Monday, 16 September 2019
My Life's Winding Roads: Busy, busy, busy.
My Life's Winding Roads: Busy, busy, busy.: Good morning folks from a bright and breezy Betty's Bay, we are still enjoying mild weather, thank goodness and looking forward to a bus...
Busy, busy, busy.
Good morning folks from a bright and breezy Betty's Bay, we are still enjoying mild weather, thank goodness and looking forward to a busy two weeks as Big Guy arrives tomorrow until Sunday and then next Monday Poppet and Princess will be arriving for a work/holiday. Needless to say that our house has been under somewhat of an onslaught making everything ready, it feels and has been simply an age since we saw them, I am soooo excited.
We had a fairly busy week with Hubby finishing and delivering a large order of art display boxes, finishing off one clock, which proved rather temperamental and creating parts for an antique watch he is working with. After nine months I am quite happy to say that now when I do my nails, it no longer takes the entire day and now I am down to two hours, still room for some improvement on the time but I am getting there, at least now I have them the way I want and don't have to pay to have them done. We did have a really strange thing happen, in the two and a half years we have been feeding the sugar birds, sun birds, mouse birds, white eyes, bul buls, weavers to name the regulars, we have never for one moment had a problem with bees. All of a sudden last week when I looked out we had a mass 'bee suicide' event going on, for some unknown reason they were around the feeder in droves and not content with just drinking, they were actually going into the bottle and drowning. We have not changed the recipe or any thing else and when I asked the local community group a few people said that they have had similar experiences in the past. We removed the bottle, very carefully, and did not replace it for three days, when we refilled it again we just put in plain boiled water which the birds were not impressed with and then on Saturday replaced it with a weaker sugar solution, there were a few bees but none that stayed so yesterday we went full strength and all is still normal ????? One of those mysteries which I will never know the answer to, what was very interesting to us all is that the birds are very scared of bees. Whilst the bees were around there was not a bird to be seen and when the few that came out on Saturday appeared the birds actually reversed away from them and flew away.
Well folks I still have a mountain of things to get done and shall be saying goodbye for this week, don't forget to check out the Hints and Tips page as I am going to add a tip or two that I discovered purely by mistake and that work wonderfully. I pray you all have a blessed week and please stay safe wherever you are. Ciao Ciao for now.
Bee Suicide, so sad.
We had a fairly busy week with Hubby finishing and delivering a large order of art display boxes, finishing off one clock, which proved rather temperamental and creating parts for an antique watch he is working with. After nine months I am quite happy to say that now when I do my nails, it no longer takes the entire day and now I am down to two hours, still room for some improvement on the time but I am getting there, at least now I have them the way I want and don't have to pay to have them done. We did have a really strange thing happen, in the two and a half years we have been feeding the sugar birds, sun birds, mouse birds, white eyes, bul buls, weavers to name the regulars, we have never for one moment had a problem with bees. All of a sudden last week when I looked out we had a mass 'bee suicide' event going on, for some unknown reason they were around the feeder in droves and not content with just drinking, they were actually going into the bottle and drowning. We have not changed the recipe or any thing else and when I asked the local community group a few people said that they have had similar experiences in the past. We removed the bottle, very carefully, and did not replace it for three days, when we refilled it again we just put in plain boiled water which the birds were not impressed with and then on Saturday replaced it with a weaker sugar solution, there were a few bees but none that stayed so yesterday we went full strength and all is still normal ????? One of those mysteries which I will never know the answer to, what was very interesting to us all is that the birds are very scared of bees. Whilst the bees were around there was not a bird to be seen and when the few that came out on Saturday appeared the birds actually reversed away from them and flew away.
Well folks I still have a mountain of things to get done and shall be saying goodbye for this week, don't forget to check out the Hints and Tips page as I am going to add a tip or two that I discovered purely by mistake and that work wonderfully. I pray you all have a blessed week and please stay safe wherever you are. Ciao Ciao for now.
Bee Suicide, so sad.
Monday, 9 September 2019
My Life's Winding Roads: Treat women with respect !!!!!
My Life's Winding Roads: Treat women with respect !!!!!: Hi all from a very confused, weather wise, Betty's Bay, in the last week we have been through three of the four seasons and quite frank...
Treat women with respect !!!!!
