My Life's Winding Roads: A sad start to the month. R.I.P Sasha.

My Life's Winding Roads: A sad start to the month. R.I.P Sasha.:   Hello family and friends I hope this finds everyone well.  Currently the weather in the Cape is very confused.  One week snow, the next he...

A sad start to the month. R.I.P Sasha.

 Hello family and friends I hope this finds everyone well.  Currently the weather in the Cape is very confused.  One week snow, the next heatwave, then rain and ridiculously high waves.  Each day is a bit of a mystery and the last two days have had really heavy fog, not something we see often here in the Village. Despite the weather the world seems to just keep rolling along and here we are in October with Christmas on the horizon. 

There were no spectacular stand out moments in September and with regards to the family, all are well.  Poppet  was very ill with flu / covid and wouldn't let us near her.  It took awhile but she has recovered and is back to her usual hectic life and on the Padel Court.  Little BabyBear is growing daily and,  can you believe it? He was two months old on Saturday.  JB and I are going to spend a a few days with them this week and I am literally counting sleeps.  Whoop whoop.                     In relation to the weather, whilst we have been having snow on the nearby mountains, Big Guy and Princess have been sweltering in 30c plus, like I said it is crazy.                              Hubby went to the National Radio Controlled Sailing regatta for the class of boat he sails.  He thoroughly enjoyed himself and was doubly happy with being able to stand for so long and not have any back pain.  Praise the Lord. JB and I took the time to have a real girls weekend which was a lot of fun.

As I type this it is with a very sore heart. JB's Little Maltese Sasha (15 yrs old and a true companion dog)  was fine on Friday and woke up Saturday really sick. We rushed her to the Vet and she has been there since. She had a tumour on her pancreas and due to her age, current  state of health, surgery would be extremely risky and not guaranteed. So this morning we were on our way to see her to say goodbye, but the Vet called me at 8.am to say she had passed away during the night. We are heartbroken and trying to adjust and accept her passing. Jelly Bean said to me on Saturday that she can barely remember a time in her life without Sasha. 😢😢  Little Zeepha is still hopping around slowly on her three legs.  In the last week she has done a couple of things which are more like her normal self, which I am so relieved to see.

Work has generally been a bit quiet, which although frustrating, has probably not been a bad thing  as I have had some challenges. After I fell a couple of months ago, I had a fair amount of discomfort behind my knee which I thought was just pulled muscles. This past month with quite a quick progression, the pain became unbearable so off to our GP I trotted.  He did a couple of very sore movements and sent me for xrays and then straight to the Orthopaedic Surgeon.   This is the same Surgeon who is waiting to do my right knee replacement and, all of this is the left knee. After an MRI it would appear I have torn the Meniscus (cant see clearly if it is detached). I was due to see the Surgeon this past Friday but on Wednesday he was in a bicycle accident and was in surgery for several hours. I am scheduled to see him this coming Friday to discuss the next step  as we have to fix the left before doing the right knee replacement. I will be honest and say this- having Fibromyalgia I am used to pain, my right knee is always sore but the torn Meniscus is on a whole different level. It is constant, night and day as well as giving way when it feels like it.

On a positive note, because of the downtime I eventually, yesterday, finished JB's chunky shrug.  After unravelling it five times I am quite relieved. It is very different to a cardigan in the way it fits,  but she seems very happy with it. So onto my next project - another squishy octopus  for someone as a stress toy. I also really need to sit down and start my next diamond dot painting.  There has been so much going on this year that I have only finished one so far.

Well folks, thats me for now.  Have a great month and stay well and safe. Ciao Ciao.

Little Sasha loved to yeet cushions or pillows off the couches or bed.

My Life's Winding Roads: Babies, Baboons and Battles

My Life's Winding Roads: Babies, Baboons and Battles: Welcome September, how did we get here so fast?  We have had three days of possible spring weather, which in Cape terms means the sun has sh...

Babies, Baboons and Battles

Welcome September, how did we get here so fast?  We have had three days of possible spring weather, which in Cape terms means the sun has shone continuously without rain.  What a month weather wise (and in every other possible way).  We have had so much rain and last week was a cold front of note which brought snow on the surrounding mountains, even on Table Mountain, so even though the sun is shining there is still a very cold chill in the air. Those "in the know" say that it has been the coldest and wettest winter in decades, we have certainly never seen 6c since we've been here.

