Miles of Smiles Part Two

Beach & Shopping

Rested and fed and fed again, the girls and I headed to the beach and our first of many encounters with the surf clothing shops, Country Feeling, Billabong to name a few. 

They shopped, and shopped, then shopped a little more and when I was proudly holing up a white speedo for all to see they simply shook their heads in disbelief and shopped a little more. No, I was not permitted to try on the white speedo and sing YMCA for the fellow shoppers, I was sent to purchase water. 

R12 for a bottle of 500ml water, I asked the shop attendant if that included the vaseline to make the whole episode less painful, the blank stare I received told me all I needed to know. I returned to my girls and ignored the security whose frail attempts to inform me that refreshments were not allowed in the shop, imagine I slipped and spilt some bottled water on a bikini or a towel, heck they would have to throw it out.

And so the shopping ended with a drunk stumbling barefooted local showing me how to reverse and then patiently waiting for payment for his expertise, we arrived at the beach. I removed my shirt and slops, flexed and relaxed my wobbly bits and with my camera round my neck followed Simon and Nicole to the waters edge. I was finally on holiday, I clicked and focussed and shot everything in sight, spoke to bikini clad ladies and then photographed them, the girls were on a venture to collect shells so I photographed them as well.

The sea air, the laughter, the little kid who splashed me and whose head I was now holding under the water, it was just what I needed. 

We arrived back at my parents house and raided the fridge which was bursting as usual, went to check on my Dad and he looked much better than the previous day, the cooler weather was definitely helping. Mom and I discussed Christmas lunch which would included 3 different meats and enough food to feed  a troop of JW's if they came a-knocking.

My Mom is so in control and bubbly that you would never guess that she is a pensioner/wife/nurse/cook/Mom to 4 and Granny to 3. She wakes up with a smile and just gets through the day taking all life deals her. She deals with her sorrow and hardships with a strong faith and never say die attitude. 

A final trip to the shops for some last minute Christmas shopping for the girls and some more photo shooting for me and we were ready for a family Christmas. This was what the girls and I had been talking about and planning for more than 6 months, Christmas at my folks with Granny's cooking. Simon had made her now famous trifle and we fell asleep with smiles on our faces.

It was hard to believe that this was the same shattered, bruised and broken family of three that had to face Christmas three years ago, raw from divorce. Time, hard work, love and faith can indeed work miracles.

Madness with Coffee and Muffin

I am watching Simon my eldest daughter wrap presents as we listen to Nirvana and I sip generously on an iced cold beer.

We did shopping hard core this morning and are now in a state of relaxation knowing that 90% of the shopping is done and dusted.

Nicole decided not to spend the night and day with us due to circumstances not needed to be disclosed, tears were shed and emotions were raw, such is the situation when it comes to divorce and kids.

So coffee and breakfast was held before the attack on the various outlets were declared, my giant sized choc-chip muffin fresh from the oven eaten with melting butter and grated cheese and downed with a mega cuppachino. It was the breakfast of kings and my smiling eyes teased the other shoppers are they hurried past unsmiling and harassed at 9 in the morning, a little sad I thought.

It makes me think that the rat race has deprived us of the simple joys in life like a cup of coffee with a friend, singing to a complete stranger, she laughed and Simon shook her head and saying Merry Christmas to the shop assistants, never forgetting that most of them are tired and perhaps a little irritable as well.

Quote of the day, "He's crying because the service is so bloody slow" from a slightly irate Mom of a 2 year old boy.

My thought for the day, well loved spending time with Simon, but would have liked Nicole to have been with us.