Good eyes, snakes and birthdays

Good morning folks it's the start of a beautiful week full of new possibilities and opportunities let's make the most of every one of them.  After a lovely weekend we are ready for the next few days ahead.  Well last week was quite epic and not unreasonably busy.  Apart from the normal day to day  shenanigans of living with five animals one of which is blind, I went to the eye surgeon for my post op check up and Praise the Lord my left eye is to quote my surgeon "100% better".  He was extremely happy with the results of the procedure and, because the capsule which the lens sits in is extremely small, he lasered the eye to clear all the opacity there and then as he was worried that it could shrink and thereby move the lens.  So folks for the first time since I was 5 years old I can see perfectly with my left eye,  the right eye is not perfect but as good as it can ever be.  I will be making an appointment with the Optician to test if I need specs for reading but that is all, I never in a million years ever dreamt I would be able to see clearly without glasses.  Thank you to all those who have prayed with and for me.  I should probably add here that I am driving the family crazy with cleaning and scrubbing as I see things I have never seen, yikes sorry guys.

As far as the pets are concerned we had a good week and are progressing steadily with CeCe and toilet training, Gemma and Jasper  have behaved themselves, sort of haha.  The dogs totally lost the plot one morning and on investigation I found they were trying to reach a small tortoise on the other side of the fence, Max will do anything to get out when this happens and after awhile he actually did manage to escape but we found him quick enough.  Oh yes,  one night it was raining when Hubby and Jelly Bean arrived home, as she came up to the door she noticed something on the step .......... a snake   EEEEEK, seriously one of the creepy crawleys I truly can't deal with.  My very brave Hubby managed to remove the little blighter with an umbrella, we think it was a Cape Wolf Snake, this means that every time I am outside I am now on full alert  #face-palm.  Great fun folks ........NOT!!!

On Saturday it was Jelly Beans birthday and thankfully she had the weekend off, we celebrated by going to Vergelegen Wine Estate for lunch with BigBear and BabyBear and friends of ours from BB. What a beautiful venue it is and has become my new 'favourite' spot, there are the most magnificent gardens with walkways as well as beautifully hedged, landscaped herb gardens.  Their food is excellent as is their service.  Our Jelly Bean had a wonderful birthday and was blessed beyond measure with her gifts and the fun wehad,  You are such a blessing to us all Angel and I will always thank God for bringing you into our lives.

Friends I am going to say Ciao for now and get some things done that need attention in the  house, as well as a lot of reading to catch up on.   I wish you a blessed week, please stay alert and as always be safe out there.

Photo taken looking back towards Rooi Els

Our lunchtime view of the Helderberg Mountains on Saturday

A week to remember.

Good morning friends I trust you are all well?  Well last week was a week to be remembered in so many ways, where to begin?  Let me start off by saying that after baking countless batches of rusks over the last couple of years, I eventually got it right.  The batch that I made last week following the recipe on the stoneground flour packet, turned out absolutely perfect and were much quicker than any of my other recipes.  I am so 'chuffed' even my Hubby said "whatever you do, don't change a thing" hehe.

On the CeCe front we eventually decided, after finding 'gifts' in the bathroom, that she has decided THAT is her chosen place for her toilet.  We then placed puppy pads  where she normally goes and decided that we will let her set the pace and guess what ?  It's working !!!  She is having a success rate of about 3 out of 5 which is way better than never having success.  It has taken a lot of pressure
off us and obviously her, eventually, hopefully we will slowly move the puppy pads out of the way in the bathroom and then put them into a litter box, this is a slow process we've discovered.

Then on Wednesday my precious hubby had his Colonoscooy and Praise the Lord all the results have come back clean and healthy.  It was not a day without 'fun' by any means though,  once he was finished and quite woozy we stopped at the shop and then made our way home,  about two kilometers out of Gordons Bay I noticed that the steering on his car had suddenly become extremely hard, it was taking me ALL the strength I had to get around the turns (Hubby has counted and there are approximately 120 bends and tight turns between GB and home).  There are ongoing roadworks on this road as they are re-tarring the entire coast road and as a result we have stop/goes which can cause a wait of up to twenty minutes.  A few kilometers further along we encountered the first stop/go, on a narrow bridge and at the bottom of a hill, so Hubby suggested I turn the car off and then restart which I did and guess what ? The car was as dead as a dodo.  Oh my word, we had a stream of vehicles behind us and a hill in front so Jelly Bean jumped into the drivers seat and Hubby and I started pushing, just a note here, his car is like a tank haha.  We got a couple of meters when a Police car pulled up and started waving the traffic past and just at that point a gentleman in a bakkie drove up and pulled over, he was so kind and towed us up the hill to a parking area where he jump started our car from his and then drove behind us until we were about two thirds of the way home, there are still amazing people out there.  Eventually we arrived home with my muscles having received a jolly good work out.  It turns out the alternator packed up.

Thursday dawned and it was my turn so out we went to use my car,  as Hubby reversed out of the gate my fan belt snapped .......... seriously ???  Still not daunted we all hopped into Jelly Beans faithful little car and tootled off to town.  My procedure went well although was really difficult for me because I was completely awake and they placed a sheet over my face (I am claustrophobic) with an oxygen pipe to hold under the sheet against my face. It was weird having the Dr moving the lens around to get it onto the correct axis, and very sore, but he managed to get it right where he wanted it and the difference in my vision was immediate.  I had to wear an eye patch for 24 hours and then at night for a couple of days, also not allowed to bend forward.  As I sit typing this I have no contact lenses or glasses and am doing very well, I will be going back for a check up on Wednesday and if all is good I am guessing he will schedule the laser treatment for the opacity.  What totally get me is that the previous Dr did my left eye twice with me completely under anaesthetic and did not get the lens in correctly, how does that even happen ?

On Friday my brilliant Hubby bought a new fanbelt and pulley which he fitted on Saturday and we now have two out of the three  cars running happily.  The alternator is being fixed by the auto electrician and hopefully Hubby can refit it tomorrow.   On Saturday we actually managed to take some time out and went through to BigBear and BabyBear's in Sea Point for the most delicious lunch and afternoon which included a relaxing stroll along the promenade and just enjoying the outdoors and each other's company.  Thank you guys for such a special day it was much needed and appreciated.  Yesterday was spent being lazy, Hubby working on the alternator and just relaxing.  All the stress and drama have kind of caused havoc on my body and I am having to spent a lot of time resting and just recovering.

Now for a new week, please God without car issues or other dramas.  Jasper has been an absolute horror this morning bullying both the girls and has now claimed my lap as his preferred place for the
day (he hardly ever sits on laps),  obviously needing some TLC.  I had a 'brain wave' last week and took one of our travel neck pillows and tried putting Cece on top of it, she LOVES it, I think because she likes being cocooned, she nestles down and goes to sleep.  At this moment all is peaceful in our home , the dogs have just discovered a tortoise so are quite excited, and we have a whole fresh week ahead of us.

Have a fantastic week folks, thank you for continued support and all the prayers.  Please stay safe, remember when life hands you lemons make lemonade.

These trees are all growing in the same way along Sea Point Promenade.  I'm guessing due to the wind.  They are amazing.

Standing on the pier looking out on the beautiful Atlantic Ocean and looking back to Lions Head.

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.