I come to work for peace and quiet!

Dael hasn't been called to camp this week and Bradley is off school with a 2 week end of 1st term holiday. Friend 'S' hasn't been working and other friend 'S' also seems to be there permanently since the weekend even sleeping on my couch. Luckily the two friends 'S' have been given some of their pay (another story) and they are contributing to the food. Their new fad is to whip up a batch of chocolate muffins. They have discovered the Snowflake Easymix muffin range where you just add 2 eggs, milk and some oil to the powdered mix, mix it well and pop it in the oven for 20 minutes and whallah...instant meal. I think they are surviving on muffins at the moment. The major food items that I'm using a lot are eggs, bread, milk, coffee, sugar and butter. I had two muffins for supper last night but tonight I feel the need for some substantial 'real' food.

Bradley was so desperate for me not to see his school report that he organised for his whole school bag to go missing! Kidding....but his school bag is gone. I had picked him up from school and we went to a local shop and bank. Then he was at my work for the afternoon and I dropped him home before going on to the supermarket for my 'big' shop. I shopped for groceries for an hour and then still had to stop at a another corner shop for rolls. At either the corner shop or the supermarket, some 'kind person' spotted Brad's bag on the floor of my car and forced my passenger door with another key and lifted the bag. We only discovered this loss on Saturday afternoon and I racked my brains thinking when the bag could have gone missing. At the corner shop I remembered that when I returned to the car, the passenger door was unlocked but I thought at the time that I had left the door unlocked by mistake. This with 'car guards' on duty. In general, they are worse than useless and sometimes I wonder if they are not guilty of the theft themselves. So the bag is gone as well as his new school shirt, new grey pants, school shoes and the report! I will have to replace the shoes and bag before the new term. Its this kind of petty theft which frustrates the heck out of me and chances are that the whole bag with its contents was dumped around the corner once the perpetrator discovered nothing of value in the bag. Nothing of value to them not me. To me its just another thing that has to be replaced. There is just no way of being that vigilant all the time because the one time you slip up, there is some layabout to pounce and take advantage.

I am looking forward to the long Easter weekend though so roll on Thursday afternoon. The Easter bunny won't be doing a major visit at my house this year as my kids are mainly grown up but I might just put on an Easter braai for them. I think that will go down better with them!

What was that you said? Sorry I wasn't listening....

Dael came back from his camp last Friday feeling positive and rejuvenated. After a long refreshing bath and a good meal, he was feeling relaxed. He enjoyed being around the other staff members and he was amazed that no one had an attitude with him or treated him like the 'new kid on the block'. He just felt like he fitted in.

We didn't do much for the long weekend. It was very relaxing for me but Dael became bored and just wanted to get back to camp. He had been told that there was another camp on for the following week and he was asked to work on Tuesday. I told him I wasn't going to take him anywhere unless they confirmed beforehand and he was thrilled when he got the call on Monday afternoon.

I borrowed petrol money from Greg and got Dael to the head office on time. This time he was going in the other direction, down the South Coast to Port Edward. A lovely spot but an all-boys complement of school kids this time and apparently very naughty. He must be under considerable strain at the moment because when Bradley irritates him, he can respond with a punch, a kick or with throwing a matchbox at him or something. When the irritating ones are customers you can't really do that. It doesn't go down so well. Anyway, if anything this experience is going to teach him some patience...

On Monday, the public holiday, my dad and Greg came round to help out with some garden work. Dad had started working with his new weedeater and I looked and had to look again. He was wearing a long waist apron which almost looked like an apron that the Blacksmiths of old times used to wear. It tied round his waist and dropped down to his feet. I soon saw why he needed that. The grass was flying furiously in all directions as he whizzed along and he needed the apron to avoid being stung or cut. I was doing a bit of cutting with my clippers but if dad started even approaching Greg or I would have to duck away to avoid being hit by flying debris. I was a bit worried as dad worked his way along a narrow path that I cut halfway down my bank for access. He is 74 and I was worried that he might overbalance. He was fine though and soon finished. He was rushing to cut while Greg was loading garden refuse onto the back of the bakkie as he wanted to get to the dump before they closed. That night when I popped down to my parents to pick up the petrol money, I laughingly mentioned my fears to dad as I chatted. In mock disgust he returned "What do you think I am, an old crock!"

