The day after Christmas and all is quite, at home.

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas for yesterday and hoping that you are all the enjoying Boxing Day.   Wow, I said it to my Hubby last night that after months and weeks of planning and running around, now it is all over so to speak.  My goodness me it has been busy and probably will continue to be for awhile, but at least for me the running around etc is over.

We had a very quiet Christmas Day spent with our girls and some friends who are new to South Africa, Poppet 'ejected' me from the kitchen yesterday and produced the most delicious Christmas lunch together with a mouth watering pudding.  We sat around chatting and just enjoying each other's company, especially having Jelly Bean around was a treat as she has been working unbelievably long hours and we've hardly had much time with her.  We had a video call with Big Guy in the morning, lovely messages from BigBear and BabyBear in Zanzibar, other calls with various family members so we managed to touch base with our nearest and dearest.

Jelly Bean worked again this morning  and the shops and beaches are absolutely crazy busy. There are literally thousands of people who flock to the beaches on Boxing Day and New Year's Day, and even though not too many of them are in the water they are on the beach.  As for us, we are staying home based until the crowds clear.  When I see the volumes of traffic and the hoards of people I just give God all the thanks for blessing us with our house in beautiful Betty's Bay, it is so quiet and tranquil........ It literally feeds my soul.

Friends, because it is holiday time and our last week consisted almost entirely of  preparations and things to do for Christmas I am going to keep today's Blog short and sweet.  Hubby dearest went for his final check up with the specialist last Wednesday and has been given the all clear and a good thumbs up to remove the sling (took it off yesterday) and has started his rehab exercises, we are so blessed that all is well and the operation was a success.

I am posting two pictures of Jasper who lived with the Christmas tree in total harmony until Christmas Eve when he decided that he belonged IN the tree and it took a united effort to actually get him out without destroying tree or presents.

From my family to yours we wish you a wonderful week and a very Happy New Year.  Please be safe wherever you go and if you are going to be celebrating the New Year please do so safely even if you appoint a designated driver to take you home.  Thank you for another year of your support and encouragement on this Blog, my prayer for each and every one of you is that 2018 will supercede this year in every possible way with good health, happiness, peace, love and prosperity.

Jasper trying to blend in.

Twas the week before Christmas

Hi folks, can you believe it is exactly one week to Christmas, how are you all doing in terms of preparations?  I can very happily say that I am finished with everything.  I actually managed to get everything on my list finished as well as all presents, just in time before Princess and Poppet arrived.  Shoooo, I will admit though that on Friday I definitely overdid things and am still paying the price.  Hubby darling and I dropped Jelly Bean at work at 8 am, had a quick breakfast and then got started.  We made eleven stops in total, as I had offered to help Princess and Jelly Bean with their shopping, at one point I was SO confused with trying to sort out who had what, and if I had purchased all the right gifts for the right people,  aaargghh, I truly felt like my brain had totally deserted me haha.  We did the grocery shopping, gift shopping, you name it we did it and eventually finished at 1.50pm, collected Jelly Bean and staggered home after 3 pm.

Our beautiful  girls arrived on Saturday together with BigBear and BabyBear who fetched them from the airport and after a special Express Christmas dinner we had a small gift opening, their gifts from us and to us.  Yesterday dawned with lovely cool weather and quite a strong wind, so we spent a slow, lazy day around the house. It is so good to have them here and watch them relaxing, I cannot believe it was eleven months since we were last together. Even with a big crowd like that though we really missed Big Guy, it felt very odd without him.

Needless to say it has taken Jasper until now to relax enough that he is sleeping next to me on the sofa, Mr Scaredy Cat spent most of the weekend prowling around and jumping at the slightest unusual sound.  Braveheart he is not!! 

BigBear and BabyBear leave on Friday for their holiday to Zanzibar and Big 

Guy is working right through the holidays as is Jelly Bean.  I am pretty sure that if both of them never see another customer they would be very happy, as we call it they are 'peopled out'.   The two girls are going with friends to do three Wine Farm tours this coming weekend and will be home again on Christmas Eve.  We have invited some precious friends over on Christmas Day and will be having a 'quiet' slow day here with a nice meal and everyone just relaxing.  

I would love to hear back from you guys  to hear what your plans are for Christmas Day?  I will not be posting a Blog on Monday but will catch up with you again next Tuesday.   My prayer for you all, wherever you are, is that you 

have a wonderful, blessed Christmas, enjoy the time with your family and friends, and be safe wherever you are.  2017 has been a very tough year and this is a beautiful time to focus on the good things that have happened,  to give thanks for all the answers to prayer and for the people you have in your lives.  

Merry Christmas  folks from us all in Betty's Bay.

Jasper and Gemma in holiday mode

From heatwave to gale force winds and rain

Good morning friends and family, well our countdown in now in the single digits and we have only five sleeps until the girls arrive for their holiday, I am so excited and very happy to say that I actually managed to get EVERYTHING on my list done. Maybe I am finally learning the art of pacing, it's been a few weeks of tackling one task at a time in preparation but I did it and am super chuffed. I'm paying somewhat of a price for all the busyness but praying that the pain and exhaustion will start to subside as things quieted down a little. It's been busy (but then when isn't it?), my darling Hubby is becoming more mobile, and frustrated with his lack of dexterity and the sling, but he is improving. Jelly Bean and the rest of the family are all exhausted with the end of year last minute deadlines, work issues, extra working hours and just a tough year coming to an end.

Last week we found ourselves in the grip of a fierce heatwave, which was most unusual for this part of the country, but oh my goodness it was HOTTT, Bettys Bay reached temperatures of 38c and we are one of the coolest places here, there was not a breath of wind, just baking heat which after five days turned itself around and on Saturday we awoke to rain, cold and gale force winds. Our two dogs were looking absolutely ragged and we managed to find a wonderful lady, right here in BB who groomed them, giving them both beautiful summer cuts. They came bouncing back into the house looking like they had been on holiday and then Sasha promptly collapsed on the concrete floor with both front legs stretched out and he back legs stretched out making sur not get every available square inch of skin on the cool floor. I have a very dear friend who moved to BB two years ago from Europoe and as she put it "Africa is definitely not for sissies." Haha isn't that just the truth.

This weekend we were so blessed to have BigBear and BabyBear over and they were able to really kick back and relax a bit. BabyBear has just finished a nine week stint of training up in Johannesburg, flying back every weekend and I think it was a good opportunity for her to begin relaxing and a bit of catch up. Because of the howling wind we didn't do an awful lot, we tried going to the beach yesterday and got about ten feet onto the sand before deciding that 'sandblasting' was not what we were into and scurried back to the car and relative peace of the house. It was so good to have them here and see them de-stressing. Our girls arrive on Saturday and then it is their turn to unwind, Poppet has been working until who knows what time every evening and through the weekends now for months, due to various situations at work, Princess finished her last year of Primary School, so holiday time is nigh. Big Guy is sadly not able to take time off for a visit as he is working right through the holidays, it will be the first Christmas in his 40 years that he will not celebrate with us, sniff, sniff. We will miss you Son, big time. BigBear and BabyBear will also not be with us on Christmas as they are going to exotic Zanzibar, enjoy guys we will celebrate 'Express Christmas' with you this coming weekend. The one common thread that I see with almost every person I know or come across is that this year has been really tough, and everyone's stress levels are at the very end of stretching point. Folks please take time to be kind to yourself, whether that means a quiet cup of coffee somewhere, a bubble bath, an hour to read a book, going for a walk, whatever it is try and take a few minutes every day to distress and focus on YOU. We cannot avoid the stress of daily life, but, we can try everything in our power to help ourselves cope just that little bit better and in so doing avoid total burnout. Let's also take time be sensitive to those around us who may be on the brink of burnout/depressed/not coping, etc. A hug, a kind word, an ear to just listen and allow them to vent, a prepared meal, offer to babysit kids for a couple of hours, all these things can and do make a person's whole day turn around. At this time of the year when families are mostly trying to be together, let's not ignore those who are not near family, are single parents, recently widowed or just plain lonely. I've been in that position and most of the time no one is even aware of what you are feeling or going through, my plea to you is to draw those folks in and share some love, isn't that what this season is all about?

