Monday 30 December 2019
My Life's Winding Roads: Goodbye 2019 Hello 2020
My Life's Winding Roads: Goodbye 2019 Hello 2020: Good morning friends and family on this my last Blog for 2019, a year that I know many of you will be sincerely glad to see the end of. For...
Goodbye 2019 Hello 2020
Good morning friends and family on this my last Blog for 2019, a year that I know many of you will be sincerely glad to see the end of. For some reason 2019 would appears to have been an extremely difficult year in one way or another for almost everyone I know. The fact that we are still here and pushing onward is a testimony to the Grace of our Lord and an inner strength you may not have been aware that you had previously.
For us the year began with the apocalyptic fire storm that ravaged our beautiful village and the mountains all around us, health issues - the rare kind of animal ringworm infection I caught from Zeepha which led to a difficult year in general health wise. There have been many ups and downs which are unique to each individual and/or family, many losses BUT the most important thing to do is close off 2019 having learnt what we can from it and move forward into 2020 with a positive mind set and treasuring all the good things that did happen. For every negative story you can tell about this past year I know there are numerous positive stories about Gods goodness, His faithfulness and Grace which has brought you to today. A tough year ? You bet. Did we see good things come from it ? More than I can count, and that is what I choose to take with me into the New Year and the decade ahead of us. Personally I am excited to see what God has in store for my family and I because He has never, ever failed us, not for one moment. Things have happened that I will never know why, this side of heaven, but looking back through every experience I can see what I have learnt and how I have grown. May we take all that experience and learning into this new decade and make a difference to those around us and to our planet.
Whilst talking about 2020 I saw something yesterday which bears sharing and taking note of - when signing documents etc this coming year be sure to fill in the entire year eg. 1/01/2020, don't leave off the 20 because if you have 1/01/20 anyone can add additional numbers on the end which would render the document nul and void.
Apart from have a very quiet Christmas with just the girls we had a quiet week as Princess was not at all well, in the almost four weeks here with us, she has been to the beach exactly once. Not at all like my Princess but thankfully it appears that she has turned the corner and on her way to feeling much better, even though we still do not know exactly what was the problem. On Friday Poppet, Jelly Bean and I went into the hairdresser where Poppet got to change the colour of her hair and after months of me trying to go lighter, I caved and am back to my natural birth colour HEHEHE - natural colour would be grey #facepalm.
In closing I would like to thank each and every person who takes the time to read my Blog and thereby share in my crazy life, your encouragement and continued support means more than I can say. Together with Hubby and Jelly Bean, I wish you a wonderful New Year, please be vigilant over the next few days, my prayer is that 2020 will be kind to you and will be a year of blessing, provision, peace and good health. Happy New Year friends and family, stay safe. Ciao ciao.
It is a new day, a new year and a new decade how can we make it better?
For us the year began with the apocalyptic fire storm that ravaged our beautiful village and the mountains all around us, health issues - the rare kind of animal ringworm infection I caught from Zeepha which led to a difficult year in general health wise. There have been many ups and downs which are unique to each individual and/or family, many losses BUT the most important thing to do is close off 2019 having learnt what we can from it and move forward into 2020 with a positive mind set and treasuring all the good things that did happen. For every negative story you can tell about this past year I know there are numerous positive stories about Gods goodness, His faithfulness and Grace which has brought you to today. A tough year ? You bet. Did we see good things come from it ? More than I can count, and that is what I choose to take with me into the New Year and the decade ahead of us. Personally I am excited to see what God has in store for my family and I because He has never, ever failed us, not for one moment. Things have happened that I will never know why, this side of heaven, but looking back through every experience I can see what I have learnt and how I have grown. May we take all that experience and learning into this new decade and make a difference to those around us and to our planet.
Whilst talking about 2020 I saw something yesterday which bears sharing and taking note of - when signing documents etc this coming year be sure to fill in the entire year eg. 1/01/2020, don't leave off the 20 because if you have 1/01/20 anyone can add additional numbers on the end which would render the document nul and void.
Apart from have a very quiet Christmas with just the girls we had a quiet week as Princess was not at all well, in the almost four weeks here with us, she has been to the beach exactly once. Not at all like my Princess but thankfully it appears that she has turned the corner and on her way to feeling much better, even though we still do not know exactly what was the problem. On Friday Poppet, Jelly Bean and I went into the hairdresser where Poppet got to change the colour of her hair and after months of me trying to go lighter, I caved and am back to my natural birth colour HEHEHE - natural colour would be grey #facepalm.
