An interesting week hmmmm

Good morning friends and family, I am guessing that for many, if not all of us the countdown to the Christmas holidays has begun.  I know that in our family it is in full swing and this year Santa has apparently allocated some very busy elves to do all the organizing, which I am very excited about.  Still, there is lots to do on my end and I am busy pacing myself and getting it done bit by bit.

We've had a good week with some interesting moments, as I predicted it was very busy as will this week be. I had it fixed in my brain that somehow last Friday was Black Friday #facepalm, and therefore planned my week accordingly.  We completed the bulk of our Christmas shopping (to avoid Black Friday rush), had doctors visits  and so it went.  We managed everything and on Thursday shot off into town (to avoid the rush) and halfway through all the stops Jelly Bean chirped up that surely Black Friday was only in 8 days ...............  complete silence in the car before her and my dear Hubby collapsed laughing, this is one of those things that I am NEVER going to live down.  I could not believe that even though I knew it was the 23rd I had still branded it for last Friday.  The worst was when Jelly Bean happily chirped up saying "oh well mom, we get to do this all over again next week."  NOT !!!!!!! Bar doing the grocery shopping a day early I am done!  Seriously where are my brains?  The upside is all the big shopping and deadlines are done #doublefacepalm.

Over the last two weeks we have had a few little birds fly into the house and then spend some time, in varying amounts, to find their way out again.  On Saturday we once again heard the rustle of wings and saw a little Sugarbird had come to visit.  He flew around a couple of times and then made a beeline for the open French doors, miscalculated and flew straight into the glass.  The poor little fellow actually knocked himself out cold,  Jasper came to investigate and I rushed up to remove him, not that I think he has the courage to catch a bird, he is scared of his own shadow.  We picked the bird up and he was alive but obviously concussed, so after holding him awhile Hubby put him on a big log we have on the deck and I fed him some sugar water with a teaspoon.  He sat for about half an hour and let us stroke him before flying off to join the rest of his family.  Our 'fly through' bird feeder has a steady stream of quite a large variety of birds, if there is no water they sit on the fence in a row looking into the kitchen as much as to say "hello we are waiting".  This crowd are going through 2 bottles of 500ml sugar water a day but are such a delight to watch.  We even have a mouse that joins them, see pic below.

Well folks, enough from me for this week, I DO know that Black Friday is THIS Friday and will not be anywhere near the shops hahaha, I will spend my time watching the birds and preparing the house for the family's visit.  Wishing you a wonderful week, please stay safe and if I can encourage you, spread some kindness.  This time of year is very difficult for a lot of folks and your kind word, hug, cup of coffee or just a listening ear can make the world of difference to someone.  Ciao ciao for now.

Pics of our bird feeder

Mr Mouse who eats and now drinks with the birds.

The mist is making everything so still and quiet.

Good morning all from an unusually quiet, mist covered Bettys Bay, I can even hear the flap of birds wings as they fly overhead, not even the sea seems to be moving.  After an uneventful week we are looking forward to what the next seven days  have in store for us.  With only a few weeks before the family start arriving for the Christmas holidays so there is much to be done i.e. washing curtains etc, if the weather holds that should be a breeze.

We have decided to do something different this year for Christmas given the size of the family, the cost for everyone having to fly down AND the fact that this will be the first time in about four years that we will all be together (except Miss Muffets family) on Christmas Day.  What we have done is a name draw, where each peraon drew a name and with a set amount for all, will buy just one present for their drawn name, it pormises to be interesting.  As you can imagine I am SUPER excited and there will be lots of baking ahead.  Christmas cakes and this year I want to try my hand at making my own Mince Pies hmmm.

Today is the first day in two weeks that I have woken up without a piercing headache thank the Lord, just the 'normal' pains, what a relief.  The family are all well and as usual really busy with the pace they all keep.  Princess is in the middle of writing her year end exams so please keep her in your prayers, she has four big exams this week.

Last week Jasper decided that I was completely invisible, after three weeks of being my best friend, a moodier cat I have yet to meet, happily since yesterday he is back to being his friendly self whereas Gemma seems to be 'losing the plot' as she will now growl at an empty room #facepalm.  She has taken to sitting outside Jelly Beans's bedroom and meowing with increasing volume until she is allowed entry, it doesn't always make her popular haha.  I have had some very successful baking results - gorgeous ciabatta breads, buttermilk rusks and chocolate chip muffins, whilst Hubby dearest has a constant stream of broken watches coming in, which keeps him smiling.  Yesterday while we were watching tv we had a little visitor in the form of a swallow,  he flew in and then spent about an hour flying around the room, without any panic before he found his way out again.  Jasper being the brave soul he is, heard the bird and watched for a few minutes before charging out of the window and staying outside for the duration of the visit haha.