Folks that is all for this week, I hope that the next two weeks will not be insanely crazy for you and that you can enjoy the Holiday period restfully. Please stay safe and aware of your surroundings wherever you go.

Some random pics from our week.
The Christmas decorations are up.


The blessed rain on Saturday


Jasper helping decorate the tree.

Three weeks to Christmas, are you ready?

Hi folks, December is here and we are on the final countdown to Christmas and the end of 2017, and for us that leaves twelve sleeps until our girls arrive for the holidays. Still lots to get done as I am sure all of you have as well, but somehow now that we are actually in December it feels a whole lot closer and perhaps just a little bit 'eeeeeek' how am I going to get it all done. I am pretty much on track as far as preparations for the girls visit but not quite so organized for Christmas presents, which is odd for me as I am usually finished all the shopping by now. It probably has a lot to do with the fact that Hubby dearest is not totally mobile and we have just not been able to set aside one day to get everything finished. This week for sure I will cross that task off my to do list.

Tomorrow also marks the one year anniversary of my precious little Kiko crossing over the rainbow bridge. Last year she took such great delight in helping me put up the Christmas tree but unfortunately never got to play with all the baubles, I have absolutely NO doubt that Jasper is going to have great fun with them this year, unless for some reason the tree scares him (which is totally possible haha), I have never before had a cat that gets such big frights for the smallest things, hmmmm perhaps I should put a moving reindeer or something under the tree, that way he will leave it alone? Kiko will alays hold a very special place in my heart as she was truly one of a kind, totally unique in every way.

As far as the weather is concerned we are having the strangest weather. As we are a winter rainfall area it is very strange to still be having rain at this time of the year, not unwelcome by any means, as far as I am concerned it could rain year round and I would be quite content. Late Saturday and on into most of yesterday morning we had glorious, soft rain and much cooler temperatures which were truly appreciated by my family at least. May it continue to rain as the drought here is severe and the water restrictions and limits are going to be sorely tested.

Last week was extremely busy with driving into town and back as Jelly Bean had shifts every day, this week she has two solid, back to back days off for which we are all extremely grateful. Although having said that for, the first time this morning we nearly got it wrong. I thought her shift was this afternoon and she said that is was this morning, so the alarms were set, we all got up and Hubby was going to go in with her and then visit a friend until she finished, which would have given me the day off as well. About ten minutes before departure time she double checked her roster and guess what ? She is on this afternoon hahahaha.

I must also share an extremely proud moment we had as a family last week when Princess's was named Victrix Ludurom at her school for 2017 and her name has been added to the Honours Board in the school Hall. Well done my angel, you worked so hard to achieve that Honour, even competing when you were ill, against all our advice. Well done to Poppet for doing such an amazing job as a Mom and for your support and encouragement in helping her to accomplish this goal. Next year as she moves on into High School it is the start of an entirely new chapter in her life with opportunities aplenty for her to continue making a name for herself on the sports field.

My darling Hubby had an appointment with the Surgeon last week, who is very happy with his progress and we have to return just before Christmas before he is able to remove the sling and begin some rehab exercises, three weeks down and three to go Sweetheart, you can do this. I am trying to capture every spare moment to rest because all the busyness has led to a Fibromyalgia flare of note, which is probably going to take some time to get under control.

Folks, I pray you all have an excellent week, manage to get all the things that need doing, done and even have some spare moments to 'smell the roses', admire your surroundings, take some time to refill your own batteries and get some breathing space before the final busyness overtakes you. Please stay safe out there and alays aware of your surroundings please.


Two pics in Memory of my beloved Kiko. The second taken today a year ago.

Be kind, it is infectious.

Good morning friends, I hope this finds you all well and coping with the run up to Christmas and the years end?  I am sure that this past week has been fairly hectic for everybody with all the preparations and planning that seem to take place as we head towards the end of 2017.   Our week was busy, but good busy, if that makes sense. Jelly Bean had every alternate day off which was greatly needed and appreciated by both of us and I actually managed to catch up on my baking and household chores that have been sadly neglected,Nineveh managed to make Dragon Drizzle.  This week in contrast is going to be very busy with her working every day, Hubby dearest needing to see the Specialist for a check up, and so the list goes on.

Little Princess has finished writing her exams and is almost officially finished with Primary School and moving on to  High School in January which is going to be a very big change for her, but one I have no doubt she will tackle head on and excel in.   My precious Hubby is recovering well and every day sees less pain and discomfort in his shoulder, he has found that wearing the sling strapped to his body is far more comfortable than just wearing the sling.  Two weeks down and four to go.  I have been quite challenged, pain wise so find myself taking every opportunity I can find to rest, even if it is just 10 minutes.  As for the rest of the family, they are all very busy with year end deadlines and what Big Guy calls the 'silly season', - he definitely sees much more of that with all the Christmas parties and company year end parties than the rest of us, thankfully :) 

As far as my timetable of 'to do' things, I am about 80% finished and am actively watching our count down clock to when the girls arrive - two weeks and four days woohooo, I cannot wait to see them.  Last week BigBear came through for the evening and we had a lovely family favourite for dinner (Moms Mac and Russians) and some good catch up time together, I truly cherish every second I have with the family and will snatch those moments whenever and wherever I can as I am sure most of you do with your families.  What happened to the time when families all lived in the same city and Sunday lunches were the norm????

Max and Sasha are currently staggering along the garden as there is a very strong South Easter blowing, inbetween standing firm they spend half of their time with their noses glued to the fence trying to spot the tortoise which has taken up residence next door.  When they do see him then they go berserk, actually biting the fence to try and reach him, as our neighbour said yesterday, at least they know where the tortoise is because our dogs make such a mission of keeping him in sight.  Jasper has been a very lazy cat, except for when he loses his favourite toy, still that ragged piece of paper.  When that happens he prowls around looking under the sofas and then looking at me, as much to say, please find it mom, when I do find it there is usually a very energetic time of play, stalk and catch until he scoots it under the chairs again, and so that cycle continues.  As for Gemma, she just does her own thing and can be found either on Jelly Bean's bed or snuggled down in the Fynbos somewhere becoming one with nature.  I came perilously close last week to 'fostering' two little kittens that our local Animal Shelter advertised, they are siblings and were both born with deformed front legs.  It nearly drove me crazy worrying about them until I went in to ask and found out they had been adopted out together to the same home and were leaving the following day.  I'm not sure what I would have done but I could not leave them there to be ignored or worse. So happy ending for them both.

