Some Good Times Again

After all the time Diane and I have spent working and seeing to the boys we decided that it was time for some ME TIME so last week Sunday we took ourselves off to Eastgate. After buying our tickets for ‘Jock of the Bushveld` we went to Cafelicious for a light lunch. As we were both still having sinus problems we decided to bombard ourselves with chillies and go for the Arabiatta Pasta starting with cappuccinos. The food was delicious and definitely had a kick with our mouths and sinuses on fire by the time we were finished. We also enjoyed our movie and were pleased we had decided to have our outing. The afternoon was rounded off with wandering around the shops before heading home with readymade Ciabatta rolls for supper.















Ali was off on the Monday so we had a relatively easy going day and Tuesday was Women’s Day which we spent chilling at home. The weather was really good and we spent a lot of time outside enjoying the sun. The rest of the week the weather stayed lovely and by lunchtime I was outside without a jersey sitting under the trees. Diane and I had our lunch outside and chilled with our glass of wine early enjoying the warmth for the remainder of the week. The trees were full of new growth and all was on track for spring.
Saturday Diane and I went into Alberton where we spent time wandering around the shops and doing a big shop. We stopped for a light lunch of baked potato – mine with bacon and Diane’s with mushroom - after which we returned home to spend the afternoon in the garden with the boys. Sunday Hubby’s friend came over for a visit and we sat chilling under the trees enjoying the good weather. After lunch the weather changed for the worse. Clouds blew over and the wind was really cold. Hubby’s friend left about three and we spent the rest of the afternoon reading and watching TV.
Monday it was still overcast but it wasn’t too bad temperature wise but all that changed mid-morning. The clouds got really dark and the wind was gusting through the trees. When thunder started rumbling and lightening flashed we switched the computer off. No sooner had we done that then it started raining and hailing. My bakkie was parked outside so I quickly grabbed an umbrella and ran out to move it under cover. By now the hail was really pelting down and I was worried the bakkie would get damaged. Luckily the hail didn’t last too long and even though the ground had a covering of ice it soon melted with the rain which didn’t stop for about half an hour. It was about an hour after that when we noticed it was snowing. The snow lasted about an hour and everywhere had a covering of snow. Diane and I had a great time running from window to window taking pics of the garden with it’s coat of snow. It really was a winter wonderland outside. Unfortunately it rained again and didn’t stop until all the snow was melted. By late afternoon the weather was freezing with a strong wind howling through the trees. The cold wet ground really brought the temperature down with the maximum for the day being only seven. We had an early supper and sat hugging heaters for the rest of the evening.

Mother's Day

The day started perfectly with Hubby bringing me my breakfast in bed. It was not too early thank goodness and we chilled in bed watching TV for about an hour afterwards. Once we were up I fed the dogs and then we all got ready for a day out leaving around eleven. The choice was mine as to where we were going and I decided on Parys to eat at Feast again. We were there not long after twelve and had to park outside on the street as the place was packed. As we walked in people were leaving so we were lucky enough to get a table. A buffet was set up and as it looked so good we decided on having that. Good Choice! The variety of dishes served was amazing and different. I went for a meal of peppered steak, sweet and sour pork, thai chicken, creamy potatoes, rice as well as salads of ‘cabbage, chick peas and mushrooms’, Mediterranean couscous and chicken and peach salad. Diane went for a variety of veggies and Hubby had oysters with his meal. Having the inevitable glass of wine for Diane and I while Hubby had a draught. We all enjoyed the delicious food immensely and decided to finish off with a blueberry cheesecake which was the best ever. The meal was rounded off with coffees. After the meal we got chatting to the owners of the place who told us they had been in that spot for three and a half years. It is a very popular place to eat at as people were in and out non-stop and it stayed packed. Leaving the place we drove around again going out the other side towards Vrededorp over the bridge spanning the Vaal where Hubby remembers going for canoe trips as a youngster. He also remembered a river-rafting place so we decided to look for it. About ten kms out of Parys we found the spot – Sunwa- and went in to have a look. The place is a team-building venue and had the most stunning scenery . We wandered around for almost an hour taking pics and enjoying the views of the river. They even have a ski-slope which uses tyres to ski down. Fun, if you don’t mind heights. After leaving we carried on away from Parys towards the mountain range travelling through them on a dirt road and back to Parys. It was a really beautiful area and was all farmland with a game reserve for part of the way. At one point we saw monkeys in a tree and stopped to have a look. Diane refused to get out of the car and couldn’t believe that we had actually stopped. I really must stop her watching TV! ‘The Hills Have Eyes’ was not a good movie for her to watch and her sense of adventure has been somewhat dampened though we did manage to make her get out further on to check out the view down into the valley. When we got back into Parys we stopped to get a juice before carrying on for home. Going past Feast again we noticed that the car park was still full. We arrived home just before five and no sooner were we home then Margaret, Julie and Jared popped in to say Hi. They had been at the circus farm for a kid’s party and stopped by on their way home. We chatted and had something to drink before they left at six. I quickly finished the blog for Friday/ Saturday and the rest of the evening was spent watching ‘Lewis’ on TV – there were two shows back to back which we both really enjoyed. When that was finished we had our Milo and spent time playing Letters in the Sand on the computer before eventually going to bed at about one. Being hooked on computer games is bad for one’s health, though Diane maintains they are good for one's brain (stops one losing their marbles).

