Heaths East London SA

Lauren turns 7 years old

2010-05-25T19:43:00.000+02:00

For the last two years, Lauren has been asking me

for a beach party or a pool party. Having a

birthday in autumn, it is highly unlikely to

be running around in costumes, but rather

jerseys and jackets. I planned a beach party,

but held my breath and put a cancellation

note on invites if raining. Well the weather

was a surprise and a blessing. The party was

held on Nahoon Beach and the temp. was

27 degrees. The kids ended up swimming

too! They had such fun. I even enjoyed it.

Beside the seaside........

2010-03-06T18:58:00.000+02:00

I can't imagine not living near the sea. It adds

such a refreshing and invigorating aspect to my

environment.

The great times spent at the seaside are special.

Our little girl starts Big School Grade 1

2010-01-12T21:47:00.000+02:00

There was great excitement and anticipation
for the first day of Big school.

Christmas is here!

2009-12-19T17:19:00.000+02:00

Wishing everyone a Happy & Blessed Christmas.

School achievements & proud parents....

2009-11-12T21:39:00.000+02:00

Lauren participated in her school play and she

sang a duet with another young girl. She was a

baker man and sang a fairly lengthy song about

that. She remembered all the words and sang

loudly, which made us very proud. Ofcourse

we bought the DVD and photo that went along

with it!

At an educational day at school, about Xhosa

people, the girls were requested to dress

accordingly. So much fun was had by most,

trying to dress-up in their African outfits!

A good break at Haga-Haga.....

2009-09-27T22:26:00.000+02:00

Some of the Heath family got away for the

weekend to Haga-Haga. We collected shells

and made shell frames. We walked on the

beach and some climbed the hill. The weather

was great and we had a relaxing time.

Spring is here!

2009-09-05T21:15:00.000+02:00

It doesn't happen every year, but the first day of

Spring in East London was sunny and warm.

The weather has actually felt like Spring the

whole week. Today we had a picnic with

family and friends at a friend's house

(Aunty Patsy) in Abbotsford, along the Nahoon

river. Just before sunset, we went for

a walk to the beach with our dear Floyd.

Lauren enjoyed flying her kite and playing

in the sand. What a peaceful, pleasant day.

Floyd is 1 year - 7 August 09

2009-08-09T08:51:00.000+02:00

Floyd turned 1 on Friday and we gave him a

little party with a biscuit cake & biltong and

some other treats. I am sure he knew it was his

special day. His presents were a cow hoof and

new collar & lead. He is an obedient little dog

and fits in well with our family life.

Little girls and birthday parties.......

2009-07-29T21:18:00.000+02:00

My triplet nieces celebrated their 8th birthday party

with a H*annah Montan*a theme. I sewed silver and

gold waist coats till midnight for my nieces and for my

daughter.

The party was enjoyed by all. All the girls

tried to act like a pop star for a while.

Lauren's New room....

2009-06-05T21:04:00.000+02:00

The theme for Lauren's 'new' room is 'Daisy & Pink'.
I purchased two new items of furniture and
re-painted most of the old furniture white. I sewed
cushions, cloths and daisies. She is so happy to
finally have a pink room.[click on photos to enlarge]

BEFORE PICTURE:

The Birthday Tea Party.....

2009-05-25T23:11:00.000+02:00

Lauren had some friends around for a Tea Party at home.
They enjoyed cupcakes made by Aunty Alli and had fun
making their own tea. 'Pass the parcel' party game was
played and a little Treasure hunt took place. Each girl
took home a little PVC bag in the shape of a Tea pot,
with some goodies and sweets inside.

Our little girl is 6 years old today!

2009-05-21T09:25:00.000+02:00

Six years ago on the 21 May 2003 at 20h20 Lauren was

born at St Doms hospital. A bright bonny girl to Charlene

and Dean. She is now in Grade 0 and is really enjoying

'big' school. She likes playing with her dolls and toys.

She recently got her own dog and she loves him so much.

Lauren has also asked for her room to be all pink,

so mom has to do the room make-over(pics to follow)

from all Lemon & white to Pink & white. She spends

her afternoons playing in the garden with her dog and

on cool days, in her room upstairs. We love spending

time with her and she makes sure we do.

Weekend at the Sea......

2009-05-10T16:22:00.000+02:00

We went away for the long weekend with some of Dean's

family to a holiday house at Haga-Haga. It was a lovely

weekend... really relaxing and the weather was great!

The children had a fun time fishing in the rock pools and

collecting shells.

Photographs: Rocky Heath

Capturing some moments.........

2009-04-22T22:35:00.002+02:00

2009-04-22T22:27:00.000+02:00

Easter time.......

2009-04-22T22:21:00.003+02:00

Lauren enjoyed an Easter Hunt on the Monday and also
remembered the meaning of Easter by painting a picture
of the 'Cross'.

A farewell to my career at Mercedes-Benz S.A…..

2009-04-04T17:15:00.002+02:00

I started working at Mercedes-Benz of S.A. at the age of

19 years old and left 19 years later. It was a wonderful

experience and I had the opportunity to learn many

things.
The Company strives towards a world-class approach in

the working environment. I traveled and visited plenty

of places in S.A. I got to meet lots of foreigners….

Germans, Austrians, Mexicans, French, Indian,

Americans and many more. I learnt mostly about

people and human relations. I was a loyal employee

and believe that a world-class quality car is

manufactured in our town. I worked in different

Divisions and for numerous managers. I developed

my leadership qualities in chairing the Secretaries

Forum for some years and in general made some

meaningful friendships that will last a lifetime.

Hello......I am Floyd!

2009-03-11T08:45:00.003+02:00

Floyd - Miniature Doberman Pincher, joined the

Heath family a week ago. He arrived from Port Elizabeth

where his original owners realised they didn't want

such an active dog now that they have gone on pension.

He is 6 months old and was orginally called Vlooi (flea

in afrikaans), so we call him Floyd, not to confuse him

completely with a new name.

Lauren loves her little dog and she has been asking for

a dog for 2 years. So finally she has a companion and

playmate.

Our 10th Wedding Anniversary - 30 January 2009...

2009-02-01T20:41:00.006+02:00

We celebrated our 10th Wedding Anniversary on the

30th January 2009.

We had a family weekend away at Morgan Bay Hotel.

It was really lovely and so relaxing.

Lauren had so much fun on the jungle gym, pool &

beach.

We had a sea facing flatlet and it was so wonderful

looking at the waves all weekend.

View from our room and veranda.

Lauren and I were running on the beach and rolling

around in the shallows & waves.

"Big" school

2009-01-22T10:16:00.003+02:00

Lauren started 'big' school - Grade 0. The traffic was a

nightmare, but when we arrived at the school, she was

confident and comfortable. We had met her teacher

beforehand and she had been to her classroom before.

She met up with a friend from playschool. I kissed and

hugged her goodbye and she was quite happy when I left.

H o l i d a y time...........

2009-01-11T17:57:00.007+02:00

East London weather was really good this December.
It was fairly hot most of the time, but there was also some
rain to cool everything down after a few days.

Lauren spent plenty of time in the swimming pool and
on the beach. She learnt how to dive/jump into the pool
and put her head under water. She improved her boogie
boarding too.

We had some friends from out of town/country visiting.
We socialized on the beach and at a few restaurants.
We also made dinner at home for other friends.
We had fun at the Wimpy and got take-aways from
McDonalds to get a Madagascar toy.

One evening, we attended the Robin Hood pantomime
at the Guild Theatre.

My sister-in-law, Allison, had her sister and family
visiting from France.
An afternoon trip around Mpongo park was planned,
but it rained and the park was closed. The touch-farm
was still open, so we took a walk around there, in the
mud.

My grand-mother (L’s great-granny) Rowan turned 85
on the 20th December.

On Christmas morning, when Lauren awoke she received
a doll’s cot with blankets which I had sewn, a Woody and
Jessie doll set and a dance mat. Barbie dresses which her
granny R had sewn for her. She was spoilt by her aunts,
uncles, grandparents and friends!
We had Christmas lunch with my family this year. My
mom catered and I decorated the table.

Old years eve we spent at home. Dean made a braai and
I made a mushroom potato bake with some salads.
We toasted the new year in at 20h00 with Appletiser, c
andles, balloons and streamers, much to L’s delight.
New Years day, Allison and Lance put on a great lunch for us.

L had a friend around to play while the moms had tea.

L’s cousins came around to play and all four had a
pleasant time together.
There was a bicycle outing to an empty parking lot .
Little cousin, Caleb, rode his bike around on the track too.
L & her girl cousins went to see Madagascar 2.
Her oldest cousin, Dale arrived back from USA & Mexico
with grandpa & granny Heath at the beginning of Jan.

Dean and I reminisced as we went for a walk along the
Orient beach and onto the pier. We tried to tell L a few
stories about when we were younger, swimming and
spending time with friends and family there.
We now spend time at Bonza Bay beach, Gonubie beach
and Nahoon beach.