Well folks that's my news in a nutshell, I wish you all a fantastic week, filled with blessing and joy.  Please stay safe wherever you are and as always be aware of your surroundings.  Sending love from our family to yours Ciao Caio for now.

Jasper being lazy

Our little swallow visitor

A quiet week

Good morning friends and family from a very cold and wet Betty's Bay, what a lovely way to start our week, waking up to the sound of driving rain and snuggled up under the covers.   By comparison to the last few weeks we had a very quiet and relaxed week.  Hubby dearest went into Cape Town for watch spares and then proceeded to clear the back log of watches he had in for repair and then a new lot started arriving so he is a happy chap pu.  There were no baking fails or domestic criseses which was a great blessing and even Jasper seems to be settling down a little.  Weather wise it was a mild week which has now built into a huge cold front making its way through much to our delight.

We took both the dogs to the parlour thank goodness, and they came back looking like new pets with a new spring in their steps haha, both the cats even did a double take when they saw them.  The family are all good some recovering from flu, Princess busy studying and writing year end exams.  BabyBear has moved into her 'work home' with help from her amazing hubby who flew back to Cape Town last night, welcome back son.  BigGuy is pushing on, Miss Muffet and family are doing well and back into the swing of school and summer, her favourite time of the year.  As for me, well perhaps the less said the better this week, I have been in a major flare since my 'little episode' on the boat last Sunday which this time includes a delightful bout of Neuralgia.  That friends is mostly why we had a quiet week and also why I am keeping today's Blog shorter than usual.

To close,  as Jelly Bean and I pulled out of the driveway this morning to go to the pharmacy we saw three Spotted dikkop - Cape thick knee, birds sitting on the grass. Jelly Bean spotted them and it gave her such a thrill, both of us actually, that is without a doubt one of the delights of living in the midst of a protected Biosphere.  Have a wonderful week folks, please make a point to appreciate your family and friends and stay safe out there this week.  Ciao ciao

Spotted Dikkop - Cape thick knee

Such excitement

Good afternoon folks, a little later this today as I decided to take some time for 'me' to do some of the things I have not managed to get around to.  Well, by comparison a very quiet week with very little to report, said with a big grin.

This past week was mainly one spent in a sweltering heatwave of record proportions for this time of the year UGHHHH.  Here in BB we saw temps in the higher 30's which apart from being just plain unpleasant, curtailed many activities, needless to say I was not the happiest camper in the Province, some nights the mercury hardly dropped with a number of places recording record breaking temperatures, one record was 58 years.  Thankfully we 'sent' it further up the country and have had milder conditions for the last couple of days, about an hour ago the North wind picked up and is now on its way to blowing a gale.

We have noticed for the last couple of weeks that Jasper was behaving oddly, then last week he stopped eating.  He would not come for his food, if I picked him up and took him to the bowl he would sniff and slink away, almost like he was scared.  Then, for the last couple of days he has hibernated outside somewhere, he is not the most outdoorsy cat by a long shot, but after speaking to a friend of mine and consulting some kitty people I realized that he is grieving Cece's death.  I am very surprised because although he tried very hard to play with her it would invariably cause her to panic and then it came across as bullying.  He was always very aware of where she was and learnt to keep a distance, but for some reason he is going through a grieving process poor little chap.  We are just giving him space but lots of love when he comes for it and thankfully this morning he came and ate his breakfast as he normally does. As for Gemma I truly believe she just doesn't give a hoot if anything, she growls more at Jasper than ever, a real grumpy old lady that one.

The family are all well with Big Guy still working too hard and not getting enough sleep.  Poppet is loving her new job and learning to take better care of her health while Princess is busy studying for her year end exams which start on Thursday.  BigBear and BabyBear got to spend time together last week as she was only in Johannesburg for two days, yesterday they drove the car up to Johannesburg with a two day pit stop in Bloemfontein before moving her into her flatlet on Wednesday, he will then fly back to Cape Town on the weekend.  Miss Muffet's family are well and the boys have just had their half term break, we are very proud that J was awarded the player of the match for soccer on Saturday, little champ.  My very talented Hubby has been hard at work with watches continuing to come in for repairs, so all in all everyone is well.

