And the beat goes on....

It seems so long since I last had a moment to sit and write as Laith requires more attention and energy but I am determined to keep setting aside time to stay in touch with my loved ones! Now I understand what my friends told me about enjoying it when he is small. God help us when he crawls....

The swimming never happened as the weather completely changed to storms, grey skies and a lot of rain. That doesn’t stop the Durbanites from still going to the beach,. It was a long weekend due to a public holiday (Human Rights Day) so we met up with Kay, Suri and their kids, who are officially Laith’s new bodyguards and buddies. Ella (as in Fitzgerald, not that stupid song) is 5 and Raul, 2, are gorgeous and adventurous. Looking forward to the little one growing up with them

I have finally neared the end of my back cracking sessions so the lard-ass is under attack, courtesy of my PT with whom I start with on Monday (was not allowed to have the fit Miguel so had to go with the skinny chick) God help me with what she has in store for me. Laith has a much better set up in a gorgeous crèche that’s been re-vamped and looks like something out of a Disney store. Lucky little critter.

Never went back for the spa manicure as I found a cool chick with her own salon who I have befriended. Tulli is a buxom babe with a wicked sense of humour. On my first visit she wanted to take me to a ladies adult toy store located a few doors down from her – say no more. I had actually been seeing these ads for The Bedroom all over the place but mistook it for an Agent Provocateur style underwear store. Whoops, was mistaken.

Been a tough week or so with no electricity so no Internet and no lights aint fun. Dining by candlelight will never be a romantic notion for me again, trust me. I was reminded that I am an African chick by birth and have lived through worse whilst growing up in Nigeria so I shouldn't complain. That was real Africa, this place is a tropical haven, even if we dont have generators.

We haven’t had a chance to do so much as the kid has been grizzly all week after his jabs and a bought of bad eczema so here’s hoping things will improved. The weather has started to get cooler and sunny. Mother in law arrived which is a welcomed visit, especialy for Laith as he adores all her attention.We love having her here especially as Sam and I managed to finally go out for a cocktail (or two) the other night. It has been so long I think we had forgotten how nice it was to dress up and knock back those mojitos.

The bromance between these guys continues to grow, they have even kicked me out of bed for naps on Sundays. Secretly I love it.

Until next time…

The little smartass

rolled over but couldnt roll back....

Happy Feet

Well I am adapting to life in the sunshine and humidity pretty darn well. God bless Mr Willis Carrier (he's the clever chap who invented the aircon) and the equally important Mr John Freida for his anti frizz hair mousse as i no longer resemble Diana Ross

Laith is all mine until term starts on 11 April for playskool so I am enjoying every second with him. On our daily walks we have befriended Chantal and her one year old Jaden, owners of Afri Cafe (no prizes for guessing the theme) which is across the road from us, en route to the beach. It is right next door to a tattoo parlour owned by your typical skin head, covered in tattoos (obviously) with a gigantic dog. Bizarre location.
Jaden took a shining to Laith but sadly the mutual giggles and smiles soon turned into shared tears after an accidental poke in the eye. Jaden was promptly dragged away by his mum for poking Laith (whilst screaming because he wanted to hug him sorry but Mum wouldn't allow it) and Laith was carted off by moi as he cried every time he heard Jaden cry. Go figure, the kid wasnt bothered by the poked eye. Note to self, teach Laith how to poke back, and I dont mean on facebook.

We have been enjoying our weekends out in the sunshine going for brunch, shopping, looking at furniture and enjoying the walks. I cannot believe that we have yet to make it to the beach or pool! It is now nearing the end  of the summer (although today is 31 degrees!) so all summer clothes sales have ended and we were lucky to find the kid a swimsuit. We are hitting the waters on Saturday and cant wait to see his reaction. Judging by his bathtimes he will love the pool. Lets hope he doesnt pee in it like he does the bath.Going to start doing more outside of our hood this weekend. Will look forward to sharing it with you and showing you more of Durban.

