Great Times

Saturday morning I was up at five to get ready for our day out. Hubby was already up and packing the picnic basket to put in the DKW as he wanted to make sure we wouldn’t be late. After having our morning cuppa and seeing to the dogs we all got ready and left just after six followed in convoy by Godfrey and Sandy who were in their Stud Lark. Everyone met in Boksburg and we set off in convoy at half seven for Nkwe Picnic Resort. I really dislike convoys as someone is always getting stuck at a robot or stop street and then all pull off to wait till all are together again which makes the trip much longer. We were almost there when Hubby decided the slow car in front of us was too irritating and he floored it to overtake. The other side of the road was a double lane luckily as there were a couple of cars approaching. Both Diane and I were nervous wrecks as just one of the cars changing lanes would result in a head-on collision. Once he had passed the car there was no space to move back into the convoy which made us feel even worse. Thank goodness Don and Jesse were in the convoy at that point and slowed for us to pull in front of them. What A Relief! Our nerves were finished and we needed to put on our anti-stress roll-on to recover. Hubby of course thought our reaction was hilarious. We reached our destination shortly after and were pleasantly surprised to find what a beautiful place it was. As it was so early there weren’t too many people there yet. Everyone parked, unloaded the cars and set up ready for the day. Diane and I went exploring around the waterfall while Hubby with Don and Godfrey started a breakfast of bacon, eggs, mushrooms etc. When we got back we all ate breakfast and sat chatting and chilling. Once breakfast was over we cleared the things and leftovers back into cooler bags before Diane and I went for another exploratory walk to take some more pics. On the way back to the waterfall we noticed people jumping off the cliff down into the rock pool below. We sat watching and taking pics for a while before joining the group again. Quite a few of the jumpers really took a while to pluck up the courage to jump and I must say I can’t blame them as I would never ever have the nerve to do it. The rest of the morning was spent chatting and laughing together enjoying the relaxed atmosphere of the place. As the morning progressed the place got fuller and fuller with people flooding into the resort. Late morning a group arrived who were having a bachelor party. The poor groom- to- be had been dressed up with a pair of pink wings and knee hi stocking and his trousers rolled up like long shorts. They proceeded to enjoy themselves partying and jumping into the rock pool. The guys braaied some meat for lunch which we had with salds and rolls. After that we needed some more exercise so Diane and I joined a couple of other ladies in the group to climb up to above the waterfall. It was hot work but well worth the effort to see the place from above. The rest of the day was spent chilling and enjoying the company before leaving about four to return home – a much quicker journey seeing as there was no convoy.
Sunday was a lazy day having a lie-in after our early start on Saturday. Monday and Tuesday were busy days going back and forth to Alberton and Pretoria. Wednesday Hubby’s cousin Mike and Sandy arrived for a visit and we spent the day chilling and catching up on each other’s lives as it has been years since their last visit. They have been travelling around South Africa for the last three weeks and have seen some amazing places and sights. Wednesday night we relaxed under the trees with our wine and juice before having a braai.
Well Diane and I will soon be off on our European Trip and we can’t wait. Just another two and a half months to go. Time just flies by.

