Merry Christmas!

Well Merry Christmas to everyone and we all hope and wish that you all have a wonderful day and for those of you already at the end of the day we all hope that you had a great day!

We were at home last night and I cooked a roast meal and got us all around the table eating dinner for once in our lives. Heath put on some Xmas music which the kids loved and of course had a little dance. After dinner the kids had a bit of fun playing (or should I say jumping off the couches) flying through the air. Then after all of the fun we had to get Santa's drink and biscuits ready so that he would no leave our house hungry or thirsty. Of yes and how can I forget Reece had drawn a picture for Santa as well so that had to be setup against the tree.

Amazingly enough they were fast asleep within 15 minutes of being put to bed and thank goodness for that as Santa still had to wrap their pressies (wink! wink!). So we went to bed early as we knew it would be an early start.

Our Xmas morning started at around 6:30am with Bryce talking in his room and we tried to convince him to go back to sleep but he would not have it. Reece then woke up around 6:45am to let us know that there was a big surprise in the lounge and we must come quick. They were very happy that Santa had eaten all of his biscuits and water. (Sorry Santa but times are tough and Reece says that you have to drink something healthy so you got water this year). They then opened all of their pressies.

We are off to friends of ours today to have a prawn braai and hopefully the kids get to swim but the weather is not the best today, but the sun is trying to peep its head out so maybe it will get better.

Well have a wonderful Xmas and hope that you all get a chance to relax and enjoy the day!

Merry Xmas!

Cheers

Nicky, Heath, Reece & Bryce

PS. There is a link to the right wiith some more pics of the kids on Xmas morning.

Home Again

Just a quick one to say it is so nice (in fact fantastic) to be home again with Heath and the boys. When they came to fetch me from the airport they both took at little while to realise that it was their mom walking towards them but did not take them long before they realised they then both ran into my arms.

Then the fighting started on who was going to sit on moms lap first but now that I have been home for a couple of days the novelty has worn off. I cannot believe in the 3 weeks I have been away how Bryce's speech has improved. It still takes me back a bit to realise how much he has changed in the 3 weeks. As Reece is a bit older he has not changed as such but is very aware of where I am all of the time and he keeps on coming up to me and giving me a hug and saying "I love you mom! And I love you lots! We missed you mom while you were in Australia!". My heart just melts each and every time he says it.

Heath has been such an angel cooking me dinner every night and still carrying on with his normal daily duties of looking after the boys and making sure that they are sorted. It is so great to see! Love him stax for this.

Very happy signing off!
Cheers
N

Visa approved!

Wow today is a good day - Heath and the kids visas have been approved so now the serious planning starts!

Very good for me as it means I do not have to wait toooooooo long after I come back to Perth after Xmas, well hopefully not tooooooo long.

Very happy signing off :)
Cheers
N

Another week in Perth!

Well another week in Perth – not as busy as the first week but just as eventful. I have got the whole travel thing on buses to work and back well organised now and get good exercise as I have a little bit of a walk to the bus stop from work but all good. I went into Perth city centre on Wednesday for a Xmas function it was really great to meet all of the people that I have been dealing with over the phone and got to meet them all face to face.

I have been able to open a bank account, get an Australian mobile sim card and get my bus pass sorted this week so I was really happy to get that all sorted. I was very happy to find that to open a bank account was very easy, not really much hassle at all. Very different to SA in the sense that there is no status on your bank account – you get a bank account for what you need and that is that – so I did not even have to prove that I was working but then again my working visa is sort of a give away!

On Saturday my boss Rob picked me up at the apartment so that I could meet his wife and kids and they also wanted to use the time to explain a little more about Perth and how it operates. They have two girls both still at primary school and they mentioned to me that life in Perth is very different if you have kids. They took me to a small restaurant at City Beach – houses start in the area for around $1 million – so way out of my league. It is an area on the coast but also has a beach that is great for little kids. Again there are park areas for the kids to play plus beach activities. Each of the various beaches has their own life saving clubs and alot of the people have mentioned that for boys it is great for them to get involved in life saving clubs as it teaches them discipline, so we will look into this when the little ones are over here.

After lunch they drove me around the various areas West of Perth. It is an older area with bigger properties and more like what I am used to seeing at home in SA. I was also shown quite a few of the various schools in the areas so that I could get an idea of what was about. This is definitely the area that we will be looking for somewhere to stay. It is close to the centre of Perth but far enough out that you do not feel like you are in the city. There are parks everywhere and being Saturday everyone was out and about playing sport of some kind. I even saw some youngsters playing bowls! The kids get to try anything here and if they like it they get to play more. They do not pressurise the kids in primary school into 1st team/2nd team for any of the sports. All kids get an opportunity to play anything and everything that is offered until they find something they really like to play. In high school they get a bit more competitive.

