A Long Overdue Update

I'm sorry that I have been so slack with updating the blog lately !- I'm in Johannesburg at the moment, my son had his operation on Tuesday & is now at home recovering. The past 2 days have been up and down with him ... a few hiccups and another Dr's visit this morning, possible post-op problems but we hope & pray that there won't be - only time will tell as the next week unfolds.

Thanks for all the messages, comments, emails - I have so many to reply to, and will do so as soon as I can. Thanks to those of you (you know who you are !) who've been keeping in close contact with me, especially during these past 2 difficult days - no matter how bad things seem, they CAN only get better, and I'm holding on to that thought as I face the coming days/week.

The photo's above were taken on the road to Johannesburg (from the Eastern Cape) this past weekend - I have some more posts to follow soon on the trip & the lovely B & B we stayed at along the way - but they'll have to wait until I have more time and am in a more peaceful place in my life !

Blog Greetings From South Africa !

I've arrived in South Africa ! Got here a week ago after an uneventful trip (quite rare that - this being Africa !) .... 3 countries, 3 flights alone with the 2 kids & around 100 kg's of checked & hand luggage ..... but we made it here okay ;)
The scenes in these photos were taken on the beach in front of my parent's house on the Eastern Cape coast where we are now ............

To all of you who've been emailing me - thank you - I'm sorry I have not responded yet. Thanks for the Facebook messages, emails and comments ..... Jo, Ian, Wendy, Karine, Di ...... I promise to be in touch soon ;) has been a difficult time for me these past few weeks as those close to me know .... thanks for all being there !

I head off to Johannesburg next week and will be there for around 12 days, before returning here for Christmas ..... I promise to pop in and blog as often as I can !

Hope that everyone is gearing up for the festive season & a nice holiday break .............. and to all those of you on the other side of the world - keep warm !

My Recent Holiday .....

Our daughter (in yellow shirt) having fun in the rock pools on the beach where my parent's live in South Africa - with a group of friends she always hangs out with when we're there !

Back on the farm - approaching the gate leading to our house - can you see who's waiting for us ?

Why - it's Dibble, Lulu and Maxie of course - ecstatic to have us home again !

Part of our house, viewed from the side - it's great to be back home again !

It’s great to be back home again. So, where were we ?! Well, we decided to fly to South Africa for a short break. As you know my parents have retired on the Eastern Cape coastline (click here to read a previous blog post and see photos of that), so we went to spend the time with them.

Of course, travel in Africa is rarely a straight forward thing, so first we had to fly from Tanzania to Nairobi, Kenya – where we spent the night in Nairobi at a nearby airport hotel (the same one my daughter & I went to when we were ‘stranded’ in Nairobi last year – I was 8 months pregnant at the time ! – you can read about that adventure over here). We had an early morning flight out of Nairobi to Johannesburg, South Africa and then from there we flew from Johannesburg to East London – the closest airport to where my parents live. Phew ! Then we did the whole trip in reverse order to get back home again …. only this time, we spent a night in Johannesburg before flying home.

Our son celebrated his first birthday whilst we were in South Africa – my Mum and I baked him a giraffe cake (photos and recipe to follow sometime !) and we had a small birthday tea party for him with close family. I can’t believe that this time last year he was struggling to thrive and had just come out of Neo Natal ICU, yet today he is a chubby, healthy, bouncing little boy, full of the joys of life – just shows what a year can do ! (And for those of you who followed my struggles at the time – after being advised NOT to breastfeed him & to put him on to formula so that he could gain weight quickly, I ignored this - well meaning - advice and breastfed him until just over 1 year – and am so glad I followed my instincts as a Mum, and not those of the paediatrician !)

We had some wonderful meals out whilst in South Africa, caught up with family, enjoyed walks on the beach (a little too chilly for swimming though !), did routine things like have haircuts and update vaccinations and go to the Doctor – and also did LOTS of shopping ! I spent a morning shopping alone with my Mum … and then we left the kids with my parents one day & my husband and I spent the whole day out together and had a nice quiet lunch together – the first time I’d ever left our son for so long, but he was in good hands and hubby and I had some alone time together, which was great (and we still missed the kids – especially when we sat down to eat and saw other families sitting together !)

