Nana Fi

A DAY AT THE GEE GEES!

2011-02-05T21:36:00.000+02:00

I promise that once a year from now on I will get a few friends together to go to the races. What a fabulous day we had at Kenilworth this afternoon. The last time I went to the races was about 15 years ago I think when I went with a few of my girlfriends (I think it was for my birthday??) and we had a wonderful time then too.

The Kenilworth Race Course has had a major revamp and is looking quite swish. We went into the main dining area which has a perfect view over the race track, with a breathtaking backdrop of all our beautiful mountains. The tote is in the dining room so placing ones bet and more importantly collecting ones winnings is made very easy. On one side of the dining area, there is a balcony where you can go out and view the horses being paraded around just before they are about to race. The buffet that they serve there was outstanding, so all in all they make it really comfortable for their punters to enjoy themselves.

Peter did not want to join us, so I went with Janice and Bill who are visiting South Africa from the UK. We met up with a couple of their friends who happen to be out here at the same time, and had lots of fun choosing our horses, be it by lucky numbers, names we fancied, the colour of the horse, or in my case I backed all the rank outsiders and of course horse No. 7.

Peter gave me the number 7 as I left home, saying that was the lucky number for the afternoon, and as we walked into the racecourse building, they announced over the loudspeakers that No.7 was the favourite in the next race. Ah ha...a sure sign. However, in every single race I diligently backed No 7 to win and in every single race No. 7 ran last, yes, I kid you not I really mean last....it was hilarious. However, I perservered and in the penultimate race No 7 was a rank outsider, but I backed it nonetheless........It creamed the race and I won all my money back for the afternoon, paid for my lunch and still brought home a nice little wad....it was 28 to 1...so thanks Pete for the tip, it took a bit long to materialize but when it did it paid big time.

I am now really bushed and off to bed, to dream of "Sea Biscuit", "Sea Cottage" or any other famous horses!!!

THINGS MY MUM TAUGHT ME

2011-01-28T19:53:00.000+02:00

With Lily starting school and being so far away from Wendy, Kristian and Lily at this exciting but heart wrenching time, has had me thinking quite a bit about my Mum. Not that she is actually ever really far from my thoughts, for although she has been gone for more than 17 years, her words of advice often ring in my ears.

Her one saying that I use during hard times is "this too shall pass"...I must google that to find out who coined the phrase, but it is just one of those that is really true. Unfortunately sometimes the hard times take a bit too long to pass us by !!!

The other is "money is for the use of"....I love this one most I think, as it means you must spend your money having fun, whether it is a little money you have to spare or a lot, just use it to have fun and perhaps buy yourself a little something to raise your spirits.

We have had a month of "using money" and it has been great fun. We had Dave and Flo staying with us for just over a month and we did some really different exploring around our beautiful Cape. I can recommend to anyone wanting a day out some of the new modern wine estates that we visited. Although modern the architecture was amazing the young gardens beautiful and the wine tasting superb. We went to Graham Beck on the way to Franschoek and to Grande Provance on the same route. We also visited Steenberg, which was most enjoyable and had lunch there at the Bistro which was exceptional.

We had a most enjoyable day going to Hermanus and on the way we stopped at Harry Porter's Botantical Garden...I felt like I had stepped into the Secret Garden as it is just so beautiful and I am itching to go back and revisit. Apparently it was competely washed away by the floods a few years ago, well you would not believe it when you see the vegetation and trees and plants that have grown in a few short years. The restaurant has been rebuilt and it positioned so that you can overlook the sea and the gardens at the same time and the food was delicious.

We still have good friends staying here from the UK and next Sunday we are going to the Winchester Mansions Jazz Brunch which is something I have been wanting to do for a very long time. Janice and Bill have been once and loved it so much are going again and this time we will be joining them, so I will give you my verdict in the next post.

So thanks Mum....I am taking your advice and "using" our money!!! Hoping that you all get a chance to "use" some money this year and have some fun with your hard earned cash.

THE WHEEL TURNS

2011-01-16T23:55:00.000+02:00

It is hard to believe that our darling little Lily is starting school tomorrow. I remember like it was yesterday taking Wendy to Pre-school. Peter and I took her in a little green mini (why we had a green car I have no idea but that is a story for another time). We were all full of trepidation even though we knew the little school was so beautiful and she seemed to have a very nice teacher to go to. It is just the end of such a wonderful chapter where just one of those heart strings had to be cut...OUCH, boy it hurts. I came home and blubbed my eyes out like I know I will do tomorrow morning, together with her Mummy and Daddy, when Lily goes to school.

She is so ready for school. She is such a lovely bright and clever little girl and she needs the stimulation to help her grow into a wonderful young girl who will eventually contribute great things to our world in one way or another. I tell you what I cannot wait for her to write her first essays...they are going to be masterpieces as she can tell such wonderful stories now and she is only 4 years and 5 months old.

I just wish that I could be there tomorrow to hold Wendy's and Kristian's hands as they leave their little girl in the care of new teachers. They are going to feel it far more than Lily who is setting off on a wonderful adventure.

I have a wonderful Welsh friend whose grand-daughter went to school in Ireland, she phoned her a couple of days later to find out how it was going. The little girl told her granny that she did not think the teacher was very good and when asked why she thought that she told her gran "I have been there for three days now and I still cannot read"!!! Lets hope Lily's expectations are not quite so high!!

Thinking of all Daddies and Mummies whose children are starting school tomorrow. Lets hope they all settle in nicely and that those heart strings don't pull for too long.

DOT

2010-08-22T12:59:00.000+02:00

How does one "DOT" (Do one thing!). I cannot, I have tried but it is impossible for me anyway. I often run myself ragged but you know what, I do get it all done, and yes I am tired at the end of the day, but boy I sleep like a baby, except for my sore hips occasionally.

Anyway I have a busy week or two ahead of me because:

I am off to Sun City for 10 whole days...yipeeeeeee! The downside of this is that beforehand I have to have everything for work up to date, paid and sorted as we do not have a laptop, and actually in a way I am glad as would I really be on holiday? NO, I would be having to check the bank account each day, checking about car hire reservations, checking this and checking that, wereas now, we only have our cell phones and if I could be out of reach of everyone I would be more than happy!!!

I am in the throes of helping Andrew find an apartment, which is great fun, some places are the pits but I have found a couple of gems, so he will be moving out soon, which is really great for him, I just hope that we get to see him now and again as he works so hard and now has Sea Point Primi under his wing as well. I suppose I can skype him too if needs be ;)) Actually off to check out a couple more today and it absolutely bucketing down, so I hope I don't get washed away!!!

Anyway as I was saying, if I did practice DOT, I would not be going anywhere as all the stuff that has to be done before we leave on the 2nd of September would just not get done.

HARRIET

2010-08-16T16:58:00.000+02:00

This is my cat, Harriet! She is a Peweter Chincilla and is, as you can see such a beautiful cat.

I was very spoilt by my children and got her for my birthday in 2000. She was six months old when I got her and she came from a breeder who had shown her a couple of times at cat shows. To say she was a scaredy cat is an understatement. It took about a month before she would let me really hold her for a while without her being as stiff as a board. Now she is placid unless there is a funny noise, then she nearly hits the ceiling and runs to hide. I am so glad she came to me as our home is peaceful and quiet and so she has become calm and less nervous.

She is my cat, so while I sit hear blogging this she virtually at my feet, as soon as I get into bed in the evening she is right up there next to me and sleeps on the bed with us. She is really my shadow when I am home and there is no greater comfort than having a cat lie next to you purring. Unconditional love at its best!!!

TAKE TWO ... GRRRRR!

2010-08-12T22:53:00.000+02:00

PHOTOS AS PROMISED

2010-08-12T22:44:00.000+02:00

LILY IS 4

2010-08-12T22:07:00.000+02:00

This time four years ago, I was priviliged enough to be helping Wendy and Kristian give birth to their darling Lily. I think I helped but oh my God I wanted to punch the doctors and midwives for hurting my littl girl. It was the strangest and most heart wrenching thing I have ever done actually. Connie said before I went to England that I should not do it if I was asked...I asked her why? She very wisely said that it is not an easy thing to see your child in pain...well she was right people!!! However, that is now water under the bridge and it was an experience I will never forget. Wendy had to be rushed off to have a cesarian, Kristian looked ever so handsome all geared up like a doctor to go into surgery, a bit pale around the gills, but still ever so handsome and then an hour later we were all allowed to hold our darling little grand-daughter.

I think it is safe to say that Lily and I have a very strong bond, albeit that we live 6000 miles apart. We speak to one another almost daily either on skype or on the phone. She makes me cards and I make her cards and jewellery. We have the same sense of humor and she loves to make me laugh and she succeeds at that almost every time we chat.

Before she went home last time, I bought her a beautiful pink polka dot stone heart which she loved. I told her she should keep it next to her bed and when she thinks of me she can give it a little rub and I will be able to hear her. Well needless to say this has brought many a tear to the eyes of anyone who is told this story, but she asks me almost every day if I heard her, which of course I did, so I can tell you it bring tears to my eyes but also great joy to know that she does think of us every day.

Wendy has made her the most beautiful cake for her birthday, and we are going to be lucky enough tomorrow morning to be part of the present opening session, thanks to skype. Tonight I decided to do a ecard for her and created one on Smilebox..it came out so beautifully, it was such fun to create and personalise one with the music and photos and everything.

Happy 4th Birthday Lily darling. Hope it is filled with presents, cake and most of all love and laughter.

I was going to attach a couple of photos here, but for some reason I cannot get my pictures to show up from Picasa so I will just do a couple of recent photos straight from Picasa.

TO BE OR NOT TO BE...BORED!

2010-08-01T13:57:00.000+02:00

Caroline, from Rhymes and Reasons, has done a couple of posts on having time to do, either, things for yourself, or just catch up with friends.

I am finding that time is just running away and it just seems to go faster and faster. Andrew, my son, reckons I am suffering from ADD as I flit from one hobby to another, so perhaps I should go and get a script for some ritlin and then I will manage my time better.

I cannot believe Wendy, Kristian and Lily have been gone two weeks already, it starts to feel like they were never here and it just knaws away at me. Although my heart gets to feel a little lighter with each passing day it never quite gets to feeling light hearted somehow.

So I keep myself very busy and that does help, but now I find that my hobbies are calling me and pulling me in different directions. One is beading, which I truly love and it is so rewarding to see the finished article. The other, scrapbooking, which although it takes second place calls to me all the time to come and play and make things. Thanks to Carol I have been reintroduced to knitting so that is beckoning me to come and finish the cardigan I am knitting for Lily and of course my cooking that I love and which unfortunately seems to have taken last place in the queue. I have to admit to complaining that I never seem to have time to be bored well this past week I got it all into perspective.

I go to a beading get together once a month. The one woman there is seriously ill. She had a massive heart attack at the age of 29 and due to cetain conditions is not able to have a heart transplant. I am never one to guess how old people are, I am bad at that and just accept people for who they are, it is of no concern how old they are, but I have to say that I was shocked to learn that she has just turned 60. I can tell you that she does not look a day over 50, why, because she does her make up carefully each and every day so that she can look the best, she dresses beautifully and each and every day she cooks and bakes and beads and keeps herself busy. She hates being bored so if she can do it so can I!!!

A LITTLE TIME TO BLOG!!

2010-06-04T12:09:00.000+02:00

Well my girls have gone out shopping so I have taken the time to do my paperwork, tidy and iron (y-ugh), and read a couple of blogs and write a bit of news for those who have not give up on me!!!

It is hard to believe that Wendy and Lily have been here for a week already. The time unfortunately is just flying by as we are having such fun and with a Three-and-three quarters-year old we can keep very very busy. Because I do beading and scrapbooking my drawers are full of lovely bits and pieces for her to play with. She is becoming really artistic (well with a mother like Wendy she has no choice) and so has made some really lovely bits which are stuck on the fridge door or decorating various flat surfaces around the house. She is such a happy and loving child is is a pleasure to play with her. We dance a lot as I love dancing and as anyone who knows me will confirm, I can be quite mad and uninhibited so we dance through the shopping malls or wherever it takes our fancy.

World Cup fever is now palpable here in South Africa and everyone is really in good spirits or as they say here "gees" (pronounced with a soft g from the back of your throat). Cape Town is looking very festive with all the flags, the most beautiful big wheel, which was lit up for the first time last night and just looks amazing, a huge vuvusela on one of the unfinished flyovers and ribbons tied around trees down all the various streets and flags flying from businesses and residential buildings.

Speaking of vuvuselas we bought one yesterday for Lily and boy can she blow that thing, she gets a louder noise out of it than me. We also have flags flying out of our cars windows, but unfortunately lost our Italian flag as Lily decided to wind her window down and oops it was gone. I stopped, contemplating how I could pick it up without leaving Lily in the car, whilst I popped out and dashed into the middle of the road to pick it up, when this son-of-a-%$#@*& just opened his car door whilst driving and scooped it up, turned the corner and gave me a cheeky wave!!!!

This time next Friday Kristian, Wendy, Steven and Veronica will be going to one of the two opening games. They are just so excited. They are going to the Waterfront nice and early to Primi where Andrew works to watch the opening ceremony and then they can just walk to the Stadium from there. I am so excited for them as I think it is going to be just wonderful, especially for the guys as they are avid football fans. Maybe the camera will find them and we will see them on TV, I mean they obviously like the look of Wendy and she is quite famous now after being in the magazine and all ;)))

I hope all the folk around the world watch our opening ceremony as there is nothing to compare with the sights and sounds of Africa, especially African music, it gives one goose-bumps. Go Bafana Bafana.....make us proud!!!

19TH MAY 1977

2010-05-19T19:56:00.000+02:00

Yes, 33 years ago today, it was visiting hours and I was worrying about feeding our new baby girl who was born at 16.20 at the Mowbray Maternity Hospital in Cape Town. It was a very exciting time in our lives and when a baby is born one really does come to understand miracles as they are just that. Wendy looked like a little eskimo baby, she had pitch black hair and lots of it. I know the photo I have scanned and put in here is when she was around 2 and a bit but I could not find her baby photos and I wanted to do my blog now and not tomorrow which is what will happen if I have to start the big search for the perfect photo.

In those days one stayed in hospital for a few days after having ones baby. You were taught to bath, change and feed your new baby. I personally think mothers are sent home a little too early nowadays. One needs the pampering and rest and advice from the ones that know it all for once you leave the sanctity of the hospital one does flounder a bit with ones first born.

Where those 33 years have disappeared to I do not know, but I know this my love and admiration for my daughter grows every day and I only wish her love, health and happiness.

Happy Birthday darling Wendy, this time next week you will be winging your way home again and I cannot wait to see your beautiful face and give you a big big hug. I hope you had a wonderful birthday (in spite of us not being there ;) ) and I am sure you have been very spoilt.

2010-05-02T12:35:00.000+02:00

AND ANOTHER ONE!!!

2010-04-25T13:09:00.000+02:00

Popped into the bead wholesaler I buy a lot of beads from, as I was chatting to the ladies, Gericula, happened to mention that her Dad used to own the Strand Cafe....now here we go again. I lived in the Strand for about three a bit years when we arrived in South Africa from Kenya. We worked out that I most probably served her sweets/ice cream or some other refreshement from our Cafe which was attached to the Rialto Cinema....not only that, her best friend in primary school was my best friend in high school, we are now talking about 47 years ago!!!

SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION!

2010-04-21T23:10:00.000+02:00

I am sure that one of the most common sayings today is "its a small world" and it is becoming smaller by the day.

When I gave up work in 1977 just before the birth of our first child (Wendy). We struggled for a couple of years financially and so I decided when Wendy was about 6 months old, that I would try and help our finances by working at night selling glassware and pottery the "party plan" way, which was very popular in those days. The lady I bought my pottery from (Roberta) had the most fabulous stoneware range, which I and a few friends still use today. Now a couple of years ago, one of the ladies I have become friendly with, regularly rents a car from us when she comes back to Cape Town. I had to deliver the car to her sister's house in Newlands, which I duly did and whilst filling out the contract she introduces me to her sister who is just coming into the room.....surprise surprise, her sister is Roberta, whom I had not seen for 32 years.

As you all know, I go beading in Wynberg which is actually quite far from where I live. One of the ladies there goes on regular visits to East London (where we owned a farm when I was still in high school) to visit her daughter and grand-son. I happen to ask her where she used to live when she was young and if she perhaps knew any of the people I was friends with. Surprise surprise....yes she did. First of all she lived above the Keytels and knew Gail and her folks. She remembered that Gail had a boyfriend that her mother did not fancy who visited her on a motorbike...and yes Gail she even remembered that your Matric Dance dress was Blue!!!! Well today I asked her if her daughter worked and if so did her grand-son go to playgroup. Now as you can imagine there are plenty of playschools and creches etc in a city, but he happens to go to the one that my friend Val's (who passed away last year) daughter-in-law owns.