There are basically 3 types of schools here i.e. state schools, catholic schools and private schools. The state schools are run by the government, the catholic schools are private schools but are subsidised by the state and then private are not subsidised in any way i.e. looking at anything from $15000 a year upwards. I don’t feel like working for the rest of my life just to pay for schooling so my kids will be going to state schools or catholic schools. Again it is not so important when they are in primary school but it gets important for high school. So anyway after the great tour I was feeling much better about life in Perth. It really helps to get a local view on everything.

Today they took me out to Kings Park for a picnic. Kings Park is a huge botanical garden and park in the city of Perth. It is huge! The views are very good as you get a full view of Perth from the park. It was really hot today and so many families were out and about having picnics on the grass areas. There is so much shade that you do not need to fight for space as the park is huge. They have even divided one section of the park for the smaller kids i.e. the play areas are suited for the smaller kids. Then there are other areas for the bigger kids. It reminded me a bit of the Kirstenbosch botanical gardens and this was all for FREE!!!!

So all in all after this week-end I am feeling much better on life in Perth as it looks like the boys will all settle in here fine. I have even told Heath that he will get the opportunity to get back into playing a bit of cricket himself as there are cricket clubs in all areas and apparently they are always looking for people to come and play. Heath and I will get more involved with the kids because in a way you are actually forced to get involved so that can only be positive.

Still have to upload my pictures and will hopefully do that soon.

Cheers
N

More of Oz!

Well over the last two days I have seriously tested the public transport and must say it works and it works well. On Monday I plotted a route to work and home with no problems to report. Today I had to find a way back home from Perth City centre and again I was very successful so it really does work! Wow the city centre is beautiful! So clean and fresh! I was not in the city for long but I was on the 42nd floor of the main office building with a view across to Freemantle Harbour and around. I wish I had my camera to take a picture but then again not sure how I would have taken a picture of such a panoramic view. Still not as beautiful as Cape Town though! Looks like we have lots of exploring to do around the city but I will leave that for another day.

One thing I can say is that you have to have LOTS of patience here in Perth. Everything happens very slowly.... I don’t think I have been to one meeting yet were we start on time everyone is still walking in 5 minutes after it should have started. They are all quite happy to queue up for something with no stress at all! If you see someone rushing about you immediately know they are not a local! I was taken to the bank today to open up an account and as we walked in the queue was nearly out the door but there was not one stressed face around – everyone takes it in their stride!!!! So lots of getting used to for me as I am so used to rushing about for anything and everything! Plus they take family life VERY seriously, as most people are finished work by 4:30pm. I came back from a meeting yesterday @ 4:30pm and when I got back into the office it was empty! – this is a SAP project I thought and there is nobody around at 4:30pm (including all project managers had gone home!!!!!). As I got home I saw a family across the road (at around 6:00pm) all getting ready for their usual afternoon cycle around the park. What a life!

So all in all my experience of Perth has been a positive one with not too many hassles.......

First Weekend in Perth!

First Week end in Perth was very relaxing!

Saturday 6th December – Well I eventually dragged myself out of bed at around 10am in the morning. I was supposed to get to a bank but decided my sleep was more important. One issue here is that most branches of the banks are closed on Saturdays and therefore there are only a handful that are open for business and only from 9-12am. Anyway thought I would venture out and try the public transport. I am very lucky that at the apartment there is a bus stop just outside so I do not have to walk to far to catch a bus. So looked on the internet for the scheduled time. I took the bus to the local shopping centre i.e. Centro Galleria which also happens to be where one of the main bus depots are for the East of Perth, so I have figured that as long as I can get to this bus station from anywhere else I will always know how to get home. Actually it is all quite easy once you work it out. Anyway had a wonder around the shopping centre – nothing very excited after being in Singapore, but yip all the usual available. I must say everyone here is extremely friendly – in fact sometimes I think “What do you want” as they are all so nice. Maybe I just have a very South African culture built in me...... Even the bus drivers are friendly – there are signs everywhere stating that you should always have the correct change for the bus ride and I was so worried that the bus driver would shout at me (like in the UK they just give you such a mean look), nope all have their friendly faces on and more than willing to give you change. So another successful day after all.