Folks, as I said a very busy week ahead and I have to leave shortly to fetch Jelly Bean from work and sort out a few things in town.  I pray you ALL have a blessed week, hopefully you can avoid the craziness that seems to be everywhere.  I would like to 'challenge' each of my readers to make a sincere effort this week to spread some kindness and love to those you come in contact with.  One gentle /kind / friendly word can totally transform someone's day, so let's see how many people we can impart peace and kindness to.  Please take care out there and stay safe.

Jasper stopping to say hi hehe

Happy Thanksgiving.

Wishing all of my readers and friends in the

U S A  a wonderful, happy, peace filled

and safe Thanksgiving.

Thank you for your

support.

Crazy week, crazy weather

Greetings all from a VERY windy Betty's Bay, currently the wind is blowing a gale which means I keep having to check on my washing to make sure it hasn't blown away, quite literally.  I trust you all had a good week and are ready for this one ahead.  At this stage my week is looking a LOT better than last week and I am going to do my best that it stays that way.  Hubby's op went very well, the Surgeon repaired two tears and he was able to come home the following day.  His pain levels have been pretty manageable so far except for Friday when he went into town with us, personally I think it was just a bit much.  I am doing a LOT of driving with Jelly Bean to work and back, although she drives on way each time which helps immensely, her first time driving at night was in the pouring rain with the two of us both straining forward to see where we were going haha, talk about the blind leading the blind.  I will confess that not too much creativity has been taking place in the house as I have just been too tired and busy, so a lot of salads for dinner.  On Friday Jelly Bean had the first part of Root Canal in her problem tooth hich has happily stopped the pain, and we then went into town using my car.  Oh dear ........ I've had this car for about four years and not once have we had to do any repairs on it, until Friday, just as we got into town it sounded like I had driven over some wire, so I pulled over and we checked under the car - nothing, my darling. Hubby then opened the bonnet and there, flapping around, was a third of my fan belt which had stripped loose.  We managed to cut the loose piece off and very cautiously continued with all our chores.  We are so used to Hubby doing all the vehicle repairs and maintenance that the thought of having it replaced in town never even crossed our minds.  We did organise with friends that should it come off completely they would come and tow us home.  Only on the way home after Hubby decided to buy a new belt did we even think of having someone replace it, we found a company around the corner and within half an hour were back on the road.  Woohooo.  Yesterday we went into town but happily not for work and while Jelly Bean was at the movies we had a lovely coffee and scones and then went to visit friends for an hour before coming home and collapsing.  Today she is off and we all decided that not one of us is leaving the
property hahaha.

Jasper is still carting his little piece of paper around and hiding it, which means he keeps coming to me to help him find it because it has gone under the chairs or some other impossibly small space.  I even had enough energy this morning to make som savoury which was an achievement all on its own.  I do not know why but it seems that the closer we get to Christmas the  faster the weeks seem to fly past.  In three and a half weeks our girls will be here for a MUCH needed holiday break and family time, Hubby will be in a sling for the next five weeks, so right up to Christmas of not being allowed to move/use his arm, but then he will be as good as new.

Apart from the travelling and 'nursing' not much else of interest this past week in my life, BUT, I would like to end off by encouraging those of you who are going through tough times and turmoil to please hang in there.  2017 has been a particularly rough year for many people and now that the pace
has picked up and barrelling  to an end, pressures are mounting up, deadlines have to be kept, work needsto be completed, exams are being written, finances are tight and just in general a lot of people are taking strain.  Please don't give up or allow the pressures to overcome you, YOU are bigger than any problem that comes your way.  God is bigger and more powerful than ANY challenge thrown your way,  the Holy Spirit is your constant companion and guide.  The best advice I can give is to push on through prayer, positive words and thoughts, try not to overthink every situation and allow God to work in your life and circumstances.  As long as you are worrying and trying to fix things His hands are tied.  Please take a moment to go and read Matthew Chapter 6 v 25 - 27 and Matthew 21 v 21,22 and Matthew 7v 7.  God will not let you down, He says in His word that in Him we have protection and provision. John 10 v 10.  I know how hard it is let go and have faith but I have been 'there' so many times that I can with assurance that God will ALWAYS come through for you if you believe in and trust Him.

Have a fantastic week folks, be good to yourself and always stay safe please.  Thank you for your continued support on this Blog and in my life.

Some photos taken last week on my travels.

My life has been on fast forward.

Good afternoon friends, at last a few minutes to catch up and sit down.  This past week has been like a circus in our house with the build up to my precious Hubby's surgery and getting everything ready and organised for December.  I'm actually feeling like I have been on a treadmill which I could not turn off.   Needless to say things have been even more chaotic than normal....... Hmmmm I still haven't found our 'normal'.  We managed to get all the organising and repacking finished in preparation for the Christmas holidays and for when the 'girls' arrive, my list is nowhere near complete but it's also far more manageable now.

Hubby Darling had his shoulder surgery this morning and after what seemed like forever, the Doctor telephoned me to say that it had gone very well and as soon as he was awake they would bring him back to the ward.  Jelly Bean and I spent the morning there and it was such a relief to see them wheeling him back, definitely a little 'out of it' but now it is time for the healing to take place.  He is still on oxygen as his 'sats' dropped a bit during his time in theatre and tomorrow morning we will be able to bring him home.  It's going to be quite an adjustment for him not using his right arm at all and having to cope with being left handed, fun times ahead .

For the last two weeks or so Jelly Bean has been struggling with a sore throat and mouth and it didn't even occur to us until last night that the problem wasn't just a sore throat, it turns out she has a really bad access under one of her teeth, she is now on an antibiotic and we are praying for a quick recovery for her as well.  In true style we as a family never do things in half measures and I had to see the Medical Sister at the same time because last Thursday evening Jasper and I had an encounter - his teeth into the back of my hand.  I went for a Tetanus injection on Friday and between the bite and the injection find myself in a Fibromyalgia Flare of note, this plus the fact that my hand is red, swollen and very sore sent me packing to the Sister with Jelly Bean and lo and behold I am also now on an antibiotic and probiotic.  Woohooo ..... NOT !!!!!

YThe rest of the family are doing well, Princess starts year end exams tomorrow at school, and BabyBear's granny passed away ten days ago which meant that she and BigBear flew to Bloemfontein for the funeral and some family time over the weekend.  Last night we had dinner with some friends of ours here in BB and what a super evening it was.  Traditional pizza and pasta made the traditional Italian way, good Prosecu and fabulous company, what could be better?  Right now it is busy raining after a week of stifling heat and humidity, which as you can guess now makes me a VERY  happy camper.

Folks, I have much to do and will end off with prayers for you all to have a super week,  Just remember - Tomorrow is not guaranteed so always make the most of today.  Be safe out there please with love from Betty's Bay.

A picture I took back in September whilst on a lovely beach walk.

