Happy Mother's Day!

If I could have just one super-power, it would be teleportation. Sure, flying or being invisible would be fun for a while, but the power to travel anywhere without any transport, cost or time implications would be amazing.

Today is Mother's Day in the UK. I was a good daughter and remembered to send a personalised card from Moonpig and some goodies from Laura Ashley, but it's not the same as being with her. I spent my morning biking on the outskirts of Kampala and the afternoon at the pool while she entertained friends in the Lake District. I wish I could have zapped myself over there for a day!

Here are a few reasons why I am so proud of my Mum:

She is selfless with her time, taking care of everyone in the family. She did an especially great job of looking after both my Grandma and my Gran in their later years.

She is a talented florist and always makes the house and garden look beautiful.

She can spot a bargain at a hundred paces and taught me how to seek out that last pair of gorgeous shoes knocked down from a hundred pounds to a tenner!

She is an awesome cook, always trying out new recipes. I am already looking forward to a carrot cake, home made jam and the odd loaf of freshly baked bread when I come home for the summer (hint hint!!)

She is patient and always keeps her calm (even with her hot-headed daughter!) She looks for the best in everybody and is a loyal friend. I can't imagine anybody every having a bad word to say about her.

She is super-organised, never losing a receipt or a set of car keys. She always knows EXACTLY where everything is ... God knows I didn't inherit that one!

She is a truly independent woman, having worked hard to help support the family (and fund her shoe and handbag habit) since the age of 15. She ran her own business for nearly ten years and got a great reputation for her work. I admire her work ethic and sense of commitment and would like to think that she has passed it on to me.

Finally, she has always supported me in everything I have done. I'm sure it can't be easy when your only daughter decides to go and live and work on a different continent, but she has never tried to stop me!

Mum - thank you for being you!

Spending time with Mum in South Africa this Christmas!

Lions and Tigers and Bears ha ha

Actually not lions and tigers and bears - rather cheetahs, elephants and penguins ha ha!

 Spier winery has a cheetah sanctuary where you can get up close and personal with the big cats. They're pretty docile most of the time ... although putting our lives in the hands of the spaced out gap year volunteer was probably the most worrying aspect. She had serious issues actually remembering what we should do when we went into the enclosure! These cheetahs were the runts of litters and never would have survived in the wild ... and they probably never will after being so mollycoddled!

Dad broke the habits of a lifetime and made a canine friend. Who would ever have thought that it would be a big slobbery Doberman? He still had issues with the sausage dog though!

Mum went ostrich mad over all the products. She wanted to spend 800 quid on an ostrich handbag, but in quite possibly THE quote of the holiday, she declared:
"It's not really worth buying one at my age as I wouldn't get the value for money. If I was your age I would definitely buy one!"
Errr right - do you have any plans of popping your clogs in the next while mother? Funnily enough, if I only had a short while to live I would max out every single credit card! Not so keen on the ostrich handbags though ...

Feeding the elephants at Knysna Elephant Park was much less tiring on the bum muscles than a 4 hour game drive over bumpy ground, but also not quite as magical. Still cute though!

It was so hot on the beach in Simonstown that I'm surprised these penguins hadn't turned pink and black! They waddled up to us without a care in the world - and best of all we sneaked onto the beach for free!

Christmas chaos

The other Llandudno!

Waiting for my parents to arrive in South Africa was like ... well literally was ... waiting for Christmas. As I turned up the fan in my room, I found it hard to believe that it could possibly be minus double figures in the UK. First there was the snow in Paris, then there was a laissez-faire attitude to rebooking the flight on behalf of the French airline. I was lucky a couple of friends from Kampala were in town as they kept me entertained. On Christmas Eve, I joined the throngs of local shoppers in the mad Christmas rush, buying ingredients for our first ever Christmas braii - several bottles of wine and bubbly, a Christmas cake, mince pies and I even made a good attempt of buying the meat!
On Christmas Eve I spoke to my parents as they were in transit in Dubai and we realised they had neglected to book a hotel for the overnight layover in Jo'burg. Armed with only a 2004 Lonely Planet, I contacted all the hotels and eventually found them some room at an inn. I then worried whether my Mum would survive a night in a guest house that the Lonely Planet only described as 'passable'! I contented myself with the thought that if the room was that bad, they could pitch the tent they had brought with them for me inside the room. This is not as improbable as it sounds, as my Mum was famous for bringing her own deckchair and cushion to sit on when she visited me in student houses, so afraid was she of catching something from the ancient brown velour sofas (my former housemates will testify this fact)!

On the way to Cape Point on Boxing Day

On Christmas Day I awoke to blue skies and a blazing sunshine over Llandudno, Cape Town. This Llandudno is far more beautiful and upscale than its namesake in North Wales. I collected two travel weary parents from the airport and we took a scenic drive along the coast to our temporary home. We ate, drank and made merry, preparing for the rest of the trip ... but that's another story!

If it wasn't for my knees I'd be running that marathon ...

It's a glorious sunny November afternoon in Kampala and the frost and snow in the UK truly seems a million miles away. Friends and family often read my blog with envy when they hear about the endless sunshine and my little adventures, but of course there are times when I'd do anything to be at home, closer to my loved ones. This is one of those times, as I'm sad to say that I lost my Gran this week. Although I am far away, she is in my thoughts and I know that she was proud of what I do here. She often joked that 'if it wasn't for her knees' then she would come and join me.
A few weeks ago I when I signed up for the MTN 10km run I called her bluff on this. I noticed that there was an option for a wheelchair race. I sent a message home and asked whether she would rather enter the half or the full marathon. She replied that she was in for the full 26 miles, on the condition that I pushed her around and avoided the notorious pot holes.
When I heard the sad news I wondered what I should do. In the end, I decided to take part and dedicate the run to her.
This morning, a sea of runners, all wearing sunshine yellow running vests took to the streets of Kampala. Most of the 30 000 had signed up for the 10km, but a small and brave minority took on the challenges of half and full marathons. At 7am the sky was cloudless and I knew it was going to be particularly hot. My friends and I jostled for space in the crowd as we approached the start line. We lost sight of each other within a few hundred metres as the start was not staggered, so top class athletes had to fight their way through the throng of joggers and walkers. As the crowd thinned out I settled into the run and enjoyed the supportive cheers from standers-by and encouraging banter with other runners. Sometimes it's great to be with a mass of people all intent on the same goal of finishing the race.

 The Kampala marathon attracts runners of all ages and all shapes and sizes. Sprinting skinny legs weaved their ways through larger ladies with sizable 'akabina' (that's bums to you and me!!) The outfits on display were also a sight to behold. I spotted purple shell suits, a lady carrying a handbag, a spectator wearing a full length leather coat joined in and there were even women in skirts! I was wondering why I was the one suffering from blisters when footwear ranged from flip flops to deck shoes!

After the run we went for a celebratory breakfast, ensuring that we replaced every single burned calorie! I chatted with friends about what it's like to lose somebody when you're away and how times can be tough. I'm lucky enough to have a great support group here who will pop round at the drop of a hat, drink wine with you or do whatever you need to make you feel better. Many of us have gone through tough times in our time away and know it is important to prop each other up.  I'm missing home right now but I know that we are all thinking of each other at this time.

Gran always looked a little worried when I took control of the wheels (and rightly so!)