3rd August

Wow how extraordinary to be in August already – time is certainly flying along – regrettably mindlessly a lot of the time – as in – how aware am I of what is happening in each moment???  The two lives are such poles apart!!!!  Aquarobics, bridge, tennis, book club, meditation meetings, watching sport on TV, peaceful suppers with John looking out over the bay, plus any other ups and downs that happen chance along the way – and life here in this very different place in the bosom of our young family!!!

I am missing Cape Town and all it offers me and of course Mister Ramsey! But life swings in various directions particularly out this way!!  I sometimes feel that there is not time to do anything let alone scratch myself!!! But as I said to a friend today, I am settling into an easier time here but have to confess to waking up many mornings to a first thought of how am I going to do this again today!!!! And then the absolute innocence and wonderment and joy of these two little ones takes over, and I start being in each moment rather than being sucked into the number of hours in the day!! So no doubt life is a series of yays and ahs right now and certainly far more yays!!!!

The grannys reading this will understand this double edged sword!!!! 

So the house is now very organised – play /bedroom organised, clothes in the right places – see the photos hopefully accompanying this blog. I had a lot of fun organising the activities in the various learning areas. I am hoping that once Seren starts school again next week, Morgan and I will be able to get down to some serious maths and language type activities. Morgan rather likes to do things her way…. So I have to pretty inventive and very flexible in how I do the Montessori activities with her. She is so ready to build words with the moveable alphabet (cut out letters) as she plays I spy happily and can hear the sounds in the words I sound out. In Montessori ‘writing’ comes before reading – as in building words with the sounds one hears in the words. Anyway we’ll see how we get on – of course the secret is to follow her so we’ll see where we end up! Something she has started doing is wanting to send texts to Mel or Georgie - her best friend! A bit like writing with the moveable alphabet but obviously a lot harder - so she usually ends up typing in a whole lot of letters and then pressing the send icon!! 

Bedtime consists of her choosing three books and who is going to read them to her and then she takes herself off to bed with bunny and her dummy!!  She has the most amazing selection of books – even nonfiction adult books like ‘The boy who harnessed the wind’ and ‘Three cups of tea’ which have been adapted to suit young children. So bedtime is usually not a challenge. The only problem is if Seren has not settled yet or has gone down a little later, then Morgan can’t climb onto her bed. She usually then falls asleep on my bed or Luke and Mel’s bed and Luke carries her through – quite something to then get her onto the top bunk!!!Otherwise if Seren is asleep she trots through and climbs up herself. Right now she has her tent on the bed and is sleeping inside it tonight so we'll see how that goes!  Morgan is still napping in the day time and in fact if they both have a good nap in the early afternoon, they both have a much better night. 

We do quite a lot of painting together and usually use this as a way of eating lunch!!! Morgan is not the best eater so usually needs something to distract her as she eats! So not much of “when we eat, we eat – when we paint we paint” around here at the moment!!!!! No doubt though – now that the dining room is stunningly organised with the two huge carvers – I call them thrones at each end and the eight beautiful really well made black leather chairs with arm rests are in place under the table, we are sitting having meals at the table. Morgan sits at the four seater child size table in the bay window behind the dining table. Seren still eats in her high chair which is now drawn up to the dining room table. So as it's so comfortable Luke, Mel and I are finding that we are lounging and chatting after we’ve eaten. – Really great – in fact tonight, the revamped dining area will be christened as the German couple from upstairs are coming for supper. 

So Luke and Mel’s room is now sorted – of course there has been a major throw out of items no longer worn – so some charity will be receiving many bags of clothing, adult and children’s, soon!! Mel wants to give them to a Single mum’s group she knows about in Seoul. It’s not as easy to find homes for things as it is in SA!!!! The last room to be sorted out is Luke’s cycling, soon to be Mel’s study as well, area.  It should be super as it is a big room – it was Memory’s room. They also plan to have a place there where Morgan can build houses with all the huge cushions from the sofas which have been put into the very useful two storage areas Luke and Mel have in the basement of the apartment building.  My area is very snug and will be perfect for the new nanny.

