My Life's Winding Roads: 2024 Kicked off with a rush.

My Life's Winding Roads: 2024 Kicked off with a rush.:   Greetings to you all from an extremely hot, humid and uncomfortable Betty's Bay.   It seems that the moment the visitors left, the sun...

2024 Kicked off with a rush.

 Greetings to you all from an extremely hot, humid and uncomfortable Betty's Bay.   It seems that the moment the visitors left, the sun came out to play and has glared down day after day.  Years ago there was never humidity in the Western Cape, that was a Natal thing; but my how that has changed.  I have tried all my tricks to cool off and nothing works beyond a few minutes. Ughhh !  Winter you are welcome at any time. 

Our New Year started with the best spoil when Princess and C arrived on the 1st and stayed until the 3rd.  We packed so much into that short time and stored up as many memories as possible. We even went to the shell beach, its been ages since we were there.  I have never seen more than perhaps 2 other people there and that day there were about 15 haha.  We got a good collection of shells and Charlie played with the waves for the first time ever. He also came across his first toddler since he has been with me and was so gentle and calm, I was so proud of him. It was a very tearful goodbye not knowing how long it will be until we see each other again, shucks it is hard when the Grandchilden grow up.

The following week one of my very dear friends came down for a visit, oh my goodness.  What a wonderful time of fellowship, laughs, sewing and sharing we had.  She taught me all about making Kefir (I knew nothing) and within a day the Kefir station was producing exactly as it should.  To learn more.   https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/9-health-benefits-of-kefir.  Kefir has approximately 50 - 83 different strains of probiotics.   Needless to say I now make Kefir every day which I have with my granola in the morning and in everything I bakes thats calls for milk.  Hubby would drink it all if left to himself and JB is also drinking it in smoothies.  A few days after my friend left I tried my hand at Kefir cheese ... DELICIOUS and then made Kefir cheese balls with chives which I keep in olive oil  - I am addicted to these.  Just another thing I've added to my daily routine, still much more to learn.  Again far too soon we had to say goodbye but hopefully not for too long a period until she can visit again.

My business is growing nicely and apart from the 1 week I took off between Christmas and New Year I have had a small but steady stream of clients with things to alter, fix, replace etc.  I truly can only give God all the glory.  On that note, last year already, I had started looking for a sewing cupboard that I could keep both my sewing machine and overlocker in, ready to go, as well as storage for the growing pile of things.  I had seen one but the lady proved to be difficult to communicate with, eventually she asked if I was still interested, I was and bought it.  She lives in Hermanus so Hubby went off to fetch it,  only  to come back empty handed, it was too big and heavy for him to load into the car or even lift. So we organised a trailer and he hired someone to help him and after a lot of grunting and groaning,  I now have a beautiful sewing cupboard on the deck - I just have to sort out the heat problem being out there.  

The family are all well, being a large family there always seems to be some health issue or personal crisis but we ride the waves and stand strong in our Faith in God.  Princess got everyone's heart racing one night when she stepped back in the kitchen and tripped over a carpet hitting the side of her head on the fridge door handle. Thank goodness for C's Paramedic Training as he got her down, kept her awake and stemmed the most of the blood flow before rushing her to Emergency.  She ended up with 5 stitches over the top of her ear, thankfully in her hairline, plus numerous bruises and grazes.  It took the Dr some time to close part of the hole and stop the bleeding before she was allowed home to rest up.  Her stitches came out last week and although she is feeling a bit vulnerable with her ear she is well.  I am busy with a number of projects currently - sewing, knitting, dotting, kefir'ing and about to sew new elasticised bench cushion covers for easy removal and washing  (for the deck).  I can't wait to show you all the beautiful material I managed to get, that belongs to next month's story.

