Skywatch Friday :

Sunrise - Ballito, Kwa Zulu Natal a few years ago ... my favourite sunrises

For more spectacular skies around the world go to Skywatch

Wordless Wednesday :

Japanese Gardens, Kew Gardens, London

For more Wordless Wednesday contributions go here and here

Not pleased !!

Last week I had a head cold .. sniffles, blocked sinus etc so went off to the pharmacy to get some "Nurofen for colds and flu". I have had it once before .. last year .. and it worked well .. so thought this time it would do the trick. I needed to stop the cold before it turned into genuine flu ... I don't much like flu .. so try and avoid it !!!

It's an over-the-counter medication .. ask and you get. To put you in the picture, I have been suffering from yo-yo'ing blood pressure since the beginning of the year and my doctor - last month - increased the blood pressure tablets. I don't take a high dosage anyway, so the increased amount is still not a lot.

I didn't take many of the "Nurofen for colds and flu" - probably for two days and then only at night for about two nights after that.

Over the weekend my metabolism went wonky .. anxiety was the result .. the whole weekend. It continued yesterday so, off I toddled to the doctor, who examined me thoroughly .... again .. as he had done about a month ago. My blood was normal. I had taken a calmative which he had prescribed for me about a year ago when I was given an anti biotic for flu, by another doctor as I was 'dying' over a weekend and my doctor was off that weekend! The calmative was working, but I still felt I needed reasurrance that I was OK.

Having told him about my cold and all the rest of the 'stuff' that went with last week (hubby going in for biospy and subsequent relief that all was well) as well as the 'Nurofen for colds and flu' - he said it's the ingredient - Pseudoephedrine - that has caused the anxiety. I should never have been sold this stuff over the counter with my history of hypertension. The drug causes heart pulpitations, increased blood pressure .. and all the things that are bad for me !!!! But of course, the chappie behind the counter doesn't ask any questions like "do you suffer from hypertension etc etc" - he just wants to sell the goods.

Now it has to take time for this stuff to get out of my system ..... so I am popping calming tablets to keep me sane!!!

Went off to the dentist today (my normal 6 monthly appointment - yes, we are very good with our teeth and our bi - annual visits!!!) - was a bit of an effort but kept telling myself that "I am normal ... I am normal ... I am normal .... and .... I can do this .. I can do this ... I can do this" My dentist always asks how I am (naturally) and whether my hubby is here or away (he is usually away on business when I go for my check-ups) I told him about my problem and he said with shocked expression .. "but that stuff should never be sold over the counter - pseudoephedrine was taken off the market a while ago .... it looks like "they've" brought it back!"

How many more people have suffered like me, I wonder?

Weekly Winners :

My balance has been off sometimes .... lately ...

... not sure how to get it back ... ... maybe sunshiny yellow roses ...

... maybe pretty tulips ..

... a plastic tree ? ...

.. cars on top .... and inside ..

... vroom ... vroom ...

... definitely one happy little boy always makes me smile and lifts my spirits .....

For more Weekly Winners visit Lotus here

Skywatch Friday :

I feel like ringing that bell ... we have had good news today ... very good news !! Yay !! My hubby had a biopsy on Monday and he has got the 'all clear' !!

IT IS A BEAUTIFUL DAY !!!

Just like it was when I took this photo on our recent trip to the Cape ...

Bell at Dutch Reformed Church built in 1847, Franschoek, Western Cape

For more spectacular skies around the world visit Skywatch

Moments like this ...

... make me smile ! ... No .. it's not the full tank of petrol !!!!!!



.. sometimes they make me just a little sad ... a milestone for my car .. but 'her' mileage (kilometres as we have here) will never be the same again .. and that makes me sad ...

.. but it always makes me smile .. kind-of a thrill in fact .. that I was watching the numbers click over at that precise time !! 011111 happened yesterday ... a moment in time !!

The other day on one of our local radio stations - 702 - the question was asked 'what gives you a thrill?' Listeners either phoned in, sent sms's or emails to the host of the programme .. one of them was that she/he watches the kilometre gauge reach 'milestones'. I do it too!!

It also made me think of all the tiny little things that give me a 'thrill' .. a 'lift' for a moment ... put a smile on my face .... I will just share one :

.. when my grandson, Bradley, was younger (before Connor was born) I used to stop on the way home from his nursery school at the empty local school's playing field, and we used run .... and run ... and twirl .... and twirl ... with arms stretched out wide .. the whole world was ours !!!

I must do it with Connor ..

What is your moment in time that gives you that little lift?

Wordless Wednesday :

Uva Mira Wine Estate, Stellenbosch, Western Cape

For more Wordless Wednesday contributions go here and here

Weekly Winners :

The weekend started with a grey, heavy mist on Friday morning, most unusual for our area ...


.. and then everything turned pink on Saturday ...



.. when Erin came to stay with us for the weekend ... (she just LOVES pink !)



... she was absolutely delighted when I took out two of Elaine's Barbies ...

.. perfectly posed for the photo shoot ...

.. "Barbie ... you WILL fit into the Barbie car ..."

... "B A A A R R B I E E E S" !!!

... " he he he " !!! Happy girl !!!

Then Erin got hold of my camera and started snapping away .... that's hubby and I !!

