Monday 31 August 2020
My Life's Winding Roads: Water, water, hail and snow
My Life's Winding Roads: Water, water, hail and snow: Good morning everyone and here we go again into a new week and a new month. As far as BB is concerned we have had a very cold and wet week,...
Water, water, hail and snow
Good morning everyone and here we go again into a new week and a new month. As far as BB is concerned we have had a very cold and wet week, gee so much rain and even hail which is rare for our area. Speaking of the hail, on Saturday during a very heavy hail storm Max decided that if he barked at the ceiling long enough the noisy monster would go away #tinroof #noisemaker. Currently there is snow on all the mountains (except those right behind us) - The Helderburg, Gordon's Bay, Kleinmond, even Table Mountain has some, yesterday morning we measured it was 9 c inside the house at 9.30, our little fire place has commendably done double duty. We have also discovered that Charlie is not the happiest little chap when the mercury drops too far down, he curls into such a tight little ball that I am surprised that he can still breathe haha
Water, water everywhere, after being without electricity on monday due to a power pole catching alight, late Tuesday afternoonon all of a sudden there was a loud noise accompanied by quite a lot of other noise which I thought was Hubby was dragging the generator, after a few minutes I decided to investigate and we discovered that the geyser (above our bedroom) had blown its 'gasket' or correctly put, the Air Valve on top of the solar system blew off and we had a geyser of hot water spewing up in a glorious fountain. Out came the ladder and up went Hubby to fix and stop the fountain which by then had emptied the geyser, a piece of plastic had perished 😬 It happened again in a different place while he was up on the roof a couple of days later .... such fun. Two days later I kept noticing wet splotches on the fleece on our bed, I wasn't sure if one of the animals had had an 'accident' or if Hubby had spilt my morning drink - I sniffed = no smell so dried it up. Every time I walked through it looked wet until that evening I looked up at the ceiling and ....... you guessed it, water was dripping slowly through the pine ceiling, such joy NOT!! Living down here AND having a flat roof, leaks are an ongoing issue, hardly a week goes by that we don't see someone on a roof doing repairs or a plea on one of the Groups for someone to recommend a roofer. This bedroom drip was most unwelcome but on investigation the 'gap' was located and repaired so here is holding thumbs.
I was thoroughly blessed on my birthday with the family time on Sunday, gorgeous gifts and so many, many beautiful messages, thank you everybody. One of most unexpected gifts received was an Instant Pot, so there has been quite a bit of experimentation going on as I learn how to operate all the different functions. So far I have steamed a half frozen spatchcock chicken, stewed a meat dish and made yoghurt all successfully, although having said that perhaps I should have let the yoghurt go double the time as it is a little more liquid than I personally prefer - I just drained the liquid off and it tastes delicious - the pot is soooo quick and saves a lot of dirty dishes. I was sceptical when I heard friends and family talking about their Pots but I can say every word was true (pics below)
It was also both of the Bears birthdays so in general so very much to be thankful for and rejoice over, they were able to spend the weekend in Kommetjie with friends even managing a swim which could only have been freezing brrrrr.
Eventually I managed to get my rear into gear and bake Hubby some rusks, it's been awhile lol - and all this after promising myself I was going to have a slow week to try and ease the flare, I am now at the point where I have no option but to slow down for a few days and play catch up, I will even slow down with my embroidery and get in some more reading as I have lovely new books to read hehe.
Also, on Saturday all of a sudden we realized that the Tour de France started, I have no idea how it crept up on me, I knew it had been delayed but wasn't expecting it now haha - my favorite sporting event of the year, so it gives me a good excuse to sit awhile. 😉
Enough rambling from me, have a wonderful week folks, stay warm (and dry), please stay safe and stay healthy. Ciao ciao
Spatchcock chicken cooked from half frozen on a trivet in the Instant Pot, I did not brown it in the oven.
