the great american town tour.

Many of you already know this...that I have this small obsession with everything American. It's my favourite country {after my own, of course} in the world. One of my favourite things about America is the little towns dotted all across the States. One of my dreams is too one day take a year off and literally travel across the States and visit as many little towns as I can.

But until that happens, I am following The Great American Town Tour, over at Huckleberry Prairie.

I am so excited, I can barely contain myself.

us africans ain't built for this.

I love winter! Yes, I am one of those weird people who can live with winter all year round. But, I am starting to realise what an idiot I am...can I just tell you how freezing it is in Joburg at the moment! It is unbelievable. I seriously think this is the coldest winter we have ever had. The ground is covered in thick white frost in the mornings, and I have had to de-ice my car every morning this week. This weekend we spent it inside, under blankets, on the couch, in front of the TV.

Let me tell you, us Africans are not built for this kinda weather...it is seriously just not in our genetic make up. However, that said, no matter how cold it is, you ain't gonna stop us from braaing! Nope, it can be zero degrees outside, and this is where you will find us...having a good 'ol SA braai....madness I tell you, but there is nothing better.

Hope you are all keeping warm, and having an awesome weekend. And to my US friends, hope you had a fabulous 4th!

he got ten years.

Remember when this horrible thing happened to my family. Well there has been some excellent news.

Last week, Sara received a subpoena to be in court. My brother-in-law went with her for some moral support, and he landed up testifying as well, because, just as we thought, he used to do odd jobs for him around the house.

He was sentenced to ten years in jail! Such, such good news.

Like I said in that post, it’s so good to see things happening properly. We only hear about the negative stuff and how nothing works. But you know what, it does.

My brother-in-law spent the whole day at court. And he said that there were so many cases, just like Sara’s one, were the witnesses did no bother to pitch up, so the case was thrown out and the people let free. And we wonder why we have problems. So many people could not be bothered to get involved, to much of a hassle. Yes, going to court is a pain. But the country needs these people to go, to put these buggers away.

Yes the country is far from perfect, and we have many problems, but there are things and systems that do work.

Once again, this horrible thing that happened to us has proven to me that there is a whole lotta great things going on here.

how i ruined fathers day.

Sorry, once again, for the lack of posting. No excuse this time, except that it is damn cold here in Joburg, and when we get home it is straight under the covers!

Anyway, let me tell you about my disaster of a Fathers Day!

I have to start off first by explaining to you how difficult it is to by anything for my Dad. He has everything, and if he wants something, he gets it himself. We even ban him from buying anything, a month before Christmas and his birthday. Just so that we can at least buy him something that he is not going to buy himself.

So, this Fathers Day, I started planning a few weeks ahead, and decided to make him his favourite biscuits, that no one ever bakes for him. Great idea. One gift down.
A few days before Fathers Day, I was starting to panic as I had not come up with anything else. When I saw them advertising the new Michael Bublé DVD/CD, I knew my Dad would love it. I hadn’t heard him speak about it, but I just knew it would be a great gift. Consult the husband, consult the sister. All agree, it’s a great idea. Perfect. Second and last gift sorted.

I spent Saturday morning getting the dough ready. The plan was to finish the biscuits the Sunday morning, so that they would be freshly baked. And to make the day even better, that night, we were chatting over dinner and my Dad happens to mention the Michael Bublé DVD. I was so happy. Finally I had managed to get a gift that he actually wanted without him knowing a thing.

Sunday morning, I am up at the crack of dawn. Baking my little butt off. What happens…I burn the biscuits so badly that our dogs don’t even want them. One gift down the drain. But it was okay, at least I had the DVD. Not great, but at least I was not going empty handed.

Well I might as well have. We arrive and explained my sad biscuit story to my Dad. My dear, thoughtful, husband thought the biscuits were so funny that he took a photo of them for Twitter, proudly showed them off to the family…at least I had proof that I had tried I suppose.

I proudly hand over the DVD…and straight I knew. He had bought it that very morning. Aaaaaaaaaaaaarghhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. I wanted to cry.

What a complete disaster. I had nothing to give to my Dad on Fathers Day. The thing is I think he felt worse than I did.

I am starting to plan for next years Fathers Day NOW.

catching some of the soccer fever.

So as most of you know, soccer is about to take over South Africa in the next year. And it all started off last Sunday with the opening of the Confederations Cup.