One of the highlights of the holiday was the outing to
Inkwenkwezi Game Reserve to visit the elephants for
an elephant interaction. L really enjoyed it, especially
when the one elephant started spraying some water.
She was looking forward to that and it happened.

We took a walk around the neighborhood on a warm
evening and a blue duiker came running down the road
and into someone’s yard. We spent quite some time
trying to get this buck to run in the right direction, back
to the bush. Finally Dean caught it and carried it kicking
and bleating back to the bush at the bottom of Bonza Bay.
Lauren was fairly distraught and crying because the dogs
were keen to get hold of it and it was bleeding on one
hoof . It was a successful rescue and rehabilitation.
It ran quietly back into the coastal forest.

One disappointment of the holiday was that Lauren
decided to cut her hair. She chopped both sides and a
friend had to try and rescue it without chopping it all off.
She looks like she has an 80s hair cut now…. for a while,
until it grows out a bit.

The holidays were relaxing and fun with some spring
cleaning and housework in-between. It certainly could
have been longer.

Summer Holidays........

2008-12-08T09:14:00.009+02:00

On Friday night we had Christmas Carols at church and

Lauren sang with the children in front.

It was really hot on Saturday and Lauren relaxed in

the back seat on the way home from church.

Saturday afternoon, my mom, dad, Lauren and I visited

some dear old ladies that used to attend our church when

they were younger, fit and strong. Mrs Mona Pretorius

and Mrs Mona Johnson stay at Langham Old Age home.

My mom and I used to sit next to Mrs Pretorius in

church when Lauren was a few days old. She is now

95 years old. We took her a Christmas gift and spent

some time with her. Lauren was rather shy at first,

but after a while, she was chatting up a storm about

animals and pets with the dear old ladies. Various folk

from the church visit them.

On Saturday night, we visited Allison and Lance.

Dean, Lauren and Lance decided to have an evening

swim. We admired Allison’s Christmas cakes which

she completed in Icing Decorating classes.

Sunday morning, we gathered at Bryan & Terri’s house and

all the cousins had a great time swimming. The weather

was perfect this weekend and I successfully got a light tan.

Holidays begin in 4 days time!

It feels like Christmas........

2008-11-26T10:07:00.004+02:00

My new kitchen is complete and I am so happy!

Here are the before and after pictures........
After

Before

Heaths @ H.aga-H.aga Beach Resort

2008-11-18T13:37:00.005+02:00

This weekend, some of the Heath family went away to

H.aga-H.aga to stay at a holiday house. It was really

pleasant & relaxing. The children really enjoyed

themselves. Lauren was so excited to be with her

cousins everyday. They were up at 6am in the mornings.

It was great to have Grandpa & Granny Heath with us.

The food was plenty, the company fun and the house

very spacious. We spent time on the beach with the

children. Board games were played, colouring-in, egg

races, throwing & catching eggs competition, running

games, fishing, swimming, playing in rock pools,

building sand castles & lying on the sand.

A great weekend at the sea.

Keeping busy........

2008-11-11T15:43:00.003+02:00

Inbetween having kitchen renovations for 2 weeks now,
we have attended the travelling circus and kept busy
with many chores. Some of us though, have a relaxing
time most of the time!

This is not a picture of Befor.e or Afte.r, but during!

Music & musings at the bay.........

2008-10-20T16:24:00.005+02:00

On Saturday, Lauren and I went to church and later to

Pathfinders. At Pathfinders, the little kids had to run

around collecting plants and objects from nature to glue

on a piece of paper. They really enjoyed themselves.

Saturday night we sang in a Variety Concert

at the church hall. We sang the song E.e.n.s.y W.e.en.sy

Spider and H.o.w muc.h is that do.gg.y in the win.dow!

Our props were two spiders and a fluffy dog. Lauren

sang along for the spid.er song and then just barked

for the do.g song. I was fairly nervous, but it was not

supposed to be a professional show, so we did our

short little numbers and tried to look cute!

Dean left early and took Lauren home for a bath and

early to bed. She was really tired and had a full day

& night. I stayed with my parents until the end.

They had a slide show - Blast from the past..... showing

many of the older folks photos of younger days. I was

asked to submit some of my mom. This is my mom

when she was small & when she first started working

and had little me.

On Sunday morning, I met a friend for coffee at a Coffee

shop - Cafe' do Brasil, in our neighbourhood. We

had a great chat and had a lovely breakfast.

(Dean and) Lauren went for her first Spring swim at

Uncle Bryan and Aunty Terri's house with cousin Caleb

and a friend. In the afternoon Lauren spent time

playing in the garden.

I had my mom's domestic worker at home cleaning for

the day and arrived home to a nice clean house. I did

many loads of washing and had a little snooze in the late

afternoon.

It was a pleasant weekend.

Fun in the sun.......

2008-10-16T09:27:00.005+02:00

I was on leave on Friday. I had such bad sinusitis, that

I couldn't stand to be at work and I needed to do some

shopping in preparation for our new kitchen.
On Saturday, Lauren went with Dean to Cintsa as his

two brothers & families were staying at Resort for the

weekend. They had such fun in the sun.
I went to church with my mom. In the afternoon L & I

attended Pathfinders.

Saturday evening I started feeling a little better, so we

visited my brother and Allison. She is so sweet, we just

arrived for Dean to watch the rugby on d s t v and she

puts on a full spread for supper for us.

My mom has been missing Lauren terribly. We haven't

had a chance to visit for a while, SO on Sunday I said

that they should come for a braai and I made many

salads and she brought fruit salad for desert. She spent

plenty of time with L in her room and caught up on her

grand-daughter. Dean kept my dad occupied and I did

the cleaning.

I did housework for the rest of the day & night, but felt

like I had at least achieved something when I went to

sleep on Sunday night.

Monday, I was feeling MUCH better. Sinusitis gone and

all well to go to work!!!!!!

Beside the seaside............

2008-10-05T21:59:00.003+02:00

The weekend included… church, a braai on Saturday
evening with friends to celebrate a little one year olds
birthday. Lauren & Dean spending time at the beach
on Sunday morning, visiting Geoff & Rocky for
lunch – they have just moved back to EL. Yay!
Charne’ & Charlene taking the girls (Kayla, Erin,
Jenna & Lauren) to movies.
Down came the rain on Sunday night. Maybe we
are in for wet week ahead.

Charity & Home.......

2008-09-28T21:24:00.004+02:00

On Saturday night, Dean and I attended a Charity Ball

at one of the beach front hotels. I was invited by my

company to attend. The ball was to raise funds for

the h o s p i c e c a n c e r unit in EL. Lauren stayed

at gran & grandpa R's house and we fetched her

at 23h00. I interviewed a new domestic on Sunday

and had to sort out all the admin related to that.

The weather was very windy and not pleasant

at all. Let's hope better weather is on the way.

Wind & Wattles on the weekend......

2008-09-14T16:06:00.013+02:00

We travelled up to Stutterheim on Saturday morning.
Dean on his motorbike and we followed in the car.
We stayed at a friend’s B & B, called W.a.t.t.l.e C.h.o.p
just outside of town. It is very dry in-land and a fire

broke out on a nearby property on Saturday night,

but was successfully managed. We enjoyed rowing

on the little dam and Dean and Lauren made clay

figurines.

Lauren made friends with the neighbours horses

and spent plenty of time talking to them. She was

excited about sleeping on the top of a double bunk.

There were two aloof donkeys and chickens which

L was introduced to.

The weather was hot and it was terribly windy when

we left for home. When we arrived back in EL, it was

30 degrees with no wind!

Springtime soon........

2008-08-31T18:45:00.008+02:00

Winter is officially over! However, the weather doesn’t
show it. The wind was gusting and then it was raining

while the sun was shining. Dean and Lauren have a photo

every year in front of the ‘Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow’

tree in full bloom, since Lauren was a baby. Lauren’s

friend Amber (our sister-in-law Terri’s brother’s daughter)

turned 5 this weekend. Lauren and I had another photo

session with some old fashioned clothes and lipstick. Girls

mostly enjoy dressing-up and putting on a little make-up.

Our little girl could play dress-up all day. She does get a bit

tired when the photo sessions go on too long. Tomorrow is

Spring, let’s hope for good weather soon.

Show & tell on the weekend......

2008-08-25T08:46:00.004+02:00

This weekend was one of relaxing, tea with a friend and

attending a tribute to N.e.i.l D.i.a.m.o.n.d show, performed

by C.e.n.t.r.e S.t.a.g.e at the G.u.i.l.d T.h.e.a.t.r.e. My two

sister-in-laws, Terri-anne & Charne’, and I decided at the

last minute to go and our dear husbands so kindly got

together for a curry evening on Saturday night and looked

after all the children. The show was great and the performances

were very professional.

Winter sunset.........

2008-08-13T20:56:00.006+02:00

Yesterday it was 29 degrees in EL with hot dry winds,

so we decided to head to the beach after we arrived

home from work and playschool.