Homemade Yoghurt
Water, water everywhere, after being without electricity on monday due to a power pole catching alight, late Tuesday afternoonon all of a sudden there was a loud noise accompanied by quite a lot of other noise which I thought was Hubby was dragging the generator, after a few minutes I decided to investigate and we discovered that the geyser (above our bedroom) had blown its 'gasket' or correctly put, the Air Valve on top of the solar system blew off and we had a geyser of hot water spewing up in a glorious fountain. Out came the ladder and up went Hubby to fix and stop the fountain which by then had emptied the geyser, a piece of plastic had perished 😬 It happened again in a different place while he was up on the roof a couple of days later .... such fun. Two days later I kept noticing wet splotches on the fleece on our bed, I wasn't sure if one of the animals had had an 'accident' or if Hubby had spilt my morning drink - I sniffed = no smell so dried it up. Every time I walked through it looked wet until that evening I looked up at the ceiling and ....... you guessed it, water was dripping slowly through the pine ceiling, such joy NOT!! Living down here AND having a flat roof, leaks are an ongoing issue, hardly a week goes by that we don't see someone on a roof doing repairs or a plea on one of the Groups for someone to recommend a roofer. This bedroom drip was most unwelcome but on investigation the 'gap' was located and repaired so here is holding thumbs.
I was thoroughly blessed on my birthday with the family time on Sunday, gorgeous gifts and so many, many beautiful messages, thank you everybody. One of most unexpected gifts received was an Instant Pot, so there has been quite a bit of experimentation going on as I learn how to operate all the different functions. So far I have steamed a half frozen spatchcock chicken, stewed a meat dish and made yoghurt all successfully, although having said that perhaps I should have let the yoghurt go double the time as it is a little more liquid than I personally prefer - I just drained the liquid off and it tastes delicious - the pot is soooo quick and saves a lot of dirty dishes. I was sceptical when I heard friends and family talking about their Pots but I can say every word was true (pics below)
It was also both of the Bears birthdays so in general so very much to be thankful for and rejoice over, they were able to spend the weekend in Kommetjie with friends even managing a swim which could only have been freezing brrrrr.
Eventually I managed to get my rear into gear and bake Hubby some rusks, it's been awhile lol - and all this after promising myself I was going to have a slow week to try and ease the flare, I am now at the point where I have no option but to slow down for a few days and play catch up, I will even slow down with my embroidery and get in some more reading as I have lovely new books to read hehe.
Also, on Saturday all of a sudden we realized that the Tour de France started, I have no idea how it crept up on me, I knew it had been delayed but wasn't expecting it now haha - my favorite sporting event of the year, so it gives me a good excuse to sit awhile. 😉
Enough rambling from me, have a wonderful week folks, stay warm (and dry), please stay safe and stay healthy. Ciao ciao
Spatchcock chicken cooked from half frozen on a trivet in the Instant Pot, I did not brown it in the oven.
Monday 24 August 2020
My Life's Winding Roads: Exciting news ...............
My Life's Winding Roads: Exciting news ...............: Happy Monday folks, from a cooler BB - weather wise a confused little area but every day is a mystery. Every day of last week we had a fir...
Exciting news ...............
Happy Monday folks, from a cooler BB - weather wise a confused little area but every day is a mystery. Every day of last week we had a fire going full time right up to Friday, then all of a sudden we were clear skies and warm, now back to cooler weather, a black southeastern and the fire is burning. I realized yesterday when I was looking for a particular top, that I never actually put all my summer tops away this year 🤷🏻♀️.
Well where to start ? We had a cold and very busy week, Jelly Bean and I took advantage of a few minutes of sun early in the week to nip down to 'our' little beach where we took some photos and just enjoyed the peace and beauty. Then one full day in Somerset West going from place to place, in the rain, my conclusion is I am going to stick to online shopping wherever possible hehe. We went and looked at the second hand supply store for 'things' needed for the deck, I do believe though that we will need to go on an almost weekly basis because the stock seems to be sold almost as soon as it arrives, Thursday yielded no new treasures for us.
