My Life's Winding Roads: December and we made it.

My Life's Winding Roads: December and we made it.: Ooops and good morning everyone.  I am so sorry, I completely forgot it was Blog time. 🤦🏼‍♀️. It truly has been so busy that I have had a ...

December and we made it.

Ooops and good morning everyone.  I am so sorry, I completely forgot it was Blog time. 🤦🏼‍♀️. It truly has been so busy that I have had a hard time keeping days straight.  My apologies.  

Let me back up to November.  We were mostly home all month, can you believe it ?  Being home doesn't mean it was any quieter lol.  Home is busy. Work coming and going, I got a LOT of our mending and alterations done which was really good.  I also took "the leap" and emailed our biggest local hospital re my Ollie Octopuses.  I truly did not expecting any kind of response.  In the meantime I was chatting with an old school friend who shared how she worked with the Hospitals.  This is something that BigBear has been telling me to do for a long time, but I really didn't think I had a chance or any idea how to go about it.  Anyhoo ...I  drew up a flyer (yep all by myself) and then gave it over to the Designer and Marketer of the family, BigBear.  PS. He was quite impressed with what I had done.  He took a few minutes and transformed my flyer into beautiful and designed me a business card as well.  At the same time I received an email back from the hospital asking me to bring in one packaged Ollie and flyers and they will put the flyers into each goody bag they hand out in the pre-natal classes and every month one mommy-to-be gets a free gift. Ie. Ollie. Whoop whoop, I was so excited I could not stop shaking. So the race to get the flyers and biz cards printed has been on and I will collect tomorrow as well as deliver to the Hospital.  Who knew ??  I also worked on an idea and created a Rainbow Ollie especially for those extra special Rainbow Babies. (You can see it in the pic below)

JB and I spent last week in Hout Bay helping with our little Munchkin, it was so good to see him after almost a month away.  He is growing so quickly in every area and every day is an absolute delight.

Business is going well for Hubby and he finds clocks in the oddest places but is always busy.  Between that and his sailing his is on the go.

Princess received an award for Best Sustainable Design 2.  Well done my angel you are rocking this and we are so proud of you.  Big Guy is also doing really well in his new job and thoroughly enjoying it all.  THE best news is Princess and C fly down on Sunday and Big Guy flies down on the 19th. I am SO excited to see them all and can't wait for all the hugs, fun, laughter and cups of tea.

As for Christmas all our shopping is done and I still have 2 Christmas cakes to make. Today Hubby and I will move some of the furniture around in readiness for our makeover in 2 weeks.  He has been prepping the walls with damp patches, we've had our carprt cleaned (I am not putting it down until all is done and dusted )  I sewed all the deck curtains yesterday and just need to sew on the loops, today hopefully . When I've moved the furniture then our Christmas tree can go up. 🎄Tomorrow I collect the printing and drop it all off at the Hospital amongst a gazillion other things that need to be done in town.

Belatedly 😂 the weather has been unbearable. It has been so hot that I have really struggled. I find that when it gets this hot, with Fibro my body overheats and I keep having faint spells. As you can imagine this is most inconvenient grrr.  There has been no let up with the heat, last week in Cape Town and Hout Bay it was 37 c. Which is about 20 degrees too hot for me 😄.

Folks I'm going to close off with wishing each of you and your families a very Blessed Christmas. May it be joyful and may you make wonderful memories.  We are going to be an entire family all together, on Christmas Day, for the first time in many years.  Thank you for your support and encouragement throughout this year and I am looking forward to a new year of achievements, happy times and peace. Please stays safe on the roads and wherever you are.  Ciao ciao.

The Ollie Range 

My new Flyer

My Life's Winding Roads: November is upon us, what happened to October.

My Life's Winding Roads: November is upon us, what happened to October.:   Good morning world, I trust everyone is well and pushing hard to get through these last few months of the year.  This year has gone by so ...

November is upon us, what happened to October.