Well ... August was quite the month. Starting with our gorgeous Grandson arriving on the 5th. None of us were told what his name was and when the Bears introduced him just after he was born they disclosed that he has been named after Big Bear's Dad, my late husband. That was an incredibly emotional moment for me because not for a second had I considered that, it is such an honour and he is named after an incredible man.  JB and I went to visit them in hospital the day after he was born and again more emotions and tears as I held him for the first time.  He weighed in at 3.49 kg and is absolutely perfect, Mommy is well and still managed to look glamorous right after his birth.  I believe that I will have to alter some nicknames here on the Blog so henceforth Baby Bear will be Mama Bear and junior will be Baby Bear.  As a family they are settling into routine and adjusting to an entirely new life.  We saw them again last Wednesday as Big Guy had flown down to meet his Nephew.  We gathered at a Wine Farm for lunch after which Big Guy came to spend a few days with us, making me a happy Mom, it was SO good to have him here with us, now that he has gone home the house feels too quiet and empty.  On Saturday we all met up at the Bears' home for lunch together with Poppet as a collective birthday celebration, the littlest Bear did not make an appearance as he slept right through the entire event. Needless to say this Granny has lost her heart to this tiny little human being.

Hubby has continued to make an amazing recovery from his back surgery and is back doing everything he did before, with no pain or discomfort, Praise God for that.  He is back working on various clocks and watches which continue to come in on a regular basis.  My work has been slightly quiet but I have had a lot to keep me busy.  Thank the Lord the Balaclava Hoodie I made for my friend fits like a dream and is a big hit.  I also got out the other two crocheted Octopuses and perfected the stress Worry Worm, currently I am busy making JB a chunky shrug cardigan which is fun.

Barely a week after baby was born, Sasha which is Jelly Bean's dog of 15 yearanof age, became ill.  We took her to the Vet who did some tests and diagnosed Pancreatitus, I had changed her tinned food for a well known brand which is apparently very high in fat.  We had just walked in from the appointment and when we set her down her tummy just released a big puddle of bloody viscous type liquid. I immediately called the vet who came right out and took her back to the Hospital for the night with further medication and on a drip.  Given her age we were pretty sure this was the end. But, tough little trooper that she is by next morning she was somewhat better and late that afternoon we were able to bring her home. It was pancreatitis and severe hemorrhagic enteritis.  My goodness!! She has finished all her meds and is her normal, bouncy,  somewhat deaf, somewhat blind, happy self again.

On the 21st we had a rather harrowing incident.  JB and I were sitting in the lounge, both with headphones on, when I heard her gasp.  I looked up and there in the doorway stood an enormous male baboon with three of his companions right next to him.  He was about a metre into the room whilst the other three were standing behind my huge bean bag.  I stood up calmly and tried to shoo them out but, Mr  Aplha just kept walking in. I picked up a spray bottle which sits on the table next to me, and sprayed the three in the doorway who stepped back onto the deck.  The big one just walked straight up to our fridge, opened the freezer door and took out a loaf of frozen bread before closing the door and walking back out of the door. It was as calm and targeted as if he lived here. What I did not realise at the time was that little Zeepha must have been on the deck and once the big baboon walked onto the deck the other three tried to join him in his feast and there was a bit of an argument.  We do not know if Zeepha got caught between them or if, in terror she took off and jumped out of the window.  eventually, thanks to the spray bottle they relocated themselves to the front yard where the big one took his time eating the frozen bread and the other three investigated the yard, discovered the sugar water bottle for the birds (spray bottle out again and that chased that one off) and played with each other.  After some time they moved across the yard and Hubby was able to turn the hosepipe on them which sent them running.  I can assure you it took a long time for heart rates and adrenalin levels to calm down.  About an hour later Zeepha came in and we then realised she had hurt her right front leg.  I took her to the vet the next day and after xrays  we saw that she had dislocated her elbow very badly.  Our vet sedated her and with difficulty managed to reposition her elbow and wrapped it well for protection.  She has really struggled to adjust to this and I have had to lift her up or put her down from where she sits, eats etc.  The Dr contacted another Vetrinary Practice who quoted R30 000. to operate with no guarantees, needless to say we don't have that kind of money. He also spoke to other Vets in the area after taking the splint bandage off this past week, and the consensus is that there must be ligament damage and surgery has no guarantees. Amputation at this stage is not necessary or recommended as her leg has blood flow and is warm.  In just the last two days I have seen that she is getting up and down some furniture  fairly well, making use of the little things I have put in place to create small steps.  My heart absolutely breaks as she is such a gentle, tiny little thing who loves to play her own imaginary games and zoomies, and she now holds her leg with the paw facing upward. Obviously there is also emotional trauma so lots and lots of TLC and scratches for her.  This is the first time ever that the main troop have come as far down as us, which now has us on hyper alert, especially going into the warmer weather. It truly feels as if we paid the Vet's Rental for August. 🤦🏻‍♀️

To say that August was an emotional tsunami would be somewhat of an understatement, sometimes there comes a time when the bounce back elastic has lost its stretch and I am experiencing that at the moment.  I know that I will bounce back but this last month with all it's extreme highs and lows was just a bit more than I was ready for.  This I do know for a certainty - God has always seen me through the valleys and the mountains and He has not stepped away or let go. My favourite scripture Jeremiah 29 v 11 says For I Know the thoughts and plans I have for you, says the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you a future and a hope.  Comforting words for sure. 

