We did it.... we got to December

 Hi folks, we got here, December has arrived and we've almost wrapped up 2024.  Gee when I think back to the '70's and someone mentioned 2024 or any year thereabouts, it felt like another world.  Well ..that part has a lot of truth in it, we are living in a completely different world which is a far from the '70's as we imagined, just not quite how we imagined it to be.

November  turned out to be a busy month, with a fair bit of running around and as usual seemed to fly past.  I had the most wonderful visit from a past neighbour, good friend of ours before we moved to the Cape.  She was down visiting her daughter and we spent a truly wonderful morning catching up and enjoying the company. 

I eventually had my long awaited appointment with my Orthopaedic Surgeon,  who at one point just shook his head and said " you have three different things going on with your knees .. how ?".  The end result of that appointment was he put me in a wrap around brace immediately (which I absolutely  loathe with a passion) as well as an anti-inflammatory which is tummy friendly.  As much as I dislike the brace it has and does help with stability and the pain in the front of my knee. I now wear it when needed or when driving. It doesn't allow for much movement as it has steel rods down each side. The surgery for the torn Meniscus has been set for the 13th February, so here's praying already.  Thank goodness Jelly Bean has her learners license as she has done most of the driving, also really good practise for her.

The family are all doing well. Big Guy is really busy and won't be coming down for Christmas 😢.  Poppet is as usual always busy.  The Bears are well and Munchkin is growing and meeting all his milestones.  BigBear just came back from his last trip to the USA for the year. Princess has finished 1st Year of University and did exceptionally well. She was awarded a prize and in her final marks achieved 2 Distinctions and in the 70's for everything else. Her boyfriend completed 2nd Year and achieved 4 Distinctions.  Well the two of you, we could not be prouder of you, even if you had won the World Cup 😉👏🏻👏🏻  They will be arriving in Cape Town towards the end of December and we are going to squeeze as much time together as is possible.  I have missed her something fierce. 

The piece de resistance of the month was Saturday.  It was little BabyBear, a.k.a. Munchkin's dedication.  What an incredibly beautifull day.  The venue was a gorgeous wine farm, on one of the terraces where picnic blankets were laid out and huge umbrellas.  The Bears had asked me to 'perform' the dedication, which is one of the highest honours I've ever been given.  It was only their closest friends and family who were able to attend - their Village.  I dedicated my precious little Grandson and then charged his parents as to their duty as parents to "Bring him up in the ways of the Lord" before praying with the three of them.  It was hard not to get emotional and tearful at the enormity of it all, but it went well. Munchkin happily slept through the entire proceedings.  After the dedication big picnic baskets were brought down and we all enjoyed a wonderful, hi class picnic and loads of talk and laughter. Thank you guys for bestowing such an honour on me and for the wonderful event you planned, it was perfect.

I would be very remiss if I didn't share with you what we came home to yesterday.  Charlie has been going out with me on most local trips I make with the exception of the supermarket.  He has also, always had separation anxiety.  So ... yesterday when we left home he was highly upset at being left behind.  I walked into the house just before 6pm only to see that  he had managed to jump up and reach his harness,  snagging a fabric shopping bag in the process and pulled them down,  with much determination and effort because the driftwood broke (the harness, dog leads and occasional shopping bag hang on a lovely piece of driftwood next to the door) . So, walking in the first thing we stepped over was the harness, then the bag.  What did make me laugh was what went through his mind when he managed to get it down ?  Did he wonder how to get it on, how to get out and find us ?? 🤣🤣🤣  Precious little guy, we are going to be looking for a new companion for JB in the new year and then he will have someone to play with.

Well folks there is nothing to cap yesterdays news. Today JB and I put up our Christmas Tree and decorated the house.  There is so much I still need to do before Christmas, and somehow I will get it all done. 

Thank you for joining me every month on this Blog about my life, it truly blesses me when I get feedback from you. From my family to yours, we wish you a truly BLESSED Christmas, may it be filled with peace,  harmony, love and good health.  Stay safe and well, especially if you are travelling.  Ciao, Ciao

Happy Charlie going out with Mommy.

My Life's Winding Roads: November is spinning along

My Life's Winding Roads: November is spinning along: Hello November and good morning to you all, yep we blinked and the end of the year is almost upon us. This year has flown past at a speed. F...

November is spinning along

Hello November and good morning to you all, yep we blinked and the end of the year is almost upon us. This year has flown past at a speed.