Another not so nice little visitor we found in the house a couple of weeks ago

A busy week ahead

Greetings friends I hope everyone is well? Is it my imagination or are the weeks flying past ? It sure feels like 2017 is in a big hurry to come to an end. As for us we are very busy trying to get all 'things' in order before our girls arrive in December and before my Darling Hubby has to have surgery. He has had all the tests and we finally saw the Specialist last week who made the decision to operate. That is scheduled for this coming Monday the 13th, it turns out there is quite a bit of damage in his shoulder which he surmises happened at the first injury where the 'long tendon' which attaches to the shoulder was torn and has completely detached, this has resulted in damage to the Rotator Cuff Tendons. Apparently there is no need, in Hubby's case to try and re-attach the long tendon as his strength is not compromised and the pain involved in trying to re-attach it is not worth it just for the 'cosmetic' look. What the Doctor is going to do is completely clean, repair and re-attach the Rotator Cuff Tendon and if possible just place the Long Tendon into its 'normal' groove. He will be in hospital for one night and will have to wear a sling for 6 weeks making sure to keep his arm close to his body. Hence the reason for the busy week ahead as we sort out the caravan and re-arrange bags in storage, transferring things to the 'van', once this is all done my pressure is off as far as the girls visit is concerned and I can then concentrate on getting my Precious Hubby healed. There will obviously be other preparations to be made but the heavy things will be finished.

I have just returned home from taking Jelly Bean into work and yet again find myself giving thanks to God that we chose to live in Betty's Bay, it is always cooler this side of the mountains, getting out of the car in Somerset West is like stepping into an oven, ughh. She is driving so well that I am about to book a final lesson for her and then book her Drivers License Test, which will also help whilst Hubby is out of commission as it will leave me doing double trips until then. Apart from Big Guy have a bad dose of flu and everyone else being constantly busy the family are all well. BigBear launched a new company last week which is a very unique concept, they have formed a company whereby people can hire/rent sporting and adventure goods down here in the Cape when on holiday or even if they want to try something out before committing to purchasing the equipment. The response so far has been fantastic and we expect it to continue the momentum as people spread the word. All goods from tennis racquets to tents, caravans, surf boards, wet suits, even a Harley Davidson (which was the first item advertised with the launch, are insured, given the amount of tourists and holiday makers that visit here this company, GoGet, is providing a huge service. We wish them only success and growth as this baby grows

I was delighted to hear on the news a bit earlier that due to a very gusty, strong, south easter wind which has been blowing since yesterday there were very few major disasters with yesterday being November 5th, apparently most of the twelve designated Fireworks display events were closed early, there were 22 injuries but no major fires and I pray no animals injured. We here in BB had not even one cracker going off, except for one on Saturday morning, last night was silent and peaceful.

Friends I am posting a short video which I took of Jasper this morning playing with his favourite toy, the cut off top of a dog food packet, haha. He has carried his 'toy' from one corner to another for over a month, he is constantly losing it as he scoots it under the sofas to keep it safe, but then I am always needed to dig it out. This morning I looked at him and asked him where his toy was, he immediately looked at the cat wand, his next favourite toy and what I use to retrieve his paper with, walked over to it, looked at me and then went and stood behind the sofa, eventually when I found his toy, with great excitement he began his antics. This cat totally has my heart in his paws and as Hubby says, he knows it. When I bake he has to sit right next to the bowl and inspect EVERY ingredient as it goes in, quite the little busybody.

Apart from asking you for your prayers for Hubby's operation and quick recovery folks, I am going to end off for this week and wish you an excellent week. I would like to encourage you with this thought  - in the your encounters with people this week, let's spread love and kindness. It is so easy to get frustrated with other people whether it is in the shops, at work, at school or anywhere, but before
saying anything just take a moment to think whether the person you are frustrated with is having a bad day, not feeling well, dealing with something no one knows about. It is so easy to greet people with a smile and be polite and pleasant, instead so many people take out their frustration on whoever it is and then it becomes a vicious cycle. We can change a persons whole day just by kindness, being polite and considerate. Stay safe out there and make good memories.

Jasper at play.

Twilight Markets and Ninja Cats

Good morning all, I trust this Blog finds everyone well. Currently we are having a hot day fanned by the famous Cape Doctor, south easter wind, definitely not my favourite temperatures, I am definitely a cold weather girl. Well, this last week has been fairly tame in comparison to the previous week's high jinx. Jasper has more or less behaved himself, he will always be a source of entertainment just by who he is but there were no major incidents other than him cuddling up with me last week and then going from purr machine to 'ninja cat' in minus zero seconds. The outcome of that little episode was the usual blood loss from my arm and Jelly Bean informing me that to look at my arm people would think I am a drug addict #facepalm. I have absolutely NO clue what brings on these 'ninja sessions' but trust me I try everything to avoid them haha. The dogs have just finished off a marathon s session of barking and frantic digging/biting at the fence, the cause - a tortoise next door.

Hubby dearest is busy having a sonar scan of his shoulder which he hurt almost a year ago. He's been for Physio, had injections etc and is now booked to see a Specialist on Wednesday. Jelly Bean is having a tough time at the moment as they are very short staffed at work and are having a sale as well, so she has worked ten days straight with no time off in sight until next week. The rest of the family are well with Princess getting ready to start year end exams, Poppet is having her six month check up, BabyBear is on week four of nine with a training course up in Johannesburg, Praise the Lord her company fly her home every weekend. BIg Guy is in the beginning stages of 'silly season' at work and BigBear is about to launch a new business venture on Wednesday, hmmmm seems Wednesday is quite a day for the family. Miss Muffet and family are also well although facing a challenge of the automobile variety. They were going away for the weekend and not too far from home their car's engine seized, they were able to have it towed back to a local garage and continued their trip with a hired car.

On Friday for the first time in ages I had enough energy and went shopping with my darling Hubby, we took Jelly Bean into work and then caught up on a whole lot of errands and shopping, lastly we went to visit a Twilight Market held on one of the Wine farms in the area. What a delightful evening we had. The entire Market is under a roof so the weather does not affect trading, and it is obviously a very well known and loved event. They had an enormous variety of food stalls covering just about every cuisine, in addition to some specialty stalls selling clothes, jewellary, gifts etc. I could not believe the amount of people there, it was full with a constant flow of visitors, they had a live band playing as well as a small Vintage Car Museum, masses of tables and a really nice atmosphere. We looked at all the stalls and the cars, then being spoiled for choice could not decide which food to eat LOL. Eventually Hubby dearest had a Bratwurst dog with Sauerkraut and I opted for a 'build your own salad' at an Egyptian stall, totally delicious it all was. I do believe I need to try and learn how to make Falafel Yummm.

At last peace reigns, the tortoise must have moved away, dogs are quite, Jasper is sleeping and I can hear the birds all twittering against the backdrop of the waves, for me sheer bliss. just a quick request, if ANYONE has a good recipe for Gluten Free bread that tastes better than cardboard or not like cake, please, please would you forward it to me, I would be truly grateful. On that note I am going to say Ciao for now, I wish you a beautiful week and please stay safe out there.

Pics of the Twilight Market.



Lastly a lady selling all varieties of Proteas at amazing prices. These red one are Pincushion Proteas

My life is certainly NOT dull.

