Normalities 80% resumed

So the bf and I are back from holiday in PE, and are feeling nice and relaxed. PE was great, filled with lots of great people and even better food! I even thought I may have had to be rolled to the airport and checked in with the luggage haha!

The flight back was hair-raising though! As I mentioned before, I get airsick, but this time I was fine, other than being scared witless with all the turbulance haha. Unlike my other plane trips, this time I was semi at the back. Right on the back of the wing, actually, and people even yelled when the plane lifted us all out of our seats for a brief second. I can giggle about it now, but wow was I nervous in-flight. Hehe.

We were picked up from the airport by my mom, and Christmas promptly resumed back at my parents' place where we all exchanged gifts (we like to wait for both parties to be present -no pun intended- before opening each other's gifts). I was thoroughly spoilt by all members of my family, and hope they liked their gifts as much as I liked mine. I was extra pleased with the bf's gift of handmade sheepskin slippers, which he said he had to have especially made for me in my size, since they were out of stock until next year. The shoemaker kindly offered this service and I'm very thankful to him. They're uber soft and keep my feet really warm!

During my trip I also took some family photos of the future extended family as well as some pet photos, so look out for them soon. I'm really happy with them!

The bf's niece is also coming for in impromptu holiday to Cape Town :D She's very excited, as are we, as she was last in CT about 7 yrs ago. It'll be nice to take her around and maybe sneak her into a club or summing ;) Debbie, if you're reading this, just kidding!! ;) Also will be doing a photoshoot of her which her uncle and I gave her for Christmas, which will be fun!

Ok, on that note, over and out! :)

On holiday

A view from the plane (please excuse my watermark, I'm without my beloved Photoshop)

So on Sunday my bf and I left for our holiday in Port Elizabeth (PE). We take turns spending Christmas with each other's family and this year it's his Christmas with his family. We flew up, which is always fun, though I have to ashamedly admit, I get airsick. There's just something comforting about the rumble of tar under car wheels that an aeroplane just doesnt have. I'm fine with take-off and landing, though I'm still not 100% used to it (apparently I pull funny faces during each of these events, but I dont believe that haha), its the turning in-air that gets me. Gag!

Weather has been pretty good. Did some light swimming yesterday, but by the evening the wind had picked up (about the only time I've seen PE live up to its name of "The Windy City") and then it rained for the rest of the evening. Unfortunately I dont get to sleep in, as there appears to be a pack of rather bored dogs next door, who do nothing but sit and bark...starting at 7am!!! I dont even get up at that time for work!! Sigh. I like to sleep in on my holiday...is that too much to ask?!?

I'm looking forward to Christmas, though I'm missing my family and pets. Found some photos of Xeon on my cellphone and I got all choked up looking at them :( My old cronky. I really miss her.

Not much else to report, I'll probably post again after Christmas, so may I take this time to wish my (however many) readers a very Happy Christmas! May the day be filled with family and friends, and may you be filled with festive spirit. God bless, everyone!

Saying Goodbye....my Xeon

My Xeon Saying Goodbye

Saying goodbye, going away
Seems like goodbye's such a hard thing to say
Touching a hand, wondering why
It's time for saying goodbye
Saying goodbye, why is it sad?
Makes us remember the good times we've had
Much more to say, foolish to try
It's time for saying goodbye
Dont want to leave, but we both know
Sometimes it's better to go
Somehow I know we'll meet again
Not sure quite where,
and I dont know just when
You're in my heart, so until then
Its time for saying goodbye
Wanna smile, wanna cry
Saying goodbye
La la la la la la la la
It's time for saying goodbye
- Muppets Take Manhattan

I had to say goodbye to my Xeon today. It was one of the most difficult decisions I've ever had to make. It broke my heart. Her breathing was giving her troubles, and periodically she'd gasp for breath and eventually it'd come right. A few times I rushed her to the emergency vet, prepared to say goodbye, but she always fought to come back. She had become very thin as well in the last year. Eventually, I had to make the decision, urged on by her breathing attack last night, which was a fairly bad one.