Now I am not the greatest soccer fan in the world, but I am very excited that the Confed Cup and the World Cup is coming to South Africa, I think it is awesome.

And Monday night we decided to join in on the fun. My Dad got us tickets to watch a game. We went to catch the world champions, Italy take on the USA.

No guesses as to who the husband and I were supporting. Go the USA!

Can I just tell you what an amazing time we had! The atmosphere was incredible, and except for one thing, it was so well organised. I reckon the World Cup is gonna be even better.

I know it's nearly over, but if you get an opportunity to go, you so must! Now if only our Bafana Bafana, could do as well.

hayley is...

...having the perfect Saturday morning, and here's why:

• I am still in my pyjamas;


• I am curled up under a blanket on the couch with the laptop;


• It's a perfect Joburg winters morning;


• The husband has gone out to do the shopping;


• The TV is tuned into the home channel;


• I am catching up on all the blogs I read;


• I registered my own vanity facebook URL {www.facebook.com/hayleymalherbe};


• and I am completely ignoring how dirty my house is...

Hope you all have a fantastical weekend!

a boring warning.

It’s been a while I know. It is absolutely freezing cold n Joburg, so when I get home it’s straight under the covers. And besides, I have been doing a lot of thinking about my blog.

It was after I read this post, by Mel. And it got me thinking…

When I started this blog, it was intended to be just an update on the random happenings about what was going on in my life. To update family and friends that were far away.

But over the past few months, if not longer, I haven’t been posting like that. I am so concerned whether it is interesting enough, funny enough or will anyone really care what I did over the weekend. I had hoped that one day, my children would go back and read what we were up to, or what we were doing. It was meant to be like a journal somewhat. And I have kinda stopped doing that.

So this is a boring warning everyone. I am going back to my original plan.

So lots of random boring posts coming up folks.

a bloody saturday.

It was early Saturday morning, when the first tweets started coming through. Urging people to please head down to Kommetjie Beach, as there were about 50 whales that had beached themselves and they needed help.

Saturday was terrible, listening to the updates, watching the news. I eventually stopped checking in on twitter. It was just too much.

I was going to do a post on the whales, but it was just too heartbreaking.

However, my blogging friend, Candice has written an amazing post. It happened right on her beach. Please pop over and have a read.

We will never understand why these things happen, but we can be very proud and grateful to those people who went to help these magnificent creatures.

bittersweet.

That’s how I feel at the moment.

As most of you know, we moved back to Joburg in Feb, after spending just under two years in Cape Town. While we were there we bought a house. An awesome house, just what we wanted and in the perfect area. It was your typical beach styled house. Just what I had envisaged when we moved down there. We loved living there. It was the start of our brand new life in the Cape.

Then of course we had to say goodbye. Heartbreaking.

Except my amazing parents decided to keep the house, as a holiday home. How unbelievably awesome is that?

It’s the perfect holiday home, space for all of us, five kilometres from the beach, surrounded by the Helderberg mountains and the Cape winelands. The husband and I are beyond grateful that at least we didn’t have to sell it.

So, what makes me feel bittersweet. Well my parents have made their first trip to the house, since we packed up and left. And a part of me wants to burst into tears, because that should be us there. And the other part of me wants to burst into tears, because I am just so blessed and grateful that we still have this house. So, I am officially a mess today.

I know it sounds silly. I am telling myself the same thing. It’s a house, stoopid, and you can still use it anytime. I think it’s more a symbolic thing, if that makes sense? That was our life. That was the start of our new adventure. So I am feeling a little sad.

Now that I think about it, maybe it’s not the actual house, maybe it’s just dealing with all the emotions about coming back home and starting over…I don’t know…

We did make awesome memories down there. And you know what, thanks to my parents, there are plenty more to be made in that house…

happy b-day sally-j.

Today is the birthday of my friend Sally-Ann.

Sally and I were kinda friends before we even met, in fact, before we had even spoken to each other. You see, Sally is the wife of my husband’s best friend and when the husband and I met, Sally was doing her thing in London. However, both my husband and her then boyfriend, insisted that once the two of us met we would be amazing friends….you know how men are…just because you are both girls, you are sure to get along.

Anyway it turns out they were right….we became good friends right away.

Thanks for making us laugh, for the fun holidays, for just being yourself, for all the memories and most importantly, thanks for just being a great friend...I am so glad our husbands were right!

Happy Birthday Sal!