PROGRESS WITH JOURNAL

This is a collection of pics I will be using in my journal .... a collage of things that I love and am writing about; for instance, the heart of candles. It was Earth Hour at 8.30 PM, 26 March 2011. We duly switched off all lights and I decided to do something worthy of photographing with candles. I came up with my heart-shaped little flames. I think it is a good reminder for me to conserve, conserve, conserve : )

The sandcastles; built on Blouberg Beach by Nicole and the boyz. Dan and I 'helped', and what a magnificent structure it turned out to be. Love it cos it reminds me of that day on the beach with the grandkids, frolicking in the freezing waves; one of which nearly swallowed them up. The water suddenly lost it's charm!! Home for something hot to drink ...

Next time they visit, I'm sure they will once again want to play in the sea; the scary moment forgotten ... life goes on.

The wall hanging consists of a huge frame with strings and sometimes gut, threaded with shells, small bits of driftwood, big and small beads, miniature frames and the odd guinea-fowl feather. The frame originally held an ancient tapestry, brown with age ... held no appeal for me, so after taking out the tapestry, I sprayed the frame gold and started my 'masterpiece'. It has changed a few times, updating the design and using new beads etc, moving with us from house to house.

My ideal garden is low-maintenance ... plants, stones, paving, gravel; that's what I'm talking about! The strip which is our 'back yard' is all of 2m wide, the only sunshine peeping in for about an hour or so at midday. Not an ideal grass-growing area. Even herbs and veggies struggle to do well there ... the only option is my personal favourite; gravel with a small bedding for plants. The half-moon shaped brickwork is in imitation of the 'Sun Paving' of the driveway, done by 'yours truly'; lots of back-work, scuffed knuckles and broken nails! The sleeper that edges the bedding is the cat's favourite scratch post : )

Let me see what else is in my collection of fave pics I will be writing about in my journal ...

Aahh! I remember the big photo frame that Nicole helped me with. We 'scrapbooked' the collection of family photos ... She is very creative and we spent a happy hour or two making that.

The small frame with the first 3 grandkids in, I did by myself. Something different from the normal, plain 'photos in a frame' look!

The last items today is a pair of Mosaic Tables. This is the first time that I attempted this art form. I must say, I thoroughly enjoyed the putting together of the colours and lines. Next time I will attempt something with a bit more curve and shades ...

For a person not fond of storytelling, I am finding the journalling quite thought-provoking and find myself digging up memories ... some funny, some important; nevertheless, some day in the future, it will be a collection of ME left behind for my family to keep ^v^

Who else is writing a life-journal? Let me know what special thoughts you are including : )

Catching up ...

It's raining outside and another day for writing, reading and other indoorsy stuff. A good day to catch up with unanswered post and neglected journals and scrapbooking. I could of course, play sudoku alllll day, but that would not accomplish much. I am rather addicted to it though : )

I have been reading other blogs, some very interesting and relevant to my situation; caring for a parent with dementia. I never thought other people felt the things I am feeling; guilt mostly ... It seems to be the most common downfall. Privacy and taking time off/away, is another huge issue. I will keep reading these, written by people living in the same situation as myself. I appreciate that my situation is in some ways not as severe as theirs, but it makes me feel more sane to know that the feelings I have are quite normal :-l

O no, gotta go

xx till next time

WEEKEND EASY COOKING

One thing nobody wants to do on the weekend is to slave over the stove all day ...

But we need to eat : ) so the solution is to pick easy dishes, maybe that the family can get involved in preparing!

I had some cooked snoek left over from the other day, so decided to make a Seafood Pasta, just adding some mussels to make it go further.

I fried a chopped onion, added garlic, a touch of chilli, chopped dill and seasoning. I then added a drained tin of mussels and the left-over flaked snoek. On the side, I made a white sauce and cooked the pasta. Mix seafood with white sauce and add cooked pasta. Garnish and serve.

Quick, easy, TASTY. A glass of wine on the side, good company .... mmmmmm. That's what I'm talking about : )

What is your favourite recipe for the weekend?

What? Four seasons in 1 day ...

Can't believe it!! Barely an hour ago, it was raining cats an dogs; now the sun is shining ... of course no guarantee that the rain won't be back today! One of those 'four seasons in 1 day' cases.

No problem, I'm happy with rain or sunshine.

There are of course much worse things that can happen in a persons life. We are grateful for every minute of our lives. We might not have much, but love what we have!

Happy day, everyone : )

Mwaa xx

RAIN RAIN RAIN !!

Rain at last! I could almost hear the plants sigh of relief : )

Of course, along with the rain comes the cold .... brrr .... NOW it feels like Winter. Although this morning showed off some blue skies, the dark clouds soon moved in, and as I write, the patter of rain can be heard on the windows. Yes, another day of rain ahead .... so got to think of things to do indoors. What better to do with the time than to catch up with unwritten blogs, email replies to friends and indoor chores and crafts.

I am busy compiling a journal of sorts; of my life, loves and tales. Something to leave for my family to enjoy looking at, one day when I'm either not here or too senile to remember all these details ... Now that my mom has dementia, there is no way to hear all the wonderful memories that she might have enthralled us with, all the recipes she made as she went along, all the family history... That's what inspires me to get this project under way. Put on pages colors, patterns, pictures, words and ideas that make us each unique. I found a book in the local library that gave me some brilliant ideas of just what is possible. It is called: The Decorated Page : )

I am not a terribly artistic person, although I have a good eye for proportion and color, so these ideas appeal to me. Some pages are literally just soaked in tea LOL

Just up my alley!! That said; I think it is time for a cuppa tea : ) ciao for now ....

WHATS WITH THE WEATHER??

