My Life's Winding Roads: Hello April

My Life's Winding Roads: Hello April:   Greetings everyone both near and far, known and unknown. I am always flabbergasted when I see how far my readership extends. That is such ...

Hello April

  Greetings everyone both near and far, known and unknown. I am always flabbergasted when I see how far my readership extends. That is such a blessing and to all I  would like to say " thank you for taking the time to keep up with what goes on in our lives."  Initially when I started this Blog ten years ago. we were considering retirement and the family were all going in different ways, so it was started as a "keep up with us" for friends and family to keep them informed, Haha i guess we have moved on from that over the years. I still try and keep you informed whilst respecting the "kids"  personal lives, not always easy I can tell you.😀😀

What happened this month ? Oh my gosh it feels like it was a year long.  I am not sure how the busyness keeps rolling or even trying to slow it down, I really do try.  One of the things I am really working hard on, for many reasons, is that I am allowed to rest and not be productive all my waking hours ... definitely a challenge.  Currently as I type this I do not actually have a choice. Last month I shared all the 'drama" surrounding the diagnosis of Atrial Fibrillation which was discovered.  After seeing the Electrophysiologist the Doctors did not waste much time. This past Thursday, 26th March,  I was admitted to the Cardio Ward and after being told I was no 3 on the surgical list, I lay around until past 18.15 before being wheeled into Theatre, not my favourite place.  When I came round from the Anaesthetic in ICU, Poppet was there and what a blessing she was.  There are some anaesthetic combinations that I do not tolerate very well and I came to feeling extremely nauseous and claustrophobic.  Poppet prayed with me which helped immensely. I fell asleep and awoke at 02.30 and was awake from then on, such fun. This ICU operates on one patient, one Nurse, the nurses were amazing.  Everything went well and I was discharged at midday on Friday.  My surgeon said there were many misfiring ventricles that she had to ablate.  There has not been much pain, rather more discomfort and bruising from the wound site (they go in through the groin ) and feeling like I have a stitch in my left side. These feeling are normal and it can apparently take three months for all symptoms to cease and become normal. Sooo, all that to say I have been told to rest, not lift or carry anything heavy etc. My kids are also being quite bossy and watchful in making sure I actually am resting.  I am, I am, I promise.😀

JB and I are have a girl day and catching up on our TV viewing and reading (Hubby is sailing for the day).  She is doing so much better under her new Doctor, in fact she is now battling with regular "lows" and getting her Insulin doses correct.  She has been living with 'high insulin' for so many years that it became the norm for her.  Folks Diabetes Type 1 is no joy ride.  Only living with someone who has it gives you a very small window into what they deal with on a daily basis.  Many people say "exercise" for some that causes a rise in Glucose levels. Eat meat/protein - can also cause a spike, and so it goes on. That is not counting into effect the needle pricks, constant counting and mental maths, having snacks that don't adversely affect your glucose. The effects of highs and lows on their body and overall health are on a different level.  Praise God for at last finding a Doctor who not only cares but takes action and stays in contact.

We were in Hout Bay as well, looking after the little Prince.  Oh my word, he grows daily and is developing such a personality.  He had his first haircut at the beginning of the month and already the curls are growing all over.  It might sound odd to most people but even at his age he has a sense of humour and keeps us entertained every minute.  Congratulations to the Bears on celebrating your 13th Anniversary, well done you two and may you have many, many more years of love, good health and adventures together, your are a testimony to all who know you.

Poppet had a short but good trip up to Pretoria with Princess, they managed to accomplish a huge amount and make many changes, for the better. My gorgeous Princess  has been through a torrid time but I am so proud of the way she has handled everything. God has you in the palm of His hand my precious girl, you have got this, Granny loves you.

Big guy is well, he had a good month business wise in signing off on a very important deal he has been negotiating. Well done Son. It is so good to see you happy and motivated.  We miss you and Princess down here .

