Bright and early, happy Monday everyone.

Happy Monday friends, for those in South Africa I hope you are all well after the long weekend and back home safely if you were traveling.  I have to be honest since we have retired I need to keep myself updated on things like Public Holidays #facepalm, because of the family I do know when they are on the calendar but the most telling factor is the influx of visitors into our Village.  On Friday I totally did not factor into my plans that all the visitors to the area would be in the one and only Spar in Kleinmond, oh my goodness what a nightmare.  If  one could manage to walk down an aisle without being pushed generally the shelves were empty, then to top it off as I was negotiating the coffee/tea aisle a father with two tall teenagers were taking up the entire space, as I said excuse me the son swung around with his arm gesturing to something behind us and missed back handing me in the face by millimeters.  Great fun ..... NOT!  Needless to say we all three came home and very joyfully closed the gates, retiring into our safe, sane haven hahaha.

Last week was just a normal week with Hubby fixing watches really quickly and enjoying himself immensely, I did not begin on my clay projects for a number of reasons the biggest of those being I am looking for little alphabetical stamps, so I busied myself with the afgan squares and the general busyness that #Cece-the-blind-kitten seems to generate.  Poppet went for a job interview a few weeks ago, after being with her company for the last 12 years and on Thursday heard that she got the job, which should be WAY less stress on her.  It also means that she will have to fly to Sydney, Australia for a week before starting which means I will be flying up to Johannesburg during that time to be with Princess.  This change is long overdue and we are praying that it is going to be a job that she can enjoy without, as I mentioned the degree of stress she currently has to deal with.  Congratulations Poppet you so deserve this new season.  Big Guy went down to Durban for the weekend and is now safely home and dealing with the flu.  Miss Muffet and her family flew to Portugal on Saturday for a well deserved holiday and a whole new adventure.  For the rest we hunkered down in the cold and enjoyed the weekend locally.

Weather wise it has been lovely,  cool days with little wind and very cold nights, the mountains are covered in cloud and mist, all grey and dark, the waterfalls are flowing down and the sea keeps changing colour from inky blue to silver.  Yesterday the rain arrived and with it more cold, said with a very big grin.  On Saturday while my Hubby was busy with the watches I decided to make a big pot of  Chicken Breyani, which then evolved into making a big pot of Lentil Curry as well.  I never cook in bulk to freeze but it is sacrilege to make just one small pot of  Breyani so bulk cooking it was.  We have a nice stash of Breyani and Lentil Curry in the freezer for those days when cooking requires more energy than I have, hehe.

Pupster's mom and dad have booked their flights home as many things took place while they were in Italy happily bringing them back home, he doesn't realize it yet but they will be home on the 5th September.  I know for a fact that they are over the moon with excitement at coming home and seeing their beloved fur baby, although guys, he has grown and is not quite so little anymore.  He is also extremely fast and runs around the outside of the house at a speed that would come close to rivaling a cheetah, adding to his path Max and Sasha, collectively they have worn down a trail around the house hahaha.

Folks that is my news for the week, I wish you all a wonderful week ahead.  In dealing with all the people you come across on a daily basis try and be the one person who makes a difference.  Just because someone is smiling does not mean they are well and happy, we have no idea of the battles people are fighting on a daily basis, what is going on in their private lives. Your kindness and a genuine smile could make all the difference to that one individual  who is on the edge.  Stay safe out there and until next week Ciao Ciao.

Cece wishing you all a happy week.

New ventures and a brand new week.

Good morning all on this cold, very windy Monday morning, I trust everyone is well and ready for the new week.  It seems as if time flies past and one week just evaporates into the next so quickly.

Well, it was a 'normal' week for us filled mostly with all the normal domestic events which in our house  are always changing haha.  One of the things I have learnt to do since living here is not to have too much of a 'precious' routine especially in terms of doing the laundry.  It is a case of seeing what the weather is planning and then gauging the wind.  Sometimes like on Friday, I absolutely had to wash linen because I knew what was coming over the weekend, this resulted in more than one trip out to the line to rescue the sheet / duvet cover from flying off into the neighbouring plots.  It always gives me a good giggle when I see how the dogs and even Gemma have learnt where the best protected sunny areas are depending on which way the wind is blowing.

