Bramley Famli

Jordi had swimming trials on Wednesday. What a swimmer we have in the family. She won all 3 of her strokes – freestyle, backstroke and breaststroke. Her times, for a reflection in the future were:

Freestyle – 19.00 sec
Backstroke – 25.00 sec
Breaststroke – 25.85 sec

I took some pics as she passed me. Jordi is in the far lane. Click here to see them all.

The other day I posted a bit on truth. This post and that post are connected simply because truth becomes a slippery thing when you add perspective. Depending on where you’re standing, who you are, what you’ve done, what you’re feeling, what you’ve experienced, etc, determines your ‘truth’.

I feel a sadness tonight with two friends I’ve connected with today. One over coffee and one over FaceBook.

I remember when Leish and I where trying to become (always been uncomfortable with ‘fall’) pregnant with Jordi. It seemed to take forever, and at times seemed it might not happen. There were times it even felt unfair. We were working in a child and youth development context at the time, and everywhere we turned there were young girls/women who were pregnant. Unplanned and some unwanted, but I remember us talking about the seeming injustice of it. A committed and loving couple ready to provide a home and a life for a beautiful child and we didn’t seem able to leave the starting blocks. And here where these young girls/women who were not ready and sometimes not able and they were halfway down the track. Of course they could easily have been looking at the injustice of their own situation for the opposite reasons we were (perspective).

Coffee today was with a friend who lost her husband 2 years ago. She spoke of how difficult her second December had been. The first one was tough, and she was unprepared for what she went through during the second one. FaceBook tonight was with a friend who is two months into the same journey.

As you look around at the carnage in marriages by way of divorce. Two people who join together and commit to each other find themselves somewhere along the journey not prepared to do what it takes to make it work. And of course there are often children involved. Little people not ready and mostly not able to deal with what’s coming their way.

Injustice again. My two friends, who would give anything to have their partners back no matter what condition their relationship was in, who can’t leave the starting blocks. And of course there is a view of injustice on the other side for those in the divorce scenario for the opposite reasons.

Perspective.

So where does the ‘truth’ sit in all of this? Is there even any? Another friend of mine suggests that truth cannot sit on the inside of anyone or any situation. Truth, in order to have that property, must sit outside of all of us and all situations. Otherwise it becomes different for each person and each situation and therefore can no longer be called truth.

What I do know this evening, is that I have been sad with these two friends today, and I am fortunate that they have allowed me to share their pain. Their pain is also my pain. We are connected.

For Christmas I bought the Scooter Girls a ‘fly-gun’ each. Essentially it’s a sprung loaded device with a flat ‘bullet surface’ (see the pic for more detail) that you use to shoot and flatten flies. Yes they die.

Today I was washing the dishes and there were 7 or 8 kicking around, looking for trouble with these new devices in the house. I called Carli over. I reminded her how to use it and took out the first one. 5 minutes later the other 7 had been smashed against the windows and walls. Yes I did clean up (and a very nice job thank you very much).

They’re gonna have to evolve very quickly if they’re to survive Double-0-Fly : )

After days and days of negotiation, yesterday morning was the day Carli lost her first tooth. Leish, who’s been a relentless negotiator, eventually got permission to pop it out. It was literally hanging by a thread.

So this morning was Carli’s first visit from the Tooth Fairy. I remember getting 50 cents. We’re into hard currency in the year 2008, and I don’t see any way of bringing that number down? I did a rough calculation, and it’s clear that Carli’s mouth is way more valuable than a child growing up 30 years ago. And who am I to argue? I think she’s the most prescious little person on the planet.

Click here for some pics.

The girls and I left for Champaigne Castle this morning. 7 days in one of the most beautiful settings in my known world. Luverlee.

An easy drive for this time of year. Maybe it being a Sunday had something to do with it? And the girls have become master travellers, on the most part. An occasional threat to throw up from car sickness, but otherwise perfect. Of course the motion sickness has nothing to do with my driving. It’s more about the games they’re playing on the iPod Touch when we’re on winding roads : ) And then then there’s a mad scramble to get the windows open, heads out and deep breaths of fresh air.

I took these pics with my phone, in the car, during an open window moment. Both of them were singing at the top of their voices to one of the High School Musical songs. Clearly the motion sickness was over : )

I woke up on Saturday morning to find Carli playing with some Christmas Tree lights. It got me thinking. Thinking about Christmas cheer.

Starting Christmas early seemed like a great way to begin the process. I know it’s a little early in our home to be putting up a Christmas tree, but I’m certain that if there are rules and dates for Christmas tree assembly, that the consequences wouldn’t be too severe.

So Jordi, Carli and I headed off in search of a Christmas tree worthy of bringing some cheer. This isn’t a particularly difficult task in our home, as our Christmas tree’s have mostly been fairly piddly.

We found one. Added some bits of pieces and assembly is firmly on track. I have the photos to prove it.

Ho Ho Ho. Bring on that Christmas Cheer! Enough to illuminate 2009.

I like to think that when you die, outside of ending up in heaven, that there’s a place on earth you can be found? For me it’s the mountains. The Drakensberg always comes to mind, but if you wanted to ‘feel’ close to me when I ‘crossed over’, pick a mountain, grab a cup of coffee and come chat. For Leish it’s the beach, and if you know her, then you’d know why : )

I never got to ask my dad. One of those questions that never found the time. But I imagine it would be on a golf course. And in particular, a water hole at San Lameer. It’s a beautiful spot. It’s a spot that has special meaning to me and our family.

I took the girls to the spot this week. I included Leish’s dad, Lester, in the conversation. And then there was quiet. Lots of it. It was a great 8 minutes.

There are others far more qualified to talk about these matters than me, but it’s important to remember. To remember those who have been before us. Those from whom we have come. Our history gives us meaning. Our family stands for something. Connecting in whatever ways possible is a ritual/discipline I wish I practiced more than I do.

I’m not sure what the girls thought of the process? ‘Our dad is a little wierd’ must have been an option they considered : ) They weren’t very talkative after. But that was fine. The quiet was good. Holding hands on the way to our next stop, singing about mother duck quack quacking felt a little deeper than it normally does.

Holding the hands of the future in one hand and the past in the other, does a solid job of realising that the present is important. The present, after all, is all I really have.

Nuf Sed

Today we built our best Sand Castle ever. Actually every day on the beach we’ve built our best sand castle ever. We’re getting better and better according to one 8 year old I know. There’s a strong correlation between our best and the time invested in the building. Today we saw a version of our next project.

We’re moving to a new venue tomorrow. A new beach, with different sand, different shells, different stones. New opportunities to build the best ever all over again. I’ll keep you posted.

Click here for photos from our San Lameer trip (including our best ever Sand Castle)

Yay I’m doing my first blog in Sanlameer on the verandah.

We played tennis today.

Mom and Carli are playing jenga.

If you want to see some pics, click here.

Up early, no sleeps to go, and this is what we look like on the day of holiday. Pretty darn scary if you ask me.

OK so Carli didn’t really know what was going on. Clearly this amused Jordi.

We’ll keep dese photis rolling as we go. Fairly sure the mom of this family is going to be snapping away laak crazi!

For a bigger version of the photo, click here