 What's happening on the work / hobby front ?  Hmmpppfffff I have struggled with this blessed Penguin for Hooked in Luv.  I think I have started 6 or 7 times. they are either too small or one was actually life sized.  I was ready to pull my hair out never mind the wool.  Eventually  I found a nice looking pattern but it was a wee bit small.  After sitting for a whole day with different calculations trying to make it bigger I was thoroughly disenchanted with the whole thing.  Recalling as recent conversation with BigBear I got onto a reliable Ai site and copy/ pasted the pattern, what I wanted to achieve (all very politely) and asked  it to help me make it bigger and incorporate those changes into the shaping.  Boom, bang it took a couple of minutes and voila I had an amended pattern, just for me, whoop whoop.  When I have the energy that is my next and hopefully last try to get the Penguin crocheted and presented.  In the meantime on JB's suggestion I dug out a Quilt project which I started back during CoVid lockdown.  I had made a LOT of candlewicked embroidered squares with batting and although I knew what I wanted it to look like, I could never just get my head around it, and so it sat.  In a sudden burst of inspiration it came to me - I can crochet and therefore I don't need to sew them together using  lace but, I could crochet borders around each square and then join them together.  It is certainly going to take awhile because it is very work intensive, but it will, I hope, become something of an heirloom to be passed along.  In the light of that there is actually a load of 'work' ahead for me just with my hobbies, I am not even talking about my Diamond Dot Art and Adult Colouring in, reading back on this, I need lots of time hahaha.  The other major achievement this  past month was getting an old laptop which was passed onto me because it was so slow. I barely touched it because I don't have 35 mins to wait for it to boot up.  so out it came, I did a complete factory reset on it, defragged etc and whoo hoo  it is working, I am, typing on it right now.  I treated it to a nice laptop sleeve, cleaned it up and now this operator has to get back into the swing of using a laptop instead of a phone haha. no Sharon it is not a touch screen, use the mouse pad. 😂 It is really nice though to be able to type properly and quickly.

Gosh, a whole blog and not one word about the weather, what am I doing? 😃 The weather has been minimally cooler interspersed with mind numbing hot days.  Obviously living in the Cape the South Easter wind is our absolute friend.  Without it we roast. There have been moments (yes moments) like a hundred drops every now and then, which at least have caused the grass to grow and look greener.  It is officially Autumn but not that you would believe it.  Today for instance there is not a cloud in the sky and not a blade of grass moving.  During March the heat peaked to 50 C in some parts of the Western Cape and an average of 38 C plus for the rest.  I am a winter girl and always will be.

After all that news I am going to say Ciao Ciao for now.  I wish you all a very blessed month, there are no problems that God cannot fix, no hills too high to climb and remember if you have God you are never alone.  Deuteronomy 31 v 6 God says "Be strong and very courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them,  the LORD your God is the One who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you"

Quilt Square - 1 of about 42

Big Olly.

My Life's Winding Roads: February is history and March has arrived.

My Life's Winding Roads: February is history and March has arrived.: Good Morning world   from a blessedly cooler, damp little Village on the Cape coast.  We have had some rain on and off for about two weeks a...

February is history and March has arrived.

Good Morning world from a blessedly cooler, damp little Village on the Cape coast.  We have had some rain on and off for about two weeks and what a difference it makes. The humidity is still high but nature has responded to the change immediately. Our grass has grown in less than two weeks to ankle height and is actually green and not dry and crispy.  It is pure joy to hear the rain on the roof.

February was a short month in just about every respect, it felt like it just started and is now gone. As usual it was a busy month with work, family and just trying to keep up with daily life. we started off the month with a trip to Hout Bay, while BigBear was away in the USA.  This last trip was two weeks which [proved just a little too long for a certain little boy. Nevertheless we kept him and his Mama company and busy. We did a few outings, played lots of games, learnt new sounds and got LOTS of cuddles.  My Gran Gran heart was and is full.  He is now 18 months old and his  personality grows by the day. 

I had ended off January with having to wear a Holter device as I had been experiencing Syncope type episodes for months and had put it down to the heat and or Fibro. Hmmm when I mentioned it to my GP he was anything but impressed and ordered the Holter.