The family are all well and very busy, Hubby dearest is pursuing a new hobby, Horology - which in everyday English is watch repairs, so far between us and BigBear and BabyBear he has about ten watches lined up and waiting, whilst he does more and more research and preparation.  I bought a few watches many years ago that range from Art Deco to Vintage with the hopes of fixing them and reselling, I'm not bothered about selling them now but it would be awesome to see them working, so this is definitely a space to keep watching.  I am still busy being a 'Feline Psychologist' and am hesitatingly going to say we might be making a little progress with #Cece_the_blind_kitten.  She went through a period where she would go up to four days without peeing which was extremely worrying.  The vet had her on one medication as well as Valerian drops, I only gave her max two drops a day.  I put her onto wet cat food exclusively which did not work and when the vet got back to me last week she immediately realised what the problem was, apparently an extremely rare side effect of the Valerian Drops is to tighten/ or shut off the bladder walls  #facepalm.  So medication plus one drop at night and this little mite (she only weighs 2kg) is happily using the puppy pads and that side of things is now back to normal thank the Lord, as well as the fact she is obviously more comfortable now.  I then decided to give here a minute amount of a natural medication which I use and voila - it would seem we have a happier, more relaxed Cece.  She will never be normal but giving her a better quality of life is what it is all about as well as our peace of mind and lack of blood loss hahaha.  I am still having great fun with my Afgan squares which are mounting up, and am about to attempt some modelling clay projects - wish me luck :)

Yesterday we met up with BigBear and BabyBear for lunch at Eikendal Winery which was a lovely afternoon and so good to catch up on all news and happenings, a wonderful way to start off a new week.  When we arrived home we were shocked to find out that the Mall, where Jelly Bean used to work, had suffered a collapsed roof - there was one person injured and hospitalised and a few others with minor injuries and the Mall completely evacuated, I am SO glad she is no longer working there.

Folks here's to a wonderful week ahead, filled with new and exciting ventures and happenings, please always stay safe and be aware of your surroundings.

Our Beautiful Betty's Bay.

P.S.  This was ready to upload at 10 am but we are in the middle of a power outage 🤔 so from my phone it is uploaded.

Can you believe that it has been two years ?

Good morning friends, I thought I would get an early start today on all things :) .  It is hard to believe that July is almost finished, this year just seems to be flying past, perhaps because it has been so busy.   We are all well as well as  all those in the menagerie.

Hubby dearest is busy honing a long held interest in watch repairs and watch making, luckily we have enough watches around to give him lots to work with, whilst I am continuing to churn out Afgan squares so it is quite an industrious house at the moment.  Poppet and Princess were both booked off work/school last week with Chronic Sinusitis and a tummy bug respectively, Jelly Bean also had a tummy bug, thankfully everyone is now better and back to normal.  Big Guy had to move home which is a huge thing especially as he did 90% of it all by himself, the 'fun' part was that his old apartment was two flight of stairs up and the new one six flights up so he did a monumental amount of walking. BigBear and BabyBear also had a busy week as she was in Johannesburg for work.  Our family in the UK are having a fairly active time now that the boys are on their summer holidays and even managed a day trip to the beach..

On Saturday in celebration of our eleventh wedding anniversary we decided to go through to Hermanus with the intention of seeing the whales hmmmm, after a 'brief' stop at the Mall which took two hours - Jelly Bean found a book shop and got so 'lost' in it that we decided to eat lunch at the Mall haha.  When we eventually did get down to the Old Harbour despite the whales having been there earlier, there was not even a hint of whales.  There was a Whale watching boat out at sea which also seemed to be roaming around with no success, on a positive note we did see some very cute little Dassies (Rock Rabbits) sunning themselves on the rocks above the waves.  So just for once Mother Nature disappointed me #sadface.  Yesterday we awoke to a message on our BB community group that there was a dead whale in one of our local bays, he had not washed ashore and the last I heard he had floated about 4 kilometers out to sea and the N.S.R.I. had boats out.  There was also a sighting in Betty's Bay during the week of one of the young  Cape Leopards as well as all the Porcupines that are around at the moment, all this goes to make our Village such a special place to live, it is hard to believe that we have been here two years on Wednesday, it feels much longer, there is not a day that goes by where I don't thank God for the placing us here.

