Candlelit dinners in the Bosch home

Well its been a pretty uneventful week in the South African Bosch Home and I guess in the Saudi Arabian one too.
Andre got home this week from Rabigh, to some seriously sad kitty-cats and hasn't been left alone since :) Shame we're glad he's arriving in South Africa this week but we're sure Snowbell, Kiwi and Meouwie are NOT happy with his imminent departure AGAIN !!
Here in SA, we've just been doing the day-to-day stuff. Still spending mornings with Alison and some afternoons too. She is doing so well and although the progress is slow, she is none-the-less progressing ! Concern though over her shoulder which seems to have dropped out of position at the shoulder. (due to the weight of her arm which is yet to be hugely responsive to her efforts at any movement) Part of our therapy daily now is to compress the elbow and shoulder to try and force the joint back in and Alison wears a sling permanently to help the arm (shoulder:elbow:wrist) stay in a perpendicular position. It just limits the amount of exercise we can do because if the shoulder is not in properly, it is just too painful.
Afternoons are busy too as we try and sort out shopping, washing, maids, kids etc.
This week we managed to get the cupboards sorted in the girls' room and the room painted, curtains done etc. Don't have a before picture but it was pretty cramped, plain and in desperate need of a coat of paint. This is the after picture, occupants very happy with the changes :)

As the title warned, here are some photos of the candlelit dinners being enjoyed in the Bosch home this past week. Aimee and Lucy had a ball and thoroughly enjoyed their special 'drinks' and dinner by candelight.

Mr. Bosch take note cos your wife deserves a few of these too !

Okay so I finished this draft off last night, stating a pretty uneventful week for us ...
Little change to that then... This morning 2:15am, we were woken by the house alarm. Someone had tried opening our bathroom window. Obviously with the alarm going off, they were scared off. Coin Security called and sent their armed response out to check everything out. Everything okay by 2:30am, just Mom and me awake ! The Girls - well they barely batted an eyelid. Lucy woke up enough to complain about the light being on and wanting a holding nappy, once she got that she was off again. Aimee just turned over and carried on sleeping regardless.

Guess just another day in South Africa but enough excitement to be "blog-worthy" for us :)

Lastly, Aimee and Lucy enjoying some painting this afternoon - quiet time or so we hope hehehe.

While on holiday…. if that's what this is hehehe

These are just some snaps of our holiday at home so far this June.

We have been very busy running around in the last three weeks. I have been spending the mornings with Alison at the hospital doing rehab. Fabulous news is that Alison came home for good this Friday ! I arrived for rehab – expecting Alison to be discharged in the afternoon – only to find her just about packed up and ready to go. I waited for her while she had her last speech therapy session, packed the car, collected her meds etc. and we were off home. Although the weekend pass outs have been great, this was home for good and Alison was thrilled to finally be going home.

This past week has been slightly easier on my mom – who has been watching Aimee, Lucy, and Keagan during the mornings while I am at the hospital. Aimee, Lucy, Keagan and Jordyn enjoyed going to the Pinetown Baptist Church Holiday Club this week. Here they are in their T-shirts - sponsored by Granny. The theme of the club was Ice Age – very fitting on some of the icy mornings we “enjoyed” this week ??? After the week together, children were asked to invite their parents back for the Sunday service and the kids would enjoy a farewell party together. When they got home, Granny Marlene kept the four busy making/decorating cookies while I gave our wrought iron bed a fresh coat of paint.
And finally Granny Marlene gets 15 minutes to relax in the garden on this wonderful sunny afternoon.
Right so the remainder of the photos –
Aimee and Lucy thoroughly enjoyed attending Courtney’s Purple Birthday Party shortly after we arrived back in SA. Aimee and Cheslyn (my cousin Tammy’s daughter) at the party – Cheslyn is at school with Courtney.
This beautiful bird visited us one morning. He seemed very interested in ‘something’ in the garden, but wasn’t interested enough to let us get any closer to take his picture. Have tried finding him in all the bird books we have but I’m afraid we have not identified him as yet. Anyone out there want to give us a little help with classifying him, you are most welcome. For now, he’s just “Beautiful Bird” suspected to be a Peregrine Falcon. Andrè my mom made me take this photo just for you as she was sure you'd be pleased with his visist.

The girls playing at home in the garden one afternoon with me. This was an attempt to play the ‘nut-shuffle’ game. Unfortunately they didn’t have three of the same cover so it was a bit of an exercise in time-wasting hehehe as guessing where the nut was after being shuffled was pretty pointless ! Lastly, Aimee and Lucy with Granny Marlene posing for a photo.

Debz and Tania, thanks so much for your contact and sorry I have not done a better job getting back to you. My only excuse is total exhaustion. Will try and get back to you ASAP :)

Andrè is still in Saudi for a little bit longer :( Thankfully he will be heading back to ‘our side’ of Saudi tomorrow after spending the last 10 days in Rabigh.

I love and miss you my darling xoxoxox looking forward to seeing you soon :)

Some "not so new" photos and a quick Alison update

Okay so these photos were taken of Aimee and Lucy enjoying some time feeding the fish in the pond at home. Must admit we were very sceptical when plans for The Pond were announced but it has turned out really well and proves to be a nice little walk away from home. Before the weather really started heating up, the girls would ask to walk to the pond and feed the fish. These photos were taken during one of Mom's breaks while putting together the school yearbook.