My dad is definitely a strong man who doesn't buy into the traditional scenario of how an older person should act. I think my sister of 39 acts older than him. I'm also as active as him and I use him as an example of how I want to be when I'm his age. Age is after all relative and inside that older shell is still an intelligent and creative hardworking person. A lot of people irritate me because they just see an old person or a disabled person or a person of colour. They don't see the spirit of that person. I challenge everyone to look beyond the stereotype of the people you meet and see the spirit of the person that is inside that frame.

Just as important is how you perceive yourself. Do you restrict yourself to a certain set of actions because you have reached a certain age. Do people perceive you as older than you actually are because of how you react to them or the things you say. Its not to say you have to act like someone younger or older. Its all in how your relate to people and if you are genuinely interested in what they have to say. If you can really see people as individual spirits, you can relate to them in an interested and non-judgmental way. Are you really listening or are you just waiting for them to open a topic of conversation so that you can put forward your point of view. Learn to listen before you talk. If others can see that you are interested in them, they will also be interested in you.

Be as open-minded as you can be today. You owe it to yourself and to all the wonderful people you know or have yet to meet.

What fun - Parent/Teacher Interviews!

I only found out this event was scheduled for last night as we were on the way to school yesterday morning. I asked Bradley to list his teachers and subjects and he did so, marking a cross or tick next to each teacher's name, to indicate if I had to see them or not. I had to see the teachers for English, Afrikaans, Maths, Geography, Physical and Life Science and LO. They had all the teachers set up behind individual tables in what they call the Lifestyle Hall (basically an indoor games hall) off the sports field. As I walked in and saw the queues of parents behind the tables, my head started pounding again. The next trick was to find the teacher. The teachers were identified with namecards on the desks but the way Brad had spelt the teachers' names was creative, to say the least. 'Miss Van' turned out to be Mrs Van Wyngaard, the Geography Teacher. Mrs Ontment (Ointment!?) was actually Mrs Ortmann, not that I would ever have guessed but he eventually pointed her out to me, the teacher with the black and gold (black trouser suit, blonde hair). With each teacher a similar story: Bradley is slow, doesn't concentrate, easily distracted - some were very sympathetic and eager to help Bradley to achieve his best and one nosy one in particular who seems to have been cross-examining Bradley during school to try and discover if his issues with schoolwork stem from a dysfunctional or abusive family life.

I get this every year and every parent/teacher conference. Sometimes I feel like I invented the condition - ADHD - as an excuse for the lack of interest in schoolwork of my offspring. The one thing I really enjoyed was the yummy cheese and biscuits that was on offer for parents to snack on and as I was really hungry by then, kept on popping back to the catering table in between queueing for the different teachers.

Dael has been out of contact mostly since Wednesday. He cannot pick up cellphone signal where he is situated but he seems to be enjoying himself on his working camp. Basically he is a trainee instructor and the camp they are hosting is probably a school leadership course for Grade 7's. That kind of thing is his kind of job though - informal setting, different things to do, not having to get dressed up, outdoor work in a nature setting - ideal! I can see he's going to want to carry on and do more camps so I hope he gets the opportunity to do so.

Both Dael and Bradley have kept me busy over the past few years with their issues with school and now Dael has some special needs with regard to the career path he wants to follow. The work cannot be too repetitive or boring because then he stops concentrating and doesn't want to do it anymore. He enjoys doing a variety of different tasks not just one repetitive task. The boys are right brained and artistic. They can learn something very easily if they are shown how to do it or if they can try it themselves. Dael has picked up more from the Discovery channel on tv than possibly his whole last year at school because obviously television is so visual and not just verbal. His brain doesn't have to battle to process the information. Also at school you have to reproduce what you have learned in written form to prove that you have learnt it. This doesn't come naturally to right brained thinkers who battle to concentrate. They can think of better ways to be spending their time.

