Merry Christmas Everyone

Christmas preparations are nearly complete at Chez Kistner. The paving and astro turf has all been laid, and we spent last night planting flowers in the dark. We are making a play area for Anya beside the bunnies - complete with a hideously multi coloured plastic wendy house which Hermann still has to assemble (?!). The turkey is defrosting, the oldies should be winging their way down from Greytown as I type, and we have a 'present infested' tree decorated living room which has been protected from all active toddlers by a maximum security baby gate. As Gitty's presents are also under our tree, it is actually looking quite obscene. We're worried that there won't be room for Carmen to wheel about in so she may have to park by the door!

On a more serious note, Anya is slowly recovering from her bronchitis and hot-dog induced asthma attack, and I have just about recovered after spending R700 on her inhalor. She has already managed to figure out how to rip the mask off (despite strict instructions from the box to never remove the mask - oops).

Anyway, here's hoping everyone has a fantastic christmas, preferably with snow. Lots of love and Christmas kisses - Rosie, Hermann and Anya

Hermann's Moto

Hermann is loving his new motorbike - getting up at extremely strange hours so that he can take it out before it gets too hot. As a Christmas bonus, today is actually a very nice temperature so he's off for a Christmas Eve drive, and we actually got to take a few photos (there was no way I was voluntarily getting up at 4.30am except to stick a bottle in the baby). I reckon he looks well cool!

Toy Town

Jos has made Anya a wooden toy town for Christmas which I've been painting - I thought some of you may be interested in the results...

Donna - I may have taken a few liberties with Auchterarder Motors. Similarly, I've taken a good dollop of artistic license when recreating Jackson's store. Hermannsburg Church has also been recreated (sort of). Finally, apologies to anyone offended by the star of David which managed to creep onto the mosque. Hermann and I thought there was a star as well as a moon. Ho hum. Maybe we should be back enrolling in Little School.

Surfer babe

When I first arrived in Durban, a cute Russian waitor told me that Durban had 10 months of summer and 2 months of hell. Make that 3! It is absolutely roasting here. Normally, the garage stays lovely and cool, but this morning the car thermometer still thought it was 30 degrees. Factor in the humidity and it must have been a long moment of madness that resulted in Hermann and I deciding to cycle down to the beach this morning. Durban is built on a hill, so cycling DOWN to the beach actually requires little effort, however, cycling back UP the hill is a killer. As usual, Anya was seated on the back of my bike, from which vantage point she likes to wave at the passers by. Luckily, Sean & Gitty met us at the beach which meant that Anya had a lift home. It was just too cute. Sasa, Luca and Anya paddled so nicely. Anya was copying Luca and pretending to swim by moving about on her hands in the water (when I took her nappy off she was a bit confused - because her legs and bottom suddenly floated). Anya even had her first time on a surf board. I was, of couse, my usual graceful self in the water, and didn't look at all like I was involved in a controlled drowning.

There is a moral to this story: swimmers and cyclists beware! Combining the two can result in some very nasty chafing...just ask Hermann!

It's litchie season

yippee - we're eating them by the crate!

Party On

Its been a crazy weekend. The rotten weather on Saturday meant that I volunteered to host our Ante Natal Group Christmas Party at our house. 11 toddlers later and the house looked like someone had sprinkled sausage roll pastry over every available surface. Here's a couple of photos for starters and I'll post a few more piccies on Facebook.

After a short 20 minute gap (just enough time to do a preliminary clean up) the next party started - lunch for Ralph & Ronel who were visiting Durbs for a week. Plus Brenda, Holger, Mark, Jan, Thomas and all the kids pitched up for mezze and a few beers followed by a late afternoon trip to the beach. Anya loved the waves and the kids had so much fun that we decided to hit the beach again on Sunday morning. This was followed by a braai at Brenda & Holger's, then Adventsfeier. I have to confess to being a bit confused by the lack of Advent bonfire (feuer) as opposed to Advent celebration (feier) however, there were tea and cakes served after the church service and Hermann got to sing ?! All in all it was a very exciting weekend and Anya was so exhausted by the time we got home that we even managed to change her nappy without her waking up.