forever friendships

Cindy Donald

Forever friendships are hard to find and harder to keep.  The pace of life and physical distance can often pull against us.  I am very fortunate that some of my beautiful girlfriends have made such great effort to stay connected, to stay in my life.

Cindy Donald (Till) goes back 20 years in my life to a time before husbands and children, to a time of reckless partying, studying and career building.  Cindy has shared life's laughs and tears.  She has loved me through every stage of my life and has graced my home with yellow roses on every occasion when she couldn't be there in person.

What a joy it was to see Cindy, Ian and their beautiful children (all grown up now) for a few days in January.  They stopped off in Perth for a catch up on the way back to Brisbane from a holiday in South Africa.  We picked up where we left off and visited long forgotten places and memories in our conversations.  It was such a pleasure to see Stephen at 17, a young man with his dad's twinkle in his eye and his mom's great smile.  What a privilege to spend time with Kate, the fun loving 15 year old who I only knew as a little girl. 

Being with Cindy was like being home.  She means so much to me and our friendship has been enriched by life's experiences. 

I can't wait to see her again in July.

man world

I live in it. 

I am mostly immersed in burping and farting contests, boy jokes, dirt and inventions.  This house is full of lego, cars, sports gear and paper aeroplanes.  Whenever I sit down to blog I find one of two windows open on my pc:  Minecraft or Boat Sales.  We discuss the mechanics of just about everything.  Our conversations about girls sway between "uggh" and "mmmmm".  There's Billabong and Rip Curl to contend with and undies hanging out of pants.  I have to rotate the clothing piles to see these mini men in different colours and am constantly surprised at what I find in their drawers when I do.

Showering is an optional extra that requires some encouragement.  The default position on the toilets is up.  We do push ups and crunches.  We wrestle and fight.  We run races and arm wrestle or play "Ching, Chong, Cha" for position.  There are tool boxes everywhere and woodburners are fun.  We judge a stranger by the accessories on his scooter.  We build forts and tree houses.  We love camping and bugs.  There's always a table tennis contestant waiting to be challenged and masses of food being consumed.

The dog is our best friend and our enemy is Darth Vadar.  We fall asleep to the stories of Zac Power and dream of Pokemons and Dragons.

It's a man world alright.  Until Mom flashes her pink credit card or unpacks her lingerie work kit and the world starts to tilt off centre.

Recently Hugo and I entered a friend's house via the back yard to avoid waking the baby.  She has three beautiful girls and one boy.  Hugo stopped suddenly at the sight of all the pink and frills and exclaimed:  "Wow, they have a beautiful washline!"

Man world.  I love it.

Busselton Jetty

We ventured out on only one of our camping days and did the obligatory Margaret River Chocolate factory, the Olive Oil farm, a wine tasting and a picnic.  But the highlight of our day of adventure was definitely the Busselton Jetty. 

This famous jetty is almost 2km long as it was built to take timber to the ships in a very shallow bay.  It has been destroyed by a cyclone and a great fire but has now been restored to a beautiful winding snake into the ocean.  We loved taking the train to the end and visiting the underwater aquarium where we were fortunate to see many different fish, a scuba diver and beautiful corel that has grown around the pilons that make up the jetty's amazing structure.

This was the site of Masterchef's big ocean cook out and the boys really liked making that connection after being avid fans of the show.

It was a fun afternoon out, ending in a swim in the shade of the jetty, fish 'n chips for dinner on the banks and late night fishing with friends back on the famous landmark.

Australia Day #2

This time was a little different:  no fireworks; no city celebration for us.  We joined the country cousins, the retirees, the students and the holiday makers in a celebration of all that is great about being Australian and living in this beautiful country.  We headed out of the campsite early to beat the relentless midday sun and cooked our bacon and eggs Aussie style on the communal cookers at our favourite beach:  Meelup.  We just love this spot.  We took our positions under the shade of the gorgeous old trees and spent most of the day people and boat watching.

Everyone had a turn on the board, we played in the waves and watched the boats arrive one by one to anchor 100 metres off shore for an all night party.  The big Australian flag lilos (in the shape of a great big thong!) and beach balls were out.  The flags were waving if not draped illustriously around a babe.  It was a festive atmosphere of loving life and lapping up all that this great place has to offer.

Hilton and Matthew

How fortunate to have a holiday with such fun boys!

Shark Alert

On the first day of our holiday I took my SUP board out on the calm ocean for a practice paddle.  The sun was beating down on me and the tranquility of the moment swept me away.  So did the offshore wind apparently because I turned around to face the beach and hadn't realised that I had quickly paddled about 300 metres out.  It was around that moment that the shark alert helicopter flew quite low above me and circled me several times.  I somehow managed to remain calm and decided to focus on the task at hand of paddling safely back to shore.  At this stage I thought the helicopter was just having some fun and wanting to take a closer look at the lonely bikini clad SUP boarder out on the ocean.

I successfully landed the board and Rob got up to head out.  While he was out the Coastal Rangers arrived on the beach in their 4X4 and approached our small group.  They wanted to let me know that a shark had been circling my board and they were trying to calmly let me know that I should head back!!  The fact that the shark was less than 2 metres meant that they didn't put on the sirens and they thought it best not to frighten me off the board!  What a shock to my system.  It changed my view on SUP boarding for the rest of the week and I struggled to get past the 100 metre buoys without hearing the "Jaws" music reverberating in my head.  Sometimes it is better not to know too much.

Following a spate of nasty shark attacks in Western Australia, the government have implemented regular helicopter patrols on all the beaches and evacuations are now quite common place.  It seems the hungry preditors are coming closer to the shoreline in shallower water.  The fishermen in Busselton confirmed record catches in shallow waters which could mean the sharks are being drawn towards the beach.  Last week our local beach, Leighton,(where Rob does his Sunday morning swim) was evacuated at 9.30am because a shark could be seen from the beach!

So on this particular day, the wind, my pull on the paddle, and the current pushed me out to sea but an angel gently nudged me back to shore.

Holiday fun

We have returned home from our great camping experience.  The holiday was wonderful and we are all just a bit more than sun kissed!  The Perth thermometer has been pushing over 40 degrees C all week and it was great being just a bit further south and have all day to lie in a shallow calm sea.  The boys had a great time playing on the SUP board, swimming, building sand castles and chasing each other along the beach.  At the campsite there were lots of children to share the day with them and they all made new friends on the bouncy pillow, in the pool or on the scooter paths between tents.  Hugo found a little friend called Andrew in the first couple of days.  In the morning I would wake up to find him gone and he would only venture back hours later, with little Andrew in toe.  Eventually I thought I had better find out who is feeding him and looking after him most of the day and followed him to the Craven's site only to find a bunch of ex Zimbabweans had taken him in!

Russell

Russell really enjoyed being with the Jordan boys.  He took to the waves on the SUP board and spent hours on his scooter or in the pool.  He was a really great helper around camp, washing dishes and cooking the meat on the communal gas barbies.  We had great laughs.  His great enthusiasm for any challenge is remarkable and his warm spirit makes him an instant friend.

Adam

 Adam had a great holiday.  The front tooth that he knocked out two years ago finally pushed out and has almost caught up to its neighbour giving him a totally new look.  He is so brave in the sea and is becoming a great swimmmer.  Adam still loves his own company best and often wonders off to play an imaginary game alone along the beach.  He spent one day of the holiday feeling sick with a stomach bug but bounced back to join in the very next day.  His little face is changing and his body is long and thin as if stretching too fast for his muscles to keep up.

Hugo

The best part of the holiday was having three boys who could all swim, dress themselves, help out around camp and go off on their own to play with friends.  Hugo is one of the gang and loved all the attention from the big boys especially Hilton Jordan who took a great shine to him.  He is always happy and keen to join in the fun.


These are precious holidays with the boys and wonderful times to bond and talk.  The week sped by and now the focus must be on getting ready for school on Wednesday and planning Term 1.

A beautiful breather

Life has been very busy since the last posting. I have had a fantastic whirlwind trip to Melbourne for an INTIMO conference, the boys have enjoyed two weeks of swimming lessons at the beach, I have done 6 bra workshops and two personal fittings and trained up my first recruit! The school holidays are still in full swing which means endless snacks, entertainment, lifting to skateboard ramps, movies and friends. And now...