Winter sunsets are often dramatic. There was no wind

when the sun was setting and the river looked like glass.

Lauren enjoyed the time running on the sand and

putting her feet in the shallow waves.

My Birthday.......

2008-08-03T20:39:00.010+02:00

Today was my special day. Lauren was sick last night,

so we had a difficult time with her and a high temperature

all night. I was feeling a little old when I woke up this

morning. Dean and Lauren gave me Noa perfume with

a delicious nougat.

I had my parents, gran, brother and Allison around for

tea and cake this afternoon. I had planned a garden

tea party, but the weather was sunny with a sneaky

cool breeze. So we rather sat inside on this winters

day.

I received plenty of messages and phone calls & felt

really special.

In touch with nature.............

2008-07-28T09:43:00.004+02:00

On Friday afternoon Dean and Lauren went to see the Ballet
- The Ugly Duckling at the Guild Theatre. It was a lovely
performance and L really enjoyed it.

Granny & Grandpa R were baby-sitting on Saturday night,
while Dean and I attended a games evening with some friends.

Sunday, Lauren and I joined my colleague and friend, Mindanao
to visit the EL zoo. Lauren always enjoys visiting the zoo. This
time we tried to see the Zoo’s Big 4…. Giraffe, Lions, Monkeys
and we skipped the Bears. It can take hours to see everything.
In the afternoon, Dean and Lauren went to the shopping centre’s
quiet parking-lot, so L could practice riding her bike. I tried to
complete the painting in Lauren’s room, where the new aluminum
window was installed.
Late afternoon, I took some photos of Lauren in the garden

and edited them to look Vintage style.

Wanderings on the weekend.....

2008-07-21T13:57:00.007+02:00

I took leave on Friday and participated in Lauren's playschool
Big walk and Sports Day in the morning. The weather was cold
and the grass was slightly wet. The little ones were partly
competing and also learning how-to at the same time. I won
in the moms race. Cupcakes and juice were served at the end
of the the event.

I delivered L back to school and joined a long time friend, Dee,
at a new coffee shop in EL called Salad daze. It is decorated
all in pink and white with pink roses everywhere. Really
pretty and quaint with delightful, delicious lemon
meringue!

Saturday, L and I attended an enjoyable service at church
and Pathfinders in the afternoon. Dean's brother Bryan
was having plenty of folk around to his house for a sheep
spit braai. Brother Geoff & Nigel attended from PE & Jhb.
The children had a fun time playing games and running
around in the garden at night.

Sunday was another celebration get-together. My mom
& Lance had a birthday on 17 July and Allison on 7 July.
My mom made a mutton roast with roast potato and veg.
Allison made scrumptious strawberry cheesecake.
It was a warm winters day and rather pleasant to sit outside
in the sun. Lauren found a ladybird and inspected the
blossoms on the peach tree.

In the wild....

2008-07-14T15:31:00.002+02:00

I attended a weekend get-away with MBSA Secretaries,

hosted by our in-house Travel Agents. We left EL and

stopped over for lunch at the Halyards Hotel in Port Alfred.

We travelled to Bushman Sands, booked into our rooms and
got back into the Vito vans and headed for Lalibela Game

Reserve, where we went on a 3 hour game drive until 19h00,

when supper was served in the main Lapa. They decorated

our faces with Xhosa markings and there was some
Xhosa cuisine and then the Xhosa traditional dances

entertained us. Everyone had the opportunity of drumming

along to the songs and performances.
The weather was freezing, so gloves, scarves and woollen

hats had to be worn.
The weekend was relaxing and enjoyable.

Winter warmers........

2008-06-30T08:46:00.004+02:00

The weekend was really cold, but we had some quality time

with family and friends. We visited my parents, visited

my brother & sister-in-law, attended a birthday party,

cleaned house, made a fire in the lounge to keep warm.

Did loads of washing and put some clothes and toys together

to be donated.

I call this a snow tree... when i look out the bathroom window,

I see this tree that looks like snow has fallen and just remained

on its leaves.

Our little Ladybird........

2008-06-23T10:11:00.002+02:00

After a few busy weeks & weekends, I was taking it really easy this weekend. I tried to relax and catch up on sleep. Lauren and I went shopping around midday. Dean went to chop down a tree at his brother's house. After returning from our outing, Lauren buzzed around the yard in her new ladybird outfit which was purchased for her to wear to an upcoming birthday party. Later L & I had a snooze late afternoon.

Love Cape Town!

2008-06-22T22:39:00.006+02:00

I arrived in Cape Town on Tuesday afternoon. 3 other ladies from MBSA and myself attended a Secretaries & PAs conference at the Cape Sun Southern Sun Hotel. We stayed at the Rosedene Guest house - Upper Kloof. We had a taxi arranged for transport everyday. On Tuesday night we walked to Bacini's Italian Restaurant for supper. On Wednesday and Thursday nights we spent the evening at Canal Walk - Century City. On Friday, after the course ended, we ran around the CBD in the rain looking for a bank for one lady and then shopping for me. The people are so friendly(most) and I always have a great time in CT.

Wedding, friends & family..

2008-06-16T21:24:00.008+02:00

This weekend we attended Moira & Andrew Cloete's wedding

in Maclear.

Today Lauren & her cousins went to feed ducks at the

Fig Tree golf course in Gonubie.

Life in (South) Africa....

2008-06-09T11:58:00.005+02:00

This weekend Lauren attended a birthday party at the EL Zoo

on Sunday. It was cold, raining and miserable with glimpses of

a bit of sunshine every now and then. Everyone dressed in their

winter woollies and braved the cold to celebrate with the birthday

girl and boy. The old giraffe was his usual entertaining self, with

his slimy tongue and greedy appetite. The train ride was a hoot

for 2 speedy rounds and then the track got wet and the engine

driver had to push the train and coaches with passengers back

to the station in the rain near the end. (I was not on the train,

so it was not too difficult for him)
Although the weather was grim, the children still had fun with

games, jumping castle and all the rest.

Dean : M O Z A M B I Q U E......

Dean went on a short holiday with his dad and step-mom

and her two relatives. They travelled by car to Mozambique

to the Xai Xai Beach Resort.[Malaria area] On the way home

they went via the Kruger National Park.

Princess Lauren.........

2008-05-25T21:48:00.009+02:00

After months, weeks and hours of preparation, it was
finally Lauren's Princess & Pirate party today.
The weather was beautiful and all the children
had a fun time.

Happy Birthday Lauren

2008-05-21T21:42:00.004+02:00

Lauren turned 5 years old today. She attended Playschool

and had a little party with her school friends. She received

a Barbie Princess Belle and 'Barbie' furniture from her

mom and dad. Her gift from Granny & Grandpa Rowan

is a 'Barbie' horse and pink boots.

She had a fun day and felt really special.

Mothers Day & all............

2008-05-11T20:58:00.012+02:00

The weekend included........ church, Dean arriving back
from his monthly meeting in P.E., Pathfinders, a dance at
the George Randall Primary school hall, gifts in bed,
shopping, birthday party for a child from Lauren's school
at Amalinda Nursery and Mothers Day visits.
Not too much time was spent at home, so I have to do a
lot of catching up on housework.

It was the first dance Lauren has attended. She insisted
on dressing up as a 'ballerina'. She was expecting Princesses
in ball gowns and a beautiful reception area. I think she
was somewhat surprised at the reality of it all. But she
was most impressed with the way everyone danced the
two-step. The dance was in aid of fund-raising for the
NG kerk. A colleague of mine, Mark and his wife Anthea
joined us. My mom and dad also enjoyed the evening
together with us.

Lauren had so much fun at Xolisa's birthday party at
Amalinda Nursery. There was a jumping castle, bunnies,
horse rides, playground with jungle gyms etc.

Before & After......

2008-05-08T09:28:00.003+02:00

I mentioned that I was doing a bit of a home make-over.

This is the upstairs lounge re-modelled.

I also did a bit of a make-over on my hair.

Not sure if you can spot the difference? I added two

colours to lighten the shade.

April showers & May days.....

2008-05-06T21:45:00.005+02:00

One week of holiday and there is no exciting news to tell.

I was sick for the most part. I left work sick on the previous

Wednesday and felt bilious for about 6 days and only started

feeling better half way through the second week. I then

tackled the party preparations AGAIN and completed the

invitations. I also changed some furniture around in the

house. I bought some new office equipment and re-arranged

my home office, when I received my new bookshelf-cabinet

I had designed and ordered. I asked Dean to remove 3

bookshelves from the upstairs lounge and bought a new

chair for there. [Less dust and more seating is best, I think]

We visited the annual EL Agricultural show that takes place at

the Gonubie show grounds. My mom, dad, Lauren and myself

joined Lance and Allison (and Allison’s family – mom Jenny,

AND her sister Verity, husband Danny and kids - visiting here

from France). Lauren and Charlie enjoyed the fun rides.

