The holiday... and 3 things I love at the moment

Well, last night D switched on the TV and switched back off about a second before I saw the name "Nancy Meyers" on the screen.

(I love Nancy Meyers movies!)

It was The Holiday.

I tried to resist since I had intentions of doing photos but eventually I dragged my laptop to bed and did photos while watching the movie.

Guys, it was wonderfully decadent and I realised that I really should "chill" more often.

In other news, our holiday is booked and paid for. Finally.

We prayed, I completely avoided the travel websites for about 3 - 4 days (inwardly freaking out - old habits die hard) but then when we sat on Heritage Day evening, it all just worked out. Flights, accommodation, etc. Best of all, we came in way under my upper limit :)

So we'll be spending just over a week in Cape Town after New Year's.

YAY!

And then I need to book the next holiday early so I don't lose momentum.

Can I tell you about 3 things that are rocking my world?

1. Airbnb

We'll be staying in an airbnb for part of the time in CT. But more than that, just go click on an exotic destination like Paris or Amsterdam, and you'll see tons of lovely spaces. Another  benefit is things don't feel so crazy expensive when you consider an overseas trip.

I happened on a lovely beach apartment in Brighton the other day (I've been reading a Dorothy Koomson and her novels are set in the area) and I just about had to hold myself back from clicking to book!

Anyway, there's a public service announcement. I can't wait to travel with the kids and use this overseas!



2. Uber

For the love, why in the heck has no-one told me about Uber before?!

It is the way to do this client thing, I tell you. I don't know why I ever bothered to drive to Centurion/ Pta before :)

I've used it twice so far - Gautrained to Hatfield and got the Uber to take me to the client, and then back again.

Amazing experience. I exited the Gautrain, and while I walked to the exit, I requested a taxi. When I got outside, I waited about a minute and then the taxi was there.

On my return trip, the man was downstairs before I even got down and out the lift.

I love the way it tells you exactly who is collecting you in which car, and how you get an immediate invoice (as I was walking into the Gautrain station).

So easy to use (even for me) and convenient.

I'm a huge fan!

If you want to try it, you can use my code anytime, and you will get a free trip marciaf201ue.

3. Passbook

This is an app on the iphone. I don't know if you get it on the other phones but it's super cool. I used it for a work trip already and it works perfectly.

When you do online check-in, and you get to the boarding pass printing stage, it asks if you want to add to your Passbook. Say yes and when you get to the airport, you show them your phone. It's like magic - no printing anything. YAY for saving the trees.

My airbnb booking also let me save it to Passbook so all the details are already there. I love technology when it makes my life easy.



So those are 3 things rocking my world :)

Tell me 3 things you love at the moment.

PS This is not a sponsored post at all - you all know I gush when I love something! However, travel is probably one of the things I would most want to promote :)

Travels and work and craziness

Thanks so much for sharing your tooth fairy stories on the last post.That was so fun to read.

Well.... I'm back. Sheesh - that makes it three weekends in a row I've been away or flat-out busy.

I can't WAIT for this weekend to just chill. And by chill I mean get stuck into my photos, cuddling with the babies and cooking.

This past weekend I flew to PE. My trip was two-fold: my mother's birthday (no, nothing was planned) and a span.ish re.union. Win-win.

It sounded like a good idea when I booked back in May but work is so crazy busy it's ridiculous...first day back and I worked another 3 hours that night. I haven't even been on Instagram for two days. Who am I?!

Aside from work, there's the babies of course and I'm not great at letting go. Tonight K was clinging to D as we went out the door and about to start the crying (yes, still) so C said, "Kendra, you need to learn to let go of things you love" and D and I exchanged looks above the kids...... Such wisdom in the newly 6-year-old.

I have no issues with letting everyone get on without me. They are all quite capable of dressing and feeding themselves. It was more me missing them.

Anyway, it was all lovely. I read two books, spent some good time connecting with my family and two friends, and saw TONS of people I haven't seen for 23 years. And danced! Pics in another post once I download and sort.

I did, however, seriously consider buying a pair of gumboots what with all the rain!

Those of you who are insta-friends saw I was stuck in the airport for 8 extra hours while our flight was first delayed, and then cancelled. At first I said "I'll never fly this airline again" BUT really, they were so professional about everything and communication was outstanding, and as I told the lady I was chatting with, I would much rather they take the necessary precautions and we all arrive alive than have the unthinkable happen!!!

I was exhausted yesterday at work but nothing stops and so we continue. Today I'm not much more wide awake today but I do want to make a start on the Ballito photos, even if just for 30 minutes.

What's up in your world?

Louisa, how many days til Spring? (we have the best winter weather up here... and the best water for drinking)

PS these are the photos from Mother's Day.