Yesterday we were gifted with a once in a lifetime experience, oh my word.  We went on a Whale watching charter in Hermanus on a catamaran which carries about 76 passengers.  It was the perfect day, no wind, calm seas and a baking sun, thankfully being out on the water kept things cooler.  Words cannot describe the experience of being out on the water, engines quiet, being low down and having the whales come so close you almost felt like you could reach out and touch them. First we saw some seals, then a small pod of Dolphin, I tried so hard to photograph them but they are to quick, eventually I just put the camera down and enjoyed watching them.  Then we came to the whales, they were everywhere, apparently this year has seen a record number of Southern Right Whales and their calves on our coast.  We were so very blessed to have a number of them come right up alongside the boat and just float around, they also 'roll' which I did not know and we could see them rolling with their fins up in the air and the white tummy showing.  The first one we spotted was a mom floating on her back with her calf on her tummy.  Standing watching these enormous, majestic creatures caused an almost reverential atmosphere on the boat and people kept quiet and just enjoyed the experience.  Sadly after about 75 minutes of standing on the side watching I started feeling  like I was going to pass out , I have never been able to stand for long periods of time.  Anyway I moved to the other side of the boat which didn't help, I tried sitting down which caused wave after wave of nausea and didn't help the faintness.  So eventually I took myself off to the restroom where I spent ten minutes dry heaving into the basin, I could still hear what I was missing which didn't help haha.  After awhile I went back up on deck and stood with Jelly Bean but eventually had to concede 'defeat' and before we had a 'woman overboard' situation went and found myself a chair inside where I could still see some of the action.  Fibromyalgia is not something I would wish on my worst enemy.  We saw whales rolling, churning up the sand on the seabed whilst scratching their tummies, we could hear them breathing and blowing and even saw a tail slap which was awesome.  The only thing we did not see was a complete breach.  I have to say well done to Southern Right Charters for an excellent tour and outstanding service and staff, just before we headed back to the Harbour they provided ice cold cool drinks, bottled water and crisps.  It was without a doubt a once in a lifetime experience.  HUGE thanks to the dear friends that made it possible.

Folks that was my week, today is rest and recover for me and just time to think back on an awesome experience and the peace we felt.  I wish you all an incredible week, please take time to appreciate the good that life has to offer and stay safe out there.

A Baleen Plate / whale tooth. 2 meters long, they have up 200 - 300.  It looks like a palm frond 

Some pics of whales rolling and just chilling

A series of unfortunate events

Good morning everyone wherever you are, I hope today's Blog finds you all well and looking forward to a brand new week.  I for one am definitely looking forward to this week being totally different to the one that has just passed.  Good grief what a week !!!

Let me start at the very beginning haha,  after I finished last weeks Blog I got busy with all the normal day to day tasks, one of which included the mundane task of washing and drying my hair.  For those who know me I have incredibly thick hair (which is just as well ),  as I was busy blow drying said 'mop' my precious Hubby came into the house to tell me all about a particular watch he was working on.  I was listening to him, obviously with great concentration and the next minute his eyes grew big and he said "your hair is burning" - I was so intent on listening I had stopped moving the hairdryer and the hairbrush, the result was I had completely burnt off a chunk of hair (at the back) of about 7cm long and a good 'healthy' chunk, certainly on anyone with thin and fine hair it would have required a brand new short cropped hairstyle.  I was absolutely devastated and after looking stricken he LAUGHED !!!!!!!   Needless to say it took me a good few hours to recover my equilibrium and although I can feel the difference in terms of thickness, it is not noticeable mostly thanks to a layered hairstyle. Strike one.

Next, on Tuesday I decided that bread, rusks and muffins were on the agenda.  I duly switched on the oven, mixed all three batches in the order they needed to rise and cook and as I opened the oven to put the muffins in I discovered it was ice cold.   Slight panic as by now all three huge batches were in various stages of rising and being ready.  Much fiddling and we discovered that as long as the Thermofan function wasn't on and the oven was on just a normal setting it reached the required temperature.  Did it end there ?  Of course not, why should it ?  I baked the muffins, then the  pot bread, which had risen so high it was pushing the lid up.  All went well and after producing a mountain sized loaf of bread I happily and tiredly put the rusks in ......... Twenty minutes later I could smell rusks which was about forty minutes too early, I had forgotten to turn the oven down when taking the bread out.  Thank the Lord major disaster was avoided, I turned the heat down dramatically and the rusks were saved and delicious.  Strike two and an exhausted woman.

