It's a faith walk.

Today the scripture 2 Corinthians 5 v 7 is buzzing around in my head. In the most literal sense I am currently walking by faith and not by sight. It is a super cold day here in Johannesburg, so heaters on, washing drying in the Dry Buddy, all the animals inside, a hearty lamb stew cooking away on the stove and Jelly Bean and I are snuggled up under blankets. I find myself more than a little frustrated as I still cannot see clearly out of my left eye (it is like looking through frosted glass. The darker it is the better I can see) which means I can't drive or function properly. I spoke to my surgeon earlier and am going in to see her tomorrow so that she can just check everything, I am walking by faith that God will complete my healing and not by how I can actually see.

It was our little Princess' 13th birthday yesterday and we had a beautiful family and friends lunch to celebrate. I cannot believe she is now 13, on Saturday night she was talking to me and she said "I can't believe this is my last day of being 12 Granny, tomorrow I am going to be a teenager." Never mind the fact that she is catching up to me in the height department rapidly. Oh my word time does indeed march on. What a special occasion, I am so glad we are still in Johannesburg to be able to celebrate it with her.

Last night I put my 'genius' to work, haha. After trying two funnel collars, some lotion which tastes AWFUL (trust me, it got onto my hands UGHHH), none of which worked I decided to get creative. I took a fluffy sock and folded the 'leg part' in half, stitched it up and stuffed it with toy stuffing, sewed the end and pinned it in place with a big safety pin and voila, happy kitty and her stitches are fine. Why hasn't someone made these and marketed them before?

Well friends just a short catch up today. Maybe you too are having to walk by faith and not by what the circumstances are telling you, if so, don't be discouraged or give up, hang in there and keep pressing on there will be a breakthrough. Where ever you are, Thank you for reading, stay warm/cool and above all else stay safe.


Kiko in her funny scarf/collar

Phew, is all I can say

Oh my word what a week. I know that many of you have had a rough week and hope that you are still strong and ready to relax over the weekend. Thank you to everyone for your messages, comments and prayers for me. The operation went well with a somewhat better reaction to the Anaesthetic. I am super happy that it is now behind me even though I cannot see very well at this point. My eye is very 'misty' which the Dr says is normal and it will go away but in the meantime it makes life just a tad difficult. She is delighted with the results though, thank goodness.

It seems that in my life everything is on super speed right now. Last Friday Hubby received a phone call from a company he had worked for previously, asking if he would be available for the next two months, no guessing what the answer was as he is just finishing up his current contract. They called again yesterday to tell him that he starts on Monday - our God is truly amazing. Seriously, hardly anyone in his industry gets offered a two month contract and that is exactly how long we have left before the move. Woohooo

On Monday morning we got a call from Big Guy at about 8 am at our gate. He walked into the house chuckling a little sheepishly. Shame the poor man had left home before 6 am for a dental appointment, sat in the car waiting for the dentist to open only to be told he had the wrong day. He had to be there on Wednesday. Hahaha. We did a little catch up and coffee and then repeated the visit again on Wednesday before I had my eye patch removed. While I am on the subject of my sons please allow me a little brag. Big Guy has lost a whopping 17.5 kg over the last 9 weeks. He is looking absolutely fantastic, like a whole new man. On Sunday BigBear took part in his first Crossfit competition and did extremely well, hitting his personal best. Needless to say I am SO proud of my children I could burst. Well done guys you are an example to us all. Then yesterday we took our little Kiko into the vet to be spayed, all went well until we got her home and she woke up enough to discover her stitches. So right back out to the vet to buy a 'funnel collar'. Hmmm she is so small that the smallest collar she just pulled off. I tried putting a plaster on - BAD IDEA, she licked it off. Then we got creative with the funnel and managed to make it small enough and stay closed with cellotape except that she now has a problem eating and drinking. I tried taking it off this morning for her to eat and she went straight back to those irritating stitches. Did I ever mention how determined this ittle ball of fur is? I spent half the night thinking of different options and personally if I was able I would make a small blow up tube/collar to go around her neck, so I'm going to put this out there, if anyone has ANY ideas please let me know because at this stage it looks like she will have to wear it for the whole ten days.