Okay along with the pond photos, this is us at Lucy's Preschool Graduation.
AND Andre got to meet a few more international rugby players when he reffed or ran touch (I honestly can't remember sorry my love) at an international day at Bahrain Rugby Club. Seen here with my man are Colin Charvis and Dan van Zyl although his photo with 7's legend Waisale Serevi at the Dubai 7's a year or so ago (when he ran touch in the final, along with reffing etc.) was a HUGE thing - if I can find the photo I'll post it :)


News on Alison :
She is coming on so well. We had a good weekend at home this last one - of course Alison getting very frustrated with all of us as we tried to ensure she didn't fall. (She is not 100% on her right leg and still catches her toes occassionally as she walks). Back to Entebeni Rehab on Monday morning and we started doing stair work to get Alison into bending her right knee so that would enable her to walk straight not swing her leg out to move around. It was hard work and after a few times up and down the flight, we were both glad therapy was over for the morning. Her speech is also improving daily and over the weekend she even managed to tell me I was getting fat and developing a bit of a double chin, I should be doing all the situps; bumlifts, leglifts and squats with her ! Sorry to say - NO ! Andre you'll just have to live with the fat, I have no energy to do any exercise :)
Taken a break from therapy today as Alison seems to have a little bug and needs to rest. God is so good and His hand is really on her as she gets well again, Thankyou to everyone who continues to pray for her.

My darling - I miss you and can't wait to have you here with us soon xxxxx

Take a look at this fabulous lady !

Okay, so I arrived in South Africa on Friday morning (JHB) and finally touched down in Durban at 2pm. Straight to the hospital to a wonderful surprise of Alison walking out of one of the offices. Happy Birthday Steven :)
Isn't she just amazing - less than a month after her stroke !
Hit the ground running and it was off to therapy with her Saturday morning. To which we were told "No more walking stick !" now that she had me along at therapy it was her chance to make use of a personal 'trainer' hehehe and get her really walking.
We had a picnic lunch there on Sunday - the photos ....
Happy Birthday Aunty Mary & Val !

Alison and I work everyday from 9-12, in the gym (sittups. leg ups, walking etc.), at speech and even spent some time in the pool on Tuesday. (Thanks Mommy for watching the girls during this time xoxox)
She is now walking everywhere and first it was no cane, someone walking to steady and support her, now she can pretty much walk ahead/next to and I have minimal concern of her falling. Her speech is coming along, we have our moments still when I can't understand but we have a good laugh anyway.
I can honestly say I have an amazing sister !!!

WOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOO !!

Okay so I am very much delayed in updating but it just shows how absolutely chaotic the last few weeks have been.
This is seriously a woooohoooo posting for several reasons, tell you what, let me explain ...
So we'll start with the biggest - Alison ! Truly great stuff, end of May, just over 10 days after her stroke (yes the angiogram confirmed she'd had an acute stroke), she has some feeling in her right side ! Since this she has progressed to being able to leave Umhlanga hospital and move to Entebeni for rehab. She is busy on a daily basis doing mouth and tongue exercises which is helping her speech. Working in the gym and pool getting her right leg and arm used to working again is surely hard work.
She is on the mend and proves again why we are soooooo proud of her !
I arrive in South Africa tomorrow (Friday) and am seriously ready to take off my teacher hat and do my bit at the rehab thing hehehehe so hope you're ready big sister ! Please continue to pray for her as we need her to have the strength to become whole again.

Lucy's whole class
Dhahran Elementary Middle School Preschool Class of 2006 Graduates

Next wooohooooo - Lucy had her graduation ceremony from PreSchool a few weeks ago and as of yesterday, Aimee is offically a grade two student and Lucy will be moving on to Kindergarten in August - WOW ! Lucy continues to have her little anxiety attacks, definitely not constant as they were but still enough to make life a little difficult. Just got to be thankful we know it will pass.

Aimee's First Grade class.

Next wooooohoooo -
I finally managed to finish our school yearbook, report cards, website and online school updating and the other million things to do around here. We ask ourselves every year "why is year end sooooo busy and can't we do some of this at another quieter time". But alas no, things to do at the the end cannot be done any other time AND when is there a quiet time in a school year, seriously ?! Well at least not at our school hehehe There really are not enough hours in the day and I think Andre has been very happy in the last two that I haven't literally walked in the door - after staying 2 hours later at work already - and gone immediately to start working again until late.
Okay and now for a little booohoooo -
Our planned student study trip to SA October 2006 may at the very least be postponed. We needed parents to leave a deposit to secure our accommodation before the end of the school year - needed $1400. Only got $800. So it looks like I won't be bringing students to Jhb, Swaziland & CT over our Eid break as planned, booohooo.
Last one - this one also needs your prayers, so split them between Alison and Bruce please :) My principal is not very well, has been in and out of hospital several times this year. He has been sooo supportive of me not just professionally but also in the recent few weeks in dealing with being so far away from family and Alison especially. He is a great guy and needs all the prayers possible for the improvement of his health !

Well its early hours of the morning here - never thought I could survive on just a few hours each night but these past few weeks have seen very disturbed sleeping patterns and I have survived so ... just hope the girls crash on the planes so I can get some rest there maybe, yeah right :)

Will post again soon and once I have my life a little sorted I will post all rest of the photos from the last few weeks.
Have a good one everybody, love, laughter, happiness and friendship, God Bless xxx