Sunday 7th December – Okay I decided to try out another venture and that is to get to a beach somehow. After doing my washing and cleaning of the apartment (yip – I know you must all be wondering – WHAT! But hey I have to do it and it is not so bad as it is still only me!) I searched on the internet for the closest beach and then looked for the best bus route. I only had to take two buses to get there so all in all not so bad. I decided on Scarborough beach which is mainly a surfing beach. The beach was very clean with lots of grass areas as well as the beach area. There were plenty of surfers, wind surfers and kite surfers out and about as it was quite windy. I had a walk up and down the beach, then stopped at the local fish and chips shop for a bite to eat before heading home (Jackie – nothing like the Fish ‘n Chippa!). The bus trip was great as once again I got a chance to get a feeling for the various areas. There are some areas that I feel stopped in time around 1970’s at least and then some really great areas) Some areas are very much like the council housing in the UK were people do not look after their homes or gardens and the other areas where the houses are very neat and tidy but the house takes over the whole property (with no garden) and then areas similar to home. So once I find a good school for the kids I will then look for a house to stay in but this will only happen next year when I am back from SA. Oh and when I got back I was walking down the roads around 7:00pm on Sunday night and I did not feel intimated at all (Careful of course but not intimated!), and that to me is the best felling ever that I am free to walk where I want. I am truly getting all my exercise with all the walking I am doing – don’t think I have walked this much in years!!!!

Perth and Singapore!

Okay here goes and update on my first week in Perth/Singapore. Sorry I have not downloaded any pictures yet and should hopefully do that soon:
Saturday 29th November: Arrive in Perth and after so many people telling me that they check everything in your bags I was so careful what I had packed. I was stopped twice in the arrivals hall and questioned on my visa status but all in all they were very friendly. Once I got my bags I was given the green light to go straight through to the arrivals hall. Whewwww!!!! Not so bad after all. I was collected by my new boss and once I was dropped off at Heath’s aunts apartment, I was given a welcome basket of fruit, choccies, jam etc and a street map of Perth. After a long chat with Heath’s aunt Sylvia they then took me for a quick tour around the area and showed me where my office was situated. They then had to drive back to Merriden as this is where they own a supermarket – this is about 2 hours from Perth.

Sunday 30th November: I just really lazed about and started adjusting to the new time zone etc. I did get on my walking shoes to explore a little of the area around the apartment and found a small garage, video shop, pharmacy, pizza take-away and chinese take-away’s. As it was Sunday the only one open was the garage. Nothing much happens in Perth on Sunday (well in this area at least i.e. Kiara). I then wondered a little further into the residential area to find a fairly big park with a small dam, play area for kids and grass area for anyone to relax on or kids to play. On my way back home I passed another little park also equipped for the kids. I must say you can see that they are very family orientated here plus there are walking/cycling paths everywhere!

Monday 1st December: Start of a new job. I was fetched by my new boss again and taken to the client that I will be working with i.e. BHP Billiton. I was so grateful for this as otherwise I would more than likely have organised a taxi. Once I was in the office I was greeted by many friendly faces who all seemed to be expecting me, so all in all I felt very welcome. The only bad part is that they introduced me to about 20 new people and I am useless at remembering names!!! And of course they all remember mine as they only had to meet one of me!!! J Anyway after all of the greeting and meeting I was then off to the airport once again (oh yes, back on a plane) to Singapore for 3 nights. The flight to Singapore was about 5.5hrs and was great as we were booked into business class again with seats that go flat so you can have a good sleep. Once we arrived in Singapore the two collegues I was with took me to China Town and ordered some food (something with noodles). It all tasted very good, but overnight my body rejected all of the food (Arrrrrgggggg!!!!) After the meal I also met up with a good friend of mine from South Africa (Sherri) and we had a quick drink together to catch up a bit.

Tuesday 2nd December: Sat in workshops all day but I was allowed out over lunch time (well actually people in Singapore thrive for their lunch break). My mate Sherri took me to “The Sandwich lady” across the way from the office at International Plaza (Louise you must be proud of me to remember all of this). This woman is amazing – there is a huge queue outside her little stall as I think most of BHP Billiton people eat there daily and most of the time she looks at your face and will remember your usual combination. She takes about 4 orders at a time and while I was around did not get one wrong! That evening Sherri and Jeremy (her hubby) took me to a Pizza restaurant on Orchard Drive – I was so relieved as I did not quite want to face any form of Asian food that night. The pizza’s were great and also got the chance to catch up with another colleague that I had worked with when I was helping out at Deloitte. Another late night but anyway had loads of fun so who is to complain.