 This is a small device, much like a car remote which is attached to the middle of ones chest. It has electodes built in and for the duration that you wear it, records all your heart rythms and Blood Pressure.  I wore it for four days and actually felt like it had been a total waste of time and money.  Well apparently not. We arrived in Hout Bay on the wednesday (two days after removing it) and thursday evening I received a call from the Cardiologists rooms telling me to come in the following day.  I had just arrived on the other side of CT and  asked if it was possible to come in the following week.  Not a good suggestion as within minutes my GP was on the phone explaining that I was a Stage 3 Stroke Risk category and there was no such thing as waiting until the following week.  He duly set about making the appointment for the next day with the Cardiologist, this all took place at about 19.30 in the evening.  At the Cardio app the next day I had a heart sonar to check for clots, another sonar and then a stress ECG.  The upshot of all this was  firstly he asked how I got there, when I replied and said I drove, a very stern lecture was issued. No driving - I still had to get back to HB.  Apparently my heart has a little area next to the Left valve which allows blood to flow through as well as the through the Valve. I do not know the official name. On the other side the electrical impulses from the veins are irregular.  Medication was started immediately and i am due to see an Electrophysiologist on the 6th of this month to discuss an Ablation.  Since taking the meds my BP is more stable and I have had only a few fainting feelings.  This is nothing that God cannot heal and I am trusting Him for complete healing and His wisdom and guidance.  But, as you can imagine this kind of blew up the month a little bit as well as being a bit scary .

We were home for a week and then last week back to HB as it was MamaBear's turn to go to Jhb for work.  Our little Munchkin found it difficult but he is such a little star and was beside himself when she got home on Thursday evening. His little world was complete once again.

JB has also had some medical challenges and saw a new Dr last week who seems to totally understand the problem and has offered solutions and is now walking a road with her. She is a Type 1 Diabetic who is Insulin Resistant, it not an easy road to travel but, just in the last two weeks we have seen a radical change in her Glucose levels although at the same time her body has struggled to adapt to the change.  We are winning this battle in Jesus Name.

Big Guy is really enjoying his job and absolutely flourishing in it. Well done Son it is so good to see you happy and motivated.  Poppet is doing well and is currently up in Jhb with Princess who has been going through a very challenging personal situation.  One of the biggest blessings I see in my family's lives is their individual "villages" who are constant and always there when the situation calls for them.

Hubby has been busy with his sailing and an undetermined amount of clocks needing repair.  I am not sure even he knows how many are hanging in the garage.  He also had to do some work on his car this weekend.  We had taken his car to HB as we had to travel from there to Hermanus and back for JB's Dr appointment.  When leaving HB on Friday morning the gearbox felt like it was locked.  I had left the car in first gear because it was parked on a steep incline - i have always done this. Anyway we could not disengage from first gear until eventually BigBear released the handbrake and rolled back a little, this released it, BUT, thereafter first gear had become reverse. So we drove home using second gear in place of first. Apparently the "gear linkages" had moved and he was able to sort it out.  Whew talk about stressful - visions of needing to replace the gearbox had been my biggest concern.

As I sit and type this the rain is coming down and is honestly one of my favourite sounds.  We have truly had a brutal summer, all of our dams are very low and there as been talk of water restrictions, so every drop that falls is a miracle.  Meanwhile "up" country they have had nothing but rain, rain and even more rain.  I would be surprised to know if there has been one week during summer where no rain had fallen.

On my work front mending continues to come in, in a steady stream and I am now teaching JB how to do some of the sewing. With Hooked in Luv I finished a lovely Big Octopus to go with the whale and am busy working on a Penguin. Yesterday I even made a loaf of bread .... in line with my promise to myself to do more of what I love and break the treadmill of busyness.  During the week while in Hout Bay I managed to bake up a nice batch of Buttermilk Rusks as well, little Munchkin sees everyone with tea or coffee in the early morning and runs to the cupboard to get the rusks, all the while explaining in his very urgent and intense language what he is doing.  He absolutely loves to dunk his little rusk into a cup of tea and then proceeds to eat it with his little pinky out at an angle.

Folks that is what my month looked like, I sincerely hope most of you have had a quieter, less stressful, gentler month.  May March be kinder to us all and filled with blessings, healing and precious memories.  Ciao Caio for now, stay safe.