In closing I would like to thank each and every person who takes the time to read my Blog and thereby share in my crazy life, your encouragement and continued support means more than I can say. Together with Hubby and Jelly Bean, I wish you a wonderful New Year, please be vigilant over the next few days, my prayer is that 2020 will be kind to you and will be a year of blessing, provision, peace and good health. Happy New Year friends and family, stay safe. Ciao ciao.
It is a new day, a new year and a new decade how can we make it better?
Monday 23 December 2019
My Life's Winding Roads: Merry Chistmas Christmas to all.
My Life's Winding Roads: Merry Chistmas Christmas to all.: Wow and we eventually made it to almost the end of the year, well done folks!! The excitement levels are climbing everywhere and most certa...
Merry Chistmas Christmas to all.
Wow and we eventually made it to almost the end of the year, well done folks!! The excitement levels are climbing everywhere and most certainly in this house. We have had a super busy, exciting week with all sorts of things happening. Apart from the preparations for Poppet's arrival, and general Christmas things there was always something happening, never a dull moment in our home. We have also had some epic 'wild life' moments involving the insect / spider variety - it would seem our 'wild life' is very different down here to up in Gauteng. We opened the front (??) door last week and I saw what looked like a very ugly spider eating a huge wasp, on further examination it turned out that the spider, a big non hairy tarantula shape was being stung repeatedly by the wasp ???? I have never ever seen this before and eventually we managed to separate them, Jelly Bean put Mr Spider over the fence before dispatching the wasp, I somehow don't think the spider survived though.
Poppet arrived on Friday early evening, so we did a marathon shopping expedition in preparation for the weekend and Christmas and then had to play Tetris with the parcels and suitcases at the airport. This signified the END of my retail experiences and adventures until after the holidays!!!!!!! On Saturday BigBear and BabyBear came through and spent the weekend with us all which was an extra blessing, if only Big Guy had been able to join us. We seemed to be eating the entire weekend - really good meals to boot, played Mumbo Jumbo which truly never fails to cause stomach holding laughter. Yesterday more food and just lots of good conversations and catch ups and which was wonderful on all sides. There is nothing more precious to me, than time spent with family.
Speaking about Big Guy he received a call on Friday morning to say he got the position he had applied for and will begin working on the 2nd January, this is a huge answer to prayer as it has been four months of looking, trusting God, standing and not growing weary. Well done son, I could not be happier for you, you so deserve it, God is always faithful.
We had a slight scare with little Max our Yorkie as all of a sudden he looked like he had swallowed a rugby ball. He is coming up for 12 years old and very tiny, we have sadly seen a marked decline in his health over the last six months. My ever patient Hubby took him to the vet who, given his age did not want to do unnecessary scans, blood tests or X-rays before first trying more conservative methods of treating him. She dewormed him, put him on a diuretic pill and a pill for his liver. Praise the Lord, he is looking much more normal and more like a skinny little Yorkie.
Today Poppet and Hubby are off to town, her to have a Brazillian and he is going to do last minute shopping then visit a friend until Poppet is finished. Friends and family I wish you all a very Blessed Christmas, for those that are with family please take the time to enjoy every moment and for those that are not traveling and/or are planning a quiet day, enjoy and take some time to pamper yourself. To ALL please be super careful on the roads, beaches and anywhere else you may be. Let us all give thanks for the blessings we have received this year and share it with others. Merry Christmas to all.
Put two cushions up like a tent = one very content Zeepha hehe
Poppet arrived on Friday early evening, so we did a marathon shopping expedition in preparation for the weekend and Christmas and then had to play Tetris with the parcels and suitcases at the airport. This signified the END of my retail experiences and adventures until after the holidays!!!!!!! On Saturday BigBear and BabyBear came through and spent the weekend with us all which was an extra blessing, if only Big Guy had been able to join us. We seemed to be eating the entire weekend - really good meals to boot, played Mumbo Jumbo which truly never fails to cause stomach holding laughter. Yesterday more food and just lots of good conversations and catch ups and which was wonderful on all sides. There is nothing more precious to me, than time spent with family.
Speaking about Big Guy he received a call on Friday morning to say he got the position he had applied for and will begin working on the 2nd January, this is a huge answer to prayer as it has been four months of looking, trusting God, standing and not growing weary. Well done son, I could not be happier for you, you so deserve it, God is always faithful.