I had thought that my daughter had escaped being affected by ADHD, being female, although she is very artistic and imaginative, clearly also a right brained thinker. Fortunately, she didn't battle too much at school and in fact achieved a very good pass in her final Matric year of school, even achieving a distinction in Geography. However, in the last couple of years she has been diagnosed with depression and anxiety and has been medicated as such for this. Yesterday, after reading a post of fellow blogger Hard Spear who mentioned in his latest post that sufferers of AD(H)D often suffer from depression and anxiety as a co-morbid condition, meaning that sufferers of AD(H)D can have the symptoms of AD(H)D as well as suffering from depression and anxiety or that they can just experience the onset of depression without the other symptoms. Either way, the fact that we have this condition in the family with both brothers diagnosed with ADD, bears investigation into the possibility of this being the cause of these feelings.

Now I'm just the mom not the doctor so Robynne has done the smart thing and forwarded some information which I sent her together with a brief family history through to her doctor for the doctor's opinion as to the possibility of this being the cause of the depression and we are at this moment waiting to hear what the prognosis is. Thanks to Spear because I really hadn't connected the two sets of symptoms properly until I read his post and that started my brain cogs working. I spent the better part of yesterday afternoon researching on the internet reasons why this, if it exists, hadn't shown up during the school years and for the main part the thinking seems to be that girls, unless they are tomboys, are conditioned to cope with sitting in a schoolroom situation and if they are bright, this is usually enough to get them through the school years successfully without being diagnosed. They internalise any problems they might be experiencing and this sometimes manifests in substance abuse and/or smoking. So basically boys and girls react differently in school. The symptoms in girls might only crop up as the pressures of work, relationships, managing money, marriage, motherhood, etc. start coming into existence. Only at this stage, way into adulthood sometimes, are some women diagnosed with AD(H)D.

I live and learn. I know either way that my kids being competent, intelligent and popular young people will make a success of whatever they turn their hands to. And I will be there for them as long as they want me to be and for however long I am on this earth.

The early bird...gets tired!

I was up early this morning, as expected but not just because I had to get Dael up early. Yesterday I woke up with a killer headache of note which only got worse as the day got longer. I think I slept at an odd angle on Monday night and this caused a knot in my neck which in turn causes the Headache from Hell. I left work early but still managed to cook. After taking tablets the headache eased off for a while but soon returned. So I had slept fitfully, tossing and turning, adjusting the hot water bottle under my neck and punching my pillow into a fluffier shape. Eventually I couldn't take it anymore and I got up. it was 3.50am. I took more tablets and made coffee. I sat on the couch and leaned my head back, willing my head to stop pounding. After a while, it was time to wake Dael.

He had asked me to wake him at 4.30am as he still had to throw his things into a bag. It took a few nudges from me before he surfaced. He's not used to waking that early. But he soon got up and dressed. After a quick coffee and cigarette, he dressed and packed and we were ready to go. It was 5am! Probably a bit early I told him but I need to get back and get Brad up. The freeway was quite clear and it was still dark. Half an hour later we had arrived at our destination only to find the business still locked up. We sat and chatted and watched the waking day - the birds, the walkers, the newspaper sellers setting up. At 6.10am I was getting restless as I had to get back home. I looked in my mirror and noticed that behind me a young man had emerged from the business via the roll up garage door. Obviously there are living quarters attached to the business as he looked like he had just got up, yawning and rubbing his face. He saw me looking at him. I turned round in my seat and he came over to the car window. I introduced us and he confirmed that he was with the business. Dael got out and went off with the friendly young man into the premises via the garage door. And I was off back home. I had to stop for extra milk. I arrived home and Brad was still sleeping. Running around trying to feed cats, iron clothes and make lunches. A quick glance at the clock told me we were late. Rush rush - I felt as if I had been through the wringer and I hadn't even started my day. Brad and I rushed out and started off. The clock in the car said it was 15 minutes earlier than we thought it was. But just as well the inside clock was wrong, today of all days because Brad was still on time for school. I'm halfway through the working day now and just wishing for hometime.