This afternoon, she bruxed in my hand whilst I held her and explained everything. She bruxed while I cried. She bruxed while I cuddled her. She bruxed for the whole duration of the drive to the vet. She bruxed while eating her last chocolate sunflower seeds in the waiting room. I hope she understood why it had to be done. My heart broke with having to make this heavy decision. I miss her so much.

Rest easy now, my Xeonest. Be a fat rat in Heaven with Maxie, Pepper, Linux, Apple, and your Intel. You're reunited again, and you'll forever remain in my memories. I love you, my bruxy rat. My Xeonest. My sweet, beautiful girl. Until we meet again.


Xeon peeping off my windowsill


Snoozing in the duvet during Out Time


After she noticed the camera


A photo taken today...one of my last of her


Posing on my lap


Xeon and Orlith in the hammock, shortly before I had to say goodbye


Xeon trying out her 2nd birthday present

Never forget me, my Xeon. I love you.

Bonsais

Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens

So on Sunday, Viia, her bf, his daughter, myself and my bf all went to Kirstenbosch for a picnic and to see the bonsai show. We got off to a very late start and while we meant to be there at around 12, ended up getting there and settled at 2! It was cloudy but warm, and of course, being right on the side of the mountain it drizzled slightly but all in all was fine.

Food was great and consisted of potato salad, hotdogs, a normal green salad, biscuits, wine, coffee & teas, and more wine. We sat, ate, went on a small walkabout with Viia's bf's daughter (she's too cute!!!) and then we packed up and moved off to see the bonsais before it closed at 5.

There were quite a few of them, unfortunately there was a lot to carry for the picnic side of things, and with the weather being so dangerously close to rain I didnt take my camera with so no photos, but trust me there were some really nice ones! Even grape vine bonsais with little bunches of grapes, and even a pomegranite tree (one I've been considering as my own bonsai).

Turns out, this bonsai kai, Bishopsford Bonsai & Art Centre, offer a one-day intensive course and we all decided to do it! We took a form and are going to book this week. Cost is R385 per person, or R550 per couple. The couple price is less expensive because you only get one manual per couple, saving R110 which is the cost of the manual. Included in the cost is 1x manual (R110), 1 yr subsription to the kai (R195) and a tree and a pot to turn into a bonsai with their help (most likely a wild fig). So myself and my bf, my sister and her bf, and Viia and her bf will all be doing the course. Sounds like fun and I'm excited! I'll keep y'all updated!

A New Look...

So after migrating across to Wordpress, playing around there for the day, I found out you're only able to customise your theme if you pay $10 for the upgraded CSS. What a load of rubbish!!! So I have stayed with Blogger, and took the time to actually customise a theme I liked. Let me know what you think of it in the poll please :)

The theme is a little narrow currently, so its cropping my slideshow, and my slideshow is running slowly due to a snow widget I added onto my blog. If its causing huge issues with your browsing my blog, please let me know so I can remove it if necessary. My computer is a fairly upgraded one so I'm not sure how it runs on other computers. Thanks!

I'm very tired, so I'll post more later! Cheers!

PS: Check out the 'Reactions' addition to my blog. If you dont feel like commenting (not to discourage you!), but would like to offer some anonymous encouragement, select a 'Reaction' that best suits your thoughts :)

Gingerbread Men...and a rant!

My First Gingerbread Men

Cutting out some shapes

Right outta the oven

Cooling on the rack before icing

Ok before I get started with this post may I just say how annoyed Blogger is making me! All I'm trying to do is post my pictures, center them, and center the little tiny line of text below each picture. Now, either when I try to jump to the next line, it makes a HUGE space, or the space happens somewhere else. Then when I try and center my text, it centers everything. Its a huge fuckin' pain. Yes, thats how annoyed I am. I'm cussing at Blogger for stressing me out! As it is, look, I cant even center that line above otherwise EVERYTHING is centered. Even when I type the code manually. And you know what, I code for a living, I dont friggen want to be doing it while I'm blogging. Plus this teeny-tiny window that I have to type in is too small!