My Mother’s Day had really been a wonderful and memorable one. I hope all you Mothers out there had an equally fabulous day.

Cheers and have a Fantastic Week.

End of week

Thursday was up to another overcast day. Had my chill looking out the window again which seems to be becoming a habit now. I sure miss chilling under the trees but am not complaining about the rain as the years of low rainfall and trees dying are not pleasant memories. Hubby started his day working on the Deke which apparently had a flange on the water pipe giving problems. Unfortunately it broke while he was working on it and him and Wayne went off to the workshop to make another one. This one was to be in brass as the broken one was in cast iron which it seems is not so good. Diane and I spent the day working - me with office work and her with her computer homework. I did a bit more washing as the weather cleared slightly. Hubby returned home late afternoon in time for a prospective car club member to come show his car (Pontiac) off and to enquire about joining the Piston ring. While they were playing cars outside I made supper. It was all ready and they were still playing cars so Diane and I ate on our own. We had just finished when they came in to eat. After everyone had eaten I cleaned the kitchen and then chilled in front of the TV with the usual Milo. Diane and Wayne went off to News Café for a chill time together.On Friday was able to chill under the trees again as the chairs were dry and the rain held off. After breakfast was over Hubby was off to Alberton as he had a day of visiting and chilling with friends with a brief stop to check that all was on track at the workshop. Diane and Wayne headed off to Treehaven Bird Park to take pics while` poor hard-done-by me’ carried on with office work. Life can be cruel sometimes! The two of them were back at lunchtime with some Chinese take-aways. I had prawn fried rice which I enjoyed. Poor Diane who had ordered vegetarian noodles got prawn noodles – much to her disgust. Wayne entertained us with some music again after which I went to chill with my book. Late afternoon Donovan came to take Wayne for the weekend. Hubby was still out with his friend and as Diane was starving the two of us went off to Steers. I had a Steak roll and chips while Diane had a veggie burger and chips which she really enjoyed. Hubby had prawn noodles for supper. We didn’t tell him it was Diane’s unwanted food of course! Luckily with all the takeaways the kitchen was clean and we were able to chill in front of the TV watching `Madagascar : Escape to Africa’ which we both enjoyed. After that was ` Lie to me’ which is a really good series – at least I think so! We had our Milo and were off to bed fairly early so that I could read more of my book.

