Category: the parenting bunny

Flying high

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We went to a rather windy Cape Town Kite Festival this morning. Of course, when you are attending a kite festival, wind is good. Otherwise it would be a string and colourful rug festival. Not that I am saying there is anything wrong with celebrating string and colourful rugs, but that’s not what we went there for and it’s not what we got.

Despite all the colour, my favourite shot of the day was this one:

One of the big “3D” kites which was tethered at ground level so you could get a really close look at exactly how it worked – which seemed to be somehow wind-related. You can find more black and white goodness here and a whole lot of colour in the Flickr set.

It was a cheap, fun day out, all in support of a good cause and I would fully recommend it: especially if you have kids.
The forecast is bright and breezy for tomorrow, so give it a go!

Waiting for Mum

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Kids go through stages with regard to their relationship with their parents. Sometimes you can see obvious reasons why this might be; for example, when K-pu was born and had to spend a lot of time with Mum (because she’s the one with the boobs), Alex became firmly (often rather too firmly) attached to me. His rampant favouritism, caused by obvious and understandable insecurity, has worn off now though and we generally gauge who is flavour of the moment by his requests for bedtime story readers (Mum/Dad/Neither).

Perhaps it’s because she’s female (and therefore fussy), but K-pu has a very strict hierarchical list of favourites. I guess I should be flattered to be in second place and I have to remember that when Mum walks in and K-pu suddenly shows a complete lack of interest in me, it’s only the same as she does to other people below second place when she sees me.
(It’s still quite hurtful though).

This picture was taken while we were away last weekend. Mum had popped up the road to pick up the boy from the Kid’s Club and K-pu – outraged to have been left with only her dad for company – went and planted herself firmly by the front door and sulked until her mother returned.

That’s (another) one for her 21st birthday, then.

George

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If all is well, I will be on a plane to George when this post pops up onto the interwebs. Such is the magic of WordPress.

I say “if all is well”, but I have grave doubts that all will be well. I’m writing this with exactly 12 hours to go before take off; my son has bronchitis, my wife has bronchitis and in a foolish act of solidarity, little K-pu is displaying the first signs of bronchitis.
It does not bode well. In fact since I just took up a Med-Lemon to my ailing wife, it’s boding a whole lot worse as she just told me how much the flights cost. Now I too feel slightly sick, which explains the medicinal brandies I’m just poured myself.

Anyway, given that I expect to have almost exactly no sleep tonight, I’m going to leave it at that for now.

If we do make it to George, I am going to make a special effort to meet the mayor, Phillipus Hendrik “Flip” de Swardt.
I will tell him that he has a great name. Then I will ask him if he has any decent brandy.

Tomorrow’s post is all about maps. I know that because I wrote it 10 minutes ago.

Makeshift quota photo post

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Having spent the day looking after the kids, with the builders building all around us and dust and noise everywhere, I find myself sitting on the floor stuck with a makeshift computer setup – wires everywhere, minimum necessary equipment connected: monitor (on coffee table), keyboard (on lap), mouse (works on carpet – impressed) – just like the old days.

Tonight, I have two tasks to complete – upload photos to Flickr and write a blog post. The former is underway (by pigeon), the latter is what you’re reading at the moment. And then I thought:

Why not combine the two?

Hence, you get this quota photo:


Want more generous dimensions?

Taken fromWynberg School field this evening where we took the kids to get rid of their excess energy. Judging by the silence upstairs, it seems to have worked.
Viva Wynberg School field, Viva!