I've been thinking of jumping ship to another blog space, so if anyone has suggestions let me know! I have a friend who told me before I joined Blogger to join Wordpress, so if WP is any easier, please tell me and I'll check it out. Plus other blogs have cool falling snow widgets/gadgets and Blogger just doesnt.

Well now this post doesnt seem so festive anymore :( I was going to say how much fun it was making my first ever gingerbread men and tell you about my bf's work function on Sat night. *sigh* Now I'm not in the mood :( But yes, the gingerbread men were fun to make and decorate and I've even whipped up a second batch for tomorrow's family get together :) Lets hope they like them! :)

Anyway, let me know if you're using another blog space and please tell me what its like......Blogger is really pissing me off!! Thanks!

Photos! Rats & some Christmas light photos...

Some rats...

Rat Bums!

Orlith

Xeon

Ramoth

Wirenth

Long time no type

Ok so thats a pretty cheesy title haha. But its feels like forever since I last blogged. A find myself thinking a few times in the week about something I'd like to blog about, but then realise there are a backlog of things I'd like to blog about, and so on and so forth...in the end I keep procrastinating. But enough of my inadequacies, the latest news is that I'm done with my move. I'm out of our old flat, and I actually miss it. It was nice and cosy, and I adored the paint colour (since I painted it only four months before moving!). The new place has boring cream/yellow on the walls, but at least its a fresh coat. Our new place has an extra bedroom which we're using as a computer room for our 2 computers. The lounge is about the same size as our last one, but seems more roomy due to the computers no longer being kept in there. The bedroom is slightly smaller which is fine because the bookshelf is now in the computer room as well, so less stuff in the bedroom. The kitchen is BIG which is great! There is so much more counter space to work with, and our clothes horse stands at the back of the kitchen nicely tucked out of the way. I'd show you photos, but I dont have any just yet. Still waiting for the remaining boxes to be sorted through/put away. The toilet is separate from the bathroom, but there is a lack of cupboard space for the small things like toothpaste, razor blades, etc. There's a linen cupboard, but all those small things get lost inside. Oh and the flat comes with two parking bays! On the whole I'm happy with our new place. Still trying to find brown bulldenim curtains for the bedroom that arent tab-topped. Sigh. Currently my winter blanket is the curtain. Sigh. Other news is I'm finally done editing one of my two models' photos from the beach shoot in Nov. You can see those in my recent pics to the right. I'm particularly happy with the results, and have had a good response from people online who've seen them. Best of all, Katharine is happy with them. Amongst those recent pics are photos I took of our 5.5m Christmas Light Tree which graces one of our shopping malls. I got some shots before security came and chased me away hehe. My Christmas Tree is up (couldnt take it anymore and spent Sunday Nov 30th putting it up haha. I also hung lights in my window to spread some festive cheer. I'll take photos of that soon as well and post them. So much to do, so little time. My new babies have settled in nicely, and Ramoth, who was the smallest, has grown considerably. They're all very happy looking good. Xeon's looking a little thinner, but I'm trying to give her more fatty/protein-rich foods like scrambled egg etc. She's currently sleeping and bruxing on my lap :) I think thats about it...oh wait! I forgot to tell you about my garden! The new flat comes with a small garden that was pretty run down when we moved in, but I've since pruned it and watered it and bought new plants for it (petunias). I'm very proud of it, being that I've done it all myself and not just called in a gardener. Speaking of gardening, looks like I've finally got into Bonsai keeping. Viia gave me a teeny tiny birch sapling which we're going to grow into a bonsai (she's got a few for herself) and I'm looking into getting myself an already-established bonsai to train. I'm having trouble deciding on which tree to get though. I've always wanted a bonsai apple tree, but with research have decided it might be a little complicated to grow. Other options I'm favouring are cherry, pomegranite, olive, fig, and the latest option is a Serissa foetida (Tree of a Thousand Stars) which looks easy enough to grow and has pretty flowers. There's a Bonsai Show on at Kirstenbosch Gardens next weekend which I'll be going to. I'm also looking for a Christmas/English Holly bonsai for my sister. If anyone has bonsai experience, or a bonsai blog, please leave a comment for me :)

Quick hello!

