TropicalSoup

Taking the high road

Turns out the last 24 hours before leaving a country is a not laid back and relaxed time that you can spend lounging about and writing elaborate blog posts…you’d think I’d have figured that out by now!

So, here’s a little drive over the hill to *town*…minus captions (and probably in non-specific order) because the week has had the same effect as a lobotomy on me…and I need to finish packing!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fish for dinner

I can't believe it's less than 48 hours until we are no longer Seychelles residents. SO the plan in my next post is to take you for a little drive around...to see some of the things we see every day, that you won't find in the travel brochures, but that add to the charm and the squalor and the character and the beauty. That make this place very definitely what it is.

For now though, here's our local fishmongers. Fresh and salty and delicious!

sandy stitching

In the shade, perched on a rock with most access to the gentle sea breeze, this is what I did at the beach today between swims, whilst the kids worked on redistributing all the sand within 100 metres of us. (For the record, this is a before shot...I promise I achieved stitches and inches!)

Thanks to SouleMama for the idea of taking knitting to the beach...for all the sand between my toes over the last 2+ years, it had never occurred to me! This only works here for 2 months of the year - and only then on the cooler days - but on those days, it's lovely to be creating outdoors!

Dad + water = perfection

We had a special treat late this afternoon...D managed to get out of the office earlier than usual (just as well since he'd still been up at 5am working this morning!) and met us at the beach for a pre-sunset swim.

There is something so magical about watching these 3 together. Joy. Delight. Plenty of laughter. And pure love.

It's a beautiful thing. 

Junior stylists

Cole and Imogen were very keen to help set up the shoot of their wee quilts...something I've been meaning to do for ages. I made these back in April, after one too many evenings where a small child had tried to snuggle under their snuggly quilts (the ones made when they were 18 months old) only to discover that the wee lovies fell way too short for feet and shoulders in the covering stakes...growing will do that!



It was neat to make these because for the first time, the recipients had some input into the fabrics and designs...they each picked a feature fabric out of my stash of brights. I then pulled a bunch of coordinating fabrics, and they picked out the ones that appealed. And then it was very much a collaborative effort to get everything cut and pieced and quilted. So much fun! And the littles are thrilled to have quilts that cover all their growing little appendages!



 

And I have to admit I enjoy making quilts this size...I've not made many of them compared to the bigger bed quilts that I always seem to have underway...so much quick and ready gratification. Must make more!

Procrastina…. oooh, what’s that bright and shiny thing over there?

So. Here we are. Monday night and we fly out on Friday night. Not long now. The kids are asleep and D is still at work (it’s about 11pm…long hours these days!) So…I could start the packing process and sort out what is coming with us and which things we’ve been hanging on to but will be leaving with friends. Or I could tackle that pile of ironing that seems to breed every 5 minutes. Or do the dishes. Or…I could enjoy our semi-frequent internet access and spend the evening mucking about collecting ideas for colour schemes and quilt ideas for Cole and Imogen’s new room. Guess which I picked?!

The littles will continue sharing a room…I really don’t think they’re ready to be in different rooms yet (and I certainly am not…I’m still dealing with the trauma of my itty bitties turning 3!) so I’ve been thinking for a while now about how to tackle a general idea/colour scheme that will work well together but still allow each munchkin their own space and identity. Unlike with their nursery, I don’t have one key fabric to tie it all together, but am going the colours route. So, the plan is: pinks and oranges for Immy and blues and oranges for Cole, with a good measure of greens and teals, and a little red and yellow and white and so forth to fill it all out and pull it all together.

I’ll be making all the quilts and soft furnishings and so forth for their room, of course, so have also started collecting some fabric loveliness that will work…what a terrible coincidence that my stash just happens to be deficient in these hues. Bugger.

So, what do you think?

We are so screwed

I think I always figured that any kids of ours would probably grow to be good at holding their own in a conversation. And, dare I say it, tend towards verbose like their parentals. Cole and Imogen however have still managed to blow my assumptions out of the water. This morning the words appropriate, deliberate, absolutely, brilliant and amazing were among the words used by the littles in the course of ordinary conversation.

Add that to the budding logic and need for explanation for every. little. thing (progeny of 2 legal minds = subscribing from birth to the adage the devil is in the details. Always question everything. Always. Everything. And kaboom watch mama’s head explode!) means we are having some really crazy, brain-bending, fun conversations around here at the moment. And I am often left speechless and unable to come up with any meaningful response to some of the comments and questions and debates volleyed at me. Yes, me. Speechless. They’re that good. 

