What happens when you're not at home......?

X-RATED!!!!

Ok, I really thought long and hard whether this was suitable material for this here blog, but at the end of the day I couldn't resist.

So

The story goes like this. The other adorable half has a sweet tooth the likes of which I have never encountered. When we go out for dinner it is not uncommon for him to have FOUR deserts. As I have mentioned before the food in Istanbul was to die for (which would also explain why I struggled to get into my jeans for about 2 months after...), including all things sweet and delicious looking which drove the other half to near delirium with pleasure.

After another day of endless walking and frenetic picture taking on my part we were suitably famished and wandered into what appeared to be a very funky little local restaurant. We had fab grub and even though I was ready for bed the other half insisted on sampling just one desert. And that is when the fun started.



Dark Chocolate Dream was his poison of choice. The waiter came over, the other half ordered and the waiter exploded into fits of laughter. Great was our confusion, but he assured us that he was not laughing at us and after apologising profusely ran to the kitchen....rather suspiciously. We soon forgot and continued sipping our whiskey's serenely when we heard a bit of a ruckus approaching us.

There was the waiter, the other half's delectable desert aloft, approaching our table to howls of delight from the other tables. What could possibly be so funny, what could possibly make complete strangers storm your table to unashamedly take photographs of what you are about to eat you ask?



Sit down.



Grab a stiff drink for the shock.



Send the kids to their room.



Phone a friend



And get ready for this......

How to kill a snowman in 4 easy steps...

So as you have probably gathered from my several groan session regarding snow and how after 7 months it is SO not cool anymore I was rather looking forward to kicking the snowman's proverbial. I just didn't realise that in Zurich they like to do thinks in a rather more spectacular fashion.

At the start of spring they have a snowman burning/exploding fest which is rather bizarre to say the least and yet another reason to bet money on something completely ridiculous. Said snowman is painstakingly built for months beforehand (shrouded in secrecy as he has been abducted once it is said...), but where the traditional would be snow-made this poor soul is made of wood, straw and several kilograms of TNT.

Once he is secure on his platform the whole thing is set alight and everyone waits with baited breath for the head to explode. I kid you not - the swiss has a dark side I was not aware of... The point being that the shorter the time for the head to explode the longer the summer. ok. erm. yes.

But apparently the theory has been proven as not so long ago it took almost a staggering half hour before poor snow man's demise and it was the most depressing summer in many a decade. So let's hope this year's 13 and a bit minutes means it's going to be a scorcher because I can do with some serious defrosting!

ISTANBUL (take 2 and still very much wordless)

Wordless Wednesday: It's a Dog's life

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ISTANBUL

Wordless Wednesday: Kiss my Lily white.....

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Wordless Wednesday: Desolation

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A Whiter Shade of Pale

Wordless Wednesday: ooooo now where'd I put my moisturiser.....?

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White Noise

Even though this is the other half this has been me the last two weeks. In the doldrums. Lots of reasons I won't bore you with as I am now thoutoughly bored with myself (and a bit with snow).

Don't get me wrong - I LOVE snow. But there's snow and there's snoooooooooow. In one afternoon now I've been watching poor piggy being buried in 20cm of it so I cant even use him/her as a model! Now technically my subjects for pictures have not really been wiped out by a blanket of snow, but instead I have a whole new world to play with. Only problem is it's freezing with a very long e. And not having watertight shoes does not really help matters along either. So I spent much of today forlornly glued to the window spying all sorts of fantastic pictures to be had if only I could muster up the courage to venture into Siberia.

So tomorrow I might just do the unthinkable and not only venture myself, but force the other half to venture with (kicking and screaming no doubt...)

Pink Porkers

mmmmmm, so cameraclub was mmmmmmm. Not ONE word was said about my pics. Nothing, Nada, Niks. But I'm all over it so moving swiftly along.

It's month end AGAIN. I can no longer envisage a life without month end. Man, what it must be like to be able to book holidays during the first week of a month. To not get cold shivers, heart palpitations and a slightly gaga expression whenever the last day of the month approaches. It must be rather dull.

So my lovely, talented, but way to far away sister has the blues. Don't think it's the dark blue bordering on black blues, but it's enough for me to think that some cheering up is called for. And after trawling through my libraries trying to find a suitably laughable pic of myself I decided these would most def put a smile on your face even if it doesn't make you fall on the floor in fits of laughter.

We are off skiing this weekend as early celebration of the other half's imminent birthday so I will endeavor to try and capture myself doing something suitably stupid if not downright ridiculous.

So schwester, every silver lining has a cloud, but luckily then the sun comes out and burns the living daylights out of it. Here's some pigs and now I'm going to go and have a glass of wine on you.