Latest from the Plot

Life has been rather hectic the last few weeks. We have entertained plenty and also done some visiting ourselves. We spent a day at the Vaal visiting Barney for lunch. The weather was perfect and we took the Sunbeam for an outing though on the way home Hubby was over enthusiastic when he pulled the handbrake and snapped it. Luckily there was very little traffic and no robots from the Vaal to the Plot. Ali and the boys came through for a day bringing Bob and Sylvia. We had a very pleasant day chatting and enjoyed our lunch together. Their visit must have been lucky as we had our first rains of the season with a downpour just as they drove off. On Saturday Diane and I took Hubby to Suikerbosrand where we went on the Wheelchair Trail. The Trail is only a km long but when it is going up and you are pushing a wheelchair it can be rather exhausting. Diane and I took turns in pushing and when we got to the top sat for a long time enjoying the scenery and peace of the area. There were plenty of birds in the trees and we used the binoculars to try and spot them. Hubby really enjoyed himself. Going down was also tiring as we had to hang on to the wheelchair to make sure it didn’t go too fast downhill. The hike was even more exhausting then doing the 4.5km hike but we enjoyed having a hike again as the last hike was before Hubby’s op.
Time has really flown past and I can’t believe Christmas is just around the corner. Wayne and his girlfriend are coming to visit from the 29 November until the 23 December.
I really need to organise myself as usually by this time I have done most of my Christmas shopping and am on track for the end of the year. Looking after Hubby has kept me busy and distracted from time passing. Also back and forth to the workshop has taken a fair amount of time. It’s hard to believe it is almost two months since his op and only another month till we know what the Dr’s decision will be. Hubby’s foot is doing well but we are both disappointed as the healing process seems to have slowed down drastically. There seems to have been little improvement since last week though at least it is still looking good. It is just the last little part that needs to close now. Weather wise we are still having gale force winds and plenty of thunder and lightning though not much rain at all. The mornings are too windy and cold to sit outside under the trees and I really am missing being able to sit there and chill while soaking up the peace. My hectic life at the moment is starting to take its toll - not as young as I used to be – and I keep falling asleep in front of the TV. I wake up and find I have missed half of my show which is most irritating. Thinking of meals for Hubby also is getting to the stage of running out of ideas for something different. Sometimes he gets sick of having so many veg but that’s Dr’s orders and at least Diane and I love them. I tend to cook extra so that some meals are leftovers which make things easier for me. Apart from that it is great having Hubby around all the time as we have plenty of time to sit and chat. Pushing his wheelchair around is also keeping me fit. The biggest problem now is Hubby’s boredom with doing nothing and he has started doing odd jobs around the place. I stress every time as he stands to do things which sometimes take nearly an hour such as when he replaced the outside light on the Rondaval which had stopped working. He had to drill new holes and fit the new fitting which seemed to tske forever.Afterwards I made him rest for the rest of the day and not even sit in his chair. He is now talking about going up into the roof to see what thermostat is on the geyser to get a new one. He is crazy if he thinks I will let him.
Well that’s all for now. Have a great week and fabulous weekend.

Another Short week

Well! Can you believe it? Woke up Tuesday morning to a miserable rainy day. The Championship Races was cancelled Again due to rain. Hubby went into the workshop to do some work while I started my statements. Diane and I were going to go to Lusito Land to take pics instead but the rain put paid to that as well. These things are sent to try us. I spent the afternoon reading my book again – I am now on my 5th Eric Lustbader book and they are really interesting. The amount of research he must have put into finding out about the Orient is phenomenal. The evening was the usual of TV etc. Wednesday was spent finishing my statements and emailing them out as well as cleaning from the long weekend. Diane and I went into Meyerton in the afternoon to do some shopping and get the dogs tablets again. The evening was spent on the computer as well as watching ‘The Mentalist’. Thursday morning dawned chilly and overcast still but by nine we had blue sky and sunshine. I went through to the north of Joburg to meet Ali and Travis and have lunch. Ali took me to a Monkey Sanctuary which is located inside Little Falls Plant Nursery. They have a lot of cages and plenty of occupants which are all rescued monkeys. One cage had 3 babies of about a month old who have been bottle-reared. They were really cute. We had lunch inside a children’s play area where there is everything imaginable for the kids to play in from a hairdresser to a post office. All in miniature of course. Travis just didn’t stop running around and thoroughly enjoyed himself. He only stopped to eat chips off our plates and have a bite or two of his pizza. Ali and I had a Hawaiian Tramezzini with chips and salad and a Frulatta. The food was So Much that I could hardly finish it but was really delicious. We left after three and by then it was too late to go to the workshop to fax the remaining statements so I just went home where I picked up Diane to quickly go into Meyerton to fetch tablets the chemist had ordered for Hubby. We chilled with a glass of wine when we were back home and once supper was over watched TV – ‘Fringe’. Friday morning was another overcast chilly day. I spent the morning cleaning while Diane worked on the computer. We left just after twelve for the workshop to fax statements. Stupidly I left my phonebook with all the numbers at home so it took rather a long time as I had to either look up numbers or phone for numbers. Once we finished we left going via the takeaways at Maxi’s (Steers was closed for renovations). Diane and I sat having an ice-cream cone while we waited for the order. She had a Tramezzini and chips while I got steak and chips for Hubby and myself. Once home we ate and then I quickly finished the last bit of cleaning. All was finished by six and we then got ourselves ready for the Piano Recital by Neil Bennett. Last month we arrived just after six thirty and the parking area was packed already so this time we left home at six fifteen. Guess what! We were the first to arrive so we sat waiting in the car for a while before venturing in. The place wasn’t as packed as last month’s Welsh Male Choir evening which was unfortunate as those people missed out on another fantastic time. We were entertained with music from Gershwin to Chopin and Bach as well as my all-time favourites Chariots of Fire and Love Story. In between Neil entertained us with snippets of news and jokes. Everybody enjoyed themselves immensely and can’t wait for next month’s entertainment evening. We chilled with coffee/ tea afterwards and chatted to all and sundry. Small World! A nephew of Ian Garrs (The organiser of the entertainment) is over here for a short holiday from Edinburgh. Half an hour or so from Kilcaldy where Mom lives. He has lived there for the past two years and is working in a hotel in the town. We were home around ten. Hubby has left to go on patrol, Diane is watching a comedy on TV and I’m getting the blog up-to-date. Tomorrow is going to be a busy day so I need to do this now before heading off to bed. The Championship Races are definitely on for tomorrow and after that Diane and I are off to Lusito Land to see Danny K perform. Diane will be taking pics at both places so we will have some more pics for the Blog. I will upload this and then it will be time for a Milo before getting in to bed with my book.
Have a Fantastic Weekend.