Hi all from a very confused, weather wise, Betty's Bay, in the last week we have been through three of the four seasons and quite frankly I'm ready for winter permanently. Last week it was so cold we made a fire, then we had one mild day and THEN wham over the weekend the Cape was frying in a 35 c heatwave. I simply cannot function in heat like that Ughh. Weather rant over hehe!!!
This week passed fairly quietly with me catching up on a number of things in the house and taking some time to 'be kind to my body'. My Hubby was very busy as usual, I really envy his energy, he is busy with a complicated repair to an antique pocket watch, as well as completing a large order he got for 'box frames' to display art. This last has proved to take a lot longer than he anticipated as it comprises 24 boxes in all, hopefully that one will be completed this week as there are a number of other things in and around the house which are starting to mount up. The family are all very well with great excitement mounting for Big Guy, BigBear and BabyBear who are all planning or about to embark on overseas holidays. Big Guy is up first and leaves in 16 days, but first a flying visit down to see us yippee - some organizing to do this side for his visit. The girls are good after an extremely stressful three weeks which led Poppet to decide last week, to postpone the wedding due to the unexpected medical diagnosis on Sonshine's side. The wedding will still take place but when everything is settled and it can be enjoyed In its entirety as a wedding should be. Yesterday was our youngest Grandsons birthday, in the UK, where he turned a whole 7 years old and celebrated by having a 'football' party. When we spoke to him after the party he was almost fully kitted out to join Chelsea Football Club hehe, Happy Birthday little man.
On Saturday, being ignorant of the heat that lay ahead of us, we went into Cape Town city for watch parts and then across to Milnerton to collect yet more parts and spares. Our trip
started off beautifully until we were suddenly confronted by a terrible accident on the coast
road, Clarence Drive. A motor cyclist had overtaken us earlier and was going around a blind corner had hit a smallish car head on as it turned into one of the pull-off areas. I found this extremely difficult to deal with and having arrived on the scene only minutes after it happened, and having to sit waiting until any cars could get through just made it worse. All I could do was pray fo him. We haven't been able to find out the condition of the biker and can only pray that somehow he survived. All feeling completely shocked we continued with our trip and when we eventually got to Milnerton it was 35c, Jelly Bean and I went into a huge Checkers there and OMW what an exceptional shop. I want to know why we can't have one this side of town. Just as well we were on a time constraint and Hubby had to be back home by 3 pm to help someone with a car engine he is redoing, because we might have gotten lost in there. I will admit to being to grateful to be home where is was a hot 24c although that became worse overnight and yesterday we nearly cooked. Today, thank the Lord it is overcast and if not cold it is certainly cooler.
Folks all I can say to you all, in the light of what occurred in South Africa last week - a little 6 year old girl was abducted from her mother's car at school drop off, and returned 18 hours later unharmed thank You Lord. The murder of a university student who merely went to the Post Office and was raped and murdered, the huge upswing of crimes against women and children which in turn led to a flood on social media as well as hundreds of protests is that we are living in a very sick society and the ONLY surety we have, is in having a relationship with God, were it not for that we would be totally without hope. It is time that human beings learnt the value of life and begin treating each other accordingly, that men begin treating women and children with respect, gentleness and honor. How often nowadays do we see men opening doors for a lady to pass through, or opening the car door, pulling her chair out at the table ??? Just the tip of the iceberg here or I will not stop. Ladies (say what you will) it's time you allowed men to honor you and respect you, it is not a weakness to be feminine. Yes, woman have become stronger and more and independent, mostly through their
circumstances, that should not stop us from embracing our womanhood and femininity. HOWEVER that does not mean that we don't want and shouldn't be treated with respect and dignity. Men want and expect respect but guys that too needs to be earned. I find it heartbreaking that our women, young girls, grand-daughters have to fear for their safety and lives to the degree that they cannot walk from point A to B, that schools have to warn girls to not go out, particularly alone, that ENTIRE Girls High Schools would wear black in honor of the many young women who are being raped and murdered in our country particularly in the last few weeks. Please pray for girls, women, our country, the world in general.
Be safe out there folks, look out for each other and be very aware of your surroundings wherever you go. Have a beautiful week with love from BB, Ciao Ciao for now.