For more Weekly Winners go to Lotus' blog

Skywatch Friday :

Not at all spectacular but this is what our garden is looking like right now - 7.00 am (Friday)...


... very very unusual for this area, this part of Johannesburg, to be shrouded in thick mist ...


.. put's a kind-of romantic feel to the garden that I see every single day !!!!

Photo below is taken from the dining room window toward the back garden (for those who have seen my garden photos before - look at the height of the hydrangeas - closest to camera on right .. they are mid-window height!) They never cease to amaze me .. how they grow out of their very old gnarled base into specimens of grandeur! :)


For spectacular skies around the world visit Skywatch

Wordless Wednesday : Thirsty?

For more Wordless Wednesday contributions go here and here

I wish I could tell my Mum...

..that the beautiful bride in this photo has recently made contact with my cousin through Rhodesian's Worldwide ... she used to work for the accounting company his Dad and my Dad used to own in Bulawayo. The company still exists today ...with our family name, but sadly no members of the family are there anymore.


She asked after our families remembering the two little boys at her wedding being the sons of one of the partners ... and also the little flower girl on the left of photo.

That's me !!! aged 5 .. in 1957 !!

It was the one and only time I have ever been a flower girl or bridesmaid and it was on the occasion of her wedding. The wedding reception was held in our beautiful garden ...

It was the one and only time I have ever been a flower girl .. or bridesmaid .. and the wedding reception was held in our garden of our beautiful home, Craigo, in Bulawayo. Our home .. built by my paternal grandfather. The photograph below is in a collage of my child/growing-up photos which my Mum put together years ago and hangs on the wall .. right in front of me as I am typing this ...

From my Mum's photograph album, where I found the wedding photo, on the same page, was this photo of me with my cousins, in the middle and my eldest brother on the right - I grew up with boys ! ... no sisters and no girl cousins close by! I always had beautifully made dresses .. all made by my Mum


I wish I could tell my Mum that this beautiful bride has made contact after so many years ... and she and her husband are well ...

Weekly Winners :

I always seem to be late with Weekly Winners! Being Mother's Day yesterday .. and Happy Mother's Day to all mommies/grannies out there ... we sat, with friends, at a Mother's Day picnic/concert on a beautiful autumn day .. chilling!! Something we needed to to ... we've had so much emotional strain this week we really needed it .... and I didn't take my camera along :( ... so NO PHOTOS :(

... no .. didn't find this guy at the picnic .. he was in the braai coal bag when hubby put in his hand to get a handful for a braai last Sunday !!! He's one of those awful/large/furry/spine-chilling-down-your-back-giving-you-goosebumps .. rain spider !


.. they really do give me the creeps ...

... from spiders to a delicate pink azalea ... much better to look at ...

... a pink jelly bean .. like a rose between the thorns ...

... red twirls of ribbon on a special boy's birthday prezzie ...

Bradley's 7 th birthday party was held at a ten pin bowling alley .. I don't think any of the children had ever played before and all had a 'ball' ... Jeanette's photos are far better than mine ...

... yessss ... skittles going down ... perfect bowling stance .. I would think !! (I have never played before either!)

... Bradley and Connor watching .. watching ... watching .. as Connor's ball rolled .. slowly .. slowly ... slowly down ...

... another roll of the ball .. this time Papa waiting ... waiting .. waiting .. for the ball to hit ... or miss the skittles ...


... maybe pointing helps ..

... grrrr ... being a tiger is easier than rolling that heavy ball down that lane ...

The Birthday boy !!!

For more Weekly Winners visit Lotus at sarcasticmom.com

Skywatch Friday :

Hermanus, Western Cape, South Africa
We live inland - Jo'burg to be precise .. it's time to go to the sea again .. to feel the sand between the toes !!

For more spectacular skies around the world visit Skywatch

Bradley turned 7 yesterday !!!

Prezzie ready and waiting ...


.. and the 'Granny's Speciality' birthday cake .. with a difference .. I hear you say !! Yep .. not the customary Smarties as Smarties have gone 'green/organic/healthy' and contain no artificial colouring which makes 'Granny Speciality' cakes rather dull! So I tried jelly beans instead ... and added a touch of sparkle !



Bradley couldn't wait to open his prezzie .. still dressed in his karate suit .. with Connor eager .. very eager .. to help with the ribbon ..




... much to Connor's disgust he decided to open the card first ... yay .. he can read ... !!!

He wrote me a list of 'Mr Men' books - to add to his collection of Mr Men books - which has been stuck on the fridge since Christmas .. so he was thrilled that I remembered !! ...

"Yay .. new Lego .." I am amazed at Lego, how they keep up with trends .. Spiderman, Ben 10 etc as well as this one ... under the sea Atlantis .. with the usual 'goodies and badies' and odd looking vehicles with arms that do all sorts of crazy things !

"..look what you do with this one! ..."

Happy Birthday to you ... happy birthday to you .... happy birthday dear Bradley ... happy birthday to you ... hip hip hooray ...

A family photo ... !!! Rare indeed ! Pity about the background ...

Eyes tightly closed ..... making a wish .. wishing .. wishing ... wishing .. .... ..... !!

Can't believe he's 7 already !

Happy Birthday Bradley ' Bear' !! :) Granny and Papa love you lots and lots ... and lots ...