Yesterday we went though to Spier Wine Farm to meet up with the Bears as this is Birthday week in our family, three of us in the space of 7 days. With South Africa going to Level 2 Lockdown on midnight Monday, it was like the entire population of the Cape went out yesterday and said "hello world." Gee whizz it was busy, everywhere, coming home we must have easily passed 250 - 300 cars on their way home going in the opposite direction. The Wine Farm was busy with everyone wearing masks and just enjoying the outdoors. Because the Restaurant was fully booked we opted for the Farm Shop which is a Deli and had the most delicious Sourdough Rustic sandwiches with thick ham, lettuce and cheese, Hubby had a boerewors roll nom nom, washed down with a crisp, cold Chenin Blanc and then good strong coffee. It was fabulous to just be out, experiencing an almost normal life outdoors, there were so many children we lost count. After eating and a nice long time chatting we took our time walking around and just enjoying all the different corners of the Farm, so many beautiful trees and gorgeous spots it was like a mini holiday and being with family refueled my heart bank, until next time. I truly am blessed with my precious family, each and every one, both near and far and have been abundantly blessed with amazing birthday gifts and wishes.
Now ........ drum roll....... ta daaa, the news I've been bursting to share for
more than a month. Poppet and Princess are moving down to Somerset
West at the end of the year. Princess is all booked into an excellent school
more than a month. Poppet and Princess are moving down to Somerset
West at the end of the year. Princess is all booked into an excellent school
and everything in that department is finalized, the next big thing will be to find accommodation at the right time which we are praying for. We are SO excited to at last be able to have them close again and to see more of them, sadly though this means that Big Guy will still be up country and 'alone' in the sense that the rest of the family will be here, I wish he could come down as well.
On a quick side note, I have left Charlie three time this past week which he hates, but if ever I feel unloved all I have to do is go out for awhile because when I get home he literally just about explodes when he realizes it is me in the car. He jumps so high, barking until I can pick him up and then is so excited that he does not know where to lick first, it's like holding a slippery, hyperactive dolphin 😂😂, I must admit it does make one feel very special and wanted.
Folks those are the highlights of our week, this week is expected to be milder both in weather (today aside) and activity levels. I will take a few days to recoup my energy and hopefully get down to some interesting cooking if I can. I don't know how many of you ladies love cooking/baking but not when it's something you have to do e.g. Dinner every night 😂. BabyBear and I were talking yesterday and I said I cannot remember when last I baked just because I wanted to, I miss that.
Have a wonderful week wherever you are. Please stay safe and continue
wearing your masks and sanitizing, stay healthy folks. With much love from me to you all. Ciao ciao.
Our visit to the beach.
Two exquisite pics from yesterday. Spier Wine Farm from mammoth to miniscule
wearing your masks and sanitizing, stay healthy folks. With much love from me to you all. Ciao ciao.
Our visit to the beach.
Two exquisite pics from yesterday. Spier Wine Farm from mammoth to miniscule
Monday 17 August 2020
My Life's Winding Roads: A productive week !!
My Life's Winding Roads: A productive week !!: Greetings everyone on this brisk and cold morning (here in BB at least), I hope today's Blog finds you all well. Well it is a bit of a...
A productive week !!
Greetings everyone on this brisk and cold morning (here in BB at least), I hope today's Blog finds you all well.
Well it is a bit of a 'mark on the calendar day' here in South Africa, after 5 months of lockdown we go down to Level 2, which for me means I can go for a walk on the beach and take Charlie for his first ever beach walk. I never did figure out why it would be dangerous in terms of CoVid19 but with my luck it would be me being the one person to get caught breaking the rules, so I abstained hehe. The other good news is that inter provincial travel is now allowed, liquor and tobacco sales are open, we may visit family, make use of Hotel and B&B accommodations, all the while adhering to the guidelines of social distancing and limited numbers. More for the economy and those impacted by the strict Lockdown rules I am beyond blessed and pray that things will return to 'normal' economically as fast as possible - I understand we will live in a new normal but at least the economy can begin to heal.