This week passed fairly quietly with me catching up on a number of things in the house and taking some time to 'be kind to my body'. My Hubby was very busy as usual, I really envy his energy, he is busy with a complicated repair to an antique pocket watch, as well as completing a large order he got for 'box frames' to display art. This last has proved to take a lot longer than he anticipated as it comprises 24 boxes in all, hopefully that one will be completed this week as there are a number of other things in and around the house which are starting to mount up. The family are all very well with great excitement mounting for Big Guy, BigBear and BabyBear who are all planning or about to embark on overseas holidays. Big Guy is up first and leaves in 16 days, but first a flying visit down to see us yippee - some organizing to do this side for his visit. The girls are good after an extremely stressful three weeks which led Poppet to decide last week, to postpone the wedding due to the unexpected medical diagnosis on Sonshine's side. The wedding will still take place but when everything is settled and it can be enjoyed In its entirety as a wedding should be. Yesterday was our youngest Grandsons birthday, in the UK, where he turned a whole 7 years old and celebrated by having a 'football' party. When we spoke to him after the party he was almost fully kitted out to join Chelsea Football Club hehe, Happy Birthday little man.
On Saturday, being ignorant of the heat that lay ahead of us, we went into Cape Town city for watch parts and then across to Milnerton to collect yet more parts and spares. Our trip
started off beautifully until we were suddenly confronted by a terrible accident on the coast
road, Clarence Drive. A motor cyclist had overtaken us earlier and was going around a blind corner had hit a smallish car head on as it turned into one of the pull-off areas. I found this extremely difficult to deal with and having arrived on the scene only minutes after it happened, and having to sit waiting until any cars could get through just made it worse. All I could do was pray fo him. We haven't been able to find out the condition of the biker and can only pray that somehow he survived. All feeling completely shocked we continued with our trip and when we eventually got to Milnerton it was 35c, Jelly Bean and I went into a huge Checkers there and OMW what an exceptional shop. I want to know why we can't have one this side of town. Just as well we were on a time constraint and Hubby had to be back home by 3 pm to help someone with a car engine he is redoing, because we might have gotten lost in there. I will admit to being to grateful to be home where is was a hot 24c although that became worse overnight and yesterday we nearly cooked. Today, thank the Lord it is overcast and if not cold it is certainly cooler.
Folks all I can say to you all, in the light of what occurred in South Africa last week - a little 6 year old girl was abducted from her mother's car at school drop off, and returned 18 hours later unharmed thank You Lord. The murder of a university student who merely went to the Post Office and was raped and murdered, the huge upswing of crimes against women and children which in turn led to a flood on social media as well as hundreds of protests is that we are living in a very sick society and the ONLY surety we have, is in having a relationship with God, were it not for that we would be totally without hope. It is time that human beings learnt the value of life and begin treating each other accordingly, that men begin treating women and children with respect, gentleness and honor. How often nowadays do we see men opening doors for a lady to pass through, or opening the car door, pulling her chair out at the table ??? Just the tip of the iceberg here or I will not stop. Ladies (say what you will) it's time you allowed men to honor you and respect you, it is not a weakness to be feminine. Yes, woman have become stronger and more and independent, mostly through their
circumstances, that should not stop us from embracing our womanhood and femininity. HOWEVER that does not mean that we don't want and shouldn't be treated with respect and dignity. Men want and expect respect but guys that too needs to be earned. I find it heartbreaking that our women, young girls, grand-daughters have to fear for their safety and lives to the degree that they cannot walk from point A to B, that schools have to warn girls to not go out, particularly alone, that ENTIRE Girls High Schools would wear black in honor of the many young women who are being raped and murdered in our country particularly in the last few weeks. Please pray for girls, women, our country, the world in general.
Be safe out there folks, look out for each other and be very aware of your surroundings wherever you go. Have a beautiful week with love from BB, Ciao Ciao for now.
