Exciting times and a busy week ahead.

Hi there folks, is it just me or this year rushing past ?  It feels like the year is six months old and has just started all in one.  The one thing I do know for definite is that this is going to be a very busy week.  As a start I have managed to get a batch of Buttermilk Rusks into the oven,  it has been ages since I made some. We have been so busy with looking after Madam aka CeCe that I am tired and haven't even begun yet lol.  She is very easy to look after on the one hand, usually when she is on my lap, and the rest of the times we are looking for 'toilet gifts' that she leaves us, or saving her from whatever monsters she thinks are after her.  As I have said before she has definite neurological issues and will bounce around the house very happily until she either bumps into something or her tail whacks her then she goes crazy.  Poor old Jasper he is either being growled at by Gemma or thinks he's being growled at by CeCe, it's not always his fault although he can be a horror.  He just sits there and watches her with complete confusion on his face. Never a dull moment in this house that is a guarantee.

I am 'hopefully' thinking /hoping that Autumn is on its way as the last week or so has been very pleasant here in Bettys's Bay, today dawned  cool and overcast which makes me a very happy camper.  Hubby has taken Jelly Bean into work as is going to spend the afternoon visiting with a friend of his. He also got to play his first game of golf in absolutely ages last week and happily his shoulder is completely healed so he is a very happy man at the moment.  He had his annual physical last week and is having a Colonoscopy on Wednesday as part of all the tests, then on Thursday I have to go in for the first (and hopefully last) procedure on my eye to rotate the lens, somehow we have a habit of 'double booking' these kinds of things hehe.  Thankfully neither require an overnight stay so we will be in and out.  Jelly Bean was busy packing out books at work last week and somehow managed to hurt her shoulder which is still not 100% so we are treating that as well, like I said never a dull moment.

Princess finished off the Athletics season on a high note and can now concentrate on her academics and hockey.  Whilst we were all busy our family in the UK have been freezing with all the snow, to the point that the little 'Master Muffets' were able to go sledding over the weekend, from the pics and face time calls we had it looks like they had a whale of a time, I am quite jealous.  The rest of this amazing, diverse family are all well and doing what needs to be done.  Have I ever mentioned just how much I love and appreciate you all ?

• Jelly Bean and I were chatting the other day as we are seeing a number of  family, friends and acquaintances going through some really trying times, and as is so often the case it's usually through no fault of their own and totally out of their control, how does one cope with all the changes? My faith in God and His Word where He says "He will never leave me or forsake me" Joshua 1 v 5 - 9, and as one particular friend said "it's a negative situation but I am going to the very best I can to get through it and come back stronger," truly describes my approach to trying times or changes.  Not everything goes the way we want it to, but, every situation can be turned around and what was meant for my detriment can be made useful and cause me to grow as a person and in my faith.  As far as I am concerned giving up has never been an option, for me.  There have been many, many times where I've though "this is just too hard, or not worth the pain, or I just can't anymore," but then there is a voice that stubbornly says "yes I can, I will learn from this, I refuse to be beaten and become a victim, I have four children that need me."  These are choices that one has to consciously make and work at all the time, it is never a once off decision because every trial will challenge you in a different way.  I am very proud when I see that my children are exactly the same.  Is it easy ? Is it convenient ? Is it quick ?  NO - it is hard, and it is painful, and inconvenient and sometimes feels like it takes forever to get to the top of the mountain, but get there you will if you are determined and the outcome is always glorious and better than before.  For those of you who are facing challenges and changes you did not ask for and definitely don't want, I say to you please hang in there, don't give up, don't stop swimming, don't lie down and become overwhelmed.  Make the decision to fight, swim, pray, whatever it takes to get you through.  I am reminded of an  experience I had in December 1997, 15 months after my late husband passed away.  I have very few memories of those 15 months except to say that I felt I had been stripped of my identity and plunged into the total darkness.  I was walking into my bedroom and 'heard' God say to me " are you going to stay as you are, a victim?  Or do you want to become a victor ?  I had to make a decision, a hard decision, I decided that I wanted to be a victor and that meant I had to work unbelievably hard to dig myself out of the hole I found myself in.  It did not happen overnight or even quickly, but through the grace of God and His strength, I was able to become who I am today a very different, wiser, more compassionate woman.  Folks please don't throw in the towel, your race is not over, despite the circumstances, you are not finished, you are not a failure, YOU are a work in progress and this situation is one more step in your growth chart.

