Spuh-RING!

And yet again I am late with my post!  Alas, this time it was no fault of mine! For some reason unknown to men and gods alike, Blogger decided that Wednesday was not a good day for me to access my account and temporarily limited me to simply viewing a blank screen with a poorly worded error message.  All seems to be back in working order now though, so I guess the little feedback button in the lower right corner of my screen is good for something after all...  And then yesterday was WEDDING TIME, rendering me incapable and entirely unwilling to sit at my laptop and compose what you now read.  Rod's cuzzie Vida married her long-time beau Nic in a pretty outdoor ceremony at The Moon and Sixpence in Muldersdrift.  If you're keen to see a few snaps of the proceedings taken by yours truly, I've posted a few on my other blog {Jade & Jasmine}, so head on over and have a squiz, and perhaps click on the "Follow" button while you're there ;)

And, of course, the fact that wedding season is upon us here in South Africa means only one thing - spring is here!!  If there's one time of year that I love, it's spring. With my bloodlines hailing from Scotland, Ireland, England, Germany and Sweden, I feel I am fully qualified to state that I am too European for our sunny South African climate!  But spring is just perfect.  The gentle warmth of the evenings, the scent of the jasmine blooming beside our front door, everything fresh and green and GLORIOUS!  And the colours! I am in awe of nature's ability to surprise me anew each year with its simple beauty. There is a sense of promise in the air that nothing can imitate.

Some of the flowers blooming in our garden

When I was younger, a tender early-twenty-something with big dreams and low funds, I looked forward to the day I could take my child into our garden and spend time looking at the birds and the flowers and the butterflies.  I looked forward to the day we could spread a blanket in the shade and spend time playing or just looking at the sky - a gorgeous blue expanse punctuated with the fluffiest of clouds. Walking barefoot, feeling the grass between our toes as we ran around or kicked a ball...  Ah, the fancies of youth.  But, now that I am Mommy to my own little man, those youthful dreams are coming true. When the sun sinks low enough behind the trees, I take my little man outside into our little garden and we enjoy the warm air and the chirping of birds in the trees.  I spread his playmat and we enjoy just being outside.  Ricky loves looking at the sky.  The chirp of a bird or the drone of a bumble bee briefly distracts him, but he always returns to his quiet contemplation of the wild blue yonder.

As the days grow warmer I look forward to many more hours spent with my monkey monkey and his daddy in our little slice of paradise.

Here's to warm days and sunny smiles!
Mommy