Far too many sad goodbyes.

Good morning friends, is it my imagination or do the weeks seem to be going faster and faster?    I am still trying to figure out what happened to last week, probably the fact that Friday was a Public Holiday as is tomorrow which means that many people have taken today off for an extra long weekend.  In our little part of the world life has been hectic and I feel as if I could sleep for a month and it would still not be enough.  As I said, last week was crazy with so much to do and it seems so little time.

The family are all well with the exception of our little Princess who had to go onto antibiotics for a sinus infection.  Big Guy has worked the entire weekend #sadface, the two girls had a busy week and only started chilling yesterday, BigBear and BabyBear went hiking in the mountains on Saturday and Sunday and we are waiting to hear all about it as they are on their through to spend the night with us.  Jelly Bean worked and is now off until Wednesday, and my darling Hubby is flying up to Johannesburg for his brothers funeral also on Wednesday, unfortunately Jelly Bean and I are not able to go up at this time which has been a very sad decision for us.  Our  'zoo' is as usual very busy and the inhabitants are well, Cece developed a bit of a bladder infection post her op and was absolutely impossible last week, hopefully we have turned a corner and she now seems to be on the road to recovery.  We actually had a historic event on Saturday when Jasper came and sat on my lap together with Cece, it was just too precious and I hardly dared to move, hehehe.

Our dear friends are going back to Italy for approximately six months and we will be looking after their house as well as 'doggysit' their seven month old pupster until he is allowed to fly, which will be about two months.  In amongst all the packing we were treated to a beautiful German themed dinner with them last night and there are lots of 'hand overs' and instructions, plant relocating etc going on.  They also leave on Wednesday so it will be a super busy day and I am praying that their trip will be shorter than they expect and they can get back to the place they love most in the world, Betty's Bay.

Last week we had our first official winter cold front which was absolutely wonderful, I was such a happy camper, Hubby measured a good amount of rain, which in turnmeans he now has to mow the lawn more often, he is such a gem.  Betty's Bay was treated to the most spectacular sunset last week, it looked exactly like a water colour painting, there was also a wonderful almost full moon last night which I  took some pics of, we are so truly blessed to living in such a spectacular place.

Folks as I still have a LOT to do, I am going to end off for now and wish you one and all a beautiful week, please be safe and as always aware of your surroundings.
     
                                                                Watercolour sunset

                                                            

                                       
                                                    The moon rising over Hermanus

I turned 180 degrees to see the sunset over Rooi Els.

A busy week ahead, travel and the loss of a loved one.

Good morning friends, I hope today's blog finds you all well and ready for the week ahead ?  As I sit typing this there is a very strong northerly wind blowing in the first of three cold fronts, yippeeee.    This week in South Africa we have a Public Holiday on Friday and again next Tuesday so two short work weeks for most people.   Sadly yesterday my precious Hubby's brother passed away after a very long, hard battle against cancer.  He was such a positive, upbeat, happy man and leaves behind  his beautiful wife and two adult sons, and is going to be sorely missed by all that knew him.  R.I.P. Rob.  We are waiting to hear further news regarding the funeral and will then be going up to Johannesburg for a couple of days which will also give us a few hours with the girls and Big Guy.

As I mentioned last week little Cece was spayed, the op went well but due to the  'trauma' and change of location she has regressed a little and we are being very patient with her and trying to re-establish her routine (as well as cleaning the accidents #Face palm).  Thank the Lord she is not obsessed with her stitches like Kiko was and I have not had to use a cone or special collar, that would not have gone well.  Jasper is very funny when she has a melt down, he now looks at her and takes a step back instead of jumping into the fray, even Gemma seems to be more tolerant with her which is a total miracle in itself, the other day while I was out Hubby had both Gemma and Cece on his lap at the same time .   One of the things Cece does which is hilarious is when we call her, we tap on the floor, that is how she locates us,  she then goes down into the crouch / hunt position and after MUCH butt wiggling, and back paws dancing she will jump six inches forward, possibly take a few steps and then start the process all over again, by which time we are in stitches.  Yesterday Hubby walked outside and found a tiny little Malachite Sunbird lying on its back just outside the garage, thinking it was dead he gently picked it up only to see that it was alive, so we gave it some sugar water and put him on the braai shelf and left him.  After awhile, he drank some of the water and then a little later flew off, I personally think he may have flown into the window of the garage and knocked himself out.  As one friend of mine says there is never a dull moment in our 'zoo'.

Hubby dearest is almost finished a commission to build a portable, take apart display rack for someone who wants to display handmade quilts at Markets.  It is looking amazing and the way he has built it is so clever, I'm so proud of him.  Apart from a minor bumper bashing that BabyBear had last week the rest of the family are all well, working hard and doing life.

Folks, as you can imagine I have loads to do, I must admit though not a lot of energy to do it, so I am going to end off for this week and wish each one of you, wherever you are, a fantastic week.  Always make time to love and appreciate your loved ones, they aren't here forever, so don't let opportunities pass to show and tell them just how much you love them.  Be safe out there and Ciao for this week.

The Proteas are blooming, taken in a friends garden.