As for this week ........ I wait with expectation to see what it holds for us as there are no two weeks the same.  I pray you all have a fantastic week folks, stay safe out there and don't miss the little opportunities that life throws your way to enjoy, so often we get caught up in the busyness of life that we miss the small, exquisite moments that feed our souls and spirits.

Dassies on the rocks and the beauty of the ocean.

Using binoculars to try and find the cooler weather haha

Good morning folk I hope this finds everyone well and ready for the new week.  For the last four or five days we have been back in summer mode and are eagerly watching the horizon for signs of the next cold front, even the wind has disappeared which is strange for Betty's Bay.  Retirement is proving to be very relaxing with an occasional trip into our nearest little town for essentials and of course the antics of our menagerie keep us in stitches.

Last week Jasper, not known for his bravery or for being very elegant has made a few forays into the garden, but at the first sound or movement he high tails it back into the house.  The other day as I was walking past he came blasting through the window but being the large fluffy fellow he is he cannot make it through the security bars with ease, so he jumped through and kicked his back leg against the open window to give himself the push he needed.  He then becomes a Munchkin and drops to the ground streaking to the closest safe space hahaha.    Cece has good and bad days and I just try to ride the waves and minimise the impact on the family, generally within minutes of me holding her she relaxes completely and goes to sleep.  We did notice something this week, we changed the cats food and the 'new' one was very small and flat.  She has a habit when she drinks of throwing her head back to get the water down, this always just seemed to be one of her quirks but, as I discovered this week she needs to do that in order to actually get the water and food down, she also could not eat the new food as she uses her teeth to pick up food and not her tongue, as a result she actually could not pick up the small food.  My precious little girl reslly has some major issues.  As for our old lady Gemma, she just growls  to the others and purrs to us as she makes her way through the crowd.  When it comes to the dogs, well now that is where the fun starts.  The other day we heard a bit of a commotion on the deck and on inspection found Pupster trying to pull Max and Sasha's bed out of their igloo kennel ......... with them still in bed, he was fairly successful in overriding their protests and was busy pulling the stuffing out of said bed with great glee.   He is such an exuberant, irrepressible fellow who bounds through life with gusto.

Apart from half the family having had the flu the rest of us are doing well.  Our grandsons are on their summer holiday, with the oldest having his birthday today.  Happy Birthday little man, Princess is back at school, Big Guy is moving home this weekend which is something he is not looking forward to, and BigBear completed his second half marathon in two weeks yesterday. I have managed to make enormous progress on my Afgan squares and am thoroughly enjoying crocheting again and then just for variety yesterday I started with a huge Paint by Numbers that Hubby bought me years ago.  It has always been a daunting endeavour in my mind because of the MANY tiny little areas but now that my eyes work properly I have decided to dive in and see what happens.   Speaking of my darling Hubby he has been asked by one of the local chaps to service his bakkie and also to do some work on the engine of a car restoration, which I expect will keep him busy for a little while.  One of the amazing things about living in a Village such as ours is that there is a Community who are constantly asking for help or offering services, and the range of skills is endless.  Friday shortly after my precious Hubby had left to go into town Jelly Bean and I were l ready to go into Kleinmond when somehow we found ourselves locked out of the house.  Jelly Bean closed the security gate thinking the keys were in the door........ They were not, instead they were on the tea station inside.  Hmmmm. Eventually managing to get into the garage I took a long piece of bamboo we have and one of Hubby's golf clubs (he knows hehe) I shoved the club handle down into the bamboo and used that to reach the keys which by then Jelly Bean had managed to knock off the shelf with the mop handle and by standing on the windowsill.  There we were the two of us on our knees working through the security gate and successfully might I add, retrieved the keys and were able to lock up and be on our way.  Great fun.