An interesting week behind us to be sure, the current weather pattern appears to be gale force winds and heavy rains over the weekends with sometimes quite hot weather between. Last week however, the weather remained cold but sunny and according to the specialists today and tomorrow we are under another severe weather warning, for the last four days we have had the fire going all day long, sadly it doesn't stay warm overnight - it requires its slaves to continually feed it with logs of wood in order to stay cheerful and then gets moody and goes off when we leave it alone, tut tut tut.
On Tuesday Hubby headed off to Somerset West on a mission to find some sliding windows for the deck. Jelly Bean and I headed in the opposite direction to the Mall in Hermanus as she needed to do some shopping. Hubby's trips to SW somehow seem to evolve into 2000 stops hehe. We had just planned on two shops with a quick peek into one more and then one of us running into Woolies to buy tea. Hmmmffff so much for that thought ...... the two shops took about a hour, the quick peek was just that BUT, then we made the fatal mistake of continuing to walk to the other end of the Mall for the tea. Although we managed to get everything on the list it left me completely depleted and I'm still paddling my way out of the flare.
The makeover in our bedroom is coming along nicely if slowly, but I am so excited by how it is all coming together. It is going slowly partly due to my energy levels and also because I keep adding things to be done. At the beginning of the year I found a small picture of a rose which BigBear managed to have blown up to A1 size, we (Hubby) then made me a frame, we got the glass and during the week I 'distressed' the frame - this was a first for me and I am hooked, it came out beautifully, we hung it up on Saturday. There are still some changes I want to make in the bathroom and only then will I consider the makeover complete 😀. As for the quilt I am about to start my 8th square so that is going quicker than I expected. We eventually convinced Hubby dearest to advertise the Embroidery Hoop and he has seen an encouraging amount of interest one shop in Hermanus is going to take two, so we are holding thumbs on that score. He has cleared his workbench of all watches and has been working on one which he intends selling, all the while putting a little time into the deck each day. Which reminds me his trip to SW went far better than we ever anticipated, he went to a 'new' second hand store which is a veritable treasure trove, they have everything from building material to tiny ornaments, he found two sliding windows 2m and 3m respectively of exactly the height we require for ............R1000 for both. Our initial searches were coming in at R22000 Whoop whoop, we will continue going there for other things we need as well as the sliding windows for the side of the deck.
Miss Muffet and her family have gone camping for a few days in the UK, they have found a site in the middle of a cherry orchard, enjoy guys and stay safe. The rest of the family are all well and I am sure feeling mighty relieved at the lifting of some of the lockdown restrictions, my consistent prayer is for a family get together at the end of the year.
Well ladies and gents, I am going to say farewell for this week, thank you for your continued support on My Life's Winding Roads. Please stay safe and stay healthy. Ciao Ciao
Some very large waves last night as a prelude to the gale.
Well it is a bit of a 'mark on the calendar day' here in South Africa, after 5 months of lockdown we go down to Level 2, which for me means I can go for a walk on the beach and take Charlie for his first ever beach walk. I never did figure out why it would be dangerous in terms of CoVid19 but with my luck it would be me being the one person to get caught breaking the rules, so I abstained hehe. The other good news is that inter provincial travel is now allowed, liquor and tobacco sales are open, we may visit family, make use of Hotel and B&B accommodations, all the while adhering to the guidelines of social distancing and limited numbers. More for the economy and those impacted by the strict Lockdown rules I am beyond blessed and pray that things will return to 'normal' economically as fast as possible - I understand we will live in a new normal but at least the economy can begin to heal.
An interesting week behind us to be sure, the current weather pattern appears to be gale force winds and heavy rains over the weekends with sometimes quite hot weather between. Last week however, the weather remained cold but sunny and according to the specialists today and tomorrow we are under another severe weather warning, for the last four days we have had the fire going all day long, sadly it doesn't stay warm overnight - it requires its slaves to continually feed it with logs of wood in order to stay cheerful and then gets moody and goes off when we leave it alone, tut tut tut.
