Hellllllloooo, well its about 30 degrees here today hehe!!! Not to rub it in that most of you have been suffering the snow!!!!

Just got off the train and will do my best to get this next update done before everyone gets hungry and wants to leave the internet cafe..... have decided that I am going to tell you about a day in the life of me out here....the day is last Friday....I keep re-reading the blog and thinking "it is just so difficult to put into words exactly what it's like" so maybe this will help!!!!

The alarm goes off at 6.30, only me that has to get up that early in my room as Anj and Susan don't leave until 8.45 (lucky b*****s!!!).......I showered last night so I hit the snooze for a precious extra 10 mins!!!! 6.40am, ok, now time to climb off the top bunk!!! Breakfast on the balcony, such a gorgeous view and so peaceful....until the girls all get up!!!! 10 of us to get up and ready and leave the house by 7.30...interesting but we seem to manage it (well most of us anyway!!!).....we leave the house (late today!!) and catch a mini van, I am determined to get some pics of these before I leave so watch this space. One of the mini vans won't let us get in today, it's from one of the townships and we simply don't "fit in", so we wait for the next one. We are so late we miss the train today so we hop on the next one, somehow safety in numbers means that the normal banter ensues, makes the journey that more bearable!!! We change at Heathfield and then make the final leg to Athlone......how many other journeys to work can you say that you see the ocean on one side and Table Mountain on the other - stunning!!!! The M6 will never feel the same again!!!!

We then walk to the home down Athlones main street, we are stared at less now, they look forward to Taylors cheek as we pass the traders and chancers!!! We always encounter some appraoches, be it to buy something from them, or to "mix it up", use your imagination!!!!!

We arrive at the home, late, but they say nothing, they are just glad we are there as yesterday we didn't go in as 3 of the girls had been really ill and due to the childrens low immune systems we are asked to stay away......

We collect our locker keys from Camelitas office and stash our stuff, we then go to the creche (their classroom - group C), everyone is already busy working, but they always give us such a rowdy greeting, shouting our names and saying "sit here, sit here"....I can't remember when this started, or when I learnt all their names....next Friday is going to be impossible leaving...... I join Luci, Adi and Tarique who are doing puzzles..... Matilda then comes over and says that she was moving house today (she had lived at the home for 20, yes 20 years on the premises......she also sadi that 8 of the older children would be tested on Monday and Tuesday to prove to the board that she is struggling to get them ready for school as she is teaching a class of 22 that range in age from 3 to 6, all with different abilities, with the best will in the world, it is impossible to pitch the lesson at a level that suits all.....when they leave the home they will be one of 46 children to one teacher.....and we think our class numbers are high!!! I can tell she is anxious about this.....she is trying her best (and she really is), but she needs some professional assistance.

She then passes me "Twister" and I take Adi, Luci and Tarique outside to play....granted it was a different version of twister but we used colour and movement and they had a ball......

Then it's 10 o'clock and I have to get groups B & C their water.....a very responsible job I think you will agree!!!! I fill a big iron kettle with water and grab a few cups from the kitchen....it is then distributed a few cups at a time, they share the cups. When everyone has finished I return everything to the kitchen and wash the cups up.... Tarique helps me today, he loves drying the cups up and putting them away...

We then go back inside and play songs (one of my favourite things!), I take my camera out and they all take pics of themselves & me.....Enrique then takes great pleasure showing me his "new" sandals, so chuffed, clearly not new, but to him they are a shiny new pair!!! The dinner bell goes, everyone makes their way to the dinner room, there is 30 plates of dinner all set out, beef stew, rice and sweet potato, they sit down, don't touch it until they say prayer "god is great, god is good, let us thank him for our food, amen", and then they tuck in.....chitter chatter can be heard all down the halls, when they are finished they put their plates on the side, have their faces wiped (we take it in turns to do this, love it.....little cute faces and fingers to clean :-), and take themselves to bed for their nap......At 2 o'clock we go up and wake them, cute little people all sleepy!!, they go potty and sit on the floor watching american soaps......and music channels.....Calvins rendition of Neyo's Miss Independent is wicked....., while they are watching this their pj's are laid out ready for after bathtime.

Today Enrique and the twins Igshaan and Safwaan have their backpacks on, "where are you going?" Enqrique says "to the big pool", Safwaan replies "home". Igshaan has been naughty and is sat on the bed sobbing uncontrollably as Rowena has told him he can't go....his whole world has fallen apart.....anyway they put their shoes on and Igshaan is told he can go...Safwaan helps him on with his backpack, full on tears for me....especially as they are actually going home, the sibling care is amazing between these guys.... We all go outside (except the twins as they need to stay clean), we play "move it" twister - grils we have to get this when I come home - what fun!!!! They are all proper little dancers. As usual we stay outside fo rthe afternoon, they have their snack.....I go inside to take Cheryl for a pee - a regular occurance!!! And the twins are still waiting to be picked up by their Mum.....she is 2 hours late.....can't explain the feeling.....how could you??? Fridays are the days that the host parents come to collect and visit the children, it was awful today and caused so much uproar when they left, the kids obviously get to know them and when it isn't their turn it causes so much heartache......does beg the question "does it do more harm than good?" Is it better that they have the outside experiences and deal with Conrey and Adi stood at the fence breaking their hearts when they leave, or just to maintain their routine...I am not so sure now????

Anyway we then go in for dinner, macaroni cheese today, their favourite.....we then clean the dining room and wash up, then upstairs to dry the kids, cream them up and get their pj's on....love the smell at this time of the day......22 cute, clean, tired kids :-)

Then home......shattered and emotional on Friday......still the train banter begins and gets us home.....