Sunday 23 August 2015

Saturday 22nd August

So I have missed a few days – on Friday, Luke and I went off with Seren in search of a water park to take the children to after Morgan got back from school. Well we found it without too many wrong turnings – I must say I am very impressed with how Luke and Mel navigate themselves around – of course with the help of the ever faithful and lifesaving GPS.  The pools looked delightful so we resolved to return in the afternoon when Morgan got back from school. 

Well - the best laid plans and all that...  we have had trouble with the stove. Luke got an sms to say the electrician was arriving at 3 pm so we couldn’t leave immediately for the pools. He then smssed to say he’d be here at 5 pm and by that time it was too late to set off – he finally arrived at 4 pm and drove into the complex yard at a crazy speed – Luke phoned the agent and said he could not come back again – it turned out that the gate man told the agent the same thing – it is very dangerous as there are so many children playing on scooters etc. Anyway he did get the stove working but by that time Morgan was really fractious as she had had her expectations raised – Luke had said they would go for a walk to get ice cream as there was no time to go swimming, but it then became too late! Seren was unusually restless and niggly – she is cutting teeth at the top now. Anyway – Luke and I were also pretty tired and low on tolerance when the door bell rang at about 6.30 – Morgan had just finished her supper – it was Max asking Morgan to come and play outside with him. Luke was onto it in a shot – saying if a 6 yr old wants to play with his 3 yr old daughter then he’s all for it!!!  They had a ball but Morgan came back with owee’s all over her legs and declined to have a bath as it would make her owee’s even more owee!!  She had scratches from running into a bramble shrub to catch Max and a rather big roastie at the top of her leg from falling off the scooter that Luke was pushing her on, as she raced against Max on the tarmac parking area!!  So now the next purchase will be a helmet and her own scooter!! Morgan and I counted her owee’s on her legs and feet, together and reached 10!!!! 

Thursday has dissolved into a blur with the rest of the days going by! A bit of a time of realising how fortunate we were when we were raising out children, to be able to have a Dorah to hand off a child to, when things got too fraught!!!

Also Luke has downloaded a book for me to read on the I pad I am using. So I snuck in some reading – all good but it means I have not had cat naps when I can during the day and also have not been as diligent with the blog!

So today Luke, Morgan and I set off for the pools at Nangham Park. Seren was asleep so Mel opted to stay behind with her. What an absolute treat. I will include some pics as they say it all. It costs about R 40 each to get in. Its all very regulated, as I am finding out, most things are!! And everyone appears to happily follow – I get a sense that there is also a lot of self-regulating as well, rather than South Korea being guilty of being a nanny state!! 

So there are designated areas to sit under permanent awnings and once again everyone had their fold up mats which were laid out in an orderly fashion. There were also rows of umbrella stands with large beach size furled umbrellas lying next to them which one could put up to sit under as well. Being good South Africans we found two stands with an umbrella next to them lying near the pool edge away from the rows. So we moved one to a good spot and set up camp with our towels. I went off to the changing tent put on my swimmer (Mel’s term!) and lather myself in SPF 50 lotion. There was a plastic stool in there which I took back to the umbrella figuring this would be great for me to sit on!! 

Later two life guards came along and tried to explain that we could not sit here, so we moved further away, only to have them come back again, indicating that we had to move to where all the umbrellas were in a row. We then, we think anyway, assured them that when we left we would move the umbrella back. At that point a family who had been sitting under an awning were leaving so they came along  and indicated we could take their place which we did. However while we were getting an ice cream the guards came and removed the stool!! 

When I returned from changing, Luke and Morgan were in the water already. There are about four different large pools varying in depth - .4ms, .5 ms and 1 metre in the one area. In the middle were fountains that the children can run through – similar to those at the Seoul Forest which we went to last Saturday – a blog I think I still need to write up!! Many of the children had tubes and lilos of every description so off Luke and Morgan went to get one for her – a princess pink round tube number with handles. It didn’t take her long to spot an enormous black and white shark lying next to some family’s spot and back she came lugging it – she was pretty understanding though when Luke explained she couldn’t use it as it didn’t belong to us!! They then went off and bought a lilo type surf board.  We had such fun on these two – me lying on the lilo and Morgan in the tube and pulling me along – everything has a story – not quite fantasy but pretty close!!! So I am stuck in mud and she has to rescue me and save the day!!! Or else we have to call the Paw Patrol to rescue both of us and they then save the day!!!  We also did quite a bit of ‘swimming’ with me swinging her round and round on her tummy or her back and also some doggy paddle with her on her tummy and me supporting her chest. She did really well as it was shallow enough for her to stand and feel very secure.

I did laugh when I went to the loo – temporary structures on stands – but not at all like porter-loos.   So once again there is the choice of how much water one needs, but this time the lever to flush was located next to the seat – either lo or hi – written in English. So I selected lo and the next thing I was drenched in water from a spray that came up from somewhere in the loo!!!!I Then I noticed that on the side of the cistern was another handle which also had two options!!! So I guess a combo eastern and western type loo!!! No one else was around to hear my chuckling!!

We were allowed in the water for only 45 minutes at which point the was an announcement followed by the life guards blowing their whistles to get all of us out of the water.  Well, you can imagine that madam Morgan was not at interested in this and it took a lot of persuading/bribery – shall we get an ice cream - to get her out of the water. The water was clear for 15 minutes after which we could go back in again – not sure if this was to give the water a chance to recycle or to stop people getting too burnt?? 

I was impressed by the shape most people were in – not many overweight people at all. Most of the young girls sported tiny very revealing bikinis or else were covered up with rash vests and hats with veils to protect them from the sun.  I successfully ordered a sorrito – a sausage covered with shredded cabbage, olives, no halapenos or medium type red sauce (because I’m a wuss!!), tomato sauce and mayo – all encased in a burrito and wrapped up in tin foil – pretty delicious for 5000 wan – about R 50. 

General pic - Morgan on foreground still wearing her hat - 3 bikini gals behind her
The awnings one sits under

A very organised family with the cart which transports the children and all the 'katunda'!!

Luke and Morgan in the princess Rapunzel tube! Changing tent in the background
I will post this now - but we had another adventure in the afternoon which I will get onto now. You can get a sneak preview of it on my face book page!! 


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