The duties of a mom

Dael received a call back this afternoon from the training officer at the Adventure Group where he attended the Intro Morning a couple of weeks ago (remember the dirt road we had to go along). Anyway this chap wants Dael to go on a camp to their venue near the Tugela River from Wednesday until Friday. Obviously Dael is keen to go. The one catch is that I have to get Dael down to their office in Durban by 6.30am tomorrow morning. Their office should be easy enough to find but its 23kms from our house. Now lazy me would like to say: No way. I'm not going to drive all that way at that time of the morning and then still come home and get Brad and myself ready for school and work. But realistic me knows that this is just part of my duties at a parent. Its what I signed up for 22 years ago when I became a mom. Not just the good stuff but also the bad stuff, not only the comfortable and comforting duties but also the irritating and time-consuming duties which take me out of my comfort zone and my routine. Its these duties which make it so sweet when your child eventually becomes self-sufficient and independent, with their own finances and vehicles. If we didn't have to go through this time, it would mean nothing to us when our kids get to that stage that they take off from the runway and begin to soar. Robynne is flying. She has her problems and challenges but mostly she is gaining altitude, making decisions and moving ahead. At the moment Dael is spinning his wheels, turning in different directions but soon he will get his break in life and there will be no holding him back.

I'm too independent and it ends up with broken glass...

Sunday was a rainy and chilly day in Kwazulu Natal and after tidying up the house, I sat down to read a book and watch some tv. By mid afternoon, I had had enough of sitting around and decided to tackle my room. I hadn't rearranged the furniture or cleaned under the bed since last year some time and my room was frustrating me. It isn't very big and the bed takes up most of the room. Added to that are two sets of built in cupboards. I decided that my kist would have to relocate to the living room. My kist was my gift by request from my parents on my 21st birthday and will always be part of my furniture but sometimes its difficult to find a place for it - where it also won't be destroyed by cats and kids. The boys were watching wrestling and I didn't want to disturb them and besides I'm independent. So I dragged the kist (filled with all my family photos and rather heavy) out of my room. I also dragged out a box of files and my expanding file with all my paperwork and my laundry basket. This left room for me to tip the queen size mattress and the base on to their side and I could then tackle the huge amount of dust which had accumulated under the bed. I called on Dael once to pull the mattress toward the door, this being the heaviest item but when the time came for the mattress to be pulled in the opposite direction, I tried to do it on my own. The mattress fell against the base which tipped and one of the wooden feet of the base shattered a pane of glass. Luckily the window is a type made up of small panes of glass in a crisscross framework and I only broke the one. It left a small hole with cracks radiating outwards. So Dael was called once again. "What are you trying to do?" Well I'm not trying to break glass but that's what I'm accomplishing. Crazy mother, always disturbing the furniture with her cleaning antics. I'm the bane of their lives.

So the bedroom is changed around, the curtains are changed and the window pane is stuck with transparent contact paper until it can be replaced. A good afternoon's work indeed!

It wasn't the aliens...this time

On Monday evening, when I got home, I planned to turn my room upside down until I had solved the mystery of my missing cellphone. That morning, I had looked under the bedclothes before throwing a huge load of clean washing from the kist next to my bed onto the bed in my search for the phone. So now I worked my way down the pile of clean clothes, folding and packing clothing away in the cupboards as I went. Eventually I was down to the loose sheet and the mattress - lifted the sheet to throw it in the laundry and there was the phone lying innocently on the bed about where my legs would be. I still don't know how it got there from next to my pillow or how I hadn't seen it that morning when I was looking through the bedlinen but I was very grateful to get it back. The very nature of cellphones being portable is irritating to me because they can end up anywhere. At least a landline is always in one place, firmly attached to the wall by its cord!