We are camping in Busselton for a week and it is pure bliss. We have hired a camper trailer which is a pop out tent with a luxurious queen size bed above the trailer part. The boys all sleep on stretchers below us in the tent. It has a built in kitchen with sink and hob under an outside awning. The campsite is pretty jam packed but the plus side is that the children have loads of friends, a great water park, a giant jumping pillow, a pool, scooter paths and the beach 100 meters away.

So while Rob is off running alongside a mob of scooters I am relaxing next to our tent. We are sharing this experience with our great friends, Debbie and Ivan and their two boys. The plan is to spend time at the beach, go to the last Drive-In movie in WA, play Bananagrams, barbecue and sleep a lot!

Our lives are back on track as far as Rob's career goes. He is deeply immersed in a challenging job and that means, well you know what that means. He will be heading back to Perth tonight (2 hour trip) for meetings tomorrow and Tuesday and then with any luck will rejoin us for the rest of the week.

So thank goodness for my divine iPad which allows me to catch up on blogging in the comfort of the campsite. Camping is always a screen-free time for our family but the boys haven't noticed that this totally contravenes that family law!

Oh Griet!

We have had our scruffy little dog for just over a year now!  She was a gift from Darwin in our Advent Calendar  on 21 December 2010 when the Faveeres gave her to us.  She is very much part of the family.  It is quite funny because Rip, our South African Staffie, drove me to distraction.  He never listened to me and always did things that drove me crazy.  Now we have the reverse:  Rob and Griet have a love-hate relationship!  He trips over her (because she loves to lie around in our path) and growls at him when he gives her instructions.  She only listens to me and will even sometimes refuse to walk on her lead if Rob or one of the boys is holding it!  Rob moans about her a lot but then we find them having a cuddle and we all laugh.

She is a great traveler and comes on most of our holidays with us.  She managed the five hour car trip to Denmark really well and behaved better than any of the boys.  She has been to all the skate board ramps, she swims in the river and sea and even jumped in Jenny's pool the other day!  She growls at me if I forget to give her a snack of salami or ham when I am making up the lunch boxes but is generally a sweetheart.  We bath her and brush and trim her fur once  a month and the boys take turns to feed her and clean up behind her.

Hannalie skypes with her on the iPad and her face lights up when she hears her old mum's voice.  She has had visits from Dirk and Rienhard (her old owners).  They will agree that she is fitter and slimmer than she was a year ago and that comes from chasing behind three young boys. 

We love her a lot.  At least there is another female on the property, even if she doesn't always take my side in a discussion.

Happy Anniversary

17 years ago we walked down the aisle!  Who could have predicted the roller coaster ride ahead for those two young love birds?  Our paths have taken some interesting twists and turns with some great highs and sweeping lows.  But here we are, looking a bit older but still together and in love!  I love my man more now than I did then so I guess that is all that matters.

We are very blessed and so thankful for our marriage and the love between us.  I pray every day that God will keep us both healthy and happy to grow old together.

We celebrated last night with a night out at my favourite restaurant in Fremantle called Joy Kitchen.  It is a lively, busy restaurant.  The beautiful fresh Chinese dishes just keep on coming and we ate way more than we should have.  The food is tasty and authentic and the place hums with activity.

Now the year has really started.  Happy Anniversary to us!

Denmark in pictures

The tyre swing outside our holiday pad in Denmark was a sensational height and lots of shrieking was heard through the forest as the boys took flight.  I tried to push them but was quickly told off for not pushing the tyre high enough in the air.  That was one job I didn't want to excel at and happily retreated to my book in the shade. 

We loved walking, running or riding down the path to the town.  Just to the left is the sea and to the right is the thick Karri forest.  Griet loved getting out for her walks with the boys.

Denmark is famous for beautiful surrounds and majestic coastline.  The rugged beaches and huge rocks that jut out of the water give the area a unique  beauty.

When we weren't surfing the waves or playing on the SUP board, we were feeding animals at the local Alpaca Petting farm.  Rob had a conversation with a camel and Adam made friends with a Joey.

 

Valley of the Giants Tree Top Walk was a highlight on our touristy list.  We walked 40 metres above ground on a swaying bridge between the trees.  The forest is very impressive from up there and equally beautiful and interesting from below.