I bet you with all this travel chaos that is going on folk will bump into people they have not seen for years or make friends with complete strangers who might well land up being their true love etc. Lets hope that the reporters find some good things to publish instead of all the doom and gloom that seems to sell the papers and keep the TV News stations going 24 hours a day.

THIS IS WHY?

2010-03-09T13:05:00.000+02:00

Here are some of the wonderful things that have been keeping me busy over the past few months.

Lily in her Whale with Grand-dad in the pool. She had a whale of a time;)))
This was us on the tractor ride going to the castle to meet Father Xmas at Uncle Pauls Xmas Party. As you can see the setting where it is held is in the Winelands of Constantia and it was the most beautiful evening and such a joy to be able to experience with our darling Lily as the last time we had been with Andrew was around 20 years ago.

Wendy was out for revenge here judging by her face....lol!!!

Oh these young people of today...even when there is a hay fight going on around you you have to check out your blackberry.

HELLO EVERYONE!!!

2010-03-02T17:07:00.000+02:00

Well hello everyone! I don't know where the time has gone to but I just know that I have had a very busy time of it since Mid November. I just don't seem to get the time I used to get to do my blogging and I have a horrible suspicion that it is because of Facebook. It is so quick and easy to keep up with everyone and just a quick word here or there, but it is not really as satisfying as Blogging.....Ho hum what to do Blog or Facebook????

I have just acquired a new printer, and am very excited as I have just printed my first proper photo. I am quite sure that it is old hat for many of you, but for the techincally challenged it is an amazing feat. I love scrapbooking but find it such a nusicance to go to the photo shops and have photos printed, this is just so much better as I can just do one at a time. I am having fun creating an album of Lily's life of either when we were there or she was here. It is coming along very nicely too.

About three weeks after the kids had gone back to England our very dear friends Dave and Flo arrived for a three week holiday. We had such fun with them and found some new wine farms and restaurants to visit, and many of our friends had us all around for dinner or a braai, so it was really great for them as they were made to feel special. On the evenings we had dinner at home, we landed up playing games and quite honestly the English have it right, it makes for such a fun evening. I say "the English", as it is quite a tradition for them to play games after dinner. The guys start out being reluctant, but once we get going, I think they enjoy it the most and to say that I get hysterical is a bit of an understatement. Nothing beats a really good laugh!!

Anyway, it seems like we are all back to normal - I can't say normal does much for me though. No visitors to distract us from our work, but at least we have a couple of weddings coming up to make life exciting. Nothing quite as romantic and heartwarming as going to a wedding.

The most exciting news is that Wendy, Kristian and Lily are all coming home for about 7 weeks for The World Cup. So the count down has begun again. To say that I am happy is also an understatement. They cannot wait to be back here again not only to be with us but Steven and Veronica have just had another baby and so they cannot wait to see little Emily.

CHILD LABOUR !!!

2010-01-08T23:07:00.000+02:00

MESSING AROUND

2010-01-02T01:22:00.000+02:00

Wendy has put all our lovely photos on Picasa, but has left it up to me, the technically challanged, to work out how to get them on my blog, so this is my first attempt. This is Lily and her uncle Andrew watching something on the TV in his room. Sweet hey?

TOO SAD!!!

2009-12-30T15:34:00.000+02:00

I am not going to write a long sad tale of woe this time but suffice it to say, Wendy, Kristian and Lily have gone home and the house is once again very quiet. We had the most wonderful 6 weeks with them here for which I will be forever thankful. Quite honestly it would never be long enough so I just want to say, thank you Wendy, Kristian and Lily for making these Xmas holidays and my birthday so very special.

Once again we will be counting the months, weeks and days till you are here again....yes folks..... all things being equal they are coming for the World Cup in June 2010. This helped a little bit with the goodbyes last night, not a lot, but a little. I have developed this love/hate relationship with the airport for obvious reasons, but they are now home in London safe and sound and for that too I am very grateful.

Hopefully once everything gets back to normal I will be able to post some pictures of our wonderful time together. Thanks to everyone who either popped in or sent us thoughtful messages yesterday when they left. It really means a lot to us.

Peter is being a star and has vacumed, mopped and generally been working out all his sadness by being the best housekeeper one could ask for. Me? I am doing bits here and there inbetween feeling sorry for myself....but as my Mum used to say....this too will pass.

Hope you all have a wonderful New Year's Eve and may 2010 be filled with only the good things in life......health, wealth, love, peace and happiness.

TOO BUSY!!!

2009-12-22T11:15:00.000+02:00

You must all be sick of seeing the same old heading....me too I have to say but I have been too busy

playing house house
fairy fairy
tent tent
shop shop
cook cook
eat eat

I am sure you get the picture!!! I am having the most wonderful time as I have all my children home with me and of course a very busy and adorable Lily Grace. She is just an unimaginable joy to us and so I devote the better part of my days to playing and looking after her.

Wendy has put all the photos on to Picasa which is really great, but she has not worked out yet how to get them to the Blog hence I cannot put any of the absolutely fabulous photos she has taken with her fancy camera.....anyway hopefully we will learn that soon.

I wish you all a very festive, peaceful and happy xmas wherever you are in the world. I know for us it will be one of the best ones ever as this is the first xmas that we have Lily here and that is going to make it a very special one.

MERRY XMAS TO ONE AND ALL

HO HO HO!!!

OH MY GOODNESS!!!

2009-11-11T17:47:00.000+02:00

Oh my goodness......I am as excited as an excited person can be who is really excited!!!! Things are moving along at a very hectic pace at the moment and for that I am glad as only a few more days now until my darling daughter and grand-daughter arrive.

I was thinking today, Wendy, Kristian and Lily have been away for over a year now (that is hard to comprehend) and they are going to see so many changes when they arrive. First of all Cape Town airport is just amazing. It is looking so swish and although the roads are somewhat higgldy piggldy they are almost there now. Peter and I have to go to the airport fairly often, but if one has not been for a while you are all in for a pleasant surprise when you go as it is looking beautiful.

Then what about our beautiful Edgemead Shopping Centre, that too has had a face lift and what a lovely job they have made of it. We have some lovely new shops and it is a pleasure to go there now.

Our new Cape Town Stadium......WOW..... it is looking amazing. I had a look at the Tempest photos on a friends facebook entry and it is really awe inspiring. I often shop at the Waterfront and have watched it growing but now that it is complete (structure wise) I cannot believe how huge it is, it almost looks like it is in the Waterfront parking area. All the doom sayers must be wiping the egg off their faces as it is not only finished but the roads and the area around it are looking so much better as that area really needed a bit of a face lift.

So roll on Monday so we can start showing our precious visitors how their beautiful Cape Town is expanding and of course it is going to be wonderfully green with all the rain we have been having!!!

NEARLY HERE!!!

2009-11-01T16:23:00.000+02:00

This time in two weeks, Wendy and Lily will be on their way to the airport to fly home!!! Maybe I shouldn't say home as their home is really in England at the moment....but this too is their home whenever they wish to be here.

To say I am excited is an understatement. Today Jenny and Peter went to pick up a bed that is about 60 years old! Jenny says it is a "Goldilox" bed and that it is...it is too cute for words. Peter is busy getting it ready and we are borrowing it for Lily for the six weeks that she is here.

I have been very busy the last few weeks tidying the house....oh my word where does all the "stuff" come from, it just seems to grow and multiply and eventually ones cupboards are bursting at the seams. Anyway I am really trying to be ruthless and clear all sorts of bits and pieces some things are hard to part with but I am doing the Oprah thing and saying "if I moved into a house half the size we have now would I take this with me?" Most of the time it is no so out it goes. I went down to the boot sale at our local library....they have it once a month....Liz came to help me and we actually had such a lot of fun and I sold more than half the stuff I had taken down there so that was great. It really is very therapeutic I have to say.

My contribution for Meatless Monday is this.....it is toooooo delicious for words.

Make a shortcrust quiche base:

1 cup of grated cheddar cheese
1 cup of flour
120 g of butter
Ina's salt and pepper mix
Blend in a processor and press into a loose bottomed quiche pan.

Filling:

1 cubed butternut (1cm cubes)
1 small onion chopped
a few cherry tomatoes - some whole some halved
2 large eggs
half a cup of cream
half a cup of milk
Ina's Chili and Garlic seasoning (very important)
1 disc feta cheese

Bake the butternut, onion and garlic in some oil until just beginning to brown and soften - plus minus 25minutes. Add the tomatoes for a further 10 minutes. Beat the eggs, cream, milk, seasoning together. Toss the veggies with the feta and put into the pastry case. Pour over the egg mixture and bake for 35 - 40 minutes. Sprinkle with a little chopped fresh thyme.

Quote: Gourmets dig their graves with their teeth!!! Enjoy it!!!

IN THE PINK !!!

2009-10-15T20:48:00.000+02:00

Our little Lily is crazy about PINK! Well we are getting our home ready for Wendy and Lily who arrive on my birthday and Kristian three weeks later.

As we have a small house Lily has to either share her Mummy and Daddy's room or come in with her Nana and Grandad. We are busy making her a bed and she has apparently been telling anyone who will listen that her Grandad is making her a pink bed.......he is? Well he is now! I have been searching for pink bedding which is easy to come by so that is not problem. I have bought her lots of clothing, a nightie a swimming costume and flip flops...and yes they are all pink.

I have to tell you that I am even colour coding my garden for her. Today I planted all beautiful pale and shocking pink petunias in the pots, I planted two beautiful shrubs that are full of pink flowers. This weekend I am off in search of a couple of new rose bushes and yes they will be pink. I am also busy with a scrapbooking project for her for Xmas that is pink. I just have to find some lovely ribbon to go round it that is xmasy but it must have pink in it. I think you can tell I am having a lot of fun.

Now I have to say that I too love the colour pink. So in keeping with the arrival of a very important little person I have bought myself a couple of lovely pink tops. It suits my complexion and I am always drawn to it in the clothing department. Some might say this is "over the top" but what the hell. If it makes me happy and it makes her happy that is great. I call it enthusiasm! ! !

BITTER SWEET

2009-10-08T18:24:00.000+02:00

I have had a bitter sweet day today!

We were woken up very early this morning with the news that Val had passed away peacefully at 3a.m. As much as you think you are prepared for it it is not an easy pill to swallow when you lose a wife, mother, sister, grand-mother and friend. I am just so glad that she came home for the last few days of her life and was kept reasonably free of pain. Thank you to all the friends who sent their thoughts and prayers for me to convey to her family, I am sure it helps them at this time to know just how much everyone is thinking of them.

The sweet part was having all the mummies and toddlers/babies here for lunch today. They are all so beautiful and the mummies can be so proud of the wonderful job they are doing. I had a really busy day, as Connie phoned in sick this morning and she is my right hand lady, I was having my hair done at Heidi and could not cancel that at the last minute so I ran around like the proverbial you know what. But you know what......I don't feel tired I feel elated and full of energy that is what children do for one (I suppose the mummies would disagree somewhat - lol). Anyway thanks for sharing your children with me today it was just the tonic I needed after a bad start to the day.

MAAMA ZULIA

2009-10-04T19:19:00.000+02:00

A pamphlet was handed to me at the traffic lights the other day. I always take them as I feel mean to say no to the folk handing them out as I suppose they get paid to do that and it is such a menial and dangerous task being in the road all day. Anyway, I digress, I normally just chuck them in the bin when I get home, not bothering to read them, but this time as my journey home was quite tedious in the heavy traffic I read this pamphlet......

MARRIAGE CONSULTANT & HERBAL CENTRE - MAAMA ZULIA

Don't Hate Marriages, we can fix all failed Problems

Do you want a marriage proposal?
Do you want your Lover back?
Are you stuck with Financial/Debts Troubles?
Are you suffering because of Bad Luck?
Are you being forced into a devorce? (that is how it is spelt)
Do you need to clean your House from evil?
Court cases even if one is convicted (if there's a chance of appealing)
Personal problems like: penis enlargement, erections & ejaculation timing
Skin diseases
Is your husband have an affair you suspect?
Is he weak in bed / Stingy with money
Is there somebody jealous with your relationship?
Is something delaying your marriage? Do you want a child?
Defiant Diseases like: Asthma, Diabetes, HIV & AIDS symptoms, Blood Pressure etc.
Unfinshed jobs by other doctors - if not satisfied - come to me
Women with pregnancy difficulties
I can do penis enlargements
I Prevent bad luck and jealousy
Lucky charms for gambling and lotto
Stop someone interfering with your relationship

Needless to say I was laughing all the way home, my goodness me she must be one amazing Mama!!!

A BIT OF THIS AND THAT!!

2009-10-03T19:36:00.000+02:00

Last weekend Peter and I went on a very difficult journey to say goodbye to my oldest friend. Val is fading fast and it was not a pleasant journey. However, we are so glad that we did go as I know that her husband of 37 years - it was almost their anniversary - Alan and her three children were glad of the support and the help that we were able to offer. The emotions that one experiences whilst watching this disgusting disease taking its toll is indescribable. I have just phoned today to check on her progress and she is now under heavy sedation but am just so glad that they listened to us and brought her home. They were afraid to do that, but she was not at peace in the hospital plus she was in need of the specialised nursing that the general nurses are not really equipped to handle. She now has the familier sounds of her home and children and grand-children around her and although she is sort of semi-concious she knows where she is and is more content.

When one goes on a such a journey and especially at our age it does make one take note of ones mortality. Peter and I have discussed the morbid why's and wherefores and have decided about the best way we would like to depart this life time. Actually it is not always morbid sometimes it is quite funny, as we both have different takes on the subject. ME ..... I would like to sell all our assets buy a really super duper motor home with satellite TV, diswasher and the likes and just travel around. Every now and again, have a lovely night or two in a spa and luxury hotel, in other words constantly be on holiday. I cannot think of anything better - no paper work except for the TV and the motor vehicle licence and I suppose SARS might want their little bit. Just constantly be on holiday....wonderful.

Peter is more practical....what if we live to be 100 etc etc etc.....so boring. We could always drive of a cliff somewhere exotic when we eventually run out of money can't we? Oh well....as usual we have to do it his way .... work work work, retire, drop dead and that is that ....lol !!!

On a lighter note, we are definitely having better weather which is nice, also only another 44 sleeps before Wendy and Lily arrive and we are already getting ourselves ready for that. She has a big bag of goodies that I have been putting aside for her as everytime I go shopping I see lovely crafty bits for her to do and lovely little dresses and summer gear for her to wear. Today we put the pool net on as all the mummies and their respective off-spring are coming for lunch on Thursday and I cannot wait to see them all.

Thanks to Susie we got our letter from Uncle Pauls and the cycle begins again and I just cannot wait. I laughed when I filled in the form as there is 1 child and 5 adults going to the Xmas party!!! For those of you who do not know, it is just the most magical experience. One arrives at the gate - Groot Constantia - checks in and gets on the tractor and trailer which takes you to the castle. Here there is lots of straw on the ground and one finds a place to sit and just muck around until Noddy arrives in his car with Big Ears, Mr Plod etc. The children and I am pleased to say, the adults, all get ice creams (old fashioned wafer ice creams) and cold drinks, then the band arrives and we all march behind the band and then settle down and wait for Father Xmas to arrive. This is just such a magical night and I cannot wait to experience it with Lily now...never even dreamt that I would do it with my grand-daughter. I am sure Wendy will post lots of lovely photos of the night in question.

As they say in the movies....."....thats all folks..."!

LOL

2009-09-20T11:51:00.000+02:00

LOL......my favourite aconym of the moment (yes Wendy believe it or not it is!!).

These are the things that have made me LOL this week:

Peter's face ..... when he was watching Andrew and I laughing hysterically at something on the TV that he did not find funny!!!
Ryan O'Conner and Deon Bing .... every morning on KFM .... it is the best way to start the day.
Leila .... saying, when she was told that she would have to pay a deposit on her new accommodation in London, "I don't want to be a grown up" .... my sentiments exactly Leila.
A friend relating taking tea to her son in the morning only to find a blond bombshell in his bed .... I think it is safe to say she was at a loss for words.
Lily .... just about everything she does makes me LOL .... she is a comedian of note.

Keep laughing everyone .... life is too short to be miserable!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KRISTIAN!

2009-09-14T23:12:00.000+02:00

To a very special young man, who happens to be my son-in law - HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Glad you had a lovely day with lots of pressies. Wish we could have been there to celebrate with you.

