Back in the saddle again
1 Comments Published by Oh Wayward One on 06 August 2007 at 8/06/2007 09:04:00 am.
:-O
Ewwwwwwww! I'm back at work!
While I do love my job, it aint a party when you have to wake up early and actually be somewhere, after a week of lazing around and having fun.
South Africa was great.
Joburg was fantastic, love hanging out with J. on his home turf.
Ma & Pa P. in Pretoria are great too.
Alan is here.
It's actually great fun having the extra boy around the house.
The week off went kind of like this:
Drive down to Jozi, stay with J. for a few nights (sushi, greek food, coffees, champagne, wine, walking, hanging, laughing; fun sleep over with him on his own bedroom floor, us in his bed, Alan in the guest room, a game of Trivial Persuit that *I WON*, etc), up to P'town, stay with the Ma&Pa for a couple nights, back down to Jozi, fetch Alan at the airport. Show Alan where his new office is, do the introduction to everybody that matters, quick whirlwind driving tour of his new city, etc. Two nights at J's place, then whisk the sweet little greenhorn off to the north to hit Pilanesberg for a stint of camping (his first time ever sleeping in a tent!?!?!?!?). He loved it. He saw 3 of the Big 5 in his first week here! (Lion, Elephant, Rhino)
Now we're all 3 back in Bots and he's learning all sorts of new stuff about this big thing called "Africa" and I think he's getting to love it as much as we do. It was his bday yesterday so we gave him cake and a present, climbed the hill (2 days in a row-- back on the road to fitness for me after a week of decadence!!!) and went for a little local game drive (saw Eland, Kudu, Bushbuck, Warthog, and a few other things he didnt get to tick off the list in SA last week) and went to dinner at our favorite italian joint. Man do I like having a non-drinker around. It's like perma-sober-chauffer! The Mr. and I both got to have a beer before dinner AND wine at the restaurant last night. Sweeeeeeet.
His first impressions of southern Africa (as I can figure)
- Likes our house & plot & especially our giant rig
- Likes Joburg & the soon-to-be-new office
- Thinks the girls are hot here (and in SA), well, hotter than Ireland anyway
- Likes the wide variety of N/A drinks available at all drinking establishments
- Likes the stars at night and sunshine by day
- In awe of value for money when it comes to meat
- Decided he likes camping
- Thinks Pádraig will REALLY like it here (we can't wait for February!)
His parents are really worried about him and I dont think they like the whole thing about him moving off to africa, but we make sure he sends them text messages and they rang him for his bday and even Ma P. sent them an email saying what a lovely son they have and how she will look after him and make sure he doesnt get carjacked or otherwise. HA!
And now it's like I got a brother and a husband and 3 male dogs in the house... eesh. Me and Reilly have seriously got an estrogen battle on our hands. Although as the brilliant SK has said in the past "I do like being the queen".
Tonight I'm taking the boy to my yoga class. I guaran-damn-tee you none of these girls have ever seen a Grade A pro sprinter up close like this before. Talk about calf-thigh-and-buttock envy... hahahaha!
And now for some pictures....
Oopsies on the champagne-front:
My beloved Ma P. hand-rearing an injured baby dove that was found on the brink of death in their garden:
My beloved big "brother" P. (Gavin - Ma & Pa P's oldest) and a delicious plate of seafood at Ocean Basket in Ptown. I lovvvvvvve him and it was actually observing his relationship with his wife K. back when I lived in Ptown all those years ago, that they became my so-called relationship "role model" which I've stuck to ever since meeting the Mr.
Those 2 have always been an inspiration to me.
Young Alan surveys Pretoria for the first time ever:
Bunking party@ J's place!
Young Alan goes camping for the first time ever:
The real definition of a "Zebra Crossing" (this allusion will not make any sense to any americans reading this blog and for that i apologize):
Pilanesberg was full of babies while we were there. (baby giraffe, baby rhino, baby baboons, baby antelopes, baby hippo, etc) Good timing for us! Here's 2 baby ellies amongst the butts, right next to our car. I call this one "Babies and the Butts":
And finally, I call this one "Young Alan hangs on the W's couch for the first time ever" (the same australian-purchased couch he would've hung on halfway across the globe in Ireland, only now it's in Botswana) :
Ewwwwwwww! I'm back at work!