So that, in a nutshell, was my brief holiday. Came back to a hectic schedule for the few weeks ahead – have already been to a Christening in the city this past weekend, have various friends coming out to the farm this weekend, a company lunch we are hosting here today, an overseas visitor (work related) arriving on Sunday from Holland …. then next week, a 50th birthday party, school Sport’s Day … then an engagement party, and more company lunches/teas at the farm in between. Phew ! So much for living a quiet life on the farm !

School breaks up in July for 2 months, during which time we are hoping to take another few days break as a family …. to an exciting destination I’ve not yet blogged about, so watch this space ! Then in December we are going away for the entire month and will be away over Christmas and New Year …. but don’t worry, I’ll take you all with me and keep you updated via blog posts during that time !

So, that is where my life is at right now. Back to regular posting for me now, and I have some posts coming up soon which I know you’ll enjoy – showing some more of my life here in Tanzania and what I’ve been up to here lately …… but until then …. I'd better go and make a start on lunch .....

World Cup Fever At The OR Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg

A first for Africa - we were lucky enough to witness the newly operational 'Gautrain' (just visible if you enlarge the photo above) during our brief stay in Johannesburg. It is a high speed train service like nothing Africa has ever seen !

Situated just outside the city of Johannesburg in South Africa, the OR Tambo International Airport officially overtook the Cairo International Airport in 1996 to become Africa’s busiest airport and is also classed as one of the busiest 100 airports in the world.

Approaching the airport .... many hotels are situated close to the airport & several offer free shuttle bus services to and fro

Founded in 1952 as the ‘Jan Smuts International Airport’ (after the South African statesman of that name) and later renamed the ‘Johannesburg International Airport’ in 1994, the airport was renamed again in 2006 as the ‘OR Tambo International Airport’ after Oliver Tambo, the former president of the African National Congress.

The airport has undergone an incredible transformation over the years - here you can see some of the airport gardens as you approach the main International Departures terminal

I think I can safely say that the airport has probably never seen as much excitement as it has during the recent 2010 Soccer/Football World Cup. I have flown in and out of this airport, on average, twice a year for the past 10 - 12 or so years and have never known such a buzz as the one I felt when I was there last week. The entire airport is decorated in a football theme, airport officials are all wearing the South African colours, the shops and restaurants are all decorated in World Cup themed colours etc and so are all the waiters (many sporting the most fantastic array of football themed head gear !)

The airport is named after Oliver Tambo, the former president of the African National Congress

The sound of several Vuvuzela’s been blown all around the airport (and most especially in the food court/restaurant area in domestic arrivals !) adds to the atmosphere, too. A Vuvuzela is a stadium blowing horn made from plastic (and being sold with covers in the team colours of your choice !) which is traditionally blown by spectators at the matches. The word ‘Vuvuzela’ is said to come from the Zulu language … making a ‘vuvu’ noise.

International Arrivals, where a huge football suspended above the main entrance area proudly reads 'City Of Champions - Host City'

When we were there last week, the build up to the World Cup was just starting, as hundreds of fans from all over the world were arriving – all dressed in their team colours and many waving their country flags, too ! On that day, many Mexican’s had arrived and were sporting the Mexican colours, flags and hats, too – everyone was cheering and smiling and welcoming them as they wheeled their luggage trolleys through the airport buildings.

One of several football themed displays dotted throughout the airport. This one shows a football boot, a football, a whistle and a vuvuzela

I bought some small world cup themed items as gifts for our house staff, all of whom are football supporters as it is a huge game here in Africa. During my recent travels through Kenya, Tanzania and South Africa I had the chance to speak to several taxi drivers, porters, waiters etc about the World Cup and to ask who they are all supporting (as neither Tanzania nor Kenya are playing) …. every single person, without exception, said that they are supporting all the African teams … and that if one African team is knocked out, they will go on to support the next because, they say, no matter what happens – as hosts of the World Cup, we have to keep it on African soil !

I had to include a photo of the actual aircraft which we flew back to East Africa (Kenya) on. I have said it before on the blog, but will say it again - Kenya Airways is TOPS in my book, and certainly lives up to their slogan - 'The Pride of Africa'

I must say, that as an African I agree with them and so am rooting for an African team to win. So … let’s see what the future holds !

GO BAFANA BAFANA !

World Cup FEVER !

During my recent whirlwind visit to South Africa, the excitement in anticipation of the Soccer (Football) World Cup was tangible - especially in the city of Johannesburg where almost all the shops, streets, houses and businesses are decorated aswell as vehicles - private cars, taxi's, mini busses, motorbikes and even kid's bicycles ! Everyone - no matter what their race, age, gender, background or beliefs have joined together as one in anticipation of this exciting event, and the Oliver Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg was full of happy, smiling faces welcoming foreign visitors to our shores.

