Ramblings

It's that time of the year when people are tired, nerves are frayed, everyone is extra busy as we tread that last kilometre toward the finish line. The reward at the end? Summer holidays. Can't wait!

Looking back on my blog to this time last year, I see a little trend in my posting - whether it's that I'm just too busy, or possibly too tired, at this time of the year, but I just don't get around to doing any writing. In November last year, I wrote a bunch of snippets relevant to life at the time, and that's what I'm going to do now - my ramblings, because for the first time in a long time, I have some time...

One of my pet hates is people who get irritated with Learner drivers. Ok, I'll admit that I do get irritated but I refuse to show it to the poor person who's already in a state of semi-terror because it's his/her first time on the road. Look, it's Murphy's Law that a Learner driver will be in front of you on a single lane road when you have 5 minutes to get to an appointment that is 15 minutes away, or that one will be sitting at the stop street that is a mere two minutes away from school and school has already started and the Learner is taking 10 minutes to run through the multitude of checks that we all forget to do merely weeks after becoming legal drivers.

Sometimes I feel I live my life at break-neck speed - and Thursdays, especially, are testament to that. Leaving work 40 minutes earlier than usual means a fairly big chunk out of my afternoon, but for years now I have left early on a Thursday to take my girls to their swimming classes. It is always a rush but the last 11 weeks have been manic - I fly home, scoop the girls, rush to class, throw them into the swimming pool, deal with the occasional work bbm/email/whatsapp when I'd rather be concentrating on the swimming, jump back into the car, head home, pick up dinner for the girls to eat in the car on the way to DC so that we can be there by 7, leave at 9, tuck exhausted babes into bed, pack the bag to take to their Dad for Friday night - and finally collapse into my own bed.

Ok, so I'm rambling - I'm allowed to! This Thursday was no different, except that on the windy road that leads to home, I got stuck behind a Learner driver. An incredibly slow and cautious Learner driver. With only 7 minutes to go before Ella had to be in the pool, I called home to tell the girls to be ready at the gate. Drumming my fingers on the steering wheel, peering around the Prado driver in front of me, wriggling in my seat, raising my eyes to the heavens, I refused to show irritation with this poor person. The Prado driver didn't feel the same way - heading into the dip, the Learner driver must have slowed down to about 5kph. Mr Prado put his hand on his hooter and let rip - and at that point my blood began to boil. There was nothing we could do and no way to get past the Learner, so why freak out!? Up the hill, the Prado driver took a chance and overtook the Learner, hooting, weaving and almost causing an accident. I've pulled signs at drivers impatient with Learners, but I reckon that if I could have got hold of Mr Prado, I would have stuck something up his nose and through his ears!

We ALL had to learn to drive - remember that!! Rather a slow Learner driver actually making the effort to get a license, than a cocky taxi driver with no license at all!

3 more weeks until Ella graduates from pre-school. I know that at Graduation on 6 December, I'm going to cry great big crocodile tears! I know that at some stage during the night, she will stand up and say a few well-rehearsed lines all on her own - and I know that my poor little heart will swell with pride!

Grade 1 - eeeekkk! It's very exciting, yes. We've been to orientation - I still need to write a letter to the school to say how disappointed I was with this. She's decided which extramurals she wants to do. I've bought her text books - English, Afrikaans and Zulu (!!), and next week we'll be going off to buy her school uniforms. All good, all bearable, all to easy to deal with - what strikes fear into my heart is the question: "how am I going to do this as a working Mom?". Yes! I know I'm not the only working Mom in the world, but seriously, what percentage of Private School Moms do work? I already feel so out of my depth! On Tuesday the school secretary sent me an email to say that the 'Concept Lounge' was open to all Grade 1 students and I could go that very afternoon with Ella to view and try on school uniforms. Whatever! A little bit of notice please. Close the shop at 6pm instead of at 4pm, or open on a Saturday, and yes, then I will be able to get there! That's just the start though - how will I get her home from extramurals, and how will I help with her homework, and how will I get to see her sporting events and be there every step of the way for her. When the other Moms are cheering at the gala, will I be the only one not there because I'm working my ass off to be able to put food on the table?

Panic! Panic! Panic!

It's early on a Saturday morning - earlier than I should be awake, but I have a horrible cold so I was asleep early last night. I'm lying in bed, it's a beautiful day, the sun is shining, the birds are chirping. It's going to be a hot one. I've wished 5 times in the 30 minutes I've been awake that I was in my running shoes, and on the tarmac, but I'm just not well enough. The house is dead quiet and although I miss my girls I've relished my time alone. Quality time with yourself is just as important as quality time with the other people you love - but let's be honest - being SSS. Being sick and single sux! My nose is streaming, my eyes are puffy, I had to take the day off work - and there's no healthy food in the house because I haven't had a chance to get to the shops. You wake up in the morning, feeling kak and there's no one else to take the kids to school other than yourself, so you clamber out of bed, pull on tracksuit pants because the shirt you fell asleep in is the one you wore yesterday, and at least brush your teeth before you foggily drive out of the complex and head for school. There's no one to ask for a glass of OJ, or for a back rub, to take you to the doc or to pop out for a DVD. No one to tell you that you'll be ok - or that you should just suck it up! No one else to get up for the kids at night if they're also plagued by snotty noses. Lucky for me I have a superb Mom and a super friend who both cheered me up ginormously today!

I've been to church a few times recently.

For anyone who knows me, that is quite a statement - and probably the reason why the weather in Jhb has been so crap of late! Ok, just kidding!

Seriously though, it's been an experience. The first time I went I cried right the way through the service and kept checking that the door to the church was still open. The second time I went was better, the third time I went got a bit heavy and I had to go outside to breathe before the service ended. I've been going to The Barn, it's friendly.

I guess that it's kind of like anything else in life. If you're going to go to church, you need to try a few churches to decide which one you fit in with. Which one works for you. Which one makes you feel comfortable, and which one makes you want to run for the hills. For the past 11 weeks I've been attending a Divorce Care group at New Life church - now that church makes me want to run screaming! I know I won't be going back there.

Ella has decided that she wants to try out kids' church again - so tomorrow morning we'll be at the 8h30 service at The Barn...

It's time for another tattoo - my second and last. I understand that they are addictive, but it really will be my last. My first one happened at a time of change - the act, not the tattoo itself, signified a rebelliousness I was feeling at a time I was desperate for nothing to be the same as it was. This one will come as I settle into my new life, as I focus on the people who are most important to me. I'm looking forward to it.

I am love, love, loving my running. I know I'm getting fitter - my recovery rate is so much faster than it used to be. I love the challenge and the sweat, and feeling my body move. Last weekend I ran my furthest - 15km. What an awesome run. I ran with 3 other people - I couldn't have done it on my own. We met at Featherbrooke Estate, which borders the Walter Sisulu Botannical Gardens. I was up at 5h20, it was cool and overcast. We hit the road at 6h20. I love the peace and quiet of the early morning. I love the quiet nod or wave between you and another runner as you pass eachother on the road. The first 8km we ran through Featherbrooke, the last 7km through the Botanical Gardens. If you haven't been there, you have to go there. It felt as if we were the only 4 people in the entire gardens, but occasionally we ran past others, also out to get their daily fix. We ran down to the waterfall, over the rivers, into the bird hide, through the forest. Phenomenal! Best thing was at the end of it, I had comfortably completed my first 15k - and celebrated with a chocolate tequila! A few more 15k runs to get through in the next few months, but on 15 January, I'll be sitting at my computer, desperately hoping I can secure an entry for the Two Oceans Half Marathon. What a goal to start the New Year on!

xoxo