When I went to put a photo up of Kristian I could not find one where he was on his own so I thought this one was cool as he had dyed his hair purple for guess who's 30th birthday party.

IN THE MOOD

2009-09-05T00:01:00.000+02:00

I am in the mood for blogging....two posts in one day....seems like I have been busy you see.

I have had a very good week. I joined Curves...see previous post, but my Monday and Friday were just the best....you see I love children and babies.

On Monday I had the wonderful task of babysitting Sarah for Steven and Veronica whilst they went to go and find out all about their new little baby that is on its way to them. I got up early and made sure all the toys that I have here from Lily were nice and clean and ready for her. She arrived and we waved goodbye to her mummy and daddy from the lounge window and then off we went to play. Between Connie and I we entertained her, actually, more to the point, she entertained us!! She is just the cutest little girl. She looks like a little pixie, with a twinkle in her eye. She has the most delightful laugh and she does that often....just like her mummy and daddy. She is a real mimic and tries to copy everything you say and she says quite a lot...."hello"..."come"...."NO" (with a little but firm shake of the head)...she tried very hard to say "pussy cat" but the best was when I gave her a choice on a plate of a few flings and some little jelly sweets. She was not in the least interested in the flings but loved the sweets and just stood pointing to where she knew I had hidden the packet and said " yum yum yum yum yum ". I was very glad that Steven and Veronica were delayed and took longer than they expected. She and I lay on our bed and I read her a little story in an attempt to let her have a little sleep, but she was having none of it, so I tried to sing to her and tickle her back, she just let me do that and she also "la la laaad" with me.

Then today Carol and I went through to Hout Bay to see her new Grandson - Jasper. He is just so cute. I just love the smell of babies and he was an angel and just slept the whole time we were there. I got to hold him for a while just before we left - one forgets so quickly how small they are. We got there before Max came home from his little play group. Well he is just a darling. He made his Nana and I cry as he sang "yesterday"...so beautifully he knows all the words and he has a slight lisp to boot which just makes him all the more huggable!!!

These little beings....they steal ones heart!!

Now for all the mummies and daddies with babies and toddlers....do yourself a favour and go to the toy shop above the German Baker in Kloofnek Road. You have never seen such a super toy shop with the most amazing wooden toys. Not cheap and nasty but real quality toys, books etc. Make sure you have coffee and something nice to eat downstairs in the German Bakery too...a real treat.

WARNING TO WOMEN

2009-09-04T22:41:00.000+02:00

You have I am sure all heard about people who have been abducted and had their kidneys removed by black-market organ thieves?

Well it is getting worse....my thighs were stolen from me during the night a few years ago. I went to sleep and woke up with someone elses thighs. It was just that quick. The replacements had the texture of cooked oatmeal, whose thighs were these, and what happened to mine? I resigned myself to living out my life in jeans....and then the thieves struck again....my bum was next. I knew it was the same gang, because they took pains to match my new derriere to the thighs they had stuck with me earlier. This bum is now at least three inches lower than my original and now my jeans don't look so good.

Two years ago I realised my arms had also been targeted, when I woke up one morning and was doing my hair I was horrified to see the flesh on my upper arm swing to and fro with the motion of the hairbrush. They have also stolen my neck now and I think they could not find a humans neck to replace it so they brought me a turkey's neck.

I got such a fright this morning when I woke up I thought they had stolen my pride and joy, my boobs but when I jumped out of bed I was relieved as they had just slid under my armpits. I think I will hide them under my waistband just in case they do come back for them when I am asleep.

Anyway...this is just to tell you all I have joined CURVES!!!! At last.... Bella tried to get me to go more than a year ago and I resisted....then a little later she said they had a special offer I should give it a try....I resisted....then I met a couple of ladies from beading and they were mutually admiring one another on their achievement at Curves and what it had done for them....then I went to a girls night out at the movies and guess what? Curves were there handing out special offers....then Carol came with a special offer to join....you guessed it...Curves for two weeks for a free trial....then the other Carol said she was going to go down and find out all the ins and outs...she made the appointment for us to go and so far I have been three times this week and I LOVE IT!!!!! I already feel so much better and it is just such fun for half an hour. The best was after all the weighing, and measuring (AWFUL) she asks me to hold this very expensive looking contraption...this measures your BMI. She takes down the reading and looks at the chart with me for my age and I have to follow her finger until it is almost off the page under "VERY POOR". She says "I have to tell you your BMI is very poor" ...I just said to her "Darling, you need not have bought such an expensive contraption I would have told you that for free, you see my mirror tells me that every morning"!!!! LOL

Anyway, I hope in a months time I can report a reasonable change in my BMI, my thighs, my bum, arms and lets hope my boobs are on their way up to just under my chin again!!!

VALERIE

2009-09-03T12:25:00.000+02:00

My oldest friend, Val is very ill and it is getting worse by the day. She phoned me yesterday and we had a long chat as she lives quite far away from us. They have now discovered cancer spots on her brain and behind her eye and in her spinal column in her neck. She is still fighting like hell for her life so please keep her in your thoughts and her prayers as she is scared out of her wits.

This post is to make us all take note and live each day as though it might be our last. Life is short and one only realises it when you get to your mid 50's and 60's I reckon. You start thinking differently all of a sudden and doing calculations some of which make you more scared.

So seize the day folk and try to do the things you really want to do for one never knows what tomorrow might bring.

LAUGH....SING....DANCE !!!! JUST DO IT !!!!

THE WEAVERS

2009-08-29T16:44:00.000+02:00

Well the Weavers from Tree House Cottage, Edgmead, have had one hell of a day. They have had their back yard trimmed within an inch of all their little cottages....I think he is speculating at the rate he is building nests, plus I am now officially really scared as he has gone even higher in the tree so I think we are going to have some very bad flooding!!!!

I also think the bitch, who he calls his wife, is a career woman and just does not want to have babies hence all this fussiness about how the nest should look....it is just a ruse to keep him so busy there is just no time for sex, apart from the fact that he is most probably too pooped at the end of the day, and I can tell you there is no way in hell they are doing it in the morning as she ALWAYS gets out of bed on the wrong side. We don't need an alarm any more they wake us up with all their fighting.

Every year about this time, Peter decides the tree needs to be trimmed back. It is one hell of a job and I spent last night fretting about the Weavers. Needless to say I need not have worried as he was not in the least put off by this huge man hacking away at the tree with a chain saw...they don't have TV you know so they have not heard of the Chain Saw Massacre!!! I mean with all the noise and branches coming down at a rate of knots he just carried on merrily building his new nest..Solitude Heights...and sometimes just sat on the branch watching Pete.

Anyway the tree is trimmed ready for the summer, Peter looks like he has been to war, cuts on his arms, face, hands and the top of his head....next year come hell or high water we are getting professional tree fellers to do the job. I mean really!!!!! I cannot watch as I am so scared he is going to fall out the tree or slip with the chain saw and cut off his leg or something.

Anyway, lets hope the Weavers have a little family soon, as that could be great fun, although no doubt I will be stressing about the little babies falling in our pool.

TRYING HARD!!!

2009-08-26T15:07:00.000+02:00

Spring is trying very hard to arrive early, but I have a feeling it is not going to succeed as they reckon another cold front is on its way. The Weavers who are busy building and breaking down, building and breaking down, building and breaking down their nests confirm that we are going to have a lot more rain and he is going higher and higher into the tree and they are excellent meteorologists as far as I can tell.

I can tell you having watched them for many hours now I would not like to be "as free as a bird" if I had to be a weaver, especially not a male anyway. That bitch is always at him, totally dissatisfied with his building attempts, I am beginning to lose count, but I think he is in his 7th or 8th attempt now. She scolds him all the time and poor bugger is trying his level best to get it just perfect. Peter and I make up little "conversational stories" that they are having, it is really funny.

Pete is getting a bit fed up as he keeps breaking down his sub-standard nests and they just then fall into the swimming pool which is a bit tiresome when it is happening so frequently. In fact I have just looked out the window and yet again he is really hammering away at one that she is obviously not satisfied with so by tonight it will be floating around in the pool. I hope he never makes a mistake and breaks one down with babies in it!!!!

HAPPY 1ST ANNIVERSARY!

2009-08-15T23:57:00.000+02:00

This time last year, I must have just about been climbing into bed before the big day....our darling Wendy marrying her sweetheart, Kristian....and what a day it was. On the Friday night we had my sister-in-law, Marianne, and Kristian's mum, Michele, here for dinner and it was pouring with rain. Wendy and my eyes met across the dinner table and I am sure they were filled with dispair as getting married on a farm in the open in the pouring rain was just the worst case scenario. Obviously there were contingency plans but the ultimate was the outdoor thing.

Needless to say I was the first one up and about on the big day. I could not sleep....I was popping with excitement. The first thing I did was rush to the doors that open on to our pool area......it was the most beautiful morning. The sky was blue blue blue with not a cloud to be seen, the air was crisp and fresh as it is after a night of rain it was the most beautiful day. I went out and loaded the stationwagon with the other bits and pieces that had to be taken to the farm for the table decorations.

We set off bright and early with Flo, Lee, Georgie and Carol and I cannot even begin to tell you how beautiful the farm looked when we arrived. Everything was gleaming, the trees were sparkling in the morning sunshine and little snowdrops were just everywhere their little bells bobbing around like they knew this was going to be an exciting day. We all had such fun adding the finishing touches and so tomorrow Peter and I will be watching the video so we can relive the day and celebrate it again.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY

KRISTIAN AND WENDY

MAY THE YEARS AHEAD

BE FILLED WITH ONLY HAPPINESS

HEALTH AND PROSPERITY

AND MOST OF ALL LOVE FOR ONE ANOTHER.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LILY!!!!

2009-08-12T20:54:00.000+02:00

Here she is two.....toooo beautiful for words!

Enjoying some sunshine!

Our darling Lily is three now. I remember like it was yesterday the day she was born and the three years have just flown by. Peter and I are doting grand-parents who spend a lot of our time talking and telling one another what she said, what she did, how she looked - we did it with our own children and now the miracle has started all over again. In fact I have a few friends who are grand-parents and it is so funny as we all share stories about our grand-children and then realise that for the past hour all we have talked about is them.

Well darling Lily...I hope you have the best birthday ever. I bet Mummy and Daddy are just as excited as you are and I know that your birthday party on Saturday is going to be fun fun fun. Love you ... this much...Nana is standing with her arms as wide apart as she can make them. Here's looking at you kid!!!!

Here she is, 1 year old with her Dad Dad behind the Bar!!!

Here she is only 2 months old with her Uncle Drew

Here she is, only one day old!!!

THE POWER OF PUNCTUATION!

2009-08-12T10:37:00.000+02:00

An English Professor wrote on the chalkboard - a woman without her man is nothing - and asked his class to punctuate it correctly.

The men in the class wrote: A woman, without her man, is nothing.

The women in the class wrote: A woman: without her, man is nothing.

ABOUT RETIREMENT

2009-08-07T19:07:00.000+02:00

I don't know if it is because I am knocking on 60's door (thank goodness it is not Heaven's door!) but I have been thinking about retirement and was chatting to one of the guys who has a factory next to ours down at the business park. I was amazed when I actually said these words...."I want to retire because I am too busy to work" - I am sure a lot of you know what I mean?" I suddenly realised how true these words were. Both Peter, especially Peter, and I work hard. We have so much to do when we are not at work there are not enough hours in a weekend to get all the things done that we want done. So retirement looks good to me...we will certainly never be bored and quite honestly sometimes I fancy a bit of boredom!!

Anyway it looks like that is not going to happen anytime in the near future so we will just have to keep our noses to the grindstone for another few years at least.

GIRLS NIGHT OUT

2009-08-01T15:35:00.000+02:00

Last night I had a girls night out with some of my girlfriends. We went to Grandwest which, for those who don't know, is our Casino complex in Cape Town. We started the night off with a tall Gin and Tonic at Jackson's Bar which set the tone of the evening. We then had dinner and went to the show at the Roxy. It was called The Step Sisters pay Tribute to Motown and boy what a show. I have not laughed so much for a long long time. The four stars were all Cape Coloureds, now for those readers from far afield this is not a derogatory term, that is what they want to be called and they are proud of it. The Cape Coloured has the most amazing sense of humor and boy can they move and sing. We ended the evening off with the most delicious cheese cake, ice cream and coffee before I took them all home.

We have such amazing talent in this country these women were such professionals they made the whole show look so easy and it was so polished. I am not sure how long it is still on for, but I highly recommend it.....and by the way I know the recession is biting hard, but our whole night out drinks, dinner, show and coffee cost a mere R150!!!! It is amazing value for money.

I have to say I was a bit naughty as I went back to the Casino after dropping the girls off as Peter had gone down there whilst I was at the show so I went back to join him.....first of all our son had to phone us to check if we were OK as when he got home at 3.30a.m. we were not home yet!!!! Peter hit a nice jackpot AGAIN...May, June and, as I said, he just missed July by a couple of hours - a belated birthday pressie from GW - and we landed up coming home at 4.30a.m. I had to laugh as all the pit bosses and croupiers (I play roulette) kept asking me what I was doing there so late and they have now dubbed me the "Gambling Granny"!!!! I will probably collapse in a heap sometime soon, we are partying again tonight so I think I will have to call on the Red Bull Department and then sleep all day tomorrow.....just like when we were young...LOL

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PETER

2009-07-30T23:09:00.000+02:00

It is my darling husband's birthday today....he has been spoilt and that is how it should be. I cannot believe he is 62 today, hard to believe as he is still so active. Unfortunately as with all of us getting on in years there are aches and pains and one does get irritated but I suppose all our joints are really well used and worn by now!!!!

He is just the best....husband, father, grand-dad in the world. He is handsome, hard working, a gentleman, kind and honest and he can fix just about anything. I met him 40 years ago ....we were on a blind date and I can remember that date so vividly even now. At first, because I was on the rebound from a long term relationship, I was not really interested in being "exclusive", thank God that only lasted for about a year and then out of the blue one night he popped in to visit me and the rest, as they say, is history.

He wanted a low profile birthday this year as we have lots of folk turning 60...me included....

so we went out for dinner with Andrew as it was his night off and had a really super evening. We missed Wendy, Kristian and Lily but thank goodness for Skype as they could chat and Lily could sing Happy Birthday to her Grand-dad, actually I am not sure if she did that as I was pouring tea and cutting cake, but she had been practising for some time now.

Happy birthday Pete....may there be many many many more!!!!

BOO HOO ! ! !

2009-06-21T14:38:00.000+02:00

Well folks as you can tell from my heading I am back home from the most fabulous holiday. I have to tell you I could easily be on holiday for ever....I think so anyway and would like to have the chance to prove myself wrong!!!!

As you can tell from our lack of posts we were very busy and did lots of fun things. After the first "birthday" week we settled in to doing what Wendy, Kristian and Lily do on a daily basis which was great. We went to the garden centre and bought some beautiful plants and came home and planted them and watered them and just spent time playing in the garden. I went to Diddy Dance a couple of times which was really wonderful as I got to watch Lily dancing (country and western was the theme) and of course I could join in and try and keep me from dancing, it is one of my favourite things and I can "yeeeha" with the best of them hey Wendy? Of course we did quite a bit of grocery shopping which I always enjoy as I love to see all the different stuff that they do in the supermarkets over there. I did very little cooking as Wendy is a fabulous cook and so was spoilt to the most delicious meals every evening...thanks darling.

We had a wonderful morning out in Greenwich - that was the only cold and wet day I had in the whole month I was there - where we went to paint porcelain, have coffee and lunch and just generally relax and have some fun. Lily painted the most beautiful heart shaped bowl for her cereal and puddings and I bought Wendy a beautiful dish which she painted like a pansy. They then glaze and fire it and you pick it up in a week or so. Well their bowls turned out beautifully and it was just such a fun morning.

On the Friday before Peter arrived we went into London as I wanted to go and visit the bead shop and just generally look at all the lovely shops in London. Kristian took me to their lovely cake shop where he and Lily go for cup cakes and Wendy also got to go as she usually works on a Saturday when they do that. I went to an area of Covent Garden that I had not been to before known as seven dials. What a beautiful part of London....I just love London...have I said that before? It is just so exciting and there is a vibe there that is hard to explain. Afterwards I treated the kids to a lovely pizza and some wine and we headed home to get ready for Peter's arrival the next day. Lily was over the moon to see her Dad-dad and stuck to him like glue for a couple of days and no one was allowed to participate in anything she was doing with him.

Sitting in the morning sun!

Bye Mummy and Daddy!

