Travel Tuesday: Hertford House

Today's post is not really about a travel destination per se... more of a road trip with the parents.

My parents stay in the deeeep south of Johannesburg in a small town by the name of Walkerville.
Everybody knows everybody - and there are almost more pubs than people in this little town.

People go to the shop without any shoes and the only people staring are the "out-of-towners" like myself.

My parents were burgled recently while they were asleep in their house. My dad - usually a light sleeper- never woke up and I am thankful for that. I am pissed off because my parents are not well off and everything they have has wither been worked really hard for, or given as a gift. They do not have insurance as it is simply too costly.

My biggest fear is losing my parents - I am not sure I would be able to cope with that loss...

Anyway, I digress.... I like to take my parents to new places outside of their sleepy little town, and this time I took them for Sunday lunch at Hertford House.

If you are a regular reader of my blog you would have read about Hertford House here when I went with my friends.

Here is a post from my roadtrip with my folks - and a silent thank you that they were unharmed.

Wondering why I am not focussing on them...

"Ah that's better - our daughter knows how to use the camera"

My mom releasing the inner child

Mom wanting to play Photographer - making me a model

I love plants and flowers

Dad retaliating with his inner child

Gorgeous rock building

Pretty blossoms

Like Father like Son...

... Like mother like daughter.

When I was a little girl, my mom and I used to fight All. The. Time

My mom is cheeky, speaks her mind and is not afraid of what other people think and is more than happy to defend herself or others in a fight.

I was cheeky and spoke my mind. I received so many hidings for talking back or doing something I was explicitly told not to do.

As I got older, we fought over everything and I think it was because we were so alike in so many ways it was purely a personality clash.

i asked my mom how on earth she put up with it. She told me that a mother needs to give her child room to grow and develop a personality.you have to accept them and guide them. Very wise words mom. 

I see so many of my personality traits which stem from my mom. I am sure we all do. 

Does that mean we have to accept the bad ones? 

I see character traits in people around me that are directly a result of their upbringing. It's scary because these people complain about their parent being bossy, or arrogant or unreasonable and yet they are exactly the same way.

Is it inevitable that we will all become our parents? Do we have a chance to salvage the good and discard the bad?

Perhaps if everybody just took a good long look at themselves and we're brutally honest about their shortcomings, the world would indeed be a more considerate place.

Some lessons I have learnt along the way:

It's not important to always be right.

You shouldn't force your opinion onto others- wait to be asked.

Drop that condescending tone. It's annoying and one day I will stop ignoring it and actually say something in anger - which I will never be able to retract.

I walk the streets alone - forever?

Blog everyday in May - Day 7: The thing(s) you're most afraid of

Sounds silly, but every since I was a little girl I can remember crying myself to sleep at the thought that I would lose my parents. 

It is the natural order for our parents to go first, but I shudder to think at how I will react when that moment comes. I am a strong person, but I am very afraid that I will just fall apart when this happens and I am not sure if I am strong enough to handle it.

Worse still, my parents stay on a smallholding with little security and my biggest fear is that they are murdered as is so common in their area.

I suppose I just need to have faith that they will be protected and live to a ripe old age whereafter they will die of natural causes in their sleep.

I am also afraid that I will end up alone. With nobody to share my life.

I wonder if unbeknownst to me, there is a flaw in my personality that makes men want me as a friend but not deem me good enough as a life partner? What is it about me that interests them initially but makes them leave me for better prospects?

From being engaged at 19 and realising I was too young for marriage, then possibly turning away the man who might just be "The one that got away" at 24, to turning down a proposal at 25,  I suddenly find myself all alone at 33 (34 at the end of the month)

What happened to all the men who were throwing themselves at my feet not so long ago?

Did I turn 1 too many away? Did they tire of waiting for me to sow my "wild oats"?

Phew! Who knew this would turn into such an introspective post?

Challenges Remaining:

Day 8, Wednesday: A piece of advice you have for others. Anything at all.
Day 9, Thursday: A moment in your day (this can be just a photo or both a photo and words)
Day 10, Friday: Most embarrassing moment (s). Spill. 
Day 11, Saturday: Sell yourself in 10 words or less
Day 12, Sunday: What do you miss? (a person, a thing, a place, a time of your life...)
Day 13, Monday: Issue a public apology. This can be as funny or as serious or as creative as you want it to be.
Day 14, Tuesday: Ten things that make you really happy
Day 15, Wednesday: A Day in the life (include photos from throughout your typical day - this could be "a photo an hour" if you'd like)
Day 16, Thursday: Something difficult about your "lot in life" and how you're working to overcome it
Day 17, Friday: A favorite photo of yourself and why
Day 18, Saturday: Tell a story from your childhood. Dig deep and try to be descriptive about what you remember and how you felt.
Day 19, Sunday: Five of your favorite blogs and what you love about them
Day 20, Monday: Get real. Share something you're struggling with right now.
Day 21, Tuesday: A list of links to your favorite posts in your archives
Day 22, Wednesday: Rant about something. Get up on your soapbox and tell us how you really feel. (a pet peeve, a current event, a controversial topic, something your husband or roommate or neighbor or boss does that really ticks you off)
Day 23, Thursday: Things you've learned that school won't teach you
Day 24, Friday: Your top 3 worst traits
Day 25, Saturday: Something someone told you about yourself that you'll never forget (good or bad)
Day 26, Sunday: Something you read online. Leave a link and discuss, if you'd like.
Day 27, Monday: A letter to your readers
Day 28, Tuesday: Only pictures
Day 29, Wednesday: Five songs or pieces of music that speak to you or bring back memories. Use Grooveshark or YouTube to include them in the post
Day 30, Thursday: React to this term: Letting Go
Day 31, Friday: A vivid memory

The Pencil & The Eraser

PENCIL

I'm sorry

ERASER

For what? You didn't do anything wrong.

PENCIL

I'm sorry because you get hurt because of me. Whenever I made a mistake, you're always there to erase it. But as you make my mistakes vanish, you lose a part of yourself. You get smaller and smaller each time.

ERASER

That's true. But I don't really mind. You see, I was made to do this. I was made to help you whenever you do something wrong. Even though one day, I know I'll be gone and you'll replace me with a new one, I'm actually happy with my job. So please, stop worrying. I hate seeing you sad.

  I found this conversation between the pencil and the eraser very inspirational. Parents are like the eraser whereas their children are the pencil. They're always there for their children, cleaning up their mistakes. Sometimes along the way, they get hurt, and become smaller / older, and eventually pass on. Though their children will eventually find someone new (spouse), but parents are still happy with what they do for their children, and will always hate seeing their precious ones worrying, or sad.

All my life, I've been the pencil. And it pains me to see the eraser that is my parents getting smaller and smaller each day. For I know that one day, all that I'm left with would be eraser shavings and memories of what I used to have.

 This is to all the parents out there.