Happy New Year for 2007

We hope you have a good one - wherever you are!!

Christmas, Shane Warne, India and family!!

You might be wondering just what the hell is going on here. To ease your interest I have taken the liberty of using my time ,while on holiday, to put together a real rant! Whilst I type England are busy making some sort of a fight on day 2 of the fourth test. Warnie will return later in this blog.

Christmas was a huge surprise for Tayla. She had mistakenly left out a plate of tasty biscuits and one beer (only one!!) below the chimney for Father Christmas and duly found it all consumed. She knew something was afoot but could not quite work it out..

She sure found out when she heard a knock on the front door and opened it to find her present (see pic below). It is slightly too big for her and at this stage too intimidating so she enjoys pushing it and playing with the bell.
We followed the present opening session with an "expat" tradition on the island. Champers and salmon sandwiches on Elbow beach. We were probably to the first to arrive thanks to our daughter and this proved to be a good thing. By 11 o'clock there were about 1000 people on the beach. If the government ever wanted to get rid of the foreigners this would be the place to do it. It was fantastically festive with people dressing up and enjoying the hot weather.

Tayla did her usual......took her clothes off and headed for the sea. She must have learnt this from her mother or possibly some other dangerous Rhodent.
After the session of bubbly on the beach we headed for Christmas lunch at the Southampton Princess Hotel. We decided that without help from Thandi or Nellie....cleaning up was not an option; so a stylish eat-as-much-as-you-can (if this can be stylish) feast was a brainwave....not mine, but Nicki's. Yes, you might reflect on this being slightly unusual but it was the chocolate fountain that sold it for her. Needless to say Tayla enjoyed it....

The day ended with an uncharacteristic afternoon sleep...I cannot remember one since Tayla was born, but then again I am never prone to exaggeration.

I did manage to get some focus after the lengthy day to watch the first day of the Fourth Ashes test and if I digress slightly to say goodbye to one Shane Warne then so be it - as a South African supporter he has probably tormented me more often than I care to remember. I can still feel Daryll Cullinan's pain as though it was yesterday - and for him it probably is. I will be glad to see his back shortly, but not before he dishes out further psychological damage on the Poms.

Today we spent much of the time with Carol containing an overexcited daughter. A trip to St George ended with a heavy thunderstorm and a brief stop at the Fort.

Tayla did get a chance to drive our car and then fell fast asleep on the way home - much to our relief!

Carol is with us until the 2nd January and with the odd game of golf booked it is pretty much down to getting things ready for the new year.

Onto cricket.... Bren was telling me that Kingers (Greg King) is smarting after the Indians performence in the first test - and rightfully so. After watching part the first day at Kingsmead and using this blog as the Carr family does, I am going to enter the prediction stakes with a punt at a 1-1 drawn series. I am not able to see us take 40 wickets in the two remaining tests to ensure the series win. Unless, of course, Bobby Skinstad has signed for the Proteas and not the Sharks (I would like to get both Hewletts take on this?). With this in mind, I did for a moment imagine Cavers captaining Border in the 2007 Currie Cup, Ryan Hewlett putting his flag up to ensure a Selborne win next year, Brendan Horan opening the bowling for the Gauteng Lions/Cubs....just pinched myself....still can't believe that comebacks like this are possible. Surely Adam Huckle still has a chance? Time will tell!

Talking about time. I am going to have mine cut out next year. Bath University must have made some sort of administrative error in accepting me for a Masters in Education Management. The bonus of this course is that there are no exams, so I fancy myself in taking the shortest route possible. However, it does feel quite refreshing to have a student number again and get an invite to freshers week. How many of you can say that....

I see Symonds is getting things going for the Aussies...till next time.

Merry Christmas to all our friends!!

We hope you have a blessed and relaxing day.

With all our love.

Christmas with the Fossils

Last Friday we were invited to attend Tayla's Christmas concert at school. I took the day off work and Dave got off school. Some of the older Moms said that we should not sit in the front row and the kids get upset, so we sat in the 2nd row.