Ok so I havent blogged in AGES! I'm feeling withdrawl symptoms haha A quick update as to whats been happening in my life...did a photoshoot a few weeks ago which I'm still editing. I'm actually very happy with the results, so I'm taking my time editing so I can do it properly. Normally I rush through them cos I'm so excited to show them off haha. The next bit of news is that I'm right in the middle of moving flats! It all happened fairly quickly, when a neighbour moved out unexpectedly one weekend. I happened to see the owner of the apartment and chatted to her, and then next thing I know, the bf is asking to view the place and the next thing we're moving! We should be done with it by Monday and then I can continue editing the last photos of the shoot. I'm really keen to do another wedding, so if anyone reading this is getting married, or knows someone who's getting married (in CT), give me a shout if you need a wedding photographer!] Thats about it, I'm so tired and off to have a bath (one of my last baths, since the new apartment only has a shower :/). Thanks for being patient with my lack of posts! Night!

Random Updates

Havent blogged in a while, so here at work I sit, blogging, instead of working hehe. Ok ok I'm doing a data backup which runs on its own, so I'm free until its done. Not much has been happening, I think the last I wrote was that the new babies arrived a week or so ago. Things have been going great with them thus far. They give me so many laughs its great! And they're so teeny and squishy! Only 70 grams each! Ramoth (husky) had a bit of breathing troubles, but after a short treatment of Doxy, she's sounding fine again. The problem was, however, Orlith. She just wasnt having any of the babies! I've never had problems introducing female rats to one another but Orlith is completely different! She foofs, huffs, pounces, sidles up, puffs up, and pulls fur out of the babies' rumps. Its been rather scary with all the shrieking that happens all too frequently. Of course, they're only together under supervision. Though last night it was weird...Orlith was uber tolerant and didnt actually fight with the babies nor huff and puff. I see it as a show of good things to come. Though she did hang around underneath the hammock that the babies were sleeping in, looking like a boogie-monster haha! I used my cookie cutters the other day :D The "G", "M", heart, star, and bone. Yes, you can easily guess what I made: dog biscuits!! They were actually rather good, but a little too dough-like for me. I keep feeling that the dogs' stomachs arent going to handle the soft biscuits very well. So they only get them sparingly. I'm also planning on redoing my tank. My betta and pleco are doing well, found a bubblenest of Littlebettabutta's the other day and I was so proud! Its been ages since he made a bubblenest, which I put down to him being rather old, but he made one and I was so happy! I'm redoing my tank because its overrun with horrible snails! I cant keep plants because the snails eat them all up (except the Elodea of course *rolls eyes*). So I'm going to move out the fish, bleach the tank, plants, new plants, filter, stones, and decorations. Then I'm going to put everything back together and keep fingers crossed. I shouldnt have any snails thereafter!! Thats about it for now. Thanks for reading! PS: New poll! Dont forget to vote!

Gingerbread Cookies 101

So during my phase of baking, I decided for Christmas I wanted to make Gingerbread Cookies (as I've probably mentioned before). So I set out to find the cliche gingerbread man shape. Not the one with a fat body and tiny head, not the one with spindley arms, not the one with hands and feet...just your typical American 3"x3" gingerbread shape.