We had a slight scare with little Max our Yorkie as all of a sudden he looked like he had swallowed a rugby ball. He is coming up for 12 years old and very tiny, we have sadly seen a marked decline in his health over the last six months. My ever patient Hubby took him to the vet who, given his age did not want to do unnecessary scans, blood tests or X-rays before first trying more conservative methods of treating him. She dewormed him, put him on a diuretic pill and a pill for his liver. Praise the Lord, he is looking much more normal and more like a skinny little Yorkie.
Today Poppet and Hubby are off to town, her to have a Brazillian and he is going to do last minute shopping then visit a friend until Poppet is finished. Friends and family I wish you all a very Blessed Christmas, for those that are with family please take the time to enjoy every moment and for those that are not traveling and/or are planning a quiet day, enjoy and take some time to pamper yourself. To ALL please be super careful on the roads, beaches and anywhere else you may be. Let us all give thanks for the blessings we have received this year and share it with others. Merry Christmas to all.
Put two cushions up like a tent = one very content Zeepha hehe
Monday 16 December 2019
My Life's Winding Roads: Tis the week before Christmas
My Life's Winding Roads: Tis the week before Christmas: Good morning one and all, in our house the count down has started as Princess lets us know every day how many more days we have left to Chri...
Tis the week before Christmas
Good morning one and all, in our house the count down has started as Princess lets us know every day how many more days we have left to Christmas. This truly has been one of the strangest years, in one sense I wonder where on earth it has gone and in the other, it feels like it has been never ending hmmmm I wonder if it is just me ?
This past week was fairly normal with some days of hectic activity and other days of pure holiday mode but possibly a little frustrating for the Princess. It was either blowing a gale, raining or so hot no one could venture out but she did manage to get in one brief beach session with Grandpa and a couple of sneaky tanning sessions on the deck. She also learnt to make Granny's rusks on Saturday and wow are they tasty, well done precious. Happily BabyBear is now home for the holidays and some much needed time with her hubby. Big Guy is waiting to hear back from an interview he did and in the meanwhile I think I can safely say has adjusted back into normal life and thoroughly enjoying it. Poppet is busy winding up her 'work year' and preparing for her holiday, she flys down on Friday afternoon to join us ..... See you soon angel.
My dear Hubby is actually busy working on my late Dad's watch, which I eventually found a little while back after 'losing' it in my kist #facepalm. It is just over 60 years old and is still one of the mechanical wind up watches, I can't wait for it to be working so I can wear it again.
Princess and I were talking last night about all the animals that are neglected in general, but especially over the holiday time, we have noticed that our little Village has become extremely busy over the weekend and the amount of dogs barking and carrying on is absolutely ridiculous. I understand that it is expensive to get a pet sitter or put them in a decent pet facility but, bringing them on holiday and then leaving them alone in a strange yard all day isn't fair to them or the those in the area. From there the conversation developed further to the heartbreak of those just left alone, thrown away, or taken to the SPCA. Something I have made a point of doing especially as I've grown older is to adopt a rescue when looking for a pet, but there are also so many ways of making a difference in an animals life, you may not be able to save them all, but you certainly can make a difference one by one. So many of the animal shelters are delighted if you take the time to go in to play with the animals, take dogs for a walk and just generally spend time with them. Princess has a VERY soft heart for all animals and would rescue them ALL if given half a chance. Our plea to you all is please look after your fur babies, if you are going away please ensure that they are properly and adequately looked after, check up on them while you are away. If you see an animal in distress please contact the relevant authorities and do your bit to make sure the animal is safe. I could really get on my soapbox with this topic - extending it to littering, the use of plastic etc, but, I will refrain for now. Please folks we are have been given the responsibility for this planet and for the pets we so eagerly buy then cast aside...... It's time that each one of us steps up to the plate and does our bit, however small it may seem to you. If every person on this planet stopped littering and picked up just one piece of litter every day can you imagine the overall impact ?
Off the soap box !!!! I wish you all a very blessed week, for those in SA enjoy the Public Holiday today, please, please stay safe, watch your little ones especially at the beach and around water and be careful on the roads. ( It has been a very tragic start to the festive season down here, so much of which could have easily been avoided ). It's love from my family to yours Ciao Ciao for now.
Jasper nose to tail in chill mode.