On Tuesday Hubby headed off to Somerset West on a mission to find some sliding windows for the deck. Jelly Bean and I headed in the opposite direction to the Mall in Hermanus as she needed to do some shopping. Hubby's trips to SW somehow seem to evolve into 2000 stops hehe. We had just planned on two shops with a quick peek into one more and then one of us running into Woolies to buy tea. Hmmmffff so much for that thought ...... the two shops took about a hour, the quick peek was just that BUT, then we made the fatal mistake of continuing to walk to the other end of the Mall for the tea. Although we managed to get everything on the list it left me completely depleted and I'm still paddling my way out of the flare.
The makeover in our bedroom is coming along nicely if slowly, but I am so excited by how it is all coming together. It is going slowly partly due to my energy levels and also because I keep adding things to be done. At the beginning of the year I found a small picture of a rose which BigBear managed to have blown up to A1 size, we (Hubby) then made me a frame, we got the glass and during the week I 'distressed' the frame - this was a first for me and I am hooked, it came out beautifully, we hung it up on Saturday. There are still some changes I want to make in the bathroom and only then will I consider the makeover complete 😀. As for the quilt I am about to start my 8th square so that is going quicker than I expected. We eventually convinced Hubby dearest to advertise the Embroidery Hoop and he has seen an encouraging amount of interest one shop in Hermanus is going to take two, so we are holding thumbs on that score. He has cleared his workbench of all watches and has been working on one which he intends selling, all the while putting a little time into the deck each day. Which reminds me his trip to SW went far better than we ever anticipated, he went to a 'new' second hand store which is a veritable treasure trove, they have everything from building material to tiny ornaments, he found two sliding windows 2m and 3m respectively of exactly the height we require for ............R1000 for both. Our initial searches were coming in at R22000 Whoop whoop, we will continue going there for other things we need as well as the sliding windows for the side of the deck.
Miss Muffet and her family have gone camping for a few days in the UK, they have found a site in the middle of a cherry orchard, enjoy guys and stay safe. The rest of the family are all well and I am sure feeling mighty relieved at the lifting of some of the lockdown restrictions, my consistent prayer is for a family get together at the end of the year.
Well ladies and gents, I am going to say farewell for this week, thank you for your continued support on My Life's Winding Roads. Please stay safe and stay healthy. Ciao Ciao
Some very large waves last night as a prelude to the gale.
Monday 10 August 2020
My Life's Winding Roads: A Holiday Monday, yippeee
My Life's Winding Roads: A Holiday Monday, yippeee: Good morning folks, I hope this Public Holiday finds you all relaxing and having a laid back day. It is quite hard keeping track of the dat...
A Holiday Monday, yippeee
Good morning folks, I hope this Public Holiday finds you all relaxing and having a laid back day. It is quite hard keeping track of the dates at the moment and I sometimes find myself in an 'ooops is that today ?' situation hehe. With today being a holiday it is probably going to confuse things even more over the course of the week. Sometimes I really thank the Lord for Facebook and my phone calendar for reminding me about events and birthdays etc.
Well a pretty good week behind us with all the normal routine of our life. Hubby has been busy for weeks now trying to get a very unusual clock to run for more than an hour at a time - it is a goldfish bowl clock, very strange. I admire his perseverance because I think I would have returned to sender long ago, but he stuck with it and eventually on Saturday got it going and and it is still tick ticking away.
The family are doing well, the Bears went away last weekend for a two day break which did them the world of good and, I will admit to a small streak of jealousy when I saw the exquisite home and surroundings they were in. On Tuesday morning however, they were quickly jolted back to reality when Gandalf their cat, who is BigBear's constant shadow, failed to make an appearance. Given the fact that he is an indoor cat and there were no obvious escape routes to be seen this caused no small amount of concern. After scouring the entire neighbourhood, by walking around banging his food dish, all the way down to the sea, and neighbours all running around calling him there was still no sign. After about four hours BabyBear contacted us to say that he had just waltzed into the kitchen wondering what all the fuss was about. He had been tightly curled up in some hidden corner and totally ignored all calls. Talk about high blood pressures and heart rates !!