Living in Betty's Bay we have come to expect burst water pipes which inevitably means a couple of hours of no water or worst case scenario, a  day or so.  There seem to have been many reported throughout the last month especially and the Municipality is hard at work in upgrading the infrastructure.  Seeing brown water come out of the taps is not a shock to us because the fynbos also can discolour the water. So being somewhat unobservant, a couple of weeks ago I put all our white towels in with the washing and could only stare in disbelief when I opened the machine.  My ENTIRE wash, including coloured items,  was a consistent, medium shade of beige/ brown.  It was hot, I was already tired and sore and was almost in tears.  Can you believe that  in this very technological day and age we live in it is almost impossible to find good old Steri Nappi.  All of the clothing has now returned to its normal colours, with frequent washes,  except for the big stuff and towels for  which I am awaiting delivery of Vanish 02 white.  I will then begin the process with returning my linens to bright white 🤞🏻.  After asking on our local WA group I have discovered the simple solution of running the tap into the basin before switching on the machine.  At first I blamed my machine, then later that day when the toiled flushed mud coloured water I realised where the problem had come from 🤦🏻‍♀️.

This all brings me to last week when we had another big fire which started in Pringle Bay, our neighbouring village. We were on our way home from SW when Jelly Bean saw the smoke. By late that afternoon we were having to consider evacuation as it had reached the dunes on our side and was in full flow.  Once again huge thanks and kudos go out to our Fire Fighters and all those that came in from other towns.  There was not one home lost after day one, where just after it started it raged through the point and burnt out most of the homes ( it is a very isolated area called Sea Farm with very few houses ).  Sadly one of the homes belonged to the Caretaker of Sea Farm who is one of our Volunteer fire fighters and whilst he was trying to save other structures he lost his home and all they owned.  There was a picture taken when he received the news which is heartbreaking in knowing what had happened and yet he carried on protecting everyone else's homes.  As usual the amazing folks in Betty's Bay came to the fore and our Village Hall became the hub for feeding and sheltering fire fighters. The fire was only contained fully on Friday due to the winds which kept changing direction.  God once again showed His miracle working power in sending rain (in January??) Which helped with giving those on the ground some lee way and protecting homes.  It is at these times, when one sits and seriously thinks about what you need to take that you realise what is important to you.  We had the cat boxes at the ready, cars turned around and in the driveway and I had mentally catalogued what would go.  Thank the Lord we did not have to evacuate, although many people did both here and in PB.

Folks as you can see, January was 87 weeks long and packed full of things, every day, I was actually glad to see February arrive on the calendar.  Here's hoping February cools down and slows down.  I wish you all a wonderful week, thank you as always, for joining me on my Winding Road of Life.  Stay safe and well. Ciao ciao

Charlie chasing waves

Sewing cupboard blessing

Kefir Cheese and chive balls.

My Life's Winding Roads: Happy New Year and Hello 2024

My Life's Winding Roads: Happy New Year and Hello 2024: Good morning all and  Happy New Year to each of you.  Can you believe it ? We are living in a time that 50 years ago was only in the Jetson&...

Happy New Year and Hello 2024

Good morning all and  Happy New Year to each of you.  Can you believe it ? We are living in a time that 50 years ago was only in the Jetson's TV Show.  Gosh how much we have seen and lived through and how privileged we are to still be here to tell our stories and pass down history.

It was a quiet, very weird, Christmas and a lovely quiet week since then.  We had our Express Christmas with the Bears and Poppet and did a live video link with Big Guy and Princess.  What a special day and so many memories were made, these family gatherings leave my heart full and comforted.

December of course had all it own types of fun as usual.  Big Bear took me out for the most incredible dinner of fine dining and an evening of sharing dreams and hopes and general catching up.  In line with my intention to make the most of every day and do new things, I tasted and /or ate everything on the menu.  Baby Bear was away for a work function and it was actually the first time ever that he and I got to go out for a meal, being just the two of us.  What an incredible evening 😍.  JB and I slept over at Poppet's house so as not to have to drive over the Pass, all in all a very special time. 

Talking about the 'long way around ' as it became known we must give a hand to City of Cape Town for their incredible work on repairing the three roads which had cut us off in September.  They finished the Hermanus Road, then the bridge to Kleinmond. Their aim was to have everything open or at least driveable by mid December.  They outdid themselves and our beloved Clarence Drive was re-opened to traffic a week before the middle of the month.  There are 6 Stop and Go areas which are being managed extremely well. We have never waited for more than a minute or so.  Between the Stop and Go's it is down to one lane only, one direction at a time.  To see the utter devastation of the road and the mountain is hard to put into words.  In one area the entire road collapsed and cars now drive through the actual rest stop area.  The scars are going to be on our mountains for a very long time, but oh what a joy to drive that road again.

