A WALK IN THE PARK

SPENT A DAY IN GOVERNMENT GARDENS

IN CAPE TOWN

FEEDING THE BIRDS & SQUIRRELS

THE CHILDREN LOVED IT!

A DAY IN SIMONSTOWN

TOOK A TRAIN TRIP TO SIMONSTOWN

Old buildings, Old cars

Look how colorful! & the ice cream was divine ...

HOLIDAY in SALDHANA

WENT TO SALDHANA FOR A FEW DAYS IN DECEMBER,

VISITING FRIENDS AND WALKING ON THE BEACH

RELAXING AND RECHARGING FOR THE NEW YEAR

See what else we did in the holidays ...

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