On Wednesday we took a trip through to Cape Town where my clever Hubby bought all the parts he needed for the collection of watches he has in for repair, Jelly Bean and I went off to browse a book shop and then we met up with BigBear for a delicious lunch at a place called Mojo Market.  It was such a wonderful treat to be out and spend time with him, a good catch up well appreciated and much needed.

Thursday passed without event and I tried to regain some energy.  On Friday we did all the normal weekly household chores, I put the washing on, we cleaned, did grocery shopping etc.  Hubby then got an email saying that a 'robot cleaner'  he had ordered in JULY had arrived in Gordons Bay.  This parcel disappeared into the netherworld once it arrived in South Africa and we had just about given up on it.  Thinking quickly we asked friends who were in town if they would collect it for us, which they very kindly agreed to.  At about 5.30 pm I got up to bring the washing in, only to realize that I had never taken it out of the washing machine #facepalm, seriously ???????? what else ?  I flew into action and  hung it onto the clothes horse feeling somewhat embarrassed, frustrated and just plain exhausted.  Strike three!!  Later on the 'robot cleaner' arrived and ........ Oh my soul ......... We got scammed good and proper.  It is half the size it was supposed  to be, not the make that was advertised, just a total scam.  It works well enough under the beds and under low furniture, but that is about the sum of it.  A total scam especially when we looked into it a bit furthe and found many others have been scammed on the same thing.  STRIKE FOUR!

If one does not laugh then one would just give up and bury one's head DEEP in the ground.  What can I say, it was 'one of those weeks'.  On Sarurday we managed a normal day, Hubby went to help D put up a wooden gate on their deck to keep Pupster in, I cooked a massive pot of Breyani which I took around later and we enjoyed a quiet (not really as the South Easter has been howling for days) meal
overlooking the sea and some good company.  Yesterday we did absolutely nothing and re-charged our batteries, sort of hahahaha.

Well folks, that was my week, I sincerely trust yours was miles better.  Here is looking forward to a spectacular week for all.  I wish you and yours health and lots of laughter this week, turn lemons into lemonade and above  please stay safe and aware out there.  From me to you Ciao Ciao for now.

My monster pot bread hahaha

A rough week.

Good morning folks, I trust everyone is well and rearing to go this week.  So much happens in the space of seven days that sometimes it is hard to keep up, in my family anyway.  Last week is not one I would like to redo but definitely one I will never forget.  After nine months of really trying everything in our power to help little Cece I had to make the heartbreaking decision to let her go.  It was a decision that I wrestled with for a long time and I would have kept going if it had been in her best interests, but after speaking to the family, friends and someone I trust in the animal rescue business I had to put my feelings aside and do what was best for her.  Despite everything we tried she had definitely regressed over the months and was totally dependent on me for pretty much everything, to 'know' when she needed the toilet, or to drink water, if she was walking around she would progressively get more and more frantic, going around in ever tightening circles, growling and hissing until I picked her up which would always cause her to fight and scratch in total panic.  Once she had a few minutes to reorientate she would fall asleep in seconds on my chest, if I dared shift position she would growl, and when put down onto her bed nine times out of ten she would instantly revert back to panic mode and need to be settled again.  She never used the litter box and as the Animal Rescue friend said, that alone would be stressful and undignified for her as cleanliness in inherent in all cats.  Having said ALL that she brought me immense comfort and love especially when she was sleeping on me, physically as well as emotionally.  Anyway I called our vet and after a chat she said she had been waiting for me to make the final decision, we took her in and I held her the whole time letting her know how precious and loved she was, we then brought her home and have buried her in our garden where we will plant a beautiful evergreen bush with her as a remembrance. Needless to say many tears have and are being shed, I feel quite empty at the moment.  Out of all the other animals the only one who seemed to notice was Jasper who spent three days close to me before reverting to his normal independant behavior.  I have said though, that I would in time take in another special needs baby within certain parameters, as I truly believe they deserve as much of a chance in life as anyone else.  When I say certain parameters I mean one that does not have a progressive disease (my heart has had enough heartbreak) or needs continuous medication as that is extremely expensive.