This past week was fairly normal with some days of hectic activity and other days of pure holiday mode but possibly a little frustrating for the Princess. It was either blowing a gale, raining or so hot no one could venture out but she did manage to get in one brief beach session with Grandpa and a couple of sneaky tanning sessions on the deck. She also learnt to make Granny's rusks on Saturday and wow are they tasty, well done precious. Happily BabyBear is now home for the holidays and some much needed time with her hubby. Big Guy is waiting to hear back from an interview he did and in the meanwhile I think I can safely say has adjusted back into normal life and thoroughly enjoying it. Poppet is busy winding up her 'work year' and preparing for her holiday, she flys down on Friday afternoon to join us ..... See you soon angel.
My dear Hubby is actually busy working on my late Dad's watch, which I eventually found a little while back after 'losing' it in my kist #facepalm. It is just over 60 years old and is still one of the mechanical wind up watches, I can't wait for it to be working so I can wear it again.
Princess and I were talking last night about all the animals that are neglected in general, but especially over the holiday time, we have noticed that our little Village has become extremely busy over the weekend and the amount of dogs barking and carrying on is absolutely ridiculous. I understand that it is expensive to get a pet sitter or put them in a decent pet facility but, bringing them on holiday and then leaving them alone in a strange yard all day isn't fair to them or the those in the area. From there the conversation developed further to the heartbreak of those just left alone, thrown away, or taken to the SPCA. Something I have made a point of doing especially as I've grown older is to adopt a rescue when looking for a pet, but there are also so many ways of making a difference in an animals life, you may not be able to save them all, but you certainly can make a difference one by one. So many of the animal shelters are delighted if you take the time to go in to play with the animals, take dogs for a walk and just generally spend time with them. Princess has a VERY soft heart for all animals and would rescue them ALL if given half a chance. Our plea to you all is please look after your fur babies, if you are going away please ensure that they are properly and adequately looked after, check up on them while you are away. If you see an animal in distress please contact the relevant authorities and do your bit to make sure the animal is safe. I could really get on my soapbox with this topic - extending it to littering, the use of plastic etc, but, I will refrain for now. Please folks we are have been given the responsibility for this planet and for the pets we so eagerly buy then cast aside...... It's time that each one of us steps up to the plate and does our bit, however small it may seem to you. If every person on this planet stopped littering and picked up just one piece of litter every day can you imagine the overall impact ?
Off the soap box !!!! I wish you all a very blessed week, for those in SA enjoy the Public Holiday today, please, please stay safe, watch your little ones especially at the beach and around water and be careful on the roads. ( It has been a very tragic start to the festive season down here, so much of which could have easily been avoided ). It's love from my family to yours Ciao Ciao for now.
Jasper nose to tail in chill mode.
Monday 9 December 2019
My Life's Winding Roads: Puppy farms and a special visitor
My Life's Winding Roads: Puppy farms and a special visitor: Good morning good morning folks and now we find ourselves in December and at last we have our Princess here with us. She arrived on Wednesd...
Puppy farms and a special visitor
Good morning good morning folks and now we find ourselves in December and at last we have our Princess here with us. She arrived on Wednesday evening and it is just wonderful to have her here with us. At this point we haven't been to the beach yet as, apart from an unbelievably hot day where no one ventured outdoors the wind has been in its element and hasn't stopped. We are currently also experiencing Load Shedding which can become very tiresome to put it mildly. Today we are planning to go into Pringle Bay for a cup of coffee before she gets 'cabin fever'.
Princess & Zeepha after 2.5h of load shedding and the boredom level was at its peak. Zeepha spent half the time running up and down the back or the wardrobe #facepalm
It is exhausting being so cute
Last week was one of those crazy busy weeks, BUT, I can say I have done everything I needed to get done and am finished with all my Christmas shopping, whoop whoop. As I mentioned last week we went to chat to a lady who breeds Toy Poodles and that visit turned out to be very enlightening, I learnt a LOT. She had a poodle that she 'offered' to sell us as she had finished breeding with him, I am no expert but even I could see that he was not well bred, his teeth were badly aligned and she 'brushed' me off when I asked about it. It turns out she is actually not an ethical breeder and well known for this in the Western Cape. Folks please be careful when buying dogs from breeders who are just short of being puppy farms. She invited us for the chat when I told her I was looking for a rescue dog then tried to sell us her dog and got upset when I said I wasn't buying a dog for the price she was asking. I am now part of the Poodle Rescue Group and in time will get my little companion dog from them as a rescue.