This was a week of great family bonding.  It was just the five of us for a change and we really enjoyed being together.  Now we are home for a few more holiday weeks before our next adventure.

Christmas past

Christmas came and went in a flash of activity and fun and some not so great parts!  So before we move on swiftly into the New Year, I need to stop and document those bits!

adopted cousins

The Breytenbach girls have become our boys' adopted cousins.  They love each other like family and have a very special bond.  Russell and Adam chose to go to Este's surprise 10th birthday party in place of New Year's fireworks!  There is a girl for every boy and they are really gorgeous together.  This year we celebrated Christmas Eve with Jaco and Liezl and Liezl's mum who is visiting from South Africa.  It was a lovely evening of great company and food.  Jaco told the Christmas story to the children and we just relaxed together. 

On Christmas morning I woke up feeling absolutely awful.  I had a rerun of the stomach bug and could barely sit up long enough to take these three pathetic photos.  The boys all opened their Santa gifts and we exchanged our family gifts.  I then went back to vomiting and sleeping for the rest of the day.  Rob and the boys went to church and spent the day playing with the new toys. 

Russell's favourite is a remote control helicopter, Adam's is a remote control boat and Hugo's is his very own Lego Police boat!  The day was a blur of sickness for me.  We were supposed to leave for Denmark but I just couldn't get myself together.

 By 6pm I had pretty much shaken the bug - which was NOT alcohol induced! - and jumped out of bed to pack for the holiday.  We all went to bed early, planning to make an early start the next day.  And then our neighbours started their Christmas celebrations.  We have young singletons renting next door and they know how to throw a thrash.  Well this one was no exception.  The music and laughter and screeching went on all night!  None of us could sleep and by 2.30am I had lost the plot completely and called the police.  After a quick visit from the coppers the noise settled to a manageable low for about 10 minutes and then they started again with new vigour.

By 4.30am we were so angry we couldn't sleep.  Hugo had come through complaining five times. W gave up and jumped out of bed and headed off on holiday.  What we hadn't realised at this stage was that our lovely Bogin neighbours had flicked their cigarette butts over our wall and burned holes in the new trampoline! 

Anyway, with Christmas behind us, we took turns to drive the long haul to Denmark and were rewarded with beautiful days of sun, sea and total relaxation.


This Christmas and New Year season were different to any other.  They didn't have the sparkle of a "first".  Quite a few of our new friends were away and while we have settled well and are really happy in our new home and city, we really missed our friends and family a lot.  Our minds wandered across the sea often as we recalled Christmases past.  We miss everyone so much. 

Well Christmas is past, but we still have a month of lazy holidays ahead!  Today has been another very slow start.

A New Year

I have just managed to haul myself out of  bed for long enough to make a coffee and sit upright at my desk.  Rob has already had his male bonding 7am swim (it is Sunday after all) but has found his way back between the sheets with the morning paper.

We saw the New Year in at 24 Davenport Road last night.  We were amongst good friends, great food and lots of bubbly drinks.  The warm summer evening allowed for swimming all night and Russell and Adam jumped out of the water just in time to count 2012 in.  We only lasted another hour before walking the 100 metres home, carrying our last little man asleep in dad's arms.

What a big year it was!  Rob and I spent some time scanning our blog and gasped at the highs and the lows.  We moved house.  Then we almost renovated the entire house while living in it.  Rob changed jobs and settled well.  I started working again.  We enjoyed our first South African visitors.  Russell graded up several times in karate, found his place at flank in rugby and cemented his foundation skills at school.  Adam learned to read and write, to play rugby, to do all the swimming strokes and became a cub scout.  Hugo finished his first year in formal school.  He learned to ride a bike, dress himself and left the toddler years behind.  The boys lost milk teeth, had chicken pox, got a chin stitched up and sprained ankles.  Rob and I ran many kms and cycled a few.  We all had great holidays away, made new friends and explored lots of Western Australia. 

This New Year lies stretched ahead of us.  Our boys are growing and so are our adventures.  We each have our goals in mind and have so much to look forward to.

For all our friends and family, near and far, we can only hope and pray that good health and good fortune find you this year.   For now, it's a small step out my office door to join the boys in the jacuzzi.