Schoolbag in hand...

Schoolbag in hand, she leaves home in the early morning
Waving goodbye with an absent-minded smile
I watch her go with a surge of that well-known sadness
And I have to sit down for a while
The feeling that I'm losing her forever
And without really entering her world
I'm glad whenever I can share her laughter
That funny little girl

Slipping through my fingers all the time
I try to capture every minute
The feeling in it
Slipping through my fingers all the time
Do I really see what's in her mind
Each time I think I'm close to knowing
She keeps on growing
Slipping through my fingers all the time

Sleep in our eyes, her and me at the breakfast table
Barely awake, I let precious time go by
Then when she's gone there's that odd melancholy feeling
And a sense of guilt I can't deny

What happened to the wonderful adventures
The places I had planned for us to go
Well, some of that we did but most we didn't
And why I just don't know

Sometimes I wish that I could freeze the picture
And save it from the funny tricks of time
Slipping through my fingers...

Schoolbag in hand she leaves home in the early morning
Waving goodbye with an absent-minded smile...

Once upon a Spa

The best Spa getaway ever was the day my sister and I took my Aunt to Bayete Spa on the way to Hennopsmeer somewhere west of Pretoria.



First we kind of kidnapped her. She did not know where we were taking her. My sister and I were gigling away while my aunt guessed where we could be off to, but to no avail. But that is not where the surprised ended. The Spa was also hidden from the main road. You had to drive into a gate and then into a ditch with lots of trees and then only you would stop in front of the main building.

She was so surprised. This is my favourate picture of her. A picture does tell a thousand words. It looks like she is in thought.



It was a magical day. We wanted to say thank you. She let us in under her wing when Mom died and helped to ease the pain of the 2nd big shock when our Stepmom was introduced shortly after. She has never been judgemental. We on the other hand have been.



On the left is my aunt with my sister in the middle. My head is cut off. LOL.
We look happy in the pictures.

The Kitchen, a Cat and emergency Tuna

It was half past eleven last night. The kitchen was all cleaned up. I had the cat hugging my feet. Anyone could draw the conclusion that he needed food. His bowl was empty, so was the grocery cupboard. Oh no, I thought, with all the Christmas hype we forgot to stock up the cupboards.

I scratched around for who knows what. Like the cat would eat baked beans. Hey there is a first for everything. So I was on my knees, staring into the grocery cupboard and hoping that a can of tuna will appear with the blink of an eye. Nothing. The cat was getting all excited. (He hasn’t got a name by the way, to us he is just Cat fullstop.)

Then I realised that he is like one of my children. I would not be able to sleep if the kitty did not have food. I walked down the coridor to fetch my car keys. A little voice told me to have another look in the cupboard. I sighed, because I always listen to that little voice with good meaning. I am in tune with my feelings and hey I did not ask for it, that is how it is.

So I found the magical emergency can of tuna behind all the other cans of tinned food. By then kitty was super excited.

12 0’clock when the baby woke me up Cat was all snuggled up at my feet.

What a life.