 Good morning world, I trust everyone is well and pushing hard to get through these last few months of the year.  This year has gone by so very fast that it still feels like June and I actually feel a bit panicked at how close Christmas is. Eeek, I am definitely going to have to up my game here.

October, like every other month was a blur. Sitting here I  am actually trying to remember what actually happened.  On the home front sewing work was steady and manageable, a few new skills I learnt which is always a good thing and just expands what I can take in.   I have a couple of new ideas for Hooked_in_Luv which I want to start on this week. I made a couple of Sunglasses pouches which myself and a couple of the girls are trying out.  They seem to be working well and I am thinking of adding them as a special "for Mom" item on the site. See pic at the end.  

We went through to Hout Bay to babysit little Munchkin for the weekend, Hubby had a sailing weekend away and we got the dogs in with a dog sitter in Gordon's Bay.  Dash had a whale of a time but, Charlie I don't think enjoyed himself as much. He came home with a raging ear infection and would not let me touch it. He gets them quite often and normally allows me to put in the meds.  Not this time - Mr Snappy would be a mild title. So off to the vet and when he saw the bared teeth he took my word and explanation for it. Cortisone, antibiotic and ongoing stronger alllergy meds (and a large amount of money later) we were able to clear it up.  He has been on allergy meds almost since I got him and apparently it is quite a normal thing down here with the fynbos and the humidity. Dr has put him onto much stronger meds and they do appear to be working, so here is praying and believing . 🙏🏻

Hubby's sailing went well and his ongoing clock repair business is thriving. Our garage is fill to overflowing with tick tocking clocks of all sizes, shapes and ages.

The family are well, everyone is tired and trying hard to keep heads above water to the end of the year. Exams, projects, sales, new deals, standing in for other people, etc.  our Grandson in the UK managed to break his arm playing soccer, thank goodness it is his right arm.  Get better big boy. It is quite crazy actually how the pace of life just seems to get faster and longer every year.  Where does normality kick in ? The best news is that Big Guy will be with us for 10 days over Christmas and for the first time in a long time the whole family will be together on Christmas Day, my heart's desire filled. ❤️

I have been struggling (it's part of a fibro thing) with sensory and visual overload.  I look at the house and see everything as a jumble with no cohesion or order. Hmmm its new for me.  We had Poppet around for lunch a week ago and were talking about it.  She looked around and the ideas started flowing, my head was spinning.  But, I am Soo excited. We are going to set aside a weekend at the beginning of Dec when Princess and Sunshine get here and are going to move stuff around, paint my three antique pieces of furniture a statement colour, paint the walls and generally take things up a level. Small things which will make a huge, huge  visual difference.   I have also bought a fairly lightweight sheer curtain fabric for the deck ( it is polyester so will not attract mildew)  BUT I forgot to allow for seams at the top in the measurements. 🤦🏼‍♀️. After weeks of racking my brains we collectively came up with a solution. I love the boho look (still find memories of  the '70's)j so, I am going to put a white crochet type lace/braid on the top and crochet white tabs instead of rings or hooks. Lots of crochet tabs/straps in my  immediate future LOL.  

This past week MamaBear had to be in Jhb for Business and JB and I came through to Help BigBear with Munchkin.  Wow, 14 months and he is so strong and a true busy bee. Just in this last week he has learnt to open the heavy glass sliding door onto the deck.  Thank you Grandpa for the security of the gates.  Then this morning he reached up and pulled the cord which switches on the extractor fan and light in the guest bedroom.  We have developed eyes in the back or our heads haha.  Last Wednesday though (clearly not using all my eyes) I was walking across the room with my cereal bowl and tripped over a mat that had been folded double. Well, not a pretty sight, it happened so quickly but felt like slow motion. I tripped and kept trying to stay upright and not drop anything, until the glass door and wall and book shelf stopped me, head first. I then tried to turn around, still holding onto bowl, phone and glasses and ended up on the mat. Hmmm one of the worst falls I've had in a long time.  I was actually fine - stunned for a few minutes, didn't break anything, have an egg bump on my head, two bruised knuckles 🤷🏼‍♀️, some aches and pains and then last night saw an enormous black bruise on my hip. Humpff. I find I am very aware / nervous walking at the moment, checking the floor constantly.