I searched high and low through all the shops in my area...and then the ones outside of my area...and I even went so far as to ask an online friend to source one for me from America (thanks, Christy :))...and then I found it!!! Hidden in an obscure location was a catalog on a baking website....the Wilton's 101 Piece Cookie Cutter Set!! {cue Hallelujah choir singers)

Only one problem...its in Pretoria. I'm in Cape Town. To make a long story short, eventually after a lot of thinking, I managed to find someone who was willing to collect it for me, and post it to me :)

They arrived today!!!! I hastely unpacked the 101 pieces, found the gingerbread man (right at the bottom!) and sighed in relief. This Christmas shall be complete with Gingerbread Man. Of course now I have 100 extra cookie cutters hahaha. Not to worry, with extras like dog bones, I plan on making doggie biscuits (for dogs), with the pumpkin/ghost/bat/scaredy cat cutters I can make halloween cookies, with the snowman/Christmas trees/stocking/candy cane/gingerbread men (there are actually 4: two small, two large - male and female of each) I can make Christmas cookies, and then there are some random themed ones like footballs and helmets (American Superbowl...not really our thing here though), hands and feet (for baby shower), transport (I assume for a bon voyage gift), animals like ducks, eggs, dinosaurs, etc for random cookies, and then the numbers and letters of the alphabet (and a question mark...hahaha I'll wait for the "Will you marry me?" baking expedition from my bf....LOL)

Then I had to rush off to a Canon EOS Roadshow talk (very entertaining and believe it or not, R-18 what with the vaginal flatulance jokes and all! Dont ask haha). Came back, went through the cutters more slowly to check they were all there, and then......I couldnt pack them back into the bucket they came in. Whoops!

But, no fear, I'll survive with my 101 cookie cutters haha.

My Gingerbread Man - the perfect shape!!

The entire set laid out on the kitchen counter (taken with my cellphone)

Introducing: Ramoth & Wirenth!

So finally the day of my new babies' arrival dawned upon us, and after a short wait this morning, they arrived at around 10:30!! After chatting to Ang of Wheatfields Rattery (now online!!), their breeder, I settled them into their temporary cage to wait out the day until they could come home with me (they were delivered to my office). Of course, after spoiling them with morsels of almond and apple pieces, I took some photos!

Wirenth (aka Worms)

Ramoth (aka Rams and "Creepy")

Ratty hands!!

*LICK* :D

And then for my mother's gym halloween party, I made some "Spooky Witch Fingers" which tasted and looked great!! Just a basic butter cookie recipe, molded into fingers with almonds for the fingernails (with some red icing under the fingernails for "blood"). Apparently they were the hit of the party and people even took them home for their families!

Apple Pie

I finally got around to making my Apple Pie that I've been talking about for ages! I must admit, I cheated and bought the dough to use for the pie, but then when I thawed it and rolled it out, there wasnt enough for both top and bottom crust :( So I decided to make it without a base...*gulp* I mixed and matched a few recipes so I was very worried about how it would turn out. I also wasnt sure if I should put foil around the edges to prevent the edges of the crust from burning, but I decided not to in the end. So, after preparing it, and baking it for an hour and 10 minutes, it was done! I was like a kid on Christmas morning, running to peek into the oven-glass every 20 minutes or so and I even squealed with glee when I set it down on the table :D I've yet to taste it (the bf is keen!) as I'm waiting for my mom and sister to come and taste it with us :)

The pie filling

Ready for the oven

The finished Apple Pie!

In other news, my new babies arrive on Monday, and I finally worked up the courage to go officially get permission to keep my rats in my apartment block! When most people hear "rats" they think smelly, diseased, sewer creatures, which of course could not be farther from the truth, so I was very worried they'd say NO RATS ALLOWED! But, they didnt! She seemed a bit put off by the thought, but after assuring her that I dont breed, and my girls are kept in a cage, she said fine. So yay for us!! Now I can bring my rats from my car to my flat (and vise versa) without worry!

Chocolate Brownies

Yummy Chocolate Fudge Brownies

So the other day I decided to make Chocolate Fudge Brownies. It was my first attempt and I was pretty impressed with the results.

The recipe will stay a secret, because I'm going to work on it a little more and make it fully mine! It was fairly simple to make, and I enjoyed every minute of it, including watching it bake haha.