28th July 2016 - from Seoul

28^th July 2016

So finally pen to paper in a manner of speaking!! I have been here in Seoul with Luke and family for more than two weeks now – it’s been quite a roller coaster ride with not much time to sit down let alone write a blog!! Where to start…… I guess with I am happy and once again feeling productive and grateful for this unexpected time with my precious little ones. But more of that later.

So I got the call from Mel on Thursday 7^th July asking if I would like another summer in Seoul – a couple of days after I had commented on face book that I was facing the first winter in Cape Town for four years as I had been this lucky shoe string swallow for the last while – 2013 in USA, 2014 on Nepal and India and 2015 in Korea – who would have thought – so be careful of what you wish for or the intentions you put out, however reflective, there is no doubt power in them!!!

Memory, Luke and Mel’s Zimbabwean nanny, wanted to return home at very short notice as she needed to track down her 19 year old son who took himself off to SA against her wishes and then was out of contact for a good two weeks. Anyway the long and short of it is that Memory left Korea on Wednesday 13^th July having told Luke and Mel on the Sunday preceding this, that she would like to leave Korea for good and find work again in South Africa. I left SA on the Monday, and flew via Jhb and Hong Kong to arrive in Seoul on the Tuesday evening. 

Being summer, Morgan was on holiday already and Seren started her shorter summer break on Monday 25^th this week. Seren returns to school on the 8^th August and Morgan on the 16^th August.  Once they are at school life is much less demanding (for the adults that is!!) as they have long days – start at between 8.30 and 9.00 and end at 3.00 for Seren and 4.00 for Morgan!! They both catch buses to school which pick them up – Morgan outside the gate about 200ms at the top of a steep hill and Seren in the apartment grounds. 

So that’s the context of my being here again. Luke and Mel did consider summer school for Morgan but then thought – well maybe mum would prefer to be the one to spend out of school time with Morgan and while I was still thinking about it, John said – it’s a no brainer – they need you, you love to be with the children – what’s there to think about…. So thank you John. 

I guess my reservation was my energy levels but here we are two weeks later and pretty much still intact!!! I did come down with a thick throat in the first few days – but put it down to the air conditioning which I am not used to and also not that keen on. However the frog in the throat persisted so I finally took myself off to the international doctor on Tuesday who has put me on antibiotics for a strep throat and a bladder infection. I had been taking all my usual Chinese medicine thingies but decided to go ahead with the antibiotics plus a course of anti-imflammitories as my joints and in particular my knees were bothering me…… ah the toll of years added to the incredibly steep hills around their apartment which are bad enough to walk up or down but pushing a pram at the same time is a killer, especially  in the beginning – my legs are now getting used to it and I have found better, as in less steep, all be it longer, routes home from the swing park where we take the children. 

However having said all that – here’s the thing! I have just looked up in the list of ailments drawn up by Louise Hayes that we include in the Healing section of the curriculum for the Montessori teacher training and surprise surprise - she reckons these symptoms are to do with feelings of anxiety even feeling pissed off, fear of change and moving forward and not expressing oneself!!!! So once again – listen to our bodies all of us and use the wonderful affirmations she suggests to help oneself move forward and be in charge!!!

So what have I been up to with these two wonderful adorable children? Of course I am still utterly besotted with them and for good reason – this is, of course, a totally unbiased opinion!!! 

For the first week and a half it was just me and Morgan together each day until Seren needed to be met off her bus at about 2.50 - 3 pm.  So we took ourselves off on various adventures – we visited the aquarium, the Children’s museum and the animal museum at the Korean war memorial. We even scambled all over old airplanes and boats from the war. We also had a great time swimming at the pools which are very strictly controlled, and went to Lilliput’s Café – a wonderful place where adults sit and enjoy refreshments while the children are let loose in a wonderland of child size vegetable shopping area with life like fruits and vegetables, which they select and place in small shopping trolleys which they then take to the till to scan and ‘pay’ for them!  It also has wonderful stuffed animals and dolls, with prams and cots and kitchens, climbing nets, bouncing and jumping areas and duplo and train sets and even a place where Morgan had her nails done!! 