Apart from that folks it was just a month like any other 🤣🤣🤣. Yesterday BigBear took us for a quick brunch before nap time and then we relaxed for the rest of the day. Tomorrow JB and I head east back home. Please take extra care on the roads and of yourselves and be safe.  Much love from me in my little Village by the sea. Ciao Ciao

Off for a walk with Daddy.

Soft Sunglasses Case

My Life's Winding Roads: October is underway.

My Life's Winding Roads: October is underway.: Greeting folks and apologies for the late post. For the first time decades I have a very heavy head cold with all its associated delights, i...

October is underway.

Greeting folks and apologies for the late post. For the first time decades I have a very heavy head cold with all its associated delights, including a cough which sounds like a Harley Davidson. Both JB and I came down with this last week and are doing everything in our power to get better.

Well, September was one busy month to put it mildly.  It just seems to have evaporated.  Apart from being busy at home, we have been house sitting, making grandson memories and a dozen other things.  The whole family has been busy.  Poppet flew up to Pretoria for a wedding. This gave her and Princess some much needed time together as well. Poppet is now out of crutches, boots etc and has healed well, I think she is enjoying regaining her independence.  Princess has been super busy with end of year projects to be handed in, before the term finishes. She has pulled a couple of all nighters to this end, and is doing very well.  Big Guy is doing well, getting to know all his new clients and thoroughly enjoying his job 🙏🏻.

I started the month by having a Sonar guided Cortisone Injection into my "new" knee, followed by a double course of anti-inflammatories to settle the ongoing pain and inflammation. I am cautiously delighted to say it has been 100 times better since then.  I also realised that wearing my old/ normal shoes was exsaserbating the pain because they were worn down and the new knee is completely level. Ho hum, I had to do some preliminary shoe shopping, which is not my favourite activity

We were in Hout Bay while BigBear was in the USA and had a wonderful time. We walked along the beach, went to the Hout Bay Market, attended a Pram Jam Storytime held at the Library, once a week for the toddlers.  So many memories and I am so very grateful for the state of technology nowadays that makes it possible to record all the important and funny, cute moments.  Something we never had when our children were babies.  We also had some time of just house sitting while the family went away for a few days of bonding.  JB and I explored the area and then went to a Saturday Market in Constantia which was amazing.  We did not realise it was the opening day of a new Market in the area.  Apart from queueing for a long  time just for coffee, we had a ball. We bumped into someone I haven't seen in 30 odd years and had a quick catch up.  The only downside was our little Munchkin came home with a very bad cold / upper respiratory infection and was really sick (guess where we got it from haha ?). Through it all he remained fairly cheerful and just as busy as always.  One of Munchkin's newest tricks is to open his drawers and take clean clothes, then walk across to his laundry basket and drop them in.  He took this one step further by taking his "Lambie", his fluffy snuggle/toy, and dropped it into the basket .  The moment of regret on his face was instant and he spent the next few minutes almost turning himself inside out trying to retrieve it  🤣🤣

This Friday past Hubby went over and installed some wooden gates, to match the deck.  These have now added an extra layer of safety by enclosing off the deck entirely.  He really is very talented to be able to do this level of woodwork as well as all the clocks he is repairing.

The weather down here has absolutely no clue what time of year it is.  One day it is in the low 30's and the next it is 17 c and raining.  It is quite ridiculous. As I sit typing this, the wind is whistling through a window and the sea is full of white horses.

Folks that is my blur that was the month of September. The year is coming to a close at the speed of light and yet it still feels like February.  Have a wonderful month, please stay healthy and well. Be safe out there

 Ciao ciao.

Gates to close off the stairs on the deck.