On that note I am going to say ciao ciao for this week, I am praying for you all for strength, courage, determination and energy.  Please stay safe and make the most of  very moment you have with family and friends.  Much love.

CeCe saying hi.

Clear skies, cooler weather and rain make a perfect weekend.

Good morning friends and family, I trust today's Blog finds you all well and somewhat rested after the weekend?  I suddenly realized just now that A. February is almost finished and B. That I have had CeCe for five and a half weeks, gosh time flies by when you are not looking.

We had a good week with most of the usual ups and downs, chores and what nots,  Handsome Hubby delivered another bird feeder to someone in the Strand who now has two.  Our 'fly through' is as busy as ever with even non nectar feeding birds dropping in regularly for a snack, we have seen Sun Birds, Sugar Birds, Weavers, Bul buls, Mouse Birds and two other species which we have not totally identified yet, so I believe it is safe to say the feeder is a success.  On the feline front Jasper has been a real cuddle bunny as the weather has been slightly cooler, although he still terrorists the others and even me at times, my gorgeous, majestic boy.  Gemma has deigned to come in a couple of times to sleep on Jelly Beans bed (away from Jasper) and even visited with us briefly hehe, very grumpy old lady that one.  CeCe is continuing to find her way around. albeit slowly and is definitely more confident.  I wish I could say the 'potty training' was working but that is still a hit and miss affair, although I have now just put plain newspaper in the litter pan and she will al least pee on that (or try to).  With the 'lack' of absorbent kitty litter she tends to require fairly frequent bathing which turns into a lot of giggles on our part, bathing her in a wide sink is fine but when I let go of her she just collapses onto her side, she will not / cannot stand in water, so the next time I bathed her in a small basin and as soon as I let go she lay down in the water, thankfully she doesn't mind being in the water too much and even tolerates the hairdryer afterwards.  Oh well at least she smells nice, SOMETIMES.  The one thing that we have discovered is that she follows or finds us mostly by vibration - either following as I walk, or I tap her food bowl or a stick on the floor and she then follows that sound for the most part fairly accurately but she does take some interesting detours sometimes.  Life is certainly never dull here.

Jelly Bean had the entire weekend off so we were all able to relax and spend some good down time, perfectly timed because a brief cold front passed through bringing cooler temperatures and we recorded 22mm of rain between Friday evening and Saturday evening, Hallelujah!!!   I am super proud of our Princess for all that she is achieving in her first year of High School with her athletics and then last week she was chosen for the B Team in Hockey, although it results in crazy hours for both her and Poppet she is continuing to blossom.  Our two little Master Muffets in the UK are also doing very well with both of them playing Soccer which takes up most Saturday mornings and also being back at school after their half term break.

Yesterday we spent the afternoon with precious friends here in BB who have a beautiful home quite a way up the mountainside with a view that literally stretches from Hangklip right through to Gansbaai, it is always such a treat to visit as we get to sit on the deck, sheltered from the wind and all you can see is the ocean and the mountains, not too mention the most delicious Chocolate Torte which she is so good at making, thank you guys for a perfect afternoon.

Today my precious Hubby has had to drive through to Paarl to sort out some business with the Tax department and I got to stay home (hence the early Blog hehe)  which is a treat for me especially as Paarl is always incredibly HOT.

Dear friends that is all for this week, I wish each one of you a blessed week, may our Lord multiply your time, give you peace and wisdom, smooth the bumps in your pathway and keep you and your loved ones safe and well.  Always stay aware of your surroundings

My gorgeous Jasper staying still long enough to pose

CeCe enjoying a cuddle after her last bath.