So to get to all these places, we would either walk down the hill and board a bus or catch a taxi or once went with a friend from upstairs with her baby.  Most times I would take Morgan’s pram as she can get quite tired by the end of the morning, especially in this heat. I am constantly amazed at how well thought out everything is and how child aware and child friendly everything is.

This week has been different for a couple of reasons – Seren has been on holiday so it has been the three of us. However Mel did organise for a nanny to be here for the two weeks of Seren’s holidays as there was no way I could manage both of them for the whole day. Most days while Seren was still at school, Luke or Mel managed to get home by about 5.00 or latest 5.30 or else worked from home, so I didn’t have both of them for more than two hours or so!! Some of the time Morgan was asleep when Seren arrived home which also made it easier except I felt uneasy leaving her to sleep while I met Seren.

So the idea was that we would trial a few nannies during these two weeks. This would not only enable me to have help but would also enable me to get a good sense of what the nanny was like. The idea was that the nanny should focus completely on the children and not do any house work while the children were awake. Monday and Tuesday this week were disastrous!!! Leah, a lady from the Phillipines came and was really not suitable at all. All quite stressful and I couldn’t wait for Luke or Mel to get home!! She actually left Morgan in the bath so that was the end of her!! Especially as Mel had come across another nanny, Burlita, also from the Philipines whom we trialed on Wednesday. What a difference!!  Anyway Mel cancelled Leah and asked Burlita to come today, Thursday. What a pleasure –an absolute natural child minder – she is 41 years old, has a 13 year old daughter and 10 year old son and has worked in Hong Kong and Korea for an Irish and then a New Zealand family. I love that she knows all the characters in the children’s programmes, Thomas the train, Ben the builder, Fireman Sam, Harold the helicopter, Princess Elsa and Captain Hook and the pirates, and the rest!!! She also sings the same songs and painted and managed Morgan and Seren on the mat in the playroom at the same time as they did different activities!! She also spoke to the cab driver in Korean!!! So definitely a keeper!!!! Mel had found and interviewed a Kenyan nanny whom we all liked who was going to trial next week. 

So we’ll see – but certainly things are looking far rosier than they were on Monday night when it seemed we had only one choice, namely Emma the Kenyan. It’s quite a business getting their work visas sorted out – they need to be out of the country when you apply for them – and in fact there were many nannies looking for work but who were already out of the country which would mean taking them on sight unseen!! At least now the nanny can go home or out of Korea and Mel can then apply for her visa and then pay for her to come back into Korea. This would coincide with Luke and Mel’s return at the beginning of October, after their three week holiday in South Africa.

So this has all been very factual and rather dry with few anecdotes and feelings and what we have  been experiencing.  Call it setting the scene!!! I will reveal all in my next blog – the other thing that has been happening since I arrived is a major overhaul of their apartment! 

