Nicotine Free, Day 3

So, My Boerewors and I quit smoking on the 2nd of January and its Day 3 without nicotine.

I must say, for me, its easier than I thought because I did stop smoking with both my pregnancies and I was a wee bit stupid, okay, a lot stupid to start up again. 

But I enjoy smoking, yes its true and most smokers will tell you the same thing.  I miss the whole process of lighting up. 

I know my Boerewors misses it more than I do because he was a heavier smoker than I was.  Boerewors was probably on between 15 and 20 ciggies a day.  I was about half of that even on a day when I was smoking a lot!

However, the Boereworsbut has only been smoking for 8 years.  I've been a casual social smoker on and off since I was about 16.  That's over 20 years!  You tell me what is worse...

Yeah, its become a habit...sitting outside on my porch to have a fag and natter, but I decided that the habit has nearly no positives.  Its dirty, stinky and bad for you!

Poisoned lungs by the chemicals, lower oxygen levels in the body, depleting the body of vitamin C, poor immune system, lower bone density, higher chances of getting cancer, heart-disease or  emphysema.

Now I need to find something to make it all easier...

Do I substitute it with something else like chewing gum or sucking a pencil?  How do I keep myself busy and not think of smoking?  What are the triggers that make me want to light one up?

Tell me how you did it.  Now I'm talking about someone who gave up smoking and succeeded.  I'm not talking about how many times you've given up.  The first month is easy its kicking the habit for good that I want the secret recipe to.

A Daft Scots Lass' tip to stop smoking: douse yourself in petrol every day!

Monday Music

It's Monday's Music Moves Me over at Xmas Dolly

My favourite band, The White Stripes, and two of their rockin' songs...

ROCK ON!!!

 

Excuse the mess, but we live here!

First of all, Happy New Year Everyone!!!

Och aye, me lovelies, there is NOTHING like home when you've been away for a wee bit.

Oh yeah... its brill going away on holiday, having fabulous adventures, experiencing new and exciting things and spending time with daft, crazy friends and having a guid laugh.  The thrill of puting up yer tent, the first night sleeping in a tent in the rain.  The unisex communal ablutions where  you experience brushing yer teeth in front of complete strangers and hearing couples giggling in the showers.  Hey! they don't call them unisex showers for nothin'. 

The kids love it too;  falling asleep under the stars and not having to wash as much as at home, having dirt under their toe nails and mum not really caring about it.   Eating from tin plates and cups - no hair driers or TV but the girls don't mind because they're having so much fun riding their bikes barefoot, exploring the camp sites and finding creepy crawlies and spiders that emerge from every crevace. 

"There comes a time in every man's life when he needs his own toilet" - Patrick Suskind

However, there is nothing like coming home to yer own bed.  The first time your put your head down on yer flavourite, fresh, fluffy, feather pillow when you get home, is pure bliss!! 

Getting into yer own bath with yer own bubbles and every pot and potion are your convenience , using yer own bog and scratching yer itch whenever you want -  its just heaven!  There is NOTHING like it!!!  All yer nice home comforts that make your life just so much easier and so much happier.

Yeah, home is where the mortgage is.... 

Our Adventure Holiday was Fucking Amazing!

Our holiday in Mpumalanga was brilliant!  It was blistering hot most days - sometimes up to nearly 38 degrees C. 

We spent a lot of time in the swimming pools but it a lot of adventurous stuff too.  Check out Mandy's Blog for a completely Day to Day breakdown of what we did. I'm gonna give you the shorter version.

Day 1 Arrival at Sabie River Camp we sourced a good spot to pitch our wee hoosie aka tent being sure to keep space for the other 12 tents' arrival the following day.  We spent the first day swimming in their amazing pools and enjoying the quiet and the sunshine.





The view from our camping spot

Our Wee Hoos

Sitting by the Braai

Day 2 was a little different. 

The others were due to arrive and join us!

As a group of 27 people, most of us went off early to enjoy the Skyway Canopy Tours.  10 zip slides gliding high over the trees and the last three zipping under the trees.  Each section of the trail varied in length from 70 to 230 meters linking a total of 10 platforms, making this the longest cable trail in Africa (1,2km). 

My 7-year-old Megan was not scared at all - she had a blast and one of the youngest to complete the canopy tours solo.  It was exhilirating, exciting and very hot up there in the tree tops.  You could see for miles!



A Daft Scots Lass swining through the treetops

After the canopy tours, the group slipt up and we all went different ways for lunch and we took the girls horse riding at The Horse Whispers Sanctuary.  The girls LOVED the horse riding.



Off into the distance

KK looking tiny on the retired polo pony



Megan - Look, Ma, no hands!


After a very long and scorching day, we all met up for supper that night - all 27 of us - at The Ant and Elephant Restaurant, which was amazing. I was far too exhausted, hot and dirty to enjoy a good meal so the girls and I just had dessert.

Day 3 we went White Water Tubing  or Ghekoing down the Sabie River with Induna Adventures.  What an awesome experience!!  We got a DVD full of photos that the guide took, because we obviously couldn't take the pictures!  I don't have pictures as it is with the rest of the group who are still there.  But I can tell you we jumped off a cliff about 9 meters down into the rapids.  It was hectic.  3 hours and 10 level 3 rapids later, we were exhausted and exhilarated



White Water Tubing



Walking around a large rapid.

Day 4 was meeting the Elephants and what an amazing expereince this was! 

The Elephant Sanctuary in Hazyview was beautiful and home to two young bull ellies, Casper (24 years old) and Siko (11 years old).  We got to brush them down, feed them, walk with them and ride them.  It was something I will NEVER forget. They are such beautiful animals, so gentle and sensitive and really intelligent.  We even got a kiss from Kito.



Some of the group on the way to meet the Elephants

A Daft Scots lass brushing down the Ellie

Megan giving Kito some peanuts

A Daft Scots Lass getting a kiss from Kito

KK getting a kiss from Kito

Walking the elephants

Riding the elephants

Day 5 Was The Big Swing and Foofie slide across the waterfall.

Megan wanted to do the jump, but they said she was too young.  A very disappointed Meg did the Foofie slide across the gorge instead, which she thoroughly enjoyed.  My Bad Ass Megan.

The Big Swing is a 70 meter free-fall down and I serioulsy thought I was gonna puke and shite myself all at the same time.  It was rainy and very misty and we couldn't see the bottom.  It was free-falling backwards into nothing - incredibly hectic! 

But once you were sitting swinging in the harness, it was beautiful to see the waterfall and everything was so green and pretty (under the mist).  Then we had to walk up the slippery wooden steps to the top again.



What it looks like on a CLEAR day!!!




Me and Megan with our Group HKGK T-shirts on

KK, Meg and Riaan

I'll be back after my bungee jump

Off to jump 60 metres off a bridge. BLOG LATER