Wednesday 3rd December: Another day in the office doing workshops and once again getting our usual sandwich from “The sandwich lady”. That evening I spent with Sherri as she was looking for an evening dress for the company ball taking place on Saturday. We went to an area around The Orchards and then landing up eating at The Chimes. This is an old monastery that has been converted into little shops and restaurants, a little gem in the centre of Singapore. Oh my goodness but people in Singapore can shop I think that most shopping centres stay open until at least 9:00pm – 10:00pm every night. You basically walk out of one shopping centre into another and another.... I did not buy anything this time but yip saving up for the next time – hopefully there will be lots of sales on the next time I go – which might just be early Jan!!!! Louise I can really see how you love the place – I could quite easily stay there for a while but not for too long – just too crowded for me!

Thursday 4th December: Last day of workshops with the business and actually quite hectic to get everything done before shooting back to the airport back to Oz. We got to the airport much earlier than expected as it was pouring with rain when we left the office and thought that it would take a while but not so. We had nearly 3 hours to wait but then of course it had to happen our flight was delayed as well. We were supposed to land at 1:45am but eventually landed at 3:00am. I was not impressed! I then had to get through customs which took another 45 minutes as another flight had just landed so it took FOREVER! Luckily my bag was ready to grab and run through to the arrival hall only to find ANOTHER queue waiting for the taxis. Well all in all I eventually landed up in bed around 4:30am.

Friday 5th December: After getting in the early hours of the morning I was not in a very happy mood having to get to the office by 9:00am as I was scheduled for an induction of the building at this time, so no sleeping in for me! They take security and safety VERY SERIOUSLY here in Oz. I was physically taken through the whole building of 4 floors and it was explained to me all of the rules and regulations. Then again as I have said before at least it is a job for someone and this someone takes it very seriously. In fact I even had to rate her on the tour! Plus I was not allowed an access card until I had completed my induction. So after all of that was taken care of, I eventually dragged myself back up stairs to my desk. Just got started when we were whisked away to a park down the road from the office called “Tomato Lake” (don’t ask me – I have no idea!) for a team building afternoon. Can they not see I NEED sleep!!!! Anyway we had a barbeque with salads etc and then started the proceedings. Once again safety is the number one rule! The company had hired specialist trainers who do this for a living i.e. we were to play a couple of games of cricket, rounders and then the usual team building exercises – but all checked and umpired by these specialist trainers! Anyway all in all very well organised and good fun had by all. About the parks here – they are everywhere, it feels like every corner I turn there is a park and all of them will have facilities for kids i.e. jungle gyms, swings, sandpits etc. And most of the parks have these gas barbeques already set-up (with gas supplied by the council), so all you have to do is bring along your meat and you are sorted!

Reece's Xmas Play

What a proud moment for both Nicky and I as Reece and his friend Ethan opened proceedings at their annual Xmas play. He is not always as bold at home, amazing to see his confidence in front of a crowd of about 100 adults ( Our boy is growing up). As you can see all the kids had great fun here and when santa arrived , these kids made some noise 8!#*.We all had some snacks after the party and soon left as Nicky is on her way to Australia.

Lucky Girl!

I have been such a lucky girl lately. I was given the two drawings below by my wonderful caring husband. He was looking for something for me to take with to Australia and he came up with the beautiful idea of getting a drwing made of each of the kids for me. I am just so spoilt to have such a wonderful man in my life!
Then I was given a pate knife and sugar spoon from my wonderful collegues. They are from Jenna Clifford! So spoilt! Now the bug has bitten and I will have to continue adding to my collection! Thanks guys & gals!
Wait for it there is more! Yip more! My two great friends Louise and Shellee bought me this beautiful rose necklace. Plus to top it off they each bought themselves one so I was given the message when I wear mine I will think of them and when they wear theirs they will think of me.

I am just so spoilt but also so greatful for all of the wonderful friends and family I have around me.

Spoilt signing off.

Cheers

Nix

Beautiful Friends!