We looked around at the crafts and displays and Lauren

enjoyed seeing all the farm animals of course. Lance lifted

her up to see the white horse and it neighed right in her face.

We all got such a fright!

Lauren and I spent a few hours at Strawberry field during

the week. Dean went fishing and I sat reading magazines

while Lauren made friends with all and sundry at the

playground. We went shopping at Vincent Park Centre too

and had lunch at the Wimpy.

So I spent plenty of time filing, sorting, shopping and doing

a house make-over, but very little time on leisure. I still

have a very long list of plans, chores and sorting-out to do.

Maybe there will be time for a holiday in July?

Rain rain go away, it's Caleb's 1st birthday

2008-04-21T09:38:00.005+02:00

This weekend, we had some rain and then some more rain.
It became really cold and then we were 'fast-forwarded' into
winter.

On Sunday, 20 April, Caleb turned 1 year old. Mom Terri
and Dad Bryan had the family and some friends around
for a little party.

Thunderstorms @nd surfing.......

2008-04-14T14:09:00.005+02:00

This weekend I hit the ground running. According to my

standards, I achieved so much in such a short time. I

collected my new laptop on Friday afternoon and stopped

at a few shops on the way home as well. I did a load of

washing and hung it on the balcony.
I set up my new computer, made supper, fed and bathed
L and headed back to working on the Bluetooth and

internet connection. Dean got Lauren ready for bed and

read her a story as per usual. I experimented a bit on the

Photo-paintshop programme/software and then called it

a night at about 11pm.

Next morning I headed for church and Dean and Lauren went
to visit Grandpa & Granny Heath. Dean took some plants for
his dad’s garden. We were all back at the house for lunch time.
At 3pm Lauren and I attended Pathfinders until 4pm.
On Saturday night Lauren watched a DVD and after supper
I struggled with the Internet connection again and with
Vodacom~s support it all worked out fine. I now use my
cell phone as a modem. I am slowly reading the PhotoPaintshop
manual for bedtime reading and hope to master that soon.

Sunday morning I headed for the shops to purchase more

goodies for Lauren’s party. Dean and Lauren visited Craig &

Charne’ for L to spend some time with her triplet cousins.

The party list does seem to go on and on, but I am gathering

and purchasing all the time.. when I get time and when I get

to certain shops. This is some of the Princess & Pirate party

shopping list: Cup cake holders, Jelly, Sweets, crowns, eye

patches, suckers, fizzers, chips, juice, bottles of bubbles,

bangles, gold money chocs, fish, hair clips, lipstick,

marshmallow fish, jelly tots, liquorice all-sorts, etc.
[It is not one-stop-shopping! - it is non-stop shopping till

end of May (25th)]

It was overcast most of the weekend and the thunder rolled

over and over, but only on Sunday afternoon after some warm
sun and humidity, did it pour down. It was a “Monkey’s

wedding” for a while. Lauren had left some toys on the balcony,

so she ‘rushed’ to get them.

Monday morning we woke to Lauren moaning non-stop that

she had a sore tummy. The Calpol and a hot water bottle

followed with some bad encounters with the toilet after that.

My mom is fortunately at home after a procedure at the X-ray

department, so granny and grand-daughter are 'taking it easy'

on the bed this morning.

Blowing in the wind.............

2008-04-07T11:55:00.008+02:00

I was on leave on Friday to spend the day doing business
around town. I got a quote for a new Laptop for home. I met
two Roof sealant companies at our church, so I can get quotes
for repairs to the church’s leaking roof. I bought some more
goodies for Lauren’s birthday party and did some grocery
shopping. I collected Lauren from Playschool early and we
hired two DVDs to watch for the rest of the afternoon.
Dean was away in Port Elizabeth on business.

Next morning, we attended church and after lunch a friend
and her two children came around for a visit. It was a pleasant
afternoon and the children had fun socialising and playing games.

On Sunday, we attended a braai, a former colleague who lives
in Gonubie. There were a few colleagues from work with their
wives and children. So Lauren had another day of socialising
and also getting to know new faces.

After our outing to Gonubie, we went for a walk along the
Nahoon river at the lower Abbotsford causeway. Lauren
and Dean spent some time looking for and catching crabs.
The wind started blowing really hard and by the time we
arrived home, it was blowing serious gale force winds.

________________________________________

Game, Set and Match.......

For many years I have been playing tennis with 3 friends
from work. I have worked with them for 18 years now and
they are very special to me. We have such fun on the tennis
court......joking, fuming and playing a great game of tennis.
We have our good days and bad days, but it is always worth
the time spent on the court. Thanks to Dee Bowker, Nettie Birch
and Sharon van Wyk for all the good times and hope there are
many more great times ahead.

___________________________________

Lauren looking more like her father everyday!

Autumn days are here.......

2008-03-31T11:21:00.005+02:00

The weekend included church, Pathfinders, a visit to my

brother and sister-in-law (L & A) to meet with a mutual friend.

Sunday morning we visited Amalinda Nursery and 'touch-farm'.

They had a few cute bunnies. Lauren enjoyed some time on the

children's playground.

We visited Shoprite Amalinda on the way home and bought

a few cheap toys for Lauren.... Princess shoes and hair clips

etc. We then visited the Wimpy at Vincent park centre for

lunch. The rest of the afternoon, we relaxed at home and

some of us even had a sleep.

Easter Weekend..........

2008-03-26T09:45:00.011+02:00

Over the Easter weekend, I painted 2 paintings on canvas.
I then painted the upstairs bathroom which was less glamorous
and lots of hard work. I think I have previously mentioned that
I had the upstairs bathroom renovated with new taps and a new
cupboard. My dear husband still cannot understand why, but
I know all the females out there will understand. I did plenty
of spring cleaning again too.

When I painted, Lauren wanted to paint. When I was tidying
up, Lauren ran away! We took Lauren to an empty spacious
parking-lot to practice riding her bike.

On Monday morning Lauren had her sweet hunt (as she is
allergic to chocolate) in the garden. All her fluffy toys and some
new ones were hiding in the trees and bushes holding some sweets.

At some stage during the weekend, Lauren and Dean climbed the
huge sand dune at the bottom of our road to reach the beacon on
top…. The Beacon bay beacon.

Dean and Lauren went to the beach on Monday afternoon
as the weather was surprisingly so good this weekend.
I achieved so much, but woke feeling very tired on Tuesday morning.

Dean’s brother Geoff had his 35th birthday gathering at the Buffs
Club in EL, the weekend Dean was away at the bike rally. Lauren was
talking to Dean on the phone when the photo was taken.

Dean on the way to the bike rally in Aliwal North. It seems that
Dean has discovered that the Bike Rally thing is not his 'cup of tea'.
He enjoyed the long rides on quiet dusty gravel roads.

Happy Easter

2008-03-19T10:27:00.004+02:00

Today Lauren had an Easter Parade and Easter Tea party

at Playschool. Parents had to send their children to school

with an Easter bonnet or hat.

Here are some photos before she left for Playschool this morning.

Wishing all of you a Happy Easter time.

Interviews & goodbyes

2008-03-07T14:32:00.006+02:00

Dean, myself and Lauren attended an interview at Clarendon

Preparatory school with the Principal. We were given a tour

of the school and sat in the Principals office for the interview.

Lauren has been accepted for Grade 0 for 2009. After the

interview, the Principal took Lauren to see her cousins in

their Grade 1 classrooms.

My white Dutch Frill canary died (of old age) after 14 years in my care. His name was Prince. Lauren and I had a little funeral for him and buried him in a special place in the garden.

Falls, bumper-cars & activities

2008-02-27T09:41:00.006+02:00

Granny R collected Lauren from school on Friday and I fetched her from them after 17h00 and went to Vincent Park Centre for a bit of shopping. While we were there, we saw a few things in CNA which we will need for L’s birthday party in a few months time. We left after visiting Woolworths for some healthy, tasty goodies.

Saturday, we went to church. Lauren has progressed from Cradle Roll class (in January) to attend the Kindergarten class which she goes to on her own. We had some friends around for tea in the afternoon. Saturday night we watched a bit of TV and went to sleep early. On Sunday morning, I loaded the washing machine, when ready hung it up on the line and we just got into the car to head to Game to look at Treadmills, when there was a downpour. I reversed, dashed to the wash-line, loaded all the sheets and washing into the car and drove off. Lauren pushed her doll around Game in its pram, attracting a lot of comments and attention. After that, we popped into Spar-Spargs and she drove around in the Car-trolley….opening the door wildly as we go down the aisles!. Hope she improves her driving skills before 18yrs. I kept on bumping into things with this huge car, which I am not used to pushing….it was hilarious…. One is as bad as the other! When we arrived home it was so hot and the humidity was probably 92percent, so I hung up all the washing again. – smile -. That’s February in EL. Weather forecast of 60% rain for 4 days and only 1 downpour and then really hot the next minute.

Dean returned home from Zambia on Sunday night. He has been away on a business conference at Victoria falls since Thursday. He brought home a few gifts for Lauren and I.

