Afrique du Sud

It is almost the end of August, and we have been in Cape Town since the end of May. Time? Wa? Huh? Hm? lots to catch up on.

We've been here three months and I'm still landing… what I do know is that I'm in the right place at the right time… I get to be a full time mum and not work. When people ask me about Canada and Israel, I can barely get my head around the fact that im in South Africa, so as far as future plans… not yet. I'm here for a few months and really not sure about how many.

Daisy seems to draw a lot of attention wherever we go.. established favorites include flirting, reading, dancing and singing. Oh yes, we have a car, newest car I've ever had and were both happy to be able to drive beyond our little world of Sea Point and explore. Having a little pumpkin with me has inspired me to take walks and get out more than I have previously.

Sometimes when we are at a large family dinner or in Louise's office, Daisy will blurt out the largest sounds a little Daisy can make. DADADADA seems to be the favorite right now and crawling backwards and doing the "chameleon" pose, oh, she has also started doing "plank position" i kid you not!

Back at the folks, we used to wake up most days and go the folks’ room for what I call the “morning show”. My father has his routine of preparing dogs food, insulin shots (charlie’s ), then preparing coffee and breakfast etc. this with daisy watching his every move and watching over his shoulder (to his delight) and then theres hanging with the parents, playing or watching a kid show on louises beloved I-phone. It is winter so although we do wrap up pretty well before going out daily, sun still abounds and we head out on most days. The first month was spent in my father and stepmum, louises home, they and their three dogs Schnapsi, the aging deaf Jack Russell, Charlie, the aging and diabetic mutt, and Coco, the overweight fluffy spaniel mix who has decided that he is Daisys babysitter. Bella the white goatdog (she looks just like a goat to me), Ronit's dog, joins them for daytime hours. These four bark at any passers by and run the show and my father is at their service. They eat better than I do and my father’s nabbing at leftovers at any meal is the picture of absolute dedication. Gym is my father’s second daily endeavor and he will challenge any young male to pushups or situps at any given opportunity. While Louise runs their real estate business like a Chinese dynasty and employs many of her family, my father helps with chores, shopping for the house and upkeep of properties.

My sister Debbie lives in Johannesburg and visits regularly enough to spin through town, make a colorful splash, spend lots of money and fly off with a smile, sometimes barely making her flight. Ronit, my middle sister and Bella’s mama, lives very close by, wears lots of black and knows how to bake like a mofo but remains a rare sighting on most days. Bonnie, the baby among us, is religious, married and has birthed her second child. Louise spends her after work hours helping with the grandchildren before coming home for dinner.

One of my favorite people is Lena, my parents' housekeeper. In our short time here, Daisy has fallen as much in love with Lena as I am and it is mutual. Lena has taught me most of what I know about kids, life and logic. Weekly highlights include sharing a meal or tea/coffee (milk and three sugars) and chatting or dancing with daisy or doing something together that often leaves me howling with laughter… and of course Lena is always complaining that she should be working and I'm keeping her from her chores, but I don’t care… I love this shit….and so does she.

Friday nights are a tradition for as long as I can remember. Its not a religious thing you understand, cuz if you had to hear some of the conversation on the Sabbath, you'd know, but it’s a family evening that includes blessing the wine and bread and lighting candles as good Jews do. Sabbath meals take place alternately at my parents, diane (her sis), or her fathers house and family friends, the Levines.

Diane herself is worth mentioning… while Daisy seems to favor men and/or Black people (I hope this is politically correct). Well she is definitely “cooked” when it comes to little Daisy… Diane will spontaneously do the hokey pockey or sing gibberish with an accent if Daisy is nearby. The woman likes my child and shows it. Daisy loves it and the onlookers get a good show and no work gets done for a spell. Visiting Louises office where Daisy passes around visiting with agents, secretaries and other staff (Angel her definite favorite, maybe because she speaks to Daisy in xhosa) is a daily event. She seems to love many and is adored by many and often there is a blanket spread on the floor with something to play with and someone to watch her while mum runs to the bathroom, grabs a snack or tea or uses the internet for a quickie. Once in a while Louise has a bad day and roars out load at all who will hear that “this is an office” and we all go scurrying like busted cockroaches for safety and I pick up Daisy and run for cover. The funniest thing is that on these occasions Daisy seems to find it in her mind to open her mouth and make squeely noises and talk to anyone who will listen. It isn’t funny at the time. Feeding and diaper changes happen in the calm and quiet of the boardroom.