It is really sad for me to leave all of my wonderful friends when I leave for Oz soon. Over these last couple of weeks it has amazed me how wonderful I have felt with all of them around me wishing Heath and I the best of luck in our new adventure. Last week Thursday as this is normally the night I go scrapping at one of the best scrapping shops in Benoni i.e Scrappin Times http://www.scrappintimes.typepad.com/. Heath and Jacki had let some of the gals know that this would be my last class for a while. Well thanks to everyone who turned out to say good-bye and also thanks to those who sent messages to say good-bye. Thanks Jacki for everything - we had a great evening with our usual chatter and loads of fun scrapping. Antoinette I will most certainly remember you each and every time we page through my scrapping albums you have been a great teacher and kept me interested throughout these last 1.5yrs which is a miracle in itself.

Then to make it even more special Jacki posted on her blog a little about me and to say she is going to miss me. Thanks Jacki for the words of encouragement - you can see the post here http://scrappintimes.typepad.com/scrappin_times/2008/11/bye-nicky-we-are-really-going-to-miss-you.html .

Plus today my great great friend Louise and her hubby Bart sent me a poem together with some words of encouragement for Heath, the boys and I. The poem was just too beautiful that I said to Louise I will post it on my blog so that I do not forget about it. Here goes:

Moment in Time
by Cynthia Kepp

We talked,
We walked,
for a Moment in Time.

You passed through my life that day and left your mark.
You may never pass my way again,
Or you may stay for a lifetime.

No matter what,
I want to say thank you for the impression you made
that will stay with me for eternity.

I enjoyed the walk,
I enjoyed the talk.
I am blessed for that moment in time.

The first time I saw you I knew you would affect my life,
though your role I did not know.
There is one thing I want you to know.
I have been blessed by the effect you had on me in that
Moment in Time.

Thank you to all of you who have also sent us words of encouragement we really appreciate it and please keep in contact as we will see you all again soon!
Have loads of fun!
Cheers
Nix

Farewll Surprise @ Rodizio's

From http://picasaweb.google.com/bedingfieldn/FarewellRodizio

I was given a surprise farewell by some of my great freinds from work. I had an idea that Heath was organising something last week with them but then nothing happened so I was very grateful at the time that he had forgotten about it as I am not the best with surprises. Well I was not expecting anything as we were supposed to be going out for a quite dinner with Deanne and John (my brother and sister-in-law). When we got to the restuarant of course it was not going to be a quite evening after all.

We all had a great time relaxing eating, drinking (lots) and of course lots and lots of dancing. My calf muscles are feeling rather tender today but then again I think that there were many tender heads this morning. Thanks to everyone who came. We really appreciate the fact that you came to enjoy the evening with us! Thanks to all.

We had two photographers for the evening i..e Deanne and Louise, I have got Deanne's photos so far and I have uploaded them onto the web - there are so many it was very difficult to choose. You will find the link to the left (Farewell at Rodizio's). If any of you cannot get access to the photo's gimme a shout and I will make a plan.

From http://picasaweb.google.com/bedingfieldn/FarewellRodizio

Heath had asked Louise to give a speech and I was so worried that would be me balling my eyes but she made it alot of fun so no crying yet! Thanks Lou. Below is the speech made by Lou and Shellee.... Thanks girls!

From http://picasaweb.google.com/bedingfieldn/FarewellRodizio

Okay we did intend for this to be brief & to the point, but this is Nicky we are talking about, there is far too much to say!!! In order not to spend hours up here, we have decided to try consolidate some of the ways Nicky has impacted us by using her name, Nicky N-I-C-K-Y.

So................................

N is for being NOBLE, she hold true to her values and shows respect for others, namely friends collegues and family (even if she laughs while making a poor soul nearly swallow a clip (i.e. my husband) or calls her son Rice (i.e. shorten both Reece and Bryce and you get Rice)
I is for being an INITIATOR - And we are not just talking about work projects here, which we are sure St Gobain have been quite thilled with anyway)
C for her CURIOUS, INQUISTIVE nature - Here's an example "Mmmm I wonder how this works, or if I just change this program a little bit!" (Who's the chancer now!!!)
K is for ...... Kick Ass - which she only does if required but of course in a subtle polite way! And you thought we are going to say KIND, but this of course is also definitely true!
And Y is ..... WHY are you leaving us????? :( - No seriously Y is for being YOU, your special spirit which we will never forget. Yes we have had some good times, we most certainly won't be short of memories. So this is to say thank you from our heart and to wish you and your family all of the very best, you certainly deserve it. We cannot wait for all of your updates and especially visits!!!!

From http://picasaweb.google.com/bedingfieldn/FarewellRodizio

Thanks to everyone and now this is on our blog it is recorded for me to check out whenever I am feeling down. Remember to come and visit us if you are ever around Perth - we would love to see you all!