July is the middle of our winter months here in the Southern Hemisphere ... supposed to be. But this year, instead of our normal rainy days and icy air, we are experiencing what is called an 'Indian Summer'; weeks of warm sunny weather. It is very enjoyable, I must say, but soooo unseasonal! The tree in the yard that always loses its leaves and stands naked till September, is now proudly showing off fresh, lime-green baby leaves. Forever to be confused...

On the other hand, futher up the coast, where it is supposed to be sunny, dry weather, it is freezing, raining and snowing! Maybe we will experience 'late rains'. As I speak, clouds have gathered and look ominous ... so this may be the turning point. No standing with the hose today, quenching the gardens thirst. We have been warned to get out the winter woolies and to wrap up warmly when venturing outside. At last, maybe I will still be able to use my winter coat. Better go and take it out of its Coat Bag and shake it out!

I wonder what I will be able to do with Willow today, as we normally enjoy walking up and down the driveway and sitting on a blanket on the driveway in the warm sun ...

WEEKEND!!

Aahhh! A good weekend .... how do you define a Good Weekend?

For starters, I would say that friends & family are a vital ingredient : )

Next, you need a plan ... get-together, outing or a trip; there's a good start. Good weather is of course, a bonus! Money is not always necessary, but does come in handy LOL

Don't make the mistake of having an over-filled weekend which leaves you exhausted and not keen to repeat the intended experience.

Take photos. It's fun to look back at happy memories made.

So ... one of the places you can put on your 'Fun for the Weekend' list is: Fairview Wine & Cheese Farm near Paarl. Kid-friendly, easy access, fantabulous cheeses and wines & a fine restuarant.

Sharing with friends, discussing their favourites and walking about tasting the different wines and cheeses on offer, makes for a very enjoyable few hours. I could not make up my mind which wine was the best. I think it ended up between the Riesling and the Late Harvest. As for the cheeses, the White Vein cheese with Apricot is a winner! O, and the Cream Cheeses ... yum. Into the basket it had to go : )

On our way there, we could see snow on the surrounding mountains. On the way back, along a alternative road, we spotted our next week's destination; Butterfly World.

Just the thing for a Sunday afternoon.

So, if you live in and near Cape Town, there is a multitude of interesting and wonderful places to explore. Don't sit at home .... get together with some friends and make some memories!

Colby & Levi

Colby and Levi have the best life on the farm .... a real boys world! Busy life; learning to swim, ride bike, school.

I wonder if Colby still loves to wash dishes?

The new puppy, Penny, gets her fair share of attention ... Lots of training still to do. Also a Labrador, like Lily, I am sure she will be a good family dog. 2 down, 1 to go. I hear that it is better to have 3 dogs than 2. Whats the next doggie gonna be?

Levi has become much more sociable, chattering away. Not so shy at all! Still loves dinosaurs. Who knew that there were so many wheat-free products?!? I am amazed about the dishes that Nicole turns out for him...

Can't wait to see them again later this year!

Derby and Benjamin

Benjamin is next in line ... laughing at life, busy busy boy. I hear he is pulling some of his daddy's tricks, so I say : it's payback time! LOL I just love the little boytjie outfits in the stores .... nearly as irresistible as the girly things.

Derby has one more year, then it's Teenage time. I think she is going to be an awesome teenager. She has so many people in her life that love her! Growing up beautiful, mwaa!

Willow

Willow has grown in leaps and bounds! One minute a newborn, helpless and still; now nearly 9 months old and cute as a button, chattering and dancing (well, sort of). Doesn't want to know about crawling, wants to hit the ground running ha ha. It is such a treat to watch her progress. We don't have the opportunity to see all the grandchildren grow up in front of us ... more of a long-distance thing.

More news on each families kids coming .....

DAILY LIFE

The days fly by, disappearing over the horizon like a fast-forward sunset ... leaving us wondering 'what happened to the days'?

I thought it a good idea to share some of the supper recipes I have tried over the last month or two, dishes I don't normally make. One of these, by windfall of a shared box of SNOEK, is a very first for me. I have not quite mastered the art of cooking Fish, so went on the hunt for recipes to prepare this huge fish. Quite different from the usual box of frozen fish I normally would open and arrange neatly in a casserole dish, sprinkle some seasoning & lemon juice over and pop in the oven... no wonder I have had no success with the fish dishes!! ha ha

Back to the Snoek. I must say, it turned out to be quite a feast. It was so big, that we shared it with our neighbours (J&M) and both of us had left-overs to make a second dish the next day or two. I made a Snoek Quiche and M made Pasta a la Snoek : )

Let me now tell you how I made the original Snoek Bake. It was in a filleted state, so I mixed together about a cup of Apricot jam, a cup of Lemon juice, a couple of cloves crushed garlic, about half a cup olive oil, 1 tablespoon Curry pwd. Season with Mixed Herbs, Salt and Ground Pepper and a wee bit of Chopped chillies (just for taste). I spread some of this on a sheet of foil laid in a baking tray, lay the snoek on top of this and then spread the rest of the mixture over the fish. Cover with another piece of foil and place in the oven (not switched on). Leave to marinade for a couple of hours, if possible (at least one hour). Then I baked it for about 20min, took off the top foil and grilled for a couple of minutes. Voila!! Dish up and eat!

A brilliant accompanying dish is Savoury Rice. But honestly, you can serve it with pasta, mash (any style potatoes really).

For the Snoek Quiche of the next evening, I used frozen Pastry to line a square dish. I fried an onion, added the shredded Snoek and 3 eggs beaten with a cup of milk. Poured into the shell and topped with grated cheese, it was ready to hit the oven. It was baked for 35min and served with a green salad.

It was a huge success. For the next Snoek, I plan a slightly different version. More later ...