As it was offered, Daisy and I moved into a small apartment not far from everything I have mentioned above as well as the glorious Cape Town beachfront. It's been wonderful spending time at the folks, but it is even more glorious having our own space. Daisy seems to feel right at home in our new home. It's cold and damp but summer is upon us and we have made our little pad as cozy as can be. If you had to visit, you would see that the hippie/eco-earthmama lives here.

Our days include walks, visits to the biz, an errand or two, naps, nursing, hanging with sabba Aron or Lena and the dogs, and an assortment of other activities. Visiting old school friends has been great. I was worried that I'd be bored what with people being busy with their own lives but being a first time mum has shown me that what I used to get done in ten minutes now takes me four hours so no, I'm never bored and if I get done with 2% in a day of what I intended, we're doing great….

who's next?

my friend john needed a change of scenery, so he visited for a fortnight and spoiled daisy and i with his cooking, burping (de baby) and fulfilling orders that i barked at him (so he says) and renting a car for a week in order to whisk daisy and i off for the most fantastic trip in israel.

daisy goes to the dead sea - leaving the house when you have a baby takes time...so around 11ish on tuesday we entered our rental car and headed south for the desert, toward the dead sea. as this was a last minute decision, our preferred hostels and backpacker options were full, so we opted for the cheapest hotel among the giants and ended up back in my grandmother's time with a bunch of old folks with whom we shared meals in the dining room and floated alongside in the "spa". as this was off-season, the water in the sea was cold (of course not too cold for uncle john) but i opted for the "spa" with heated dead sea water. OILY, i still dont understand why, but super fun to float in, except for the anus, which burns like a mofo! a treat, cuz uncle john was so willing to care for daisy so mama could take a quick dip. the skanky room, mouldy bathrooms and tired food didnt matter a bit once we smelled that good clean air and saw the mountains and salt plains surrounding us.

daisy goes to ein gedi oasis and does a serious hike, asleep - upon waking the next morning, we headed off for massada, where john hiked up the steep slope as did the romans, and daisy and i rode the cable car and walked around the plateau enjoying the winter sunshine. many tourist groups, mostly american, ran around looking at various sites while guides regurgetated the massada historical shpiel. we came across a skilled worker and his teenage protege working the detail of chip chipping away and building up in excellent likeness, the remaining ruins.. ten years he has been doing this quiet work and said he doesnt have plans for change at least for the next ten years.

after lunch, we headed for ein gedi, a dessert oasis trail, quite tricky if you have a baby hanging onto your front, but spectacular as it followed a gorge up to gushing waterfalls... i laughed at the promise of wildlife as we started up, but the horned nubian (goat-like) ibex and the rodent-type hyrax were abundant.

daisy goes to kibbutz geva in the galil - the next day, we visited my father's pal, yoav galili, who lives on kibbutz geva in the galil (no, its not a coincidence). as an orphan he was given his last name by the orphanage staff. yoav, who is food and beverage manager of the communal dining room (very few kibbutzim still have as this is one of the few kibbutzim in israel not yet privatized). we were given the grand tour including of chicken coops, cow sheds, horse stables, childrens houses and kindergardens, crops, offices, stores, museum, swimming pools, tennis courts, factory, private residences etc. this kibbutz is wealthy thus not yet privatized and really spectacular. we spent the night at yoav's private pad where daisy and i were given the largest bed in the house. in order to get the true kibbutz experience, john opted for the 5 am job of shadowing yoav. we left that fresh air in awe.

daisy goes to amirim, the vegetarian village and stays in an a expensive tzimmer - we were warned that due to recent rains resulting in cyclomen and poppy blooms, most accomodations would be full. we found an expensive shee shee place late on friday afternoon (note: in the holy land all closes at 3pm and we had no home or supplies for the night and we had better get it all fast. after stopping at a local grocery store and scurrying for last minute nourishment, we found a "tzimmer" in the yuppie veggie village complete with jacuzzi, kitchenette and floral designs everywhere, i imagine to encourage endless loving. daisy's favorite was a bath in the jacuzzi where she floated in delight.

daisy goes to tsfat and trips around the religious cold city, asleep - next day, after a good breakfast at the shanti shanti restaurant (thats israeli for hippie dippie/groovy) we headed toward tsfat, the religious city where as it was saturday, all we saw were religious jews in their black and white garb. we walked around, daisy slept until it was just too cold and windy to continue by foot.