It started with the thought that Seren was about ready to move out of her cot and into a big girl bed. This then developed into a bunk bed rather than two single beds.  So no sooner said than done – we all went off on the first weekend I was here to look at bunk beds – we saw a few wonderful ones at wonderful prices in a very upmarket street – the equivalent of Rhodeo drive in LA – in fact it’s referred to as Rodeo Drive - Things are unbelievably expensive here!! Anyway Mel went online and found some at a much more reasonable price, still expensive by SA standards though which she ordered on the Sunday night, together with two wooden tables, four wooden chairs and a black board and painting easel. The beds arrived on the Wednesday and the guy who delivered them assembled them – they are stunning and the children are ecstatic – Seren has taken to sleeping in her bottom bunk without a moment’s murmour! Of course the first thing she did was climb the steps which, of course at this stage, is not a good idea – she’s just 18 months old. Mel cleverly jammed the space between the bottom and next step with Tupperware containers so she cannot get a toehold in - frustrating for her of course, especially as she watches her older sister having such fun going up and down and of course jumping form the top!! But today, clever little minx that she is, she managed to push the containers forward a bit and the next thing was up the stairs!!!!  We are going to have to wedge them in really firmly. Fortunately Seren can still stand up on her bed without banging her head on Morgan’s bed – but not for too much longer!! The good thing is that she can get on and off the bed by herself and has not yet worked out that she can do this when she wakes up!! Morgan loves the top bunk and plays happily up there on her own. It was so sweet the first time Mel lay next to Seren in her bed when Seren went to sleep – she had never had this before of course being in a cot, and she kept on touching Mel’s face and stroking her arm and saying mummeee.

So the next big change was that Luke and Mel moved out of the master bedroom into the children’s bedroom, so we put the bunk bed in the bay window which left the rest of their bedroom free for their play area. This then freed up the dining room to be just that rather than primarily a play area housing all the shelves holding all the children’s toys.  The children’s table, that was previously a play and eating table, is now in the dining table for their meals although Seren still has most of her meals in her high chair. So now there are the two new tables and chairs, which Mel assembled, the easel, and the six sets of shelves in the children’s room. In addition Luke removed the cupboard doors off the cupboard in the bay area so that it can also be used for their toys. I had a lot of fun organising the shelves into language and books, art, play dough and crafts, maths and sensorial type building and construction activities, puzzles and games, musical toys, trains and cars.  

The reorganising didn’t stop there – Memory’s room is now Luke’s cycling room and a study where they can work if needs be out of sight of the children. Morgan was given a big girl bike earlier this month for her fourth birthday – it has fairy wheels for which Luke has made a stand so that she can also cycle indoors alongside him!!  

So that means I am in the ex-cycling room – which will also be the nanny’s room when she starts full time.  It is a much smaller room but really cosy – big enough to have a double bed in it. It has three double built in cupboards, a TV mounted on the wall and a few bedside pedestals. It does not have air conditioning which suits me. So there is a large fan which keeps it cool and the mossies at bay as well!!! So much reshuffling which took quite a lot of effort and heavy lifting on Luke’s part! But true to form – these two do not let the grass grow benaeth their feet. The children have taken to the new arrangements really well.

Well I have rambled along and don’t blame you if you stopped reading a while ago – no problem – it will be here tomorrow and there after!!! I will hopefully now have more time to keep a daily blog. There just wasn’t time before this – and when there might have been time, I was generally feeling too knackered. Sadly I did write something about ten days ago which I foolishly deleted instead of posting and I never got the energy up to rewrite it!!!  Anyway on Luke’s advice I have written this in Word which I will then copy and paste!! I will also try to include some pics to relieve the writing!!!!

In a word it is good to be here. In fact it is more than good it is amazingly wonderful – especially to have the incredible privilege of daily interaction with Morgan and Seren. I will tell you all about them later. xxxx  

Thursday 15th October

So I am here – finally – in Johannesburg – sitting in a Spur restaurant. 

Where to start… Luke and I set off from the villa at about 2.15 – pulling my bags up the hill to the Grand Hyatt to catch the airport shuttle. A good idea as it was very direct – about an hour and 40 mins – having a last sight see of Seoul. We thought of using the metro but then decided nope – too much and it would’ve saved about 15 mins or so.   I wanted to leave before Morgan came home – we had told her that I was leaving but I guess I never actually said goodbye as such – so be it….