The dis-ease of busyness

Greetings folks on this slightly cooler Monday, happily we have had a little rain, 33mm here in Bettys Bay with some little towns having more, hopefully it has made a slight difference to our dam levels.  Last week was exceptionally humid (my absolute worst) and it was either literally blowing gale force or not a breath of air to be found.    We had a fairly normal week with all the usual busyness and projects that need doing, my extremely clever Hubby is busy making me 'screens' for the windows, to keep Jasper IN and the bugs and mosquitos OUT, I am so grateful for these as I tend to be a fresh air addict and cannot stand being anywhere where there is no fresh air or movement of air.

For the most part of last week I was feeling pretty grim due to a bladder infection which I eventually saw the doctor for and can gladly say the antibiotics are working and I am feeling better.  With our domestic zoo nothing much has changed, Jasper is learning to be gentle with the baby, Gemma has decided we are not the enemy and does not spend every day  'glamping'  out in the garden, she has actually spent some time on Hubby's lap and been more like her usual grumpy self.  As for CeCe we are still having litter box issues although a few more success than failures, I managed to speak to a Cat Behaviourist last week who listened to all the methods I've tried and then suggested just plain newspaper in the box, that sort of works, my next attempt is going to be putting soil from the garden in the box and if that works, gradually add cat litter until I can make a total change.  As for Max and Sasha they both had one or two adventures in that they managed to escape just as the gate was closing and then had to be chased down the road and caught #facepalm.  I was encouraged last week though, when I saw a message on our community group about someone's  Yorkie who had gone 'adventuring' somewhere, it is quite a common problem here hehe.  On Saturday morning as Jelly Bean and I left the  house, about 100 meters up the road we came across the most gorgeous little Cape Grysbok (see pic) just standing in the road looking at us before jumping off into the Fynbos.  It's moments like these that make living here so very special.

Jelly Bean and I were talking this morning about people taking time to smell the roses and how even as a young person she loves the fact that we don't live in a city, but can take time to just look at the ocean, or the stars or just the nature around us.  Which reminded me of something I read last week 'The Dis-ease of Busyness', a subject that is very close to my heart.  Folks let's face it, life is busy, there is no doubt about that.  It does not matter who you are or where you are everyone is busy, busy, busy.  The ones who bear the brunt of all this is our children, not only are we leading them by example but we are more often than not, missing out on those special, limited years we have with them.   ie.  "Mommy can you read me a story?"  "No baby, I have to finish XYZ". "Can we go for a walk on the beach ?"  "Maybe next week when I have finished the cleaning / cooking / work  etc".  We get so immersed in our routines and this need to be constantly doing something 'worthwhile' that our children / spouses and even ourselves never take time to just sit and be.  When last did you just sit and listen to the silence, or the birds chirping without the television or radio going in the background?  When last did you dance in the rain or sit outside looking at the sunset or the stars?  Not only will taking some time change your family relationships for the better but your stress levels will ease up a bit.  Friends we cannot look after ourselves and our families if we have nothing left to give, a candle cannot give light if it has a burnt out wick, I truly believe this applies to men as much as to us women.  I totally understand how stressful life is especially if you have children and doubly so if you are a single parent which in turn means it is doubly necessary.  I have discovered through the years that unless you actually get up and make it happen, nothing happens  and to that end would like to ask all of you to make a concientous effort this week to take some 'time out' for yourself and with your families and look forward to hearing what the results have been.

Right now I am off to make the three of us some coffee and some catch up with my precious Hubby, I wish you all a wonderful week, have fun and as always be safe please.

Our local Cape Grysbok

Rain, hot water and appreciation .

And so another week rolls in and the year continues to gather momentum, greetings today from a quiet, windy Bettys Bay.  As I sit and write today's blog I am listening to some golden oldies playing on the television, really good music back when I was a teenager hehe, I can hear someone's lawnmower going in the distance. the wind has settled to a brisk breeze and the sound of the waves.  Absolute bliss!  There was much excitement in the Cape last week as all the weather forecasts predicted rain for Friday and it eventually arrived at about 6pm, we measured 18mm through the evening which was wonderful and hopefully signs of an early, wet winter, it always amazes me how quickly the garden responds to even a little bit of rain, with the grass looking slightly green from its normal yellow.