Poppet and Princess are busy doing their thing and working hard, just missing the rest of the family big time. Big Guy went away this past weekend to a Wild Life Reserve with a group of friends and, from the pics and videos I have seen it was exactly what the doctor prescribed. The scenery was amazing and on the one video taken in the evening you can hear all the animals as well as a lion 'chuffing' loud and clear. I am so very glad that he and the 'Bears' were able to get out of town and enjoy a change of scenery.
I am still quilting away and loving every minute, as I fall in love with every pattern and find it extremely peaceful. So far I have four and three quarter squares completed so am very happy with my 'speed'.
One thing I forgot to tell you all about last week was that the plot next to ours has formed a very large pond which does not appear to be drying up, in fact just the opposite. But Jelly Bean and I were outside hanging up the washing and we could hear a goose quacking, not an unusual event as such but they are usually flying overhead. Then I heard splashing, it would now seem that we have new neighbours, a family of geese that use our roof as a lookout and landing strip and spend their time bathing and swimming in the 'pond', this added to the myriad of other birds we have on that side is just the cherry on the cake - I absolutely love it although they can be a tad noisy when on the roof 🦆🎶🎶
I mentioned awhile back that we are buying a Farm Box 📦 of fruit, vegetables, meat, meals and too many things to mention. These are just the inspiration That was needed, I am sure all the ladies can identify with the "what to cook for supper" dilemma we face EVERY day. Now Almost all of our meals are structured around the ingredients delivered. To that end on Friday I had to take the bull by the horns and have a major cook-a-thon, I made a huge pot of soup (4 meals) which I froze as well as cooking up the beetroot and the spinach to freeze. It was back breaking and I overdid it but at least nothing has or will go to waste and There are a few back up meals on hand. It is like Christmas every Friday when the box arrives and my challenge this week is to cook Arichoke for the first time so hold thumbs hehe.
Well folks, that is enough rambling for a lazy Monday, I hope you all have a wonderful day and a productive joy filled week. Please stay safe and stay well. Ciao ciao.
Goldfish bowl clock, the fish move every second.
Charlie saying hi.
Well a pretty good week behind us with all the normal routine of our life. Hubby has been busy for weeks now trying to get a very unusual clock to run for more than an hour at a time - it is a goldfish bowl clock, very strange. I admire his perseverance because I think I would have returned to sender long ago, but he stuck with it and eventually on Saturday got it going and and it is still tick ticking away.
The family are doing well, the Bears went away last weekend for a two day break which did them the world of good and, I will admit to a small streak of jealousy when I saw the exquisite home and surroundings they were in. On Tuesday morning however, they were quickly jolted back to reality when Gandalf their cat, who is BigBear's constant shadow, failed to make an appearance. Given the fact that he is an indoor cat and there were no obvious escape routes to be seen this caused no small amount of concern. After scouring the entire neighbourhood, by walking around banging his food dish, all the way down to the sea, and neighbours all running around calling him there was still no sign. After about four hours BabyBear contacted us to say that he had just waltzed into the kitchen wondering what all the fuss was about. He had been tightly curled up in some hidden corner and totally ignored all calls. Talk about high blood pressures and heart rates !!
Poppet and Princess are busy doing their thing and working hard, just missing the rest of the family big time. Big Guy went away this past weekend to a Wild Life Reserve with a group of friends and, from the pics and videos I have seen it was exactly what the doctor prescribed. The scenery was amazing and on the one video taken in the evening you can hear all the animals as well as a lion 'chuffing' loud and clear. I am so very glad that he and the 'Bears' were able to get out of town and enjoy a change of scenery.
I am still quilting away and loving every minute, as I fall in love with every pattern and find it extremely peaceful. So far I have four and three quarter squares completed so am very happy with my 'speed'.