I honestly didn’t think that I’d be needing to brush up on my debating skills quite this early in the piece to be able to keep up with the onslaught. I fear the future. And can’t wait.

 

….now if only we could figure out a way to remove some of the erm, choicer words from their already established vocabs…the ones like booger and drongo. Gee thanks for that parental input, honey!

 

(A scoop each of ice cream at SYC = giddy kids + way more laundry + 5 minutes of minimal talking + precious time to allow the eardrums to prepare for when the ice cream ends. Bargain!)

In which she couldn't help herself...

...and had to break out the lyrics to A Modern Major General and several others of that ilk a few times. I do love me a decent showtune.When I grow up I want to be a drag queen. And have a voice that can carry a tune without making seagulls cry. But I digress...





Today, for our sins, we went sailing.



It was a terrible hardship (actually, for the one of us who is decidedly sealegless - and even after the appropriate medication beforehand spent a bit of time onboard curled in a foetal position - and is still now - 8 hours later - feeling the motion of the ocean - well, let's just say she is utterly selfless in the quest for happy family adventures! Oh, the bravery! The self-sacrifice! Quick, let us reward her with fabric and shiny shiny threads!)



Today was not as gloriously blue-skied as our last outing, but it was still fun (minus the donations to Neptune, of course. I nearly titled this post Green.)



Our playground for the day.



Luckily, we are good at amusing ourselves even in inclement weather. Fortunately too then, that we are easily amused!
(man, where are those kids' parents...swinging from the ship's ropes! Honestly!)







I hope the chef managed to cope with the pressure of two kids all but licking the galley windows whilst lunch was being prepared...



D tried a quick getaway lest the munchkins get too hungry but the strong current just toyed with him, and eventually sent back to the hungry mob...who were fairly friendly by this stage since lunch had just been served!
(can you spot him valiantly trying to escape in a kayak? mwahahaha)



Our kind of pool...the boy half of this waterbaby family.



A little eye spy Seychelles-style....


...something beginning with D (or is it P?)....


...can you see?




I have a funny feeling one day in the not-too-distant future this picture is going to cause a little ache in my heart and I will realise that yes, Seychelles, fickle friend, psychotic lover, sadistic nemesis and annoying plaything though you have at times been, we've also shared a little something special this past almost-a-year-and-a-half.

I think maybe I will miss you after all.

Absence makes the heart go bonkers

My 3 cute babies (the youngest and most metallic in its box, safe and cosy for shipping!) before we were all packed up and moved out and our goodies shipped on from our place in Au Cap. A few things I thought worth noting about this pic:

1. very cheeky grins on two little faces...in spite of mostly because they had just been reminded repeatedly the day before that climbing on top of packed boxes wasn't a great idea from an avoiding-breaking-your-head-point-of-view.
2. boxes packed 2 high...specifically for the purpose of preventing the littles from being able to clamber atop them.
3.I'm impressed at how well these boxes have stood up to the rigours of packing and moving and storing and moving and unpacking over 3 international moves. They were worth buying twice.
4. Notice the pile of books strewn around the base of the boxes? Turns out if you fling all your books off the bookshelf, the bookshelf can then be repurposed as a ladder...and then it's just a doddle to get up to a comfy spot...especially if you have a partner in monkeyness to hand you up stuff before they join you.
5. Immy wearing socks. My kids are ridiculously giddy about their imminent need for socks. and the thrill of ownership...three pairs each, maybe more, oh the extravagance! Immy discovered a pair of socks I'd been hiding for our return-to-cold-weather, and insisted on parading around in the pirate pair even though it was hideously hot. I only wish you could have seen the whole ensemble. Oh wait, that was the entire ensemble!
6. Those boxes are my sewing room all packed up. I really really miss my stitching.
7. We moved the bookcase that day and started packing 3-high.
8. Don't worry, wee Bernie, we'll be together again soon!

Turns out those ugly oddly shaped cushions might be useful after all!

 
Today just rained and rained and rained and it hasn't stopped yet. One of Cole and Immy's favourite ways to avoid going stir crazy is building. And nothing is out of bounds. This is one of their favourite building projects...this tower gets built and destroyed and rebuilt ad nauseum during wet days. It's great to watch the towers become more impressive, more complicated and more structurally sound as they progress.



Now if only they'd just leave one so I didn't have to perch on the uncomfortable wooden lip until the engineers are distracted and I can nick their top storey!