Recovering Malachite sunbird

Peace and quiet, what a way to start the week.

Good morning folks from a quiet, still, clear Betty's Bay.  After a night of strong winds and  Ben stronge gusts it is now absolutely still and silent here, especially quiet as I have just dropped Cece off at the Vet for her sterilisation.  Poor little mite I felt so bad leaving her there with all those strangers and can't,wait until we fetch her later, even Jasper is tiptoeing around the house looking for her.  Being the 'brave soul' that he is checking all the corners and blankets very timidly.  She made some big 'strides' last week in that she actually played for the very first time, firstly with some imaginary little bug, then with her teddy bear.  She also started reaching up to things a little - she can't climb the furniture or jump up on things, but started standing up and exploring / reaching above her to feel what is there, it might sound odd for a kitten, but I have come to realise that she is handicapped and takes a LOT longer than others to do normal stuff.

We had a fairly quiet week which was good as far as me being able to rest and recharge,  Jelly Bean had flu which she was struggling to shake off and was able to take a couple of days to recover as well.  Hopefully this week will be a healthy week for us all.  My precious Hubby has an order to make a portable rack / stand for displaying handmade quilts so has been busy drawing up the plans and quotes for his client.  I believe we are finally winning the war on the fleas, thank the Lord, it is an ongoing process so I will keep on doing all the necessary. Hehe.  As for the rest of the family, BigBear and BabyBear were also fighting flu and the winter germs, Big Guy and Poppet are well just exhausted.  Princess had a Hockey match on Saturday and scored the only goal for her team which was very exciting even though they lost the match.  The little Master Muffets had their first real Football match on Saturday as well and did the Guard of Honour at half time so much excitement as you can imagine.

Max once again managed to escape and got away before we could even blink.  The next thing we saw was a message on the Community Group saying that he had been seen charging down the main road and when they tried to catch 'the wild dog' he ran away  hahahaha.  If there is one thing Max is not is wild!  Hyperactive, disobedient and a Houdini but not wild.  Their daughter managed to catch him and we then collected him although she was desperate to keep the little 'wild dog'.  He is now safely back home and hopefully the wanderlust is satisfied for awhile.  Never a dull moment with this lot.  Yesterday we had a very precious friend over whose husband is overseas on business, she brought her 6 month old puppy for a play date and it was so entertaining watching them all reacting to each other.  For some reason Max was determined to protect her from her own dog. #facepalm.

On the drive home this morning I was able to take a couple of pictures looking out across the bay towards Simonstown, the sea was still and flat with mist hanging over the bay, just so exquisitely beautiful and peaceful.   Folks in keeping with the lazy atmosphere I am going to put a pot of soup on the stove so that when our little one comes home tonight I will have the time to see to her, I'm praying that she will not be stressed about the stitches and try and pull them out like Kiko did.  With Kiko I
eventually had to make her a special collar so that she could not bite them.  She was very special.  Have a super week friends and please stay safe.

Looking out across False Bay towards Simonstown,

One tired little kitten

It's Monday and a brand new week awaits

Happy Monday folks, I hope you all had a good weekend and are in for a blessed week.  What's been happening in Betty's Bay ?  Not much, it has been beautifully cool with the daily trend at the moment being that the clouds move in over the mountains and then just hang around.  The village has quietened down and is back to normal after the school holiday and the long weekend which is actually very nice, there are always tourists / vacationers here but it's only over holidays that things get a lot busier.  We had a normal week with no major outings, excitement or dramas, hehe, mostly due to the fact that I am slowly getting through a very bad Fibro flare, brought on by who knows what.  Jelly Bean had the flu as well which meant she had a little extra time off and because I have such a precious Hubby who did some extra driving, I was able to really try and rest.  Please note the word 'try', translated that means how much rest can one get with a very dependent blind kitten, every day brings something new with her.  Currently we seem to be battling with a flea infestation which is enough to drive me nuts.  Two and a half weeks ago I put drops on all three cats, at no small cost I might add, and the relief lasted not even a week, aarrggghhhh.  Strangely Gemma who is outside a lot of the time never seems to be bothered with fleas, but the two indoor cats are a different story.  Anyone who knows me will know that creepy crawlers and the like are a taboo for me, it brings out the OCD in my nature and must be eliminated at all costs.  So a few baths later, bicarbonate soda, and other home remedies  including Bicarb and salt on the carpets before vacuuming and.  ............ There are still fleas.  When I dropped Jelly Bean off just now I purchased a different brand of drops and also a tablet which will kill ALL fleas and eggs in 30 minutes and will begin the process again.  Unfortunately in South Africa the Flea/Tick pill for cats, which lasts for three months is not yet available, only the one for dogs can be bought which I find crazy, anyway it is what it is - rant over :)

Hubby was able to get in some practice at the driving range and then watched the Masters Golf Tournament last night until the end, it is his sporting highlight of the year on television.  With my 'newfound' good eyesight I have caught up on some reading and in two weeks have finished three
fantastic books that have been sitting waiting for me #happylady.  We did a bit of a wood stock up for
the next cold front, every time I look at the fireplace and see it all waiting I get such a thrill, I am most definitely a winter girl.  I even managed to get stuck into cleaning the fridge and freezer (it took two different days haha),  I don't know about you ladies but that is one task that I do not enjoy and tend to procrastinate on so ....... Fridge/freezer = 0. Sharon = 1.