Work wise it was a very busy month with me working right up to the 22nd.  My most interesting project was ... to shorten length and height, a tennis court net to fit a Pickle Ball court. Pickle Ball and Paddle have taken the Cape by storm.  I had to cut off 3 metres of the original net restitch the side band back on.  Then my my brief was to shorten the height of the net to  " the length of the inner leg of this pair of trousers plus one inch" 🤣🤣🤣.  Out came Google for the proper dimensions and can you believe that the length of the leg and one inch was exactly as stated in the rules?  Well, it took me a couple of days and some very raw fingers but I did it successfully and was able to pat my humble little sewing machine on doing so well. 😂  the client was absolutely delighted and the net is now in daily use in Kleinmond.  The trousers received a new zip and two holes repaired haha.  

We have had the most wonderful weather, cool and wet or windy for the last week which is not necessarily what the holiday makers want but has certainly kept many children from drowning. For the first time since we've been here, our main beach was closed twice this week due to two sharks 🦈  swimming around.  Last week as I was walking around the yard trying to find Tilly (the tortoise) I came across a snake 🥴 at first i didn't realise what it was and came back past it to see it had moved. Hmmmm. Call Hubby and grab a broom stick.  Tell Hubby to bring a container AND lid.  I tried picking up said snake with the broom stick which did not work.  By this time it had wriggled closer to the house. Eeeeek. I did not think of closing the door, I was too busy watching it. 😂 Hubby eventually grabbed a pair of braai tongs and gently picked it up and put it in the container with lid firmly in place.  My instructions were to please go and release it across the road far into the fynbos.  Sheesh.  It wasn't big, about 30cm long and we aren't sure what type of snake just that it was flipping fast.  Always an adventure here without fail.

On that note folks, family and friends my prayer for each one of you this year is for a good year, a year of answered prayers, dreams achieved, goals attained, new adventures, love, good health, God's peace and provision.  Please stay safe on the roads wherever you may be.  Ciao Ciao 

Our fine dining dessert ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Clarence Drive.

Once a tennis net now a pickle ball net.

                      

                                 

My Life's Winding Roads: November disappeared - Merry Christmas everyone

My Life's Winding Roads: November disappeared - Merry Christmas everyone: Hi folks, here I am albeit a week late if I'm going month by month, this Blog will cover November as well as wishes for Christmas. Shees...

November disappeared - Merry Christmas everyone

Hi folks, here I am albeit a week late if I'm going month by month, this Blog will cover November as well as wishes for Christmas.

Sheesh where are the weeks going ?  This year has literally flown by and the last couple of months even more so, since I started my mending business.  It has been wonderfully busy as well as a learning curve all at once.  I still find it hard  to believe that I can earn money by sewing and mending.  If anyone had ever asked me where sewing was on my list of 'career objectives' it would have rated right down at the very bottom if at all, my Father God has a sense of humour. 🙂  I have had some unusual sewing 'jobs' but each one has stretched me and taught me something.  This past  week, among other things, I made and inserted pockets into three skirts, mended holes (some tiny and some enormous) in seven plush, fleece blankets - one blanket had twenty holes. And my favourite was removing a polo neck  on a brand new jersey, unwinding it to about 2 cm and reattaching a part of it onto the back neck of the jersey.  That one was fun.  A friend in the Village reminded me that I also mend and fix stuffed toys. I've had loads of experience with Princess and her Flopsy. The best part of all this is that I enjoy each item as a challenge.

Weather wise, we have gone straight from winter to a scorching summer - extreme temperatures and either a gale or not a breath of air.  Definitely not my favourite weather as most of you will know.  JB and I even put the Christmas tree up early in the vain hope of cooler weather 😂😂.  We figured that seeing as it has been yet another crazy year, why not start the Christmas season early and really get into the swing of the Season.  I am happy to say that apart from one stocking filler gift I have completed all my Christmas shopping. Yaaay 🙌.  I still  have some baking to do, my christmas cake amongst other things. 

