Been a few days since I last posted...

I am currently off work sporting a disconcertingly brownish pink, or is it pinkish brown, left eye.

Conjunctivitis. Sounds so much more grown up than pink eye.

I woke soon after midnight on Sunday with my left eye really painful - too painful to keep closed. A few hours of TV later it had eased up a bit but I woke in the morning to find it glued shut. Managed to chisel away the gunk eventually. Phoned the doctor for an appointment this morning, thankfully did not get the Ice Queen receptionist but the other one instead, the human one. So managed to get today legitimately off work, and tomorrow as well if I feel like it. Also cunningly got a retrospective sick note for last Monday, when I was off with sinusitis. Admin staff at work are now badgering me for a sick note for it, otherwise I will have to take it as annual leave. They are very touchy about sick leave on Monday or Friday. They probably checked their records and found that the last time I was off sick was, suspiciously, on a Friday. Note to self: next time be sure to break foot on Wednesday.

Moving on. Before I waste the remaining time before I have to fetch the kids from school on anti-work gripes.

The summer holidays and Christmas were lovely. It was so nice to have Peter around. He was so busy towards the end of last year and the kids were missing him. His new year new leaf is still turned and he seems to be managing a much healthier work/life balance so far.

Christmas and summer snippets:

Christmas Eve Eve: Spent the day at our house with friends from Joburg. Lots of swimming. Was really nice to see them again.

Christmas morning: Kids treated us to a synchronised 4.30am wakeup. In the future, must be sure to go to bed at 8pm on Christmas Eve so as to function next morning. Stockings were finished by 5am and we wondering how they would last until the end of church which was only due to start at 9am. Finally we decided to go to 7am church and by 8.30am we were back and they were finally allowed to dive into the pile beneath the Christmas tree. We then went to my parents for lunch and yet more presents.

Boxing Day: A really nice day spent on my brother's farm. Lauren was enthralled by baby cousin Caitlin and hardly moved from her side. When she grows up, she says, she wants to be a baby-sitter. Robyn wants to be an actor.

Between Christmas and New Year: Had a lovely day down the coast, south of Durban, with old varsity friends. Spent a day at our friend's little-house-on-the-prairie 20km from the Kamberg area of the Drakensburg. Went to the annual Christmas pantomime.

Post-New Year leave: Took the kids camping at Monks' Cowl in the Drakensburg, which we all enjoyed. I seldom feel more at peace than when we are up there. Sitting around a campfire is one of my favourite experiences in the world, as is sitting beside a river and watching and listening to the water gushing over the rocks.

Week before back to work: Everyone got to choose the activities for one of the days and the choice went like this: Robyn - ice skating, Lauren - trip to Gateway with all trimmings such as movies, rock climbing, pocket money spending and all other available entertainments chancing to arise, Peter - at home day with braai and pool, Danny - trip to Ushaka (this had to be postponed a few weeks as Lauren bruised her coccyx and then had an ear infection, but we finally went a couple of weeks into the new term), and me - day sailing at Midmar.

Jewellery woes: Half my entire jewellery collection came to grief: Jewellery collection consists of wedding band, diamond engagement ring, gold bracelet, and tanzanite pendant on white gold chain. Sob. The diamond fell out of my engagement ring and has disappeared somewhere, and the white gold chain broke (luckily at least nothing got lost there so I can have it repaired). Lauren did manage to raise a small smile though when she asked if I could get a new bead for my ring.

Kids are obsessed with Star Wars. Lauren got this game for Christmas and all four of them are hooked. We have also been watching the trilogy with them. Only down side is that Danny has become even more sword and gun obsessed than ever and spends most of the day running around the house waving his sword menacingly around and making shooting noises. Every time he gets to choose a little something at the toy shop, he chooses a sword. He has these grand plans to get other things but can never resist just one more sword for his collection. To date he has Old Sword, Pointy Sword, Captain Sword, Clicky Sword, and, yesterday's arrival purchased with January's few rand of pocket money, New Sword.

He kissed New Sword goodbye this morning when he had to go to school. He's had rather a wobbly start at the new school and has found the move much harder than we anticipated.

Got to go and fetch Danny and Lauren now. Perhaps will manage to post a few photos tonight, and finish remainder of news. Perhaps not. Will post this now to ensure actually gets posted. (Drum roll...)