While I do love my job, it aint a party when you have to wake up early and actually be somewhere, after a week of lazing around and having fun.
South Africa was great.
Joburg was fantastic, love hanging out with J. on his home turf.
Ma & Pa P. in Pretoria are great too.
Alan is here.
It's actually great fun having the extra boy around the house.
The week off went kind of like this:
Drive down to Jozi, stay with J. for a few nights (sushi, greek food, coffees, champagne, wine, walking, hanging, laughing; fun sleep over with him on his own bedroom floor, us in his bed, Alan in the guest room, a game of Trivial Persuit that *I WON*, etc), up to P'town, stay with the Ma&Pa for a couple nights, back down to Jozi, fetch Alan at the airport. Show Alan where his new office is, do the introduction to everybody that matters, quick whirlwind driving tour of his new city, etc. Two nights at J's place, then whisk the sweet little greenhorn off to the north to hit Pilanesberg for a stint of camping (his first time ever sleeping in a tent!?!?!?!?). He loved it. He saw 3 of the Big 5 in his first week here! (Lion, Elephant, Rhino)
Now we're all 3 back in Bots and he's learning all sorts of new stuff about this big thing called "Africa" and I think he's getting to love it as much as we do. It was his bday yesterday so we gave him cake and a present, climbed the hill (2 days in a row-- back on the road to fitness for me after a week of decadence!!!) and went for a little local game drive (saw Eland, Kudu, Bushbuck, Warthog, and a few other things he didnt get to tick off the list in SA last week) and went to dinner at our favorite italian joint. Man do I like having a non-drinker around. It's like perma-sober-chauffer! The Mr. and I both got to have a beer before dinner AND wine at the restaurant last night. Sweeeeeeet.
His first impressions of southern Africa (as I can figure)
- Likes our house & plot & especially our giant rig
- Likes Joburg & the soon-to-be-new office
- Thinks the girls are hot here (and in SA), well, hotter than Ireland anyway
- Likes the wide variety of N/A drinks available at all drinking establishments
- Likes the stars at night and sunshine by day
- In awe of value for money when it comes to meat
- Decided he likes camping
- Thinks Pádraig will REALLY like it here (we can't wait for February!)
His parents are really worried about him and I dont think they like the whole thing about him moving off to africa, but we make sure he sends them text messages and they rang him for his bday and even Ma P. sent them an email saying what a lovely son they have and how she will look after him and make sure he doesnt get carjacked or otherwise. HA!
And now it's like I got a brother and a husband and 3 male dogs in the house... eesh. Me and Reilly have seriously got an estrogen battle on our hands. Although as the brilliant SK has said in the past "I do like being the queen".
Tonight I'm taking the boy to my yoga class. I guaran-damn-tee you none of these girls have ever seen a Grade A pro sprinter up close like this before. Talk about calf-thigh-and-buttock envy... hahahaha!
And now for some pictures....
Oopsies on the champagne-front:
My beloved Ma P. hand-rearing an injured baby dove that was found on the brink of death in their garden:
My beloved big "brother" P. (Gavin - Ma & Pa P's oldest) and a delicious plate of seafood at Ocean Basket in Ptown. I lovvvvvvve him and it was actually observing his relationship with his wife K. back when I lived in Ptown all those years ago, that they became my so-called relationship "role model" which I've stuck to ever since meeting the Mr.
Those 2 have always been an inspiration to me.
Young Alan surveys Pretoria for the first time ever:
Bunking party@ J's place!
Young Alan goes camping for the first time ever:
The real definition of a "Zebra Crossing" (this allusion will not make any sense to any americans reading this blog and for that i apologize):
Pilanesberg was full of babies while we were there. (baby giraffe, baby rhino, baby baboons, baby antelopes, baby hippo, etc) Good timing for us! Here's 2 baby ellies amongst the butts, right next to our car. I call this one "Babies and the Butts":
And finally, I call this one "Young Alan hangs on the W's couch for the first time ever" (the same australian-purchased couch he would've hung on halfway across the globe in Ireland, only now it's in Botswana) :
Glad you're back i missed you last week!!! I was house bound with sick kids and looking forward to reading your blog! Sounds like you've been having a ball - i'm jealous!!!!