Bad Haircut Result...

A while ago I went for a haircut.

I came home and examined the haircut.

Bad haircut in my opinion.

I thought... "How can I manage this?"

Go and find your curlers and curl your hair.

Curls hide a multitude of sins in my opinion.

I have had so many compliments!

Makes me wonder...

"How bad was it before...?"

This hair curled feels old-fashioned to me.

Almost time for hairdresser attention again.

Where do I go?

I feel uncertain right now.

I'm sure I shall know what to do when the time arrives.

Patio Project Progress

Painting cornice in thebathroom,

and struts for the roof-to-come.

Pause to Refresh...

 This rock looks like a giant tortoise doesn't it? 

The pink lilies are starting to flower on the forest walk...

They are beautiful.

 Sweet little blue flowers blooming along the ground under the trees.

I loved the 'pattern' in this ground cover.

Visiting the Botanic Garden helps me keep unspotted from my world.

Promise of Rain...

We went down to Thyme Restaurant Little Falls for supper last Friday.

Gorgeous promising clouds...

very little rain.

We are thankful for every single drop!

We went for a meandering drive Saturday afternoon.

Wonderfully cool and cloudy.

Very little rain...

And periodically a drenching downpour!

"God's in His heaven... all's right with the world."

from the book "Pippa Passes."

Patio Project - January 23rd

 We have a sliding door for the new bathroom!

It needs painting now, and a trim for the top of the rail.

Finicky work...

Well done Glenn! 

Thank you! 

A Needed Weekly Retreat

On a bench at the Botanic Garden.

"All the flowers of all the tomorrows

are in the seeds of today."

Indian proverb

Indeed.

I enjoyed watching the family of guinea fowl near the waterfall.

I'm so glad I took our children paddling in the waterfall pool before they closed access.

A little boy was crestfallen to spill his crisps on the grass.

I was glad to be able to take a couple of pictures

of the group of guinea fowl from closer up.

This is for you Samuel and Isaac!

Ethan's High School Concert

Glenn, Vi and I went along Tuesday afternoon to the 3pm 

grandparents' performance of Ethan's grade 8 concert - 

new High School learners' concert.

I loved the stained glass windows in the hall.

And their school motto...

Some scenes - 

Ethan is in the back row of the group below - 

the right one of the two taller boys near the centre.

Huge intake of newie grade 8's!

A riotous school war-cry led by the prefects (I am told)

after which the school song was heartily sung.

Final words from the coordinating teacher.

A good way to spend those probably one and a half hours.

Rain, Rain, Glorious Rain!

The last couple of days our temperatures have been in the 17 - 27C range.
A Tender Mercy!
And we have had soft soaking rain the last two days with a forecast 60% chance
of more rain today.
I am truly thankful.
Thank you God for everything!

The Last Few...

 I have enjoyed the flowers flowering so much!

Clouds! So Welcome!

We have had very welcome rain the last week or so...

When I took Les and Sally to the airport (Lanseria) Thursday 14th

I meandered back through The Cradle of Humankind.

I stopped and enjoyed the cool, the silence, 

the alone-ness, the expansive vistas, and the clouds.

Good for my Soul!

Scarlett is Blessed

Happy Day!

Last Sunday afternoon (10th) Scarlett was blessed at Doug and Nadia's home

by Dom assisted by both Grandpa's Laurence and Les, Doug, Glenn and Alex ( Dom's friend).

Sweet occasion.

So wonderful to see Scarlett pink and peaceful!

Celebration dinners were brought by each party and shared.

Yum!

IF...

Long ago I gave my Dad a copper plaque

like this with one of his favourite peoms

If

by Rudyard Kipling.

He put it up next to his desk.

I was rather taken with it myself.

Once in a Charity Shop I saw the same issue of the plaque as I gave my Dad.

I gratefully bought it.

It is next to our front door.

I am reminded of the noble principles of the poem

every time I walk outside.

If

If you can keep your head when all about you

 Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,

  But make allowance for their doubting too;

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,

  Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,

Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,

  And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;

  If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim;

If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster

  And treat those two impostors just the same;

If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken

  Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,

Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,

  And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings

  And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,

And lose, and start again at your beginnings

  And never breathe a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew

  To serve your turn long after they are gone,

And so hold on when there is nothing in you

  Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on!”

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,

  Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch,

If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,

  If all men count with you, but none too much;

If you can fill the unforgiving minute

  With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,

Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,

  And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son.

Thank you Rudyard Kipling for penning these lines.

Patio and House Projects

Tiling done - grouting to come.

Les helped.  Thanks Les!

 Inside patio room walls painted. 

 Bathroom ceiling plastered

Vi's flat toilet seat - patched and painted. 

Light for the Us-Doug and Nadia- properties interleading walkway 

installed with a motion censor.

Thanks Les for spurring us on!

Light outside flat into garden connected.

Thanks again Les!

Grouting done.
Basin installed, toilet being installed. 

For perspective of the two new outside lights.

Hail Storm...

Les and Sally borrowed my car 

to visit Sally's brother, Ed, and family.

Twenty minute hail storm!

As it started Les went out and drove the car under a tree.

It started hailing even harder, so he stayed in the car until the hail abated.

Some more pictures.

The car is pock-marked anyway.

Imagine what it would have been if Les hadn't moved the car to some shelter.

When I tried to phone the insurance company on Monday morning

there was no getting through.

In the afternoon I reported it and am waiting for a consultant to phone me back.

She asked where the car had been when the damage occurred -

when I said "Featherbrooke" she said

"Oh, that's one of the areas worst hit."

So... we wait and see what repairs need doing.

I'm grateful for insurance!