Chilled Weekend

Saturday morning dawned bright and clear. I was up early to sort out the dogs and make breakfast so as to be finished in time for our visit from Ali and Travis. The dogs were away and we were eagerly awaiting the visit when they arrived just after eight. Travis was as happy to see us as we were to see him. Ali had been going to bring him a few weeks ago but at the last minute was called in to work.No sooner had they arrived then Hubby took him out to the play area where he had an absolute whale of a time for well over an hour. His favourite spot was the sandpit where he kept trying to empty the sand over the edge onto the grass. Every time Ali went around to stop him he would laugh and run to the other side where he knew he was safe. The one time Ali managed to grab him she tried to take the spade away for him but he dug his heels in and hung on with both hands. It was hilarious to watch especially as Travis won that battle. We moved inside to have a cuppa and Ali washed him down in a bucket to get rid of all the sand. After the cuppa Ali left to join her friend. Travis was more than happy to wave bye and carry on running around. Hubby had his monthly Tit Car meeting and he left for that going in my Sunbeam. His friend Don went with him. Diane and I took some pics of Travis and went down to the swing to give him a push. He fell asleep on my lap while we were on the swing. I put him down to sleep and joined him for a nap. An hour and a half later he woke up and I made him some lunch which he polished off immediately. He must have been hungry after his hectic morning. We spent the rest of the time together playing and running around outside chasing the dogs. He discovered my pink wire flamingo under the trees and spent ages walking around with it though he battled as it was taller than him .Ali came back late afternoon and after visiting for about an hour they left for home. The house looked as if a hurricane had swept through it and I quickly vacuumed. Once this was done Diane and I chilled with a glass of wine to relax after the hectic day. Hubby arrived home after six and Don came in for a coffee which extended into an evening visit. Don left after eight and we had a snack before chilling in front of the TV for the rest of the night.
Sunday was my usual breakfast in bed which Hubby made about half eight. It was a lovely morning again with plenty of birds serenading us in the trees outside the bedroom window. It was nearly ten before I got up to load the dishwasher and clear the kitchen. After feeding the dogs I cleared some washing and late morning Diane and I went into Meyerton. We did shopping at the grocery store before getting Hubby’s medication and fish platters for lunch. The afternoon was spent chilling, reading and napping.We had flapjacks and cuppocino before Diane and I went for a cycle around the area. It was wonderful to be able to get on the bikes and go again. The last two weeks has been continuous bad weather and we were unable to go at all. Our ride took us an hour and we really got in some good exercise. It was chill time with our wine when we got back. Our fish lunch had been huge so we weren’t hungry – except Hubby of course - who had a snack. Diane and I chilled in front of the TV watching the Sunday night movie which was `The Proposal’ with Sandra Bullock. It was hilarious and we both thoroughly enjoyed it. We had a late nightcap before going off to bed. I was too tired to even look at my book.
Have a good week.