Village news is that we are still mostly restricted from getting into Somerset West and Cape Town because we still have to go around the mountain and over the Pass.  Truly it now feels like a picnic basket and a flask of coffee is required for any trip in that direction, the result of that being, when we do go in I tak a detailed list for every stop.  The one thing I keep forgetting is Christmas Mince Pies 😭, only one of my most favourite things.

This past month did not pass without incident, and by would it ? Haha.  Over the time I have had my generic FatSak,  Jasper (BIG, fat, lazy tuxedo cat), has periodically peed on it to my immense frustration.  Up until a couple of weeks ago, I was able to get it clean. Then the piddle of all piddles and I tried everything I knew, all to no effect.  I was desperate and made a snap decision to cut off the offending section of the inner bag, wash it and then restitch it back in place.  I planned to remove any soiled foam at the same time.  Well ... The deeper I reached in the more smelly foam I pulled out. 🤦🏻‍♀️. This bag was originally 25 kgs of foam.  Washing the cover and the piece of the inner bag in the machine had worked perfectly, so that let me with only one solution - wash the inner cover and  the foam.  OMW do you know how many little pieces of foam make up 25 kg.  Hubby had the idea of pouring the foam into a queen size bed and base,  thick plastic, enormous bag.  Hmmm trying to lift that heavy a bag and pour the foam out did not work so we resorted to pulling out arm fulls and smelling it.  If it was not smelly it went into the bag, if it smelt it went into the bath.  We had a three quarter of a bath full of foam, soap, vinegar and bicarbonate.  My next job was to get it from the bath and spun and dried.  I tried a duvet cover it did not work.  Pillow cases did not work. Eventually I found the zip up inner cover from one of our couch cushions.  This worked like a charm, I half filled it in the bath dragged it into the machine, rinsed and spun, then hung the bag on the line.  I wore a path to the washing line with the uncountable  trips it took. Load after load after load.  All dry foam was then put in the big plastic bag which eventually split. Therefore there were two growing piles of foam 🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️.  The inner bag got washed, the missing piece stitched back into place and refilling begun.  Good grief there was foam everywhere you looked, inside, outside, all over us and the animals.  We resorted to using plastic bowls to scoop foam back into the inner, together with liberal amounts of essential peppermint oil and citronella oil.  After much sweat, frustration and exhaustion we got it all back in, minus about 5kgs of foam  which I just tossed out because of total the exhaustion.  Despite the drama and hard work I now have a fresh, clean smelling FatSak.  This week one of my clients gave me a packet of linen savers  which I taped together and liberally sprinkled with citronella oil and I now drape it over the FatSak at night. 🙏🤞🏻 Please God that is the end of the story.

We also had a wonderful two day visit with Miss Muffet who did a flying trip back home.  It was really good to spend time with her and just reconnect and catch up.  Poppet also surprised us with a visit last weekend and we picked up on an old family tradition, which had slipped through the cracks the last few years.  We made yummy salad rolls and settled down to watch Dirty Dancing for the umpteenth time.  Our annual Christmas movie - my heart was warmed and full.

The rest of the family are all well and busy ahead of the holidays.  It is going to be a very strange Christmas this year because for the first time ever Princess will not be here (we will see her a few days later), Poppet will be with friends, the Bears will be away and Big Guy just cannot get down this year.  So for the first time since 1977 all but one of the kids, JB, will not spend the day with us. We are doing a mini Christmas with the CT based family on the 22nd with a video link up to Princess and Big Guy.  I am planning on cooking a big Christmas Eve dinner and then, on Christmas day the three of us will literally veg out and watch movies etc., no cooking just plenty of left overs.

This was a lot of news about a busy month, I will put the next Blog up before the New Year.  To all of you I want to say thank you for taking the time each month to stay connected to my crazy life. Thank you for your encouragement and comments.  From my family to yours I wish you all a truly blessed Christmas and wonderful holidays.  Please stay safe on the roads and wherever you may be. Ciao Ciao.

The jersey make over, before and after.

A glimpse of foam insanity

My Life's Winding Roads: What a month

My Life's Winding Roads: What a month:   Good morning to everyone wherever you are. Well ... What a month in just about every respect including  ending it off by winning the 2023 ...