My new ratties are arriving on Monday, and I'm so excited! Poor Orlith is incredibly bored, since Xeon is rather old and just wants to sleep and cuddle. She's going to be so relieved to have friends to tumble about with, but I'm not sure what to do while they're still growing. The new bubs will be too small for the large cage, and if they're anything as sneaky as Orlith was, they'll soon find they can fit through the bars...thats if Orlith doesnt show them herself! LOL!

I took a few photos of my babies, so here are a few of the ones I liked:

Orlith

Xeon

"Mommy watcha doin'?!?" (blurry Orlith-nose)

More photos can be seen under "Recent Pics" slideshow...

Plans, plans and more plans

Ok, so its been difficult for me to accept and even moreso to blog about this, but back in my first post, I said the following:

Welcome to my blog! I've been meaning to start this blog for a while now, but wanted to wait until I had a certain bit of news under my belt. After much thought (and a little procrastination), I decided to start it earlier (watch this space for my News :P).

Well, the news was...*takes a deep breath* I was applying for a job on a cruise ship as a photographer. In a daring moment, I applied to a recruiter and the very next day I had a reply asking for an interview! I was so thrown, as I didnt actually expect it would be that quick...or easy. So I went for my interview, and things rolled smoothly along. Basically I needed a passport (yes, yes I dont have a passport yet), a medical clearance, and a police clearance. Since I already purchased plane tickets to PE for Christmas time (R1k+) I didnt want to apply before Jan for the boat just in case I had to leave before I was ready. I also had to apply and wait for my passport. Costs involved were camera equipment (Nikon D80 or better), uniform, deposit (refunded at end of contract) and flight back home at the end of my contract. Overall about roughly $2000. Time went on, and while I was waiting for my passport, I emailed the recruiter to let them know my progress (couldnt get my police/medical clearance too far in advance)...it was then that I got the dreaded email. *another deep breath* Apparently their policy changed, and instead of the company training me up for a week in Miami, I now have to do a training course in Stellenbosch for R10,400! That course is 3 weeks, but according to my recruiter I'd only have to do the 2 week course for R7400. I simply cannot afford that. Even if I could (bf so generously offered to pay), it wouldnt be worth the trip after spending all that money beforehand. Even if I could afford the R7400, the petrol driving back and forth to Stellenbosch (+-45min drive) for two weeks would be even more money!! With all I'd have to pay back, the money I'd be able to save on the contract wouldnt be worth uprouting my life for 8 mths. After I got that email, I cried and cried. I didnt realise how much I was mentally and emotionally preparing myself for leaving. I still keep looking at things and thinking, "oh I must get that sorted out before I leave" and then I remember its not happening anymore. My heart felt so heavy for days. I'm not giving up so easily though, and I'm still working on leaving. I'll keep you all updated, so please keep fingers crossed for me. Trying to pick myself up, I've been thinking up stuff I want to do. I've decided I'm going to take dancing classes (with my bf) :D Then belly dancing classes (by myself). I'm starting Pilates as well, to tone up my body. I'm starting my cross-stitching again, and am looking through patterns for a new project. I also want to make Apple Pie, Gingerbread Men, and a Jack o' Lantern. I also found out the SA Lipizzaners are performing at Grand West, and I bought tickets!! My mom, dad, sister, sister's bf, my bf, and my Viia are all coming with :D I picked up the tickets today! YAY! Photo at the top, courtesy of caryn, a friend of mine who saw the Lipizzaners in KZN :) So, I have lots of plans for the remainder of this year and the year ahead, its great!