Alphen Market in Constantia

Happy 1st Day of Spring

 Good morning friends and family, it is officially spring.  Having said that I am secretly hoping that the Cape runs true to form and keeps winter around for a couple more months.  I am in no way ready for summer.  The days are getting longer and definitely slightly warmer, in fact, almost perfect temperatures. 

As I sit and type this I am looking out across the Hout Bay valley, the sun is just cresting the mountains, the world is quiet, still and peaceful.  You may have guessed, correctly that Jelly Bean and I are with the Bears. 😊

August in our family is called Birthday Month with 4 of us just in the immediate family. So wow, quite a month in retrospect.  Prince BabyBear started it off, a few days after his birthday party (last months post) and then the day after his birthday he came down with Hand,  Foot and Mouth Disease  😩.  It is the first time he has been sick and the poor little mite was so uncomfortable and yet remained his cheerful, happy little self.  We still are not sure where he picked it up and no one at the party had or got it. I had never even heard of humans getting this until  I read about an epidemic in Natal and the Eastern Cape.  It is extremely infectious and mostly limited to children under the age of 5.  He is now almost completely healed of all spots and peeling skin.  Through this all he still continued walking and is now EVERYWHERE, we need eyes in the back of our heads, he is so fast.    We spent a week with him and BigBear as MamaBear had to go to Johannesburg for business. It was a wonderful time of bonding and making memories, he is growing way too fast 😍.

Then off home for two weeks during which I had my birthday. It was a lovely day spent quietly. Jelly Bean and I took the dogs to the coffee shop ( a first for Dash, he was very well behaved). We had a breakfast and the pups had Pupaccino's and doggie biscuits 😂. Hubby was sailing.  We then went out to lunch in Rooi Els, two villages down from us. It was lovely and a nice treat. The fun things of living in a Biosphere is walking out of shops or a restaurant with food. The locals will warn you to hide your food.  The baboons are so quick and will take any opportunity to swoop in and pinch it. There was a big male sitting on the roof of the shops just checking us out  😁.

Hubby has been extremely busy with clocks, having up to 15 at a time lined up. It did get a bit hectic when he brought 4 onto the deck and they all chimed at the same time .... noisy. !!

Even though I have not advertised for work since my op I had a super busy  run last week, which kept me at the machine every day. I cannot say my knee is 100%. There is still a lot of sharp pain and weakness which is to be expected. I get tired very quickly when walking and stairs can be a challenge.

Last week it was the Bears turn for birthdays and on Saturday we all met at their house for a delicious birthday brunch celebration.  It was BigBear's 40th Birthday so a big milestone.  Poppet was also there, she is still not driving but walking mostly without crutches and just her boot.  She is healing well thank the Lord.  JB and I stayed over as they had a big evening planned with their friends.  Fortunately we planned on staying until tomorrow beacause, this morning their Nanny phoned to say her son is ill and she could not come in. God always knows what is ahead.  P.s. that is why I am running a little late with today's Blog 🤦🏼‍♀️

Big Guy is absolutely loving his new job and it is such a relief and joy to see him happy and loving what he does.  Princess had a rough month with back to back doses of flu.  She is still coughing but much better.  Oh how much I miss them both, especially at times like this when we are all together.  

Last week to my horror the municipality came and chopped down all the trees on our pavement. I understand why as they were aliens, planted before we bought the house, but for anyone  who knows me, I have a passion for trees and now we look straight out to the palisade fence and dirt road.  Zero shade or privacy.  The upshot of this is that some urgent goggling is taking place to find the biggest, fastest growing tree / shrub to grow along the fence, an indigenous one as well. Hmmppfff.

When I get home I need to sew some sheer curtains for the deck. This Io am doing in faith that they will not retain moisture and get mildew like the last lot did. That was an expensive mistake in ignorance. 

Folks that is my news for the.past month. It was busy, happy and fulfilling.  I pray you all have a wonderful September, that spring is kind and mild.  Stay safe please and stay healthy.  Ciao Ciao

Dash having his first Pupaccino.

Ferdi the Squish Frog which I was asked to make