My Life's Winding Roads: We've made it to May

My Life's Winding Roads: We've made it to May: Wow!!  Good morning folks  what a merry-go-round April seems to have been.  So much happened and there is so much to share.  First of all, f...

We've made it to May

Wow!!  Good morning folks what a merry-go-round April seems to have been.  So much happened and there is so much to share.  First of all, for the first time in all these years of Blogging I am typing on a laptop, whoop, whoop.  Someone in  the family was blessed with a laptop and in turn blessed me with theirs.  it does take some getting used to after such a long time and every now and then I find myself touching the screen to move the cursor haha.

Where to start ? first of all winter is still on her way, despite a couple of threats and cooler, shorter days.  I guess one can't hurry autumn along.  I am not really complaining though, anything for less heat.  I did read yesterday that the wind gusts in Kleinmond were 123 kmph, so that is quite a good indication of winter.

The very BIG news, that I have been absolutely bursting to share is that our family is growing by one new member.  After 21 years we are getting ready to welcome a Baby Bear into the family.  We all found out as a family before Christmas and it has been one of the hardest secrets for me to keep hehe.  The Bears made their announcement during this past month and so, ta-da ... there is a precious little person arriving in the middle of August.  When I have mentioned over the past few months, that I am knitting, it has been booties and little jerseys.  Being me, over the years I kept a lot of baby clothes, the kids soft toys etc., and was able to put  most of BigBear's things aside and pass them over for the new arrival.  Mom and Dad are understandably beyond proud and excited and both Mom and Baby are doing very well.  At long last Princess is getting her desire to have a Cousin, everyone else gets to be Aunts, Uncle and for us Granny and Grandpa.  I tell you folks, the excitement is real.

The rest of the family are all, currently, well.  I say currently because our entire household was down last week with the flu.  Princess has had it on and off, the Bears have also had their turn.  It is not pleasant folks, so double up on the vitamins, smoothies and healthy choices. Hubby was the last to get it and the first to get better.  Yesterday was the first day I felt close to being better and JB who started it, is still not 100%.  I think I mentioned last month that Hubby has resumed his radio controlled sailing and is a very happy chappy.  The local group get together at one of the lakes here as often as possible, in Betty's Bay and then the larger group from Cape Town meet at different places to sail, all contingent on our delightfully, unpredictable wind.  Yesterday they sailed at an alligator farm near Paarl.  Poppet started her new job at the beginning of the month and despite the commute is absolutely loving it.  Big Guy is in the final throes of tying up a very big contract he has been working on for well over a year.  Big Bear enjoyed his trip to the USA, although I haven't had enough time with him to hear all the ins and outs.  He did say that his favourite place was New York.  Princess and I had a lovely face time call yesterday and, apart from looking tired she is doing really well and thoroughly enjoying her chosen subjects.  I had no clue that the work load for First Years was anywhere near as intense as it is. She never seems to stop.

Work wise it has been busy with an ever changing selection of things to alter, fix, make etc.  I really had no idea how much I would enjoy doing this as each item that comes in is a different challenge, plus I am meeting so many wonderful people.  I have been very grateful to God that somehow when I am having a bad Fibro week it almost always coincides with a quiet work week.

My first 6 monthly check up was during April as well, which was a small milestone.  I did not make the appointment with my Oncologist but rather with my Breast Surgeon as I have not been entirely happy with the communication lines with the Oncologist.  She sends me for tests etc but I have to nag and nag for the results which inevitably come through her secretary.  All three of my Doctors work as a team, so I did not want to cause a problem. Thankfully my Surgeon was my first point of contact and I have a very good relationship with her and could explain my frustration.  She totally understood and did a thorough examination, she also aspirated two lumps which were just fatty lumps, Praise God.  All the tests came back clean and good.  I have to go for all the annual MRI, Mammogram, Sonar and, and in June and she has already set the date for it all.  so, yaay, I am good and healthy and will stay on 6 monthly checks.

This past weekend I picked up my colouring pencils for the first time in I don't know how long.  With working and all the knitting I barely get to my Diamond Dot paintings, much less any other hobbies, but I just felt the desire to be quiet and creative.  It was wonderful, I had forgotten how calming it is.

Well folks, in a brief but full nutshell, that is all my news for now.  Have a wonderful week, may the month of May be especially good to you. Stay safe and well.  Ciao Ciao.

For a tiny pair of feet already walking all over our hearts.

My Life's Winding Roads: Wishing you all a Happy Easter

My Life's Winding Roads: Wishing you all a Happy Easter: Happy Monday everyone both near and far and Happy Easter for this past weekend, it is only because of His sacrifice that we have hope and li...