On Wednesday, I got a phone call from the school again (I'm almost on a first name basis with the receptionist) to say that Bradley has twisted his ankle and sprained it and could I fetch him. I was a bit livid since it was only about 10.15am by then. I couldn't believe that he had injured himself that early in the morning, apparently jumping from a wall by the swimming pool. "Everybody was doing it, Mom!" But only Brad got injured. He had to get signatures from all the teachers for that day's lessons so that they knew he had gone home. And that's how I came to find out about two LO (Life Orientation) assignments due respectively in February and that day, which Brad hadn't done. He told the teacher that his work was at home. When I picked him up I berated him for doing this last minute thing again because last week alone he was off school for 3 days and could easily have completed these assignments. So when we got home, it was me and him sitting on the couch to complete assignments. I coloured in and searched for pics while he filled in the worksheets and used the stencil. We worked until late with a break for me to cook some supper and then I sent Brad to bed. I still stayed up and washed dishes and cleaned the living area because I knew we would have to carry on in the morning to finish the assignments. Dael had friends over. They are friends of his and 'S'. They arrived with a bottle of alcohol and mixer. Dael built a big bonfire and cranked up the music but Brad and I slept through it.

In the morning, I got up to make coffee and carry on and found two extra people sleeping in my lounge, the two friends from the night before. So I couldn't have carried out my normal morning chores anyway, with two sleeping bodies in the lounge. I woke Brad and we carried on with the projects, only stopping to get ready for work and school. Brad was limping badly and had bandaged his foot. He had to go to school though to hand in the projects and to write a test. I ended up picking him up again before the end of the school day but his foot was quite sore by then.

He is off school today although he was supposed to attend a two-hour detention today after school from 1 to 3pm. A special warning letter had arrived in the post, no less to advise me of this detention - for bunking geography on the 24th February. I was prepared to fight because I thought that this was the day he had bumped his head at the swimming pool and I had picked him up early. He was unfazed though and admitted with a grin that he HAD bunked geography and stayed in the library instead. Okay then boykie, enjoy detention! I phoned the school to let them know he was off and I'm sure they'll reschedule this delightful activity for next week.

I do so hate a mystery!!

And that's how I started my day and the mystery may never be solved. It goes like this...

I had fallen asleep on the couch during the Sunday night tv movie but woke up for the end and decided to move to bed. I was fully awake by then because I still had to clear a load of clean washing off the bed and change into something more comfortable to sleep in. I went back to the lounge to fetch my cell phone which was still lying on the couch. I popped the phone next to my pillow and settled down under the cover to read my library book. After a while I nodded off and when Brad came through to the room he snapped off the light which woke me again but I soon nodded off. I woke again at 3am and not finding my cellphone, assumed it had fallen off next to the bed. I got up and wandered through to the lounge to look at the clock there. I decided it was too early to get up and went back to bed until 4.45am. At that time I started scrabbling on the floor next to the bed in the dark, feeling under my pillow - nothing - no phone. I then got up and put on the light for a more thorough search - nothing. I pulled out the bed and looked under the bedside cabinet - nothing. I started to stress. I went to bed with my phone next to my pillow and wake up to - no phone. I ended up waking up Bradley to ask him if he had taken my phone after I had gone to sleep to go on mxit. He denied taking my phone and Dael also knew nothing about it. Then I started to question my own sanity. Had I in fact taken the phone through to the bedroom or had I left it in the loung on the couch. I discovered a window left open behind the couch. The boys know to close all windows but this one was obscured by the curtain. They had left the living room light on. Maybe someone sneaking round outside at night had discovered the open window and the phone on the couch. Its easy to see when the light is left on! No - I'm adamant that I went back to the lounge and returned to the bedroom with my phone. The dogs sleep in my room, one on either side of the bed and I know that anyone entering my room during the night would have caused the animals to react.

So now my deduction is that cellphones are developing little arms and legs and going off on social jaunts during the night. Maybe my cellphone had a little too much to drink and not being able to find its way home, lay down somewhere to sleep it off. Maybe I'll go home tonight to find it happily lying next to my pillow again, having reabsorbed its little arms and legs.

Needless to say all the stressing and turning the house upside down wasted a lot of time and made Bradley late for school. I ended up bringing an old secondhand basic phone of my mom's to work with me just so that I can be got hold of in an emergency.