Monday, 2 September 2019
Spring? Nope not yet
A bright happy morning to you all, I can't in all honesty say that we are having spring weather yet, in fact it has been quite the opposite. We were talking yesterday and saying that this is the first 'normal' Cape winter we've had since we moved down three years ago,last week was positively Arctic. #
Today for some reason I am really struggling to get my body into gear, more than likely all the busyness and gallivanting hehe. It feels as if every move I make I am doing so through treacle, it is definitely not going to be a 'get a lot accomplished' kind of day. Life has been fairly hectic, but all in all everyone is doing well and as expected very busy. Last week was interesting, I had the most marvelous birthday treat by a precious friend - her, Jelly Bean and I spent a wonderful morning at the Arabella Estate Hotel, sitting in front of the fire having coffee and the most delicious cheesecake I think I've ever eaten, we caught up on all our news and just generally a wonderful, relaxed morning in Five Star surroundings. Thank you my friend for the special treat. We also had a visit from friends of friends who have just moved down to BB from Cradock it was wonderful getting to know them and I am looking forward to future visits. Hubby has been really busy with clocks, watches, a big order to make box frames to display art and, helping someone who is working on his car engine, as always a very busy chap is my very dear Hubby. As I mentioned last week it is birthday season in our family and with BabyBear being home for a week or so we took advantage of it and all met up yesterday for brunch to celebrate both of their birthdays, again a wonderful catch up time and great food.
I don't know whether it is the same in the rest of the country but the Western Cape really is promoting healthy eating and this can been seen in so many of the restaurants we go to. Where the options are definitely more artisanal and natural as opposed to the regular meat / chips / rice type of menus. This is something of great interest to me because just over two years ago I cut red meat out of my diet along with most fried foods, margarine and sugars, I use olive oil where I can, butter, lots of legumes and pulses, artisanal sourdough bread etc. Don't misunderstand me, I still enjoy a good plate of chips or potato wedges every now and then as a treat, but I am talking of my general day to day eating. The effect this has had on my body has been amazing, when I go for my annual blood tests all my cholesterol, glucose, insulin and similar levels are exactly where they should be. It has been an interesting challenge learning to cook differently but dishes can be equally delicious, if not more so. Perhaps I should put up a couple of main meal recipes that I use hmmmmm.
Folks, as you may have noticed, I've been updating my pages above and from what I can see those of you who subscribe to this Blog through email will get an email every time I add something. I updated the Fibromyalgia page which is something I've wanted to address for the longest time but, knowing that it does apply or is not of interest to the majority I decided to have all Fibro related posts on their own page.
I pray you all have a wonderful week, may your stress be less, your strength renewed and may you be blessed as you go about your days, be safe out there. Ciao ciao for now
One of the pics I took from the deck of Arabella Estate Hotel looking out over the lagoon towards the lagoon mouth with Fisherhaven on the opposite shore.
Friday, 30 August 2019
My Life's Winding Roads: FIBROMYALGIA
My Life's Winding Roads: FIBROMYALGIA: WHAT IS FIBROMYALGIA? I have put off writing about this condition for the longest time because I don't want it to seem that I am looki...
Monday, 26 August 2019
It is Birthday season ...
It is not often, thank goodness, when we have nine birthdays within the space of about seven weeks, good grief even as I counted them up it seemed hard to believe but, yep our family is in birthday season hahaha. Happy Birthday today to BabyBear, wishing you only the very best of God's infinite blessings precious for today and the year to come. BigBear it's your turn on Friday son. Good morning all, from a delightfully cool and calm BB after last week's spring like weather we are very happily back to mild winter.
We had a fairly normal week which started off with us watching the International Space Station pass overhead on Tuesday evening. Because there in no light pollution here the night skies and amount of stars and planets we can see is phenomenal. Along with the normal day to day activities we had a long overdue visit with our dear friends E & D, it was so good to catch up guys thank you. Jelly Bean saw a snake (harmless) slithering across the garden which clearly did not disturb the dogs as they completely ignored it, one of the 'joys' of living in a Protected Biosphere. We treated ourselves and went through to Rooi Els for a light lunch at a fabulous little Pub there that is very rustic and a favorite with bikers in the Cape. On the way home we stopped in Pringle Bay, the village between us and Rooi Els. It has a wonderful little shopping area with fabulous Deli that sells all kinds of artisan baked goods, imported products and homeware, while there I discovered I can, in future, buy my Extra Virgin Olive Oil on tap for any less than anywhere else, woohooo. Meanwhile Hubby is busy with a very difficult clock which has come in as well as an influx of watches all of a sudden. The family are all well with Poppet and Jelly Bean deserving a special shout out - Poppet who only started with her company last year has now been made Country Manager, congratulations Poppet you have come such a long way and a lot of sacrifices for both you and Princess, we couldn't be prouder. Jelly Bean started working for BigBear on a freelance basis and did her first assignment for them. They heard last week the Client is delighted with what she did and so
is the Company, congratulations to you precious, you are finding your niche and as usual doing an outstanding job. Needless to say I am an incredibly proud mother / step-mother and Granny when I look at our family and what amazing people they all are. Not long now and we are going to celebrate big time guys.