One thing I forgot to tell you all about last week was that the plot next to ours has formed a very large pond which does not appear to be drying up, in fact just the opposite. But Jelly Bean and I were outside hanging up the washing and we could hear a goose quacking, not an unusual event as such but they are usually flying overhead. Then I heard splashing, it would now seem that we have new neighbours, a family of geese that use our roof as a lookout and landing strip and spend their time bathing and swimming in the 'pond', this added to the myriad of other birds we have on that side is just the cherry on the cake - I absolutely love it although they can be a tad noisy when on the roof 🦆🎶🎶
I mentioned awhile back that we are buying a Farm Box 📦 of fruit, vegetables, meat, meals and too many things to mention. These are just the inspiration That was needed, I am sure all the ladies can identify with the "what to cook for supper" dilemma we face EVERY day. Now Almost all of our meals are structured around the ingredients delivered. To that end on Friday I had to take the bull by the horns and have a major cook-a-thon, I made a huge pot of soup (4 meals) which I froze as well as cooking up the beetroot and the spinach to freeze. It was back breaking and I overdid it but at least nothing has or will go to waste and There are a few back up meals on hand. It is like Christmas every Friday when the box arrives and my challenge this week is to cook Arichoke for the first time so hold thumbs hehe.
Well folks, that is enough rambling for a lazy Monday, I hope you all have a wonderful day and a productive joy filled week. Please stay safe and stay well. Ciao ciao.
Goldfish bowl clock, the fish move every second.
Charlie saying hi.
Monday 3 August 2020
Four years !!!
Hello, hello, hello everybody ...... it is August already how did we get here ? On Saturday it also marked our four year anniversary of arriving in the Cape and the start of our retirement, I can honestly say that I have never been as busy as now and Hubby agrees with me, it just never stops. There is no way that retirement is quiet and boring.
After yet another week of projects, and things on the go I can honestly say that there were no major dramas. Cats, dogs, house and humans all made it through the week unscathed.😁 On Monday it was our 13th wedding anniversary and we treated ourselves to lunch at Drummond Arms a local Pub/Restaurant in Rooi Els just down the road from us. I decided to take Charlie as I wanted to see how he handled being in that type of environment, he was a little champ. He made friends with the owner although just sniffed at the bowl of water she especially brought for him and, was quite happy to sit next to us or walk around within the scope of his leash, whoop whoop.
Hubby as usual was in and out with watches, shopping and the never ending list of chores as was I. This was rusk baking week so I got them out of the way early on, then it was the mundane things like doing my nails (a big job) and various other household things that when you live in the Cape you keep in reserve for good sunshiny days, like washing linen etc. in other words just a normal, domesticated week. I made sure that I found time to work on my Quilt Squares and I'm now on number three, with each one I get more organized and my stitching improves - even though embroidery may not be the 'in' thing I am thoroughly enjoying the challenge as well as the sense of achievement on each one that I complete.
I think I have mentioned that we are supporting a local enterprise which delivers a variety of meal, vegetable and fruit boxes every week. This week we decided to switch things up and ordered their Vegan box - honestly there are SO many items in a box that I won't even try and list them here, suffice to say that it keeps us going for almost the whole week. I mention this because this week's box contained Waterblommetjies (small water flowers) which is a Cape delicacy, they grow in dams and small rivers. Hmmmmm I will admit I lifted an eyebrow when I saw them and figured it was 'do or die', so yesterday I cooked them in a stew with lamb - the recommended method. Whilst I was prepping this large bunch of green stuff, they need to be washed very thoroughly, I was doubtful if I would even eat them. Regardless, into the pot they went, I did not do a taste test hehe and served them with rice. Well ......... they were very nice, we can't identify or explain the taste as it is very subtle/unobtrusive but having the lamb and potatoes made it a really good meal. So I am now initiated and not only know what Waterblommetjie Bredie is, but I can cook it as well. 🙌🏻
Folks other than all the above, the family are well. There is a lot of stress as even members of our family are dealing with salary cuts and all the other stressors that seem to come hand in hand with CoVid 19 and the ongoing lockdown and limitations. During this time I have become acutely aware of the fact that without God many people are without hope, it is a time of increased prayer, blind faith, trusting in God our Father, encouraging others and staying positive - no small task but just in our own family we have seen the Hand of God move in answered prayers and small miracles. I want to encourage all of you not to give in to the negativity that slams into us at every turn of the head, stop reading the news if you have to, stay off social media if it triggers negative and overwhelming feelings and thoughts. There is only ONE person we can count on to bring us through these times and that is God our Heavenly Father. At this time more than perhaps any other time in your life you need to put your trust in Him. He says in the Bible that : He does not change Malachi 3 v 6. He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. Hebrews 13 v 8. His constant love and faithfulness is steadfast and will never cease. Psalm 100 v 5. Take all your worries, cares, problems and troubles to Him and leave them as His feet. God our Heavenly Father will never desert you or fail you.