Apart from the normal Friday morning household chores and activities, this morning we had 6 electricians crawling all over the house and ceiling doing this and that for the Electical Compliance Certificate. I admit I fled to my bedroom for as much of it as possible. Who knew that the satellite dish is supposed to be earthed ? DSTV certainly didn't do it. Now that peace has descended on my home, I can think ahead to the weekend and our little Princess'13th birthday on Sunday, to that end dearest Hubby and I are off this afternoon to catch up on a truck load of chores and shopping.........

I pray that this weekend will be a time for you to recharge your batteries and enjoy your families. Have an awesome weekend folks and always ....... Stay safe out there, you are precious to many people, each one of you.

Feeling extremely grateful

A new week, new adventures and often new challenges. As I start this week I cannot help but reflect back down the road of my life and just know how extremely blessed I am. When things have been hard in my life especially over the last twenty years or so, and they have at times, I have always tried to look ahead and be optimistic. That perhaps second only to my Faith in God, is the only reason that I was able to get up in the morning other than my love for my children. I have always had dreams and desires as we all do, but perhaps never really (deep down) thought that they would ever come to pass. A very good friend of mine asked me the other day if I believed it could happen to others and I quickly said "yes of course," her reply was "so what makes you any different?" that stopped me and made me think. Dreams cost nothing and are a good place to go when things around you are dark, please don't ever stop believing and dreaming friends. God knows the deepest desires and dreams in your heart, even those you may never have verbalized. Many years ago after my husband passed away God 'gave' me a scripture which has been my rock, my foundation, my anchor ever since.

Jeremiah 29 v 11 "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 hope and a future."

There have been many times when, like everyone else, I asked God "why me, will it ever end or be different, what did I do wrong?" I think these are a natural reaction to tragedy or life changing events or illnesses, but, I could not afford to stay there. I kept believing, pushing, fighting and moving forward, even if it was only an inch at a time. Where am I going with all this ? Well with a weekend of packing behind us and a brand new week ahead I sat this morning and just relfected on the goodness of God and His unfailing Grace toward us. With our move in sight and the beautiful house He has provided for us I am blessed beyond measure. I have always dreamed of being able to live near the sea again - we are 250 meters as the crow flies, I have always wanted the living area design that our new house has, I've always wanted pot drawers (haha I know that's crazy) but guess what ? Our new house TWO pot drawers, I could go on and on. He takes care of even our smallest desires. Never in all my 'dreaming' did I actually think it would come to pass and yet here we are - I have an amazing husband, a beautiful family who are healthy and happy, God has given us our dream home in the exact area we felt He was leading us to and we are seeing things fall into place one after the other. I have not shared this with you to brag in any measure, but as an encouragement that no matter how dark and hard things in your life may get, please don't stop trusting God and dreaming your dreams.

Did I mention we packed this weekend? Hmmmm that is an understatement because we started out by emptying the caravan which in turn led to having to sort through and pack the contents, which then evolved into packing other cupboards in order to fill up boxes. By the time we had finished and staggered back we had done a huge amount, yet alas, only a dent of what there still is to do.

As I write this my not quite so little Kiko is curled up on the chair soaking up the rays of sun. I do not think I've ever had such a busy kitten, good grief she can move, but when she is still and mellow there is nothing more loving or softer to cuddle, and thankfully she loves to cuddle and love and chat - just another blessing.

Have a wonderful week folks, go and write your 'stamp' on it, and always please....... Be safe.

Kiko in the sun

Is it Friday already ?

I can't believe it's Friday already and yet on the other hand this week feels like it was a month long. So much happening at the moment I'm losing track of the days. We had a super flight home on Tuesday to be greeted by four highly excited animals. If I was worried that the week being alone would change Kiko, I could have saved myself the time. She is just an naughty and BUSY as ever. I looked over her last night trying to find an off switch, alas nothing. Little does she know right now but next Thursday she is going to the Vet to be sterilised, that might slow her down just a tad. As an example - when I wash my hair over the bath, her new trick is to jump onto my back and sit there to watch the entire process - not uncomfortable al all. Hmmppfffff.