Hamilton's Squash

Hamilton's Squash and Chicken Steaklets I'm not sure when I got this bee in my bonnet to try out new cooking dishes, but I'm enjoying (almost) every minute of it. A while ago I borrowed my mom's Happy Days with the Naked Chef cooking book (no, this was after I was bitten by the cooking bug) and found a recipe for Hamilton's Squash. I just had to try it (which is surprising in it's own, being that I'm not a butternut lover at all and that my mother has made this before and I've never eaten it!)! Basically, its a butternut squash, stuffed with basmati rice, mushrooms (which I omitted this time since bf -sadly- doesnt eat mushrooms), sundried tomatoes, and various spices such as rosemary, chilli (optional) and coriander seeds. It gets oiled, wrapped in foil, and cooked in the oven at 230° for about an hour and fifteen minutes. What results is greatly pleasing! The most difficult part, in my opinion, is scoring and scooping out the inner part of the butternut (mainly the neck area). That takes some hectic wrist action! It's a nice way to work up an appetite though hehe. Oh and the waiting is pretty tough too - especially if its your first time making it! That being said, my first attempt proved successful enough (and bf liked it!!), but in hindsight, I think I'll parboil the rice before hand, as I'm not fond of the al dente texture that results from this recipe. Other than that, it was great! Oh and I also think I'll pick a slightly smaller squash next time, esp if I'm having it alongside anything else (like chicken). The bf also wont eat too much butternut, so I dont want to waste any if possible. Preparing the squash Straight out of the oven! It really is great as a meal on its own, so dont be afraid to pick a big ol' butternut and make it a main course! Perfect for vegetarians!! I'm not sure I could see myself making this more than once a month though haha since it is quite tiresome to make. If I'm having a dinner party, however, bring it on! PS: My new ratties arrive on Monday 27th!! Ramoth looking down (Husky) and Wirenth looking above (Dumbo)!

My 5 Year Anniversary Weekend Away

A boat outside Die Strandloper restuarant

So after more than half a year gone by, I needed a holiday! I tried to organise some friends, new and old, together for a weekend away at Langebaan (inspired by my upcoming 5 year anniversary with Michael), but unfortunately circumstances dictated that it would be only Michael and I.

I was sad, but what better way to spend an anniversary than with the person you love and only the person you love!?! In preparation, I made a Banana Bread in my dad's bread machine... um, well, lesson learnt: mix cake recipes' ingredients yourself and dont trust machine to do it properly for you (like they say it will - though the bread comes out great)!

The Banana Bread That Wasnt Quite Done

*sigh* And the inside wasnt cooked properly, so it was like eating dough....I still ate some though haha.

The weekend got off to a rocky start....was supposed to have hair cut and coloured before I left, but mom didnt plan for cutting, so I ran late on leaving for Langebaan while she fitted me in between her other customers (thanks, Mom! :D). Also tried to make some Sesame Seed Snaps but both batches didnt come out properly :(

Then we left for Langebaan, arrived, realised Michael forgot his bath towel and slipslops, and we forgot coffee and sugar, and that we didnt plan anything for dinner that night. We dashed off to the shops, to arrive back to find our keyhole lying on the floor...someone must have tried to get in! :( We had to then use the back door thereafter. *sigh*

The second day was better, cloudy at first, but gorgeous day by noon - spent most of the day wandering around semi naked (whaaat? it was our anniversary weekend after all :P) and tanning in the sunroom while reading, playing cards, and backgammon. Went for some walks on the beach in town, walked through the shops to see what had changed since our last visit (April 2007). Came back home and lazed about until dinner at Driftwoods (if you go to Langebaan, you HAVE to eat at this restaurant, or at the least try their cocktails - YUM!!).

Went to Driftwoods and got our regular table in the corner, overlooking the beach. While we were waiting on our food, we saw a seal diving around in the waves! I ordered a Bahana Rama (very rum-and-coconutty), and Michael ordered Love on the Rocks (like a Sex on the Beach, only with cranberry juice instead of OJ and grenadine). For food, I ordered the Seafood Tagliatelli was was simply outstanding!! There was so much seafood I couldnt believe it!! And it was my first time eating clams too! Michael ordered the sirloin (they gladly swapped it for rump at his request) and calamari (which I tasted and was great!). We were so full afterwards, we had to practically be rolled home!

The last day was spent relaxing, shopping, taking photos on the beach and at Die Strandloper, and cleaning up and preparing to go home. Photos can be seen in Recent Photos slideshow.

All in all it was one of the best weekends I've had in a looooong time, and one that wont quickly be forgotten.

Here's to another 5 years (at least) with my wonderful and caring man!