Apart from that interesting adventure we managed to finish all our gift shopping, getting the house ready (annual year end clean), got the dogs groomed and bless their hearts they both came home sporting little bandanas and looking very proud of themselves. They will both be wearing them on Christmas Day to celebrate. The family are all well and busy winding up their year, I believe that everyone is truly glad this year is almost over and looking forward to relaxing over the holidays before a fresh start in 2020.
Yesterday my precious Hubby went off to Stellenbosch to play golf with a friend and even whilst he was gone I had someone coming to collect a clock, he is now known as the Betty's Bay Clock Man, and has quite a collection of various sizes up to a Grand Father Clock in different states of repair or awaiting collection - his garage is an interesting place I can tell you.
Please continue to pray for those people who are struggling in various areas, family, health, finances etc. You may not know who they are by name but our Heavenly Father knows exactly who is who and what each person's needs are. I seem to have come across so many in the last couple of weeks and praying is the only way I can be of any help especially from a distance. I wish you all a very special week folks, please stay safe and be especially observant of your children and where they are over the holidays. Ciao ciao.
Princess & Zeepha after 2.5h of load shedding and the boredom level was at its peak. Zeepha spent half the time running up and down the back or the wardrobe #facepalm
It is exhausting being so cute
Monday 2 December 2019
My Life's Winding Roads: Road trips, rabbits, friends and poodles
My Life's Winding Roads: Road trips, rabbits, friends and poodles: Good morning folks and hello December. This year has been a real doozy, in one way it feels like it has disappeared so fast and in another ...
Road trips, rabbits, friends and poodles
Good morning folks and hello December. This year has been a real doozy, in one way it feels like it has disappeared so fast and in another it feels like it has gone on forever. In two sleeps we will have our gorgeous Princess here with us so, as you can imagine there is much activity and preparation going on. It was a crazy week and after today things should calm down considerably. Where to start ....... Last Monday we did a 'road trip' through to Noordhoek to visit the Bunny Rescue which was a very interesting experience as well as a long, HOT day. I have been looking for a 'companion pet' and was considering getting a pet rabbit, after a lot of research and speaking to quite a few people I came to the conclusion that a bunny probably isn't the wisest choice I could make. Yes they can be tamed and potty trained but apparently the likelihood of actually finding one that you can bond with on that level is quite difficult. Added to that I could see that Jelly Bean was having very real problems being around all the rabbits, she has a horror of rodents, although rabbits aren't classified as rodents they look very similar and after our mouse saga the week before, seeing mice at the sanctuary and then having another face to face encounter with one at our side door they are definitely not high on her favourite list at the moment hehe. With all that taken into consideration and, the fact that little Max has aged very rapidly in the last six months which would leave Sasha (Jelly Bean's dog) very lonely I have decided to go with a dog that I have always wanted, a Toy Poodle. Preferably a rescue and one which will become a 'companion pet', go everywhere with me and so on. To that end this afternoon, by pure chance we are meeting with a lady who is very well known in the Poodle fraternity and has asked me to come through for a chat.
The family are doing well, all the 'siblings' were in Johannesburg for the weekend and had a sibling lunch which really warms my heart, I got such beautiful photos of them all. Wish we were all going to be together for Christmas but it's not to be and so Poppet and Sonshine have taken charge and are planning all the festivities, it going to be a precious time and also Sonshine's first African Christmas.
Yesterday we had visitors over whom I knew back in the 80's when we Pastored our church down here, most of whom I had not seen in over 27 years. What a wonderful day of fellowship, food (thank you guys) and just great catching up. When time stands still and friends get together, always so precious to me. Zeepha was in full show off mode with the audience and apart from doing her zoomies around the room, also demonstrated her ability to run up, along and down the back of our cupboard, quite a little showstopper is this one. Last week she had her first foray outside on an extendable lead, it was so funny, the minute the harness was on she became a Munchkin cat and walked low to the ground exploring the deck before finally coming back inside out of the wind. I will do another walk sometime this week with her.
In closing a really good report about the young lady I mentioned last week who cut her arm so severely, she managed to complete her final Varsity exam using a scribe and passed, she also saw the specialist who is delighted with her progress. The thumb is still immobilized but there is definitely movement in her fingers and her prognosis is looking much better. Praise the Lord.
Folks, I wish you a wonderful week, please, please be careful on the roads, and in the sea / swimming pools over this season and always stay safe.
What you doing mommy?
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