Tales of a Bad Blogger

So... I haven't posted in a long time!

I can't really think why, I just haven't felt like it, or otherwise been too busy. 
Some updates as to what we've been up to around here:

• Eden has been waiting for me to share her exciting news for a while now:  She will be attending an International Music Academy's Summer School in.....  ITALY!  She leaves on 22 June and will be back on 8 July.  She's going with her cello teacher and 3 other students.  They are going 4 days early and spending some time sight-seeing in Florence.  I'm a tad jealous, I must admit.  Wonderful experience for her, but... eek... my daughter's growing up so fast!  Seems like she was born just yesterday, and now she's off to Europe!
• We've been working hard at our schoolwork!  We're enjoying Sonlight, especially the older two, who find the structured workplan great, and enjoy the reading.  One of their books is Murder on the Orient Express (Agatha Christie) and we rented the movie one night.  We all thoroughly enjoyed it!!
• Eden's regional orchestra, Simfonia Juventi is in full season right now.  Last weekend they went to Thabazimbi on the Friday and returned on Saturday after midnight (mind you, that makes it Sunday morning...)  This coming weekend they'll be off to Nylstroom and Naboomspruit, and we've decided to take the caravan there for the weekend.  It's been a while since we went camping, and this is a good opportunity.
• Eden will also be auditioning for the Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra's Concerto Festival which takes place I don't know when!  I hope I'll be advised in time! ;-)
• We found signs of rats in our laundry a few weeks back, and Nathan started designing various traps for them.  Most of them were left on the drawing board, and he fell back on good old-fashioned metal traps - the kind that (hopefully) snap on their necks and break them.  He's had about 5 big ones, at a rate of one every two days.  I hope the rats will decide to rehome themselves soon.  I do confess to feeling sorry for them...
• We enjoyed the Royal Wedding.  I am of British heritage, and realised that day just how very English I am!  By the time the newly-weds were in the carriage with all the horsemen and everything, I was in tears!!  You have to hand it to the British - they do things so well!  I eventually phoned my poor father, and demanded to know which of our ancestors decided to come to Africa and why!  I don't think he had an answer...
• Since then I've been missing my sister (who lives in London) and just generally feeling miserable about living here in South Africa. :-(( I think a visit to the UK should be considered...
• We did enjoy seeing all the famous people in their outfits and I said at the time, when I saw Fergie's two daughters, that they looked like Cinderella's stepsisters at the ball.  A few days later I saw this on facebook:

• We also had a good laugh at Elton John, trying to look like he knew what he was doing while they were singing "Guide Me O Thou Great Redeemer"..
• Our trees have lost nearly all their leaves, and the sun has definitely changed angles, but it's still pretty warm here during the day.  At night it's quite chilly, and I generally prefer weather to be either hot or cold.  For now it means dressing warmly in the morning (layers - which I'm not good at), removing most of them by lunchtime, and then putting them all back on by evening. 
• Not surprisingly, the first round of colds and sniffles hit us two weeks back, with Keren getting tonsillitis and needing antibiotics.  (I'm not against antibiotics for certain illnesses, and tonsillitis is one of them).  Jordan had a throat infection, and hasn't been eating properly for about two weeks now.  It bothers me a bit, but he's still growing and got plenty of energy, so I guess it can't be too bad.

Well, this seems all bits and pieces, but hopefully I can get back to posting regularly.  And maybe get some good photos this weekend while we're camping!