This week we have an interview with Clarendon School. Mom, dad and daughter have to attend the interview. They have invited us for the appointment in reply to the application to the school, for Lauren to start Grade 0 in 2009.

(I have taken so many photos of Lauren in car trolley, but my bluetooth isn't working on my

laptop, so will post later)

Walking, Running, Chilling......

2008-02-18T14:33:00.004+02:00

The weather on the weekend was overcast most of the time with a bit of drizzle on and off. My brother ran the famous EL ‘Surfers marathon’ for the first time and enjoyed the run, coming in at 2 hrs 8 minutes. Me, Lauren, my mom and dad(who cannot see due to a stroke) took a walk from my house to Bonza Bay Beach to support my brother running past. Lauren was jumping up and down with excitement. It took us a while to get there, but it was such fun seeing all the runners and walkers going past to finish at Nahoon beach.

Sunday, Dean treated us to lunch at the Wimpy and then we went to visit Craig and Charne’ and family. Lauren had a wonderful time running and chasing with her cousins. The sun peeked through on Sunday afternoon and it was sssssoooooo HOT. Lauren enjoyed some time cooling off in her baby swimming pool.

Happy Valentines Day!

2008-02-14T09:18:00.009+02:00

Yes, I believe in Love Day!

Roses are Red, Violets are blue

It's Valentines Day, so I am wishing

all of YOU... some hugs, kisses and a

love so true.

Wedding Anniversary

2008-01-30T08:51:00.000+02:00

Today is our Wedding Anniversary. We have been married for 9 years.
We are going to my favourite restaurant tonight (Grazias on the beach front)
Lauren always goes with for our celebration dinner. We love it that way.
I tried on my wedding dress…. didn’t fit to well, but Lauren wanted to dress
up too and look ‘beautiful’, so here we are in our outfits! Lauren used my
my train as a veil.

Birthday Celebrations!

2008-01-28T03:22:00.000+02:00

It is my dad's (Stan) birthday today. Yippee - tea and cake at the parents house tonight!

In Memory - Fenella Heath

2008-01-25T09:50:00.000+02:00

Our dear mother, mom-in-law and granny died a year ago today.
She is really missed and talked about often. Special occasions are not the same without her. We miss her voice, her advice, but most of all, her care and concern for her family. It makes one really sad that her grandchildren will grow older and not have their gran Heath around. Each home has a photo of her and a special something that she has made or owned that reminds us of her everyday.

Work and Home

2008-01-24T11:19:00.000+02:00

Our house, in the middle of the street, our house…….well, as most of you know we stay in Bonza Bay in a double-story Hansel and Gretel looking house. I took some photos yesterday (a before pic), as we are going to be doing a few changes to the window frames and tiling the front patio this year. We are in the process of replacing guttering/rain pipes which will lead into a water tank – already in place on the side of the house. Our street is quite narrow and the area is quiet and has lots of trees. Pay us a visit when you are in the neighbourhood.

My work…….This is one side of the MB Plant. This is the view from my manager’s office. Because he is the Plant manager, he gets to ‘oversee’ the production areas and get a glimpse of the sea. I have to order furniture this year for some balcony meetings. I am dressed casually, as photo was taken on Friday – Friday is casual day at most places of work in EL and surrounds.

Sunset at Bonza Bay

2008-01-18T09:33:00.000+02:00

Because we live 3 minutes walk away from the beach, we don't miss out on any opportunity to enjoy good weather. The weather in EL yesterday was perfect, sunshine with a light breeze and not too hot with overcast conditions in the late afternoon and the sea water was luke-warm.

Wedding Bells......

2008-01-16T02:34:00.000+02:00

My cousin, Tyrone was recently married to Jo-anne in Nelspruit.

My parents and grand-mother attended their special occasion.

(Tyrone Stidworthy is my dad's sister's youngest son ; )

Family, Fun in the sun & First day

2008-01-14T02:30:00.000+02:00

All the Heath cousins were together this weekend. Nigel and Elmarie are visiting from Johannesburg. Dale, Kayla, Erin, Jenna, Lauren, Hannah & Caleb.

Lauren attended a friend, Grace’s pool party. It was Lauren’s first day back at Playschool this morning. Hope she keeps up the keen attitude. Next year it is either Clarendon Prep or Hudson Park school for Grade 0.

New Year 2008

2008-01-07T01:38:00.000+02:00

Happy New Year everyone! We spent Christmas day with the Heaths this year and for Old years eve, it was the 3 of us at home with a quiet supper and majority of us went to sleep by 10pm. During the holidays we went to the beach, shopping, meals at some restaurants, visiting family and friends and going to Strawberry Field. I did some spring cleaning and tried to keep up with the housework everyday! It was not a very exciting holiday for me....Next year we should go away maybe….I think.

(Some photos: Latimers Landing – lunch at Ballyhoo restaurant, Cousins at Christmas lunch, Lauren dressing up with cousins at Craig & Charne’s house)

Happy Christmas to all our friends and family!

2007-12-20T01:47:00.000+02:00

(I will be on leave from work 21 December '07 and back 7 January '08)

It was my Gran Rowan's 84th birthday yesterday. We gathered for tea and cake at my parents home in the evening.

Merry Merry Merry........Shopping shopping shopping....

2007-12-18T11:44:00.000+02:00

I have been shopping for 3 days (Friday – PE, Sunday & Monday – EL) I have finally completed all my Christmas shopping! I can’t say I didn’t have fun. I actually enjoyed it. I think what made it kind of pleasant, was that I had a list and knew exactly what I was looking for. Roaming around endlessly, trying to see something ‘NICE’, doesn’t work for me. Lauren stayed with Granny and Grandpa when we were away in PE. On Sunday, Lauren and Dean spent the day together, playing with cousins and seeing ½ a movie and visiting folk, while I shopped at Beacon Bay Retail Park.

On Monday, Lauren and I set out at 11h30..... to see the Bee Movie and do a bit of shopping before and after at Vincent Park. We bought tickets for the 14h30 show when we arrived and then went shopping. The poor child probably had blisters on her feet by the time we actually got to sitting in the movie. We each had a Shamrock steak pie for lunch sitting on a bench and ran around the shopping centre a bit more. Finally at 14h25 we arrived at Ster Kinnekor and bought some popcorn and fanta. The place was packed, but we really enjoyed the little bee story. After some tears were wiped away and I promised her some nice goodies and a ride in the trolley, we then went to Woolworths for a few more things. On the way home, we stopped at a few shops in the neighbourhood and returned at 18h00 last night. Dean was making a fire for a little braai for supper. Yeah! We were so tired. Our(MY) feet were so sore. After our tasty supper and all, we dropped into bed.

Christmas season Weekends........

2007-12-10T11:09:00.000+02:00

As it goes, little children cannot leave the Christmas tree alone and our daughter is no exception. She hovers around the Christmas tree and tries to re-decorate it every now and then. She has even been so bold as to open one present given to her that was lying under the tree…. So that has been confiscated, re-wrapped and hidden!

Last week Lauren received her silver medal for Dance classes. Being her first medal and all, she really doesn’t see the significance of such awards!?.....and here’s Mom and dad and all, showering her with praises and congratulating her on her achievement.

Lauren with Father Christmas who visited the school on Friday!

We attended a wedding ceremony in our church on Sunday. Lauren just loves seeing brides and Princess dresses, so she was delighted to attend. The happy couple are Caryn Barlow and Darin Bradfield, married by visiting Rev. M Webb.

Lauren on her way out with her dad to visit her cousins and pop in at the shop.

Happy Birthday to Terri-anne for today!

Concert and Christmas Party

2007-12-07T10:39:00.000+02:00

Lauren had a festive week with the Playschool concert performance on Wednesday at Beaconhurst school. Lauren was an ant and a chicken in the play.

Father Christmas visited the Playschool on Friday morning and (all parents sent presents before hand) gave the children a small Christmas present. Sweets and treats were then enjoyed by all. (.....photos to follow)

Lights, no camera, action.........

2007-12-03T10:04:00.000+02:00

We had really good weather for swimming and outdoor activities this weekend.
Lauren and I visited her principal and 2 daughters and Lauren enjoyed the afternoon swimming. Dean, Lauren and I were also invited to friends, Sherene and Bryan for lunch and Lauren spent another afternoon swimming with her friend Rachel. After an active weekend, Lauren still had enough energy to help set up the Christmas tree last night. The Heath’s tree is up and on time this year!

Pizzas & Parties..........

2007-11-30T00:59:00.000+02:00

On Wednesday I attended our Travel Agents End of year function at the Shanghai Chinese Restaurant. I won first prize for the best dressed.

On Thursday night Dean treated the family to "eat as much as you like" pizza evening to celebrate his birthday (which was Monday). Thursday evenings they have the Pizza special offer.

Bring on the holidays!.....