We gave him a couple of days to settle and then Peter, Lily and I set off on our great adventure to the West of England. We waved goodbye to Daddy and Mummy as they had the boring drive down to the West, and we went by train from Paddington to Westbury in Wiltshire. Flo was waiting for us at the station and we just waited about 15 minutes for Kristian and Wendy to arrive so Lily could be in the car seat.

Wheelbarrows at Longleat

Castle Combe

The next week was also bliss as we were in the most stunning country side in a small village with the most wonderful weather and company. There is nothing quite like the English villages they are postcard/chocolate box beautiful. We got to go to Market Day in Devizes and have a tour of the brewery and see the beautiful shire horses that deliver the beer. We went to Bath for a day which is still one of my favourite cities and we went to visit Castle Combe in the Cotswold. Of course we were once again spoilt rotton by Flo, Lee, David and the girls. Unfortunately our David was away at sea but we did get to see him the Sunday before we left to come home as they came down to London and had lunch with us.

Window dressing at Fortnum and Mason

Once we came back to London those last few days just flew by much too fast. We got to see our Leila a couple of times, did some more shopping, had our first experience of Ikea which was out of this world, had my first visit to Fortnum and Mason, which is now top of the pops for me, I thought I had died and gone to heaven in the china department, and just generally had an adventure every day.

So it is back to the grindstone here, however, my heart is lighter now that I know where they have moved to. I am so happy that they have found themselves such a beautiful house and it won't be long before I see them again as they will be here for Xmas this year...so only 5 months and counting.

On a scary note...this time last year Wendy and Lily were about to arrive to get ready for the wedding in August...bloody hell TIME just slow down will ya!!!

BRAAI'S, PALACES, GARDENS, THEATRES & FINE WEATHER

2009-05-25T11:37:00.000+02:00

Well it is all go here...holiday's are not for sissys! It has been non-stop since I arrived. The kids have spoilt me rotton and we have just done so much it is hard to keep track of it all.

Lily is just the sweetest child. She has the most beautiful nature and the best is her sense of humor. She is a very happy little girl and we play so beautifully and have lots and lots of real belly laughs. She loves the garden and we have spent many hours out there now, watering and planting things and playing restaurants and whatever other games take her fancy. I taught her how to play I Spy and she really loves it, although she does not really have the hang of it as all her I spys are with a 'T' and most of the things that take her fancy are not starting with 'T'. She has us all in hyterics.

On Wendy's birthday we took tea to her in bed with one of the beautiful cup cakes that Jenny made for her with a candle and she was thoroughly spoilt by us and all her friends. We then went off on the train to Hampton Court Palace via the boat from Richmond which was just amazing. The houses that are on the river there are out of Conde Naste and some of them have the most beautiful summer houses. I have to say that I love the river rides the best. The palace and grounds were awesome. Lily lead us through the maze and managed to get us out of there eventually. It is very clever the way they have done it as there are sounds from the hedges as you pass such as giggling girls, steam trains, bells, bubbling etc so that if you pass that way again you would know, it was enchanting. We saw the vine which I found the most amazing as it is 250 years old and still produces a huge amount of grapes as some of the vines are in excess of 33 metres! ! !

The Chelsea Flower Show that Wendy treated me to was the best show I have ever been to... (sorry this has gone on to italics for some reason, can't seem to get rid of it) . The flower displays were out of the world and the court yard gardens were just so inspiring. We did not expect to see so many artists there which was a bonus. The sculptures, paintings, photography, embroidery etc were great to see. We thought the beaded flowers that are sold on the side of the road in SA should be represented at the show too as they would go down a treat.

I was an guest to the Gourmet Godesses dinner club, which was real fun. We went to Sitaaray a Bollywood Indian restaurant. The food, company and cocktails very very good. I am choosing the next one and that was easy to do as we passed it on the way in Covent Garden and so I cant wait for that. Oh I seem to be back to normal font again...what the hell is going on here?

The next evening we went to see Wicked which I have to say is now up there with Phantom for me. It has the best story line and the costumes, singing and script are fantastic. I hope it comes to Cape Town as I will definitely see it again.

Yesterday we went to the beach and it was the most glorious English summer day. We thought we might be caught it lots of traffic, but it was a breeze and Lily had the best day ever. I had bought her this tiny little Kite when Kristian, Lily and I went into London on Saturday whilst Wendy was working, and it was such fun to fly, even she could fly it. We all caught a bit of sun and then went off to Whitstable for Oysters and sea food in the harbour. Great fun was had by all.

Today we are off to this new shopping centre, West Field to meet Kerry and Dean for lunch and I am looking forward to that as we have not done much shopping as there has been too much other stuff on the go.

Well that is all for now...watch this space for the next update. Cheers!

ON A LIGHTER NOTE!

2009-04-25T18:41:00.002+02:00

It seems to me that my blogs have been less than fun the last couple of weeks. But that is life I suppose, we have to take the good and the bad, and somehow the bad always seems to come in waves, but then the good comes in waves too, not so.

Anyway today, three weeks from now I will be in London with my darling Wendy, Kristian and Lily. I am so excited and we have been making lots of plans. Wendy has booked to take me to the Chelsea Flower show which I have always wanted to go to so I cannot wait for that. We are going to Hamton Court Palace for her birthday. We are going to get lost in the maze which is apparently the best in the world and whats more we are going to be going there on the boat, and that has to be one of the best trips to do in London. We have done the trip from Greenwich to Westminister a couple of times and I would do it again in a heartbeat as it is slow and gentle and one gets to take in the sights, and each time you go you see something different and learn something different.

I am going to be an honorary guest at their Dinner Club, twice nogal. They always choose really special restaurants; I am so looking forward to that. Look out for me on their Gourmet Goddesses blog, I'll be there soon! !

Of course the shopping is wonderful, TK Max, M & S, John Lewis here I come. The only problem here is the lack of money....it is one of the most painful experiences as I love china and the likes so just have to stand and drool. This time Wendy is taking me to Ikea and to a Home TK Max so I might be a blithering idiot by the time I come home. I have already been dreaming shopping expeditions.

I am not there to shop anyway, I am there to be with them, play with my beautiful Grand-daughter, read her stories and do what ever she wants and that will be the most satisfying part of the holiday.

Only 20 sleeps folks and I'll keep you posted of all our shenanigans.

ANDREW

2009-04-23T21:40:00.003+02:00

Well it has been 5 weeks tomorrow since Ands woke up deaf in his left ear. A long 5 weeks of worrying and trying all sorts of things to help him to hopefully get the hearing back. But no luck I am afraid. We went to the ENT together today, and it was not good news. The longer the hearing stays away the slimmer the chances are that he is going to get it back.

He is going for and MRI scan on Tuesday next week for them to check the nerve, but even if that has small tumors on it and they operate they cannot assure him that the hearing will return.

My heart is heavy but Andrew is upbeat and seems to otherwise be in good health. All the blood results came back fine, so it is definitely the virus.

For the first time today I noticed how it effects him. As he was driving and I was sitting on his left side, I had to raise my voice quite a bit for him to hear me over the noise of the radio and the car. The upside of that is that he won't hear the back seat drivers I suppose! !

Since Andrew has been diagnosed with this SSD I have met quite a few people who either are deaf in one ear or know someone who is. The doctor tells me that 1 in 10000 people get it, life sure is a box of chocolates and Andrew got the "crap" one!!!

We will keep on trying with the homeopath, reiki and acupuncture and lets hold thumbs that something good happens for him.

FRIENDS

2009-04-22T10:23:00.002+02:00

Friends are and always will be a very important part of our lives. Sometimes you don't see them for a very long time and then when you do you just seem to pick up where you left off and have fun catching up on all your and their news.

My friend Val came down to visit us for a long weekend with her husband Alan. When my Dad and Mum decided to move away from the Strand in 1965 we headed for East London. I left Hottentots Holland High in the middle of Standard 8 (this was typical of my parents, just don't worry about the child she will adapt....and that I did...they were bloody lucky to have me as I was easy going and just got on with it...but I digress so back to the story.) I started the new year in a Commercial College known as East London Tech.

Now my sister had gone to a commercial college in Kenya and she went dressed in normal clothes, with make up and her hair all fancy. So when I went to Tech I was very disappointed that I had to wear a uniform, but my mother let me do my hair up....WHY MOTHER WHY??.... I did my hair up in a bee-hive..well it was 1966 you know. I arrived at Tech feeling ever so grown up and I have to say that I was the only...yes folks the ONLY one with a fancy hair do LOL.

On our first day I sat in front of Val, and from the very first hello, we became firm friends and to this day we still have great laughs together and reminisce about all the friends and fun that we had. She remembers my hair well, and needless to say the very fact that she wanted to be my friend said a lot for her. We have laughed till we cried over that first day, I can tell you.

She is tragically very sick now. She got breast cancer about three years ago, immediately had the lump removed with one gland and had chemo. The prognonis was wonderful...but as luck would have it she had a small spot on her hip that developed a year or so after all her treatment. This is now taking its toll and tomorrow she goes to her oncologist for a full check up. My heart broke when I saw her this weekend. She is looking frail and is struggling quite a bit with all the stuff we take for normal. She is just such a brave woman. She still works full time, even every second Saturday. She has always loved clothes and is always immaculately turned out. As a young girl and as a mother of three she always ironed her clothes again before she put them on, it was a family joke but that was the way she was.

She had a fabulous weekend with us. We laughed a lot and cried a bit. Her husband Alan and my husband Peter get on like a house on fire and he is just wonderful with her. He has a great sense of humor but deep down he is scared as hell of losing his beautiful wife. She is a mother to three wonderful children who are so mindful of her. She has 6 beautiful grand-children with another one on the way. Please send all your positive thoughts her way and lets hope the oncologist is not too unhappy with the results they will get later this week.

We have been friends for 43 years, lets hope that we can say that we have been friends for 50 years, that is all I ask.

UPDATE

2009-03-31T12:39:00.002+02:00

Andrew's blood results came back OK, so it is definitely the virus that has caused damage to his cochlea. It is actually quite a common and perplexing side affect to the virus and is called Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss. The up side is that 65% of the time the patient will get partial to full hearing back, but there is a three to four week window time frame. If it does not come back in that time the chances are less favourable.

Andrew is very upbeat and he does have a good sense of humor so makes us all laugh at the antics at work when everyone is calling him and he does not know where the hell they are calling him from. He works in a fun environment so I think that is keeping him buoyant.

The strangest thing is that David and Flo went home on Friday and yesterday their daughter Lee woke up deaf in one ear too. She is off to the Doc today so I am waiting to hear what the outcome of hers is. When I read up about this, there are about 10000 new cases per year in the UK alone. Scary hey?

Andrew has an appointment in three weeks time with the audiologist and then the ENT. There is a three week to one month window when this can be turned round, so please keep him in your thoughts and lets hope that he at least gets partial hearing back in his ear.

CURVE BALLS

2009-03-29T18:00:00.002+02:00

Had a bad curve ball thrown at us this week! Andrew woke up a week ago with one deaf ear...no worries off to the Doc, some medicine and a nasel spray...no improvement...no worries...back to the Doc....more muti.....mother here started to fret a bit and had a bad feeling....no worries...off to the ENT Specialist....OH SHIT....off to the Audiologist.....BAD NEWS he has lost the hearing in his left year. It is still early days but it does not look good. His cochlea has taken a hit from a virus. He is on massive doeses of cortisone and some anti viral pills but as of yet nothing has happened. He might be on the medication for a month before something, if anything will happen.

He is only 26 years old. How absurd that this can happen overnight. I tell you we all take our health for granted. He is such a vibrant and hard working young man. Hardly ever sick and even when he is he is stoic and continues to work.

Please send him lots of positive thoughts and hopefully I will have some better news to report in the not too distant future.

NO TIME TO BLOG...SORRY

2009-03-22T14:57:00.003+02:00

What in the hell is happening here? The weeks are just flying by at a very very scary rate.

Just a quick update for anyone who is interested. Our friends from the UK are here (Dave and Flo) and we went away with them for a week or so to our beautiful Mpumalanga to visit The Kruger National Park. We had not been there for 27 years. When we worked it out it actually turned out that it was almost to the day as while I was there I realised I was pregant with Andrew....and there I thought I was just suffering with a bit of motion sickness...well it had been 5 years since I had been pregnant with Wendy you know...so it took a couple of days or so for the penny to drop lol.

We saw so much game and it does become quite addictive looking for them. I was the proud winner of the spotters prize each time we went as I spotted the most. The highlight for me was on our last visit to the park before coming home we saw a Leopard. I cannot even explain to you how excited I was. I actually, for some reason, wanted to cry. Because it was so beautiful I will refer to her as a she...she was crouched very near the road in the long grass when we spotted her. All you could see of her was her eyes and her ears and the top of her head. After a couple of seconds she got up and gave us a withering glare before she strolled off behind a bush, but luckily for us she came out the other side and we had the most awsome look at her as she slowly ambled away.

Since coming home our feet have not touched the ground. Dave and Flo are here for another week so we have lots planned whilst they are here. Gerda and Cisca are here from Holland to celebrate Cisca's 30th so we are having a Bami Goering evening as Gerda is a wizz at that. Stella and Mike are here from Scotland as Gillian has just got engaged so we are going to that party...my poor Peter, he is going to be finished by next Sunday as every night there is something on, but what the hell....as I say, you can sleep when you are dead...bring it on guys.

MY SCHOOL

2009-02-27T09:22:00.002+02:00

I am amazed at how few of my friends and aquaintenances have a MY SCHOOL card. It is such a simple card to obtain and each time it is swiped when you purchase goods at some supermarkets and convenience stores some money goes to the MY SCHOOL foundation which then distributes the monies to either a school you have named or to schools in general. This month alone they donated R1,395,000. Just simply apply for one, either on line or at one of the stores that are affiliated to them. I just wish all the supermarkets would come on board can you imagine the amount they would raise then, come on Spar, Pick'nPay, Checkers, Shoprite. I am myself so annoyed as I recently booked airline tickets through Club Travel and the lady who helped me did not ask if I had a MY SCHOOL card, it is too late now unfortunately to contribute which is a great shame as that would have been quite a hefty amount.

JOIN TODAY....every little bit helps.

TOO BUSY to BLOG?

2009-02-25T16:48:00.003+02:00

I have had a bit of time to catch up on my blogging this week, although I have to admit I have not had a chance to go to each and every blog and read all the lovely posts I have missed, but I see that I am not the only one!!! I really hope that blogging is not going to die a natural death because of us all being too busy. I was speaking to some young people yesterday who amazingly knew very little about blogging. For me the Blog is far superior to Facebook or even Twitter. So lets keep blogging and making friends.

KHULULEKA

2009-02-25T16:31:00.002+02:00

Khululeka means Freedom. This song was composed by James Stewart ... the words are beautiful and if you want to download this song for one dollar, after disclosed costs the balance will go to the Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation. Go to www.jamesonline.co.za.

Feel the heart of the world,

Beating for creation

Let out love fall like rain,

Drowning all our hatred,

Lift us up, way up from

All we've become,

'til our souls, like soaring

birds are finally free

We'll finally be free,

When we share

unconditionally,

You and me will finally be free

Hear the voice of the world,

Singing from each nation,

We're a brave choir

of passionate fools,

Who believe it's still not

too late for love

Lift us up

Lead us back

Back to love

It is a beautiful song with beautiful words!

LOOK AT THIS FACE

2009-02-20T20:11:00.001+02:00

This is the reason I am counting the days till I leave for England on the 15th May!!!! I just want to scoop this little girl up and give her lots and lots of hugs and kisses. Too cute hey?

OK CUPCAKE!!!

2009-02-20T19:42:00.002+02:00

I have been informed that my previous heading is getting on some people's tits!!!!! Actually it was pretty much getting on mine too, if truth be told, but I have just not been in the mood for the Internet much lately, and to be honest I have been beading like crazy, and doing the more mundane things like our company's books, which are so bloody boring compared to beading and my other addiction, gambling.

Where in the hell did January and most of February go to for God's sake?

In brief

Had a full medical and all is well with me. I am the most chuffed with my cholesterol count which was only 4!!! and my blood pressure could not be better.
Had a mammogram this week and that too was good so I can sleep easy for a while
Our friends Dave and Flo arrive the week after next and then we are off to Mpumalanga and the Kruger Park with them. Although they were here for the wedding it was too busy then to really spend some quality time with them so we are looking forward to that.
Only 12 weeks from today and I am off to see my darling Wendy, Kristian and Lily for a whole month. I am pleased to say that Peter is coming too for two weeks and we are both looking forward to it more than we can ever tell you.
I have started beading with Heather Laithwaite and Carol and I go every second week and I so look forward to it and have so much to learn, she is just awesome and the pieces she produces are so beautiful.
I have taken up scrap booking with Carol Sinclair and we go once a month to do that and I am loving it too, I can see that with just those two hobbies I need a big room all to myself!!!!
Every Tuesday night I "teach" Jenny and Liz beading and we have good fun learning new things together.