Sleep tight!

Cheers
N

Weekend in Mpumalanga

We had a very busy weekend in Mpumalanga from Friday and only got back today. My two boys were an absolute handful in the car on the way down and back so not sure when we will be going on a long trip soon. :) We left on Friday morning to go and stay at a friend of mine Gillian in White River. Gillian and her husband Len live in the most amazing tranquil place in an estate but this is no ordinary estate, it is just like being in the bush. So peaceful and the views are stunning from their home. Thanks Gill and Len for all of your hospitality it was really great to see you again.

View from the balcony ~ stunning!

On Saturday morning we went into the Kruger park for most of the morning and as the weather was not too hot we got to see a fair amount of game but no cats. We saw zebra, giraffe, rhino, monkeys, baboons, buffalo, impala, water buck, elephant, tortoise, lizards, a leopard kill up a tree but no leopard :( We had a great time in the park and then headed back towards White River for a 40th wedding anniversary celebration for friends of my mom & dad i.e. John and Linda. We had a great time celebrating with them in the afternoon and then everyone dressed up for a 60's party for the evening. Thanks for the organisation Kerry & Christine - we had a great time and it was nice to see you all again.

This morning after having a wonderful breakfast with Gillian and Len once again we headed back home but as we had a show house on again and we could only be home at around 5pm, so we took a slow drive back home. We popped into the Dinosaur park at the Sterkfontein caves. What a great park - thanks for the recommendation Gill. The boys just loved it! We had a milkshake and pancakes before taking a slow drive to Dullstroom where we wondered around a bit before heading our way back home.

I only have two more weeks left before I leave for Australia, so my life is going to start getting very hectic now. The agents are in the process of reserving flights for me, as they cannot be confirmed until my visa is through. I was very proud of the home affairs department last week as it only took 2 weeks to organise Reece and Bryce's passport. It normally takes 6 weeks so they got lots of brownie points from me last week.

Off to bed as quite bushed!
Cheers
Nix

Big Changes!

Okay so we have been missing in action for a little while as we have been in the process of making BIG decisions! Yip for all of you who do not know already Heath and I have decided to move to Australia. Quite drastic but we are very excited and cannot wait to start with our new adventure. It is all very scary to start with but we are taking each day as it comes. So for the last two weeks I have been sitting at the computer every night filling in documents, scanning documents, getting copies of documents etc. This is only for us to get the visas organised. So the reason for being a little scarce. The plan at this time is I will be leaving to start my new job on 1st Dec in Perth and leaving my lovely family behind. BUT I will be back for Xmas for two weeks and then I will be going back to Aus after New Year. Hopefully by then we should be a little clearer on when Heath and the kids join me - hopefully not too soon afterwards. We are still waiting for the kids passports to be sorted but in the meantime the agency has lodged my visa and Heath's visa, they can only lodge the kids visa's once we have passports and once they have completed their medical check-up.

So while I am in Aus I have to start scouting around for a home to live in, schools for the kids and then also start scouting around for some goods places for Heath to work at. Heath has the job of sorting out the house (trying to sell still - but we may have to rent), and looking after the kids. Heath has been my saint as with the amount of documents we have had to get organised he has been doing most of the running around for us - Thank you Babe - love you stax!

So soon I will be updating you all on the happenings in Aus and I will have to teach Heath to update the blog on the happenings in SA. At the moment the boys have no idea what is going on, which is good for us as they are acting just as normal - which of course is full of nonsense.

Recently I took some pics of Bryce as he was looking so cute with his little head of curls well last week Heath had the boys hair cut as it was so hot. Well when I got home I could not believe it was Bryce as he looked so different. I still have to look twice. Reece is not so bad as I have seen him with short hair before. Below you will see what I mean:

Bryce with curls

Bryce eating watermelon with no curls!

Reece- Smiley boy

It is amazing how kids grow and learn day to day. Recently Reece has been digging in his cupboard and playing with some of the toys he has had around for ages but was not really interested in previously. Well last night he amazed us and built some boats and we just could not believe the thought & imagination that goes into building these little objects. I promised him I would take a picture in the morning but his little brother got hold of the boats before we could take pictures, so tonight he made some more - evidence below:

I will post some more later in the week on our last couple of week-ends, but I am bushed so off to bed. Night-Night.

Cheers

N

Busy Busy!