I wish you all a wonderful week, stay safe and stay well. Ciao ciao
The A frame bookshelf my talented Hubby made on order.
Waterblommetjie Bredie (stew)
After yet another week of projects, and things on the go I can honestly say that there were no major dramas. Cats, dogs, house and humans all made it through the week unscathed.😁 On Monday it was our 13th wedding anniversary and we treated ourselves to lunch at Drummond Arms a local Pub/Restaurant in Rooi Els just down the road from us. I decided to take Charlie as I wanted to see how he handled being in that type of environment, he was a little champ. He made friends with the owner although just sniffed at the bowl of water she especially brought for him and, was quite happy to sit next to us or walk around within the scope of his leash, whoop whoop.
Hubby as usual was in and out with watches, shopping and the never ending list of chores as was I. This was rusk baking week so I got them out of the way early on, then it was the mundane things like doing my nails (a big job) and various other household things that when you live in the Cape you keep in reserve for good sunshiny days, like washing linen etc. in other words just a normal, domesticated week. I made sure that I found time to work on my Quilt Squares and I'm now on number three, with each one I get more organized and my stitching improves - even though embroidery may not be the 'in' thing I am thoroughly enjoying the challenge as well as the sense of achievement on each one that I complete.
I think I have mentioned that we are supporting a local enterprise which delivers a variety of meal, vegetable and fruit boxes every week. This week we decided to switch things up and ordered their Vegan box - honestly there are SO many items in a box that I won't even try and list them here, suffice to say that it keeps us going for almost the whole week. I mention this because this week's box contained Waterblommetjies (small water flowers) which is a Cape delicacy, they grow in dams and small rivers. Hmmmmm I will admit I lifted an eyebrow when I saw them and figured it was 'do or die', so yesterday I cooked them in a stew with lamb - the recommended method. Whilst I was prepping this large bunch of green stuff, they need to be washed very thoroughly, I was doubtful if I would even eat them. Regardless, into the pot they went, I did not do a taste test hehe and served them with rice. Well ......... they were very nice, we can't identify or explain the taste as it is very subtle/unobtrusive but having the lamb and potatoes made it a really good meal. So I am now initiated and not only know what Waterblommetjie Bredie is, but I can cook it as well. 🙌🏻
Folks other than all the above, the family are well. There is a lot of stress as even members of our family are dealing with salary cuts and all the other stressors that seem to come hand in hand with CoVid 19 and the ongoing lockdown and limitations. During this time I have become acutely aware of the fact that without God many people are without hope, it is a time of increased prayer, blind faith, trusting in God our Father, encouraging others and staying positive - no small task but just in our own family we have seen the Hand of God move in answered prayers and small miracles. I want to encourage all of you not to give in to the negativity that slams into us at every turn of the head, stop reading the news if you have to, stay off social media if it triggers negative and overwhelming feelings and thoughts. There is only ONE person we can count on to bring us through these times and that is God our Heavenly Father. At this time more than perhaps any other time in your life you need to put your trust in Him. He says in the Bible that : He does not change Malachi 3 v 6. He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. Hebrews 13 v 8. His constant love and faithfulness is steadfast and will never cease. Psalm 100 v 5. Take all your worries, cares, problems and troubles to Him and leave them as His feet. God our Heavenly Father will never desert you or fail you.
I wish you all a wonderful week, stay safe and stay well. Ciao ciao
The A frame bookshelf my talented Hubby made on order.
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