diasy goes to jerusalem - we drove there, parked and walked the old city, finding ourselves at one of my favorite sites, the armenian church and courtyard (nursing opportunity)... we were ushered by a very small boy to a rooftop above the arab market where the yeshiva boys march to and fro with their tfilin (have you ever seen the black straps jewish males have on their arms and foreheads when they pray?) still tied to their arm and foreheads (another lovely nursing opportunity).... for lunch john had a pita filled with sheep lungs, salad and hot sauce. i opted for the delicious lamb kebab. we then proceeded to the german lutheran church (diaper changing opportunity) while john as/descended the 178 stairs to the top of the stone steeple.

daisy goes to yaffo - john took a liking to yaffo so off we headed despite strong winds... yes, it turned out very windy so pretty early on, i opted to meet him at the flee market so that he could wander around on his own... daisy and i found a warm arabic restaurant, king of pita abbulafia (i recommend the pita with a flattened center filled with raw egg and thrown into the brick oven, then emerges and topped with olive oil, salt and pepper... ),to hang out while waiting. once john arrived, off we went to a little fish restaurants where you pick out your fish and it is then cooked for you. on our way back home, we dashed into another restaurant, a dessert place (i know this sounds like we were restaurant hopping, but really, during bad weather, nursing and changing daisy had to be a sheltered endeavor. (john was super patient this whole trip) and of course we had a wonderful time with the owner who shared his thoughts on fancy shmancy people spending money while others go hungry. john had a taste of one of the special arab desserts, bright orange food-colored angel hair pasta (kinda) topping, baked over warm goats cheese dripping in sugar water, rose water and one other i cant remember.. its truly a dream if you like warm, sweet somethin somethin to die for.

daisy goes to tel aviv - we headed for shuk(market) ha karmel, and ate at a local moroccan soup joint where you choose your preferred addition to the moroccan broth: leg (jelly), meat, chicken bellybuttons, meatballs or chicken meat... john choose the grossest of course... the jelly.. they also serve it with hot spicy sauce, soft sour bread pancake thingie and chryme which john calls the spit (it looks like yellow spit... we were told by the restaurant server that it tastes horrible but is very very healthy - nice) disgusting, then walked along the beautiful boardwalk along several beaches and then on dizengoff street, the main street in tel aviv lined with beautiful trees, coffee shops filled with lazy israelis and suddenly daisy needed to eat, so we dashed for the nearest bench. (bad weather - coffee shops or restaurants, good weather, benches, parks...). luckily there was one right there in front of the wedding gown shops area... to our delight there was excitement as the bride was faffing up inside and the photographer doing his thing... the unshaven groom arrived after about 30 minutes and asked me if he looked good. ive kissed unshaven like that. i remember! israel apparently only has one color ribbon used for decorating wedding vehicles... lilac... nasty-old-lady-lilac but okay.... who's complaining? we hopped on the next bus and headed home to rest our weary bones... john back to michigan, united states as he told israelis, daisy the super duper traveler and i to our home sweet home.

random thoughts - apparently silent night and amazing grace please daisy... she has brought out the singer in me... thanks daisydoo, some of my favorite daisy moments thus far: her face changes while she shits and eats at the same time, sniffing my baby, catching her pee while im changing her diaper (well its not my favorite), going on picnics together, i have ice cream or something and she takes titi, her sounds varying from whimpers sometimes like a chick or puppy, cabbage patch kid, ET, princess buttercup and now she is into cooing and gurgling and when we head for bed and i dont get the nipple into her mouth fast enough, she yells at me... i swear, she look sme deep in the eyes and produces this two syllable growl as though to say... come on! and i do of course.

random fact - apparently DAISY is an acronym used by a rap group in the 90's. it stood for "da inner soul y'all"

least favorite moments: too much fucking advice, from anyone....and its not done with tact THIS IS THE BEST WAY, THE ONLY WAY, like fuck off, you fucking fuck!

strangest moments - ive become a clutz... this is very unlike me... but if there is something to drop.. ill drop it, if something can spill, ill spill it, my house looks like a pig stye but im totatlly comfortable in it, i get to shower twice or three times a week and my friend who bathes twice a day gets quiet when i mention this...

so who's next? .... i'm serious... this is really lovely to have friends come for a visit... but you have to cook, clean... shut up.... lol