Monday - Friday

Monday was up to a gorgeous day and had my chill time before starting another hectic week. I spent the day finishing off invoices and doing the statements. Diane was busy on her computer with her work. About mid-morning I had a call telling me that in a competition I had entered last year October I was one of the finalists for a brand new Chevy car. The draw was for Tuesday evening at six and if I was a winner had to be prepared for my photo being taken. I most certainly didn’t mind. The day flew past and before we knew it was time for our sundowner glass of wine. The evening was spent in our normal routine of supper and TV with our Milo.
Tuesday morning I was up and after my chill cuppa and breakfast got down to scanning in statements and invoices to fax and email. It was finally finished late morning and Diane and I quickly went into Alberton to fax those statements that go via the landline. We were there a couple of hours before heading back to get ready for the Chevy Draw. Hubby was home early and we left just after four as the venue was the other side of Jhb. By the time we got through the traffic – taking side roads and avoiding highway as much as possible – it was a few minutes before six. We arrived at the offices and after signing in were directed into an office. As we walked in I realized that this was not a genuine draw but a Time Share Con. There were rows of chairs with a large screen at the front of the room. I was very annoyed as we had come a long way through temper-fraying traffic just for this. Hubby was fuming and ready to leave after giving them What-For. I told him to relax and we sat down. A guy came in and welcomed us and said they had sponsored the draw which would follow a short show of all their resorts. We had to fill in a form putting in six numbers in a space provided. We had our show after which the guy came back and called us out in our groups to go with a consultant to explain how they worked before the draw was done. We had our explanation and then went for the draw. What a Farce! The draw was done behind closed doors, separately for each couple or group. Nobody won a car and the number written down was used for the draw – everybody ended up with a stay at one of their resorts. We at least were handed a meal voucher for the ’Kitchen Bar’ downstairs. At R35 each it at least paid towards our bill as we stopped to eat there. Diane had a pizza, Hubby had greek snacks and I had chicken livers with foccacia bread. The food was tasty and the best part was we didn’t have to go home and cook. I really don’t know why these Time Share Places must use these tactics to con people into buying. As far as Hubby is concerned, if they con you to get you there then their product must be dodgy and he wants no part of it. Talk about Live and Learn! A genuine competition will send you your prize. I most certainly won’t take a ticket in future draws if approached.
Wednesday Diane and I spent the day doing more computer work. Thursday morning Hubby and I went into Alberton for a funeral which was on late morning. After the church service we went off to the `Piatto’ for a quick lunch. We both had a rock shandie and the special of a cheese smothered steak and chips. Delicious! I took Hubby up to the workshop afterwards to check on things before heading home. Back home I relaxed in front of the TV and watched the movie ` At first Sight’ which was very good. Diane was still busy working on the computer. Just before seven friends arrived to take Hubby and I out for dinner. Diane stayed home to carry on working. We went into Three Rivers to Rio Sol. The ladies had wine and the men draughts. I had prawns and rice which, as usual, was the most delicious ever. Hubby had a Seafood Platter as did Carl. Siegrid had Kingklip. Everybody enjoyed the meal which we followed with a Dom Pedro and then coffee. We were having such a good time we didn’t want to leave and in fact we went outside where we chatted for almost another hour. It was a wonderful evening with the usual combination of good food, conversation and company.
On Friday morning I was up as usual to have a quick cuppa under the trees. I fed the dogs, gave Hubby a snack breakfast and then we all headed into Alberton. We stopped at the workshop to pick up Don before going to Rand Airport. Hubby’s friend works there and has been working on a Catalina that they were going to fire up today and he had invited us to be there for it. We arrived in time for a tour of the hangar and an informative talk all about the Catalina and its history. Diane took plenty of pics and we also took a video. The fire up was to be at half twelve so we went up to The Harvard Café for breakfast. It was a lovely day and there were plenty of people enjoying the sunshine and all the activity at the airport. After breakfast we went back to the workshop to drop Don and Hubby off. Diane and I quickly went down to Alberton City as we wanted to get ourselves some new takkies for hiking (We have decided it’s time to get back into it). We found exactly what we were looking for and went back to fetch Hubby ready for The Fire Up Test Run. Don was already there and we watched as the Catalina was towed out on to the runway in front of the hangar. Regulations there are strictly enforced and a Fire Truck was on standby. We took more pics and another video. Hubby was absolutely thrilled as he was invited to be inside the plane for the Fire Up. It started raining while the test was on and we sheltered under the wings of another plane nearby. It was a very exciting event and we have been invited to be there for when the Test Run is done at the Vaal. Hubby can’t wait. Once the plane was pushed back inside we left, dropping Hubby at the workshop before going back home. Diane and I drove through an absolute downpour on the highway. It was so bad I couldn’t see anything in front and just crawled along. Luckily we soon passed out of it and by the time we got home the sky was clear. We had a coffee while we made a shopping list for Saturday. Hubby’s cousin and wife were coming for lunch on Saturday. I decided to go in and see what the shops had before finalizing the menu. We ended up buying veggies and a chicken to roast. Friday evening was the usual routine of supper, TV and our Milo.

