there once was a woman, who lived in a Kloof, she had so many toddlers, but she always knew what to do...
as many queries as there are buzzing around your head, there are just as many tidbits and treats tumbling over one another in mine, trying desperately to get out of my mouth! so here they are, in no truly particular order :
Kloof is a suburb of Durban, the third largest port-city in Africa. Durban lies along the eastern African coast, a massive, sprawling city teeming with people, fruit, and wildlife. Kloof sits to the west, a tad more inland, and the residential equivalent of La Jolla (for SoCal-ers) or Baja Piedmont (for NorCal-ers). Our home clings to a lush grove about a quarter of the way down an enormous hill. Our hill, and those adjacent to us, make a sort of encampment around a deep gorge, which is home to several different local species of birds. Apparently, bird-watchers come from all over to see flyers that frequent these parts, like the
yellow-billed kite
or, the yellow weaver
I can't tell you enough how green everything is... there are a few photos of the local landscape on my 'fotografias' page, but they really don't do the beauty justice. You always hear people raving about how green Ireland is, but I haven't encountered any place that tops the gorge. Admittedly, I haven't been to Ireland yet ; ]
Since my arrival Friday morning-- ten o'clock in the morning, ZA time-- my days have been flowing from one into the next, almost seamlessly. Now I know you're all wondering about the time difference and my 'body clock' being out of whack, but I can honestly tell you that jet lag never hit me. It seems I was made for this glorious, green world.
House? More like castle. There's tons of wide, open spaces, a lovely veranda, and wide strips of grass along the driveway starting at our front gate. Here's another unexpected detail: there's a ton of British slang floating around down here. Example? The oh-so-American "cut the grass" has become "trim the verge." You can also only call something a verge if it's outside your private property? So... our grass is still "grass," but the park's grass is definitively the "verge." Just so you know. Gotta get these things straight!
My days so far have been filled with lots of paint, snap-up-the-back-onesies, tupperware, giggles, ballerinas, "Madeline," warm milks, and lots and lots of books. Titles include: Goodnight Moon, Green Eggs and Ham, the Cat in the Hat, the Poky Little Puppy, Tales of Peter Rabbit, the Very Hungry Caterpillar, and the Socksnatchers. The last book relates the story of a family of 'socksnatchers' who occupy a covert hidey-hole in the Perkins Family's cellar. As their name alludes, the snatchers poke through the house looking for stinky, dirty socks to put into Mama Socksnatcher's smelly sock soup. 'Lheeuuckk!! My own reading of late doesn't divert too much from these works. I've taken up again my old task of reading through the Brothers Grimm stories, which are in many ways, far superior to the cleaned-up, Hans Christian Andersen-ized modern rewrites.
Girls? Maggie will turn three at the end of February and Natalie turned one this past December. Natalie, specifically, is at a fun age. Infants always amaze me by being so intensely in the moment. Everything is either : the EENNNNDDD of the universe >,< or, the most FANTASTIC thing to ever happen to anyone EVER!! Whatever is happening right now is the be all, end all. It's fascinating. Maggie IS the apex of inquisitivity,* forever asking "why," "why," "why." At times a bit taxing, all her questions are perfectly valid and, at times, enlightening to myself as well. Both ladies have a yearning for books that seems insatiable. Though for now, there's plenty of dancing, singing, and general playtime in between the reading sessions. It's certainly enough to make me ready for bed by nine or ten o'clock in the evening. And so, without further ado, and nary a word longer, adieu and good night!
*I know "inquisitivity" isn't a word, but it's so much more fun to say than the technically correct "inquisitiveness." Bhleckkk!