2007-11-26T11:41:00.000+02:00

Summer is here and there is certainly a holiday feeling in the air. When the sun rose this morning on a warm day, work was the last thing on our minds. It is Dean’s 45th birthday.
He was greeted by his daughter who was still half asleep and cuddled in next to him

On display are some of Dean’s favourite things: Nahoon Beach, Tree orchids, U2, Motorbikes, nature, paddle skiing, sport & Lauren (+ his family)

On the weekend, we attended Caleb’s dedication at the Victoria Methodist church on Sunday morning. We also enjoyed a tea afterwards at Bryan and Terri’s house. Lauren and cousins jumped in the pool for a splash. Lauren is slowly becoming more confident with practising how to swim.

At home on Sunday afternoon, Lauren and I went our separate ways to watch 2 DVDs that we hired. She went upstairs to watch “Barbie, The Island Princess” and I watched “The Holiday” downstairs. Dean went walking the earth (beach) with friend Ian.

Charne’ and Craig went to an End of year work function on Saturday night and the theme was the Oscars evening. Everyone dressed in really grand outfits and had a fabulous evening.

Dad Heath and Helen (& Helen’s oldest grandson) have headed by road to Zimbabwe. They are going to enjoy their time-share holiday at Victoria Falls for a week.

Pink, Princesses, Pony, Party.........

2007-11-19T11:58:00.000+02:00

Friday night we stayed at home and Dean and Ian went visiting an old friend – Keith.

In the morning, Lauren and I attended church and Dean visited Bryan and Terri and spent the day around the pool. I took some photos of Lauren in the garden when we came home from church.(lovely weather) We had friends (Johann and Debbie) around to visit for a braai on Saturday night.

Sunday morning we attended Cara’s birthday party. (Colleen Reynders’ grand-daughter) She turned 2 yrs old and they had a pony there too. Lauren was so thrilled. In the afternoon we visited Sherene and Rachel. Dean went to Nahoon beach in the morning and in the afternoon with Ian and Reg to Sunrise-on-sea. We had a good chicken stew for supper and went to sleep early – that’s our weekend!

Happy Birthday to Charne' Heath for today!

Happy Birthday

2007-11-14T09:19:00.000+02:00

Happy Birthday to Hannah Heath. Hannah turns 1 years old today!Nigel(Dean's youngest brother) and Elmarie live in Johannesburg, so we are sending lots of hugs and kisses over cyberspace for our sweet little niece.

Fun in the Sun......

2007-11-12T13:18:00.000+02:00

Lauren had some fun in the sun with her cousins on the weekend. All the children braved the cool pool water and windy weather. The air temperature was 26 oC.

Town is getting a little busy and 'Christmas shopping days' have begun. There are 49 days until the end of the year! Lauren enjoys looking at all the decorations for sale and displayed in the shops. She seems to be excited about the run-up and preparations to Christmas too - I suppose most children are.

Bikes, Games, Family & Spring cleaning in November

2007-11-06T10:47:00.000+02:00

Lauren and I actually woke up early and got to church on time, for a change. She was dressed in a winter dress, because when I looked out the window it was overcast and when I stuck my finger out, it seemed like a cool breeze. Well, with all the children in the Cradle-roll classroom, it was fairly warm with some humid weather outside – typical, EL has 4 seasons in 1 day. When everyone kneels to pray, I seem to battle to get Lauren to kneel. This week she was sitting next to a little girl half her age, so she was going to show her how it is done. Lauren’s friend Kayla was the special birthday girl of the day and she turned 4 and blew out candles. Granny and grandpa R arrived for big church, as granny R did not have to nurse this weekend. During the sermon, after the children’s story, Lauren coloured in and sat quietly making faces at the Elder (Uncle Pat) behind us.

Dean travelled back from Port Elizabeth and when we arrived home from church there was a BIG SURPRISE waiting for Lauren. Lauren received a 2 wheeler bicycle from Dean’s friend – Brian P. She was really keen to hop on and get going immediately. So for the rest of the afternoon Lauren and Dean were busy with the bike. When we were young, my brother and I received second-hand bikes, which were in good condition and really sturdy. The bikes lasted for years and we rode those bikes EVERYDAY. We went riding for ‘miles’ and sometimes came home at sunset. The exercise we got was something else and the exciting characters we re-enacted from TV were such fun. I am hoping Lauren will be just as enthusiastic about riding her sturdy bike. Brian said it comes from Germany. A colleague of his returned home to Germany and gave it to Brian for his daughters some years back.

Saturday night, we headed for Hemingways Casino and Entertainment complex. Lauren enjoyed travelling in the shuttle bus. (They are building a mall next to the casino and have a parking lot further away with shuttles running 24/7) We had supper at Panarottis: Dean = pizza, Lauren = chicken drumsticks & chips, Charlene = roasted veg on spaghetti – Yum!
After supper, Lauren and I headed for the Children’s game area and Dean decided to have a bi-annual ‘look’ at the machines. There was much noise and chaos (which is absolutely normal) in the Games room. Lauren rode on her favourite horse and elephant and then tried netball, jumping on flashing lights, riding a motorbike at high speed, shooting cowboys, racing F1 cars and shooting ducks. – Oh how enriching for a child of 4yrs! Believe me, I gave her about 2 minutes at anything I thought was just over the top! Dean arrived back shortly, looking somewhat unimpressed, as the regular gamblers hog the machines, go and have a chat somewhere and those just popping in for a few turns, don’t stand a chance. So we had our night out at the amusement centre.

We visited my parents and had a Sunday roast for lunch – very good. Lance and Allison were there too. Dean says that his late mom’s cooking was really the best and now my mom is a runner-up. He claims I give him watery veg and tasteless pasta. If he lives to be a healthy old man, he will have to thank me for all the healthy food I cook without spices, MSG, fat and frying! I cook with olive oil & sea salt and we have veggies every night. I also have to cater for madam Lauren and that is not easy, as she is allergic (eczema) to egg white, margarine, sunflower oil, all dairy, colourants & spices. Lauren eats all her food and I make sure it is nutritious as her menu is fairly limited.

Sunday afternoon, we visited Bryan, Terri & Caleb - much to Lauren’s delight. She hugs and squeezes and hugs and squeezes and pays so much attention to the dear child. I think he gets quite flustered with her around. He is smiling and interacting – they grow so quickly.

Well, when we were not out and about this weekend, I started Spring cleaning. Lauren’s room was first! She was very worried because I started sorting and throwing out broken and old toys. But she has plenty more!.... so our domestic worker has a big packet of toys to take home to her grand-child. Eventually Lauren came with suggestions about toys to give to Elizabeth’s child – not sure if she was being sarcastic, because she thought I had got rid of too much? She was very happy to go to sleep with mom still titivating in her room. By midnight on Sunday, Lauren’s room was sorted. Now for the rest of the house!!

Who's Who at Work...........

2007-11-01T12:55:00.000+02:00

More about the Hospice Charity Ball evening ……….
This is the DCSA Manufacturing team – Top line Management at the East London Plant with the Manufacturing Operations Manager’s Personal assistant – me.
(My manager is behind me to the left of the picture.)

Then we have Allison (my Brother Lance’s wife) who works for the SA Revenue Service.
She is one the HR Managers for the Eastern Cape region. On Friday, she was among one of the chosen ones for suggesting new improvements to the HR procedures, rewarded by attending a session of Parliament and met Trevor Manual – Member of Parliament for Finance.
The photo is of the group of SARS employees standing on the steps of Parliament building with Trevor. Below: Alli - Speaker of the house - in the old Chamber room.

Whale of a time on the weekend..........

2007-10-29T13:35:00.000+02:00

Lauren packed her bags and headed for Lance and Allison on Saturday afternoon. She was very excited and had a ball staying over at their house. She watched DVDs, played games and had her favourite sausage and chips for supper and went to church with L & A on Sunday morning. Apparently our child was as good as Gold!

I slept until 10h00 on Sunday morning. Dean and I attended our ‘annual formal outing' on Saturday night. We were invited by my Manager, along with all the managers that report to him, to attend the Hospice Charity – Night of the Stars – Ball, at the Regent Hotel. The band 'Centre Stage' performed and they were excellent performers. It was a very enjoyable evening. We left the function at 12:15.

Lauren and Dean attended a Marine Day at the East London Harbour.

Craig, Charne’, Dale, Erin, Jenna & Kayla went away for a stunning weekend to Haga Haga.

South African Team - Rugby World Cup Champions!

2007-10-22T10:07:00.000+02:00

South Africa has been rugby crazy, because our team made it to the final!
Many wore rugby jerseys or green outfits to support our Springbok Team all weekend. Everywhere, the vibe was geared for the big match on Saturday night.
Extra rolls were baked at the Spar shops and butchers stocked up on biltong and boerewors. Gatherings were organised and arrangements were made for this exciting sporting event.

Most folk were very tense at the beginning of the game. I am sure all felt it would not be a walk-over like the last match.