Hi folks I don't know about you but our lives seem to be galloping along at the moment. Wow what a busy week we've had with one thing and another. Happily my darling Hubby returned safely last Tusday evening after a very long trip, towing the caravan for 17 hours straight. Apart from me being really ill whilst he was away, Jasper decided that our lives are not interesting enough and oh my word was he on a roll. From tipping over the small rubbish bin in our room looking for sweet papers, he found a new game. On Monday morning I noticed an egg shell lying on the floor and thought he'd pulled it out of the trash can, later that night when Jelly Bean and I got home from work we walked in to find he had discovered that by pushing on the side of the basket where I keep eggs in he could tap and roll them around which he proceeded to do one by one right off the fridge on three sides. We found and had to clean up the remains and mess of 5 smashed eggs, anyone who knows me will know that I cannot stand the smell of eggs, all the while being supervised by the guilty cat, needless to say the eggs are no longer on top of the fridge. Then on Monday (what a day) a poor, unsuspecting Rock Pidgeon fell off the top of the chimney and straight down into the fireplace, the problem was that last year we installed a cast iron stove into said fireplace and sealed up the bottom end of the chimney. The resulting drama was one totally freaked out/terrified cat who promptly ran into the bedroom where he jumped at the window and managed to tear the voile curtain - strike three. After trying everything there was no way to release the Pidgeon until eventually Hubby had to completely dismantle the coal stove and pipes, then we had to coax Mr Rock Pidgeon out, he was perfectly healthy in no hurry to come out, but eventually we managed to reach him and he flew off with speed.


With the trip behind him and the caravan now safely in place next to the house, Hubby and I were able to sit down and catch up only to disvocer that we had been charged three times more than quoted by the dealership for the replacement of a shock absorber on the caravan. The shock absorber would appear to be the exact same one that was already on the caravan. Our specially purchased and fitted thick mattress has also been replaced by a very cheap, very thin mattress, this is apparently because the yard dogs got into the caravan one night (how if it is in storage and closed ?) and chewed and ripped our mattress. When we asked why they had never contacted us to discuss this matter and the shock absorber we were met with silence and no further communication or apologies. We have since posted this entire episode on social media, their web sites, the National Caravan Magazine and a retail complaints site. I truly believe we are living in a time where integrity and customer service is in very short supply.

It is so very, very good to have my precious Hubby back home and being back into the normal routine of life. We now have to pull things down from storage and turn the caravan back into a third bedroom, it's one of those tasks that is going to take awhile and as Hubby dearest has had an ongoing sore shoulder I have not had the heart to get him pulling heavy things down, it will happen soon and long before our girls arrive for the Christmas holidays. This year Christmas is going to be very different for all of us as BigBear and BabyBear are going out of country for the holidays and Big Guy has to work so it will be the first Christmas that we won't all be together, sniff, sniff. Even so I really need to get the ball rolling and start getting myself organised and ready for the holidays.

Folks this was just a quick summary of the highlights of our past week, I am truly praying for a much more relaxed, peaceful week ahead. My prayers for you are the same, have a fabulous week, make memories and stay safe please.



Jasper trying to figure out what is in the chimney.


And now butter wouldn't melt in his mouth.

A blustery, cold and wet day

Greetings from a cold, wet and blustery Bettys Bay, having said that I can imagine some of you wondering how on earth we are in the middle of the worst drought in decades and yet I always seem to be saying it is raining. For some reason because of how we are situated geographically we get a lot more rain than Cape Town, we ALWAYS have lower temperatures than the other side of the mountain, we also get our water from a dam that only supplies our four little villages. Cape Town on the other hand has just released statistics that unless things change drastically they will run out of water completely by March of 2018. I am not going to go into how this has been allowed to happen as that will undoubtedly take a nasty political turn. At the moment they have and are introducing lower regulated water pressures, water shedding in some places, public swimming baths have been closed and continual pleas for residents to use less than 80 litres of water per person, per day. The hotels and B & B's have taken measures where guests are concerned to remove plugs fron baths and basins, timers on shower taps etc, it all seems so crazy considering that this part of the Province is surrounded by ocean on three sides. Plans to build a de-salination plant have been drawn but it will take at least 18 months to complete and considering that the Cape is one of if not South Africa's biggest tourist attractions, with December and the summer coming up there is much, very warranted concern. Our beautiful Province needs a miracle desperately.

As I write today's Blog my precious Hubby is 1300 kilometres away in Gauteng. We have a caravan which we left there in order to sell which has not happened and so he and a friend of ours left here yesterday morning at 4am driving straight through, he arrived at Poppets house last night just after 7 pm. Two exhausted men given the fact that a couple of hours out of Johannesburg the car seemed to be shaking, by looking out of the windows were able to see that the one tyre had a problem. They stopped and discovered that it had a 'bubble' on the underside of the tyre tread and not on the sidewall as it usually happens, so they stopped and changed to the spare to complete the journey. It was only the Lord who kept it from bursting and the many prayers for their safety and protection. Today Hubby dearest is collecting the caravan, making sure everything is perfect, purchasing a new tyre and they will leave tomorrow morning at 4am again to return home. Princess messaged me last night to say, "I am sure Dad's ears are sore because Princess did not stop talking for one second." Shame, on Saturday whilst we were discussing the December holidays and how long it's been since we saw each other she said "Granny I can't do 'this' another year, I HAVE to see you more often". Bless her heart, I feel exactly the same. Yesterday our eldest Grandson (6) in the UK took a tumble off a skate board, so he is sitting with a nasty graze on his nose, Oh the joys of raising kids.

Last week I managed, can you believe it - to bake bread, rusks and get all my other piled up chores completed. I obviously never learn though, because I was feeling great I ploughed through and did everything in one day, not the best idea I've ever had, as I am still paying the price. Well, at least I got it ALL done.

Friends I truly value and appreciate each and every one of you for your support, and encouragement and prayers, you folks are stars. As you enter into this week may it be with a heart full of peace and expectancy, wisdom for every situation you are faced with and a joy that knows no bounds. Please stay safe wherever you are and keep up the good fight.

A breathtaking sunset last week over the mountain behind us.

Birthdays, braais and laughter

Good morning beautiful people, I suddenly realised this morning when my Hubby mentioned something about November just how close Christmas is. What on earth has happened to this year that it has gone by so fast? I am going to have to get myself into gear and start planning for Christmas, if I am truly honest I can't say that it feels like Christmas is on the horizon. I am not going to say the usual that last week was quiet because it was anything but, between Poppet's birthday last Tuesday and my handsome Hubby on Thursday, multiple Doctors visits for Jelly Bean and I it seems to have been a painful blur.

The birthdays both were celebrated in true family style with Poppet being blessed with gift/flower deliveries and all the spoiling that Princess had planned, I know we weren't there but I think we all managed to make her feel special. Handsome Hubby had a somewhat quieter day, we went for breakfast and coffee at a new little shop that has opened up here (one of four new businesses to open in the last month) and then we went out with BigBear and BabyBear for a delicious dinner on the seafront in Strand. In between all these occasions Jelly Bean and I were both at the Doctor, her for a bad dose of Sinusitis and me with the ongoing infection. Yesterday and today are the first days that I have felt even remotely 'normal' in close on a month, Jelly Bean is much better Praise the Lord and I feel as if I am at last on the mend although we are still waiting for lab results to come back. I actually said to my Hubby yesterday, and this will sounds really strange to some of you, but it feels 'good' to be back to my 'normal' Fibromyalgia symptoms, these I can deal with.

On Saturday we had some friends over for a Braai and happily the rain held off long enough and everyone seemed to enjoy their evening, for our international friends this was their first South African Braai, if I had known that I would have done more of the traditional dishes as well, next time guys. Yesterday apart from the drive into work we had a totally lazy day in the most wonderful, cool, rainy weather. Today is still cold and every now and then there is a short downfall so may it continue, every drop of rain we get is desperately needed.

