and she's a real honey!)

She has prescribed the first batch of medication to sort out the irritable bowl syndrome that was most likely brought on by Dawie's diabetes, so he's feeling a lot better. Why is it that somebody like myself that does not really look after himself (Eat whatever I like, drink a little too much on occasion, smokes - me bad!, virtually no exercise) you will have to beat to death with a two by four one day, and then somebody that looks after him/herself has all these medical issues? Oh well, such is life...

The long and short of it is that I need to get back to SA permanently so that I can make sure that my love is well looked after. I can do the whole low GI thing with our food (can afford to lose a few pounds myself!), ensure that he takes his medication on time, keep his blood sugar levels as level as possible without insulin and just in general support him. So, the discussions are on. I will be transferring back to SA as soon as possible. Will miss this wonderful country and it people, but my priority now lies with the love of my life. He is after all the most important thing in my life...

Just a bit of an update, hope y'all have a pretty day now!

TTFN

Working my little 'tuchas' off...

I've been staring at this screen for the last few hours without lifting my fine petite little head, and my manicure is ruined, ruined I tell you from all the typing being done. Who knew you could 'polish' the front of your fingers by typing at the speed of sound?

It's report time and with me flying to Jozie tomorrow, I need to make sure that everything is done and dusted by the end of the day. Not a lot of fun, but such is life... This is, after all, why they pay me the little money! (Big smile across face a I see the South African Rand weakening dramatically against the US Dollar.)

D and I spoke for about 40 minutes last night and then got rudely dropped by the cellular provider. We are both so excited about the new place and moving and all the new toys we bought that we're like two naughty boys. Correction - we're always like two naughty boys, now just a little more excitable! I also miss my children and would love to roll around on the floor with them when I get 'home' tomorrow evening. Jessie has grown quite a bit and is now a young teenager with too much energy and a will so strong she should be able to move mountains. Jason, lying with his 'mommy' in this particular photo, is his usual casual self that gets phased by absolutely nothing. An A bomb could explode next to him and he would just twitch and ear and give a cursory single bark. That's him - the ice queen! (Yes, he's gay like his two daddy's, not interested in the opposite sex but gives a mean 'ride' to a fellow male dog.) Miss my children...

As for the rest of my life, well much of a muchness. Work, some work, sometimes I work and then other times I get some work done. So, basically - work.

Not going to make much effort with Email and such while I'm gone so going to be quiter than usual for the next 1o days. Hope y'all have a festive and happy Easter Weekend and spend it with the one you love. I know I will...

TTFN

Back in Nairobi.

Firstly, let me apologise to my regular visitors for the total lack of dedication to my little 'blog' for the last while. It's just been so crazy busy at work, and with all the planning going into the new home. Dawie and I are both tired and irritated with this whole process - think we should plan a nice little break together in the winter over my birthday. Maybe that nice wooden log cabin we went to last year... Anyway, I digress.

I'm back in Nairobi for a while - well, to be honest, just over two weeks and then it's down to Pretoria again. We're moving into our new home over the Easter Weekend, and I cannot let my poor hubby do this all on his own. There is still so much to organize and plan, and I feel that I'm not 'pulling my weight' in this whole affair at the moment - being stuck so far away from 'home'. It's not like I don't want to be involved, it's just rather difficult with bad telephone connections, not being able to visit the site (for obvious reasons) and having to try and explain to builders and contractors telephonically what it is they need to do. It also does not help that both hubby and I are absolute perfectionists and pretty 'anal' about getting things done right first time. (And then there is the little matter of having expensive taste without actually having the means for said taste.)

We've decided to have all the things we want to have done to our home done BEFORE we move in to prevent contractors having to come do the work after all our 'stuff' is in the house. This has proved to be a nightmare... Have you ever tried to get an airconditioning technician to see the 'estectic feng shui way' of installing an airconditioner in a house? Or a blinds guy to see the difference in polished oak and non-polished oak? (Trust me, the difference in colour is DRAMATIC! Non- polished oak just does not go with arabian sunset paint on the walls.) *We are SOOOO gay!*

That aside, all is well and being with my hubby for three weeks was phenomenal. It just once again confirmed to me how wonderful he is, and how great our relationship is. He truly is my best buddy, my ultimate lover and just all round 'better than sliced cheese' guy. We don't always agree on everything - I'm a very clean lines guy, he's more the dramatic over-the-top decorator, but we always come to a mutually found place, without one feeling like he's been cheated out of something. That is special.

Well, been trying all morning to get this out, so better stop typing and get back to work.

Hope y'all have a really pretty day now!

TTFN

Happy Birthday Darling!

Today is not only the 'most romantic day' in the world, but it is also my wonderful Dawie's birthday!

(The picture was taken during a holiday we spent together at the coast)

Thank you my sweet, sweet man for spending the last years with me. For always being there when I need you, and for grounding me.

Here's to spending the next 39 years together!

EK IS ONGELOOFLIK LIEF VIR JOU!

TTFN

A quick update...

So I'm sittin' at my dining room table in our home in Pretoria, and just quickly giving an update on where, what, when, how and why...

Well, not really - just saying I'm not in my normal 'abode' at the moment and not really able to post and go crazy. Our internet connection at home is 'rather slow' (Read frustratingly snail-like) and to try and get anything done is a bit like getting my dear puppies to not want to play the whole time - daddy needs to work y'all!

It's great being at home, even if Dawie is travelling for business this week... I've been tagged, been asked a few questions and have a few mails to respond to, but will get to them as soon as I can...

Hope y'all are having a really pretty day now!

TTFN

News and stuff.

Life has settled down again, and I'm fully into the swing of things here in Nairobi. As I promised in my previous post, I have quite a bit of news to share...

Let's start with the holidays. It was mostly wonderful, with a few glitches along the way. Firstly my dad was admitted to hospital for an emergency operation a day after his birthday, and this left a bit of strain. He's fine now, but you do worry about your folks when they start getting on in years. Then, a dear friend was also admitted after Christmas, and was diagnosed with a malfunctioning liver. He's had yellow fever a few years ago, and this in turn damaged his liver functions, and with all the rich food and festivities over the Christmas season, this just aggravated the matter. Well, at least now we have a another designated driver when we go out for the evening. His life partner has diabetes and was always the poor bugger that had to drive, as he never consumed anything that might affect him badly! And that, my dear friends, is all the bad news!

The good news - Dawie and I bought a new home this season. It's a lovely new development in Pretoria that is big enough for us but not so big that it becomes a menace. Lovely finishing -tiled right trough, marble tops for kitchen and bathrooms, lots of cupboard space, down lighters right trough the house, good fixtures and fittings and well built. So, that move is booked for March. Hubby is already planning the layout of the new garden and deck, so I can already see that our weekends for the next while being occupied...

The other big news is that I've accepted a new post in Cape Town. This will start from March as well, and would mean that I get to spend every weekend at home, which is a hell of a lot more than at the moment. Will fly up to Johannesburg every Friday, and back to Cape Town every Sunday - it's only a two hour flight after all... The post is going to be a challenge, and will involve a lot of travel (besides the weekly commute) but I'm looking forward to it, and at least I get to spend more time with my family.

The truth is that I'll miss Kenya and living here. Despite the recent turmoil in the country, it is still a phenomenal place to live and work - and my heart is already heavy when it comes to my staff members, they are all such great guys! Will miss them terribly...

Oh well, must get back to the grindstone. No rest for the wicked, and I'm still flying to Cape Town this week, so time is limited.

Hope y'all have a fab day!

TTFN

Ps: Picture is of this weekend - we had a picnic in the garden... Life is HELL in Africa!