Dreaming about travel

After I finished my Singapore/ Australia album as part of last month's goals, I've been itching to do the very last one - Thailand and Malaysia.

Singapore/ Australia photos were in albums but in the old days, I just printed everything and stuck rolls of film to the shop and had the surprise of seeing which ones turned out non-blurry.

(interesting fact - we had all our photos except the very last roll of film printed in Australia because it was so much cheaper there - I seem to remember AUS $7 which at the time was R35 - those days are gone forever)

So I took out all those photos, tossed about 50 - 60 that didn't tell a story and arranged them in my current favourite photo albums from CNA.

look at my thin hot self in the bottom left pic! (Malaysia) I printed an extra copy of me and it's on my desk to motivate me

Onto Thailand and Malaysia.

This was actually our first trip with a digital camera. We bought it about a week before we left and we had no idea what we were doing, me especially. Still, these are our memories.

I was reminded just how easy it is to take 20 photos of the same thing (and it's easier now with the fast shutter speed of the DSLR) but more importantly, how we just leave photos on a hard drive and never go back to look at them again.

I worked on them for two nights (about 3 - 4 hours total) and then printed them.

This afternoon I quickly arranged them in the album and ... I'm caught up with ALL our trips.

I told D I will never be behind again. It's far too much of a pain.

Same with the baby/ kid books.

I simply have to remember the schlep of years of unsorted stuff to keep me current :)

When I don't have my friend (#epson printer), I just save the "chosen" ones in a To Print folder and once a month but definitely once every two months, I take it on a disc and get them printed.



9 countries, 10 trips (Ireland twice :))
2004 Singapore & Australia
2006 Thailand & Malaysia
2008 England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland
2009 Ireland (pre-babies trip)
2012 USA

Where next?

I'm keen to try an Airbnb place for our next trip but I don't know where. (there is no actual next trip planned; it's just nice to dream)

Interestingly, two close friends are travelling WITH kids to Europe and Mauritius later this year. Fun, fun, fun.

D thinks we should do a cruise next.

Of course I'm keen but I think it would be a good idea to be permanently employed again first :) It would just feel to reckless otherwise!

As for travel in the real world not fantasy-land, I would DEARLY love to get to the beach for my birthday but dear D's secret company has banned leave over the period at least for the moment. What does that mean? When they unfreezer the ban, flights will be super expensive once again.

GRRR!

Tell me about your imaginary or real travel plans :)

20 year anniversary

A little bit of background...

This lovely friend of mine joined the company in Feb and I joined in April a whole 8 years ago.

She'd been caretaking the job I was employed to do in addition to her other work, so she trained me a little bit in the beginning. And then about 5 years later, joined our team. (When people stay, they S T A Y!)

She's an INTP. We only have the T in common so we used to have the best debates and discussions in my old team *sigh*. I still have regular email and coffee chats with her to keep me sane. She's the one I emailed when I was crying in the loo and forgetting I was in the CBD office's toilets, went to look for me :)

Interestingly, she was also the last in-home organising client I took on. That's when I met her husband. They celebrate their anniversary on my birthday :) and it's her house we rented in Plett.

So lovely and intertwined but there it is! 

They've been married 20 years this year with 17, 14 and 11-year-old boys. She said she wanted to have a thanksgiving celebration (which morphed into a vow renewal too) because even though marriage has its ups and downs and sometimes we're all just going through the motions, they actually happen to be in a really great space at this time :)

Isn't that nice?

Onto the pics!

K

K & T

I used to partake of these lemons regularly :)

I love this pic of the oldest son!

shoes!

Which is your favourite pic?


Our 20th anniversary is in 2015 (18 months to go!) and years ago I had this bright idea of doing a marriage renewal on the beach, all romantic and soppy, with a reception for friends and family since we had a TINY wedding.... but I'm rapidly moving towards "eloping" and going travelling instead :)

If I'm still at current company as is my heart's desire, it will be 10 years in 2015 and we get 20 extra leave days as a long service award. I can't even imagine 40 working days leave in one year. Actually, I can. Two months off sounds amazing :)

Do you have plans for your 20th anniversary?

{Friendship Friday} Lion and Rhino Park

As you know, Heather and her family were out here.

We wanted to go to the Lion and Rhino Park and since they were car-less, we took our two cars, collected them and then made The Great Trek (which I say of anything out west!)

It was quite amazing that there were only white cars there besides our two black cars - look at the first pic. On the bright side, very easy to spot the boys. Connor decided all the boys should drive together in D's car and all the girls in mine.

It's been so weird to have Heather back home and know that this trip is over :( :( We are so alike and it was good to talk kids, work, travel, everything.