Tayla was led in by the teachers and sat down. She promptly put both her fingers in both her nostrils. After sitting like that for 2 minutes, she spotted us and then burst into floods of tears. She recovered towards the end and managed to sit for the Happy Birthday to Jesus bit. We were told it will get better next year. The photo is next to her best friends, Matthew and Edward (twins) who she loves.

We have had a great time in the last week with Di flying in on Saturday and Mom on Sunday after a very long flight around the world - this place is a hard to get to from SA. Fossil Snr managed to get a coach from Heathrow to Gatwick all on her own, which is very good! Monday and Tuesday were beautiful days so we headed down to the beach - just the girls. Miss T is loving all the attention, and gets quite excited about it all. It is much more exciting having people other than Mom and Dad around.

Dave broke up from school on Tuesday too after a fiercely fought football game against the boys (which they wone 3-2). He is still stiff! We've been around town and to see the dolphins and just generally seeing Bermuda. I have been at work the last 2 days, and I think we have a half day today, so I'll be heading home soon.

Tayla now completely understands the concept of presents and Christmas, and sings Happy Birthday to Jesus all the time which is lovely to watch. She has been quite feisty of late, but I am putting it down to a molar coming out and all the Christmas excitement. It does take it out of you.

Pete and Jean had a little girl, Michelle, yesterday in the UK. She was a tiny thing at 4.11kgs - ha ha! We wish them all the best.

Dave scores a hat trick

Dave is making his presence felt on the hockey front!

http://www.theroyalgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061213/SPORT/112130226

Bermuda Boat Parade

Christmas is not a small thing in Bermuda. You can definitely feel the North American influence here and the houses are being decorated and people are pulling out all the stops. Part of the Bermuda celebrations are the Christmas Parade down the main streets, and then the Boat Parade. There are various categories that people can compete in and they do a circuit around the main areas. As you can imagine, Miss Tayla loved it, and she waved at all the Father Christmas's as they went past (I am not too sure how to explain that one!).

It is downhill to Christmas now and most of my shopping is done (it helps when there are only 4 of us for Xmas!). I hosted a lunch for all the Finance folk at work here today. Dave had a hockey game and scored 3 goals (and also got sent off!), so they won their game 3-2.

Tayla has had a bit of a cold and I seem to have caught it, but I am hoping that we have nipped it in the bud early enough.

Not much news other than that, Xmas parties have happened, and I managed to win a travel voucher for $750 - what a bonus.

Christmas is nearly here

What a fantastic time we have had this weekend. The weather was amazing – for this time of year, I cannot quite comprehend that it is still 25 degrees and it is nearly Xmas. Miss T was long overdue for a haircut, so Dave bribed her with an ice cream and she managed to sit still for a little while. I really like it shorter. She refuses to put clips etc into her hair so we really did not have much choice.

On Saturday we went to the local Farmers Market – so nice to be able to get fresh organic chickens and fish and some lovely local veg. We then managed to watch the rugby – great win – at last! After that we headed down onto the beach where my daughter stripped off all her clothes and had a little swim. As you do in Bermuda, we met a friend of hers from school and they ran backwards and forwards – good to tire her out before dinner. Dave and I had a lovely dinner out with the Valentines at Lido. We bought these dine around vouchers which s $120 for 3 three course dinners. So we used them at one of the nicer restaurants and had quite a late night. Somehow there was a slight dryness at the back of my throat the next morning, but we were up and about at 6:30!

Sunday we went to Church – one that we have been to a number of times which we are quite enjoying. Tayla went to the Sunday school and was quite happy there (after the initial tears). Last night we headed to the Xmas Parade (nothing to write home about). The drum majorettes were all over 50 and the Glamorous Granny was riding with her tiara at the back of a convertible beetle! You have got to put it all in context!

Back at work this week. The great news is that Di is coming to visit from Toronto when Mom is here so it will be lovely to see her again. I just hope the weather stays as nice as it has been. The other news is that Dave has been accepted from his Masters at Bath University so we need to sort all that out. Love from Bermuda

Daddy is riding Mommy's bike

As you can see the new bike has arrived - big hit with Miss T. At some point I will have to get her a helmet - just joking. She likes having a little spin with Dad though. Believe it or not they often have problems with kids falling asleep at the back of the bike and the parent does not know.