Wordless Wednesday: Canned

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Camera Club Aggression

Ok. This time I'm doing it the other way round. It normally works like this:

1) I submit 2 measly pics to monthly photography club full of bravado and the hope that this time round they would not be shot down before even taking off
2) I go to club meeting and listen in despair at how they absolutely did not get what I was trying to do
3) I go home and whilst drinking half a bottle of vodka bemoan my lot in life on blog and with other half
4) Decide pics were horrid and vow never to look at them again and refuse to put them on blog

So today it's working like this:
1) Post entries for monthly camera club on blog PRIOR to poxy meeting
2) Go to meeting with big "WHATEVA" expression
3) Come home and drink wine with other half while perusing other people's lovely blogs

These were taken in the most beautiful Etosha reserve in the ever fantastic Namibia.

Footloose and fancy free

ARE WE HAVING FUN YET?????

It is Sunday, again, already. I'm bored with seven days now. I vote we introduce a new day to brighten up the week. The seven we have is getting a bit drab and overworked. Just not sure what to call it.

Mon
Tues
Wed
Thurs
Frid
Sat
Sun

Looking at that lot I don't see much of a pattern except for Sat which could possibly be derived from Saturn which would tie in with the Sun so we could make it Moonday, but that sounds too much like Monday.

Random as always. Other half is at work and left to my own devices on a Sunday evening I tend to go loopy. I think it's symptomatic of a combination of flu-drugs, being cooped up in the flat all weekend, serious lack of intelligent life forms (not that I would necessarily qualify for that category right now), nothing but white when you look out the window and particularly bad TV.

So here's a shoe. Hope it fits.

It's the small things in life...

Apparently this vicious man-flu is not gender biased and must have decided that I didn't have sufficient sympathy for the other half as it jumped ship and invaded me instead. It is now day 3 and I have almost regained the use of my taste buds in which case I might also be able to taste that the tomato sauce is off before liberally applying it to other half's pasta.

My sister's latest post about Emma was enough to make me crawl even deeper under the covers with depression, but this just reminded me that I have a pile of washing once I summon up the energy to take the sheets off so decided to blog instead. When we went to visit them over Dec almost 90% of our luggage allowance was taken up by presents for far and wide with the biggest for Emma (Joubert had that privilege the last visit), but may I ask why we bother when hanging your shirt in a tree and bashing it down with a stick (and the help of grandpa) repeatedly is the most fun I saw her have all holiday? Although I daresay should I arrive next time with a shirt and stick wrapped up she might not be jumping for joy.

Wordless Wednesday: Computer says NO

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Manflu and Namibia - all in a day's work

Well, been back at work for two and half weeks now and just booked the next holiday. Feel better already.

The other half is lying on the couch trying very hard not to die - not sure if it's the man-flu or some other equally life threatening affliction, but I do feel sorry for the poor thing. He very seldom gets sick and when he does teeter on the verge of death like this he does look very cute in a drugged up sort of way. But I have to admit that I myself almost perished while in Namibia as my stomach decided that it and it's contents were no longer content with me as host. This slight disagreement lasted till about 4am and I daresay other half was prize winningly patient. So all is fair.

This then are a couple of shots from Namibia which knocked my socks of (Namibia that is and not my pictures). I've only ever been to Windhoek before which is rather dire and not particularly awe inspiring and I was so not interested in seeing the rest. MY was I wrong. The place is SPECTACULAR. I could not believe how diverse, how incredible, how indescribably beautiful the place is. This will never do it justice, but it's a couple of my favorites until I have more time once the patient is out of ICU.

The B is back

Well, it certainly has been a while but before I start making excuses lets just say I needed a break and leave it at that. It's a new year and all so not being one to make new years resolutions (partly because I struggle to remember them once the champagne wears off) I have promised myself to spend more time doing what I love this year.

This is not a hugely extensive list and most things I love I already do in excess (such as eating pasta, sleeping late and trying to keep the wine rack topped up), but I had been neglecting my happy snapping terribly of late so I'm thinking nine is my lucky number.

I spent close to 4 glorious weeks in Namibia and then SA with family and that has left me with with ample supply of fodder for the foreseeable future but also inevitably the blues as I would have loved nothing more than to have that silly plane fly back without me.

So without further ado these are pics of my cousin. Odd choice for the new year you might be thinking but let me explain:

a) she got married yesterday in SA
b) she and her now husband had a reception in Oxford, UK last weekend
c) she has been very much on my mind as I wish I could have been there with the rest of the fandamily

Kinda makes sense... Anyhows, me attempting to capture a nervous, fiddly bride was the most petrifying thing I have done this year and gave me new respect for wedding photographers. Thank goodness my other half was able to nip out and get some bubbly else I never would have gotten rid of the shakes and considerably more of my photographs might have been outrageously blurred.

This then is a selection of my favorites and maybe an early indication that wedding photography is not my true calling.

Glad to be back and happy new year to all and sundry