So now you can see why I hardly have time to go on the computer and blog, twitter and facebook, there is just no time for it all so something has to give.

If I may be so bold as to advertise on here, next Saturday, 28th February I am having another open day for my jewellery so please feel free to pop in anytime between 11a.m. and 5p.m. even if you don't want to buy something just come and visit and have some tea.

THIS SALAD IS TDF!!!

2009-01-13T21:14:00.002+02:00

I just love this new salad and could it eat it every night, give it a try, but only if you like goats cheese.

A pile of rocket
Goats cheese - cut into little bits and sprinkled over the rocket
Watermelon Preserve - sorry if you don't live in SA but try and find some sort of similar
preserve. Sweet and sticky. Cut into little chunks too and sprinkle
over the rocket (not too much)
Toasted pinenuts - sprinkled too.

Dressing - you need only very little: French dressing with a little sweet chilli sauce
mixed into it. Splash on little bits.

Delicious!!!!

BELATED HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

2009-01-04T22:51:00.006+02:00

MY ICE CREAM BOMB FOR NEW YEARS EVE - DELICIOUS !!!!

I am surely the last one to say HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!! It's hard work enjoying yourself you know. We closed our workshop on the 19th of December and have been having the most fab weather so I don't want to be near the computer as I have enough of it during the normal working year!!!! I only speak to Wendy, Kristian and Lily most days, check for mail and then that is that.

A XMAS PIXIE DROPPED IN TO SAY HELLO !!

Xmas was very quiet for us this year, I felt a bit sad at times but have to say did enjoy not having to clean, decorate, shop, cook, clean, and then clear everything away and find a place for all the left overs and then clean again!!!! It was a very lazy Xmas so in some ways that was nice too. We went to Devon Valley Hotel for Xmas lunch and I have to say it was amazing. They had the red carpet out for our arrival and the day was beautiful as you can see from the photos. On arrival we were treated to beautiful fresh oysters, lobster and prawn bites and champagne. They had the most wonderful starters buffet, followed by the traditional Xmas lunch buffet and then desserts that were out of this world. It was exceptional and the service was amazing. The hotel is now privately run, and kudos to them they are doing a fantastic job.

THE VIEW FROM OUR TABLE AT DEVON VALLEY

In between all the festivities, Peter and I have been generally just lazing by the pool, going for walks along the beach and sundowners to the Waterfront which is always great as I feel like I am on holiday in my own city when we go there.

New Years eve was great. We normally see the new year in at the Greens, but as they were away this year we had a braai at home and the weather played fair and it was just amazing, we all sat outside until past two, which as most of you know is not common here in Edgemead as it can get quite chilly as the wind normally blows, but not this year, it was beautiful and calm and warm.
We saw the New Year in with some good music and a bit of dancing and singing so on the whole we were off to a good start, long may it continue and lets all try and prove all the doomsaysers wrong!!!

Went to the movies yesterday to see Australia. I thought it was excellent, but did have to hide behind my pashmina on occasion as I am a senstive viewer!!!! However, I would highly recommend it as the scenery is awesome and the acting outstanding. Only one mistake (not that I am one of those people who look for mistakes in movies). It was 1939 and in the one scene where all the upper crust go to the cinema they showed a movie of the Wizard of Oz, which I went to see when I was 10 which was 1959 and it was in colour - I think not!!!

This is our last week of holiday, so we have to have a lot more fun before the 12th!!!! We are off to Kalk Bay this week. I will try to take my camera with me as it is the most photograpable (don't know if that is a word but you get my drift) seaside village. Cheers !!!

I WISH

2008-12-16T23:15:00.003+02:00

Watch this space for my new Xmas tree... I hope!!!

I WISH

everyone a happy, peaceful and fun filled xmas

everyone a healthy, happy and prosperous new year

Wendy Kristian and Lily could be with us for xmas

Andrew did not have to work on Xmas day

the wind would stop blowing

man would stop destroying the world

I did not like mince pies

folk would do onto others as they would have done unto themselves

young people would not drink and drive and cause heartache

wish drugs would disappear from the face of the earth

BUT MOST OF ALL

I wish you all a very MERRY XMAS - may the year ahead be filled with only good things and may all your troubles be "wee" ones.

This was in Holland last year..... too beautiful.

Love to you all. Fiona xxxx

ROD STEWART !!!

2008-12-01T15:56:00.002+02:00

Yay we are just about to leave for the Rod Stewart Concert!!!! My darling children bought me the tickets for my birthday. Peter is leaving work early (It will be pouring with rain tomorrow !!) we are going to find nice parking and then walk to a lovely restaurant we found to have an early dinner and then hopefully we will be able to work it off by dancing around a bit. I will fill you all in with all the happenings.

Keep rocking !!!!!

CRIMPAS IS COMING !!!

2008-11-29T14:33:00.003+02:00

Rod Stewart was amazing!!!! 64 Years of age and he can rock with the best of them. He is just such a natural entertainer with a unique voice and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. I do the dancing for both of us, but we had to do that as it was rather chilly so between lovely hot chocolates I danced around and kept warm that way. My husband thinks I am quite mad but that is fine I don't mind being mad at times like that.

Went to Canal Walk on Tuesday and have to say that overnight the atmosphere has changed from dull and empty to exciting and vibrant. I suppose pay day has had a lot to do with that and also the fact that "Crimpas" ( Lily's word for Christmas ) is only three and a half weeks away !!!! Lots of shops where playing jazzy Xmas songs which I think really works to get people into the mood and part with their hard earned money.

The gods are a bit crazy at the moment, some funny things going on around us here. Our dear friend Anfred, was knocked over by a car on Saturday evening whilst walking home from a Xmas party. No he was not drunk, he was just walking along minding his own business. He can remember nothing about how it happened, the first he knew was when he was lying in hospital. Thank god he is ok except for a bad gash in his leg which had to be operated on, and please lets hope that it heals fine as he and Pat are busy bees always hiking and doing DIY stuff, and concussion. He seems to be feeling a lot better today, so onwards and upwards Anfred.

Lots has been happening here in Edgmead since I last wrote. November is always a busy month as there are four birthdays within our group of friends, so there is always lots of partying and eating and drinking etc. For my birthday this year, seeing it was on a Sunday, I decided to host a "high tea". The weather played fair and we could all sit outside and drink our Pimms and eat cucumber sandwiches etc.

I am still very much enjoying my beading and last Wednesday went for my first lesson with beading "guru" Heather Laithwaite. It was wonderful and I have almost finished a very complicated necklace which I really really love. Next year I will be going on a more regular basis. Unfortunately I wish I had been able to go earlier in the year as her beaded xmas decorations are exceptional and I cannot wait to get my teeth into them.

On Saturday I went to the organic/Xmas market at a wine estate literally 10 minutes up the road from where we live. It was great and I got some really lovely bits. I was thinking as I was driving through the vineyards, how very lucky we are with where we live. We moved into our house here in Edgemead in 1975. We came from the Southern Suburbs and everyone thought we were quite mad as we were buying a house on a very sandy bit of land in the middle of nowhere. Some of the snobby ones were even worried about our postal code !!!! Anyway we have always loved it here, it is a very friendly suburb, and we live surrounded by hills covered in vines now. Our shopping centre, which was looking very tatty and run down has been sold and the new owners are really revamping it beautifully. There are some great shops coming into the centre, the most exciting one for me being the Woolies foods. We are getting a Ocean Basket, a new coffee shop and one of our long time friends is opening a jewellery shop.

This year Xmas is going to be a bit flat for us I am afraid. It is only Peter Andrew, Carol and I. We are going out for Xmas lunch this year, but Andrew has to go to work after that so we will just be on our own. Luckily we do like our own company and will just have to do bits before and after Xmas day to get into the festive mood. I wish we could just flit over and spend a couple of days with Wendy Kristian and Lily as this will be a special Xmas for them as she is really aware of what is going on and she is very excited. Wendy is cooking up a storm for her Xmas party and they have been doing some lovely things and cold countries do feel so very xmasy don't they?

Just in case I don't get a chance to blog again before the 25th I wish you all a blessed and peaceful Xmas.

JUST CHIT CHAT

2008-11-13T20:37:00.004+02:00

I have been hectically busy of late so thought I would just do an update. First of all after seeing everyone's new skins on their blogs mine looks drab and dreary. I am going to try and do mine. Cisca is here at the minute and she is a wiz on the computer so I am going to tap her brain and maybe she will do it for me. So keep watching this space!!!

The picture below is a pressie for a baby shower. Carol and I pinched this idea from Wendy

and Veronica who made a beautiful one for Caroline's shower. It is just the cutest way of parceling up all the lovely bits one can buy for babies nowadays. Bridget's baby is due on the 2nd of December and they are all so excited. I hope all goes well for them as they too have a bit of a problem with the baby's heart so lets hope it is something very minor that can be fixed quickly.

Well I had my jewellery sale last Saturday and whew what a success. I was very chuffed and have to say thanks to all my friends and aquaintenances who supported me. It was a fun day on top of that, I had done some little snacky bits and it felt like a bit of a party actually. I had mummies and babies visiting, then friends popped in and brought lunch and I threw a salad together and we all had a bit of quiche and salad. There was a constant trickle all day long and fun was had by all. By the time the last folk left I was exhausted, but that good tired - if you know what I mean?

The day ended on a bit of a downer, as Wendy phoned to say she had been rushed to hospital in an ambulance and although she was now home, after spending the better part of the day at the hospital, being monitored, prodded, poked etc., they still did not really know what had caused it all. When your child is so very far away your heart is in your mouth when you hear news like that. People try to cheer one up by saying " remember they are only 12 hours away " .... YEAH, 12 hours and around R25000, which is not a sum of money we just have lying about so one can just can pop on a plane at a whim.

On Sunday we went to see the SA Lippezanners. Well they are so magnificent and so very clever. Their history is amazing, especially the ones that arrived here 60 years ago after they managed to get them out of Hungary before they were slaughterd for meat. I grew up on horseback as a young toddler, child and teenager and have to say that it is one of my regrets that I did not keep at it once we came to South Africa. My sister used to tie me to the saddle and send me hurtling up and down our long drive way which was hedged on either side, I was three at the time. I often think my Mum fussed so much over my children's safety I wonder what happened when they were doing that to me !!!!!

This weekend is my birthday weekend, I cannot believe that a year ago we were off to Sun City for a long weekend and then a week later our beautiful Honey died. It feels surreal as in some respects that feels like just the other day but some of it feels like a life time ago. Well I am heading into the last year of my 50's, and I cannot believe that either. Most days I don't feel anywhere near that age so lets hope that feeling hangs around for a long long time still !!!!

Well that's all folks ...........

HELMUT LOTTI

2008-11-04T15:26:00.002+02:00

We took ourselves off on Sunday evening to see Helmut Lotti !!! I did not know what to expect, but Peter likes his CD of all the Elvis songs so off we went to see him. I have never even seen him on television and the picture on the front of the CD we have is of a blond haired man !!! Well my God, he is so bloody sexy and and so very talented. He started off with all the swing numbers, which I adore. Ater the interval he did a couple of classical opera songs which were outstanding and then to top that he a couple of amazing African songs, which got the crowd dancing. He had about four standing ovations and when he came back for the encore he did Elvis which was just amazing and then ended with Andrea Bocelli !!!! A "must see" if he returns to SA. His stage personality was wonderful and Peter hit the nail on the head and said he looks like Daniel Craig and I have just googled him and he is quite right. Pity he did not have to take his shirt off so we could see if the body was similar !!!!

OOPSIE DAISYS!!!!

2008-11-01T20:21:00.003+02:00

My darling husband fell of the roof today.............................I felt sick when I hear the crash and thud outside our kitchen door. Thank God he did not break anything, although he is feeling very battered and bruised and his shoulder is really really sore. I had two friends visiting me for tea this morning and we were chatting away, Andrew was in the kitchen making breakfast when it happened. My poor Pete was just lying on the cement under the roof section that broke as he stood on it. He cannot for the life of himself think why he even stood on that section as he never normally does. When I saw his colour I ran in and made him some sugar water, and once he felt a bit better we helped him inside. He was just so lucky that he did not break something and also because he had three women fussing over him.

On a lighter note, if you read Wendy's post about poor Lily's nappy falling down round her ankles, I was reminded of a time when my Mum was in hospital having some tests done. Wendy had not long been out of nappies at this time. We set off to go and visit her and I had dressed Wendy in her proper little kilt, with white socks and black patent leather shoes and the sweetest little red shirt with a Peter Pan collar. We are Scottish so I knew it would cheer my Mum up no end to see her little grand-daughter so beautifully turned out. Anyway off we go, and I am ashamed to say but we never had a safety chair for Wendy so she would just sit or lie on the back seat of my car. As we neared the hospital she was lying down on the back seat giggling and being silly and as I stopped at the lights I looked back and was horrified to notice that I had not put panties on the child. Well I was hysterical. I mean that would be taking wearing nothing under the kilt a little too far would'nt you say!!!! The closest place to the hospital was a very old department store in Mowbray called MacDonalds. So I popped in there, but as they had no childrens clothing I had to settle on the smallest pair of nickers which I put on Wendy and just tied huge knots on each side of them.

I AM

2008-10-26T17:28:00.002+02:00

I AM:

Very busy beading at the moment, as I am having a jewellery sale in a couple of weeks time and when I had unpacked this big box of "stuff" that I had made, I panicked and thought it is not enough to put on display - so I am being creative and have made lots more so there will be good choice for everyone.

Feeling old - but only this week - and I think it is because my "Baby" turned 26 !!!! I can remember like it was only yesterday when I gave birth to him - where in the hell have all those years gone to ?

Missing my daughter, son-in-law and grand-daughter like crazy and thank God every day for Skype and the telephone.

Busy losing all the tone I developed when I had Lily to play with every day. I tell you Mothers, there is no better weight training than having your child to lift up, swing around, march around, run, jump and generally act foolish with. Not only does it help your muscle tone, but it makes you laugh and that is exceptionally good for all those facial muscles !!!

Very lucky to live in such a beautiful country and city. The weather is glorious at the moment, the vineyards and trees have all got their leaves back. Everything is green and sparkly. This week I went to a beading workshop in Riebeeck West to The Fat Green Frog. What a wonderful day I not only learnt to make a Russian Spiral, but also a beautiful Xmas Tree Angel. Had lunch and wine (I struggled with the angel in the afternoon however) at The Cook and Gardner, which was delightful and well worth a visit.

So happy that I went to see Mama Mia for the third time !!! I tell you that is some movie, absurd but wonderful. It makes you feel so happy and even the sixteen year olds sitting in front of us were clapping and enjoying the music. Peter, Richard and Carol and I went as they had not seen it. We enjoyed a wonderful meal at Primi Piatti in the Waterfront first - still the best pasta in town and the view is to die for. It is managed very well I have to say !!!!

Pleased to say that I found a nice new restaurant - actually it is not difficult in our City to find quirky places with good food - it is called Caveau and you feel like you are sitting in the middle of a beautiful forest with a river running through it. This will be my suggestion for our Xmas Book Club Dinner. Steven you were quite right - the best eggs benedict I have had for a long long time. Oh in light of this I suppose Steven actually found the restaurant !!

Now off to the Casino with my husband to play roulette and generally have a bit of fun, we have worked quite hard in between enjoying ourselves, but then that is how life should be - well balanced hey?

Saying goodbye then - till the next time !!!

SWEET.....REVELATION

2008-10-15T11:03:00.002+02:00

On Monday the postman delivered a special card. It was from my Lily, addressed by her Daddy to Nana Fi. The back of the envelope was covered in scribbles done in black ink!!! On the front was a big official stamp from the Milnerton Postal Depot "RECEIVED IN THIS CONDITION"!!! Sweet hey? Inside she had "coloured in" and stuck some stickers in for me.

I did a bit of retail therapy yesterday. I desperately needed a new bag as my one was falling apart. So I searched high and low for something that was not tooooo expensive but as usual everything I really really liked was beyond my means. Eventually I liked this one from Woolies (Good old Woolies). The only thing is it was awfully big and I had this idea that big bags are cumbersome and uncomfortable. Anyway I took the plunge and bought it and I have to say I love it. It is so comfortable to carry and I can find everything in there much easier than in my smaller bag, it is a revelation I tell you!!!!