The festive Season

Christmas Eve
Had set my alarm for 4.00am but Hubby was a better alarm as he woke me with a cup of coffee and a slice of toast before the time. I had just finished when the alarm went off. We both got ourselves dressed, sorted the dogs and left for the airport. We were both so excited as we were off to fetch Diane. It was about five once we had parked at the airport. The trip through had been quick and uneventful thanks to the early time and time of year - the road works are at a standstill until the new year. Hubby headed for the loo while I checked the arrivals board. The plane had landed half an hour earlier so after giving up waiting for Hubby I headed for the arrivals point. I just made it as Diane came through within five minutes. We were really thrilled to see each other and Diane was glad to be back on South African soil. After a wait for Hubby who didn’t materialize we went upstairs to the food court to look for him. There was no sign of him and after about ten minutes I told Diane to stay there while I went back down to look for him. Sure enough he was there waiting for Diane to come through and wondering where I was. We went back up to Diane and then headed to Wimpy for breakfast. Nothing can beat a Wimpy Breakfast!! Once we had eaten and had several cups of coffee we headed home arriving back by seven.The morning was spent chilling under the trees chatting and catching up on each other’s news.At about one we headed into Alberton. First stop was the workshop where Uncle Ivan was waiting for us so he could head off to his daughter ready for Christmas. He wasn’t there but had walked down to the shops. Diane and I went looking for him while Hubby waited there with Faizel (checking how he was doing). We found Uncle Ivan and gave him a lift back up to the workshop. After things were sorted out we left for Angie’s where we were having a big get-together for Christmas. Angie is in the catering industry and she puts on an impressive spread. We spent a fabulous afternoon socializing, eating, drinking and generally having a great time together. Those that we had Oz souvenirs for were thrilled with their Kangaroos and Koalas. It was well after seven by the time we left and almost dark. We stopped at the Randhart Woolies food store for Christmas Day supplies before heading home. Everyone was really tired now especially Diane – jet lag was starting to be felt. We were all in bed shortly after nine as it had been a very long day.
Christmas Day
Hubby was up first around eight and made us breakfast in bed. I could really get used to this life of leisure. It will be a rude awakening when the workshop re-opens and life is back to the normal routine. After a leisurely morning chilling outside we all went for a nap as the heat and long day yesterday was still affecting us. I surfaced first and decided as it was too hot to be outside and picnic as we had planned so decided to cook instead. I roasted potatoes, made veg and rice and carved the chicken from Woolies. Diane woke and put out all the Christmas Décor on the table. We really enjoyed our Christmas Lunch which we finished off with a pudding we had found at Woolies. It was a jelly smothered in all sorts of fresh berries and strawberries and it was perfect for the hot weather. The rest of the day was spent chilling and watching Christmas shows on TV. After the full day yesterday we certainly needed our quiet relaxing day.
Boxing Day
Wonderful Hubby was up first again and brought us breakfast in bed. Life sure is good. After clearing the kitchen and feeding the dogs we decided to take the Sunbeam for a drive to Parys. It was a gorgeous day with the sun shining in a brilliant blue sky. I drove going through Vanderbijl and past the Barrage to get there as it is a more scenic route. Everywhere was so lush and green after all the rain we have had. At the end of the Barrage road we noticed a farm with a Tea Garden sign. The place was full of cannas in flower including red ones. Hubby loves red cannas and said we should stop there on the way back and see if they had red ones for sale. We reached Parys about twelve and drove around looking at all the food, craft and antique spots deciding which place looked the best to eat at. Everywhere looked good but we settled on a coffee shop cum restaurant and deli called Feasts. The decision was an excellent one. Feasts was set inside a lovely herb garden with fountains. The deli had very unusual chutneys and jams. The menu was impressive and it was not easy deciding what to eat. Hubby settled on a rump steak with chips and veg, Diane chose vegetarian pasta and I had a chicken pasta. We were all really pleased with our choice. Diane’s meal was so good that she polished everything off (She always takes home a doggy bag). Hubby had beans and pumpkin as his veg and said that the beans were the best ever (they were sprinkled with herbs). His steak was so tender it just melted in the mouth. The cheese sauce on my pasta was the tastiest and cheesiest I have ever tasted. We had our glass of red wine with our meal. After that delicious meal we knew we couldn’t leave without sampling a dessert. We all settled for a honey and cinnamon cheesecake. Luckily the portion wasn’t too big as the cheesecake was too good to waste any of it. By the time the meal was finished we could hardly move (we very rarely ever have a dessert when dining out) but our taste buds had just had the treat of their lives. We will definitely go back there. That place is very lucky to have such an outstanding chef. After our meal we wandered around the town walking off our meal and checking out the shops. Parys is a lovely town and the perfect tourist destination. Hubby remembers what a popular spot it was when he was growing up. He and his family spent many weekends there. After our walk Hubby drove us around the town and down to the river where the old swing bridge is.We left Parys late afternoon and went back the same way stopping at the Bon-Af Berry Farm which we had noticed on our outward trip. The farm has been in the family for five generations since 1839 and was very interesting with a museum above the tea shop. They have a very large berry orchard growing about seventy types of berry. We were given a short lecture on berry growing and then let loose in the orchard where we could sample as much as we liked. It is not a place to go to after eating a huge lunch but we were able to sample several different kinds of berry. Unfortunately Hubby had no luck with getting a red canna but did buy several cape gooseberry plants as well a blueberry plant. After a cup of rooibos at the tea room we left for home arriving back at about six. After such a food-filled day none of us could even think about food so we just chilled outside under the tree until thunder and lightning drove us inside. The storm lasted most of the night. We spent the evening watching TV before having a Milo and going to bed. We really did have a fabulous day out and can’t wait to go back there for a repeat performance. Very few of us realize what wonderful places we have on our doorsteps.
Cheers and all the very best for the Festive Season.