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I could hardly keep up with the news in the world this week. Our summer schedules have suddenly taken on a whole new dimension. The laundry now lies on the folding table, a forgotten pile of tumble dried entwined cotton and linen. The empty picture frames waiting for their fill of memories and family pics, lying abandoned on the dining room table; I think my kids think the generic family picture that comes with the frame when you buy it, IS actually our family back in South Africa.
The reason for all this newly found independence from household chores? The kids have started swimming lessons down by the lake. The younger one is at 10-ish and the older one is at 11:30 so I end up spending three hours down on the ‘beach’ at the water’s edge, pretending that I have no work to be done at home. I read a few pages of my book, eat a delicious slush, take a quick swim and then return home at around 1:30 just when the heat is getting to its peak and the beach starts becoming crowded. The timing is perfect. I am cultivating a very careful tan…it is amazing that you still burn (face it, when you skin changes color, it BURNS not tans) even when you are using sun protection factor 75!!!! The kids are as fair and unburnt as ever…three layers of SPF 75 works really well!
Last weekend was July 4th, and we spent the weekend quietly celebrating the independence of our new home. We had the obligatory BBQ. South African hubby, South African wife and a guest born in England and raised in Australia. We sat around watching all our American neighbors celebrating how they defeated the British and established their own country. We quietly observed these celebrations fearing some one shouting “The British are coming” and then proceeding to lynch the closest thing to the British which they can find (please read previous posts about how British/Australian etc I really am - anything but American). Fireworks are not permitted in our state but people travel down to other neighboring states to make purchases and then come home to light up their corner of a dark July 4th sky. They celebrate their American independence lighting their fireworks made in China, wearing their clothes made in Vietnam or Malaysia and at the end of the evening they get in to their Japanese car and drive home to sleep on their bed made in Indonesia. Ah, independence is such a wonderful thing!
The rest of the weekend passed with much gardening being done, swims, baking, eating and the last of our little family of four suffering from a tummy bug Hubby brought home from his visit to China two weeks ago. I advocate sharing in my house - as wise Barney says, “Sharing is a special way of caring!”. But I hate it when Hubby takes it all so literally and feels that he has to share everything with us. He had it first (we put it down to jet lag), I got it a day later (we put it down to being exhausted), little one got it the worst on Thursday night (I could not put it down to anything) and then the older daughter came down with it on the Sunday. Thanks Mr Travelling Pants! We all got a little more of a taste of China than what we wanted.
So this week has been all about spending hours at the beach in hot humid weather, eating cool and delicious dinners and thanking the powers that be everyday that some bright spark had the brains to invent air conditioning! We had a huge thunderstorm tonight that was supposed to cool things down but that little plan did not really work out like it was supposed to. But another storm is brewing, getting ready for tomorrow night…after 18 years, I am putting my ballet shoes back on and attempting to at least look like a dancer. Whether I can actually do it, well that is another story for another blog…provided that my muscles do not completely seize up and totally incapacitate me!
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Posted by sdavid on 2008-07-10 00:43:09 | Rating: | Views: 50
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