I’ve mentioned how happy Amelia gets when one of us understands what she is trying to say and I thought about that and realised that being understood is what many of us strive for in our lives, even once we are adults. Maybe that is why I relate to Amelia so, the lifelong misunderstanding of who I am or what I mean?

Norm and I laugh because I say so many things which are hilarious, just because I am the one to say them. For example, a convo the other night went:

Norm: I am going to get Sango (our electrician) to come and change all of the downstairs outlets to match upstairs.

Me: I can do that! There is no need to get someone in and pay them.

We both look at each other and then pack up laughing so much that I am soon crying with laughter. Then when Norm says ‘yeah I can just see you crawling around on the floor using a screwdriver’ it sent me over the edge. We both know I am incredibly uncoordinated and totally unhandy. I realise how ridiculous I sound when I say these things AFTER I say them, but instead of humiliating me in a nasty way, Norm makes me realise how silly I am being and we end up laughing.

Norm really understands me. He knows that I think I can do anything, but at least I am realistic once someone points out that in reality I cannot do some of those things, or at least not effectively.

I have another friend that I can ask anything. I have never really had many friends (if any) where I can ask whatever question I have. She understands that I am autistic and sometimes have really odd questions about things. We also usually end up laughing at everything, even when just chatting via messages. We just get each other’s way of thinking, even if not aligned on our feelings about something, we still understand or can at least hold space for each other.

Last weekend my son Trevor was talking about taking his dad to buy food for his stay in the AirBnB. He said his dad picked up a single serving of something and Trevor had to redirect him to buy enough for the entire weekend. Before the birthday party my daughter messaged our family chat group to advise me to eat before I left home because she knows I never feel hungry until about 2, at which point I am ravenous and need to eat immediately and the party started at 2. Trevor and I had a laugh about the cycle of life now having changed to the kids looking after their parents, whereas their Dad or I used to be the ones making sure they had food before we went out, now the tables have turned. We are the ones who get chairs moved for us to sit on while the young ones crouch on the ground. Funny that the ‘young ones’ are now in their 30s or 40s! I forget how old I am, but my croaky body usually reminds me as I twist an ankle just walking barefoot or my knees sound like corn popping when I go down the stairs.

Conversely, when Amelia realises something she is doing is making us laugh, she stores it and repeats it as needed. Lily calls Norman ‘Norm’. We were all sitting in the lounge and Amelia shouts ‘Hey, NORM!’ in a loud deadpan voice. We all giggle and Norm comes downstairs to see what she needs. She just looks at him and says again ‘Hey Norm’ and we all pack up. She ‘Hey, Norm’d’ all weekend much to our amusement.

Monday kicked off with a bang. We had a team from Aloe Africa Landscaping in to trim the trees at the front of the house so that we get more sunlight into the garden. They wanted to remove 2 trees at the front. One is a Pepper tree which is not indigenous and makes the soil very acidic. The boss man, Andrew, told us that the grass would grow much better, but I have no issues with that tree and I like the bit of shade it provides. I consider it the ancestor tree but I do not know if it is the oldest or just the biggest but it is a massive, beautiful tree. We compromised by them removing a large limb which protruded over the lawn.

The second tree had roots which kept breaking our paving and the roots were heading under our garage so it had to come out. We had hoped that it would not cause issues but having now repaved twice the path is starting to buckle again.

The replacement front door for the oven of our SMEG cooker arrived on Monday, so that is now repaired and looks good as new.

The builders were also back on Monday. This time they worked in the ‘outside room’ where Norm recently stayed during the floor renovation. When he used the shower a load of damp appeared on the kitchen wall. We hired professionals to locate the leak. Now, the builders are here to dig out the pipes. They will repair them, damp proof, and retile. Luckily, we had some leftover mosaics. These mosaics are going to cover the floor. We just picked up some plain basic large grey tiles for the walls. In addition to being used as the play room, Mzudumo also has his lunch in here, hence the tomato sauce. Trevor had asked if Amelia was so tomato sauce mad that she had a stash in every room.