Cooling off in the pool, what a view

Curls that thousands would love 😍

Opal the Octopus

My Life's Winding Roads: January 2026

My Life's Winding Roads: January 2026:   Hi folks, what happened ? I suddenly just realised that today was the 1st and January was actually finished. Ho hum and here is me with my...

January 2026

 Hi folks, what happened ? I suddenly just realised that today was the 1st and January was actually finished. Ho hum and here is me with my ambitions to make more time for myself and tthe things that fulfill me ... I am getting there. Right now s l o w l y but I will get there.  January was, you guessed it, busy .  So much so that this morning I decided that I  need to make notes / bullet points somewhere on a weekly basis in order to remember everything I want to share here 😂

The weather - oh HELP it has been ridiculously hot, with really high humidity levels and, not a lot of wind.  The sun has been so intense that even thinking of getting into a pool is too hot. I kid you not.

We had Princess and Sunshine here for 2 nights (it went way too fast and was way too short). Such a special time and we packed in as much as possible.  As usual when they visit we played a card game every night. We know it as Nurch and it can get quite loud and energetic 😂.  Thinking back, Princess was 3 years old when we started playing and used to add to the chaos by climbing onto the table, 2such precious memories.  We did a girl's coffee date which was very special, to just sit and chat and catch up, a year is a long time to store up things to say and remember. A few months ago JB and I "discovered" a new, to us beach which can only be accessed at low tide. One of their nights here the wind miraculously dropped enough for us all to take a lovely walk.  It turns out that it is actually the bottom end of Main beach.  The tide was out, there were lots of shells to pick up, the sun was dropping.  Charlie came with and we realised that he gets absolutely frantic when the family is together but some walk ahead or onto the rocks, or lag behind. He barks and barks and goes crazy, which means he ends up in "air jail" - picked up by his harness. We walked along until we came to a small lagoon kind of sheltered between the dunes. It is not open to the sea at the moment and comes down from one of our three lakes.  We also saw a small, sadly, dead baby seal which had washed up to the water line. I reported immediately to the relevant authorities as there has been a serious outbreak of rabies among the seals here in the Cape.  At the end of the walk we figured we had walked about a kilometre. It was a super duper walk.  Princess had a dental appointment on Monday and in Wednesday had three wisdom teeth removed under general anaesthetic.  Praying for quick healing my angel  🙏🏻

JB and I also did two trips to Hout Bay. One really quick 2 day visit and then 2 weeks ago a week longer trip as Mama Bear had to go to Jhb for the week.  Our little Munchkin is growing so, so fast. His words are growing daily as well as his skills and everything else.  He runs fast, and is everywhere. Each visit is different and such a joy.  We tried to explain to him that Mama went to work in an aeroplane.  Thereafter whenever he saw a plane, he would point and say Mama. The child probably thinks when his parents go away they circle Hout Bay in an aeroplane all week 🤣. It was a very bookish week as that was what Munchkin was into.

This last week was busy with some sewing and getting personal mending done.  With regards to Hooked in Luv there is quite a lot in the pipeline. My web domain has been secured. I have added to the Hooded in Luv family with Willow the Whale as I want to expand  the range to include brothers and sisters and older children, even some adults haha.  Pic of Willow Whale below. 

Currently we are enjoying have Miss Muffet here from London, until Tuesday.  From here she spends time with other family. It has been a long time since we saw her and it is special catching up. We went for lunch at the Penguin Colony. The food was lousy but seeing the penguins is always special.

So as you can see it has been super busy and we landed in January running. This week we are off to HB again as PapaBear is in the USA. He just video called and apart from wearing four layers and a Norweigen snow jacket he is freezing. 

Folks some pics of the month below are and I will end off for now.  Have a super special February, stay healthy and safe.  Ciao ciao.

Walk on the beach with Grandkids.

The little cove where the lagoon is 

Little Munchkin got tired 

Hello Willow the Whale 

The penguins today

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All lined up for a photo 

My Life's Winding Roads: Happy New Year all and welcome 2026.

My Life's Winding Roads: Happy New Year all and welcome 2026.:   Good morning friends and family all around the world. I hope you all had a very peace filled and blessed Christmas.  As I write this we ar...