Pumula, Continued...

The rain has arrived in Pumula - optimistically, just in time to stop us from doing serious sun-damage to ourselves.

Chloe and Astrid said a sad goodbye to Nichola and Georgia, who they have played with day and night since we arrived.

But, we made use of the rainy day yesterday and headed off to see the Morey's in Mount Edgecombe - more than 100km just to say hi! Or at least Kaeli did, I did my annual pilgrimage to Gateway (once a retailer...) - still one of the best retail spaces in South Africa. Kaeli scored without leaving the Morey's house - I couldn't return empty-handed.

The kids entertainment continues, the slush-puppies are flowing (kids can sign for them - a financially scary thought), and the wireless internet is free... haven't made much use of it though, as we have had our noses buried in our books, and Kaeli has been learning what it means to lose at Backgammon. Chloe has just learnt how to play chess as well, with similar success to her Mom's Backgammon - so far...

Chloe has made a new friend, Beth, who as we speak has taken Astrid to play "Duck, Duck, Goose" with Aloma, who arranges all sorts of fun stuff and competitions for the kids. We're sitting in the lounge (along with other parents who looked too relaxed for parents of young kids).

The part that I enjoy most is the independence the kids have - they always know roughly where we are, and then roam all over the hotel in small very mobile packs. These packs often find their way to the dining room at night (kids eat dinner earlier in their dining-room), where they can pick up an extra pudding with their folks if they time it right. Kaeli on more than one evening has found the decision between the two puddings available on the menu too hard to make, so has taken the easy way out, and just had both...

We suppose if you're going to be cooped up in bad weather, this doesn't seem like too tough a place to do it, as a kid or even a parent...

Cheers,

Matt

Tough Life at Pumula

We are on day three of a whole week at Pumula Beach Hotel.

Life at Pumula is tough.

Reading books while the kids play with their new friends tough. Cappuccino after lunch while the kids do Arts and Crafts tough. Five course dinners tough. Lounging round the pool whilst the kids swim etc...

Send your sympathy whilst we are still trapped here...

Cheers,

Matthew.

Dolphin Riding

If we all could recognise opportunities like Dolphin-riding I'm sure the world would be a better place.

Astrid noticed that there were inflatable toys stuck away in the pool-cupboard. At first, she wanted the kiddies pool "blown up". When we explained that the only way that the pool could be blown up was with lots of icy water in it, she reluctantly focussed her attention on the inflatable dolphin instead. She asked for it to be inflated. She asked again, and again and again.

Finally, I relented. It was an absent-minded thing, sitting upstairs when she asked yet again. I didn't suddenly understand what use an inflatable dolphin could be in winter, I just relented because pressure from a six-year old is exactly what is it intended to be - relentless. Only one person was going to be doing the relenting, and it wasn't Astri...

Astrid disappeared downstairs. I heard her return before I saw her, a combination of grunts and bare feet sliding on vinyl as she dragged the dolphin, which is taller than I am, upstairs. If the Cheshire Cat ever dragged a blanket upstairs, this is what the cat would have looked like.

I challenged her to blow it up herself, but somehow I ended up lying on the higher landing on the stairs blowing up the dolphin. The lying on the landing was probably to stop myself from falling over while feeling faint - did I mention that the dolphin is taller than I am?

I don't know if blowing the dolphin up lying on the stairs had anything to do with what happened next. I left her alone for a while, and then heard shrieks followed by a thud. And then someone running upstairs again. Shriek, thud, running, repeat.

Our staircase has two turns in it. Unless you are right at the bottom, any piece of the staircase ends in a wall. The wall was the thud. The shrieks were Astrid riding the Dolphin. Not lying down on the dolphin as a sensible person might do. The only way to ride a dolphin down stairs apparently is sitting astride the dolphin, holding onto the handles that would normally stop you from falling off and getting wet. And then crashing into the wall on the landing, a kind of ride-and-airbag all in one.

At first we tried "No! You'll brain yourself!"

Then we tried "Be careful!"

And then we did the most sensible thing, which was packing the wall with couch cushions so that the impact of dolphin and wall, especially if it became dolphin, girl and wall, was minimised.

Since then, it has become a freestyle sport. Riding backwards, lying down upside down, as well as sister-assisted. Sister-assisted involves having your sister ride with you, sitting astride the dolphin, but facing backwards. The reason for this is simply "it makes the dolphin go faster!"

I loved this. Opportunity, creativity and pig-headedness makes for a lot of fun.

Cheers,

Matthew