Saturday was my birthday and after being thoroughly spoilt at home we went into town and met BigBear for lunch at my favorite Wine Farm - Vergeleegen, what an awesome afternoon we had, great good, super vibe and beautiful gifts, apart from the rest of the family being there what more could I ask for. Thank you family and ALL my friends from near and far who made me feel well and truly loved and special, I feel humbled by all the beautiful messages and love.
From my side things have been a bit quiet as far as 'creating' anything goes as somehow I injured my thumb just over a month ago, despite a cortisone injection into the thumb pad and X-rays, which showed nothing untoward I am still very sore and wearing a thumb brace which frustratingly is ruling out crocheting or any similar handcrafts, even baking. As a result I have done a LOT of reading hehe which for me is never a bad thing.
Folks, thank you for all the positive feedback on the 'new' look, I hope to be adding to the pages at the top this week with any luck, so keep an eye on them. I pray you all have a
peaceful week and stay safe and aware of your surroundings, Ciao Ciao for now.
A favorite view of mine going from Betty's Bay as the road drops down into Rooi Els.
We had a fairly normal week which started off with us watching the International Space Station pass overhead on Tuesday evening. Because there in no light pollution here the night skies and amount of stars and planets we can see is phenomenal. Along with the normal day to day activities we had a long overdue visit with our dear friends E & D, it was so good to catch up guys thank you. Jelly Bean saw a snake (harmless) slithering across the garden which clearly did not disturb the dogs as they completely ignored it, one of the 'joys' of living in a Protected Biosphere. We treated ourselves and went through to Rooi Els for a light lunch at a fabulous little Pub there that is very rustic and a favorite with bikers in the Cape. On the way home we stopped in Pringle Bay, the village between us and Rooi Els. It has a wonderful little shopping area with fabulous Deli that sells all kinds of artisan baked goods, imported products and homeware, while there I discovered I can, in future, buy my Extra Virgin Olive Oil on tap for any less than anywhere else, woohooo. Meanwhile Hubby is busy with a very difficult clock which has come in as well as an influx of watches all of a sudden. The family are all well with Poppet and Jelly Bean deserving a special shout out - Poppet who only started with her company last year has now been made Country Manager, congratulations Poppet you have come such a long way and a lot of sacrifices for both you and Princess, we couldn't be prouder. Jelly Bean started working for BigBear on a freelance basis and did her first assignment for them. They heard last week the Client is delighted with what she did and so
is the Company, congratulations to you precious, you are finding your niche and as usual doing an outstanding job. Needless to say I am an incredibly proud mother / step-mother and Granny when I look at our family and what amazing people they all are. Not long now and we are going to celebrate big time guys.
Saturday was my birthday and after being thoroughly spoilt at home we went into town and met BigBear for lunch at my favorite Wine Farm - Vergeleegen, what an awesome afternoon we had, great good, super vibe and beautiful gifts, apart from the rest of the family being there what more could I ask for. Thank you family and ALL my friends from near and far who made me feel well and truly loved and special, I feel humbled by all the beautiful messages and love.
From my side things have been a bit quiet as far as 'creating' anything goes as somehow I injured my thumb just over a month ago, despite a cortisone injection into the thumb pad and X-rays, which showed nothing untoward I am still very sore and wearing a thumb brace which frustratingly is ruling out crocheting or any similar handcrafts, even baking. As a result I have done a LOT of reading hehe which for me is never a bad thing.
Folks, thank you for all the positive feedback on the 'new' look, I hope to be adding to the pages at the top this week with any luck, so keep an eye on them. I pray you all have a
peaceful week and stay safe and aware of your surroundings, Ciao Ciao for now.
A favorite view of mine going from Betty's Bay as the road drops down into Rooi Els.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)