We gathered at Craig & Charne’s house with the Heath family. We had the good old SA braai and then waited for the match to start. It was nail-biting stuff all the way and a huge relief that our team came out tops.

Photos include:
Lauren in her green supporters T-shirt.
I joined the group at work for a photo of some DaimlerChrysler staff supporters.

Dean, Charlene & Lauren excited about the game.

Charne' & Dale cheering the bokke.

Caleb getting into the vibe.

To all our friends, family and fans, please leave a comment and tell us where you watched the rugby and what you felt/feel?

Why we love South Africa……….

2007-10-15T11:32:00.000+02:00

Sometimes living in South Africa can be somewhat stressful, but when you remind yourself of all the enjoyable things, you have this real heart-warming feeling.

This is my list of things we love about South Africa:

- The beauty of the land
- World class rugby players - Springboks (Fourie du Preez – my hero)
- Animal pictures on Beacon suckers
- Biltong (Woolworths)
- Koeksisters
- Friesland ice-creams (EL ice-cream shop)
- Shamrock pies
- Boere musiek
- Colourful people
- Mild climate / Good weather 80%
- Braais
- Great Cricket players - Proteas
- Wild life
- Wonderful beaches
- Large pineapples
- Brick houses
- Baobab trees
- Johnny Cleggs music
- Mealie pap, corn on the cob
- Diamonds
- Samp and Beans
- Colourful houses
- Beautiful birds – (blue crane)
- Dances at a local school hall
- Dolloses protecting shore line from huge waves
- Bead work & amazing arts & crafts
- Beautiful flowers (Protea)
- Metal Windmills
- Delicious grape juice
- Buttermilk rusks
- Two step dance (sokkie)
- Local soaps on TV (7de Laan)
- Zulu dances
- Mandoza
- PEP stores
- Fantastic holiday destinations
- My family

Weak on the weekend..........

2007-10-08T20:39:00.000+02:00

Lauren was admitted to St Dominics hospital on Thursday morning.

She came home on Wednesday night with a persistent dry cough. I gave her cough mixture and she(we) had a really bad night, she also started vomiting. She insisted on going to Playschool on Thursday morning and I gave her some Calpol to assist with the “feeling-better-process”. She did not have a temperature. At 9h30, the Playschool principal phoned to say Lauren had been vomiting and could not eat her breakfast and is feeling tired and miserable. I collected her from Playschool and took her to see our GP. I gave her some juice. When we were in the Waiting room, Lauren vomited again. When we got to seeing our Doctor, I carried her and put her straight onto the examination bed, as she was so weak, she could not sit up. The Doctor took one look at her and said I must go straight to the Paediatrician and that she thinks Lauren should go to hospital. I phoned Dean to meet me at the Paediatricians’ rooms and it was confirmed that she needed to go to hospital. She was admitted to hospital and put straight on a drip. She had blood tests and X-rays were done. The Paediatrician then visited and checked the results of all the tests and diagnosed the beginning of pneumonia and bronchial infection. She stayed in hospital overnight and then started with a runny tummy. Dean slept stayed overnight on the pull-out chair-bed. I had to go back and forwards and stay late into the night to nurse her and cater for her every need and moan. I stayed until 22h30 and was back at 8h00. Dean is Lauren’s emotional/entertainment support and I am the physical/emotional support. The nursing staff assist, but it is the little things that need to be done that the nursing staff would take a while to get around to. (like being right there when she vomits, washing her down after toilet routine and giving her water every 5 minutes to get her fluids up, also wiping her down for hours with a cold face cloth to get her temperature down, changing her into new PJs after mishaps, stopping her from pulling out the drip accidentally, feeding her baby porridge from home, comforting her when she cries) Maybe it would be done, but the procedure would be a much lengthier one and they have so many children in the ward to assist with. Her temperature remained at 38 on Thursday night, so the doctor thought to prolong her stay. Dean stayed another night in hospital and I left at 23h00 and was back at 7h45. Lauren slept well on Friday night and improved. Her temperature came down and stayed down. She started eating a bit of mom’s porridge on Saturday morning and had some colour again in her face. The Doctor said she is not 100%, but could go home. They removed the 3rd drip and she was discharged before lunchtime on Saturday. She is still very chesty, but recovering well.

Been to the farm.......

2007-09-25T10:57:00.000+02:00

We travelled many hours and reached the farm in Maclear safely on Saturday afternoon. Lauren was so excited. She was busy all weekend. She kept Moira busy too. She saw the milking, fed a calf, rode on a quad bike over hill & dale(with Moira), rode horses, rode on a tractor and got plenty of mountain air. We had a fabulous weekend. It was far too short a stay, but we headed back to East London and arrived back late Monday afternoon.

Going to the farm..........

2007-09-20T13:36:00.000+02:00

The long weekend is fast approaching and we are finally going to visit the O'Mullanes on the farm in Maclear. We will leave Saturday morning and drive home on Monday.

Watch this space for the Barnyard photos when we return.

Spring is here!

2007-09-10T11:15:00.001+02:00

2007-09-10T10:35:00.000+02:00

I think Dean's late grandfather Herman, and my late grandfather Del, would have been impressed with Dean's garden. He spends many hours looking after the garden and almost all the plants and bushes are flowering. Almost all the plants are indigenous. Lauren spends has much fun playing in the garden and helping her dad too.

Dean is currently installing a rain water tank.

Lance and Allison - back from Canada!

2007-09-10T10:24:00.000+02:00

Lance and Allison arrived back from Canada on Tuesday night, 4 September. We really missed them and were relieved to have them home safe and sound. They enjoyed their trip and had a wonderful time staying with Allison's brother David, his wife Uliana and children Stephanie & Daniel. See Lance & Alli's photos in the photo album attached.

Delights, dinners & deeds on the weekend......

2007-08-27T14:32:00.000+02:00

Rain and overcast weather was expected this weekend, but we didn’t see any of it.
The weather was warm and sunny and on Sunday the temperature was about 25 degrees. As can be seen from the one photo album below, Dean owns a BMW motorbike (same model bike that Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman use to travel around the world). Lauren helps dad wash his bike and enjoys going for short trips around the yard on the back of the bike. She is waiting in anticipation for the day a helmet can fit her head and she can go for a spin around the block with dad….. still a long while to go though. Mom plays the law enforcement

officer – Mrs Plod. Every time we get the camera out to take a few photos, we have to let Lauren have a go at photographing too. Oh boy, do we get instructions, like you can’t believe! But it is kind of handy to have her around when we want pictures of the mom and dad. (no the bike’s tyre is not lifting in the front!)

Dean’s good friend and fellow earth walker, Ian, celebrated his birthday this weekend.
Also, Happy Birthday to Richard, his twin, who stays in Johannesburg. We went to the Blue Lagoon Highlander Restaurant for a buffet dinner. Lauren had a plate of chips and Dean and Ian did the buffet price justice with their helpings! Reg and I took the moderate route on the menu. There was much fun and laughter when the waiter was trying to take photos of us and eventually Lauren insisted on taking photos too. [reference to photo : Dean says….. Ian looks somewhat alarmed when he heard there was beetroot soup on the menu! Hey!?] ….Dean joking as usual and telling tall stories!

Sunday was time for me to take full advantage of my new deck chair that Dean and Lauren gave me for my birthday. It is so comfortable (compared to lying on a towel on tiles) and I am going to spend many hours tanning my legs, etc. and reading magazines in the summer on Sunday afternoons. Delightful!

The short l-o-n-g weekend......

2007-08-15T14:50:00.000+02:00

On Thursday, 9 August, Lauren and I attended the Ballet at the Guild Theatre. Comment from the local newspaper: … The fairytale, Sleeping Beauty, presented by the Heather Cooper School of Ballet, features a cast of 125 dancers, some as young as four years old. The show runs at the Guild Theatre from tomorrow until Saturday.
We enjoyed the show. It was really beautiful. Lauren and plenty of other little ones danced on the stage in front of the closed curtain during interval. The photo above is of Kerri, who had a leading role and is the step-grand-child to my friend Dee. We accompanied Dee, her daughter-in-law, Vicky and daughter Madison to the performance.

2007-08-15T14:31:00.001+02:00

We were up really early on Sunday and headed for the zoo. A friend from Lauren’s Playschool, Reece, was celebrating his birthday next to the giraffe enclosure.

All the party goers enjoyed a ride on the ‘old’ Smartie train and a leisurely ride in the boats. There was a jumping castle and lots of yummy goodies to eat for kids and parents.

(for all those that have watched Madagascar)… Melman, Melman, Melman licked all the kids hands & arms while searching for and munching peanuts. He stuck his tongue in his nose regularly and provided much entertainment, to the delight of all the children. I just thought of all the germs and who knows what, that comes with all that saliva! YUK! Lauren had a really fun morning.