All is good on the home front with life carrying on as normal, I have the 8th March looming up on the calendar as that is when my Eye Specialist has booked me for yet another procedure on my left eye.  He is going to attemp to re-align the lens in my left eye as it is way off the axis it is supposed to be on.  As I am going to be awake throughout and he is going to be using laser it would be an understatement to say that I am rather nervous.  This is the first of three options he has in mind, the second (if this one fails) is to replace the lens completely, of that does not work he is talking about a hard contact lens for the left eye and, once he has achieved a positive result, he will let the eye settle down and only then do the YAG procedure to clear the blurriness, so all in all its going to take awhile.

Our little Princess is so busy with high school that she barely has time to breathe.  Poppet was telling me this morning that Princess has been selected for the first team for athletics (which means an extra sports uniform .....really?) and tomorrow she has to be at school at 4.30 AM as they have a huge
athletics meet in another town about 150 km away, this meet is going to televised which we are hoping to be able to find and watch.  She was quite upset as they are capped at four events and because the school has no one representing them in the 300m hurdles, they have put Princess in that race and taken her out of High Jump which is one of her best events.  Meanwhile Poppet's division of the company has been taken over by a new company and she has been in conferences and meetings non stop, which means that between the two of them they are functioning on autopilot. Hang in there girls, this too will pass and you will get through it all.  The rest of the family are all super busy and doing well.

My clever Hubby sold a Bird Nectar Feeder last week and we received a call from the same people requesting another one, we certainly won't get rich on bird feeders but there will be a lot of happy birds in the Cape hehe.  I continue  hot waterto thank God for such an amazing man who is so gifted in many areas.  Last week Jelly Bean came into the lounge asking why we were running water, we weren't, turned out a pipe had come off the solar system that feeds the geyser and we had hot water raining down the side of the house. Out came the ladder and ten minutes later it was fixed and we could carry on, thank you my Darling for all you do.

Jasper has started a new ritual at night when I go to bed, he comes and cuddles/spoons against me and then we end up falling asleep like that with my arm over him, and much purring.  He is still trying to wrestle with CeCe without much success, mainly because he jumps on her and takes her by surprise.  Hmmmmm much fun and games with the water squirter.  As for the littlest one she is settling down really well and we have seen so much progress in nearly three weeks, she is a reall little cuddle bug and within minutes of being on my lap is fast asleep.  As for the litter box training............. Not much change there.  We are trying everything we can, which is a lot trust me.  I heard about a product called Cat Attract which apparently draws them to the box, but guess what ?  It is NOT available in South Africa which I personally think is crazy, as we know people and have family overseas I am going to try and source some that way.  If anyone has any suggestions I am all ears and will take all the advice I can get.  She is such a little treasure and once we can sort this issue out can go on and
live an almost normal life.

Well friends for someone who thought she had no news to share, I've rambled on long enough for today.  I would like to say thank you to each and everyone of my readers for your continued support and interest on this Blog, it amazes me week after week when I see how far across the world it is read, thank you :),  I pray you have a good week, dont forget to take some time every day to just stop and appreciate where you are, whether it is looking at the snow, rain, ocean, your family, your pets,
your full grocery cupboard, whatever, just appreciate what you have and where you are.  You may not
be where you want to be, or your circumstances may not be ideal but, developing an attitude of
gratefulness and appreciation will in turn bring you to where you want to be.  Life is fleeting and so many of us live waiting for next month, next year, when I'm married, when the kids are bigger, those things are going to happen but take time to enjoy and appreciate the now.   Please stay safe and always be aware of your surroundings, til next week ciao ciao.

P.S.  You can see videos of CeCe on Instagram , #Cece_the_blind_kitten.

Jasper being cute.

CeCe sleeping. 

Visits, catch ups, busy, busy!!!!