To our great delight we have now seen whales three times, mostly just floating around and the one actually came up out of the water but did not breach completely, when we drive into town everyone's eyes are glued to the water looking for signs of the whales and dolphins. There are a lot of Baboons here in the Cape and they can cause a lot of damage and havoc, mostly we see them on the coastal road along the mountainside. They sit on the side or even in the road and play, usually bringing traffic almost to a stand still, in some cases and to our great annoyance a car will just stop dead in the middle of the road, no hazard lights, just STOP so they can look at the animals, aaaarrgghhhh it drives me crazy. Yesterday coming home Jelly Bean was driving and just happened to see one of the teenage baboons coming down the cliff face just in front of us, it lost its hold and took a bit of a tumble but managed to grab hold onto something to avoid a complete fall. No one can ever say it is boring living in this beautiful part of our country.

Hopefully this week I can get back into my stride with making some Rusks and bread, it's been awhile since I have baked anything and I'm hoping the results will be edible, trust me sometimes even though I do exactly the same thing, it turns out very strangely hahaha.

On a very funny note we came home one day last week and when Max ran down the driveway to greet Hubby, he was running so fast (bearing in mind he is a small Yorkie) he somehow tripped and literally rolled head over tail twice before stopping and then quickly looking around to see who had noticed, we nearly collapsed laughing and he just looked at embarrassed. Jasper still continues to entertain us with his antics and precious personality, he still hides from the big red monster of a vacuum cleaner, he still runs full speed down the room even though he knows he cannot stop in time. Last week I just happened to witness exactly how he stops, he was running and realised he was about to run into an oak box I have so as he started braking he put his front paws up like a high five against the box and then his rear end slid around to join the rest of him. It is like living in a circus here at times.

Friends I sincerely wish each of you a wonderful week, may it be peaceful, productive and just generally a good week. We have a saying in our family when a day goes pear shaped or takes a nasty turn, we say "Fluff that tutu out and go dancing". Please stay safe on the roads and always be aware of your surroundings.


Gemma and Jasper lounging around in the cooler weather

Are you making a difference ?

Good afternoon folks can you believe that it is already October, where has this year gone ? We are now in the final quarter of the year and as many people here call it the silly season, and with it comes reckless driving, office parties, Christmas parties, school leavers graduating etc, and along with all that comes, for many people loneliness and further stress. Because this has been a really hard year for so many people I would like to ask each of my readers to be sensitive to those around you whether it is at work, school, family, church, anywhere, there will be and are people who are struggling on various levels. Please can we step alongside of someone who is hurting or struggling and encourage them, try and help them, include them and just generally let them know that they are valuable and precious as individuals, a little recognition and appreciation goes far further than you can imagine. From experience I can say with assurance that many people who are struggling or facing challenges will hardly ever tell you or ask for help, which in turn makes them feel even more isolated. My heart goes out to the elderly and especially the single parents in particular single moms, they are faced with school prize givings, plays and parties, office get togethers, many of which just they either avoid going to or they do attend but feel invisible. The list could and does go on and on of those people who just need someone to reach out to them and show some kindness, it could be taking someone for coffee, or taking them shopping, perhaps offering to babysit so the parent can go shopping or attend the office event, just dropping off a cake or chocolate with a hug can totally turn a persons day around. Friends I'm not suggesting that you go out and be extravagant, it's the small things that show you care. It is one way we as individuals can make a difference in this crazy world we live in.

It's been a quiet and somewhat frustrating week for me health wise, after the fall I had two weeks ago I just steadily felt worse and worse. My Blood Pressure was all over the show, every time I stood up I wanted to faint along with continuous nausea aargh. Eventually on Friday I surrendered and went to see the Doctor who very quickly determined that I had a rampant bladder infection (with none of the usual symptoms), she prescribed a once off antibiotic which I took and only today can I say that I feel as if I am on the mend. For the first time I can stand without wanting to pass out and without the constant nausea, my kidneys are sore but I am drinking water by the litre and doing everything else I know to do, I am on the mend yaaaay. On Thursday last week my ever patient and loving Hubby and I had to go into Caledon for some business and whilst we were there we took the time to go and look at the Hotel which has Hot Spring Pools, oh my word, they have five or six pools of varying sizes and temperatures ranging from about 25c to 46c, because they are mineral springs these waters are packed full of goodness, it's on my 'to do list' for as soon as possible, I am going to go and soak in all the goodness of those minerals. We then stopped for lunch on the Pass at a beautiful restaurant where we had a delicious lunch before going down into Somerset West to fetch Jelly Bean. Every day that I live here I thank God for the blessing of living here with the beautiful ocean and the huge mountains, whoever I look I can see one or the other or both at the same time. As I sit typing this I am listening to the sound of the waves and a myriad of birds that are all singing, today has turned out to be one of those 'perfect' days in the Cape, a gentle breeze and blue skies above us. Tomorrow is predicted to be gale force winds and rain, there are no two days here the same which is just another reason we love it so much.

Tomorrow is Poppets birthday which is bittersweet for us as we would so love to be there with her and Princess to celebrate, but at this point we are storing up celebrations for December when we are all together. Thursday is My darling Hubby's birthdsy so I am predicting a slightly busier week than the last few hehe. Hopefully this week I can actually accomplish some tasks and get some things done that need attending to in the house.

Friends on that note I am going to say Ciao for now, thank you for your continued support and encouragement on this Blog. I wish you a week of accomplished tasks, caring family and friends, peace in your workplace and home and God's provision, wherever you go please stay safe.

My view from the deck as I sit here.

Loving the sound of the rain.

Good afternoon folks, I sit typing this Blog to the sound of rain pouring down on the roof which is just about one of the best sounds in the world, apart from the fact that we are in a severe drought and every drop is precious. It is also the last day of a long weekend which means that there are very heavy traffic flows on all roads, it took Jelly Bean and I one hour twenty minutes to get her into work, a trip which usually takes an hour max, why you may ask ? Because there are protests on the main highway in and out of the Somerset West which means that ALL traffic is being re-routed through the suburbs. Oh for peace in this country.

I am really pleased that we are starting a new week as last week was somewhat challenging for me. Last Monday evening we noticed that there were a couple of puddles of water in the kitchen, not perturbed my precious Hubby took some kitchen towels and put them down to start mop up, I saw him do this and still commented to Jelly Bean that the paper towel became the same colour as the floor when it's wet, then promptly turned around and walked across the room and ....... fell flat on the ground on my hip and hand. Thankfully nothing broken for which I am eternally grateful, just bruises and I must have sprained my wrist. This resulted in me not being very mobile and quite restricted in what I could do one handed. Happily I am now much more functional and healing although adding the Fibro into the mix hasn't been much fun, the joys of growing older. Oh and the cause of the pools of water ? Our dear, sweet, intelligent dogs not asking to go out and thinking they would melt in the rain.

Our little Princess again 'cleaned up' at the last athletic event for the season which was an Inter School involving twenty four schools. She won Gold for High Jump, Sprints, Relay and Hurdles and Silver for Shotput. Well done Angel you are indeed a true star and our pride and joy is without measure. You are going to need a very big rack to hang all these medals on, perhaps we should have a chat with Grandpa and see how we can fix that?