The other pics is of T's friend, Kwami who came to play on Saturday. They played so nicely together.

The potty training is going okay - except for the poohs. We went to watch Dave play hockey yesterday and she did 2 in her pants while we were there - no fun at all! I would much rather have been on the field.

Sleeping late - we can't remember how!

Monday was a holiday here in recognition of Remembrance Day. A great weekend for potty training. Owing to the wonderful weather an early morning trip down to the beach before breakfast was the order of the day.

Dad was explaining what all the little things on the beach were.

Tayla was spoilt and got a new kitchen. It has kept her busy for hours! A great investment! Second hand of course.

Tayla's school went to the fire department a little while back. She loved the hat, but did not love the firemen that dressed up as a dog. She was very upset for most of the trip! She feels the same way about the Gumbies! I think it is anything with a mask.

Winter in Bermuda

I can't believe we have been here for over 3 months already. In some ways it feels like we have been here for a year, and yet in others I feel we arrived yesterday. We always thank God for people that make a real effort to get to know us, and we have some people here that have done that. I work with Corinna, and she and Grant have been a great help to both of us. Their daughters, Hannah and Clara, are Tayla's mates as T is in the middle of them age-wise. Then Craig and Caroline have been great, as well as people we have met through work.

We have not yet settled at a new Church. For the last 2 weeks we have been to the same one, which we are enjoying, but some of the things take a little getting used to. Time will tell whether we settle.

Big news, we have been potty training Tayla this weekend. She has done really well and I was even brave enough to take her to the shops with me without a nappy (but with a dry pair of pants in my bag). The trick will be to see how she goes at nursery tomorrow and for the rest of the week.

Some more exciting news is that my new bike arrived on Thursday. Very impressive - a Liberty 125CC - much more powerful than my rental scooter which I was needing to go full throttle on up the hills.

There has also been a baby boom amongst the friends. Brig and James had a little boy, Sean. Ang and Fonz had a little girl, Georgina and Jen and Sikes had a little girl, Kirsten. Wow!

We are spending Christmas here. My mom is coming over on the 17th and is with us until after new year and we will probably just have a really relaxing time.

As you can imagine, the winters in Bermuda are quite mild. This morning we were on the beach at 7am and went for a lovely walk. I will post some pics when I am home (am baby sitting at the moment!).

Would love to hear all your news. We miss your friends in London big time and hop you will ALL come and visit.

Canada calling

We spent last week with Di and Adi in Toronto. It was great to see them again - I have not seen Di since 1999 and Adi since 1994! Crazy - and he has grown really tall - he is almost as tall as Dave. We had a really good time with Di and she did so much for us. She has a lovely home in Downtown and we stayed in Mandy’s room as she is away at university in Halifax. Adi is really tall, taller than Di and is a fantastic guy. He is at his final year at school doing the IB and heads off to university next summer. Tayla absolutely adored him. When we went down to Niagara she kept asking where Adi was and that she wanted to show him her new shoes (ones that sparkle!). While we were there, he was asked to model for the girls school fashion show and played in the jazz band.

Di is also so well. She works a lot from home finding homes for clients and keeps very busy with demanding clients. I managed to gather a whole lot of her hand-me-downs which was wonderful as we are the same height.

Di’s home was close to the subway so we could just hop on there if we wanted. It was rather chilly compared to Bermuda – about 5 deg Celsius. We begged, borrowed and stole some warm clothes, but all managed to come down with a cold. I think I should have reimbursed her for all the tissues we used.
We were also able to get an appointment at the Hospital for Sick Kids which was wonderful. The head of the unit said that Tayla’s feet were great and she should continue to use her booties as long as we can. Based on photos I sent to Dr Ponseti, he said that she should stop wearing her boots in three or four months time, so we will just have to see how it goes. Good news though on both fronts.
WE stayed in Niagara for a couple of nights too. It is a beautiful part of the country and, being the end of autumn, we were able to see all the fantastic colours of the trees. We did some wine tasting, some shopping in the US (just across the border) and a trip to the butterfly farm.
We got back yesterday lunchtime (with a new bread maker and slow cooker). Now life is back to normal. Next weekend is a long weekend (Monday, 13th is a holiday) so that is our potty training weekend – HELP! Tayla is well and her vocabulary and sentences increase daily. It is fantastic to watch! Mom and dad think she is very clever!

