Happy Easter

Good morning all, on this last Monday of March. Well I have being seeing a lot of 'memories' from this time last year which is when South Africa was placed under a 21 day Hard Lockdown, which in actual fact went way beyond the allotted time and we are still, like the rest of the world under some level of lockdown. Up until then I had only really associated the word with TV shows and movies with regards to a prison being locked down or similar circumstances. I know that I for one, had no clue that the world was going to change so much, that we would a year later, still be living a different kind of life, in fact sometimes I have to remind myself that SA is still under Level one. It was and has been a challenging year but also a year of immense growth individually as I have learnt to shop differently, do things differently, appreciate even the smallest moments to the utmost, to name just a few areas. We have all been stretched way out of our comfort zones and discovered new things about ourselves, I am sure. This 'new' lifestyle is however, only worth the change if we continue to live up to the changes within ourselves. For many years I have have said that every moment we have here, with our family and friends, fulfilling ambitions, is precious because tomorrow is never promised. This past year has highlighted that even more, as most of you know I have had Fibromyalgia for a long time and along the way I've had times where I have been extremely frustrated at what I can no longer do, but I came to a decision awhile back that if there are things that are beyond me then I will learn and do different things. To that end I embarked on the project of restoring the chest and that just encouraged me to reach further and turn my hand to other DIY projects. My head is spinning with all that I want to do and yes, I realize that some are and will be beyond me, but with God's grace I am going to do as much as I can. I took this week off from the 'heavy' work in order to give my body some healing time and did little things around the house like filling up holes and cracks in the walls - where nails etc have been removed. Next is to paint those areas and move onto various other areas that need attention i.e. we have a north facing wall which has always been a problem due to dampness. Hubby has been up on the roof more times than I can count sealing areas that look like they could be the point of entry for water and even sealing those that appeared unlikely. It has left us with a double volume wall that in some places has blistered and the paint has flaked off, my next indoor task is going to be trying to get rid of all the problem paint and plaster, then to seal and repaint as much as I can, I'm not good on ladders so Hubby will have to do the high work. To my friends who worry that I never sit still 😂 I am learning to take breaks or even a day between tasks and when to give my body the time it needs hehe. On Saturday we had the girls around for a soup day, the weather started off cold and rainy and I put a big pot of veggie soup on, made the dough for ciabatta bread and, when the girls arrived Poppet and I made a split pea and chorizo soup in the Instant Pot. Both soups were delicious even though the weather had cleared and we had made enough that we were each able to freeze a liter of each soup, so four liters of soup left over. Whoop whoop, I love freezing good meals for those days when cooking is just too much. Yesterday we did absolutely nothing except relax and as Saturday was a cooked food day I declared it a help yourself kind of day ......... until I got to thinking about the apples that were in the fridge and decided to make an apple crumble which was our supper covered with custard 😁 Yummmmm. The Bears are off this week to Natal for a short break which is sorely needed, enjoy and relax please you two. Jelly Bean and Princess are going to house sit for them, Princess will stay two days as she is going away for Easter and a Jelly Bean will hand over the house sitting to a family friend on Friday for the weekend - I know they are looking forward to some good 'girl time' together. Big Guy has been quiet but I know that when he is overrun work wise that is what happens and compared to the challenges he faced last year with work I am delighted that he is busy, miss you son - big time. Hubby worked on clocks and watches most of the week and really cleared the backlog, as soon a some leave more seem to arrive. He also got to do a little bit of work on the deck in between which is exciting. Well folks, that's most of my news for this week, everyone is healthy and busy, I hope today's Blog finds you and yours the same. To those who are going to be traveling please, please be safe and take all necessary precautions. On behalf of my family I wish you all a blessed Easter and wherever you are going to be, make the most of every minute. Ciao ciao. 

Such concentration and  peace