I have been quietly envious of Sam’s daily trips to the gym whilst waiting for my membership to come through. In the meantime i had to see a chiropractor due to my back pain. It turns out it isnt my back , but my feet. So a total ban on any activity, other than walking has been issued for at least a few weeks. Have now placed my new tracksuits, trainers and various running tops on the top shelf L . Not even yoga as I am 'abnormally' flexible. With that diagnosis I dragged my miserable feet and I to the spa at the Oyster Box for a pedicure. In the words of Janice OH MY GOD! I have officially found my little bit of heaven. Allow me to share:

On arrival I changed into a gown and was escorted up the white marble staircase to the spa lounge and buffet where there was an array of fruits juices and nibbles. I was asked to enjoy whilst filling in a form as the therapist prepared my room. hmmm. The form asked me what type of music I would like and how i would like my massage. I kept quiet thinking they had booked me in for a massage by mistake. I was shown into my massage suite, surrounded with white orchids , the scent of burning oils and windpipe music
The therapist proceeded to wrap me up in heated bean bags and warm eye mask before my feet and legs were oiled, scrubbed, rubbed and painted. An hour later I awoke to gentle chimes from the bells above my head and was ushered into the tranquility room with a drink and more snacks. I tried hard not to fall into a coma-like state as I lay in my individual cocoon behind the towering silk curtains...nearly two hours had passed from my arrival before I floated home with my very happy feet.

 Let's see what delights the spa manicure holds for us next week.
Until next time....

The kindness of strangers...

so here we are, week two, and I am more familiar with our new surroundings. There is also less blubbering going on.

The little guy and I take a stroll everyday to the local mini-mall and shops. He is a hit with the ladies and seems to attract a lot of blondes....Like any guy he loves the attention and turns on the charm. I cant blame them, he is kinda cute:

 

I found a gorgeous boutique owned by a lady named Penny who was so kind to us once she knew we were new in town. She has taken me under her wing and is smitten with Laith so she's promised to find us some baby groups and a nanny (ok so I am leaving out the part where her kindness reduced me to tears) Thankfully her store is less than 200 m away with a great beauty salon two doors down, an incredible ice cream parlour and the best latte in town. The beauty salon is owned by a lady named Jay who I met last year and today I had my first timeout -a manicure while the girls in the salon all took turns looking after Laith. Me thinks we will be regulars here.Everyone is so damn friendly, I feel like it is the Truman Show as I must say good morning and good day to about 25 people before arriving at the shops. Love it.
Have been enjoying a huge amount of skype time with family and bff's back home. You can never be too grateful for the Internet.

Life here is one for the health conscious - by 5pm the beach is scattered with joggers and cyclists, as are most of the neighbouring roads. The standard outfit for the men is shorts and trainers. Nothing else. Great on the eye if they are lean and and toned, not so appealing if gravity is affecting their man boobs and they have a carpet on their back. Thankfully more of the former so far.

So with that in mind we are joining the gym next week - Laith and I that is. He has his own gym membership for a grand total of £7 a month! Sam has already begun his 6am routine. Yes, you read that correctly, Sam gets up between 5-6am and goes for a workout whilst the two of us are snoring away. Laith and I are going to join him next week,  baby gym for him whilst mother rectifies the damage he did to her waistline. 

Precious (yes that really is her name, it wasnt just a movie) comes a few times a week to clean the house and it is nice to have someone here with me to help as she too has just had a baby (a girl named Angel - I just love these names!)


My wonderful father-in-law has now left Durban and has begun his trip back home to London where his other beautiful grandchild awaits him with more smiles and hugs. We are really going to miss him as he has been pricelss in helping me settle in. Laith is going to miss having breakfast on the balcony with him, followed by a massage in the sunshine and lots of hugs. I am going to miss the freshly squeezed juice he makes us all each morning, cooking dinner together and just having him around! :(

Other than that we have been busy doing the mundane stuff that people do when the move. The pace of life here is very laid back compared to the city life back home, but dont get me wrong, they are productive and hard working but there is no stress or manic feel about getting things done. They just do it. We are looking forward to the weekends as there is so much to do here- here is a link to tempt some visitors!   (http://www.durban-direct.com/activities.html) although this weekend we are sofa shopping - not exciting I know but when you throw in lunch at a beachside venue and a stroll on the promenade, with a possible braai by the pool then it isnt so bad.

The best part of all this change is that we have much more quality time as a family and we can enjoy falling in love with our son with each passing day. Until next time....