Since we got home a lot has been accomplished although not much to see for it. Mostly planning, paperwork and getting all our little ducks in a row. I did manage to pack one kitchen box (I hate packing the kitchen), but other than that I am just trying to let my body catch up. My head is so busy 24/7 working out where to put things in the new house, what needs to be packed for use and what can be stored temporarily. My darling Hubby is going to have to keep his Carpentry tools on hand as we will need book shelves, kitchen units and generally lots of the other gorgeous things he makes. Woohoo it's all very exciting.


Next week is fast following the current trend of 'busy' as my second eye operation is scheduled for Tuesday, I will be glad when this is behind me. The only 'problem' is that this time I know what I am in for, last time I was totally unaware. We also have a BIG family event in a week as our little Princess will be turning 13. Where, oh where have the years gone? I was there when she was born and was the first to hold her, when I look at her now I see a beautiful, confident, strong minded young lady who is catching up to me on the height front quickly. You've got a couple of years to go Princess and I will always be your Granny.

We are planning (I am planning) a quiet recovery weekend hopefully. One of the big things about having Fibromyalgia is to try and avoid going beyond your limit which has been impossible, the consequence is that it leaves one with chronic fatigue and also a 'Fibro flare' which is extreme pain amongst other things. To that end I am hoping to take it easy and 'fill up my tank' quickly so that I can get back to all that needs doing.

The sun is shining although it is quite cool but I really wish it was pouring with rain, we humans are such strange creatures aren't we ? Just on the off chance that I've never mentioned it, I am undoubtedly a winter/cold weather person through and through hehehe. Here's wishing each one of you a super weekend, with the best weather for you haha. Whatever you do enjoy and always stay safe.

About to go home

Good morning friends, here I sit listening to the seagulls with a hot hot lemon drink in my hands while the rest of the family sleeps ...... Hmmmm something wrong with this picture. What a week would be puting it mildly, we fly home at lunchtime after a whirlwind week down in the Cape which happily has been successful and productive beyond our wildest dreams.

We ended up buying the second house we saw, this was the one that we totally fell in love with on Thursday morning. When I look at the pictures I am blown away with how very, very blessed we are and to what degree our prayers have been answered. It is everything we asked for, I hoped for, and then more. We will be only about 400 m from the ocean with one row of houses between us and a partial ocean view. My mind is continually thinking of how I want to arrange our things there, all the things we can do with it and just generally huge excitement. The area is everything we expected, a small village atmosphere with the mountains behind us and the sea in front. God has been so extremely good to us.

We were able to spend a lovely day on Sunday with the family (the first day not spent driving distances in the car), we went out to Blouberg and Milnerton which are slightly up the West Coast, where one always sees the iconic pictures of Table Mountain in the distance, well Murphy's Law was in effect and there was a thick band of fog hanging over the sea, so no view. We had the most magnificent lunch of seafood in a gorgeous, rustic, very classy restaurant before going for a long walk collecting shells and driftwood along the beach. Oh ...... did I mention that coming out of the restaurant I missed the second step and not at all gracefully fell down the stairs on my chin, bounce, bounce, bounce. I am quite sure that everyone looking must habe thought "hmmpff she had too much to drink" and here I'd only had a cup of tea and a coke. Nevertheless quite a spectacle did I make of myself. I can assure you that apart from a grazed knee and chin, some magnificent bruises in weird places, sore ribs, there is not ONE part of me that is not sore. So some slow moving ahead, SO glad we are flying home and not driving.

I am missing my cats terribly and am sure that Kiko has grown a lot in the last week, can't wait to get home to play with and cuddle them. I have been 'borrowing' BigBear and BabyBear's cats for cuddles. Our neighbour, who looks after the Pets has kept me updated on all the antics and catastrophes on a daily basis and its high time we got home to bring some order into our animal's lives haha.

I would like to just thank each of you, my readers, for you encouragement, prayers, and support on this Blog and as from from Friday I will be back to normal with posts and updates. As I hear the family stirring I am going to bid you Au Revoir until then, have a wonderful week and stay safe.