The weekend had at least one eventful moment as well. Saturday early morning, my mom woke me up with an sms to say she was on her way to fetch me. This was 5am. We had made an arrangement earlier in the week that I and my brother would go with our parents up to the local Farmers' Market where they have booked a stall for the month of March. Dad is selling his plants and mom her craft. The rather large gazebo they have purchased is of the concertina variety and needs 2-3 people to put it up and take it down. Mom is too short and I thought it might be a nice outing. 5am though! On a Saturday! Anyway the weather was good and dad made a few sales. At about 11am mom dropped me back home and I took Dael out to get a little part for the other car which he is fixing up. All the way across town to the CV joint workshop. They gave him the part for free and we went back home. He worked on the car and declared it fixed.

That night he wanted to go to the local nightclub, 54, and I gave him money for it. He left but soon returned saying that the car's petrol light had come on. I gave him R10 for petrol and this time friend 'S' decided to go with him. I was settling down to watch the movie when 'S' came on mxit to say 'The car is broken again'. Oh no and Dael uses my car's battery when he uses the other car. I couldn't go help. Luckily they had just gone down my road and turned right into the main road when the same clip broke again. I was stressing and standing at my door staring out down onto the dark road when I saw a small figure trudging along. 'That's one of them' I told Bradley. Eventually Dael arrived carrying the heavy car battery all the way from where the car broke down to home. He placed the battery back in my car and reluctantly I drove both my boys back to where 'S' was waiting with the car. Now everyone knows my car has had its share of problems lately. Poor car is just okay now and its expected to tow a car bigger than it home. Bradley wasn't impressed at that idea because he was worried about the car but I said 'Lets just do it'. Dael attached a piece of nylon rope he had found in the garage and I engaged gear. Now my car, being an automatic has two 'pulling' gears which don't change to another gear automatically. I used this gear and just went slowly. After a bit of bouncing to start with, it soon settled into a smooth movement. As we went uphill, Bradley and 'S' pushed the towed car to help my car with its task. We were soon home, luckily not encountering any other vehicles while we were in the road. It was 10.30pm. Dael untied the rope and I drove up the driveway. He took out the speakers and the radio face and left the other car parked across our driveway for the night. On Sunday when we had to leave our drive, Dael and Brad with me steering had to push the car back down a little slope onto the road and then aim me to the verge which has quite a high kerb. They pushed as fast as they could and I bumped hard onto the kerb. Dael kept shouting 'Turn turn' but I knew what I was doing as I always used to park on that kerb when I first bought the house. I had a VW Beetle then that had bad brakes and I couldn't drive up my hill. The driving up wasn't the problem, the coming down would have been. So I was quite familiar with that kerb...

At least I know now that my car can tow another car. I live and learn.

Living with boys

Every morning I leave my living area - kitchen, living room and bathroom clean and tidy and every afternoon when I get home - the house looks like a bomb hit it. I clear the counters and wash a few things that I need to prepare supper. Supper is usually a meal that can stretch to 3 hungry boys. After feeding boys and cats and having worked a full day, I'm feeling kind of tired. I may try to watch a programme on television but if the boys put on wrestling, that's my cue to head straight for bed. I then try to read a few pages in my library book. Maybe two pages in my eyes start closing. I switch off the light and that's me for the day.

I've been waking early recently and there are a few reasons for that. Dael's friend S who is staying with us permanently now and often works the evening shift at the restaurant seems to be coming in at about 2.30 in the morning. I'm sure the restaurant is not closing them but maybe he's hanging out with friends. The dogs, Piglet and Pup, who sleep next to my bed do not like people coming in the house at that time of the morning. It makes them very nervous especially Pup who is a bit of a coward anyway. He starts to bark sharply and no amount of shushing from S will make him calm down. Only a cross "Stop it Pup" from me will calm him down. So if the sound of the key in the lock didn't wake me, the dogs certainly would. If I manage to get back to sleep after that, my 1 year old 'kitten' Lovey, who is one of Kittykie's first litter, a little girl, makes sure I don't go back to sleep for long. At about 3.30 or 4.00am she meows outside my door. She's feeling the need for love. The boys close my door when I'm sleeping to keep the noise down. But early in the morning it gets like a railway station. The cats inside want out the vice versa. I prefer my door to stay closed because if the kitty litter box (which I line with newspaper) gets too wet, they like nothing better than to jump on me and use my bedlinens as a toilet. If I happen to be lying there at the time, that's my problem.