The rest of my week has been pretty boring. The weather is improving each day which is really great. My garden is looking very pretty at the moment as I have been working quite hard to get it into shape and with the help of my new found gardener it is really looking good. It is time to get out the sun loungers at last yay!!!!

I am being a bit of a hedonist at the moment, so tomorrow I am having a hairdo and massage and reflexology, lash and brow tint. Next week, pedicure and facial and leg wax and then summer can come.

FIONA NEEDS .... LOL

2008-10-09T20:36:00.002+02:00

This is really stupid but it had me in hysterics - I shall try and apply some of these to me life, but some OH NO!!!!

Fiona Needs:

to go on a diet she is getting seriously fat too quickly (gees how clever are they?)
needs new hips - yes ones that can move really well so that I can Salsa with the best of them
needs to put the episode in the change room behind her - for me to know and you to find out!!!
needs a new liver - ok I get the message I am on diet already
needs assistance - yes always
needs to work on her friendship with Hewey - does this have something to do with the liver I wonder?
needs the whole summer off - oh yeah baby!!!
needs to travel to other countries - yes especially England
Freaky Fiona needs a reality check - I do?
needs to go to Amsterdam now using the red light district - hey how do you know about that?

Good fun, thanks Veronica.

'HERE WE GO AGAIN'

2008-10-01T23:05:00.003+02:00

MAMA MIA - second time to see it and without a doubt just as good as the first time. It has to be one of the best movies I have ever seen, just for the sheer enjoyment and entertainment. From beginning to end it is filled with laughter, wonderful music, amazing actors and of course the scenery.

We all had a girls night out and have agreed that we must do it more often. I think everyone will be humming the tunes tomorrow on their way to work or whilst doing their housework.

Go and see it if you haven't already, it is a treat.

Wendy and Lily dance to it every day and I am off to get the CD tomorrow - so look out for the new Dancing Queen!!!!

DEMOTIVATED!!!

2008-10-01T15:21:00.002+02:00

My lack of posts is due to being very demotivated. I feel like one of those video games that every time you are busy killing your foe your battery runs low and you have to go and fill up your battery by doing some inane task. My battery is low and seems to be taking a little longer to fill up. Well its an old game you know.

I do mope at times but have to say am pretty upbeat most of the time. I am, of course, missing my daughter, Kristian and Lily like mad but try to keep telling myself that they are healthy, have a roof over their heads etc etc etc, you know the stuff we have to tell ourselves when we are in self-pitying mode.

Nothing much has really been happening here in Wimbledon Way. I think the excitements gods have decided that I have had my fair share this year and so the rest of the year is going to be low key.

This week has been a little more exciting. First of all I had a lovely visit from Kerrith and her two beautiful boys, Benjamin and Daniel. Well they are just so cute. Benjamin is the spitting image of his grand-father and of course his Mother and Daniel for me looks like his great-grandmother. He is full of mischief and has a smile that would melt a bronze statue. It was lovely to catch up with them and see how beautiful Kerrith is looking. I think she is going to have a little girl this time, Gail, I just feel it in my bones.

Today I had a visit from Veronica and Sarah and Caroline and Amy. Catherine was supposed to come with Max, but unfortunately she could not make it as her parents arrived late last night from France as they are moving back to South Africa. It was lovely having them here. Sarah is just so cute and doing so nicely. She it full of smiles and taking everything in around her. Amy is just delightful. She too smiles all the time and played so nicely with all Lily's toys. She is a real cutie pie. The mummies can be very proud of themselves, they are doing a lovely job with their girls.

I am busy organising a trip away with Dave and Flo who are coming to visit again in March, so that is quite nice to look forward to. We will be going up to Mapumalanga and the Kruger Park for a week. The last time I was there was 26 years ago when I was pregnant with Andrew so it will be great to revisit the area and not feel nauseous!!

Does anyone get the feeling that there are people still doing the rain dance!!!! If you see them, run them over!!! What in the hell is happening with our weather. Come on Spring, we need some sunshine please.

NOW YOU DON'T !!!

2008-09-11T20:45:00.002+02:00

They are gone!!!! I am heartbroken as are Peter and Andrew, the house is empty now, just full of toys, and wonderful smells of Wendy and Lily, I forgot to let out her bath water and all the toys are still floating around, at this point life sucks, it will get back to normal in a couple of weeks and then we have to plan for the next time as the very thought of having to wait longer than six months to see them all again just does not bear thinking of!!!

Back to Skype, which as much as I love having it to keep in touch, it is the touch that one misses - hugs, kisses, giggles, playing "in tent Nana", "come Nana", "dance Nana, dance", "March Nana", "sit Nana" "Nana - where are you" ; not demanding, but just loving to have me play with her, and of course that was my pleasure.

Oh well until the next time my loves!!!!!

SUNDAY LUNCH

2008-09-08T08:55:00.004+02:00

All the daddies with their babies, for those who don't know them, Clive and Gavin swopped kids!!!

It is something we have never really done, ie Sunday lunch. We have maybe had a late brunch or braai on a Sunday or gone out for lunch but I have never really cooked on a Sunday. We decided that because all the friends with babies were coming to say goodbye (sob!) to Kristian we would do lunch and it was great. It was a bit of a gloomy day so everyone had good appetites and much fun was had by all. We just missed Caroline, Craig and Amy and then it would have been a full house.

Here are some pictures of them all.

Kristian was gone very early this morning as his flight left at 7a.m. so he had to be at the airport by 5a.m. Our hearts are very heavy now and I think they will unfortunately stay that way for the week now as the other goodbye is looming on the horizon.

We received the video of the wedding and I have to say it is brilliant. I have watched it twice and each time one sees something else. We should be getting the official photos this week too so we are all waiting in anticipation of those.

Then it is back to the normal hum-drum of life as we know it. I think I will spend next weekend doing my "vegging" thing where I don't get out of my pj's but just read, watch TV and sleep as I do have to make up for some lack of sleep. I have to say I have not wasted one minute of my time with Lily, Wendy and Kristian by sleeping. Lily has been running and jumping into bed with us every morning around 7a.m. sometimes she goes back to sleep but most times we chat and read and play "tent" or Humpty Dumpty or get up for tea and rusks and watch CBeeBees.

Lily loves this the best, outside with Dad-Dad helping him to wash cars!!!!

Here is an updated "wish" list:

I wish that Wendy, Kristian and Lily lived just down the road from us or infact anywhere within a 30 km radius of this house would be good. Even Swellendam would be good, as that is where Jenny's grand-daughter lives but that would suit me fine too.

If I cannot have that wish come true then I wish we could retire and have enough money to spend six months in the UK with them and then afford to bring them here for six months.

But as the saying goes, if wishes were horses beggars would ride, so perhaps the moral of the story is that I should go and stand at one of our traffic lights with a big sign that says:

NEED MONEY FOR TICKET TO

PLEASE HELP AS MY

GRANDCHILD NEEDS

ME!!!!

I worked out that since 2005 when we knew Wendy was expecting we have averaged one return ticket every three months. It's been a bit hectic and I think Peter thinks he is working himself to death just to pay for airline tickets!!!!

SIGH!!!

2008-09-04T10:04:00.005+02:00

The sighing has started. I am not sure if we all do it, but about three days ago, Peter asked me why I am sighing so. "Am I?" I asked and then as he had made me aware of it, I realised I was doing it quite a bit. I know why I am doing it, even though I am trying hard not to let the last 10 or so days be spoilt with the thought of my Wendy, Kristian and Lily departing next week. Even Connie said she felt it late last week she too started to feel heavy hearted, it is a feeling that just arrives out of nowhere.

We have had the most amazing time and it does seem like they have all been here and never been away, but the reality is that as soon as they have gone, it seems like they have never been here and that they have been away for ever!!!! Each time they leave they take a little bit of us with them and then sometimes I feel like I cannot go through it all again. However, we pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and focus on "the next time" as soon as possible as that does help.

I worry about Wendy as she does not handle it well at all and gets herself into a real state and it takes her ages to settle back down again. I am worried about our darling Lily. Last time, ie March, when they were here for only two weeks, she was so very sad when she went back and it took about three weeks to a month before she started interacting on Skype with us again. I am hoping this time will be better as she is understanding so much more and her Mummy and Daddy must just make sure they do lots of fun things when they get home as it has been so very busy here doing fun things every day.

Anyway, here I am doing what I said I was not going to do, so let me tell you about the fun bits.

Yesterday Wendy went for her pampering session at The Twelve Apostles and had an amazing two hours of massage and facial. I am so inspired by her description of the place that I am going to treat myself soon to a couple of hours there. Whilst she was there, Kristian, Lily and I went to Hout Bay, which was looking really beautiful after all the stormy weather we have had. The sea was the most amazing colour and the swells were still running high. We had the most amazing Hake and Chips. As Kristian said it was better than we have had in any restaurant of late. We then had a walk through the harbour and along the pier, where there was a fisherman calling his pet seal in for some fish. I was lucky enough to feed the seal and he took the fish ever so gently. The fishermen came in all shapes and sizes and they are all such characters. Most of our fishermen are Cape Coloureds and they have a sense if humor second to none. The one really looked like King Neptune!!!! We then helped Lily with a delcious soft serve cone and whilst she was eating that a young boy started doing cartwheels and flic flacs so I bought him a chocolate one and he was so happy.

Mr and Mrs Humble have been doing a fair amount of socialising in the past week, so I have been babysitting and having fun with Lily as when they go home they don't get to do much without her so it is good for them, besides which she loves being with me and her dad-dad and happily waves goodbye to them. She is really a joy.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and that the weather is kind to us, especially for Kristian as there are a couple of more things we want to do, before he wizzes off home on Monday morning, which require good weather.

Baby Sarah came to visit us - is'nt she toooooo cute man!!!!!

Oooooh man I love this Amy to bits, she is toooooo cute to hey????

Posing for her Nana so very nicely - cute hey?

THE TIME OF OUR LIVES

2008-08-27T16:53:00.007+02:00

I cannot believe it..... silence is golden.......this is the firt time in 6 weeks that I am on my own at home, it feels wierd, but I will take this time to quickly do a post.

My house has been bursting at the seams for the past month. It has been great though, albeit it tiring, as there has just been so much love, laughter and frivolity passing through our home.

My grand-daughter is just the most special littl girl. She is beautiful, smart and sooooo funny. Because she is shy most people don't get to see her at her best as she takes a little while to warm up to folk, but if it is not too busy she soon comes out of her shell and then is such great fun. She has grown in leaps and bounds since they arrived six weeks ago. Not only in stature but in her talking, singing and playing. Today we went to The Barnyard, which is just the most delightful little farm I have been eyeing since she was born. I was just waiting for the right time to take her there and boy has it been a success. She is a outdoors baby which is great. I took her there last week whilst the kids were on their honeymoon and we had a ball. There are goats, chickens and chicks, pigs, geese, rabbits and birds, but the best is that there is this huge garden and sand pit that the kids can all play in. We went there again today with Katherine, Max and Carol, Andrew joined us as well before he had to go to work and we had lunch there and just played in the sunshine for hours, it was great.

Speaking of honeymoons, the wedding has been and gone, and we are still all floating on cloud nine. The 16th of August dawned and it was the most glorious day. A day that we are lucky enough in the Cape to have quite often during the winter. The wedding went without a hitch and from the amount of e.mails, phone calls and texts that I have had from friends the day was more than enjoyed by everyone who attended. Thanks to you all for all your wonderful comments. Langverwagt was without a doubt the best venue we have ever been to. The folk who run it are charming and just go the extra mile for their clients.

Wendy looked radient and Kristian so very handsome. Lily looked like a doll and Caroline was just glowing and looked so very beautiful. Veronica did the most beautiful reading and had us all pinching our noses, well I had to many times anyway. Peter and Andrew were also so very handsome and so very proud of their daughter/sister. Steven was just plain cute as always, he always melts the ladies hearts - hey Steven? We are very proud parents and now, parents-in-law. Our new son-in-law is everything one could wish for for one's daughter. He is kind, gentle and intelligent, he is a fantastic father and of course we already know he is going to be a fantastic husband as he has proved that more than a few times over the past 11 years.

All our overseas visitors had the time of their lives too and saw and did just so much. Peter and I hosted a South African night for them and it was a great success. I think a good time was had by all as 12 of us managed to polish off a 5 litre 2002 Laborie Cab Sav plus another three bottles and we all had a very merry time of it which really got us into the swing of things for the wedding day.

I am dreading turning the page of the calender to September, as I am doing my upmost to hang on to these last few weeks with my kids as the very thought of not seeing them for more than a year strikes fear into my heart.

HELLO FROM 'LIILYLAND'

2008-07-23T17:08:00.005+02:00

Well, are we having fun, or what? The only thing is time is wizzing by at a ridiculous speed.

Two weeks have already gone by since my darling girls arrived. Wendy is looking beautiful and is glowing in anticipation of their big day. Lily is just so cute and so full of fun and laughter. When they came through from customs the day they arrived she was sitting on top of the luggage trolley, with pink sunglasses and a gorgeous pink wind-cheater. Only her Dad-Dad and I were there, as Steven and Veronica had to go home due to the flight being delayed. Well she made quite sure that we noticed the sunglasses as she just kept tapping them every now and again when we looked at her.

As soon as we arrived home, she was in her element, thank goodness she has a good memory and she was in her comfort zone here, which is great. I cannot believe how she has grown in 4 months. She is full of chatter and is just a clever little sausage. She sings songs, counts to 10, knows the word for almost anything you point to, it is truly amazing. She even knows some South African sayings - taught to her by her Daddy no less - like "baie lekker" and "lekker bakkie".

WE HAVE:

BEEN ON A TRAIN

BEEN ON A BOAT

BEEN TO THE SCRATCH PATCH

Everyday we try to do some fun stuff for her which is great. Uncle Andrew is the blue eyed boy now and in fact last night when he was all dressed up going to an awards evening, she cried her eyes out when he left. She is mad about her Dad-dad, and I wish you could all see her face when she hears his car pulling up in the evening and he walks in the front door, it is just too sweet and would melt anyone's heart. He has to immediately put on the music so we can all dance and boy can she dance, I just hope she can do the same at the wedding, it is too funny to watch. Her favourite song is "Down Town" by Petula Clark. She knows a lot of the song already.

Have a toddler keeps you very fit, I am march round the pool from about 8a.m. in the mornings, kicking the ball around, playing hide and seek and wolfie wolfie what's the time, so I can tell you about an hour after Lily goes to bed, so could I !!!!! Being a Nana is not for sissies !!!

I doubt if I will be posting much in the next few weeks, Kristian is arriving soon and then our house complete. All our friends from England are arriving from next week and it is Peter's birthday, Lily's birthday and Dave's birthday so we are in for a busy time, I am hardly keeping up with the mail and my paper work at the minute and just manage to sneek a peek at a blog here and there - so see you all in about a month I reckon!!!

EXCITING TIMES!!!

2008-06-25T22:18:00.002+02:00

As each day goes by the excitement here in Wimbledon Way is building. Wendy and Lily will soon be here and when I think of them walking through into the arrivals hall I feel this overwhelming bubble of joy, a feeling a bit like when you are riding on a roller coaster. Lily will be celebrating her second birthday here, together with Dave who is going to be 69 on the same day; it is Peter's birthday too at the end of July together with all the other birthdays that arrive one after another so it is defintely going to be party season here. Then Kristian and Michele arrive and then the bridal shower and bachelor party and then the BIG day.

We just heard today that three dear friends who thought they would not be able to make the wedding have now decided that they can. So YAY Lee, Georgie and Greg are coming and that is great news. I think that I have more or less got something to wear to the wedding, with some wonderful help from my darling daughter, who should really become a stylist as she has the most amazing eye, colour co-ordination and everything else that seems to go with buying clothes for her Mother 6000 miles away. She knows me tooooo well, hey Wenz?

Today was just the most beautiful day here in the Cape. It is hard to explain to people who have never visited South Africa, just what a beautiful country this is. I wish more people would visit at this time of the year. Yes it is cold and sometimes rainy, but oh boy when the rain has gone and the sun shines it is paradise with a capital "P". I was fortunate enough to go out into the country today for lunch. The beading ladies all decided that we had to go and visit thefatgreenfrog (web site will be ready for viewing in a couple of days time) in Riebeeck West which is a really wonderful beading shop where they produce the most awesome pieces.

The hills were beautiful and lush and green, the vineyards were dressed in beautiful russet leaves and the sky was blue blue blue. We stopped for coffee in Riebeeck Kasteel (which is the little village just before Riebeeck West) at the quirkiest little coffee shop called Platanna (a frog) - definitely a froggy day hey - where we had a wonderful "soetkoekie" and cappuchino and then returned for a wonderful lunch at kasteelberg and a glass of wine. I tell you, I could get used to these kind of days!!!