Folks, as I said a very normal week for us and looking forward to this coming week and seeing what it holds.  As I am feeling pretty awful today it's going to be an extremely quiet day for me.  I wish you one and all a fantastic week ahead, look out for the little blessings in life and try not to zoom in on the setbacks.  Please stay safe out there and spread love and kindness.

A view that we never tire of

My huge fluffy braveheart

Snug and warm as the cold wind blows

Hi there folks, as you can see by the hour, I've had a busy morning hence this being a little later than usual.  So much for the touch of summer we had last week, since then it has just been full on winter haha, we have made a fire every single day and as you can imagine I am just relishing this weather.
I even decided to dust off my dusty crochet skills, I started an afgan throw about 18 months ago which has been one of those projects that I just could not get into, odd as my favourite hobby is knitting.  Anyway I undid the 'huge' total of four squares that I had completed and have already finished three new ones using a different crochet stitch on each square - a total of four colours and four different stitches, we will see how this works out LOL.

We had a very quiet week, truly enjoying our retirement at the moment, we managed to complete a number of small projects, one of which was my darling Hubby made me a long promised easel.  We have had a super time watching the Tour de France as well as all the other sport going on at the moment.  As I am sitting typing, I have Cece on my lap (making typing just a tad awkward),  she had a really good week on the whole with Friday, Saturday and yesterday being very grumpy and unhappy, today she seems very needy.  I suppose the fact that generally she is having more good days than bad is something positive to hold onto.  As for the rest of the 'zoo' everyone is well and hunkered down in warm places as it is bitterly cold here.  For some reason the dogs have worked really hard at learning how to run right out of their jackets, last week Sasha was running around with hers around her hips like a long skirt and  this morning Max was running around with both front legs in one armhole while the other armhole was pointed towards the sky like a big eye #facepalm.

I have had time to cook some good meals but have to ask,  how many of you ladies run out of ideas for meals, even though you have a huge repertoire and/or just get fed up with cooking ?  Someone needs to create a robot whose main purpose is to clean and cook.  You just have the ingredients on hand and it will produce a quality meal every day #ohonecandream.

Friends as I said it has been quiet although not necessarily peaceful, hmmm I wonder who is responsible for that ???    My gorgeous Hubby has put the kettle on and the fire is crackling away, while the wind is whistling and that means I am going to leave you with this thought - there is so much drama, sadness and violence wherever one looks, BUT, that means that we have a million opportunities to step up and help others.  Whatever form that  help takes it is a way of spreading peace, kindness and caring to the world around us, good can and will overcome evil. Stay safe out there friends ciao ciao

We have had enormous sea swells and waves.

A touch of summer !

Good morning all, I trust everyone is well.  I had quite a giggle when I opened up and saw the title of last week's Blog, because today completely opposite, it is hot, with a hot berg wind and we have all the doors open and sleeveless shirts on, oh the delights of living here :).

We had a very nice week where we did as little driving as possible hehe, and managed to get quite a few catch up chores done around the house.  I am delighted to say that #cece_the_blind_kitten seems to be doing well on the 'cocktail' that I am using.  I give her the prescribed calming meds twice a day and then just before bedtime she has one of the Valerian Drops, she has been such a happy little girl.  She will still get frustrated and about once a day have a mini meltdown but nothing near the scale we were seeing.  For the last three days the weather has been idyllic and I actually let her and Jasper out of the house, she just roamed around on the deck rotating her head every time she heard a bird chirp and just generally loved being out there, although not too fond of the sun.  Jasper on the other hand is not quite sure, he goes out but at the first sign of a noise or movement becomes a long Munchkin cat as he goes low and runs inside hehehehe, my big, fluffy braveheart.  We been taking advantage of the mild sun and lack of wind to sit out on the deck, which is rare down here in Betty's Bay.