Well folks, my prayer is that September is a peaceful, gentle month for us all.  Wherever you are reading this from, if your elastic has lost it's stretch then please be kind to yourself, you are not alone. Please reach out to someone who you can talk to and don't be tempted to try and superwoman yourself out of the hole, it is perfectly ok to say "time out".  To all,  stay well and stay safe. Ciao Ciao.

May these little feet be blessed wherever they tread

Worry worm

Little Zeepha's pre and post pics.

My Life's Winding Roads: Finally August has arrived.

My Life's Winding Roads: Finally August has arrived.:   Good morning friends and family, i hope today's Blog finds you all well and ready for the new week.  Weather wise winter was late and ...

Finally August has arrived.

 Good morning friends and family, I hope today's Blog finds you all well and ready for the new week.  Weather wise winter was late and arrived with typical Cape ferocity.  My goodness so much rain, it has been amazing.  Something I haven't seen in many years is days and days of continuous rain.  We had a few days break this past week but then Saturday evening down it came and rained all day yesterday. Happy Blogger 🙂

Where to start ?  so much happening all the time.  Hubby had his Op ten days ago and was discharged on day 3.  He is doing extremely well and hardly had any pain or discomfort from the actual operation site. He has struggled a bit with sciatica in the other leg, but that too is now easing and he is more and more mobile every day. At the beginning of the month I had a very bad fall, where I tripped over the sliding door frame and landed, literally, flat on my face. This left me with stars in my eyes, a goose egg above my eyebrow and a beaut of a black eye.  Good grief, Hubby's comment was the foundations of the house shook 🤦🏻‍♀️. The eyebrow is still sore but otherwise all healed.  I eventually saw "the family" Orthopaedic Surgeon who is incredibly kind and experienced.  He has confirmed that I will have to have a knee replacement but because a lot of the pain is being caused by a torn Meniscus he waited until Friday to inject the knee with Cortisone as he wanted the most pain free period for when Baby arrives.  It was jolly sore but is helping keeping that intense pain at bay.  Ho Hum.

TODAY is the day that our little Grandbaby enters the world.  Wow what a wait and sooo much excitement.  I will be able to go in and see them on Tuesday whoop, whoop.  Hubby won't be coming with but Jelly Bean is going to come with as the second Grandparent hehe.  The Bears are more than prepared and I think MORE than ready for this day.  A huge wait for me between Princess and this little one, 21 yearas, but well worth the wait.  I actually felt a little at a loose end over the weekend as I finished off all projects and did not quite know what to do with my hands.

I have just recently just completed not only Ollie the Octipus for baby, but also another two for JB and Princess made from different yarn and more as stress type toys. I have a though of making them, both for babies and bigger as stress tools and selling them. Also completed was  a long discussed and planned Balaclava Hoodie for a very good friend.  it took some doing finding a pattern in English as the majority are in Russian.  When I did find one it was for a completely different weight of wool and eventually I used it only as a guide and amended it as I went.  The final test will be when she receives it and does it fit ? Here is crossed fingers 🤞 

As per usual, in our family, August is birthday month with a vengeance, and now we have another birthday HaHaHa.  Just immediate family there are four of us and then on Baby Bear's side another two or three.  Last week Big Guy sent a message saying It's birthday month people ..."

Work has been coming in steadily, and God has been so good to me, when I have crazy medical/busy weeks it always seems to slow down to a manageable level.  I had to turn down a job for the very first time last month, which I found very difficult to do.  I had been asked to re-make the seats on restaurant chairs which were a very thick woven plactic type of fabric.  I managed to make and cut the pattern and that is where it all came to a halt.  My domestic sewing machine was just completely unable to sew it.  The bottom line of stitching would just pull right out as it was not catching underneath.  I hate turning someone away but thankfully the client was more than understanding.

Poppet's trip tp Australia went very well, as the previous company she worked for also had offices there and so this time she had friends and got to do a lot of touristy things.  She even went especially to Bondi Beach and took pics for me, she didn't meet any of the Life Guards though haha.  She also got back on the Padel Court yesterday for the first time in three months, after pulling a tendon, so is a very happy camper. It is good to have both her and Big Bear back in the country and home.  His trip to the USA also was a great success and thank the Lord baby stayed right where it was and there were no emergencies.  I am really missing Big Guy and Princess at the moment, especially with baby's arrival today and all the birthdays. If I could wave a magic wand, all my family would be in the same City.

Well folks, that all for now (as they used to say in the cartoons).  I wish you all a wonderful August, make the most of every opportunity to make a memory and stay safe and well.

Ciao Ciao

The  Balaclava/Hoodie and Octipi family.

The bottom part tucks under and then covers the nose and mouth to keep warm 

My Life's Winding Roads: Good morning on this first Monday in July.

My Life's Winding Roads: Good morning on this first Monday in July.:  I am honestly trying to figure out how this year has flown by so fast it seems that every year that passes, appears to go faster than the y...