Sep

Green Monster and Smurf Time

It’s been an incredibly busy week for me. Despite starting the week not feeling too well I still attended physio on Monday morning with Di. We then popped in to visit Granny where I got a bee in my bonnet and decided I needed to shower. I managed to empty Granny’s geyser of all its hot water! Even though I’d robbed Granny of all her hot water she still presented me with a really cool gift – a check-out counter with a credit card and card swipe machine and a microphone. Dad keeps grabbing the mic and announces “Clean-up on aisle three, clean-up on aisle three.” Sadly in the afternoon I started feeling nauseas again and spent the better part of 10 minutes throwing up.

Tuesday Mom and I spent most of the day at home. In the late afternoon we stopped by at Bev and Claire’s place for a visit. It was dark by the time we got home, and Dad was ready with a hot bath for me.

I spent a great deal of time on Wednesday doing art work; in the afternoon Mom arranged to take me to cooking lessons for three year olds. I was so excited. Initially it did not go too well – I had a good ole cry, but eventually I got into the swing of things. Module 1 for the day dealt with planting our own tomatoes and making a man with seeds in his head. Over the next few days the seeds will grow into his hair. Both were put on the window sill of my bedroom where I check them regularly for any signs of growth. I also water them lovingly from time to time.

In the evening we decided to go to the Spur for dinner. It was very empty and I basically had the whole jungle gym and play area to myself.

Thursday a visit to Orango Tangos was on the cards, with Bev and Claire. I was thrilled and had a really awesome play. It all went pear shaped though when a nasty lady at the slides told me the bad man will fetch me and take me away if I go up the slide (which is not allowed). Mom and Bev gave the ‘carer’ a piece of their minds. I now understand I may not climb up the slide, but that’s no way to frighten me into compliance. Mom also let management know, telling them it’s ok to have rules but that the staff mustn’t be ugly when implementing them. We think we may not be going back to Orango Tangos for a while.

In the evening I had a Smurf Bath by emptying an entire blue can Acrondkids’ Kaleidofoam into my bath. There was so much blue foam everywhere Dad actually bathed me a second time to get all the blue off me!

Friday morning I took a shower with Dad, where I found the green can of Acrondkids’ Kaleidofoam which I then smeared all over myself. No longer a Smurf I was now the Green Monster and I roared as the cats came to look at me in the shower!

The day proved to be super-dee-duper exciting. Tanya had arranged for me to join Morgan and his class for a visit to the Lonehill fire station. I was beside myself with excitement. At the fire station I got to climb all over the Simon Snorkel and we even went for a ride in it, in the front seat. Mom got the honour of sounding the siren.

Back at the station we were taken on a tour and shown where the fireman’s pole is. I practically launched myself onto it to slide down to the floor below. Mom intercepted just in time! When we got home, Dad was already waiting for us and I told him all about my adventure for the day.

I woke up really early on Saturday morning, and Mommy decided to get up with me. After a while Dad surfaced and sent Mom back to bed. Dad and I played for a long while and then we had a shower together. The plan was for us to have our hair cut afterward. When Dad told me this my response was “Not by the hair of my chinny chin chin”. Dad rolled around he was laughing so hard. Even with my comedic attempt to prevent my hair being cut, Dad and I eventually left. First Dad had his hair cut, and I sat in the chair alongside him. Next it was my turn, but not before Tracey the barber put a bench on the seat for me to sit on.

This hair cut went even better than previous ones. I’m starting to get more comfortable with having my hair cut and my hair washed. After 8 brain surgeries I feel very particular and sensitive about my head being touched, but with lots of effort by Mom brushing me I’m slowly starting to fight it less and less.

After our haircuts Dad and I shopped for some boerewors – it was Heritage Day, and to celebrate Heritage Day Braai Day was incepted. As you all know Dad isn’t the world’s greatest braai’er, but for Braai Day he’d give it a try on the gas grill later in the afternoon.

Back home Granny arrived, as she was going to stay with us for the night, since no-one was at her place, and she didn’t feel safe in Aunty Kim’s house alone. Mom and Granny had a long and deep chat about my great-aunt Marge who sadly passed away during the week. They reminisced about some of the fun times Granny and Mom had with Marge. Even Dad chipped in, as he also had some fond memories of her. At 88 years old she was my oldest great-aunt.

I fell asleep for a midday snooze before I could chat to Granny, but when I woke up later in the afternoon I spent a good deal of time playing with her. In the afternoon Mom and Dad had their little Braai Day. It seemed the boerewors rolls were a real hit as even Granny went back for seconds. Dad was very chuffed!

Breakfast at Europa was on the cards for Sunday morning. I played on the jungle gym and nibbled on a chocolate muffin while Mom, Dad and Granny had breakfast. We were hardly out the car park and I was already asleep in the car. While sleeping Dad got to the business of cutting more of the privet tree down in front of their bedroom and study. After a while the noise woke me up. Pretty soon Dad had made a really big dent in the tree and again there was more light in the bedroom and study. I wasn’t feeling well and started throwing up again. Once Dad was done playing lumberjack he had a shower and we all had a team snooze.

For the rest of the afternoon we played on the study patio which was now showered in sunlight.

Well, that’s it for this week. A noteworthy mention this week has been Dad and my tracking UARS (Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite) which started to leave its orbit and crash back to Earth after becoming redundant. The reason for our great interest in this satellite was that it was the largest man-made object on an uncontrolled decent back to Earth. It weighed 6 tonnes and was the size of a double decker bus. Owing to solar flares and the subsequent contraction and expansion of the atmosphere it was difficult for NASA to calculate where or when the satellite would crash to Earth. A concern was that not all of the satellite would burn up upon re-entry creating the possibility that debris could damage property or even kill people. In recorded history this has never happened, and NASA placed the probability of being hit at 22 trillion to 1! Its re-entry is believed to have occurred yesterday, but since no-one saw the re-entry, it remains unconfirmed!

Love,

Jarrod