Then last but by no means least, we are all anxiously waiting for Sarah to be strong enough to come home to her Mummy and Daddy. Just cannot wait to meet that precious little angel, so may she grow stronger each day.

MORAL 4

2008-06-14T18:19:00.002+02:00

Oops I forgot about the fourth and fifth moral. A senior moment I forgot that I was supposed to do one each day of the week. Sorry.

An eagle was sitting on a tree resting and doing nothing. A small rabbit saw the eagle and asked him, "can I also sit like you and do nothing?" "sure" replied the eagle "why not".

So the rabbit sat on the ground below the eagle and rested. All of a sudden a fox apeared, jumped on the rabbit and ate it.

The Moral: To be sitting and doing nothing, you must be sitting very very high up!!!!

This moral unfortunately really applies in Africa I think!!!

AUDREY HEPBURN

2008-06-12T18:37:00.002+02:00

Apparently it is Beautiful Women Month and I just received this from one of our clients. This poem was written by Audrey Hepburn when she was asked to share her beauty tips. This was read at her funeral years later.

'For attractive lips, speak words of kindness. For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.

For a slim fiqure, share your food with the hungry. For beautiful hair, let a child run his/her

fingers throught it once a day.

For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone.

People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived,

reclaimed and redeemed; never throw out anyone.

Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you will find one at the

end of each of your arms. As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands,

one for helping yourself, and the other for helping others."

She was just one of the most beautiful actresses and I one of my all time favourite films was Breakfast at Tiffineys and of course that scary one when she was blind, living on her own. I watched that the other day and even though you know what is going to happen you still scream. What was the name of that one. Something about Dark!!!

MOVIE CLUB

2008-06-11T20:55:00.002+02:00

We have had a movie club now for about 30 years. Gerda and Dick started it and it just became a Sunday tradition. When they stopped I just took over and now every Sunday (well almost every Sunday) Pat and Anfred and Lilian and Eugene come to our house and we watch a DVD. It is all very casual, they pitch most times in their slippers and very casual clothes, to be honest in the winter I am often already in my pjs and I just wear a big jersey and track suit pants over them. We start off with coffee, hot choc or tea, occasionally some cake and then popcorn, chips and coke, just like in the real movies. It is a great way to keep up with all the movies because as much as we enjoying watching on the big screen I object to paying big money for ordinary movies without great scenery and also sometimes folk are quite annoying as they use their cell phones or worse chat among themselves.

Anyway the point of this post is to say if you can only watch one film this year is has to be AUGUST RUSH. It is my movie of the year choice.

MORAL 3

2008-06-11T15:16:00.002+02:00

A sales rep, and admin clerk and the manager are walking to lunch when they find an antique oil lamp. They rub it and puff, out come a Genie and duly grants them each one wish. The admin clerk was determined to go first and says "I want to be in the Behamas, driving a speedboat without a care in the world" puff he was gone, wish granted. The Sales rep is determined to have the next wish and jumps in with "I want to be in Hawaii, relaxing on the beach with my personal masseuse, and an endless supply of Pina Coladas and the love of my life" puff he was gone, wish granted. OK says the Genie to the anger you next, the mangers wish "I want those two back in the office after lunch"!!!!

The moral - Always let your boss have the first say!!!!

BAD HAIR DAY!!!!

2008-06-10T12:26:00.002+02:00

Why can our hair make us feel so old and unattractive??? Mine has gone grey, but everyone assures me that it is such a beautiful grey - not to me though. So I have just been to our wonderful hairdresser Heidi, and she has coloured me beautiful. When I go to her now, I just say "Do the mistake colour"!!!

Last November I went to have my hair cut and coloured. I had to drag myself out of bed as I was sick and not really in the mood. Anyway Heidi always has lots to talk about - as hairdressers do - and proceeded to colour my hair. When it came to the time to rinse and my head was hanging backwards in the basin with no mirror in front of me she suddenly says "Oh my God why is it so red???" I think my heart stopped beating for a fraction of a second. Then her daughter is tugging at her sleeve and she says "Tao please leave me alone I am having a crisis of my own". Once again my heart skipped a beat. I was expecting to sit up and look in the mirror and find fire engine red hair!!!! But no it was really lovely and I got lots of compliments, which is actually what one likes to hear when you have just had your hair done. So now I always have the mistake colour and it looks great and I am feeling enormously better today just because my hair is done.

So you see sometimes mistakes are a good thing, in fact I think many wonderful inventions have been discovered due to mistakes. I have only one, "Bubble Wrap" that was invented by the guys who make very strong plastic wrap and for some reason they tried to separate two sheets with a blow dryer and it made bubble wrap. The rest as they say is history and I am sure there is not a person in the world who has not used it.

MORAL 2

2008-06-09T17:27:00.002+02:00

A priest offers a nun a lift. She gets in the car and crosses her legs, forcing her gown to reveal a bit of leg.

The priest nearly has an accident and after controlling the car he stealthily slides his hand up her leg.

The nun says "Father, remember Psalm 129?" The Priest immediately removes his hand and apologises "Sorry Sister but the flesh is weak". He tries again and once again he is told by the Nun "Remember Psalm 129 Father?" Once again he quickly removes his hand. Arriving at the convent the Nun sighs heavily and as she gets out of the car and goes on her way.

On his arrival at the church the Priest quickly looks up Psalm 129 as he feels quiet ashamed that he did not know it and it read like this "Go forth and seek, further up, you will find glory"

The moral: If you are not well informed in your job, you might miss a great opportunity.

WHAT A WEEK & MORALS!!

2008-06-08T11:35:00.003+02:00

Well actually the week ended quite nicely, as they say bad beginnings good endings. However, I think the start of the week jumbled my brain a bit and I found I kept forgetting things, quite important things. Anyway lets hope it is all back in good working order this week.

Friday was lovely as we all went to Lorraine's for drinkies to welcome Tarryn home for 10 days (well any excuse for a get together you know). Saturday was good as it was Max's 1st Birthday party and what a gorgeous little boy he is. He is just so funny and entertained all us adults no end. We had a lovely birthday, in fact, suffice it to say that the adults I think had more fun than the babies in the end. I am sure Carol and Richard were glad to see the back of us all as she had really gone to town and made the most awesome snacks and we had some really good laughs.

Today Peter has gone to play golf with Keith and Eugene and it is just the most brilliant day, as only days in the middle of winter can be in the Cape. I am gardening, cleaning rabbits and cats and have come inside for a rest and thought I would do some blogging. Actually I have so much to do that I wish the days were a bit longer. I want to bead today, garden, read my magazine that has just arrived, watch a couple of things on TV, who in the hell ever gets time to be bored?

This time next month Wendy will be getting ready to go to the airport to come to Cape Town. As you can see I spend my life watching the calendar and crossing off each day like a jail bird ha ha ha!!!!

Now you might be wondering about the Morals in my heading, but these are what you learn at managements meetings. I will post one each day of the week for you.

Lesson 1:

A man is getting into the shower just as his wife is finishing up her shower, when the door bell rings.

The wife quickly wraps herself in a towel and runs downstairs.

Bob, the next door neighbour is standing there and before she says a word he says "if you drop that towel I will give you $8OO"

The woman thinks about it for a moment and then drops her towel and stands naked in front of Bob for a few seconds.

Bob hands her $8OO and leaves. She then goes back upstairs and when she gets to the bathroom her husband askes "who was that?" "It was Bob, the next door neighbour" she replies. "Great" the husband says "Did he say anything about the $8OO he owes me?" !!!!

THE MORAL: If you share critical information pertaining to credit and risk with your shareholders in time, you may be in a position to prevent avoidable exposure.

BECAUSE YOU GIVE ME THE SH......TZ!!!!!

2008-06-02T23:09:00.002+02:00

My heading is the punch line in a joke, but boy is it true!!!

Last week Wednesday the wheels started to fall off !!! One of our hire cars blew a head gasket, and so on Thursday Peter mounted his white steed and headed for the hills of Swellendam to rescue the young couple hiring it. Now I don't know what it is about men, but they seem to have a knack of making life far more complicated than it should be and so by the time he set off he had managed to stress me out too and make me worry about things that I had not been worried about before he mentioned them. Anyway the day turned out just fine and everything went smoothly and none of the doom and gloom that had been mentioned happened. So off I went for my girls night out wound up like a ball of string, but a few laughs and some delicious ice cream and my massage and I was back to normal. Yes I am quite normal thank you!!!

Then we had a lovely weekend away and once again the doom and gloom that I had been warned might happen did not and we safely towed our poor broken car back to Cape Town. This was done in style as we stayed over in a beautiful hotel in Worcester on Friday and then on Saturday we took a slow drive through the most beautiful countryside which is awash with autum colours, stopping here and there for coffee breaks and shopping breaks, one being at my favourite Nursery in Robertson, the art gallery and wine shop. Robertson is really on the up and up and looking very swish I must say. More and more quaint little shops and restaurants are opening in the town and the one horse town is developing at a rate of knots.

We arrived home early on Sunday. It was the most beautiful day and we spent the rest of it working in our garden and I did some baking as it is book club on Wednesday and Gerda is coming to cook Bami Goering at my house for all of us on Thursday so there is lots to look forward to.

Then the s.....t hit the fan again this morning and boy what a blue Monday it has been. I woke up in the middle of the night and kept hearing funny noises coming from our ceiling. I eventually put it down to a bird nesting in there and thought I would attend to it in the morning. Unfortunately it was not a bird, but our bloody geyser had burst. I phoned my knight in shining armour and he was there in minutes and sorted it out to the best of his ability and we arranged with the insurance company to come and fix it.

Anyway, things did not work out for us today and we are sitting here with only cold water and no prospect of a nice hot shower in the morning, but I remind myself there are millions of people who have no access to water whatsoever and so we will suck it up for a day, but boy it does make one realise how much one relies on water and electricity. I was used to this when we had our farm in East London. We had no bathroom to speak of as it was a work in progress that never got finished before we sold the farm and moved back to Cape Town. I used to bath in a zinc bath, and get my hot water from the Aga every night. Funny that it never worried me then I just accepted it and got on with it, but that is a another blog for another time.

Anyway I hope that we don't continue to give the powers that be the s....tz and that we can avoid their attention as we have had enough now for a while. We are planning a wedding and I don't want to spend our bloody money on silly things like insurance excesses, engines that have been overheated etc. I want to spend it on shoes, dresses, flowers and the like. I hope the powers that be can hear me and read this wherever they are.

WHAT A NIGHT - GIRLS KNOW HOW TO HAVE FUN!!!

2008-05-30T18:51:00.002+02:00

Well what a fun night we had last night. I thought I had been invited along to go to see Sex in the City so was quite excited as we haven't been to movies for quite a while. What a lovely surprise I got when we arrived there. It was Ladies Night you see and they had pulled out all the stops. We were showered with gifts of all sorts, Muesli, Haagen Daas ice cream, Go Girl energy drink, a army camouflage fleece blank - yes yes I am going to tell you why - for the launch of the new series Army Wives - Cappuchino insant coffee from Nescafe, Pringle chips. Well thank God Jenny had this magic little bag that opens up into one hell of a big one so we could put all our bits in there, it looked like we had been shopping first before we went to the movies. Then on top of that we could go and have a 15 minute foot or hand and arm massage which was really lovely. They also gave away so many prizes inside but unfortunately we were not lucky enough to have our seat number called, but all in all we had a great night out!!!

Now one should always take your camera with you on every outing as you never know what you are going to see, I have decided to buy myself a bigger bag so that I can always do that. I went to the loo before the movies and behind each loo door was a typed poster: " WANT TO LOSE WEIGHT - ASK ME HOW!!! Lose 5 - 6 kgs in two weeks and keep it off for the rest of your life. " Then hanging underneath were all the little slips of paper that one can tear off with the person's number to contact. Now that is not so funny, but the person had stuck the poster over a frame within which was an advertisement advertising a branded product - that was the funny part is was for VANISH and that was the only part of the advertisement one could see.

Well we are off to the country for the weekend and I am so looking forward to it. I will be taking my camera and they reckon it might snow so hopefully I will have some lovely photos to show you next week.

SOUP, SUSHI AND SEX IN THE CITY !!!

2008-05-29T17:09:00.003+02:00

It a very cold and wintery day and I decided to go and buy myself some soup as I am going out this evening to watch Sex and the City, and have no time to cook. I then also decided to buy some sushi and I have to say my early dinner was delicious, weird maybe, but delicious!!!!

WHO HAS TIME TO WORK!!!!!

2008-05-27T21:36:00.003+02:00

I cannot believe where the time has gone to since my last post. I ask myself "how in the hell did you have time to go to work" !!!!

As you have probably gathered I am keeping very busy. I have been beading up a storm as I have had a couple of more classes and boy they just inspire one to make things. I just love it. For anyone who thought they were not artistic (like I did) thought that they were all thumbs (like I did) would'nt know where to begin (like I did) please see if you like beading. I am trying my hand at anything and am amazed as myself.

I am trying to make sure all my book work is up to speed as well as it is now only a little more than five weeks till my precious girls arrive to stay for 2 whole months. Everytime I think of them walking through into the arrivals hall I get this amazing feeling welling up in me.

As some of you know, Wendy Kristian and Lily have moved into a house now and have been off line for two weeks. I now really really know how important the internet is. I heard on the radio the other day that they had done a survey asking for the worst inventions and the internet was one of them - "they" obviously don't have loved ones living 6000 miles away. If I had to wait for a letter to arrive with the occasional photo I think I would go mad - to think that was the norm 15 years ago!!!!

We are all getting very excited now. Jenny brought the beautiful wedding invitations back with her that had been lovingly put together by Wendy and Kristian and another Jenny in London. They look gorgeous and I have already started distributing them. I am so excited now, I could pop. Everything is coming together very nicely. We have only had one hiccup and that was the photographer that let us down. However, I believe everything happens for a reason and we now have someone really special, whom I know will take the most awesome photographs.

I made an appointment with the make up lady today, I have to say I was a little disappointed though as I asked her if she could make me look like Cameron Diaz and she just laughed at me - what was that about!!!! My diet was going along very nicely but in the last couple of weeks the weight has not budged and I am really being very very good. I am sure I will suddenly have a big drop soon - anyway that is what I am hoping for. Wedny is doing fabulously and only has about 4kgs to go so she should be just fine. She is going to look so beautiful as she is just naturally so - well I am allowed to be biased as she is my little girl you know. Everytime I think of it I want to cry so I better have waterproof make up on the day!!!

Gerda, a very old and dear friend from Holland is here at the minute. She is here for three weeks and we have had a couple of outings together which has been like old times. Lots of laughter and fun. We went to the market on Saturday for lunch and were just about the last to leave, it is such a wonderful place to meet and eat and drink wine. One meets so many lovely people there. For those of you who have not been, do yourselves a favour and go. Saturday's only, watch where you park as the last time I went I got a fat R300 bloody parking ticket which I am going to fight tooth and nail to have reversed, take a basket or bag of sorts as you will buy plenty I assure you and go hungry as there are plenty of tastings and then of course you want to have your lunch and some sort of sweet thing. Yuuuuuuuumy!!!! Not good to go to if you are on diet, however, I have to say I still managed to be good and it was fun.

Well that is that for now. A very selfish post this all about me me me. However, please just lets all be positive and try and make someone's life a little better. With all this violence going on around us at the minute we need to focus on good thing and make good things happen, especially for the poor people who have been displaced and chased from their homes. They need folk to donate their time. Apparently yesterday they had enough soup to feed an army but not enough folk with ladles to dish it out. Man's inhumanity to man will unfortunately always be there but we cannot give up the fight against it as it is in the minority but yet can just make us all feel so ashamed of being part of the human race.

RETIRED !!!!!

2008-05-08T23:13:00.002+02:00

Well I retired from my job today ha ha ha!!!! I have to say I was quite sad that it had come to an end as I have learnt a great deal and enjoyed the work. In fact I was thinking that if I could turn the clock back a bit, I would have taken on a morning's only job when the children started school. I am glad to say that the one lady, no not Carol, was quite tearful when she wished me farewell as she said I had brought "sunshine" to the office - aaaaah sooooo sweet hey???

I had been hoping to stay on until Wendy and Lily arrived in July as one of the ladies is going off to have a baby. But that did not suit everyone as I can only do morning as I work (he would not agree but I DO) for Peter in the afternoons. Anyway I am so pleased as Liz is going to do that for the next six months which is really great for her as she is on pension and every little bit helps now that the petrol price has gone through the roof.