Wishing you all a Happy Easter

Happy Monday everyone both near and far and Happy Easter for this past weekend, it is only because of His sacrifice that we have hope and life.  For those in South Africa we have just had two long weekends in a row so looking at another short week.   It is also school holidays here so our little Village is very full with holiday homes and B & B's mostly rented out.  The weather has also been absolutely perfect (for me hehe) for the last 2 weeks, yesterday excluded.  Cooler, misty and  a bit drizzly, pure heaven after the intense heat, the humidity is still quite high.  Saying this just reminded me of years ago when my kids were at school, school holidays were staggered with the different Provinces.  Good old yesteryear.

Well March wasn't quite what I expected or planned but it too has come to an end.  It started with me having the Bone Calcium Infusion  and for the third time in a row my reaction was the severest to date. I will not be having it again and would rather take magnesium daily than subject my body to this again.  It started with the usual increased pain and flu like symptoms but also pushed me into a Fibro Flare, the likes of which I have never experienced.  One of the disturbing Fibro symptoms is something called Fibro Fog where one feels as if thinking is like trying to walk through quicksand.  I got to a point where I was making JB a new dress for her birthday and, after all the measuring and drawing up of the pattern, I cut the bodice out, pinned it together and it was too tight.  That absolutely floored me.  No matter how I tried to re-measure, re-draw the pattern nothing  worked.  Eventually after many tears of frustration I called my seamstress neighbour who came over the following Monday and bam in 10 minutes we had it right.  I had looked at it and thought that I could put a small panel in under the arms, but that thought flew right through my brain and out the other side. 🤦🏻‍♀️ Then I picked up a jersey pattern i wanted to knit .... oh my goodness 3 days and 4 patterns later I could actually harness my brain into getting the pattern right. I was seeing the abbreviations and mentally transposing them. Instead of decreasing I was making a hole. 🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️ At the time, no matter how hard I looked I could not see the fault. Grrrr. During this same period I forgot to order my chronic meds from the pharmacy who only deliver on Fridays and Tuesdays. So, from the Friday to Tuesday I was without one particular pill, which worsened everything even more.  When I eventually went and saw my GP he was horrified.  I was told that under NO circumstances do I ever miss one of those doses.  He did a full neurological test and work up on me and assured me that I am not going crazy or mentally insane but that it was a three fold problem.  The drip, Fibro and the missing pill.  I was so relieved to be declared "normal".  I thank God for an empathetic and thorough Dr.  He made some temporary adjustments to my meds to get me back on track,  and told me to just be kind to myself.  I have to thank JB for all her  care and understanding and for never getting irritable or annoyed with me.   Two weeks later on her birthday I was still struggling, but thankfully apart from occasional balance issues I am back to my normal self. 

For her birthday Poppet and BabyBear had organised a full day of activity in the City. We went together with BabyBear's mom, who was visiting, to a Clay Painting Cafe, where we each chose an item and then got to paint said item, as well as having a stunning brunch. I was a mess with just trying to decide on what to paint and then when I did, in my opinion, in looked like a kindergarten piece. Oh Dear !!! Poppet stepped in and added a flourish to my dish.  All the others were absolutely spectacular and I will look at mine with pride considering everything I was going through at the time. From there we went back to the apartment to get dressed smartly before going to The Silo Hotel at the Waterfront for High Tea.  What an incredible afternoon with the most incredible food, laughter, love and good girl time.  All in all it was a wonderful birthday celebration for an amazing young woman.

During this time BigBear was in the USA and even got to go to New York.  I haven't seen him since his return so am waiting to see all the photos and hear all the stories.    Princess is doing well just extremely tired.  She is working during their vacation as well as trying to catch up on Varsity work, but, she is thoroughly enjoying her chosen subjects and getting really good marks.  Well done my precious Princess.   Big Guy is also well and working very hard, he too is having quite a few extra DJ gigs which he loves doing. Poppet is extremely busy with her Paddle Group and starts her new job in 8 days which she is really looking forward to.   Miss Muffet has had some health challenges but has and is dealing with them like a real trooper, you go girl, you've got this.  All in all the family is well, busy and happy.

Hubby is as usual busy with his watches and clocks as well as enjoying his new hobby of Radio Controlled Sailing.  I think he is still adjusting and getting to know the boat and its foibles as well as dealing with the ever changing wind down here.

Two weeks ago our local pet charity gifted me with an original Wardrobe  Steamer Trunk filled with various rolls of ribbons.  Wow.. I was so excited. It needs a lot of work on it and I seriously considered taking it on but upon reflection and prayer I came to the decision that it is quite a bit more than I have in me at this time.  I gifted a number of rolls of sequins to someone whom I know blings jackets and bags etc.  Kept the ribbons and yesterday managed to sell the trunk and donated that money back into the charity.  So, all round a happy, good decision.

Business has picked up a lot and I am working hard just to keep up at the moment.  I continue to get some really odd things to fix or alter - ie three dolls that were chewed  by a dog.  There is hope for 2 of the dolls but I fear the third is history.  I have to remake the soft, cloth bodies completely - eeeeek.