On Saturday we found ourselves back on the beautiful coast road as I had a Doctors appointment in Stellenbosch and Jelly Bean met up for coffee with a friend from work.  This is interesting - about 16 months ago I stopped eating meat, mainly because I never felt well after eating it and always had a sore stomach.  Well, when I see this doctor once a year he runs a total bevy of blood tests (as in about 24) and for the first time in over ten years nearly every test came back either as normal or with great improvement.  I try and handle the Fibromyalgia as naturally as possible by using Vitamin and Mineral supplements (as determined by the blood tests) and only use two actual medications one being pain killers.  As a rule, despite how huge the doses are my Vitamin B, Vitamin D and Magnesium are always extremely low.  At the moment only Magnesium level is too low out of those. My inflammation levels have dropped, acidity is better and so the rest follow suit.  His exact words when I told him about eating mainly vegetarian (I occasionally have chicken and love fish) were "Well whatever you are doing, don't stop because it is working.  I mentioned that the only meat I sometimes 'crave' is lamb/mutton and he told me it is because that is very high in Magnesium.  Who knew?  I wish I could say that all this means zero Fibro, it doesn't but, it does mean that overall I am healthier than at any time in more than a decade and at some level I am managing the symptoms better.  God is so amazing, He gives us wisdom and if we take the time to actually listen to our bodies we can correct a number of issues.

As some of you may remember it is my favourite time of year in terms of sporting events as the Tour de France has started and this year I get to watch with my precious Hubby.  I am hoping that I can catch up on some knitting  as my hands have been too sore to do any for a long time.

Folks, the rest of the family are all well and flourishing, all the grand children are on holiday so less stress for Moms, and generally things are peaceful and happy.  I am going to end off now as Hubby dearest has just made us tea, he makes THE best tea, and we are going to sit and enjoy it together whilst listening to the waves and all the birds and insects.  Have a wonderful week, please stay aware and always be safe, Ciao Ciao.

My gorgeous Fur babies.
Gemma,

Jasper

Cece_the_blind_kitten

It is cccold here, fire in burning

Good morning friends and family from a bitterly cold Betty's Bay, I hope today's Blog finds you all well.  Gosh we are truly having winter here,  BigBear and BabyBear arrived in Saturday for the weekend and once again were absolutely astonished at the strength of the winds we have here.  Needless to say we stayed indoors, no beach visits right now haha, had copious cups of tea and coffee in front of the fire.  We were treated royally as BigBear had decided to make supper and oh my word it was delicious. He made thick steaks with roasted vegetables which we all devoured, I had not eaten red meat for more than a year and very seldom will have a little bit of chicken - not out of choice but I found that meat definitely makes me feel worse,  dare I say I paid the price (happily) yesterday because it was truly delicious.  Shame, they slept in the caravan even though I had suggested they sleep in the lounge, but 4 am found them battening down the hatches, locking the van and trailing inside.  I woke up to find them curled up on the sofas with an assortment of blankets, I felt so bad for them.  The wind and rain were just to strong, this morning we measured 32 mm in our rain gauge and it is still raining and there is snow on the mountains everywhere.  Thankfully weather wise, this means that the dams are filling up nicely, although water restrictions are still firmly in place until they reach at least 80% capacity.

As far as the week was concerned it passed in a blur of exhaustion and anxiety.  The Vet put #cece_the_blind_kitten onto an Anti Seizure medication which for some reason had the exact opposite affect on her.  As the level of the drug accumulated in her system she began seizing almost constantly, trembling etc.  It was awful and added to that not one night did I manage to get her to sleep until after 2am, which resulted in both of us being beyond exhausted, my pain levels were through the roof with the Fibromyalgia, and energy levels were non existent.  Eventually on Thursday evening I decided to stop all the medication and let it wear off.  Needless to say all this was really disturbing and stressful, after only getting to sleep after 3 am yesterday I decided that rescue remedy was a last desperate resort and ........ peace, sort of, definitely more than we have had for weeks. After speaking to the Vet this morning she has suggested I use the Valerian drops and see how that goes, my precious little bundle is now all wrapped up in her blanket and sleeping on my chest as I type.

Jelly Bean  finished work on Friday and we will be sorting out her training course this week, which I am praying is going to be a good one on every level.  On that note I am going to end off for today, finish my hot cup of tea and try and get warm hehe.  Have a great week folks, stay warm and stay safe out there please, if you are on the roads take extra care with all the snow and ice.

 A peaceful Cece.