President Ramaphosa Inaugurated

Good morning -  

Today’s WINTER temperatures – 14 and 22C… 17 and 24 a few days ago - 

eat your heart out!!!!

We’ve moved from the greener season to the green one…

I’ll enjoy it for as long as we are here.

National Presidential inauguration over

Here’s hoping for a better 5 years than the last 10 years we have had…

We essentially haven't watched TV for almost three years...

I’m glad we got to see some of it at John and Brenda’s before we headed off 

to lunch at my favourite Spur in Amanzimtoti…

Granny Vi loves to go there!

There was hardly anyone there!

We had good service – as usual, and quick!  That’s unusual…

But the place is so lovely that I don’t mind the wait.

I love to gaze out of the windows and enjoy the sea.

We are moving fr0m our container office to the Missionary Housing.

I am taking down all the photos on my wall here and marking them and 

storing them for historical purposes…

Big job.

Lots of Prestik (blu-tack sort of) used over the last 2 ½ years…

Time for new visitors visas to visit the UK!

I love you!

Mom/Judy

At last… I got around to getting new spectacles…  Happy Day!

Sunday Afternoon - 26th May 2019 - "What's Missing?"

Every now and again I ask myself "What's Missing...?
What's missing in my life? What's too much?  What's too little?

Sometimes the answer comes immediately.
Sometimes I need to ask the questions more than a few times
for the answer to rise to my consciousness.

Then it's "What 'seeds' do I need to plant and nurture in my life?"
Or "Who do I need to spend some time with?"
Or... "Who or what do I need to spend less time with?"
Or "What do I need to stop doing?"
"What do I need to get serious about?"
"What do I need to lighten-up about?"

This week it was - "Oh!  I've not had to think about this before!"

We had five lovely visitors last weekend for Durban Temple related work -
Two from USA, one each from South Sudan (born in India),
Johannesburg (born in Zimbabwe) and Uganda.

They did their work on Saturday.
They had more work to do Sunday afternoon at Berea Chapel at 2pm.

We were one of two transporting cars.
We and our colleague Mark were asked on Saturday evening -
"Where can we get a quick lunch for the eight of us after Church and
before our afternoon meeting tomorrow?"

Well!  We go occasionally to family - or come home for lunch on Sundays!
So does Mark.
Or we pack a picnic.
Those weren't possible - distance and time.
They were staying in hotels in Umhlanga - too far time wise.
And... we seldom eat out in Durban.

I researched on-line Saturday evening and came down to two options.
Piatto (general fare,) and Nadia's Curry Cafe (good Durban Curry)
 - both at Ushaka Marine World, Durban beachfront - close enough.
Our visitor from Kenya had last "been to the ocean" five years ago...
That probably influenced my search...
So near, and yet so far... a pity not to go and be near the sea for a little...
He is afraid of the ocean - so no temptation there...

Well!  It was some official walk or other along the Durban promenade
and along parts of the M4 coastal highway.
The close-to-the-venues parking area was closed to us, open to their buses.
There were lots, and lots, and lots! of walkers in their orange and yellow T shirts.

We parked further away, and had a fair walk to our two choices.
The eight of us in our Sunday best must have looked really odd to the walkers...

The Zulu dancers and their drums and gymnastics were performing
in the courtyard outside our final choice - Nadia's Curry Cafe.
We could hardly hear ourselves speak!
Our visitors were gracious.  They enjoyed the show and took photographs...
The dancers moved off to another part of Ushaka.
We enjoyed sharing good curry and good conversation.
And just as well that we decided on Nadia's... Piatto is closed for renovations!
John Dory's (fish) would have been another alternative - if I'd known about it...
Moyo's (good African food) was my first choice - their food reviews were poor.

Well!  Our curry was good!
Our conversations were good!
And we got back to the Chapel in leisurely time for their two pm gathering.

While they were in their meeting I attended the Durban Stake choir practice.
I thoroughly enjoyed myself!  I love choir singing.
Then I started preparing for the Relief Society lesson I facilitated this morning.
Then we transported our two back to Umhlanga
All in all my Sabbath day turned out really well - I felt refreshed by my activities.

So - "What was missing..."
I'll look into more suitable venues for another such request.
I'll think of me-prepared lunches to put together in a hurry.
I have a Spar supermarket at the entrance of our Estate, so that's possible...
Maybe a picnic at the Botanical Gardens close by would be memorable and good...

