My Life's Winding Roads: It is a gentle Autumn.

My Life's Winding Roads: It is a gentle Autumn.:  Good morning everyone from a 'still autumn' Betty's Bay.  After loads of weather warnings about a cold front, we had one day of...

My Life's Winding Roads: Recovery time

My Life's Winding Roads: Recovery time:  Good morning folks on this crisp, fresh Monday morning, I trust you are all well.  I actually just realised that we are halfway through May...

My Life's Winding Roads: Here I go again

My Life's Winding Roads: Here I go again:  Good morning family and friends on a glorious, crisp, chilly morning.  Winter is definitely flexing her muscles and I for one am thoroughly...

My Life's Winding Roads: Happy May

My Life's Winding Roads: Happy May: Good morning everyone, sometimes I have to remind myself that it is Blog day especially when that day falls on a Public Holiday.  Somehow we...

It is a gentle Autumn.

 Good morning everyone from a 'still autumn' Betty's Bay.  After loads of weather warnings about a cold front, we had one day of lovely rain and that was it, somehow the cold front skipped over us and is battering a still recovering Natal.  My thoughts and prayers  go out to everyone affected in Natal, stay safe.

Well, it was an interesting but not very productive week for me although Hubby is making good progress on the deck, every day it changes a little more and starts looking more like a room.  Yesterday he vacuumed all the wood dust and dirt etc and I have put out our camping chairs for the time being, so that we can start utilising the space.  His Horology work continues unabated including the odd item like a barometer or strange vintage kitchen clocks.  He had a gardener here on Friday which was quite a business.  At the end of the day it took three car loads (my car with the seats removed) full of garden branches and bags of grass, what a difference. I'm a bit nervous of getting into the car now because of what kreepy kraulys might have been left behind 🌿🦖🦂🕷️🐛🦗🐌🐊

On Wednesday I had my appointment with the Plastic Surgeon.  This after having a bit of an emotional melt down last Sunday night when we changed dressings.  Nothing was how I expected it and it was all just too much.  Anyway, on Wednesday he was happy with the healing process although we are keeping an eye on two different areas where I had problems previouslyl with stitches not sealing the skin.  They took all the stitches out and bar any issues I will only see him in three months.  He answered all my questions and thankfully understood how I was feeling, saying that it is really early days and things are going to change literally week to week.   I am still trying to find a solution to the compression bra cutting into me, and am currently trying two strips of sheepskin.                                        On Tuesday evening I received a call from a dear friend of mine from Cradock, where we used to live, she is in CT and we

 made arrangements to visit on Thursday.  Oh my word this was such a timely visit and heart filling time.  She arrived after 10 am and we visited the WHOLE day, just what my soul needed.  Thank you W for taking the time and for such a special time and all the laughs, have a safe trip back home.

The family are all well, Princess is writing her mid year exams.  We were saying yesterday at how crazy the school schedule is currently, there is no such thing as breathing space.  BabyBear was in JHB for the week for business and everyone else was heads down and working hard.  I am so proud of you all family and love each one of you.                    Zeepha is loving the freedom of going out onto the deck and spends most of her day following the sun around or peeping at us through the open window.  I can just imagine once the benches are in she will just slide along with the sunbeams hehe.

As we go into this new week folks, I wish you peace and good health. May you be blessed going in and going out in all that you do.  Stay safe and healthy. With love from BB, Ciao Ciao.

A confused heron trying to work out what happened to his wetland. Progress interferes with nature, especially when aborted and just left. 🥺 Taken from my kitchen

Recovery time

 Good morning folks on this crisp, fresh Monday morning, I trust you are all well.  I actually just realised that we are halfway through May and yet again I cannot believe how quickly this year is going. 