The rest of the family are all well, although I am convinced that I raised a tribe of workaholics, December is coming guys and with it so are the holidays and hopefully lots of rest and relaxing for all. I look around me and see I see just how tough this year has been for so many people, tough in so many ways and it seems like this is the trend just about all over the world. All I can do is to encourage those of you who are stressed, scared, unwell, having troubles at work or within your families, please don't give up. One of the scriptures that has enabled me to keep going through times of extreme stress and problems is JEREMIAH 29 v 11 God's promise to each one of us "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future." There were days, weeks, months, years where I had that scripture written out and I would keep quoting it out aloud rather be than meditating on the actual problems which never helped anyway. Does speaking it out aloud make it 'magical' and everything goes away? No, BUT, it does take your concentration off the problem/challenge and helps one to focus on hope and solutions. It doesn't happen overnight no matter how much we want it to, BUT the tough times don't last forever either and if we put our trust in God, and despite everything that I have survived, He never fails or disappoints. In our family especially amongst the girls, we have two sayings - 'Go out there and fluff that tutu girl' and/or 'Put your big girl panties on and face the day.' They may sound silly but they help us to refocus away from the problem as well as make us laugh. Perhaps you are challenge free at the moment, but I can guarantee you know of someone who is going through a hard time, please reach out to those people with love. Whether it's a cup of coffee, a visit or phone call, pick a flower, a small gift or even groceries or fuel for their vehicle, that is what we are here on this planet for, to minister to others and show them love and acceptance.

Folks that is all for this week, please wherever you are stay safe and always be alert to your surroundings, especially avoid the puddles of water haha. If there is something you would like me to pray for please just send me a message or comment (these are not published unless I make them visible) and I will gladly hold you up in prayer.

JER 29 v 11

A tumultuous week for sure

Good afternoon folks I trust today finds you well and ready to tackle the new week. I for one am looking forward to a hopefully calm and peaceful week, after all the chaos and ugliness from last week I am sure every resident is feeling the same way. The protest Action that I mentioned in my last Blog continued in Kleinmond escalating into full blown riots, literally shutting down the little town completely. All businesses, doctors and schools etc were closed, as were the roads leading into and out of town. Residents were asked to stay in their homes in order to maintain some semblance of order where possible. It looked like scenes from a war movie as piles of vehicle tyres and rubbish were set alight and burned all along the streets, at one point a fire was started on the mountain (in a very strong wind), happily it was brought under control fairly quickly. What really saddens me is how situations like this bring out either the best in people or, usually the very worst and I think it would be safe to say that a lot of ugliness reared up which did absolutely nothing to help the situation or ease any of the stress. The roads were closed at Gordons Bay and on the Hermanus intersection which caused no end of problems for residents of the neighboring villages, we decided to take a chance and took Jelly Bean through to work which meant we were stopped at the road block and allowed through, coming home we had to clarify where we live and were cautioned to go slowly. Yaaaay the joys of life.

As you can probably guess there was no exploring or getting out and about, pretty much a home based week for us. Hubby managed to find a gap and deliver the last of the bookshelves to delighted clients, a friend and I braved the weather and the wind on Thursday and took a lovely walk along Silversands Beach which was like a good dose of medicine. On Friday night we had some friends over for an evening of lighthearted fun and a good meal. It was freezing cold which means we needed no excuse to make a roaring fire, I made a big pot of Punjabi Dal Makhani (lentil curry) with Roti's together with a specially paired red wine and we were set. About ten minutes into our meal the power went off and stayed off, oh joy, candles and led torches were found and our dinner went without further incident, after which we hauled out the playing cards and taught our guests how to play Nurch. This card game has the tendency to get quite loud and uncontrollable haha Friday night was no exception, we played until about 12.30 am which is when the torches started fading hahaha. All in all a fantastic evening and definitely one to be repeated. On Sunday morning parts of Bettys Bay were awoken at about 4.30 am to a fire right on their doorstep, at this point there is no news as to what started the fire and again huge kudos go out to the authorities who act so quickly and efficiently in our area, it took a couple of hours but this fire too was extinguished with no damage to homes or residents, it did however leave the entire area without electricity as the power lines were compromised. We had been discussing selling our generator because. the power supply here in the Western Cape is so steady and reliable, I think we will be keeping our generator BUT in future it will be filled and ready to use haha, this weekend it was empty and the petrol station was closed due to the power outage #facepalm. The moral of the story for us is, make sure the candles, torches and generator are all easily available and charged ready to go. It intrigues me how people are so unappreciative of good service delivery and complain loudly and aggressively about everything. We moved here from a different province where if there was a fire it would be at least a half an hour to an hour before the Fire Dept would be on the scene, if there was a power outage it could take a week and more to fix, during protest action refuse removal and services would come to a complete halt etc. Down here in the Western Cape within 10 - 20 minutes the Fire Dept is on the scene, the power outage which was due to a transformer going down took 6 hours, a specialist team were brought into Kleinmond in order to complete refuse and sewage removal. What a pleasure it is to live in a Province which is being correctly governed and communities are still serviced, well done Cape Town.

In amongst the turmoil our Princess had a big athletics meeting on Friday and, after having been at home for most of the week with flu she insisted on taking part. WELL ......... This little star had quite a day. She won gold for Sprint, Hurdles, Shot Put and broke the TUKS record for High Jump in her age group by jumping 1.47m, she also won silver for Relay. CONGRATULATIONS Princess there are no words to describe how proud your Mommy and the rest of us are, you are incredible.

Folks that was what this particular stretch of my winding road travelled through this past week, I thank God that there was no loss of life, peace and calm have been restored and hopefully we can now all move on with our lives here in Paradise. I wish you and yours all a beautiful week and please, wherever you go stay aware and safe.

A Pincushion Protea bush looking exquisite.

Are you making a difference in your world?

Good morning friends amidst all the turmoil and goings on around the world I trust this Blog finds you and your loved ones safe. There seems to be so much turmoil wherever you look and read but the one thing that stays constant in our lives is knowing that God has us under His wings and will perfect that which concerns us. The thing that really blesses me is when I see or read stories of those exceptional human beings who in spite of their pain/discomfort are out there helping others, it's moments like that which show the world what we should all be doing.

Here in the beautiful paradise of Bettys Bay we are stuck between winter and summer, it's too warm for winter and not warm enough for summer. For someone who is super sensitive to the heat (except for my heating pad) this is not necessarily my natural happy season hahaha, I go from long sleeves to sleeveless, to layers and so it goes. My true gauge is my precious Hubbby, when he says it's hot then I know it's not just my thermostat that is broken. There has been "protest action" in our neighboring village for the last ten days or so which apart from the damage to property and stress for all the inhabitants and businesses, causes so much disruption because the road in and out of Kleinmond is closed. If you need to get East through Kleinmond to Hermanus or anywhere in that direction you either have to delay or go all the way into Gordons Bay and then up and over Sir Lowry's Pass bypassing Kleinmond altogether. We had a fairly busy week with Hubby having an order to build four big bookshelves for someone in Hermanus, they look stunning and eventually after days of not being able to get through on Friday we were able to deliver, hmmmmm does anything ever go according to plan? We hired a trailer and were loading the shelves onto it in a very strong wind, we (just him and I) got the first one on and were tying it down when there was an almighty crash behind us............ The one shelf which was directly INSIDE the garage, behind the glass door was blown over by a strong gust and fell forward over the small step ladder which went right through the backboard. AAARRGGHHHHHH seriously!!!! So, we delivered three, repaired the fourth over the weekend with the intention of taking it through today which is now on hold due to the Protest Action and road closures. Yaaaay.

