hey everyone! i did it again... deleted all i wrote by mistake: oooops! here goes again...! hope your all well... i'm holding up ok over here - have a bit of a b***** of a cold but nothing new there for me huh lol! in the words of gloria gaynor I WILL SURVIVE! yesterday was just another day at cotlands but i have to say that it is getting better as i'm there longer as i'm starting to see improvements in the kids now and really getting to know them better and better and i feel that they are getting to know me better as well which is nice! tambo can now say emily (all be it a little incoherently but its definitely there!) and nadine gives me a really big smile of recognition and pleasure whenever i walk in which is really nice. however i think i may be being used!... apart from the smile she also does the "copy of the lip noise" manoeuvre - have a feeling i've been a bad influence!!! and theres this one girl there called sinoxolo who when we first arrived did nothing but lie in her cot and look sooo small and helpless!!! now she's sitting up by herself, she is eating, granted only toffees and biscuits (not really into the healthy living yet) and she does make noises, generally only crying but as the saying goes 'better than nothing' and she has smiled which is the nicest part of it! i am looking more into my what has now become 20 day break and i realised i only have 2 weeks and 3 days left in stellenbosch - so weird!!!! has actually gone pretty darn quick i tell ya! I'm over half way through and it really doesn't feel like it... i think apart from anything i haven't done all that much travelling touristy type stuff so it probably feels less long but i suspect the time will suddenly seem very very real once i get going on these trips! talking of the trips: i think i have decided! looking further into these nomad tours there is one that i very much like the sound of. it is called "desert and delta" and it includes... hell i cant write it here i'll give you the link and you can look for yourselves! http://www.nomadtours.co.za/desert_delta_a.html. there is now so little time left before i go and have to reaaaally start looking into stuff i thought that sure tours aren't really that flexible and you probably spend a lot of time travelling (which you do) but i don't have time to work it out and organise it myself and i'd be doing this on my own so the tour would provide me with company and a structure that i will need so i thought why not!!! so that tour would start on the 14th of july and end on the 28th i think so i'd get a couple of days on the garden route before and after to do all the activity stuff i wanna try. so lets keep fingers crossed that the plan works... anyway enough babble for today! i'll talk to you all soon... lots of love and best wishes with it emily xxxxxxxxx