Well hello and hi, internetties!
We have had an extremely eventful week. (Tell us all about it, Nan!) Well okay I will. Because I was just washing the dishes and cut my thumb on a glass, so now I can't do ANYTHING but type. Luckily I have already given the dog her pedicure for the morning. She has a manky foot with MAGGOTS in. She also has a cough again. The vet says that what's wrong is that she's fourteen years old, so to just give her expensive food and pills and lots of attention. So she's had a pedicure and I have removed the cat from the computer chair and the cat's looking at me saying "Geddoff My Chair, Slave." I am thinking of running away North.
On Saturday I took the boys to the Rally Club Meet in Preysal where Sean and his brother Scott raced "The Time Machine", a Ford Escort with Frankenstein-like qualities. They broke down, sadly. There were other mishaps and crashes and the boys had a wonderful time peering into engines, picking up bits of fender, trying on helmets and making knowledgeable comments.
On Sunday, we had a Mothers' Day lunch with Sean's Mum's family. It was delicious, and the political and social discussion and commentary were astute and entertaining. When the boys and I had eaten and digested (twice), we abandoned Sean and headed up the windy road to Brasso Seco! Yay! Carl and Kelly's house was packed with researchers: Julian and his two assistants, studying hummingbird dialects; and Dave, counting bugs. Chas was as happy as a pig in mud! On Monday the boys and I, with Kelly and kids, walked down Marianne Trace and hung out in the river. Chas and Sam scouted downriver and got swept dramatically down the gorge and had to be helped back up, and it was SO exciting we decided to do it all over again the next day! So on Tuesday we left Max playing with Khalil, and Chas and Sam and I packed some sandwiches in a waterproof bag along with other bare essentials, and went adventuring. We knew that if we followed the river down we would get to a beautiful waterfall and then eventually reach another trail which we could walk back up to Marianne Trace. So off we went, the fearless explorers!
It was AMAZING! We slid down the first gorge, which was like a water park but with leeches, into a jacuzzi infinitely deep. The rock rose up on either side, arms' width apart, for forty sheer feet. We rounded a corner (me thinking "Hmmm, we can't swim BACK against this current.") and the rock opened out on either side into enormous dark caves, almost touching at the top. We were underground! It was so exhilarating! We whooped and our echoes whooped back. We floated along on our waterproof bag, wondering what came next. Next was more sudden drops, which we had to climb down like Ninjas, bracing against the two sides, because we did not know how deep the water was at the bottom. It was infinitely deep and churning, of course, but you don't want to leap off a ten-foot waterfall onto a log just under the bubbles! We were into being safe, what with No Way Back. After more gorges the rock opened out and the river widened, and we found the waterfall, a huge blue pool, absolutely clear and stunning. The only way down, JUMP! The boys jumped and whooped and then called me a wuss while they floated on the bag. I psyched myself up and jumped too. It wasn't that high, I was just enjoying the sunshine! After the waterfall we hung out on the "beach" for a while, eating our sandwiches and feeling the sun. It was so warm after those dark cold wet adventures!
There were more gorges to climb down then, and one was difficult. It was very deep, with wedged logs and slippery sides that sloped in at the top, cave-like, so we had to use teamwork and brainy skillz to get down. Chas said we should bring a rope next time.
Finally, the terrain opened out again and our party of explorers found the bend in the river where we knew we could walk back up the trail. We collapsed in the sunshine and dried out again, and skipped stones, and snacked. We walked back home with our bag, up the steep trail feeling very proud of ourselves, listening to the river roaring not too far away but DEEP and left a piece of ourselves underground, looking up at a chink of light, floating on a bag of sandwiches.
We have had an extremely eventful week. (Tell us all about it, Nan!) Well okay I will. Because I was just washing the dishes and cut my thumb on a glass, so now I can't do ANYTHING but type. Luckily I have already given the dog her pedicure for the morning. She has a manky foot with MAGGOTS in. She also has a cough again. The vet says that what's wrong is that she's fourteen years old, so to just give her expensive food and pills and lots of attention. So she's had a pedicure and I have removed the cat from the computer chair and the cat's looking at me saying "Geddoff My Chair, Slave." I am thinking of running away North.
On Saturday I took the boys to the Rally Club Meet in Preysal where Sean and his brother Scott raced "The Time Machine", a Ford Escort with Frankenstein-like qualities. They broke down, sadly. There were other mishaps and crashes and the boys had a wonderful time peering into engines, picking up bits of fender, trying on helmets and making knowledgeable comments.
On Sunday, we had a Mothers' Day lunch with Sean's Mum's family. It was delicious, and the political and social discussion and commentary were astute and entertaining. When the boys and I had eaten and digested (twice), we abandoned Sean and headed up the windy road to Brasso Seco! Yay! Carl and Kelly's house was packed with researchers: Julian and his two assistants, studying hummingbird dialects; and Dave, counting bugs. Chas was as happy as a pig in mud! On Monday the boys and I, with Kelly and kids, walked down Marianne Trace and hung out in the river. Chas and Sam scouted downriver and got swept dramatically down the gorge and had to be helped back up, and it was SO exciting we decided to do it all over again the next day! So on Tuesday we left Max playing with Khalil, and Chas and Sam and I packed some sandwiches in a waterproof bag along with other bare essentials, and went adventuring. We knew that if we followed the river down we would get to a beautiful waterfall and then eventually reach another trail which we could walk back up to Marianne Trace. So off we went, the fearless explorers!
It was AMAZING! We slid down the first gorge, which was like a water park but with leeches, into a jacuzzi infinitely deep. The rock rose up on either side, arms' width apart, for forty sheer feet. We rounded a corner (me thinking "Hmmm, we can't swim BACK against this current.") and the rock opened out on either side into enormous dark caves, almost touching at the top. We were underground! It was so exhilarating! We whooped and our echoes whooped back. We floated along on our waterproof bag, wondering what came next. Next was more sudden drops, which we had to climb down like Ninjas, bracing against the two sides, because we did not know how deep the water was at the bottom. It was infinitely deep and churning, of course, but you don't want to leap off a ten-foot waterfall onto a log just under the bubbles! We were into being safe, what with No Way Back. After more gorges the rock opened out and the river widened, and we found the waterfall, a huge blue pool, absolutely clear and stunning. The only way down, JUMP! The boys jumped and whooped and then called me a wuss while they floated on the bag. I psyched myself up and jumped too. It wasn't that high, I was just enjoying the sunshine! After the waterfall we hung out on the "beach" for a while, eating our sandwiches and feeling the sun. It was so warm after those dark cold wet adventures!
There were more gorges to climb down then, and one was difficult. It was very deep, with wedged logs and slippery sides that sloped in at the top, cave-like, so we had to use teamwork and brainy skillz to get down. Chas said we should bring a rope next time.
Finally, the terrain opened out again and our party of explorers found the bend in the river where we knew we could walk back up the trail. We collapsed in the sunshine and dried out again, and skipped stones, and snacked. We walked back home with our bag, up the steep trail feeling very proud of ourselves, listening to the river roaring not too far away but DEEP and left a piece of ourselves underground, looking up at a chink of light, floating on a bag of sandwiches.
Comments
You and your boys are just amazing.