Well what a busy week-end we have had. It all started on Friday when I had a lunch in Rivonia as my company wanted to treat us all to a great lunch out for winning the 4th best small company to work for in the Deloitte survey. Well we started at 12:30 and when I left at 6:30pm the party was still rocking very strong. I would hate to know what our one director paid just for the bar bill alone must have been a hefty sum. Our company is merging with another company and we will now be called Britehouse SSD and so there was plenty to celebrate as not only being the 4th best small company to work for we were now also getting a new name so we had to show how to do it under the old name of One Arch. I think there were many very saw heads on Saturday morning! Well my evening did not end there as I had some family around at home and I eventually crawled into bed after 12:00pm. I found Heath curled up in bed with Reece as he had "just gone to check on the kids" - but had actually sneaked off as he was also bushed. Bryce had been put to bed around 9:30pm and Reece at around 11:00pm, so of course we were hoping for them to sleep LATE! No such chance they were up and bouncing around at 6:30am the next morning!

Then Saturday was no better as we rushed off in the morning to meet Reece's school teacher for next year. At least she looks much livelier than the one he has at the nursery school, so I am sure he is going to love it. Then we dashed off to Reece's swimming lesson. He had a blast like he normally does at swimming lessons. We then got home to relax but somehow or another we did not do much relaxing. Later in the afternoon we went through to friends of ours Louise and Bart for a bit of rugby and birthday celebration. Go Sharks!!! Oh- yes they did win, sorry just a bit behind the times. We had a really great evening with friends and my goodness we just did not stop eating. Thanks Louise for everything! My children once again only went to bed well after 10:30pm but at least they gave us a little lie in as they were only bouncing around at 7:30 this time. I think we are close to tiring them out for the week-end! :)

Sunday was a little more relaxing but we were still out and about as we had been invited to lunch at Natalie's house i.e. Heaths sister. We had a great relaxing afternoon chilling and chatting. Thanks Nats!

Earlier in the morning Reece and Bryce had been bugging me to eat ice cream from around 8am in the morning until around 11am I decided I had been bugged enough and was looking for a bit of peace and quite - actually a little me time to read a bit of my scrapping magazine. So below is a little evidence of them (note still in there pj's & me :)) munching on ice creams.

Just look at that face

Too cute

The moment Reece has been waiting for!

Then after cleaning them up and getting then ready for lunch I could not resist and do a little photo shoot with Bryce. He was in the cutest mood this morning and the cute curls in his hair are just irresistible so I marched him off to our bedroom and snapped away happily. He was only to happy to pose - for a change :)

Just too cute for words!

This week is hopefully a little better and not so hectic. Hopefully I should hear more about the job offer in Australia and then tomorrow I am off for an interview in Midrand at another consulting company in SA. So hold thumbs!

Chat again soon

Cheers

N

My boys are growing up too fast!

Missing in action again and once again I have absolutely no idea where the time has gone. Well last week was a little sad for me as my little baby Bryce is now in a big bed as he calls it. He has been ready to go into a bed for many months but I am the one who kept on holding him back as I thought if we put him into a bed we are doomed. He is a very early riser and we thought as he can get in and out of his bed he will be waking us up VERY EARLY in the morning. Plus then going to bed as he is a little monster who gets up to lots of mischief he would be bugging his brother. Well last week Wednesday we decided to brave the reality that out little boy is growing up and we put him into bed. Well he was so well behaved that he even surprised us. He did not get out of the bed once and slept through the night and did not wake up once. Then the funniest is that in the morning he sat in his bed calling us to come and fetch him as he had not worked out that he is able to get out himself. Well one week later and he loves sleeping in his big big bed and anyone who comes to visit he has to show them his big bed. He is just the cutest.

My other baby is also growing up too fast for my liking as we are going to his school Tom Newby to meet his teacher on Saturday morning. I also cannot believe that he is going to grade 0.

Last weekend we went off to a 21st for one of Heaths cousins. We have not been to a party in ages and it was great fun to get out again and dance out little hearts out. Then on Sunday we had my mom and dad around to celebrate my dads birthday. So happy birthday dad and hope that the next year is a great one! I have been really bad lately and have not taken any photos so sorry dad I do not even have a little pic of you celebrating your birthday! Next time we will have to make an effort.

Well on the good news front - It looks like Heath is much closer to getting a job. He has been for two interviews with Hi-Fi corporation and been through quite a few psychometric tests. In fact he is spending the whole day today doing tests. So please all hold thumbs that all goes well. Hopefully we should know very soon.