So at the airport, Luke checked me in on line. We had then to go to the counter to get my boarding card. That was when the fun started – I had completely forgotten that I should also have my South African passport as well as my British passport – I left SA and entered Korea on my UK passport but to get back into SA needed my SA passport or else a visa on my UK passport! The lady was very sweet but kept on saying how can they let you back into the country of you don’t have a visa…. I have a letter dated 1997 in my UK passport from the Dept of Home Affairs giving me permission to have dual citizenship but that I needed to produce this letter and my passport to re-enter the country (SA). Anyway when I told her I had my SA passport number she finally said I could go – the other thing was that my UK passport did not have an entry stamp in it as I guess with so many people coming in together – it didn’t get stamped!! Anyway she wrote the entry date in and said good luck – she was sure that they would let me in….. 

Luke had a burger while I went off to find a plug for my computer so that I could find a document that might have my SA passport number in it!!! I found it on my Volunteering in Nepal documents!! YAY!! All very tense. 

Luke caught the metro back home and I checked through customs and bought a book – in fact one set in Seoul – that I started while waiting to board.

The flight was great – a 3 hour flight to Hong Kong – the lady wisely booked me an aisle seat as close to the exit as she could, with no one next to me – the transit time was bit tight but the airline met the Jhb passengers off the plane and took us through customs with crew and staff so all was fine.  I ended up in an aisle seat again with two empty sets next to me and a big guy from Senegal on the other aisle seat. He invited me to use all the seats so I managed to spread out and get some shut eye. Quite a different experience from our (Business class!) flights to Korea but nevertheless just fine!   I even got to watch “Far from the madding Crowd” and literally squeezed in seeing the ending as we landed at ORT.  I was caught completely by surprise as we touched down – was dozing I think and thought oh my these are pretty bad rumble strips/speed humps we are driving over when I looked up and out the window and saw the land flashing past and suddenly felt the tears welling up – I was really choked – it felt so wonderful to be back on SA soil… Then of course I started worrying about how I was going to go through passport control without a passport!!! So I handed in the UK passport at the SA passport holders point of entry – of course she wanted to know if I was a SA citizen – I then showed her the letter and off she went and came back with a large chap who said I would have to go with her – Pindile – to get my fingerprints checked. Off we went - I felt sooo foolish. I heard them talking and said in Zulu that I had forgotten it and then one said, in Zulu as well, did she lose it or forget it and I said no I had forgotten it and that it was in my son’s home in a drawer!!! That reassured them as they were concerned that I had lost it! They asked me for my ID which I think I have also left in Seoul!! I showed them my SA drivers licence. They asked for my ID number, then the SA passport number and date of issue and expiry. I then had my thumb print taken and all matched what they had on their system.  Anyway I was given a section 22 or something warning which was a first warning. I could get another warning and on the 3^rd time. I would lose my passport and not be allowed to leave the country every again!!  It felt so weird to be asked how long I planned on staying in SA ……!!! 

When we traveled to Korea, Mel had all the documents together and handled all the airline check ins so it just made sense for me to give her mine as well. The problem is that I never got them back from her. I had my UK passport as I needed it to get into the tour of the palace that I did in Seoul. I completely forgot about the other documents!!!!

Once through, I called John tell him all was well – I was in floods of tears by this time – I guess I hadn’t realised how stressed I was by it all!!!  Besides all the other stuff probably (no, definitely!) going on – being back in SA again, leaving Luke and Mel and the children…..

I must say it feels wonderful to be here - to hear the accents, to see the familiar looking people, to see so many black faces again, to see the usual restaurants. My friend Sheila, who was going to chill with me until my CT flight, was not able to be here after all. So I tried to get an earlier flight as I had a 4 hour wait, but there was nothing available so I checked through my bags and have been sitting here in Spur – had two cups of hot tea and cold milk, an enormous breakfast – eggs, steak, bacon, wors, tomato, chips, mushrooms and toast, all for the princely sum of R 79.50!!! I have just loved listening to the chatter around me - and sitting here with all the different races and languages that make up the people of home!! Am now enjoying a rooibos cappachino so I really feel that I have landed! 

Something else just occurred to me – I am enjoying seeing people interacting and not sitting next to each other having conversations with some one else or with their heads buried in an e book or more likely a game!!