The family are all well and I think, really counting down days to the end of the year.  Poppet and Princess are well, with Princess having made the 1st team for Hockey, congratulations my angel we are so proud of you.  Poppet's boyfriend arrived from the UK for a ten day visit and they are having a wonderful time all together.  BabyBear is settling in up in Johannesburg, BigBear flew up on Friday as they had a wedding two hours out of JHB and flew back last night.  BigGuy is pushing through.  Miss Muffets family are all doing well with the boys being really busy at school and with their sports.
Jelly Bean and I both got the flu last week right after we took Cece to the vet, and my precious Hubby is really busy with watches coming in for repairs.  We had a good giggle this morning when someone phoned and asked "Hi is that W the watch repair man in Bettys Bay?"  Hehehe well done my darling I am so proud of you.

Folks not the 'newsiest' or happiest Blog of my life but, that was my life last week.  This week we are planning a trip through to Cape Town to get some supplies and also have lunch with BigBear, and hopefully I will actually accomplish some things around the house :D.  To one of my dear friends whose daughter survived a horrific car accident with a very badly broken arm, we are praying for her full and speedy recovery.  The reason I mentioned this is because I am always encouraging you to stay safe and aware, I know that there is never a single day that goes by that I don't pray for my family for their safety and protection and I am convinced that the only reason her daughter is alive is because of the prayers of her Mom and Dad.  Please folks, tomorrow has absolutely no guarantee, pray for your family's health and safety, pray for their protection and obviously yours and, never miss the opportunity to tell those you love how precious they are and how much you love them.

From my family to yours have a wonderful week, love and appreciate each other and yes, please stay safe and aware of your surroundings.  I truly appreciate each and everyone who read this Blog, for all your encouragement and comments, it all means the world to me.  Ciao ciao for now.

R.I.P. My precious little Cece

Shoo, I am glad last week is history !!!

Good morning everyone from a very bright sunny, windless BB.  After days of the South Easter 'pumping' all of a sudden it is quiet and calm, I can hear the birds singing instead of the windows whistling.  When I look at the south facing windows then I know we are in summer because the wind blows sea spray all over everything hehe.  Yesterday three times we walks out onto the scene, to discover that the dogs igloo kennel had been blown about two meters across the deck.  As I said shoo what a week, I am sincerely glad it is over and pray that this week will be much more peaceful.

After months of battling with a sore knee and Physio BigBear had to go and see a doctor who then promptly sent him for sonars and then an MRI to find out what the problem was.  In a nutshell he has a cyst under the patella and calcification.  Thank the Lord it does not require surgery at this point just special Physio and they will re-evaluate in three months.  As BabyBear leaves for Johannesburg today for the next season of her career which is going to entail a LOT of commuting, we are super glad that the healing process does not involve surgery.

Having overcome that 'speed bump' , on Thursday evening Poppet sent me a photo of her foot which was about three times its normal size.  To back up, when she was in Australia a thorn fell from a tree, point down and went right through her boot into the top of her foot which is what she initially thought was causing the swelling.  But, there was no redness or marks and after much nagging from me and her boyfriend she eventually went to the hospital where they immediately started with a ton of tests.  The upshot of that night was her Blood Pressure was extremely high and the Thyroid medication she takes was not doing what it should be.  Needless to say we have prayed for both of them and are trusting God for a miracle of healing for every situation.  Whewww !!!

All of a sudden my precious Hubby has been inundated with all sorts of jobs in the community from fixing vehicles to building reception furniture so he has been running around like a crazy man, some are completed and the rest should be finished this week.  On top of all this excitement it was his Birthday on Friday and Poppet's Birthday on Wednesday, see what I mean about a crazy week ??
I was kept busy dealing with a flare, keeping the home fires stoked and looking after Cece.  Princess goes back to school tomorrow for the last term of the year and Big Guy needs a six month holiday on a deserted island before he can even catch his breath, never mind catch up on lost sleep.  Jelly Bean had a rough week as well so I truly am praying for this week to be peaceful and quiet.

On Friday evening we met with BigBear and BabyBear in Somerset West for a wonderful,  slow birthday dinner with lots of catch up and chatting which was awesome just to breathe and sit.  Yesterday we spent the afternoon with our friends celebrating birthdays, caching up, enjoying the sun and generally relaxing, thank you D and E for the downtime and spoiling, when it comes to cake making E you are the Queen, thank you both.

Folks I trust you all have a much quieter, less stressful week ahead of you, make the most of your opportunities and never let an opportunity pass to tell and show your loved ones, and those around you just how much you love and appreciate them.  Please take care out there and be safe.