Trip on the Aristocat

This week was a busy one; especially Tayla's! On Thursday the nursery school went on a motorised train ride past lots of farm animals, the beach etc. Then on Friday they went on a bus and ferry ride. As you can tell they are busy doing transportation at school at the moment. This week they are going on a trip to the airport. I pretty much think she know what one of those look like poor child.

They currently have a film festival on in Bermuda and on Saturday morning there were Kindertoons - an hour of 5 minute short films - great for the little ones. She was a little unsure of the darkness and all the people clapping, but she came back and told Dad all about it. Then in the afternoon we went on a catamaran trip - an hour ride out, then lots of snorkelling, then back again. We managed to get some great shots of our house. Today the Valentines popped over for a braai - nice to be able to do that again.

The weather has started to cool a little - it is not as humid anymore but the days are really warm. It is between 21 and 27 degrees C - not bad!! The days are shorter and it is dark by about 7ish.

This week will a busy one. We are off to Toronto to see Di on Sunday (for a week) but first have to face a week at work. Will keep you posted!

Sunset in Bermuda

Well we are getting through the boxes slowly. There are still no bikes and we have not heard back from the shippers - how bizarre. The weeks are full and by the end of the week we are all exhausted. It has been quite a rainy weekend - on Friday evening it really came down, but it always leaves things clearer.

Tayla and I popped down to the beach for half an hour last night and were met with the most spectacular pinks skies - wow! I happened to take the camera for some reason, and thank goodness I did. As usual, T ended taking all her clothes off and we came back full of sand.

More unpacking today as we are determined to finish everything by the end of today - hence why I am procrastinating doing this.

Miss T has rediscovered all her long lost toys and books - lots of reading in the evenings now and no TV which is great.

The invasion of the boxes!

Well on Friday afternoon our stuff eventually arrived - most of it anyway - the rest is being delivered tomorrow morning - at "about 9am". We have been unpacking boxes ever since - most of which I have enjoyed - but cannot fathom where we gathered so much stuff! As a result we come to end of the day exhausted, and sometimes a little cranky. It got so bad yesterday afternoon that we baled out and went to the beach.

Funnily enough there was a touch rugby tournament on. So we watched a little and then headed home and out for dinner for Mom and Dad! We know that Bermuda is a small place when we go to a restaurant and there is a lady that I work with sitting right behind me! The baby sitting circle is working nicely.

Tayla's eye is going through all the different shades of blue as she recovers from her fall. She is now officially saying Ja - lekker man! Oh yes, and she is a whizz on her tricycle - great to watch.

Dave has a casual hockey game tonight - and did he sweat! It is still very humid.

Better go - be good!

Happy Snaps

Hi everyone

Sunday was the most perfect day here in Bermuda. We were on the beach at 9am - and it was an awesome day. Not much to complain about.

Tayla is at the stage where she enjoys jumping on the bed. She has already picked up the Bermudian accent with a very round sounding "i". I don't know what she is going to end up like - but it amuses us in the mean time - and there is nothing we can do about it. We are encouraging the use of "Ja" - but I don't think it is going to work!

Dave has been playing golf - hence T and I have time for a photo shoot.

Good news - our stuff is in Bermuda - it has not yet cleared customs, but I am hoping that by the weekend we will have it!

The caption to this could be - where oh where have my parents taken me now! Tayla has been asking to go in the aeroplane - she is having withdrawal symptoms after 2 months of not being on a plane - so we have booked to go to Toronto to see Di, my aunt for a week - very exciting as I have not seen her for about 12 years.