Good morning all wow what a week.  I remember someone asking what are you going to do with yourselves when you retire?  Well retirement so far has proven to be far busier than before, it just never stops and I am so glad I have my best friend to travel this journey with.   Last week was quite a busy week with a lot of time taken up by CeCe whose bladder infection is now gone, although at the moment we are beginning to suspect that there is some sort of neurological damage as she does not do the things normal kittens do, for example trying to climb on the furniture, meowing, purring, using the litter box (oh joy) or playing with her toys which all have bells or crinkle sounds.  The closest she has come to playing was last night lying on my lap, on her back and flailing her arms at a small cloth I dangled over her.   Jasper just loves this new 'toy' but is quite cautious when she growls at him, my big fluffy Braveheart.  Our bird 'fly through' / nectar bottle is still proving to be a major hit and the birds are becoming tamer every day.  Because of the drought we have even had finches and bulbuls stopping in for a drink, both of which are seed eaters, we are now figuring out how to give them water hehehe.  It's a regular zoo here.

On Wednesday we were so blessed and excited to have time visiting with some very dear friends from Cradock, whom we hadn't seen for quite a few years.  It was such a special visit with non stop talking and catching up.  Thank you guys for coming through and a super visit.

Eventually on Friday I admitted 'defeat' and stayed at home whilst my very precious Hubby went into town to some time with a friend of his on the driving range and then did the weekly shopping.  I am not getting much  opportunity to pace myself at the moment, mostly courtesy of one very small feline, and not very successfully staving off a Fibro flare.  On Saturday afternoon after taking Jelly Bean to work we had a lovely afternoon with friends here who recently adopted a puppy and brought him over for a play date with Max and Sasha and to meet CeCe.  Yesterday Jelly Bean was off and all three of us did as little as possible and really relaxed.

As you can see friends it's non stop just about every day but I would not change our lifestyle for anything, every day I give thanks for where we are and all of Gods blessing on our lives and those of our family.  I wish you all a fantastic week and wherever you go please stay aware and safe.

Such pretty eyes just so sad that they don't work.

Our daily drive. Mountains to the left and ocean to the right, the most beautiful drive.

My head is spinning

Good morning friends I hope you are all well rested and ready to tackle this brand new week?  All I can say is I  really hope this week is easier haha, last week was just a blur of busyness.  Everybody is back at work now and the holidays are officially over, Pincess has her first full week of  High School done and dusted, the two little 'Master Muffets' in the UK are back into the swing of things a school and  our lives got crazy busy here in BB.

As I told you last week we have adopted a nine week old kitten who is totally blind, CeCe arrived on Wednesday and then the fun began.  She is absolutely adorable but quite a little individual and I am learning in leaps and bounds.  When she arrived she had a very upset tummy, which we assumed was all the stress of two relocations, new food etc, well said 'unhappy tummy' just got worse and worse.  It felt like all I did all week was clean, disinfect, clean disinfect, feed, repeat. 😂  Originally we had her in the lounge in the 'playpen' but it turned out easier to keep her in the bathroom in order for her to try and settle down.  Eventually on Saturday I spoke to one of the ladies from the Organisation we got her from and she suggested that I get a probiotic and poach chicken breasts and feed that only, what amazing advice it was with  almost instantaneous results and  her tummy is now 100%.  This little madam very quickly got tired of the bathroom and the playpen.  Yesterday we let her loose in the main part of the house and good grief she is like a little rocket, more like a bouncing lamb.  CeCe walks around by sort of sweeping her front paws sideways and far forward, when she has the layout of the area then it's all systems go and she does these funny little jumps all around the room, not slowly may I add.  It is quite intriguing to watch as well as worrying about all the bumps when she runs into something.  This morning she was restless so I let her 'loose' and she was running around so fast and bumping into everything that she got extremely frustrated and started growling at the air.  I have quickly discovered that to calm her down I wrap her in a blanket and soothe her that way, a lesson I learnt from #kittenlady who is a kitten rescuer in the USA.  We have to talk to her and warm her before picking her up or putting her down because otherwise it startles and scares her.  Thank the Lord that Jasper is completely intrigued and either sits in front of the playpen,  jumps in to see if she's left any food, or follows her around everywhere, the fun begins if she moves suddenly or sneezes because he gets a fright, jumps and runs away.  This morning he went into her sandbox and was giving the softest little calls to her as if to say "here I am this is how you do it".  As for Gemma she just avoids it all, the dogs, particularly Sasha are curious and at this point haven't actually been introduced because they would be too much for her to handle.    This morning Hubby actually saw Max CLIMB over the top of the shoulder high mesh fence into the next yard, even after looking everywhere we could not find him until someone spotted him and called us.  A friend asked me this morning how it is going in the zoo and that is exactly what it feels like at the moment.