The very first photo - above - shows that even the most humble abode's are sporting the South African flag in support of the Bafana Bafana team (who drew 1 - 1 in the opening match yesterday against Mexico. Did you watch it ?!)

The photo below shows that the football spirit has even carried through to the younger members of the country !

Clubs, bars and restaurants screening the games live are all flying the flag high - as you can see in the photo below ....

The official World Cup mascot below, is called 'Zakumi' which is taken from 'Za' (abbreviation for 'South Africa/Zuid Afrika') and 'Kumi' which means 'ten' (for 2010) in several African languages ... including the Tanzanian language of Kiswahili !

This photo below was taken in the foyer of the hotel we stayed at in Johannesburg earlier this week - it was a larger than life stuffed 'Zakumi' character. Zakumi is apparently a leopard (but I think looks more like a cheetah ?) - am I the only one who think's his/her face is not very welcoming/friendly ? (Why not a huge, happy African smile, Zakumi ?!)

The hotel we stayed at also had a huge black and white football themed archway made completely of balloons in the entrance hall, as seen below .....



My next post will be all about the 'fever' at the Johannesburg OR Tambo International Airport, along with photo's taken there earlier this week. Until then, happy World Cup watching ;)

GO BAFANA BAFANA !

Where I've Been .......

Well .... firstly, in the city of Nairobi, Kenya .... as viewed from our hotel window, above .....

Then ... flying into the city of Johannesburg, South Africa - as pictured below ....

Then on another 'plane from Johannesburg .... making our way to the Eastern Cape coastline of South Africa ..... flying over mountainous areas as seen below ....

Then all the way back again .... East London, Johannesburg, Nairobi, Kilimanjaro ..... and here is Kilimanjaro's magnificent peak just before sunset below - as we flew right past her on our way home ....

As the sun began to set on yet another African day .....

And the clouds turned a pinky candyfloss hue ......

As the pink disc of sun sank into the horizon .....

And we came in to land ..... the emerald green vegetation below us, and lots of water all around still (a stark contrast to South Africa's golden, parched earth)

We had a wonderful break away - but as always, it sure feels good to be home again !

Home !

Justin left this message on the fridge for my return - the magnets spell out 'Welcome Home Mama'

Our luggage - which still has to be unpacked - all 120 kg's (excluding hand luggage) of it !

I'm back home on Tanzanian soil again ! We had a hectic .... tiring ..... and (thankfully) uneventful trip back home ..... through 4 different African airports, 3 different countries and 3 different airlines ..... and our luggage arrived with us this time, which was an added bonus ;)

The children coped really well - our 5 year old is quite the seasoned traveller already (with around 85 stamps in her passport already !) & is always - thankfully - easy to travel with (& more well behaved in the air than she is when we're at home and on the ground - ha !)

It's wonderful to be back home in Tanzania & on the farm again, and the country (well, the parts I've seen so far - around the Kilimanjaro area) is green & lush at the moment after some much needed rain - the farm is looking very wet & hubby has already started (today) planting a new crop of beans.

Justin was very happy to see us back again, and the animals are all fine .... apart from some of my village 'strays' (dogs) who refused to eat when I was away, apparently .... two of them are skin & bone but I've managed to get 2 good meals down them both so far. Emily is nowhere to be seen but Justin is convinced that she is still alive and hiding outside the village somewhere. We will try to find her.

My Laryngitis took a nasty turn and I am still - almost - voiceless. Not much fun travelling when you can't speak properly when checking-in, talking to crew onboard the 'plane etc ..... yesterday I felt absolutely awful & not much better today, have only unpacked the essentials from our luggage and still have all the rest to do (as you can see by the photo above !)

I'll be back to blogging soon, as well as commenting/visiting other blogs - and sharing some new photos and stories of my life on the farm again. Thanks to everyone who's followed me & continued to read me during my past 2 months 'holiday' in South Africa !

Farewell, South Africa .......

Farewell to the beautiful Eastern Cape coast line, South Africa. It's been our temporary home for 2 months now & we will miss it & the wonderful memories with my parents here, but also can't wait to return home to Tanzania !

