Supper with John and Brenda

 

 

Four Good Messages!

We stopped for lunch at Harrismith.

 

A family of a good looking Mom and four beautiful children walked in.

I was thrilled with the message on this boy's T shirt.

I asked if I could take a picture of it.

The little brother was delighted to be in the picture too.

 

I chuckled when I saw this one.

 I heartily agree with this one.

I did a mental check to see how I feel about foreigners in our country.

I can't imagine treating any one of them cruelly.

 

I noticed this one on our way down to KZN. 

My camera was not out.

So on our way home I was delighted to see it from the other side too.

I snapped away.

 

Life IS an adventure.

and... Change IS Beautiful.

 

I hope I remember these messages in the hard times!

 



Spectacular Lightning Storm

This is the photo I took of the lightning in the stunning storm in KZN in the few days we were at Stella Maris on the 11th floor this time.  I tried to take more!  No luck!  Lots of brighter pictures, but no other strike captured.

My Birthday Roses

Thank you Glenn.

I am loving them!

Annettte's Surprise Birthday Party

Some of the Young Adult 's enjoying a ball game.

Dom's sisters Rachel in the pink jeans,

and Sarah (about to leave for her mission at Temple Square)

the one with the bright pink sweater. 

Dom's brother Jonathan (I think) in the background.

Ethan's Cosmos blooming joyfully.

Some of the other party go-ers.

 

Dom's Dad is talking to Douglas.

The Birthday lady - Annette Wentzel - Dom's mother.

We were cold - Vi didn't join us - so we went back and had our braai supper with her.

Story - Welcome to Holland

"I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......

When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans.

The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.

After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."

"Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."

But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.

The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.

So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.

It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.

But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."

And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.

But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland."

by
Emily Perl Kingsley.

c1987 by Emily Perl Kingsley. All rights reserved

There is much that I have learnt and continue to learn from this precious story.

Patio Project 18th April continued...

Another loadshedding sign:

"We are fully guaranteed!"

And then a menu for when there is loadshedding.

I felt odd taking the picture with the person standing right there,

so I took this picture from further away.

Our Virginia creeper has gorgeous Autumn colours later on,

we see them beginning to change colour now.

Glenn and Neville working along on our patio project.

The boarding on the inside is all done on two walls, the west and north.

The south boards on the inside, and the whole east wall still to go.

In this picture they are sorting out the electrics.

See Neville kneeling on the ground next to Glenn?

I think they have enjoyed the comraderie.

I know their knees hurt...

There is a cushion there, and sometimes one or the other uses it.



Glenn and Judy Bray Day

 I started out at the crack of dawn visiting the Temple.

I sat next to Catherine Atkins Bibb.

(She is the age of my children -

We haven't been in the same Ward for many years.)

She leaned over and said "It's your birthday today isn't it?"

I said "Yes."

She wished me warm birthday greetings.

 

After the session I asked her "How did you know it is my birthday?"

"Oh, you are one of the special people in my life.

Your name is on my birthday calendar.

I noted your birthday, and now I got to sit next to you!"

She gave me a hug.

My heart was warmed...

 

My favourite avenue in Parktown.

I love it in all seasons.

I'm glad it is on my route.

 

Autumn deepens all around us.

I enjoy the lovely changing leaf colours. 

 

When I got home Vi, Glenn and I headed for Thyme at Little Falls.

We had an excellent breakfast. 

We like Thyme - it is in the valley near the Botanic Garden

and Little Falls.

Unusual cloud formations yesterday ...

The weather is changing.

I put on our electric blanket when I changed the sheets.

Today (Saturday) I put the heater on low.

Vi says "Your house is always warm!"

I said "I put the heater on when it is chilly..."

I enjoy the "We have a generator" signs all around.

I'll collate them and make a post sometime.

Some of them are quite ingenious...

We had load-shedding from 2pm 'till after eight yesterday.

I think it was supposed to be until 6:30,

but we had two or three 30 second splutters between 6:30 and 8pm.

 

We had a good celebration supper by candle-light:

(Lots of the meal cooked on the gas cooker top -

fortunately I made the brownies in the morning. 

I was just applying the fudge topping when the electricity went off.)

 

We had delicious potato, cucumber, onion and tomato salads, peas, carrots,

crumbed chicken strips (heated on the gas braai).

Apple juice, Mango juice and iced water to drink.

Brownies and Melk Tert with custard for dessert.

 

Wish you had been able to be here too!

 

Around the table from left to right:

 

Vi, Daena, Cabryn, Ethan, Nadia, Doug, Jarom, Cindy, Dom, Glenn.

 

We have been married 45 years,

Glenn is 66,

I am 70.

 

All on the 17th April!

We marked the occasion!

Thanks for your good wishes!

The Patio Project 18th April

A Change of Routine

 I had not the time to go to the Botanic Garden for Tai Chi this week.

I drove to our chapel grounds, walked around, selected a spot and did my Tai Chi routine.

Then I had a call I was expecting from Doug to go to Florida and do some business.

 

Tot siens chapel grounds... my time here was refreshing.

 

 

I fetched Doug at his new house.

Plumbing underway...

Ishmael, Doug and Dom.

The new bathroom to be in the second unit...

This screeding done in unit one, ready for floor.

Second unit work underway.

Dom and Cindy are due to move into the second unit at the end of the month.

The floor taken out in a pile to be carted away/used as firewood?

Day by day each life is built - Doug's life and mine - and yours too.

 

We went off to the Bank.

They were off-line for an hour and the Bank was locked-down.

One of the Customer Services people was at the door about to go into the Bank.

We explained our situation and got

personal attention outside the door of the Bank!

 

I walked away thinking... "Another Tender Mercy..."

I feel cared-for, cared-about - blessed, again.