2007-08-15T14:21:00.001+02:00

I have been doing Power Plate since Monday at our work gym during my lunch times. I am feeling really good. I have probably lost a few millimetres and the work-out is invigorating. I am watching my food intake and avoiding chocolates… boo! hoo! hoo! cry! sob! Well, [sigh], I have been kind of bloated around the gills, as I am sure you have noticed in some of the photos, so I need to try and improve my condition.

2007-08-15T14:16:00.000+02:00

Dean will be flying to Johannesburg this Friday. They are promoting a new or improved product for work there. We have to prepare Lauren quite a few days in advance, so she can get used to the idea. She is very possessive about her dad and likes to spend most of her time with him. Lauren and Dean visit the library about twice a week. Dean lets Lauren choose her own books, so there are days when she comes home with Afrikaans ones, because she likes the pictures. Dean has to do some translating during bedtime story time.
They have cultivated a garden for Lauren and she is responsible for watering it.
Every evening they play a game when Dean drives his car into the garage, Lauren says “Stop in the name of Plod” and gives Dean a ticket for some or other reason.
Dean has been taking Lauren to a few bazaars and he gives her money and she must choose which goodies she wants to buy. The person behind the table (at the White Elephant stall) will then help her with what money is required.
We all watched Shark Tale for the first time this weekend. It was quite amusing to say the least.

Till next time then.

2007-08-03T11:52:00.000+02:00

3 August 1970........

2007-08-03T11:29:00.000+02:00

Charlene Elaine - 2 years old.

Yes, Today is my birthday! ....and it is Friday!

I was born on a Monday night at 21h00 in 1970, during the floods in East London.
I have lived here all my life.

I won't get philosophical today, but just wanted to publish a post on this occasion.

Heath family happenings....

2007-07-31T10:02:00.000+02:00

On the 17th July, Jenna, Kayla & Erin turned six years old. This weekend was the Princess & Dress-up party. So all the young girls were so excited to dress in their beautiful dresses and feel really special. The weather was quite chilly, but this did not faze any of these little ladies. Good old fashioned party games were played – pass the parcel & musical chairs. Delicious Princess & chocolate cake was enjoyed. Pirates chased princesses. Brides and rugby players alike ran wild towards the end of the occasion! All in all, the kids had much fun.
Happy Birthday to Bryan Heath too.

My friend(bridesmaid) Moira arrived home from the U.K. and popped in to say hello before heading home to the family farm in Maclear. She has been travelling around the world extensively for the last few months, until her dad became ill. We hope to visit the farm soon and introduce Lauren to some good old farm style living. Moira wants Lauren and me to go horse-riding with her. Seeing all the cows, horses, sheep, hens & pigs up close and personal will be so great.

We are going to visit Hudson Park primary school this week to apply for Lauren to attend. We have already sent application forms to Clarendon school (all girls), which Dean prefers.

Dean bought Lauren a Kids computer to help her along with numbers and letters etc. She really enjoys the games and wants to take it along wherever we go. She has mastered the mouse function which is a good for future computer practise. Children have to be academically more advanced than we were, to keep up with the fast pace of this advancing world. I agree you should not push your child, but exposing them to a little information technology can assist in development.
There are some Playschools in EL that have computer lessons for 3 year olds once a week.
In the song: What a wonderful world, Louis Armstrong sings: I hear babies cry, I see them grow. They’ll learn much more than I’ll ever know. And I think to myself what a wonderful world.

Next week we plan to visit the Ballet – Sleeping Beauty. My friend Dee (retired work friend) has arranged it all, as her grand-daughter will be dancing in the play. Lauren is really looking forward to the show. Maybe her long term memory will start to kick-in and she will start remembering these special occasions for the rest of her life.

Lance and Allison leave for Canada on Sunday. Allison’s brother lives there with his wife and two children. We will go to the airport to say goodbye and wish them well and give them a shopping list or two. They will be away until the 4 September ’07. Their dachshunds, Tinka & Gaza will stay with granny Penny for a while.

Want hierdie is a 'n blog vanuit Suid Afrika, ek will a bietjie Afrikaans skryf. Ek kyk 7de Laan amper elke aand en my dogter kyk saam partykeer. Ek moet baie dinge verduidelik, maar ek maak my eie storie op partykeer ook, om haar te ‘beskerm’. Sy kan 'n bietjie Afrikaans ook praat. Sy se die worde “7de Laan” en sy se “Jou ster skitter nog helder” – nog 'n Afrikaans program wat sy gesien het. Ek se nogal baie vir haar, wanneer sy meer lekkers wil he : “More is nog a dag” en sy weet wat dit beteken. Geniet jou week, tot later almal.
Totsiens

Ballet, birthdays, braai & brightness......

2007-07-16T20:19:00.000+02:00

The weather was really lovely this weekend. Cool, but no wind and plenty of sunshine…. the average EL winters day.

Lauren was practising some ballet in a princess dress. Her dance classes start again on Monday at Playschool. (school holidays have ended) Lauren’s playschool doesn’t close during school holidays, but the extra activity classes do. Dancing is probably not something that will be pursued outside school, it is just a fun activity at playschool. Maybe we will look into horse riding when she starts ‘big’ school.
Dean and I are investigating ‘big schools’ this week. Apparently you have to enrol your child just out of nappies!?....we’re late.

We celebrated Allison’s birthday last weekend. Her birthday is the 7 July. We gathered together and had some tea and delicious cake and eats. This weekend there was a Sunday braai for Lance and my Mom, who have their birthdays on the 17 July. On the menu was garlic bread, potato salad, green salad and I made a curried rice & raisin salad. Malva pudding with ice-cream was served for desert! …Mmmm seems to be our favourite at the moment. There was also Blueberry Tofu ice-cream for Lauren.
Lauren enjoyed interacting with Tinka(L & A’s one dachshund) and mom(me) allowed her to hug her and hold her. (normally not a good idea because of her eczema)
Lauren was not keen to leave Lance & Alli’s house, so we will let her spend a day with them again soon.

Dean installed a sensor light outside the garage. When he is out of town on business and the sun sets at +-17h45 in winter, it is not much fun when Lauren and I arrive home and have to cope by ourselves in the dark. The light seems to be working perfectly.

Well, we are officially half way through winter. 1 September is Spring.
I tried out a Power Plate machine last week and it seems like a good piece of ‘gym equipment’. It is perfect for those(me) who want quick results, with not too much effort. (http//uk.powerplate.com/EN/)

Well another week ahead of us…….. until next time.

Waiting for the weekend........

2007-07-13T16:04:00.000+02:00

I have just decided that I would like my dear husband (and daughter) to give me a deck chair for my birthday on the 3rd August '07. I would like to lie on the balcony in the winter sun in the afternoons and relax... mmmm.... this seem like a good idea. The weekend is ahead of us and I am popping to the shops and then heading home. Will post the weekend happenings on Monday. Hope you all have a great weekend.

Whereabouts on the weekend 1 July

2007-07-06T10:16:00.000+02:00

The weather was really cold this weekend -14 degrees with a bit of a chill factor. The wind felt like it was coming off the snow-capped mountains.

Friday night we relaxed at home and Dean’s friend Ian came to visit.

Next morning, Lauren and I went off to church. Then we visited Bryan and Terri and little Caleb and Lauren enjoyed holding him and had some bonding time. Lance and Allison visited for games and Malva pudding on Saturday night.

We were up early on Sunday morning and dressed in boots, warm clothes and heavy jackets to go to movies with Lauren and cousins to see Shrek III. After movies, Lauren wanted to do one of her favourite things – riding on Mr Elephant and the white horse.

My parents arrived back in EL from the Birdshow on Sunday at 16h00.
Mother managed to beat the road statistics and elements, travelling back
8 hours from Oudhshoorn. When they left EL on Wednesday, they stopped over in PE for the night. Dad’s birds did not come home with any accolades or trophies. In a way, mom is relieved that she doesn’t have another Ostrich egg hanging around the house for years (The winner's received egg trophies). They met up with Dad’s cousin, Glenna and went out to dinner on Saturday night to catch up on old times.

Glad to have everyone back at home. All support systems will be back to normal. (thanks mom x) (& Dean)

Graduation

2007-07-06T10:14:00.000+02:00

Grandpa George Heath and Granny Helen graduated with BA in religion at the end of June '07. Congratulations and well done.

Happy Fathers Day

2007-06-29T10:28:00.000+02:00

Dean - You are a Super-star dad. Lauren loves you and wants to spend every second of her day with you. I know you love her more than life itself. Thanks for being such a wonderful father.

2007-06-29T10:24:00.000+02:00

Happy Father’s Day to my dear Dad / Grandpa S Rowan
As you have loved me, so have I loved you,
Pleased to tell you, now that words are due,
Pleased to have this chance to make you glad.

My dad has always been there for me, always guiding and approving or disapproving. Always a

helping hand when I needed him. Thanks dad for being steadfast and always there for your family. We are so thankful to God that you are improving every day after you suffered your stroke in January 2006. Most days seem dark because you cannot see, but I know Lauren lights up your life and you love her so very much. You are a special part of her life and she enjoys spending time with you.