at the very great risk of sounding like a future Adele lyric, or look you see one that already exists for i am not so familiar with her works, my (considerably) better half and i are fortunate that our present or if you like current career vocations allow us to take that Christmas towards New Year week away from all commitments verk related. this has not always been the way, but unquestionably it is the way we prefer. it has, after all, allowed us to spend time together, and that time together of course in the company of our rather smart children.
indeed yes, that's young William, sat atop of one of them smart wooden fort / castle play park thingies which we have in, as you might quite expect, the local play park.
boxing day, as i remember, is when we went out and about on this stroll. as the sky somewhat reveals, we had a lovely blue clear day. was it warm? alas no. the air had that icy, cold and crisp (hello, Faye) touch to it. there's also a serious amount of frost to the streets and paths. a frost that isn't shifting even when the sun strikes upon it, so snow remains a real possibility.
but hey, it didn't snow the day that was the day we took these, so we move on.
that is indeed James in what looks like a swing designed by Neil Pye, the hippie type character off of The Young Ones. no, not the Sir Cliff film, the other version. it is indeed one of them wicca weave sort of magical be at one with nature sort of type of hammock attached as a swing.
quite smart it is too, as it happens. the boys both loved it. no, i didn't get on it. but i did sort of give them a push as the sat, or if you like laid, upon it.
ostensibly yes, indeed, quite, the features of the play park that are not the fields or the benches are intended as the preserve of the younger members of a visiting family. far be this, however, from preventing or precluding my (considerably) better half from having a go on something what took her fancy.
how does one describe the above? no, not my (considerably) better half, the thing what she is stood, or if you like elegantly balanced, on? as far as i can make out it's styled as a snake, with the head of the snake being there before you. swinging suspended snake sort of swing, that will do. boss it is, too.
another thing i seem to have forgotten the name of is something that i would normally refer to as the "death slide", for that is what it seems to encourage a challenge to. zip line, or maybe zip slide i think. well, know i suppose, as my (considerably) better half informed me so.
yeah, it is quite a low level zip line thingie, so calling it a "death slide" would be a little bit dramatic. this is all meant for the younger of kids, and to be played on without dozens of supervisors or other such Health & Safety aficionados. so the focus is on fun, but without the danger.
i would be all but certain that you'd rather see some pictures of the boys on the zip slide as opposed to a picture which features moi, but toughies, you will have to either be patient or simply scroll past this snatched moment of my (considerably) better half and i.
hopefully the outrageous headwear we have on (indeed that is my "Thug Life" beanie, the more specific details of which you can read right here, in particular if your Japanese is up to scratch) underlines what a cold, cold day it was. also, that is once again the jacket what Zama got me off of the back of Jo'burg or if you like Jozi taxi rank.
we will have a closer look at that latter aspect in a bit, which indeed yes does mean more images of me to follow. for now, though, back to the zip line.
yes, William is dressed up in one of them boss "camouflage" style jackets. he now has a full on Commando style wardrobe, all received with thanks as celebratory gifts off of the sensational Harlos. they have been quite taken with William's passion for outdoor pursuits, with particular emphasis on the hunting and trapping aspects of interacting with nature.
it's not that James isn't equally passionate about embracing the outdoor beauty of Yorkshire; far from it. he's just happy to rather enjoy it for what it is as such, and doesn't quite feel the need to set out on quests to cleanse the woods and walkways of certain species. not that we let William do this, but then what's an imagination for if not allowed to wander?
that got sidetracked somewhat. here you go, James on the zip line or if you like zip slide thing, with his brother very kindly "assisting" him in getting ready for a class swing.
whilst this was mostly, we believe, William helping his big brother out, we suspect there's a good deal of method to the, for want of a better term, madness. the sooner James has got on with it and had his go is the sooner that William can have another go. smart thinking, and win-win as far as i can see.
now then, you were given a warning, or if you like you had a hint of foreshadowing, that i would feature again in this particular post. the last two images of this update feature me, so proceed with as much caution or care as you believe this requires.
here i am, then, testing the tension patience of the ropes and cords what hold the swinging snake swing thing in place.
this alleged Levi's jacket which Zama very much did get me off of the back of the Jozi taxi rank, then. i remember his words, some three years ago, so very clearly. "sharp", he said, "this will keep you warm in those cold English winters i have heard of, Mr Ricketts", he continued. this was all with a big smile, a thumbs up and expressions of "number one", "lekker" and so forth. it was full of heart and hope, and completely lacking any comprehension and understanding of just how cold an English winter is.
much like the time that Zama told me that all in needed to do in order to speak his native isiZulu was to put the letter "e" before every word (something i tried and got absolutely battered off of Khanyisile for doing), i'd like to think this was a noble and well intentioned gesture that did not quite work.
another picture of us, but rather taken from the insides of a property, as in our home? sure, why not.
and so, family and friends around the world, this could well be the last update for the year that relates to me and the 75% of my family that you all like a lot more than you like me. and wisely so. and why not.
no doubt more stuffs of things shall crop up in these last three days - a "best of" look at the year for a start. but that's for then, when it happens, not now, when it hasn't.
i'm not so good at writing a last part for these family update posts, am i? well, just who is it that likes to say goodbye, after all.
be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment