Wednesday 21 April 2010

Okay, okay...So I went AWOL!






Hiya folks! Some of you are starting to wonder as to my whereabouts so thought I'd drop in with a quick update. Wish I had downloaded the photos off my camera but alas no time for that in my lfe right now! You would have seen in my last post that I was off to fetch the keys to our new home. That was achieved & since then I have been there every day, from 7.30 in the morning - straight after I've dropped the kids at school - to 7.30 in the evening, once I've dropped Jack at football practice. There is a lot to do & a limited time in which to do it so I have had to make moving & renovating a priority.

I wouldn't say it's coming along smoothly but would say that all the issues we face can or have already been overcome & we will be moving in as scheduled for 8 May 2010. Our biggest challenge has been finding reliable workmen. Not sure if that problem is the world over but certainly here in Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa, you would never believe these were recessionary times. Still some of the jobs have not even yet begun as I am still looking for new workmen as others have simply never got back to me or quoted me insanely high prices that the work most definitely doesn't warrant.

We are slightly behind schedule due to the fact that I got seriously ill for the best part of 5 days last week. Living tropically as we do here means that there are often gastro bugs doing the rounds & I got hit incredibly hard by one & lost 3kgs in vomiting & diarrhoea - of course after the weekend one of those kilograms was back on but in total I have lost 15kg's so far this year & am down a jeans size so it ain't all bad! Since we last spoke Chelsea has had her matric {graduation} dance & all went well, although her dress was completed just in the nick of time & collected on the day!

As you can imagine she looked a million bucks!!! Photos to follow soon...still haven't uploaded them from my camera would you believe?!? Every day I am carting our belongings from one house to the other {about 5km's apart} so am feeling more like a taxi-driver than EVER! But the good news is the weather has cooled off a bit & our air-cons are in! One per room - how's that for celeb status?! 4 years of boiling in this cooking pot & finally we get to C.H.I.L.L...We have slowly been accumulating air-conditioners since we arrived & just snagged a great 2nd hand deal to fill our quota. Score!

Shane has embarked on his annual China trip - had to squeeze it in between Chel's matric dance & her birthday - so he is missing out on the icky work but paying for it through his efforts so I can't complain really can I? Of course the shower tap snapped THE DAY he left & water was pouring out all over the place so I had to raid the tool box, buy some washers, undo it all, etc, only to find the whole internal unit had perished & needed replacing. R120 later I had a new unit installed by MOI, saving hundreds of rands in plumbers fees...LOVE being able to work out how to do things like that!

Feel TERRIBLE that I have not been able to blog-hop & pop in on all my favourite blogs of late {did manage one via my mobile but tried another & couldn't "choose a profile"}. You know that when things are back to normal I WILL BE BACK & you know I'll catch up with the comments, I always do, you know I'm good for it ;-D We have internet issues at the new place as there is a cable fault there - hence no hurry to move in until the very last minute. So with that I leave you as I have my gardener here for the day today & my car is now chockablock with garden pots & I am off down the road again....



And because I simply HATE posting without a pic or 2 here are a couple of old ones still on my desktop. Why?!? Well because they are FINALLY going to be in my hands soon, courtesy of Shane's Hong Kong stopover on the trip back. Woo Hoo for South East Asian shopping...

12 comments:

Vicki said...

Great to hear you are feeling better but you sound seriously overworked! LOL. All the best for the final move and you are all in the new house for good.

topkatnz said...

Glad to hear you are seeing some light at the end of the tunnel, and that hopefully you are feeling better. WTG on the weight loss! 15kgs is AWESOME!!:)

CathQuillScrap said...

Wow no wonder you've been silent... you're working hard and being sick... you will deserve a rest when you're all settled in.

Penny said...

Nice to see you back, glad you're better! Did you get my email? What lense is that you're about to get your hands on?

Stefanie said...

I did notice that you were missing but also knew you had a load on your plate. Tummy bugs are so ghastly. Well done on the weight loss, that is an amazing feat!

Lynette Jacobs said...

Glad to get an update and can't wait to see your pics:)

Bernadine said...

I have really missed you. Their is no such thing as service in this country - no matter where you live. So don't despair to much just take it in your stride.

Diana said...

Just yesterday I said to myself, hey I haven't seen Helen around online recently. Then I remembered you were supposed to be moving and figured that was consuming all your time. (I guess I was right!)
Look forward to you being back!

Shayne said...

Hello, glad you're back. Good luck with the rest of the move and we look forward to pics!

tania said...

halloooo!!
wow!! what a mouthfull!!
congrats on your weightloss,well done!
can't wait to see matric dance photo's,Megan's dance is this weekend,she is very nervous;)
you must remember to rest:)
you see, us woman can do anything, from scrapbooking to fixing a tap!!LOL

Michelle Ramsay said...

Good luck with your move - and yes it is good when you manage to sort things out and get them fixed - wonderful feeling (and don't I know it!!) Looking forward to seeing the pictures of the matric dance and your new place once you have finally moved in. Well done on the weight loss - I am down 16,5kg as well and it is a wonderful feeling.

Ella Swan said...

Thanks girls! Great to know someone "out there" actually missed me lol...Absolutely starving at the moment due to all the physical work so don't dare weigh myself in case some of that 15kg's is back on!! Penny haven't even opened my inbox for weeks...I dread to see how much has piled up in there...better do it quick in case it fills up from all my fan mail ;-D Hope the dance went well Tania & can't wait to see the pics. Woohoo Michelle - better than me - WTG! Back down the road again to deliver the next load then off to buy mirrors, etc to drill up today. May get a chance tomorrow to pop in on you all - sure do hope so!