Charlie's Bird
living the dream with Charlie and Thandi and chirping all the way back to the nest.Archive for December, 2010
Day 124
…and it’s New Years Eve, and it’s back to work for me. Bah humbug… This time off has been so indulgent, and so necessary. Tenacious has grown, remarkably, I’ve slept and read and recouped. Charlie and I have had some good time together, it’s all just felt so good. The office and all it’s politics hold little excitement for me, I know that I feel like I owe my partners a huge debt, the rooms are going to be chaotic, and most likely in a few short days I will feel assaulted and overwhelmed again. I’m also anxious about how the arm will hold up, I saw the physic yesterday and she gave it a bit of a working over and I’m quite tender today, not the bone, but the soft tissue around the elbow, and while I can straighten the arm, rotation at the joint is limited, I hope I’m going to be ok to operate. Oh, my brain is doing somersaults.
So, we bid 2010 farewell, I wish you all a happy new year, let 2011 be a great year! Tomorrow I will post my year in review, and some of my hopes for 2011. Stay safe tonight!
Day 122
Happy Birthday to my nephew and niece today! They’re not twins, my brothers were just clever enough to have their firstborns on the same date, 4 years apart! Can’t believe how quickly time flies!
Day 121
…and Christmas is over. Fortunately I’ve still got a couple of days before I’m back in the office, and I’m lapping it up.
Christmas was great, the eve had a few hiccups, none worth mentioning here, and the day was great. My Charlie spoilt me with a snowflake charm for my bracelet (with a bling diamond) amd the latest Nigella, which looks great! And he seemed pleased with his powermat charger for his new phone. The meal went down well, with some help from my family, we feasted until we couldn’t anymore, and at that, it was all fall down on the couch.
Boxing day we visited with Donzil and Jacqui before they went home to Cape Town, I miss them both so much. And in the evening we bade farewell to Charlie’s brother before they carried on their holiday.
Yesterday we finally made it to the beach. It was a spectacular day, the beach was busy and festive, sea icy cold and family all in hood moods, so we had a really good day. Over the next couple of days, we celebrate both my niece and nephew’s birthdays, share an extended family lunch and then I head back to work…
Day 118
Merry Christmas to you all, many blessings! Hope Santa brought everything you dreamed of, I got my present 118 days ago, and confirmed 92 days ago.
Day 117
…and it’s Christmas eve. It’s always a slightly melancholic time of the year, and it seems that this year is no different. I find it amazing that surrounded by family and friends, with Charlie by my side, I’m feeling lonely. Strange, I know.
Our plans for the next few days involve a canapé and cocktail evening tonight with Charlie’s family, and a nouveau traditional dinner tomorrow with mine. I’ve been cleaning and tidying, setting the table, making an impressive looking trifle, doing the dishes and some laundry. Now I’m exhausted.
To all my readers, have a blessed eve and an easy day tomorrow. Merry Christmas!
Day 115
…wow, what a busy couple of days. Parties, family and friends arriving, I’m spinning. Saturday evening we had a delightful evening with friends at the chef lady’s house, we arrived, and once all the guests were there, with wine glasses in hand ( juice in mine) and some bread, served with balsamic glaze, dukkah, and pate in hand and the dishes started arriving, each one better than the previous. From seafood delights(awesome calamari), chicken and apricot kebabs, tomato tarte Tatin, paella, aubergine mellazane, roasted beetroot, to various salads, everything was just delicious! And at the end, just standing up and walking away, leaving mess and dishes was the best feeling.
Sunday I went to a birthday party, same person who I hosted the stork party for, which also went down well. She’d organized her clay modeling teacher to come along and we made cute little animals, which she’s going to put together into a mobile for her new baby. After a lovely lunch and a delicious cake made by the budding patisserie chef, Donzil, it was home and collapse in a heap for me.
From a Christmas point of view, presents are all wrapped, plans are all in place, Charlie’s brother has arrived, one of my brothers arrives today and the other tomorrow, so things are hotting up here! Christmas eve is going to be spent with Charlie’s family, I usually cook up a dinner, but the broken arm has sabotaged that, so the organic eatery is doing canapes for us – yum (in anticipation) and Christmas day my family will celebrate at our home. We’re going to start with smoked salmon rolls on a bed of rocket, mains we’ll have fillet (done on the braai), roast gammon, roast potatoes, salads, and pudding, a famous family dessert, strawberry dream and trifle. So, lots to prepare on the meantime.
I really have enjoyed this forced time off, I’ve been able to visit friends, enjoying this ‘holiday’ time of the year. While I’ve missed being able to drive, this time has been restorative and special, watching Tenacious grow, catching up on 7 years of sleep, watching daytime tv, and just being, loved it, and sad it must end.
Day 110
…so, 2 parties done this week, 3 more to go. We had a whale of a time at the friends Christmas party, with some dancing, some snoozing and a lot of laughter. Similarly the Bible study get together went very well, pizza’s met with approval and it marked our perfection in temperature control within the pizza oven.
Today is a friend’s stork party, pretty low key event planned, broken arm and all, I even managed to bake and ice a carrot cake. Tomorrow is the second of the friends Christmas gatherings – but this one is catered – no cleaning or cooking! And Sunday is a friend’s birthday. Busy couple of days.
Yesterday we finally got all our Christmas decorations up – I love Christmas, and getting all the decor up certainly helps get me into the mode. I also got most of the gifts wrapped – yay for that! Anyway, better get a move on, things to finalize for this afternoon!
Day 108
…and in news just in, my amnio results are back, and our Tenacious is chromosomally normal! Hooray! Now that warrants celebration, just as well we’re going to another party tonight! Slowly starting to relax into this now.
Day 107
…and our amnio is done, and now we wait for our results. Nail-biting couple of days ahead. I spent yesterday in bed, crosswording myself to an impressive headache. To all those who I have stabbed in the quest for amniotic fluid, I’m sorry, I never realised how blimin’ sore it is, and MJ, sorry for stabbing you twice! Charlie is still being such a saint, a broken armed wife and now on bed rest – he has the patience of Job. Feeding me, being at my beck and call, holding me tight while I sob with fear and anxiety.
Tonight we have the bible study crew coming over for pizza, should be fun, I have delegated well and will watch everyone else at work, and then critique their performances – hehe!
Day 104
And hello again, loyal readers. I must say, I’m finding it difficult to blog every day, my days are quiet with little news, so an apology for missing posts.
But a few bits of news:
- After a dramatic and drawn out argument with my mobile service provider, I ported my number to a different provider, and received my iphone 4 yesterday – yay! Now I am cool and fashionable! I haven’t used it yet, Charlie set it up last night for me, but will start playing today (for those that have my number – its the same).
- Its time to get serious about Christmas shopping – I tried yesterday, but was extremely unsccessful, while most is done, some biggies – like Charlie – aren’t. I tell you it was easier when I made things. Blast the broken arm! And what is it with the birthdays at this time of the year, 2 family members, 2 friends!
- I am still relishing my time off! MJ brought me a puzzle on wednesday, which I finished yesterday afternoon, I did tell Charlie that I was a bit obsessive with things like this, he saw what I meant, but it certainly did keep me occupied, thanks MJ!
- The next round of parties start on tuesday night…here we go again! There are 5 confirmed, 1 pending – heaven help me!
- Our amnio is on monday…
Anyway, a cook’s tour of my last few days, and next few! Have a great weekend, my peeps!
Charlie's Bird 