I'm so sorry I haven't posted in a while. Things have been so hectic here - we leave South Africa early tomorrow morning (at around 04h30 our journey begins !) and hope to be home on the farm late tomorrow night.

These past few days have been busy with final shopping, packing etc and to top it all off I have had a terrible bout of Laryngitis, and have been unable to talk for about 2 days .... which for me, is like being unable to breathe .. ha ha ! Poor hubby is relieved (no more nagging !) and my daughter is curious ('Mama, where did your voice go ?!') and my baby son is just totally confused ! Anyway, I am taking antibiotics and will hopefully be okay again soon .....

I am very behind with publishing/responding to blog comments (& visiting other blogs) so please bear with me, I will be back on track again as soon as I am settled back on the farm. We have been having LOTS of much needed rain there apparently, which is wonderful but has made the roads very sticky and tricky to drive on ... so we have a tractor on standby tomorrow night, just incase. I am carrying my camera in hand luggage so if we get stuck, will be sure to take lots of photo's so that I can blog about it !

Will let you all know once I'm back home safely again ....................................

Cooking Up A Storm !

Cooking up a storm today in my parent's kitchen here in South Africa (excuse the poor quality photo !)

Hubby has arrived ! I cannot begin to tell you how wonderful it is to be reunited as a family again !

We have a busy weekend ahead, so I'm just popping in to let you know that I'll be around again early next week. We're having a small birthday party here for my daughter on Monday (she's turning 5 !) & I am baking a cake & busy getting ready for that .... then on Thursday she has a small celebration (and more cake !) at the little play school she has been attending - it will also be her last day as we fly home to Tanzania in Friday :)

I also have lots of last minute shopping and packing to do - and a wonderful 'kid free' Tuesday where I'm leaving the kids with my husband and taking my Mum out for a fun filled day of shopping and a mother/daughter lunch as it's her birthday soon, too - I'm really looking forward to that !

Oh yes - and as we won't be together with my parent's for Christmas this year, we're having a pre Christmas celebratory supper on Wednesday night - complete with a smoked leg of ham, Christmas pudding - and all the trimmings !

I'll be taking lots of photo's of everything, and will be back soon to fill you all in ..... have a great weekend wherever you are as you read this !

A Rainy Day In The Eastern Cape ......

It's a rainy day here in the Eastern Cape today .................. as seen through my parent's kitchen window (above) ............ hubby tells me it's raining in Tanzania today, too .... goodness knows we need it.

He is on his way here ! I can't wait .... we will all be reunited on Friday evening .... and on our way back home soon ............ it's been a long, long time. But in the meantime, I'll enjoy my last week of civilization .... suburbia .... shops ..... before I return to the remote wildness of the farm.

More soon ;)

The East London Aquarium & Friesland Milk Bar - Eastern Cape, South Africa

Even my 5 month old enjoyed watching the fish swimming around in the tanks from the comfort of his pushchair !

A few weeks ago we took the kids to the East London Aquarium for the morning. The Aquarium is open daily from 9.00 am to 5.00 pm and is situated along the esplanade on the East London beachfront. It is the oldest aquarium in South Africa, having opened it’s doors in 1931.

It is a small but well laid out aquarium which houses over 400 species of fish along with penguins, pelicans and seals - to mention but some of the marine life which can be found there.

The seal show was a great hit with both old and young alike !

There is also a twice daily seal show at 11.30 am & 3.30 pm (my daughter loved watching the seals performing all manner of ‘tricks’ !) as well as fish feeding at 10.30 am & 3.00 pm (we watched the penguins being fed the day we went). Both are included in the entrance fee of R20,00 per adult & R13,00 per child (aged 3 to 18) or pensioner.

Importantly, the aquarium also houses and cares for marine animals in distress and educates the local community about marine conservation.

Beautiful views from the aquarium walkways out across the ocean ....

Along with a shark tank built above the shoreline of rocks bordering the aquarium grounds, the aquarium also has some unique displays such as the 3 Cape Pigmy clawed lobsters with are the only specimens ever to be kept in public in the world. We also enjoyed the beautiful shell collection on display.

The wooden walkways make the aquarium both wheelchair and pushchair friendly, and the public toilets were spotless

Newly constructed wooden walkways connect the inside of the aquarium to the outside areas and there is also a wonderful whale viewing platform built out over the sea. A set of blue flags are raised when whales are sighted, and the public can walk along the platform onto the viewing deck to catch a glimpse of these magnificent creatures as they migrate southwards down the coast of South Africa to their arctic feeding grounds. Dolphins can also apparently be seen from the deck from time to time.

