This is going to be a looooong post. I've been a bit sick so I haven't really felt like blogging and the photos have piled up.
The last few weeks I've tried to take photos from my everyday life as Dangrdafne requested and not just abstract things, so I hope I've managed. There is still some everyday stuff to share so that should come up soon.
However, I don't lead a terribly exciting life, especially when I'm home sick, so this has resulted in not terribly exciting photographs.
 |
| Day 36: Hi ho, hi ho it's off to work I go |
This is one of my more seldom used routes to work. Although I have used it far more over the last few weeks. I think it might be because of the waterfall on the other side of the hill on the left. That waterfall is in the photo from Day 9. It kind of makes me feel that I'm somewhere else, on holiday.
 |
| Day 37: Where I live |
I live on church property. Yep, I really do. Fortunately the church does not insist that you join them in order to rent from them. This is good. It's a funny church and while I do consider myself spiritual, I have not yet found a religion that suits me completely. Yet. Anywhoodle, my house is one of five, all joined like townhouses or cluster homes, but it's just the five. They were originally supposed to be for the pastors but I dunno what happened to the pastors. I originally stayed in Flat 4 (as far as I can make out 'flats' are like 'apartments'), a one bedroomed, one bathroomed, small kitchened, small living roomed, small gardened bit of perfection for someones first 'on their own home'. After 2 cats, one puppy and an ever growing collection of books and music I decided if one of the bigger flats became available and was affordable, I'd get it. I also wanted to get Shilo, my dog, a companion. Flat 1, where I am now, has a big kitchen, huge living area (for me), 3 bedrooms (now 2 bedrooms and one study), 2 bathrooms, a big backyard, a big front courtyard AND a separate laundry. It also has cockroaches. But I don't want to talk about that. Also the garage has been converted into another room, so while my car has to live outside, I now have somewhere to set up a proper ceramic restoration studio. If I ever actually get around to that. In this photo, my house is the first one on the extreme left. Each peaked roof you can see is the garage for each of the five houses..
 |
| Day 38: Where I work |
I've taken a few photos of the Kruger Museum already. This is from the street. Currently restoration work is on hold while we wait for a permit. The brown plastic sheeting you can see on the edge of the roof is there to protect unfinished work on the gables. It's all very frustrating.
This small Victorian house was the official home of the president of the Transvaal Republic. Quite modest, no?
 |
| Day 39: My shop around the corner |
This is not where I do my monthly grocery shopping. It is, however, where I stop many evenings after work, to get the odd essential or not so essential. This centre also has my video/dvd rental store and a pizza place that makes most excellent vegetarian pizza's.
 |
| Day 40: My giant cupcake birthday cake |
Yes, 4 May was my birthday. And it was an extra special birthday thanks to all you tweeps and your ducky avi's. That TwiKiwi is a sneaky birthday avi organiser, I tell you! So this was the birthday cake my sister made me. She bought an actual cake baking pan that looks like a cupcake! It was delicious. The two old fogies you can see in the background are Pop- and MaHaw. Oh, and my candle sang Happy Birthday to me!!! Confused the hell out of Shilo and Penny.
 |
| Day 41: Birthday lunch with family and friends at my sisters house. |
The day after my birthday, my sister invited my best friend, the HawFolks and one HawAunt for lunch. She made the best chocolate cupcakes in the world. And there was so much other yummy stuff. She really went to a lot of trouble. For lunch we had a braai (more commonly known as a barbecue) and everyone ate way too much. Going around from the left is: The male half of CheeseHaw, lets call him DHaw, then MaHaw, AuntHaw, SisHaw, bestfriend, bestfriend's husband (between them somewhere is their four year old pixie daughter), and ending with the PopHaw's pip.
 |
| Day 42: Autumn leaves |
Yes, it is autumn in the southern hemisphere. And getting too chilly for me. This was taken in my backyard. As you can imagine the dogs are having a great time running through the leaves.
 |
| Day 43: A pretty birthday present |
A scarf from my friend. It is very pretty. The other half of her present was Disney on Ice! She's taking me and her four year old to see Disney on Ice on 30 June. It's easy for her coz whatever her daughter will like I'm sure to like, toys included. Although.... the daughter is in her Disney princesses phase. Me? Not so much.
 |
| Day 44: Fizzy green juice aka cream soda |
Hi, my name is Nikki and I'm a cream soda-holic.
 |
| Day 45: The driveway |
It is a long driveway. This is heading towards my house. In spring/summer these trees are full of purple flowers. You'll see, I bet I take a photo of it later in the year. The property is situated a ways out of town, and all around are small holdings, plant nurseries and churches (I don't even know). A few kilometers down the street is a busy well known road, full of shopping malls and every kind of shop you can think of. So I have the best of both worlds: civilisation down the road while I'm living in the complete peace or the African bush. The bird life is amazing and I've even seen a small antelope on the property once. And I'm sure I hear jackals at night. The downside is....there are ticks.
 |
| Day 46: Another pretty birthday present |
This tiny flower arrangement came from AuntHaw. Don't you just love getting flowers? It's such a frivolous gift, as they don't last, but there is something special about it.
 |
| Day 47: A lovely cup of Milo before bed |
Hi, my name is Nikki and I'm a Miloholic.
 |
| Day 48: Back to bed |
I mentioned I've been sick. I've been spending a lot of time here. Good thing it's so comfy.
 |
| Day 49: My bedroom door at my folks house. Teenage artistic urges at their best. |
Somewhere around 14, I decided to this. My friend and I got some poster paint and some illegally smuggled alcohol and created this masterpiece. It has been added to over the years and stuff has also been taken away. The black smudges are where I spray painted over boys names who were no longer.... desirable. Spot the Penny!
 |
| Day 50: The Haw House |
Ah, the old family homestead. And yes, I have been known to answer the home phone like that.
 |
| Day 51: Reaper, the museum cat. |
Reaper just wandered in one day. He is very used to humans, although he does smack me every time I walk past him. He actually spends most of his time in my boss's office, but sometimes he graces me with his presence. Like when my boss isn't at work. My boss's son named him Reaper after some video game.
 |
| Day 52: One corner of Church Square in Pretoria |
Church Square is a very well known tourist spot in Pretoria. I wish I could get more of it in the picture. Maybe I can another time. This square was the centre of Pretoria a hundred years ago. The old Council Building or
Raadsaal is the reddish building on the left. That is where the seat of the Transvaal government was. I think it is still used as government offices today, but my present-times knowledge isn't that good.
That's it for this round. Tomorrow I'm off to the farm museum so hopefully I'll get some interesting photos for all y'all.