Anyway it is back to beading and I am feeling very inspired as I have lots of new ideas. Gardening as I have a very nice gardener again - one that listens to me, not like my husband who argues about everything I want done. And tidying my house as there always seems to be so much stuff around.

I am doing marvellously on my diet and I think that is partly due to my working mornings so I really have to be strict and not become bored as that is when one looks for something to eat. Exercise is the next thing on my agenda and I think that is going to be in the form of dancing as I love to do that and I don't really like gym. I do like walking but that is no fun on your own.

If I can do it I am hoping to lose about another 10kg before the wedding, I think I can do that if I am very very very good. Only 14 more weeks to go, so it might be a bit ambitious, but I am going to do my damndest.

Wishing all the Mummies, new, old and to be, a happy Mother's Day.

LIFE'S MOST EMBARRESSING MOMENTS

2008-05-02T20:41:00.002+02:00

Hello everyone, I have been busy busy busy, but tonight am in the mood for writing some nonsense.

I have just read DM's blog and it gave me an idea. How about everyone writing about their most embarrassing moment. I think it would make for some fun reading.

Mine was a long long time ago, when I was young and foolish. I had started working for this wonderful firm of property developers. They were all handsome, powerful men - three of them - and I was in awe of them all. The main "boss" was so handsome he could make me blush just by looking at me as I was only 21. I was the only girl in the office. Receptionist, private secretary, book-keeper all rolled into one. They loved me and I loved them.

They came back from a business lunch one day and were full of fun and David the third in command, so to speak, decides to tell me a joke. Now I am reasonably quick on the uptake, but this was a very complicated joke and I was trying to act OH SO COOL, so when he delivered the punch line I laughed so hard I thought I was going to split my sides - in a cool sort of way you understand, that was until Geoff, the big boss, says "Did you like that joke" "oh yes" was my reply " it was so funny", "explain it then" he says!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The rest as they say is history, the bastard knew I had not caught it and I sat there just going redder redder by the minute. They of course thought I was so funny, but it took me a long time to forgive them. I never did find out about that joke.

The other funny blog was Anchens, "Do you only really only learn to swear when you learn to drive". How true is that? I cannot sometimes believe the words that pop out of my mouth when someone makes me very very mad on the road. We are not a family that swears, but boy can I when the need arises. I have, I am ashamed to say, sworn quite a bit when my children have been with me in the car and have had to apologise immediately, and I think they know very bad words because of their mother!!!! But those b........f.......i....... should not be on the road in the first place - I blame them.

Wedding plans are going very well, had a couple of hiccups but on the whole everything is going along smoothly. It is only a couple of months now until Wendy and Lily are back and then Kristian a month later and then I will have all my little chicks home again, which makes me very happy. When I think of the actual day, I get this overwhelming feeling of love, so I think it will be wonderful.

That is all for now, I hope you all do "your most embarressing moments" so we can all have a good laugh.

BRIGHT COLOURS

2008-05-02T20:34:00.003+02:00

I had an interesting time looking for bright colours for the Photo Friday, there are just so many and then I spotted these. These are "Big Boy Toys". Andrew is going to be 26 this year, but he is still a little lad at heart. He loves all the super heros and has always collected them. I have this vision for him and Kristian - one day they will be super rich and be able to afford a beautiful entertainment room. One half for the "Movies" the other for the "Music". You could have a ball decorating a room like that.

I don't think there is any artistic value to my photo, just a bit of fun. But it is amazing how villans and heros all live in complete harmony on this little shelf!!!!!

BRANCHING OUT!!!

2008-04-23T19:17:00.004+02:00

Now I am going to break the rules here, as I had no nice photos of branches and have been hectically busy and could not find my camera, but these were sent to me by a very dear friend in Holland when it was so cold just before Xmas. I thought they should be shared as they are tooooooo beautiful.

20 THINGS ABOUT ME

2008-04-18T17:01:00.004+02:00

I am not bossy - I just have better ideas.
I hate taking "NO" for an answer.
Because of no 2 I suppose I can also be annoying.
I am an optimist with a capital O.
I always make excuses for peoples bad behaviour/bad decisions.
I love laughing.
I too always think I am right!!!
I absolutely love the reality dance TV shows.
I love the movies, but am very fussy about what I watch and have to know exactly what they are about as cruel and violent movies often stay with me and if there are animals involved it is a definite no no.
I try and cram far too much into my days as I just hate missing out on anything.
I am a water baby so love the seaside and our pool as I love swimming in the nude - well not at the beach silly - only in my own pool.
I am now quite passionate about beading and making jewellery.
I really enjoy going out for dinner with my husband and friends.
I love dancing and if I could turn the clock back a few years I would certainly take up ballroom dancing, as I think I have missed out there.
I am a strong believer of "do unto others as you would have done unto yourself" and try my best to live by that as that is what my Mother taught me.
I am very intuitive about people and am very seldom am wrong.
I love getting dressed up, but do enjoy casual clothing and I love being a slob at home over weekends when I know (hope) no one is going to pop in.
I love travelling and wish I was very rich so I could do that a couple of times a year, as I would love to see more of the world.
I am a very good and loyal wife, mother and friend ( sorry but this is all about blowing ones own trumpet hey? ).
Last but not least I always try to "fix" everyone's problems and I suppose I fret about that.

SHE HAS DISCOVERED IT......

2008-04-14T17:51:00.002+02:00

Well that is the end of that then........ I mean cheap telephone bills. Lily has discovered how lovely it is to chat on the phone. We had a long converstation on the phone today and I sang songs to her and she wanted "more". She used to hate having the phone put to her ear and would not listen to anything, just pushed it away with venom, but not any more. It was great and so funny. She was asking for her "dad dad" and as soon as that comes out she adds "car" as she knows he is normally working on or washing a car, it is too sweet.

Kristian, Wendy and Lily all went shopping to Ikea on Saturday. Lily thought it was the best shopping trip ever and was running amok, trying this bed and that bed, this chair and that chair. Anway they are telling her what she was going to have this her room and then said "what else do you want in your room Lily?"........................."NAN" ........"DAD DAD" yay!!!!!!!! I wish I could be there when they moved it would be great to help them and make her "want" come true.

I suppose I should write about other things as you must all be so bored of "Granny" stories, but I cannot help myself. I am quite interesting, honest, doing lots of lovely things so I promise my next story will be an adult one.

PHOTO FRIDAY - SHOES

2008-04-11T16:56:00.002+02:00

I am obsessed I am afraid with Lily so it seems that every post will be about her somehow.... sorry!!! But ain't these cute?

FRIDAY PHOTO - HAPPINESS IS!

2008-04-06T10:59:00.002+02:00

I never seem to get my photo up on time, as hard as I try. But better late than never - hey?

Happiness is holding your baby grand-daughter when she is only an hour old, and seeing how absolutely perfect she is. The feeling was indescribable but when I look at this photo I always want to cry........ with happiness!!!!!

TO SKYPE... OR NOT TO SKYPE????

2008-04-02T17:51:00.007+02:00

WE ARE OFF TO THE BEACH - WEEEEEE!!!!

MY NAN TAUGHT ME HOW TO DO THIS - PRETTY HEY?

OUT TO LUNCH WITH THE GIRLS

THIS SUNNY WEATHER IS NOT HALF BAD

UNCLE DREW - ARE YOU LAUGHING AT ME AGAIN??? YOU

KNOW I HATE IT.

Wendy and Lily went back to London on the 17th of March and it feels like they have been gone for a year - and that is no exaggeration!!!!

Since they have arrived home, they have been hectically busy as Kristians Nan passed away on Easter Friday. So they went down to Bournmouth virtually as soon as Wendy got home for the Easter weekend and then the following weekend as well.

In this time we have managed to skype only a few times, but each time Lily looks at the screen with such a sad and serious face. As soon as she sees me she asks for "dad-dad" (Grandad) and if he is sitting in the hot seat so to speak then she asks for me.

A couple of times now she has burst into tears and she is really heartsore, and as honoured as I am that she is missing us, it breaks my heart to see her so sad. Hence my heading as I really don't want her to feel like that but I cannot bear the thought of not seeing her on an almost daily basis!!!

Oh well back to wishing our lives away as they will be back with us early in July, all things being equal, but before they are here I am dreading the goodbyes.

Gosh a bit of a gloomy post guys. Sorry but feeling a bit low at this point and wishing I was enormously rich so we could fly back and forth every couple of weeks or so.

Here are some beautiful pictures so you can see why we miss them so much.

PHOTO FRIDAY - FACES

2008-03-28T18:29:00.003+02:00

I love face and people. My favourite paintings, sketches, prints always seem to be of people. I just love this picture, it makes me laugh and laugh and laugh!!!!

HAPPY EASTER !!!

2008-03-20T17:06:00.003+02:00

TO ALL MY FRIENDS AND LOVED ONES - WISHING YOU A VERY HAPPY EASTER

THIS IS WHAT YOU LOOK LIKE IF YOU GET LOTS OF

CHOCOLATE EGGS

THIS IS WHAT YOU LOOK LIKE IF YOU DON'T!!!!

I HAVE'NT LOST IT - YAY!!!

2008-03-11T12:05:00.002+02:00

I have got myself a morning's only job and although I was initially a bit scared I soon realised that I knew more than I thought I did, if that makes any sense?

When I left school a long long long long time ago, I started working for accountants. Now in those days there were no such things as computers, which makes life a lot easier for that profession nowadays. I used to have to type balance sheets on huge sheets of paper and if you made a bad mistake you would have to start all over again and little ones you were allowed to change with special mistake covering fluid!!!!!

For some reason, unknown to me, I always landed up doing figure work and I was, I tell you, hopeless with that at school. However, over the years I suppose I have learnt a lot and seem to be able to always balance the books. So when my friend, Carol, asked if I would consider this job, I said a very hesitant " er.....OK", and boy after my first month and first salary cheque in 30 years it is safe to say I am on a high!

I have to say I feel quite empowered again and motivated, which is wonderful as I was, I think, becoming a bit lazy and that is never a good thing. Now there is no time to be lazy, as in the afternoons I work at our business and then beading and general household chores etc, life is full to the brim again.

It is really true, "THE MORE YOU DO, THE MORE YOU DO!!!"

A WEEK OF BLISS

2008-03-09T19:24:00.006+02:00

Grandad told me to lie on the bricks so I did!!!!

One besotted Grandad!!!

Well one week ago Wendy and Lily arrived and although it has passed by far too quickly for my liking we have done so much and I have had a ball with my daughter and grand-daughter. She is just such a sweet child and so willing to please everyone. Everyday she learns new words and is just so charming.

All Wendys friends have visited and she has visited with them and it has literally been raining babies. My house looks like a play school, but I don't care it is just wonderful to have them all here.

We have also been so lucky with the weather, so have been swimming such a lot and we have been to the beach a couple of times too. She did not like the feel of the sand on her feet at first and screamed a bit but within a short time she decided it could not be too bad. At first she walked on her tippy toes and then eventually she was running and jumping. She even made a little friend and they were swopping shells on the beach. She decided to come into the sea with her Nana but suddenly a very small wave (thank goodness) came toward us and she was going backwards as fast as she could and fell over and the water swept over her, but she is a brave little thing I just swept her up and she said "Oooooh" and then laughed so all was well. I reckon she will learn to swim quickly as she has absolutely no fear of the water and does not care that it is quite cold at first, she just loves it and sometimes we have to force her to get out, especially when her lips begin to turn blue.

We have done lots of wedding planning which has been great and I think she has achived quite a lot in her first week. Caroline and Veronica have been helping her with ideas and so with the baby talk and wedding talk I reckon they have had a good time of it. She is only here for one more week and already it looks pretty full so it is going to fly by but I just take each day as it comes and soak up all the smiles and laughs and memories I can to keep me going for the next four months.

I love each part of the day, but bath time and story time and quiet time are wonderful at the end of the day. As exhausted as she is so is her Nana and I have been going to bed quite early for me and sleeping very soundly until 7a.m. when we are up and playing bright and early again. I tell you I reckon I have lost quite a few inches here and there from playing and picking her up and swimming etc, a darn sight more fun that going to gym!!!!!!

Grandchildren are a joy that is for sure!!!!! Here are some photos of us having fun!!!! Grandad and Uncle Andrew are equally besotted, so it is just as well they don't have blogs too as you would surely all be very bored ........ sorry!!!!!

PHOTO FRIDAY - REFLECTIONS

2008-03-06T19:20:00.003+02:00

We went for dinner recently to this beautiful restaurant in Stellenbosch. I was facinated by this "photograph' and even more so when I was told it was a pencil drawing!!!!! I want to own one of these, and have taken down the artists name, but my daughter has absconded with my mobile phone and his name in in there so I will let you know what that is next time.

ONE MORE SLEEP

2008-03-01T13:53:00.003+02:00

Well as you can imagine, I am popping with excitement today as Wendy and Lily arrive in the morning, and boy we cannot wait to see them. I do feel heart sore for Kristian being left behind, and only hope that the time goes really fast for him but very very very slowly for us!!!!

To this end I have been a busy little bee getting ready for their arrival and today went to the old biscuit mill in Salt River. If ever a place needed a face lift it was Salt River. Two years ago I remember we went to hire glasses there for Veronica's bridal shower (we were making Purple Ronnie Cocktails). Kristian had to help to carry the boxes when we fetched them and he said it was the scariest place he had very been too!!!! Now is is just booming with businesses even down the little side streets the hawkers are doing a great trade as parking is at a premium so one has to park relatively far in order to get to there. Kudos to the brains behind restoring a historical old building and making it into something so vibrant.

Every Saturday they have the market on and it has already expanded out into another area. It has the most fabulous vibe, there are farmers selling fresh organic produce and the one farmer sometimes arrives with his huge shire horse pulling a wagon filled with the most beautiful fruit and veg. Olives, bread, pesto, chocolate, meringues, fresh fish, beer, wine, you name it it is there. Today the atmosphere was just wonderful, the men either quaffing beer or drinking wine, everyone putting together their combination of what they want to eat at the rustic tables, or sitting on the bales of hay under a huge awning, all very festive. I bought the most delicious chocolate Brownies I have every tasted, olives, breads etc ready for Wendy and Lily's arrival.

Sorry, I had not finished this post but had to rush off with Peter on Saturday to get some booze and other bits and bobs.

Anyway I will just end off by saying, Wendy and Lily arrived early on Sunday morning and I had asked Steven and Veronica and Caroline and Craig round for a braai. It went off very well but I tell you within one hour our house looked like a day care centre, or as a friend commented the day care centre was tidier. Lily was spoilt rotten with toys and books etc and she was just so excited to be here and had lots of energy to get rid off by the time we got home. She entertained us all for a good couple of hours with her antics and oh she is just so beautiful and full of life.

She left here exactly six months ago and the change in that short time has been phenomenal. She has become a "walking talking living doll".

We are, to say the least, very happy.

PEACE

2008-03-01T13:45:00.004+02:00

A belated entry for the Friday Photo!!! I have been asked in the past, seaside or country? Now those who know me should know better than to ask me that. I want both!!!! You see I hate missing out on anything and try my damndest to fit it all in to a day, a week, a month. Anyway besides that I do love the seaside and tend to think that I am 70/30 for the seaside. So without much ado a photo of Peter very peacefully watching the sun go down in Langebaan. I do have some really super ones taken in the countryside too but I decided on this.

PHOTO FRIDAY - IN THE GARDEN

2008-02-21T21:35:00.002+02:00

I forgot to post last week, but loved looking to see what everyone had posted it is an excellent idea Caroline.

I took these sweet little flowers (don't know what they are called) in one of my pots in the garden and thought they came out very cute.

LOL

2008-02-17T10:22:00.002+02:00

I am in a tidying mood this morning, so I decided to get down all the books that I have kept from when my kids where little. You see Lily is coming and she loves books and being read to so I have found a treasure of stuff up in the book cupboard.

Amongst them all I came across all Andrew's old school books. I paged through a couple and reminisced a bit until I found this one. It made me cry with laughter. Out of the mouths of babes and all that jazz.

I am quoting from his "General Classwork" book:

"Dear Miss van Deemter,

There are four people in my family, my father, mother, sister and I. My father is a mechanic at Edgemead motors. My mother works for my father at the garage she also caters and looks after some peoples houses. My sister in in Std 9 now and we're going to be broke soon the way she borrows money from my parents. (Here I go again, I am typing this through tears of laughter) My pets are all very good and very loving, I have a dog named Honey which she is still a puppy, a cat named Clarence, 9 goldfish and two budgies named Suger and Emerald."

I don't know what happened here as he never finished his letter, but I suppose if Wendy saw this she might have throttled him at this point so he could not finish it!!!!!!!!!!!!!