After their Easter weekend away Poppet and Princess eventually got home safely.  Poppet left the South Coast with friends  last Tuesday morning at about 4 am and they were held up in Pietermaritzburg due to an accident which happened mere seconds before they arrived on the scene, I truly marvel at Gods grace.  They had already stopped for cool drinks when the driver pulled over again to put some eye drops in, those few seconds were absolutely critical in them avoiding the accident which closed the highway for the entire day.  They had telephoned back to the rest of the convoy, including Princess, who were leaving at 9 am to forewarn them, and by the time Princesses convoy got there they had to use a different route and to top it all their car broke down just outside of Pietermaritzburg, when they eventually got to a garage and waited  hours for the verdict it was already mid to late afternoon.  Eventually they ended up hiring a vehicle and got into Johannesburg at about 11 pm where she spent the night and got home the following day.  This all resulted in quite a lot of stress all round for Poppet and I but as I said God is truly faithful and always looking out for us.  I know how hard it is to  be able to leave things in God's hands but trust me He is the only one you can trust your loved ones to, the only one who loves them more than you do.   I was able to take so much comfort in knowing that even though we couldn't see where they were, He could, and kept them all safe and sound.  Don't ever be scared to put your circumstances, family and loved ones into God's hands and care, I know that His timing is not always the same as ours but I DO know that He has never let me down or failed to 'show up' , there have been many, many times when I though God had deserted me, was not hearing me, but He always, always has come through for me.  The lessons I've learnt in the interim periods of waiting and hardships have, in retrospect been invaluable and are among the things that have made me who I am today.

Friends on that note I am going to say Ciao for this week, I hope each one of you has a blessed week and as usual please stay safe.

Our beautiful mountain overhead in clouds.

Happy Easter and the start of a new month.

Good afternoon folks, wishing you all a Happy Easter.   I have been sitting here just listening to the sound of the waves breaking on the rocks, the mountain is covered in cloud, we have just had a short rain shower and everything is so quiet and peaceful.  It was quite a normal week for us  building up to a fairly busy weekend.  Autumn has definitely arrived in Betty's Bay much to my delight and the temperatures are far more comfortable, as well as the fact we've had a fair amount of rain so everything is looking green and lush.  It's definitely a bit of a mind stretch for anyone used to living in the summer rainfall areas because autumn and winter there are dry and brown whereas here our summer is dry and the grass dies and then all things come alive as soon as the winter rainfall starts.  

It is still a bit odd for me to not spend the Easter weekend with the family as we have done for more than a decade, but at lease Poppet and Princess were able to escape the city and are down in Natal, along the South Coast with friends of theirs.  Big Guy worked the whole weekend as did Jelly Bean, BigBear and BabyBear had family commitments and the little Master Muffets enjoyed a very chocolatey Easter.  It is these times of the year that make me miss the family even more than normal.  On Friday driving into work with Jelly Bean we had a few fun and games.  It was raining and after awhile my one windscreen wiper started flopping about.  There is no other way to describe it haha, so I stopped, got out and clipped it into the wiper 'arm' and off we went.  This repeated itself five times until we were past the rain, so once in town I tried to sort it out with no success and ended up taking it off altogether and pushing the arm outwards to avoid it scratching the glass.  When I arrived home I walked in carrying the wiper blade and could not help but laugh at the look on my Hubby's face.  He is such a gem and within ten minutes the broken clip was replaced and low and behold the wipers are working properly.  Later my precious Hubby and I popped into the Easter Craft Market here in Betty's Bay to see what there was and enjoyed a pleasant half hour just wandering through the stalls.  Needless to say the very first stall I came to was selling genuine leather bags and totes which held me up just a tad LOL.  It is well known that I have a weakness for leather, especially handbags.  We spent Saturday afternoon with some very dear friends of ours here in BB and just enjoyed sitting out on their deck in the weak sun having delicious cake and coffee.  Yesterday we had friends over and I cooked up a pot of Durban Lamb Curry which if I say so myself was delicious.  Today has been super quiet with me in a flare, the likes of which I haven't had in a long while ....... Ho hum, this too will pass.

Now the the weather is cooling off, all of a sudden Jasper has remembered that laps are warm places to sit and is currently curled up next to me on the seat, whilst CeCe is fast asleep on another chair.  We are discovering more and more that she is going to be a late bloomer haha, this past week she has actually been very calm (for her) and is even starting to establish her own form of routine for the bathroom, she still has a lot of 'misses' but on the whole things are improving slowly day by day. The one thing that does not change with her is that she absolutely adores cuddling, hot or cold, day or night, if she can sleep on my lap she is a happy baby.

Friends, there is not a lot of other news and happily this is another short work week ahead of us.  I wish you all a blessed week, and, for those who will be or are out on the roads traveling home, please stay alert, stop often and get home safely, the extra ten minutes spent going slower are worth it for you and your family to arrive home unharmed.

Our beautiful ocean.