For someone who is not in the shops a lot, I was surprised last weekend to see Christmas decorations up everywhere, maybe I am living in a bubble, but this is early.

October was a good month from the aspect that Jelly Bean and I got to visit twice with the Bears and spend amazing time with Little Baby Bear.  I know I am biased, and I am allowed to be 😉, but, he is truly the most gorgeous, happy, contented little baby. His face shows every expression and an intense curiosity about what is going on. Our second visit was last weekend and we were doubly blessed to babysit him on Sunday.  The minute his eyes register who is in front of him, he breaks out into the widest smile possible.  His big achievement at the moment is copying what you say to him. He is babbling, so seriously trying to copy every sound.  He is also a real little kicker. At any and every opportunity those tiny little legs are going like pistons.  My only sadness is that time is passing so fast and tomorrow he is already three months old. Happy 3 months little Munchkin, Granny is making the most of every second.

Mom and Daddy are doing a fantastic job 👏. 

That was truly the double highlight of this past month.  The house is strangely empty without little Sasha and I think we are all still adjusting.  Charlie in particular has been generally much quieter and needing to be near me more than usual. He has also been battling with an ear infection all month, which hasn't been fun at all.

Hubby had another regatta,  which he thoroughly enjoyed and was just saying yesterday that now the regattas are finished, the guys are missing their sailing. 

The rest of the family are well, Princess had a bad dose of flu and she and C are finished with Uni for the year 🤷‍♀️, again the time thing. Yesterday she was finishing up her last project to be sent in and then she can relax, well deserved.  JB had the 'flu' (a weird strain /virus) which left anyone around her actually wincing whenever she coughed. Thank the Lord she is getting better every day. I started with it on Friday night and have felt pretty grim, but I think I'm shaking it off as well.

I am still waiting to see my Ortho Surgeon who came back to work on the 1st, my appointment is the 18th (I wouldn't mind time flying between then and now), the constant, unending pain is draining.  Just after the beginning of the October,  I was sitting on the couch and crossed my legs, something went 'pop' and for a full week i could not put any weight on my leg. Thankfully our Village is very friendly and helpful and I was able to borrow crutches to get around and JB did all the driving.  I can now walk on it again but truly cannot wait to have it resolved. One of the other things is that this kind of thing always aggravates Fibromyalgia and it becomes a bit of a endless circle of pain,  exhaustion, pain, exhaustion etc.

Work has picked up some and I have 2 HUGE crocheted blankets on my table that were chewed by a teething Yorkie puppy.  It is fun and also quite a challenge taking a gaping hole and making it look as good as new. I will post some pics on the next Blog when I am finished. I've even learnt some new stitches courtesy of good old Google. 😂

I also made an extra 2 Octipus for little Munchkin as he sleeps with them and Mommy wanted one for the car and one for the pram.   So many things I want to try and so little time and or energy. I have quite the 'to do' board on Pinterest.

Well folks, that in a nutshell sums up October and I keep, in my mind, a running list of all that needs to be done and accomplished by December.  One bite at a time Sharon

Have a wonderful week, please stay safe and healthy folks.  Ciao, ciao.

Extra Octopuses 

Where will these little feet tread ?

My Life's Winding Roads: A sad start to the month. R.I.P Sasha.

My Life's Winding Roads: A sad start to the month. R.I.P Sasha.:   Hello family and friends I hope this finds everyone well.  Currently the weather in the Cape is very confused.  One week snow, the next he...

A sad start to the month. R.I.P Sasha.

 Hello family and friends I hope this finds everyone well.  Currently the weather in the Cape is very confused.  One week snow, the next heatwave, then rain and ridiculously high waves.  Each day is a bit of a mystery and the last two days have had really heavy fog, not something we see often here in the Village. Despite the weather the world seems to just keep rolling along and here we are in October with Christmas on the horizon. 

There were no spectacular stand out moments in September and with regards to the family, all are well.  Poppet  was very ill with flu / covid and wouldn't let us near her.  It took awhile but she has recovered and is back to her usual hectic life and on the Padel Court.  Little BabyBear is growing daily and,  can you believe it? He was two months old on Saturday.  JB and I are going to spend a a few days with them this week and I am literally counting sleeps.  Whoop whoop.                     In relation to the weather, whilst we have been having snow on the nearby mountains, Big Guy and Princess have been sweltering in 30c plus, like I said it is crazy.                              Hubby went to the National Radio Controlled Sailing regatta for the class of boat he sails.  He thoroughly enjoyed himself and was doubly happy with being able to stand for so long and not have any back pain.  Praise the Lord. JB and I took the time to have a real girls weekend which was a lot of fun.