Jelly Bean's shifts have changed so we are getting used to the different times and longer hours. Hubby and I are SO proud of her, for those who know her you will appreciate how huge this is. Last week she helped out a client very quickly and was able to find and organise collection of their order, which is exactly what she was supposed to do. Almost immediately after contacting the client and telling them, her bosses received an email from the client commending her on such good, efficient and friendly service. Way to go girl you are rocking this, look at the successes and appreciative clients not the difficult ones.

Friends if I may, just some encouragement. Tomorrow is not promised for any of us so make sure to tell your family what they mean to you and how much you love them, don't take it for granted that they know. Likewise with thos people you come in contact with on a daily basis a kind, encouraging word can totally change a persons day. For all those who are hurting and/or going through tough times, hang in there it WILL end and you will emerge stronger and wiser, just don't give up or throw in the towel there is always a light at the the end of the tunnel. Until next week folks I wish you all things good and wherever you are please take care and stay safe.

Jasper



One of the set of four bookshelves made to clients specs.

The North wind doth blow

Good afternoon friends, gee this last week has flown past and we currently have a very hot Berg wind blowing which is making life just a tad unpleasant, the only way to exist is to close every window and door and keep the house cool. September has blown in with a vengeance and is trying hard to make winter a distant memory, thankfully the weather department says that tomorrow the mercury will drop and we will have some blessed rain, wooohooo.

This past week was one of recovery for me after all the busyness of August, I am busy getting through a 'delightful' Fibro Flare and therefore have kept as quiet and low key as possible. Having said that we still managed to fit in some fun, thats what retirement is about isn't it? After I dropped Big Guy at the airport last Tuesday I found myself a cosy corner at the Airport as I had to collect friends of ours returning from Europe A couple of hours later, it is awesome to have them back in town and catch up on all the news, always so much to talk about.

Hubby dearest has been very busy in his garage with building the book shelves for his latest order and they are looking stunning, on Friday I took a close look at the dogs who were desperately in need of a clipping and decided to do it myself, poor dogs!!!! First discovery was that our hair clippers do not work on dogs, drat, so that left me with a wriggly dog, a comb and a pair of scissors. Much later Max emerged looking passable and I emerged covered in dog hair, buoyed up by my 'relative success' the day before I got hold of Sasha on Saturday morning and repeated the process. A word to those who've never clipped dogs, Yorkies are much easier than Maltese Poodles. It took twice as long and she emerged also looking fairly decent while I survived with blisters on my fingers from the scissors and looking like a shaggy Yeti doubly covered in white dog fur.

I have to take a moment here to brag a little and also congratulate our gorgeous Grand daughter, Princess on winning three gold medals last week at an inter school meet, she came first in shot out, long jump and high jump for which she broke the hosting school record. Well done Princess we are all so unbelievably proud of you, soon we will have to install a new long rail to hang all your gold medals on.

Yesterday we went visiting some friends and were super blessed to taste Sacher Torte, the genuine cake all the way from the Hotel where it was created in Austria, three words nom, nom, NOM. They also blessed us each with beautiful gifts brought back from Europe making us feel so very spoilt and special, thank you guys, you are such a blessing.

Oh, I nearly forgot, after 13 months of living in our paradise, on Saturday we got to see whales, or parts thereof LOL. Hubby saw a message on our Community group that whales were seen off Main Beach, that was all we needed we were up and out of here so fast and decided to start at the bay in front of our house and then move down if need be. Well all we had to do was just stand and watch, there were three of them playing in the water and we watched for about fifteen minutes before they moved on. What a treat it was, something I've wanted to see since I was a child, now my next goal is to see the 'whole' whale hehe.

Friends, it was a quiet, recuperative week and having caught up a bit today by making some savory crackers for snacks and having dinner almost ready because as soon as I finish here I am on duty to fetch Jelly Bean from work, a drive I always enjoy because of the ever changing beauty and the constant watch for dolphins, sharks and wales, all the while avoiding the number of baboons both babies and adults who sit on the road and very often bring traffic to a complete standstill. I wish you each a wonderful week, we are into the last stretch of the year when things start getting hectically busy, please accept an encouragement to take good care of your health, stay safe and make time to 'smell the roses' or anything that brings you peace and calm.

Max and Sasha looking spiffy and clean enjoying the sun the other day.

Crazy week, surprises and lots of fun.

Greeting friends from a very warm Western Cape it would appear we have moved directly, and unseasonably, into summer which I am by no means ready to face yet. Wow where to start after a week like this, it has truly been crazy. The week started off quite normally until Thursday and then picked up momentum which hasn't slowed down as yet. Thursday was my birthday and I was thoroughly blessed by my precious family and was told that we were going for dinner in Somerset West after we fetched Jelly Bean from work. The particular mall we were going to is known to have the biggest and best Woolworths food store in the country so prior to dinner we decided to walk through the store and see all it has to offer. Jelly Bean and I were not even down the first aisle and I was stopped by someone giving me a huge bear hug from behind and when I turned around it was Big Guy who had flown down to surprise me for my birthday (he totally succeeded), BigBear and BabyBear were in on the surprise and had fetched him from the airport. What an amazing evening to have 3/5 ths of the family together however briefly. August is a really hectic month for our family with three birthdays within six days. On Saturday we went into Sea Point for a Greek Gods and Goddesses birthday party for BabyBear which was so much fun, I cannot remember when I last went to a fancy dress party hehe. Yesterday was spent slowly and we did not move out of the house, Big Guy made an awesome, huge pot of Breyani which was delicious especially as I didn't have anything to do with cooking it #hugegrin, we watched movies, the F1 Grand Prix and literally chilled out.

Today we awoke to hear that the roads into and out of Kleinmond were closed due to some violent protest action which is so foreign to this part of the world, nevertheless it has caused some concern and obviously great inconvenience to those who live there, business are closed after being vandalised and looted, the area is now cleared and the roads are open to traffic. Big Guy and I took Jelly Bean into work and then stopped in Gordons Bay for coffee which turned into lunch before coming home and meeting Hubby dearest at the big beach where we took a nice long walk. It was just as well we went now as the wind came up and it is now most unpleasant down there. On Wednesday it is BigBear's birthday and then we as a family are clear for a whole month, tomorrow Big Guy flies home and life returns to normal which is usually not particularly quiet. I am am now counting weeks to December and more family time. I know that many of you have family/children who live far away and I am not the only one, but this has been the longest stretch that I have not seen Big Guy, Poppet and Princess in our lives - come on December.

My precious, talented Hubby has his first order for furniture. Last week when we were browsing in Hermanus he was asked if he knew who could make book shelves, when he said that he does the discussion got real and by Friday he was given an order for ten big book shelves for a local book store. Wooohooo so exciting, he has also been asked to quote on a reception counter for a small Beauty Salon, so he is a very busy bee out in the garage at the moment, a friend of ours came through this morning for a visit and assisted with getting the wood cut to size which helped move things along a bit.

Friends, in between all today's goings on I managed to make a big batch of Rusks and now need to go and break them apart, so from me until next week, please have a good week, turn the negatives into positives and as always stay safe.


Panarama shot from Blousteen back towards the mountains along the road we travel every day.




View looking towards Gordons Bay and Strand from the coast road.





Walking the beach with 'my guys'