As a result of the unending busyness and stress I ended up in a full blown Fibro Flare which stupidly and out of necessity I pushed through only to pay the price severely, so yesterday I begged off traveling and quite literally spent most of the day laying down and dealing with the pain, my precious Hubby even brought take always home for supper (the fact that our gas ran out probably helped on that one hehe). Today I pick myself up, dust myself off, straighten my crown, fluff my tutu and start the week.  Tomorrow I have another appointment with the Eye Specialist to discuss the way forward on my troublesome left eye so here is praying for wisdom and good news.

Folks I wish you, each and everyone a fantastic week of new opportunities and blessings, let's see how each one of us can make a difference and spread joy to those around us going forward into 2018.  Please  stay safe and always be aware of your surroundings.

Jasper on babysitting duty and Cece in quieter moments

My year just got really exciting

Good morning friends my year suddenly picked up pace exponentially on Thursday and I am still questioning whether I am quite crazy 😏.  Let me start at the very beginning, our week settled down quite quickly after having the family here for the holidays and routine returned to normal (does normal exist??). On Thursday Jelly Bean had the day off and so we all relaxed and we're just chilling at home, during the afternoon I was looking at Facebook when I saw an 'ad' for a tiny little blind kitten (yep you know where this is going), anyway I looked at the pictures and actually thought it was a rescue organisation in Durban so scrolled on past.  I just could not get her out of my mind so after looking a few times I saw that they were based in Cape Town hmmmmm, I showed the photo to Hubby dearest who just looked at me and smiled, I contacted the organisation to find out whether she has any other health issues, which she does not and they in turn sent me an application form to complete as there was another person also interested in adopting her.  A couple of hours later they phoned to say she is ours and how excited they are to have found a good home so quickly.  This dear little soul was up on the West Coast and arrived in CT on Saturday morning, she is at the Vet today for all the necessary tests and vaccinations and will come through to us on Wednesday .......... Along with the excitement is a great big dose of nervousness.  We are going to call her CeCe which means 'little blind one' and at the moment are busy getting everything she will need ready, my amazing Hubby is going to make her a 'cat playpen'  so that when the other animals are around or visitors with children come she can have a safe place to call her own.  Am I crazy ??? Quite possibly but we both have peace that this is right so please keep us in your prayers especially for a harmonious union with Gemma and Jasper, it is my prayer that they will both become protective and guiding for her.  I will post some pictures of her next week once she has settled down.

Our Princess started High School last week with an extremely busy week of Camp, collecting all her books, a school gala on Friday - she came fourth in her race and then Athletics day on Saturday.  She took part in four events the 200 m, 100 m, hurdles and high jump and got a gold medal for each event, what a start to her High School career.  Well done my Angel you are a Superstar.  This week they actually begin with schoolwork and a normal routine.  Everyone else is back at work and so the year will continue.

Weather wise it has been unbearable with extreme heat and humidity except for Friday and Saturday which were pure heaven, cool, overcast and drizzle.  I was in my element, today not so much as we are back to the heat and humidity.  As I write this I have taken haven in our bedroom, closed the doors and windows and have the portable aircon going, Jasper like me does not do well in the heat so he is curled up next to me fast asleep.  Please keep Cape Town in your prayers as the drought is the worst in over a century and the day that the city runs out of water totally in now scheduled to be in April.  As from February the 1st level 6B restrictions come into play which means that everyone is only allowed to use 50l of water per day per person, for everything, cleaning, laundry, toilets, cooking, drinking etc.

Folks, that is the 'highlights' in terms of our news for this last week, but I am quite sure the rest of the week is going to be interesting to put it mildly.  I pray that you have a blessed week and would like to
encourage you to reach out to others with encouragement and kindness, you may never ever know
how much of a difference it will make in their lives, but the law of sowing also includes reaping so as you sow kindness and encouragement so you will reap the harvest back.  Please be safe wherever you go and if anyone has tips for raising blind kittens I am all ears 😄.

Driving into Somerset West on Friday morning