As I type this it is with a very sore heart. JB's Little Maltese Sasha (15 yrs old and a true companion dog)  was fine on Friday and woke up Saturday really sick. We rushed her to the Vet and she has been there since. She had a tumour on her pancreas and due to her age, current  state of health, surgery would be extremely risky and not guaranteed. So this morning we were on our way to see her to say goodbye, but the Vet called me at 8.am to say she had passed away during the night. We are heartbroken and trying to adjust and accept her passing. Jelly Bean said to me on Saturday that she can barely remember a time in her life without Sasha. 😢😢  Little Zeepha is still hopping around slowly on her three legs.  In the last week she has done a couple of things which are more like her normal self, which I am so relieved to see.

Work has generally been a bit quiet, which although frustrating, has probably not been a bad thing  as I have had some challenges. After I fell a couple of months ago, I had a fair amount of discomfort behind my knee which I thought was just pulled muscles. This past month with quite a quick progression, the pain became unbearable so off to our GP I trotted.  He did a couple of very sore movements and sent me for xrays and then straight to the Orthopaedic Surgeon.   This is the same Surgeon who is waiting to do my right knee replacement and, all of this is the left knee. After an MRI it would appear I have torn the Meniscus (cant see clearly if it is detached). I was due to see the Surgeon this past Friday but on Wednesday he was in a bicycle accident and was in surgery for several hours. I am scheduled to see him this coming Friday to discuss the next step  as we have to fix the left before doing the right knee replacement. I will be honest and say this- having Fibromyalgia I am used to pain, my right knee is always sore but the torn Meniscus is on a whole different level. It is constant, night and day as well as giving way when it feels like it.

On a positive note, because of the downtime I eventually, yesterday, finished JB's chunky shrug.  After unravelling it five times I am quite relieved. It is very different to a cardigan in the way it fits,  but she seems very happy with it. So onto my next project - another squishy octopus  for someone as a stress toy. I also really need to sit down and start my next diamond dot painting.  There has been so much going on this year that I have only finished one so far.

Well folks, thats me for now.  Have a great month and stay well and safe. Ciao Ciao.

Little Sasha loved to yeet cushions or pillows off the couches or bed.

My Life's Winding Roads: Babies, Baboons and Battles

My Life's Winding Roads: Babies, Baboons and Battles: Welcome September, how did we get here so fast?  We have had three days of possible spring weather, which in Cape terms means the sun has sh...

Babies, Baboons and Battles

Welcome September, how did we get here so fast?  We have had three days of possible spring weather, which in Cape terms means the sun has shone continuously without rain.  What a month weather wise (and in every other possible way).  We have had so much rain and last week was a cold front of note which brought snow on the surrounding mountains, even on Table Mountain, so even though the sun is shining there is still a very cold chill in the air. Those "in the know" say that it has been the coldest and wettest winter in decades, we have certainly never seen 6c since we've been here.

Well ... August was quite the month. Starting with our gorgeous Grandson arriving on the 5th. None of us were told what his name was and when the Bears introduced him just after he was born they disclosed that he has been named after Big Bear's Dad, my late husband. That was an incredibly emotional moment for me because not for a second had I considered that, it is such an honour and he is named after an incredible man.  JB and I went to visit them in hospital the day after he was born and again more emotions and tears as I held him for the first time.  He weighed in at 3.49 kg and is absolutely perfect, Mommy is well and still managed to look glamorous right after his birth.  I believe that I will have to alter some nicknames here on the Blog so henceforth Baby Bear will be Mama Bear and junior will be Baby Bear.  As a family they are settling into routine and adjusting to an entirely new life.  We saw them again last Wednesday as Big Guy had flown down to meet his Nephew.  We gathered at a Wine Farm for lunch after which Big Guy came to spend a few days with us, making me a happy Mom, it was SO good to have him here with us, now that he has gone home the house feels too quiet and empty.  On Saturday we all met up at the Bears' home for lunch together with Poppet as a collective birthday celebration, the littlest Bear did not make an appearance as he slept right through the entire event. Needless to say this Granny has lost her heart to this tiny little human being.