I'll be able to make a more prepared choice next time -
if there is ever a next time!

Sunday Afternoon 19th May 2019 - Glen Ashley Beach

Some days on my way home from the site I just need to go and walk on the beach…

I did that last Thursday.

It was just so good to feel the breeze, hear the waves and have

the cool sand on me feet.

I came back to the car feeling like a new woman…

All this loveliness helps me make a contribution to the whole of making our world 

(wherever I am) a little better than it was before I came..

The sun ‘sets’ early here…

This was about 4pm, and leaving about 4:15 or so…

 

Saturday Morning - May 18th 2019 - Full moon

5:06am.  I am wide awake.

After cuddling a while with Glenn - he is/was also awake... he will go back to sleep - I know I won't...

...I came to our spare room.
The spare room is my "space."
I iron in here.  I hand-sew in here.
There is wonderful light in here.
It's also a place I get busy on what I want to do, and just close the door if I need to do something else.
My refuge.
The space where I think...
And BE...
 It's usually the place I cry when I need a good cry.
(Not so often any more...)

Some people get angry, some get aggressive, some slump into withdrawal or sullenness... I cry.
Crying helps me get to the point that I can figure "it" out, "let go," "forgive," (self and others) and reach "get over it" when I need to.

I live by...
"God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
and the wisdom to know the difference."

And sometimes...
"God grant me the serenity to accept the things I don't want to change,
Courage to change the things I want to,
and the wisdom to know the difference."

(Don't want to change - ever... or don't want to change, now.)

I also like "It's your life... live it well."  TV's Judge Judy.
And adapted... "It's my life... I'll live it well."

I usually study here, write in my journal, and read one of my four library books (the other three books are in the living area, the one (of two) bathroom, and next to my bed.) 
My clothes are in here - there is not enough cupboard space in our room.
I prefer these cupboards to our room cupboards.
I do my hair and make-up in here.

The first thing I do when I come here in the morning is open the curtains.
I absolutely love light, daylight.
I want as much as possible.
Sometimes I just fling the curtains open,
sometimes I inch them across quietly so as not to disturb Glenn in our room.

I'm glad I opened them this early morning - the moon is beautiful.

I came here this morning thinking, thinking, thinking of my parenting of my adult children.
I don't know "how to do" that.
How do you do that?!
Where do you learn that?!
I just do the best I can every day, every week.

Come to think of it...
I didn't know "how to" parent my younger children either!
I was more often very, very clear of how I didn't want to do it!
I learnt what I could along the way.
I put into practice what felt good, true and useful to me and them from the sources I searched for.

These are some of the things I'm glad I did with my parenting of my younger children.

I'm glad I loved them.
I really loved them as best I knew how.
I'm glad each of them came to me.
I'm glad I felt responsible for and to them.
I'm glad I did my best to protect them.
I'm glad I advocated for them as much as I knew about.
I'm glad I stood up for them, at home, at school, at church, in the extended family.
I'm glad I was not intimidated by them.
I'm glad we walked... and talked.
I'm glad we did the things we did together.
I'm glad we took drives as a family on public holidays.
I'm glad we went on an annual holiday - most years.
I'm glad I saw each of them as an individual as much as I did.
I'm glad I let them try as many things as I could let them try.
I'm glad I didn't boy-girl young-and-immature stereotype them.
I'm glad I learnt lessons in many aspects with them.
I'm glad I learnt from them.
I'm glad I did the best I could.
I'm glad for the good memories I have with each of them.

Of course I have regrets...
I'm sorry I wasn't more talk-to-able.
I'm sorry I couldn't be more than I could be at each given moment.
I'm sorry for being insensitive when I was.
I'm sorry I didn't know more than I knew about parenting each of them.
I'm sorry for anything that harmed them rather than helped them.

I choose to think back on the good times we had.
I choose to renew my commitment to parenting my adult children as well as I know how.

I hope we will make memories now, when we can, that will sustain us in our tougher times ahead.
There are always tough times ahead, as well as the lovely times to come!

Some memories I cherish with my adult children:
Talking together.
Walking together.
Being together.
Doing things together.
Learning together.
Sharing together.

I love being with them when I can.
I love watching them.
I love talking with them.
I admire so much in each of them.
I love what/who they are becoming.
I continue learning from each of them.
I'm glad I'm not more dependent than I am on any of them.
I'm glad for the extent to which they can love and appreciate me.
I'm glad they are my adult children.
I'm glad they are not more dependent on me than they are.