Josh called me soon after I landed – that was also a bit of a tearful call – then I chatted to Beulah who is fine but very tired after having chemo and steroids yesterday. So there it is – I am here and happily so – of course I am already thinking about Morgan and how she was when she got off the bus yesterday but I know she is fine. I will come back to get up to date on the last few days in Seoul – was fun. Now the last leg to CT and mister John – YAY!! 

Wednesday 14th October

So it is here finally - DEE day!! Thought I could get a wee blog in but Seren is stirring so guess it will be very wee!! Luke and Memory have gone off to the embassy for Memory's alien registration interview or maybe to just collect her AR card which is the final bit of paperwork they need to do - YAY!!

I bid a tearful goodbye to Morgan this morning - me tearful - altho she didn't see them because that was my last time with Morgan for a while and her because "I don't want to go to school nana!!" She knows I am going on an aeroplane to see John today - didn't quite spell it out to the extent of  - so I won't be here when you return from school.... but her comment when I mentioned that I was catching a plane tomorrow (last night) was "And I am going on the plane next week!" So I said she would fly next year but before that nana Sue and Bampi were coming to see her and next year John and I will come back again - she then added "and Loqi" (our 15 year old kitty!!)  We then had a long discussion about why Loqi would not be coming - with many why's after each answer!!

Luke, Morgan and I played school last night. She suddenly said we had to go into her playroom (bedroom) for a lesson. We were told where to sit and how to sit with crossed legs - much discussion and concessions because I can't sit with crossed legs!!   More later as Seren is now chatting in her cot and is definitely awake!!!

Friday 9th October

So we didn't get to the supermarket yesterday and instead set off after Seren's nap this morning - very comfortably in the wagon!!

Here it is fresh off the assembly line!! This how people park their cars here - always reversed in, ready to drive out

Proof - 39 k's on the clock!

Not much space for shopping et al once Seren's pram is in place!! Seats 8 and 9 are jump seats here in the back 

View from the front passenger seat past 2 car seats in 2nd row, to 3rd row, passenger seats, to back - boot area or jump seats

The madams in the carriages awaiting lift off....

Memory and Seren in the Lotte market - the big supermarket where we do all the food shopping. Between the two of them they created quite a stir....just curious on lookers, most of whom ignored Memory in their preoccupation with Seren's  blue eyes!!

After a mammoth shop - we went to an American pub type steak house called Benningan's where
Seren had her first restaurant food - she loved the chippies!! After she had had her own lunch brought with us!!

The family sitting down to lunch!

 A super outing - after the shop Memory and I went off to get her a tracksuit at the pop up shops outside the mall. We found a top and bottom that looked good together. Thereafter we set off home.

Thursday 8th October

So yesterday when Morgan arrived from school, we went straight from her bus to the Swing park - Memory pushing Seren and Luke, Morgan and me on shank's pony!! The days are lovely at the moment - a definite chill in the air though, hinting at what lies around the corner. Will continue later as I need to get Morgan's lunch started.

So this is now later - we had a lot of fun at the park with Morgan climbing all over the jungle gym and monkey ropes - Memory will have her hands full watching both of them when she is on her own but I have no doubt she is up to it - she was often at the park in Rondebosch with the two of them and once Morgan has something explained to her she is usually happy to follow what she is told, so in thus case - not that high, I can't manage you  - I always say - "Morgan that is something you will have to wait to do with daddy!!" - usually climbing into the upper branches of the tree here in the garden.. Seren is so close to crawling - I am very glad that that will be Memory's challenge and not mine!!!

Last night was lovely - to hear the peels of laughter from Morgan and Memory while Morgan took her bath - they were singing 'Shosalosa' but a so-called naughty version that Morgan learnt at her old school.

I am now sleeping on the huge loft sofa in Luke and Mel's room - it was the best option and is working fine. Seren is back in their room and Luke has now put a nail in the ceiling to hang Seren's mosquito net from - shame she has been badly chowed by the dam mossies, and has three inflamed bites on the left side of her forehead.  They don't seem to bother her though.