Hubby has continued to make an amazing recovery from his back surgery and is back doing everything he did before, with no pain or discomfort, Praise God for that.  He is back working on various clocks and watches which continue to come in on a regular basis.  My work has been slightly quiet but I have had a lot to keep me busy.  Thank the Lord the Balaclava Hoodie I made for my friend fits like a dream and is a big hit.  I also got out the other two crocheted Octopuses and perfected the stress Worry Worm, currently I am busy making JB a chunky shrug cardigan which is fun.

Barely a week after baby was born, Sasha which is Jelly Bean's dog of 15 yearanof age, became ill.  We took her to the Vet who did some tests and diagnosed Pancreatitus, I had changed her tinned food for a well known brand which is apparently very high in fat.  We had just walked in from the appointment and when we set her down her tummy just released a big puddle of bloody viscous type liquid. I immediately called the vet who came right out and took her back to the Hospital for the night with further medication and on a drip.  Given her age we were pretty sure this was the end. But, tough little trooper that she is by next morning she was somewhat better and late that afternoon we were able to bring her home. It was pancreatitis and severe hemorrhagic enteritis.  My goodness!! She has finished all her meds and is her normal, bouncy,  somewhat deaf, somewhat blind, happy self again.

On the 21st we had a rather harrowing incident.  JB and I were sitting in the lounge, both with headphones on, when I heard her gasp.  I looked up and there in the doorway stood an enormous male baboon with three of his companions right next to him.  He was about a metre into the room whilst the other three were standing behind my huge bean bag.  I stood up calmly and tried to shoo them out but, Mr  Aplha just kept walking in. I picked up a spray bottle which sits on the table next to me, and sprayed the three in the doorway who stepped back onto the deck.  The big one just walked straight up to our fridge, opened the freezer door and took out a loaf of frozen bread before closing the door and walking back out of the door. It was as calm and targeted as if he lived here. What I did not realise at the time was that little Zeepha must have been on the deck and once the big baboon walked onto the deck the other three tried to join him in his feast and there was a bit of an argument.  We do not know if Zeepha got caught between them or if, in terror she took off and jumped out of the window.  eventually, thanks to the spray bottle they relocated themselves to the front yard where the big one took his time eating the frozen bread and the other three investigated the yard, discovered the sugar water bottle for the birds (spray bottle out again and that chased that one off) and played with each other.  After some time they moved across the yard and Hubby was able to turn the hosepipe on them which sent them running.  I can assure you it took a long time for heart rates and adrenalin levels to calm down.  About an hour later Zeepha came in and we then realised she had hurt her right front leg.  I took her to the vet the next day and after xrays  we saw that she had dislocated her elbow very badly.  Our vet sedated her and with difficulty managed to reposition her elbow and wrapped it well for protection.  She has really struggled to adjust to this and I have had to lift her up or put her down from where she sits, eats etc.  The Dr contacted another Vetrinary Practice who quoted R30 000. to operate with no guarantees, needless to say we don't have that kind of money. He also spoke to other Vets in the area after taking the splint bandage off this past week, and the consensus is that there must be ligament damage and surgery has no guarantees. Amputation at this stage is not necessary or recommended as her leg has blood flow and is warm.  In just the last two days I have seen that she is getting up and down some furniture  fairly well, making use of the little things I have put in place to create small steps.  My heart absolutely breaks as she is such a gentle, tiny little thing who loves to play her own imaginary games and zoomies, and she now holds her leg with the paw facing upward. Obviously there is also emotional trauma so lots and lots of TLC and scratches for her.  This is the first time ever that the main troop have come as far down as us, which now has us on hyper alert, especially going into the warmer weather. It truly feels as if we paid the Vet's Rental for August. 🤦🏻‍♀️

To say that August was an emotional tsunami would be somewhat of an understatement, sometimes there comes a time when the bounce back elastic has lost its stretch and I am experiencing that at the moment.  I know that I will bounce back but this last month with all it's extreme highs and lows was just a bit more than I was ready for.  This I do know for a certainty - God has always seen me through the valleys and the mountains and He has not stepped away or let go. My favourite scripture Jeremiah 29 v 11 says For I Know the thoughts and plans I have for you, says the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you a future and a hope.  Comforting words for sure. 

Well folks, my prayer is that September is a peaceful, gentle month for us all.  Wherever you are reading this from, if your elastic has lost it's stretch then please be kind to yourself, you are not alone. Please reach out to someone who you can talk to and don't be tempted to try and superwoman yourself out of the hole, it is perfectly ok to say "time out".  To all,  stay well and stay safe. Ciao Ciao.

May these little feet be blessed wherever they tread

Worry worm

Little Zeepha's pre and post pics.