Last week really kind of evaporated and I constantly had the feeling I had lost a day - you know when Thursday feels like Wednesday or Friday ?  Quite confusing !  Technically speaking I did lose a day as my surgery was Tuesday, I checked into the hospital at 6.30 in the dark and checked out at about 7 pm in the dark.   It is such a very organised and efficient day hospital and operates like a well oiled machine.  I was taken through to theatre at about 12.30 and the rest of the day was a blank haha.  The operation went well and I came out of theatre around 5 pm.  My biggest complaint is the compression bra that I have to wear 24/7 for six weeks........ Yikes.  By name it is very tight and catches underneath where the stitches are.  My Plastic Surgeon did Fat Grafting as well from my tummy in two places and on the sides of my chest, this caused the most pain - it feels like I had a very hectic gym session, which eases a bit more every day.  I am taking things easy and obeying all the do's and don'ts as instructed.  Saw the Dr on Friday for a quick check up and got the thumbs up, I see him again on Wednesday when I have a few questions I want to ask.

The family have been wonderful and as always JB picks up the slack in the house, I don't know what I would do without her 🤍.  Hubby has been working on clocks and watches as they continue to come in steadily and has also managed to technically close off the deck WOOOHOOOO.  I say technically because it still needs the Nutec boards (which are ready and waiting) and a lot of finishing off but yesterday we opened the glass door and Zeepha was able to go out on her own without a harness, the dogs were so confused, they just stood looking with their heads cocked to the side hehehe.  It has taken us just over four years to get to this point and now that the end is in sight I am beyond excited. 👏

Folks as you can imagine I don't have a lot of news, the above is pretty much my week.  I would like to ask though that you all take extra care of your health, we really do tend to take it for granted.  In the last six or seven weeks I have had one friend break her ankle, one friend fracture her knee. Another friend spent a week or two in hospital and yet another being really ill with a bladder infection.  I was scared to phone anyone else is in case they were ill as well, but thankfully all four are recovering well.  It seems like people's health has really been under attack.

I wish you all a blessed week, please stay safe and well.  Ciao Ciao

 

Here I go again

 Good morning family and friends on a glorious, crisp, chilly morning.  Winter is definitely flexing her muscles and I for one am thoroughly enjoying the drop in temperatures.

There is a lot going on behind the scenes family wise with BigBear landing two incredible work contracts, well done son.  Princess now has a definite way forward with regard to her knee.   Eventually she got an appointment with a very highly recommended Orthopedic Surgeon who, after an MRI diagnosed a torn inner miniscule.  This has led to chronic pain which absolutely nothing helps with.  She is not booked for surgery on the 15th June as they have had to take mid year exams into account.  She will then spend three months in a leg brace and all the necessary physio. Poppet, Big Guy, Jelly Bean and all the rest of us are well and working hard, that seems to be the way life is currently.

I managed to ditch my cold Praise God, and had a busy week within the house.  I mentioned last week that we had ordered couch covers and am delighted with them.  All three are now covered and it makes the room look so tidy and even classy.  Definitely a project ahead with scatter cushions and finding a rug to break the grey. I also took the plunge and managed to find a new tablet, my iPad was coming  a very rapid end.  It was mainly for this Blog and obviously everything else I do.  Typing the Blog on a phone was great fun haha.....not!

Tomorrow I begin the next stage on my journey to 'normality' and have to be the hospital at 9 am for my exchange surgery.  This is where they will remove the expanders and replace them with implants, they will also do fat grafting to get everything looking as normal as possible.  I will be honest and say I am not looking forward to the surgery and ensuing recovery time but, it is just another step on my healing journey.

Yesterday we had the most incredible day as all the CT family joined together at the Bandy Bunch's house.  As usual everyone pitched in and the food was phenomenal, Baby Bear's Mom and sister are in town from the Free State and Australia respectively and joined us, it was truly a special day for all the mom's in the family.  One vital person was missing and that was Big Guy, oh how I wished I could teleport him just for the day, I miss him so much.  It truly was a real family day with much laughter and just good fellowship, thank you guys for being such incredible humans.

Folks that is me for this week, I have a ton of things to get done before tomorrow and need to get busy.  I wish you all a blessed week, please stay safe and healthy.  Ciao ciao

A glorious view of the mountains.