Folks thanks for reading through this long monthly "digest" .  If you know of someone with a Chronic / Autoimmune Disease like Fibromyalgie, Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis etc, please be patient with them.  They may look perfectly normal on the outside, but you have no idea what it takes to look like that and the feeling of sheer panic / terror at not even being able to think clearly.

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

Birthday celebrations.

Original Wardrobe Steamer Trunk. Zeepha inspecting.

My Life's Winding Roads: What a fun month

My Life's Winding Roads: What a fun month:   Good morning folks far and wide from an undecided little village on the Western Cape coast.  Woke up yesterday to rain and mist after a co...

What a fun month

 Good morning folks far and wide from an undecided little village on the Western Cape coast.  Woke up yesterday to rain and mist after a cold night, which was such a delightful treat. It stayed that way until 3 pm and poof the sun came out and the humidity climbed 😥. Today it is cool and soft rain 😁.  Clearly autumn hasn't clearly announced her arrival, come on winter, please.

Well we had a fabulous February, don't get me wrong it still had its stresses and nasty moments but I am choosing to focus on the happy, exciting times.  It started off with Jelly Bean and I going through to house sit for the Bears.  We had such a good time and did a whole bunch of stuff we haven't done in the longest time. We went shopping at the Waterfront,  had breakfast at a cute little coffee shop, ate differently to here at home and had lots of cuddle time with Panda our house sitting purpose. Panda is the Bear's cat who is just the cutest little thing.  She is a calico  and looks a lot like  "Grumpy Cat", she doesn't like scratches or, not as much as she likes to be patted just above her tail, quite vigorously I might add.  We read, we binge watched a cooking show and in general just chilled.

The family are all very well and working hard.  Big Guy got to watch one of his biggest clients build and  open their new business which was a long time in the hatching.  Poppet is an avid Paddle Ball player and with the group she plays with even went camping ten days ago and had an absolute blast.  Princess was laid low with a nasty bug just after starting Varsity but thankfully made a quick comeback and despite being flooded with work and assignments is completely happy with her chosen subject and her life.  The Bears are very well and as usual extremely busy.  Big Bear is heading off to the USA for 2 weeks this coming Thursday, leaving every single one of us mere mortals completely green with envy.  A bucket list trip of his for almost his whole life. Be safe Son.  Miss Muffet has had a health challenge and is busy working through her healing, we are praying 🙏  for God's complete healing in Jesus Name. I cannot describe how.much I am missing Big Guy and Princess, it feels like an eternity, especially Big Guy. 

Hubby has started cycling a little bit, which is really good for him and something he has not done for years. He is also getting back into Radio Controlled Sailing with a local group, after a break of nine years or so. He is still busy with watches and clocks which is always good.  Work wise my month started off being very busy, but has slowed down a bit over the last two weeks.  It gave me time to catch up on a lot of sewing and altering needed around the house. I made new covers for the deck benches as the denim we had faded so badly that it looked dreadful.  I am not happy with the way they fit so will tweak them this week.   The heat finally won and I moved my sewing cupboard into the house.  I was sitting with the fan blowing right on top of me and still looking like I was in a sauna ... too much for this woman.  I have also been doing a lot of knitting, good to know I hadn't lost those skills.  I finished the Diamond Dot Painting I was busy with - a bue marble type design, and  started one that Hubby bought me for Christmas which is very different. It is bright and is a Dragonfly on what looks like stained glass. Great fun to do.

The Saturday before last the Bears came through for the day, we went to Hermanus to a wine farm called Benguela Cove and had the most delicious lunch.  What an amazing day of good visiting, catching up, laughing and loving.   I can honestly say my Family are my everything and I love being with them.

Someone mentioned something to me this last  week which I had seen a while back.  We need to look for the glimmers.  What are glimmers? They are those little glimmers /moments / events that make us happy.  When I read it, it really stood out as special.  We tend to get so bogged down with the day to day drudgery and stress that we "forget to stop and smell the roses" or completely miss the little glimmers.  The negative tends to grow and grow until it over shadows everything else. Folks that is not what God wants for our lives. He didn't create us to just barely exist.  Yes we are living in an unbelievably stressful, unkind, ugly, brutal time BUT that doesn't have to be our story.  Every day will have some kind of a glimmer - a beautiful bird, a pretty flower, your pet makes you laugh, or just makes you feel loved. A grandchild giving you a hug, a strangers kindness I could go on and on.  We miss these when we are stressed and overwrought.  Make a point of looking for your glimmers every day and then think on them and let them fill you with joy and delight.  God's Word says - Matthew 6 v 34 " Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will will worry about itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own.". Romans 15 v 13. May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Proverbs 17 v 22.  A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

Well friends and family that was my February in a nutshell 🙃.  I want to wish each of you a wonderful full week, filled with glimmers, I would love to hear about some of your glimmers and what they did for you.   Stay well and stay safe.  Ciao Ciao.

Panda Bear

Little Zeepha keeping me company.

Marble design Diamond Dot painting (I really need to get them framed.)

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...