So last night Mel arrived home n the monster!! - their huge black 9 seater car. It had 39 kms on the clock and was covered in plastic. Morgan and Mel had a great time ripping it all off this morning. Luke then drove the three of them off to Morgan's school as Mel did not have to go into work today and decided to use the opportunity to spend some time at Morgan's school. Morgan was very happy in her new spot as she is quite a bit higher than in the other car and so can see a lot more. The windows in all the cars here are tinted so its impossible to see her from the outside. Luke fetched them just before the children had lunch and nap so right now they are both having a nap together before Morgan goes off to Georgia's for a play date and the rest of us go shopping - mainly to find food supplies for the house and Memory so she can prepare her own meals and also to look for winter clothes for her.  I spent some time with Memory and Luke this morning while Seren was napping, looking at some of the  Montessori material that we bought for the children and explaining the how and why and when of playing / working with them with both children. Seren astonished me yesterday by picking and placing a ball inside the round hole in the roof of a wooden box. The ball then slides down the base of the box which has a ramped floor and out an arch in the side of the box where it is caught in a pen like space with low ridges on the sides.  She repeated the action 21 times - this adoring granny was observing her and counting. The genius of Montessori to create an activity that a child Seren's age can manage and succeed at, as well as allow for the child's need to repeat the action so many times.  It is wonderful to see how dextrous Seren is becoming as she makes her choices of what she wants to hold and what she wants to reach out and grasp and by any means get to .......  We have sorted out the two sets of shelves on the two play mats so that it is safe for Seren to have access to the bottom two shelves.  I have really enjoyed getting the play areas organised. It works very well for them to be part of the lounge / dining room area. Morgan has her train set in her bedroom so it is fine for her tracks to be set up permanently. I now know all about Thomas and Gordon and their mates!!

Nancy is here today so all is looking pretty spruce!!!

So this time next week I will have just landed in CT - how exciting is that. The only thing is of course, I am already placing more value on the little hugs and times of closeness I have with Morgan and Seren as the day of departure gets closer!!  Nope, don't lets even go there!!

One of Morgan and Seren's favourite games is for Morgan to throw her beach ball covered in as Luke said "A whole lot of different Disney princesses!!" at Seren - it usually bounces off her face or head and then Morgan throws it again amidst peals of laughter from Seren - see the short video below - Morgan pushed off once she spotted the camera!!

Wednesday 7th October

So today we have Memory's hands to help us! It was so sweet to see Seren and Memory together again this morning - as if no time had passed since they were last hanging out!!

This morning in the play area - Seren wearing Morgan's 12 - 18 month baby grow pyjams!! -
we have a tall gal here that's for sure!! Seren turned 10 months old on the 2nd Oct.

After Seren's nap this morning, the three of us took a stroll up the 90 degree slope to Namsan Park!! Memory pushing Seren's pram. The park is really very close, just up this impossibly steep hill but nothing that someone who has been around for less time than me, cannot manage!!!  We hung out in the rest tent at the Children's Forest playground where Seren sat happily playing with her toys while Memory told me all about her trip. The only hiccups were at the Korean embassy in Harare where she was told she had to come back in 4 days rather than the next day as we had been told. She immediately phoned Mel and while she was on the phone to her, a Korean woman appeared who confirmed that memory was correct - she then took Memory's papers and asked memory to fill in forms and told her to come back the next day. Memory and I agreed that this is exactly what so often happens in government offices - certainly in South Africa - where people just accept what they are told - that they must come back another time - power and control mentality!!

The second hiccup was at check in at ORT airport where she was asked for the letter of introduction and her work contract - these were in her case as she thought that she had only needed them to get the visa number and that all should be OK there after. So once again she got onto the phone to Mel who emailed a letter of introduction and Memory's contract straight to the person at the desk. 10 minutes later Memory was given the go ahead to board! The wonders of this techno age!!