Of course, Heather is even more chatty than I am :) After Heather and Phoebe got into my car, Kendra didn't say a word the entire 70km trip. When I told Tom, he said, "I don't think she could get a word in"

this pic just screams Africa!

still my favourite, non-people pic

Heather and Phoebe

I love this pic!

gorgeous!

love this one!

awwww, aren't they lovely?

our squirmy worms!

Which pic is your favourite?

I really need to decide where we'll go next. I'm thinking Thailand... D's not convinced the babies will travel well but doesn't a hotel on the beach with massages and healthy food sound good????

Which places are on your "to go next" list?

Keeping your costs low when travelling in South Africa

Ballito

South Africa is a vast country packed with fabulously beautiful landscapes and having exquisite sandy coastlines on both the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Like most other countries it has its pockets of affluence in areas like Cape Town and Johannesburg where insurance quotes and property prices tend to rocket, but if you’re travelling around on a budget there are plenty of ways to keep the costs down as you explore this most fascinating and beautiful of countries.

The best way of getting around here as a budget traveller is by taking the popular and cheap Baz bus, which is a hop-on-hop-off shuttle connecting the major towns and cities, or by renting your own car through one of the many rental companies. You could also try overland trucking to explore not only South Africa but across the borders as well, as there are many reputable companies offering affordable excursions to most of the attractions and you can get off wherever you like to delve deeper into a region.

A great accommodation option is the many hostels that are to be found in all the big tourist destinations as well as in a lot of the smaller towns. Each of them has its own unique atmosphere and travellers can get cheap shared accommodation or pay a bit more for privacy and their own kitchen and sleeping quarters. Even the best hostels cost far less than the average hotel.

For those who prefer to avoid all the hassle of arranging complex itineraries as independent travellers, open-vehicle safaris are an alternative way of seeing the country in an organised group. This will be a little more expensive on the surface but in the long run you have to factor in the savings you’ll make on things like travel and accommodation and see whether this would work out cheaper. It has the advantage of taking in the best bungee jumping, abseiling and shark cage diving opportunities as part of the package, where you’d pay more by arranging these activities independently.

There are quite a few volunteer programs for those who want to make a contribution to South Africa in addition to simply enjoying its natural wonders. There’s a wide range of these to choose from, focusing on everything from education and childcare to conservation and community work. By enrolling on one of these programs you not only get to make a meaningful contribution but will be fed and looked after whilst you do so. The Face of Africa, ASSEX (Ambassadors of Study & Skills Exchange) and Ama Africa Experiences all run a series of programs that involve volunteers in working with local communities across the country.

If you’re up for a challenge and enjoy exploring unfamiliar ways of life and landscapes, travelling around South Africa doesn’t have to drain your bank account. Try thinking outside the box and you’ll quickly find that there’s more than one way to see the best South Africa has to offer at a fraction of the cost you’d imagined.       

David Elliott is a freelance writer who loves to travel, especially in Europe and Turkey. He’s spent most of his adult life in a state of restless excitement but recently decided to settle in North London. He gets away whenever he can to immerse himself in foreign cultures and lap up the history of great cities.   

This is a guest post but of course, I am super passionate about travelling in my beautiful country!

Who of you, my blog friends, will be visiting me next? :) 

One of my favourite cities, Dublin

I was going to post about our sports day but since it's St. Patrick's Day, this is the perfect excuse to post pics of Ireland, right?

Confession - I didn't even realise it was St Paddy's (that's the only con of me no longer reading the crafting/ DIY/ Pinteresty blogs) til I read Mandy's blog. Good job, Mandy (as my kids say).

Ireland was always one of those places on my must-see list and it absolutely did not disappoint. So much so we went back twice :)

I still need to go to Galway, Belfast and the Ring of Kerry. 

Have you been to Ireland?

Which countries are on your must-see list?

Lesley, looking at the poor quality of these pics, I'm thinking we need to make a trip out pronto to take some decent pics!

These are all from our 2008 trip, just of Dublin and Malahide. (I have many more folders of our trip down the coast, Cork, Kinsale, Limerick, Wicklow, etc)



the bus we used to take into and out of the city landed right in front of this beautiful blue building :)



the pronunciation still tickles me :)







the famous Eason's clock - in the Irish chick lit this is often a Dublin landmark





an absolutely freezing Marcia at St Stephen's Green



Malahide









the River Liffey

and these are all from our 2009 trip

see the blue building on the other side of the road? that's the one in the first pic

GORGEOUS!

23 weeks pregant with the twins

one of my favourite pics - just connecting with a friend

Wicklow!

old friends - how I wish our kids could grow up together. We have 6 between us - C on right and J who's having tea and scones with me have a little one too, and S & P in the middle also have a set of twins.

Your favourites? 

Mine? The blue building and the River Liffey :)