My 'iconic' photo of Table Mountain on the way home.



Lions Head taken from Camps Bay beach on Friday evening.

Cape Town

Good morning friends, as I sit writing this I am the only one awake and am listening the vigorous screeching of seagulls and Egyptian Geese who for some reason think that it is their sole purpose in life to sit on the building and herald in the day.

This week has been beyond busy in too many ways to mention. We had a very good trip down on Wednesday, although lengthened by continuous road works and huge trucks. We estimated that we must have passed over 500 large trucks just in that one trip. Since we arrived we have literally not stopped. We already know our way around Betty's Bay - more or less - have seen so many houses that they now all seem like one, but feel confidant that we have narrowed it down to the only one that really 'touched' us. So from here it is the negotiating and LOTS of prayer.

It so good being able to spend time with the family and hopefully this weekend we will be able to relax a bit and enjoy them as well as do some sight seeing. I did manage to take a few pictures of the scenery mostly the ocean, some taken out of the window from a moving car going around crazy twists and turns, which I am going to attach below. You will see why my soul loves this part of our beautiful country. When I got out of the car yesterday out where we are house hunting, it was like stepping into a cloud of peace, the solitude, the stillness and quietness. Like a healing balm to me.

Here is wishing you a wonderful weekend in whatever you are doing, try and make the most of every special moment and ....... as always Stay Safe


Pic 1. In the middle of the Karoo during ur trip down.
Pic 2. The Sun shining over False Bay yesterday afternoon.
Pic 3. False Bay between Rooi Els and Gordon's Bay.
Pic 4. Lions Head last night after sunset from Camps Bay beach.

Ready, set, GO ...

Happy Monday everyone, I hope that today finds you rested and ready to face the new week and whatever it holds, please remember ... YOU CAN DO IT !!!!! After a busy, but oh so happy weekend with our family we are about to embark on the next phase of the journey on Our Winding Road.

We are leaving on our road trip very early Wednesday morning and will drive straight through to Cape Town, about 1 400 kilometres, which should put us there at around 5 pm. As you will know there is much preparation to be done before a long trip, but even more exciting is that this trip will be to find our new home as well as spend some quality time with our children. We have already set up viewings all day Thursday and Friday and are praying for God's leading in knowing exactly which house is 'our' house. As we are driving down in Jelly Bean's little car (and leaving it there with BigBear) we will be able to relax a little when we fly back next Tuesday. This is going to be most welcome because once we get back it's going to be all systems go to get the house packed and our family moved. I can't wait to see the ocean and 'my' beautiful Table Mountain, together they are my personal remedy of peace and inspiration.

Having BigBear and BabyBear here for the weekend was awesome. Even though he had to work and they were here for a wedding the time spent together was precious and we had the most wonderful, classy Brunch on Sunday with the girls at their house where we all got to meet Jill who is adorable, such a calm little dog. The only element missing was not having Big Guy there with us as he was unable to make it, although the bonus is I got to see him this morning as he had business this side of town and popped in for about 2 hours. I consider myself truly blessed beyond measure to have such an awesome family both here and in the UK! Love you ALL to the moon and back

It would seem that Kiko is going to provide an endless supply of stories and mirth, she is truly a character of note. This morning she climbed into the broom cupboard, climbed up the back of the ironing board and then ...... got stuck. When I put my head in, this tiny little face and two paws peeped over the top of the board with a little meow asking to be rescued. One of her favourite games is to trot across Hubby's keyboard while he is working and thus add a new line, or command of xxxfffhhwwttccmmbbbbhhjjjjjjjj's and more. She is FAR too curious and absolutely notthing is sacred - it's tantamount to having a toddler in the house, even BabyBear mentioned how busy she is, and they have two cats. Thankfully I have an angel of a neighbour who looks after the animals when we are away, she is the ultimate Cat Lady and literally cannot wait for us to leave so that she can come over and play with them.

The next time I post will be many kilometers later from Cape Town and I promise to upload some beautiful photos, until then friendS have a good week and ...... stay safe please.


Jill having a nap in her new jacket




Kiko watching me as I work