Wow - I did not realise I had so much to say today but it is amazing once you start you then start remembering everything. I suppose I should start writing a little more often, but hey to find the time. Okay alot has happened in my life in the last week as well. To start with I have not been to a scrapping class for ages so I decided Saturday morning was the day. Well I got to class to find that I was to get undivided attention as I was the only one in the class. Jackie had created a really beautiful page that I decided I was to complete with pics of my gran. I finished the layout but I have still not put any pics on the page. Once complete I will post a pic of the page as it has really turned out very nicely. Thanks Jackie!

Now on Monday morning Heath woke up to tell me he had dreamt that I was pregnant with triplets. Well I was not very impressed and told him this is not very funny! Well that morning I had a call from a company in Australia for a position in Perth, then on Tuesday I got an email from a recruiter in UK to mention they have some positions available and then lastly on Wednesday I got a call from a company in SA for a really good position in Midrand. So after all of this I told Heath - these must have been my triplets. So I am pursuing all of the options as I need a change in my job. So Monday I have an interview for the position in Midrand. I am still waiting for feedback on the rates in Australia and more about the positions in UK. So I will keep you all updated on the Bedingfield happenings shortly.......as after all of this things could just remain as normal......

Okay I think I have rattled on for long enough. Hope that you are all well.
Chat again soon.

Cheers
N

Pilansberg

Heath has visited Pilansberg 3 times in about 1 week. The first time he went he went with John (brother-in-law) & Richard(John's son) for 4 days. They went camping and had some great sightings i.e. banded mongoose, lion, elephant, zebra, rhino, impala, springbok, hippo, red haartebees, black backed jackal, tortoise, snakes. They saw the lion when they went out for a game drive on one of the evenings. There have been quite a few veld fires in the park and some of them will still going.

From Pilansberg in October

From Pilansberg in October

Heath then came back to Jo'burg on Saturday afternoon to then shoot off again on Sunday morning. A friend of ours who works for BHP Billiton asked Heath if he would mind taking a guy who was landing from Australia around for the day. So Heath did his duty and took Ben around the park. Once again he got to see alot but he was unable to show Ben lion. They only got to the park around 10:00am after Heath had fetched Ben from the airport and the temperature reached 38 degrees so the chance of seeing lion in that heat was slim.


Then on Tuesday night we went to Deanne and Johns house for a braai and not sure how it all started but before we knew it we were planning to go back there on Thursday. So everything planned I put in my leave on Wednesday morning and we were on our way on Thursday morning to Pilansberg. We were only camping and for one night so did not really have to plan too much. Deanne and John pitched their tent which has two little rooms on either side of the main tent - so all was sorted. Their tent comes form the UK and I have never seen so many guide ropes on a tent in my life - believe me this tent was going nowhere!


After arriving just after noon. We had a bit of lunch at the main area at Manyane. We had to build up a little energy before we started pitching the tent of course! It only took us about a hour to get all organised with the tent.

From Pilansberg in October

Just in time to go out for a game drive. As the park has burnt quite alot the animals are mainly concentrated around the Mankwe dam so luckily we did not have to travel too far. When we got to main dam in the afternoon we were just in time to see a herd of elephant come down to the waterhole for a bath and drink. What a great sighting - we could have sat there for hours. The baby elephants are just too cute for words, they seem to fall over there own feet but have loads of fun.

From Pilansberg in October

From Pilansberg in October

We also saw hippo, plenty plenty giraffe, lots of rhino and most of them with babies, zebra, wildebeest, red haartebees, impala, spingbok, slender mongoose, black backed jackal, waterbuck.

From Pilansberg in October

From Pilansberg in October

From Pilansberg in October

From Pilansberg in October

On Friday morning we were up and already in the park by 6:30am! But it was all worth it in the end as we got to see two lioness walking across the veld over the road and then into the distance. We found out later that the lioness that we saw (her name escapes me at the moment) is the largest female in the park. The one park ranger told us that he is sure that her skull is bigger than some of the males. Believe me she is huge!!!

From Pilansberg in October

Then to top it all off we got to see cheetah - one of my favourite :) She was not close enough for pictures and as she was on a kill she was not walking around too much. Plus, we had been told by one of the game guards that they had waited 45 minutes to see the cheetah get up. We had luck on our side and came around the corner saw the cheetah immediately and then sat and watched her for a while before she settled down again.

So all in all we had a great two days and by lunchtime we were back on the road home, but I felt like I had been away for at least three days so I was well relaxed by the time I got home and only to start the week-end.

From Pilansberg in October

Good one!
Cheers
N