There was a lot of hammering, pounding, drilling, sawing of tiles, chain sawing and chopping of trees. As well as this there is the challenge of having all the strangers in your house and garden. A lot. I was worried about my birds and whether any of them were going to be upset.

The pair of Cape Robin Chats which are always around are still here, so I hope that is a good sign.

The first afternoon after the tree trimming, I was sitting outside after work and fretting about the ‘heart’ of a tree being cut out. Two sunbirds flew into the tree and sat there. They happily posed for me. I took that as a sign of understanding. There have been lots of birds in the garden despite the activity and lack of feeders which were removed while the work was being done.

This is the state of play at the end of day 1.

Quite often I get annoyed with Norm for taking too long to do something and thus making us late. Last weekend he was giving the saleslady our info when we were late for Bree’s party. But I had to eat my words on Wednesday, I was thankful that he did so. It was the last day that the sofa was on sale. The saleslady emailed us to let us know. We would have missed the 30% off! So Norm has ordered a new U-shaped sofa.

We chose the Kalahari Camel Leather.

It is estimated to be 4-5 weeks for delivery as it is custom made. My current sectional sofa was second hand. The other set we brought from the UK, and it is about 25 years old. It is time for something new!

The builders continued on Tuesday but the tree cutters only came back on Wednesday. I had been asking the Creator and Mother Earth for guidance about the trees. When I did my morning prayers on Wednesday I asked the ancestors for forgiveness for cutting down the tree we had agreed was to come down that day. I thanked the tree for his shade and for offering a home and food to the birds. I gave him an offering of tobacco and sage and explained the reason why he has to be removed. I told him he was loved.

I asked them to keep a few pieces of the tree for me which they did. They looked at me like I am insane, but I am used to that look. Hey, ho. They were very careful to try not to destroy my plants. Kim had a lot to sort on Friday.

The weather report had said that Wednesday was going to be boiling hot. Instead, it was cold and it rained all afternoon. Still, it was hot and muggy on Tuesday. I was in pants and a long sleeved top. Then on Wednesday, I dressed in a cool caftan. I ended up in a big woolly sweater, furry boots, and my caftan.

I was brooding and feeling bad about the trees. I hoped that Mother Earth was not cross with me. Then I noticed that my air plants have started to bud after all! They are just a wee bit late.

This morning while praying I saw that they are now in bloom. How beautiful are they? I am so grateful that they bloom every year, it is so gorgeous.

The builders finished up on Wednesday. They did a brilliant job with the tiling. Now we just need to get the walls repaired and painted. Then the room will be a bit more suitable for the kidlets as a playroom.

Kim came on Friday and tidied up the Peace Garden. He moved a lot of the new plants into this area. He also moved some large pots outside. He put the large barrel cactus in the ground so we will see how big he gets! Apologies for the sound of the video a neighbour was mowing his grass and it drowned me out.

Kim also sorted the Clivia Garden which took a bit of a beating.

The garden is looking so beautiful since we employed Kim. I am so lucky to have found him, he is a miracle worker and he works so hard! His back was sore today so he left early. Norm took him to the chemist to get some meds and sent him home with a cooked rotisserie chicken and a loaf of bread instead of just giving him lunch.

Meanwhile, I have been panicking about Lily going into labour early and the baby arriving before I get back from the US. But then I realised that Caitlin will be there with her for Christmas, so she will cover any risks before I get back and it calmed me down. I would hate missing my grandson’s arrival, but the most important thing is that Lily has someone with her to help her so it assuages my mom guilt a wee bit.

Today we are off to the garden centre and tomorrow we are going to lunch with Wes, Caitlin and Bree at Ember and Oak which is located in Constantia Uitsig Wine Estate. I am looking forward to it, the food is supposed to be amazing and I look forward to having a snuggle with Bree.

Until next time Kisses from the Kitten xoxoxoxoxox