It happened yesterday. I had just woken up with a noise when I felt that the duvet was wet..and so was I, right down to the mattress. So generally the baby kittens are banned from my room at night. Anyway if I'm awake at 4.00am I get up because sleep time is over and I just start thinking about (read: worrying about) my finances, my car, the kids, etc. So I get up and as I swing into my regular morning routine which also includes going outside and looking at the beautiful sunrise, I regain my usual positivity and mentally prepare for the day. I have tried listening to music in the morning but I find this disturbs my mental preparations for the day. I enjoy the quiet. Well, that the quiet of the morning other than the meowing of the felines until they get their meal. There's something really steadying about greeting the day with a routine that cant be beaten in terms of settling the equilibrium. If I leave the house in a mess, I feel very unsettled so I am definitely an early bird rather than a night owl. That's the only time of the day that I'm guaranteed to have the house to myself as none of the other human inhabitants would dream of getting up then.

When things are getting busy, problems are cropping up, my routine helps me to stabilise my thoughts. It calms me to repeat actions that can be carried out automatically while my thoughts drift like clouds in a Summer sky.

So its no use complaining about doing all the housework because I need that work and that routine to keep on keeping on.

Insy Winsy was hitching a ride!

The other day driving Brad to school, I hadn't gone more than a few hundred metres down the road when Brad pointed out a jumping spider on my steering column. I couldn't stop at that stage as I had cars in front and behind me and there was nowhere to pull off. I was trying to avoid Insy Winsy jumping on to me while still keeping my car on the road. The spider ran up the indicator arm, then jumped on the steering wheel. I kept moving my hands out the way while Brad kept up a running commentary as to the whereabouts of the spider. Eventually thank goodness, I managed to pull off into a bus rank and encouraged Insy to jump onto an old envelope and then out the car. Phew! The traffic is enough early morning excitement for me...

My car seems to have stopped its major oil and water leaks for now. The next things on which to concentrate are the totally broken front shock absorbers and the bald back tyres. Every time I see the traffic police pulling cars off in an early morning traffic check, I just hold my breath and try and look innocent. A friend of Dael's whose father drives a very old bakkie just had his vehicle pulled off the road as unroadworthy. I don't need that to happen to me. I am taking my car in this afternoon to get new shocks and front tyres. Its going to cost but I would rather spend the money on replacing these items than on a traffic fine!

Brad seems to be developing his problems with school again. He is getting sick and twice the school have phoned me to fetch him early, the last occasion being yesterday. Now I don't like to fetch from school unless there are definite symptoms of illness like vomiting or fever. It was only an hour until school finished for the day and I had already taken time off work to get Dael to an interview that morning. I told them to keep him until the day was over.

I had taken Dael that earlier on Monday for an interview as an Adventure Instructor. The venue is situated on the far end of the local industrial park which gives way to virgin bush and to get there entails a bundu bash along a corrugated dirt road for about 3kms. That short distance never felt so long before especially as it is also the road to the local stone quarry and trucks race along the same road to get pick up their loads with choking dust clouds as they pass. Obviously they were passing as I wasn't driving very fast with my bad shocks. It was a short interview/training session as there were only 3 young men who turned up. I left Dael there to return to work and luckily he managed to get a lift back to my work with one of the other young chaps from the interview.

While the caller from the school was on the line to me, the line was distorted but I still managed to gather from what this lady was saying that Brad's math teacher is worried about him and he doesn't seem to be coping. Then when I asked her what the problem is, she didn't know who the teacher is but said she would find out and get her to phone me. She hasn't done so yet but I will be sending a little note through to her very shortly. He ended up staying at home yesterday complaining of feeling nauseous. So the drama begins....

Robynne's bunny that had its eye removed is still on antibiotics for an infection in that same wound. And unbeknown to either the vet or Robynne, the little thing was pregnant because what did she do on Monday night during the night but go and give birth to 5 little babies. So Robynne's little bunny family has increased in size dramatically. I think she will probably find homes for them in due course though.