Letters to my Grandchild

Happy, happy New Year Emily Ann! I am wishing you a wonderful year, full of happiness, love, friendship, achievement and good times. It is 2017 and this year you will be 9 years old.  When I started this blog in May 2008 I did not imagine that I would still be writing for you 9 years later! You started school in a new classroom with a new teacher, only 3 girls and 9 boys in your class.  You have made new friends and still play with your old friends at breaks. You will join a drama class and will also continue with dancing on Saturday mornings as well as swimming, OT, Physio and remedial so you are going to have a busy year but much of it will be during school time.   Lucy has been you favourite 'Baby' for while now.  She has lovely clothes, can eat and wet her nappy.  In this photograph you look like a grown up Disco-Queen! You are looking forward to Kevin and Jackie will be visiting you guys next month with their baby Et...

 What happened in 2016? On 5 January 2016, Temba Bavuma became the first black cricketer to make a Test century for South Africa.  Besides Donald Trump - a TV actor and hotel magnate - becoming the president of the USA, the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union in a move nicknamed BREXIT  Famous people like Prince, David Bowie and Muhammed Ali died. It was the summer Olympics in Rio and Wade van Niekerk set a new World Record in the 400m We first read about WikiLeaks dumping hacked emails from the Democratic party in the US Oscar Pistorius is sentenced to 13 years in jail for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp Mother Teresa is canonized

My darling Em, This is the last post for 2016 - an eventful year for you. You started at your new School - La Lucia Junior Primary - in January.  You made friends with Ethan and Captain - two big Labbies - after being afraid of big dogs; you had a holiday in Johannesburg and at the river with Jeff and Gail in April and September; you did your first 200 m swimming badge in June; we went to the Midlands Saddle and Trout and to Hluhluwe in June: Jeff was diagnosed with cancer in his tonsil and in June and had to undergo surgery, chemo and radiation. In August you cracked your big toe (ouch!); you had two birthday parties in October - one with beanbags at your house and one at the SPUR in Durban north.  You had two treatments this year and you grew 5.5cm to 1.2m tall. Although you passed everything in Grade 11 it was felt that you would benefit more from repeating grade 11 next year than going to Grade 111.  It was difficult for your Mom and Dad to explain this to you a...

Hello my darling, Every time I see you seem to have grown up a little bit more.  We didn't get to your Christmas concert this year but Mom sent me this photograph of you looking a grown-up model with lipstick!  Gorgeous girlie! We don't get to see much of you anymore.  From the time you were a baby until you started school we saw you nearly every day.  I used to push you around the garden in your pram and the rocking motion would put you to sleep.  When you started sitting and taking notice of things around you I would show you all the flowers and Strelitzia was almost your first word, followed by bougainvillea and Petrea!  You still love to play with the little 'helicopter' flowers, twirling them till they spin and float. In 2010 you started attending play-school across the road from our house a couple of days a week and we saw you regularly during the week.  Once you started pre-school, then Junior Primary with afternoons at swim...

Hello darling Emily,   It is your birthday month - 8 years old!  Wow!    On the 7th October you went for your treatment.  You are so brave when they put in the port and you don't cry or complain.  Tam and Gail stayed with you and you were allowed to have a chocolate ice cream during the infusion.     Your Mom and Dad bought a big new King size bed.  For a few months you have been going through to their room at night and getting into bed with them.  There wasn't enough space in the double bed and Mark said you were kicking him in the 'you-know-what' and his head!  This bed is huge and you can all fit in it.  Tammy usually puts up a side protector but this time it wasn't up.     On Friday you were given a Happy Birthday rosette to wear at school all day.     Sunday was your actual birthday!     You had two parties!  One for the children at your home ...

Hello my darling Em, Whenever you come to our house we try to go for a walk around the block before playing all sorts of indoor games.  Sometimes we play camping and we have sleeping bags and make a tent using the chairs.  Other times we play dress up games.  You like to put on a sparkly top and a long scarf, an Egyptian green box hat with a chiffon scarf.  I follow you around as your sister or servant! When you came a couple of weeks ago you wanted to paint my face so we did face-painting before going for our walk. September 16 was the Sunflower bandana day.  You looked gorgeous in your purple bandana which you were allowed to wear to school.  The Sunflower Fund raises money and awareness for a bone marrow registry for people suffering from illness like leukemia (a type of blood cancer) so you did your part to help the fund.     Mark works for a company called Derivco.  He's been there for 10 years and on 20th Sept...

Hello my darling Em.   When you came to our house the other day you had to practise your poem for a Speech day at school.  We took a video of you doing the poem and I must say that you did it wonderfully!  At school, the adjudicator gave you this report with an A !!  Well done my darling!       It was my birthday on the 6th August.  We booked a table for lunch at the Chez Nous restaurant in the Westville Junction.  When we arrived we were taken to a table that was beautifully decorated with pink serviettes, sparkles, flowers and party masks.  You and your Mom had gone there earlier to decorate the birthday table!  Thank you so much - it made it a very special birthday lunch for me.     Tammy bought me a red velvet cake which we had as dessert.  You helped me to blow out the candles.   You had a play-date with one of your oldest friends - Tayla.  You and Tayla have known ea...