There were no whales to be seen the day we were there, but the view from the deck was still amazing

My only criticism is the fact that the aquarium does not have a restaurant or even a small shop – or vending machine – selling cool drinks, snacks etc. It was a very hot day when we were there (and there is no shade along the decks or when you are watching the seal show) and there was no where nearby where we could buy anything to drink. (We were told by aquarium staff that they are awaiting the donation of a fridge which had been promised to them.) With one of the peak South African seasonal holiday’s approaching they would do a wonderful trade by opening a small shop on the premises – especially one selling ice creams !

The Friesland Milk Bar is very well known & has some of the most delicious ice cream & milkshakes you'll ever find !

In order to quench our thirst, we stopped off afterwards at the famous ‘Friesland Milk Bar’ in the Quigney area/suburb of East London near the beach front. Renowned for it’s absolutely delicious selection of freshly made ice creams and milk shakes (at very reasonable prices) this is a ‘must visit’ if you are ever in the area. They also sell to-die-for-delicious caramel or chocolate sauce ice cream toppings which you can take home with you. (Sad to say though, I don’t think they’ll make it in my suitcase all the way home to Tanzania !)

'Yekelela' - A Fun Family Day Out In The Eastern Cape

A couple of week's ago we spent the morning at 'Yekelela', which is a short drive from my parent's home here in the Eastern Cape. So, what is 'Yekelela' I hear you ask ? Well, it's a place with magnificent views over both the bush and the ocean which is also a fantastic family friendly venue .... described as a 'play and guest farm'.

Yekelela has a central restaurant/bar (the thatched building pictured above) with wooden deck with magnificent views out over the African bush (as seen in the photo below). Surrounding this is one of the nicest children's play areas I've seen in Africa ....

The play area is set out around a giant fig tree (below) and includes jungle gyms, climbing ropes, a wooden boat suspended above the ground, a real 'Tarzan' swing rope, sandpit, cement track for riding bicycles around, and a treehouse. It's a fantastic place for kids and will keep them amused for hours - gosh, even I wouldn't mind being a child again with a play area like this to explore !

The swings (below) have a great view out over the bush to the ocean beyond .................

And the shaded trampolines (below) also have a magnificent view ...................


There is also a small 'touch farm' attached to the play area, where children can feed and pet small farm animals such as goats, ducks etc. In addition they have self catering accommodation and camping facilities aswell as several small dams and rivers which you can walk - or bike ride - down to. You can even hold your child's birthday party there !

We had a light lunch there and I must be honest and say that the food is what really lets the venue down (in both quality and value for money) - which is a great pity as in every other area they are tops ! The menu is nice enough - offering a selection of toasted sandwiches, cakes and muffins and child friendly options such as hotdogs. We ordered toasted sandwiches & that is exactly what we got ... 2 slices of toast (no butter), a filling and ............ that was it. No garnish, no small side salad or perhaps a handful of crisps. Nothing. My daughter's hotdog wasn't much better - a boiled sausage slapped onto a bread roll.

Quite disappointing when just a few small tweaks would've made the dining experience that much nicer ... and needn't take a lot of effort or cost .... the toasted sandwiches served with a fresh herb garnish, perhaps ? A small side salad .... the sandwiches cut into wedges and fanned out on the plate. The hotdog sausage cut with criss cross patterns before being boiled, served with a small side dish of relish or tomato sauce /ketchup & a colourful paper napkin. The possibilities are endless ..... anyway, aside from the disappointing food this is a highly recommended venue if you are ever in the area, and most especially if you have children and would like a fun morning/afternoon out.

Yelelela opening times are Saturday's, Sunday's & Public Holiday's (excluding Tuesday's) from 10h00 to 16h00 although it can be hired as a birthday/function venue on any day of the week. The playground entrance fee is R10,00 per child and adults are free. For more information and to find out where they are, visit their website here.

Having A 'Whale' Of A Time !

View from the Whale viewing deck at the East London Aquarium along the Esplanade - taken yesterday

I hope that you're having a wonderful weekend wherever in the world you happen to be when you're reading this ..................... we've been having some lovely, hot and sunny weather at last (after several cooler days of rain and wind) so I'm off to enjoy it and will be back again soon, to blog about everything I've been getting up to ..........