Leaving Teens Behind

Was up for my chill under the trees which, unfortunately, never happened as the morning was rather chilly and windy. Instead I sat inside looking through the lounge window. The mornings are starting to get really chilly now and it feels as if autumn is fast approaching. Summer sped by with few really hot days due to all the rain. Not that I am complaining as the garden really benefitted this year – I have never seen it so thick and lush as it is now. I marvel at it every time I sit outside and appreciate all the rain received.
Today was the day Diane left her teens behind (by rights she should only celebrate tonight as that’s when she was born). I took her a cuppa in bed and wished her Happy Birthday after giving her present to her. My last one has now left the teens behind. A momentous occasion for her (I hope) and a sad one for me as it is a reminder of time passing and age creeping up. For me that is of course. Oh to be twenty again!After doing a bit of office/computer work Diane and I went in to watch ` The Princess and the Frog’, it was a cute movie which we both enjoyed. After our movie we headed off to Il Fornos to get some lunch. We started off with rock shandies and a foccacia bread. Our meal was Portuguese Peri Peri Chicken Livers for me and crumbed mushrooms for Diane. My meal was Hot but absolutely delicious. The finishing touch was cappuccinos for both of us. While we were there we booked for our get-together meal for the family to celebrate with Diane on Friday night. Leaving there we headed up to the workshop where after checking on things we left taking Hubby with us as he wanted to take his DKW in on Friday to put new white wall tyres on it. We stopped at his friend’s garage to see all his cars – Lancias, Alfas, an F1 Maclaren and a Masserati. The cars were fabulous! When we left Hubby drove as I wasn’t feeling too well (sinus). I spent the evening dozing on and off after taking some tablets. Diane spent the evening on the computer. About eleven thirty I got up to take the dogs out before locking up. I couldn’t even face the thought of a Milo and just went straight back to bed.
Friday morning I was up early for my chill outside as usual. The morning was chilly but not windy so I sat outside for awhile before starting the morning routine. Still wasn’t feeling too good though and took more tablets. I spent the morning doing some cleaning, resting and reading. I really am enjoying `Peking’ though not as much as `Saigon’. Hubby was home late afternoon in time to get ready for our night out. We left just before six (booking was for half six). The traffic was light so we were there in plenty of time for the meal. Everyone had arrived by seven and we chilled, drinking and chatting until we were ready to order food. Hubby and I had Lamb Curry while everyone else had Pizza. This was followed by more drinks and cappuccinos. We had such a good time that the oldies only left about half nine and the rest went on to party at Barrels. Hubby and I chilled with more coffee in front of the TV for the rest of the evening. I went to bed about half eleven and carried on reading before falling asleep. Diane and Co partied until about three after which Diane spent the rest of the night (morning) at Julie’s place.
On Saturday I was up for my chill time outside and was greeted by a beautiful day again. The trees were full of birds – I spotted some bulbuls, a pair of sunbirds and plenty of weavers as well as the usual doves and sparrows. They all seemed to be welcoming the day with me. It was very peaceful and energizing. After breakfast was over I spent some time cleaning before going in to town, with Hubby, for some much needed grocery shopping and replenishing Hubby’s medical necessities for his toe. When we got back we off loaded the shopping and packed everything away before I carried on reading my book. Lunch time Hubby made us wors and salad rolls which were really good. I read a short while longer before going into Alberton to fetch Diane. It was well after three by the time we got back home. Diane watched some TV and I carried on reading (I just can’t seem to put `Peking’ down). After supper we watched` Coyote Ugly’ on TV having our usual Milo. Sitting there I felt my foot starting to get really painful and couldn’t find a comfortable way to sit- it is still rather swollen after my fall and seems to get worse if I drive too much. Eventually I took an anti-inflammatory as I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep if I didn’t take something. Diane carried on watching TV while I went to bed to read while waiting for the tablet to take effect. I must say Hubby and I are really a pair of old crocks these days.
Sunday morning Hubby woke me about six when he was getting ready to leave for his Piston Ring Meet. (He dropped something and the crash woke me) He left and I went back to sleep eventually surfacing about half nine. I had my cup of coffee sitting outside on another beautiful day in paradise. I sat for nearly an hour enjoying the peace and tranquility. I passed the day doing some washing in-between reading my book which I’m happy to say is nearly finished. Hubby was home early afternoon and spent the rest of the afternoon resting his foot which is very swollen and red again. I made a meal of chops, roast potatoes and vegs after which I loaded the dishwasher and cleaned pots. Diane and I watched `The secret life of bees’ and then Diane watched `Confessions of a Shopaholic’ while I cleared my ironing. Once the movie was over Diane made our Milo before going off to bed. I went to bed to read and managed to finish my book about one. I must see if I can find anything more by Anthony Grey as I really enjoy his books. They are gripping right from the beginning. The last few days have seemed very quiet and we are missing Wayne Big Time. Cheers and have a Fantastic Week .