I hope for better times between us.
I hope for more compassion with each other.
I hope for more understanding of each other.
I hope for more mutual toleration and respect for each other.
I hope for more mutual support of each other.
I hope for more acceptance of each other.
I hope for good memories in the time we might still have together.

I know - one day this time together will be over.

I hope we will be glad for what we did and said in the time we had together.
I hope we'll be glad for what we didn't do and say in the time we had together.
I hope we'll look back and be glad for how we spent our time together.

Monday Evening - 13th May 2019 - Day 1111

It's one thousand, one hundred and eleven days since we were set apart for our mission - Day 1111.  I keep a list in my journal and mark off the days.  I started out with to day 1000.  I was sure that would be more than enough days of this mission.  I'm on to the second page I printed and added to my list.

I have been tearful today.
The tablet I have been using since 2013 to use at Church and in my morning scripture, magazine and other gospel study no longer supports the current software used by the Church.  I have been seeing the warning messages for... a long time, I think?  I can no longer download Ensign, New Era and Friend magazines on the tablet.  That's what made me investigate further yesterday evening.

This morning, studying on my laptop I just cried with sadness at this ending of the familiarity of my tablet, and probably some frustration with trying to figure out how to get what I want in a different format - another technology learning curve, and probably from being too long with too many people yesterday.

Maybe some missing my children on Mother's Day here in South Africa too...  I know I did my best... Actually, I know I did better than I on my own would have been able to do!  I know I was helped along by Angels on this side of the veil and by being Taught From On High.  And I know I was painfully less than adequate in my mothering through the 27 years I had one or more of our children at home.  I know I was 'enough' and also...  some days I am tender-hearted when I look back.

We visited Amanzimtoti for Church.  I always love being there.  We have visited for twenty odd years when we have been on holiday there, and several times since we have been here on Mission.  It's a small family-type of Ward with several elderly members - there are several retirement places close-by - along with the usual mix of younger people.  The Primary of about nine or ten young ones sang a  Mother's Day song.

After Church we went to John and Brenda's home and spent some time there.  John's brother Sam and his wife Rene joined us just after twelve and we took a drive through to Craig and Roxane's home for a braai celebrating Mother's Day and Kirsty's fifth birthday.

Some of the toys were noisy...

Other "activities" too -

Always good to come home!

On Saturday we visited Marionhill Monastery just outside Pinetown on Saturday morning.   I've wanted to visit there since I worked in the Equity Building Society many years ago (1963/4) where the Monastery invested in lots and lots of fixed deposits.

I'm sad to say... the precinct is in need of more maintenance than it gets...  I'm glad we took the trip though.  I thought of those who planned this monastery and other buildings in the grounds - out in the middle of... nowhere in those days?... and those who painstakingly built them starting in 1882.  The bricks are beautiful...  Lovely designs and workmanship in the buildings.

We got McDonalds snacks on Saturday and went down to one of our favourite spots at the beach to enjoy our meal there.

Tuesday...  I feel more able to tackle my challenges today!  Happy Day!

Sunday Afternoon - 5th May 2019 - Les and Sally Visit

National and Provincial elections upon us…

Election fever all around!

I pray that we may come through this highly charged time with some semblance of ‘free and fair’

– is that ever possible? Realistically? 

Last week Les and Sally visited for almost three days.

What a treat!

I took Friday off and went with them –

To the beach

To the Durban Botanical Garden - thanks Les for the photos including me - 

Robert Burns - 

Scottish original,

“O wad some Power the giftie gie us, to seeoursels as ithers see us!" 

Or, in modern English, 

“Oh would some Power the gift give us, to see ourselves as others see us.”

My favourite art installation in the Botanical Gardens.

My very favourite tree in KZN.  It's on my drive home from the site.  It is beautiful!

And the one in the Botanical Gardens.  I discovered what it is called!

I loved this view on our way out of the Botanical Gardens.

To the Pinetown museum at the library

And to Phezulu Safari Park to drink in the view of the Valley of a Thousand Hills

Les' photo of the thousand hills -

I think it was Sally who noticed this quote from Dr Seuss.  I love it!

It was a hazy day, so we didn’t see much - of the thousand hills.  We had a tranquil time there.

And on we go!

Remember always that I love you!

Mom

Judy