I am changing ....

.... 'cos Mr Blogger says I've used up my photo quota ...

soooo ... going to try this now ...

http://momsmeanderings.wordpress.com


but that's as far as I've got .. ' me of little brain ' .. I am now stuck ! J says she will help me ... yay for clever daughters !!!

Sooo .. I will be back with all my topsy-turvy stuff and photos ! Thank goodness my anxiety levels are balanced .. !! Yoga, psychologist, amazing (and patient) family, wonderful friends, prayers have all contributed to my positive attitude which has crept back .. slowly but surely !!! I can face the world again ! :) :)

Watch this space !

Created a wordpress blog ..

.. but now I'm stuck ! There are no instructions as to what to do next ? I follow instructions - I always go the 'manual first' .. there is no manual here !! Help !

Isn't blogger easier ... or is it just because I know what to do here ?

Why do I have to pay ?

HELP !

Mr Blogger won't let me download anymore photos unless I pay (in American dollars) for more space? I have not ever paid for space - has anyone else?

Weekly Winners : 18 - 24 July

I was so delighted to receive a gorgeous bunch of flowers from hubby's cousin when they joined our celebration for his 60th birthday last Sunday ..

... petals perfectly pink ...

... furled from the inside out ...

... with a whiter shade of green ..

... a greener shade of green .... (and must add here .. whenever Connor passes the vase of flowers he says ... "I love green flowers" .. strange child !)

... and a greener shade of white .... (lucky me .. Elaine also gave me a gorgeous bunch of St Joseph lilies !! :)

Is it spring? This yellow weaver thinks so .. one or two warmish days and the birds are busy ....

... still looking up ... I loved this delicate twirly chandelier which hung above our heads at a Winter Wine Evening ...

... back to ground level ... when boys are quiet you wonder what they're up to - I spotted Connor playing on his own in the garden ..

... lining up his cars on the garden bench ..

His cars didn't need batteries ..... but his mommy did ... Jeanette had a power failure at their house the night before a wedding where she was taking photos, so dashed over - in her jarmies -to recharge all the batteries for the camera equipment ..

Finally .. I must add this photo ... taken by a friend last Sunday at my hubby's 60th birthday ...

OUR FAMILY

For more Weekly Winners go to .... I am Lotus

A Winter Wine Evening .. ...

.... where we enjoyed a delicious meal paired with wines, was organised by Elaine's workplace ..

.. and was held at the FNB Conference Centre ...

... where there were rows of coloured cushions against decorated walls outside the dining area ...

Loved this delicately twirled chandelier which was one of a few hanging from the ceiling in the dining room ....

.. where the wines for the evening were supplied by the Bartinney Wine Estate, which is situated on the steep slopes of the Helshoogte Pass overlooking the picturesque Banghoek Valley in Stellenbosch.

Three wines .. a Savignon Blanc was served with a fruit/cheese starter, a Chardonney was paired with a delicious chicken dish .....

... and an 'easy on the palate' and 'drink now, don't keep' 'Noble Savage' Cabernet Savignon, very reasonably priced ... was paired with a delicious steak and baby onion bredie topped with a dumpling (inside the little potjie pot) ... (for overseas bloggy friends, this is miniature version of the traditional potjie pot which was traditionally used/and still is used for cooking maize meal as well as stew type, yummy tasty meals and sits on an open fire or hot coals)

.. and for 'pud' .. mini cheese cakes in ramekin dishes served with chocolate truffles .... yumm!

Thank you, Sweetie Pie, for organising tickets for us .. it was a most enjoyable evening ..

Elaine and Bryan ... and hubby and me ...

Skywatch Friday :

Following on from Firefly's photo ... which is far, FAR nicer than mine (!) .. I also spotted 'the extra moon' !!! I captured mine, either the following evening, or two nights after Firefly's shot of the crescent moon ...

...but mine has been 'nibbled' ....

For more spectacular skies around the world go to Skywatch

My hubby turned 60 on Sunday ...

... and before the rest of our family and friends arrived, Erin helped her Grandpa open his presents ... two BIG presents ....


... oooooh ....
.. 'what is it, Erin' ..... her reply .... "a box!!" ....

... 'what's inside the box?' ..... "a pot !"

.... "Nooo ... Grandpa .. not on your head" ....

... ooooh .. another box ....

.... we gave a delighted hubby/dad/grandpa a Weber Braai/Bbq ....

Happy 60th Birthday to my wonderful hubby !!

Jeanette took more photos of his special day shared by family and friends

http://www.jeanetteverster.com/2010/07/my-dad-turned-60-today/

Skywatch Friday :

It's freezing today but we do have blue sky and sunshine ... but lots of wind .. which makes it colder ! In Gauteng, it's winter so we expect to be cold ... this is a cold front that is sweeping up from the Cape ... brrrr ...

.. we do get days like this too ... grey and cloudy ... and cold of course, and on this day a week or so ago .. the sun peeped through for just a moment highlighting this copper coloured tree in the distance ... I happened to be standing at my kitchen window and grabbed the camera before the sunlight faded and turned the 'copper-coloured-tree' into just an ordinary tree ..

For even more spectacular skies around the world visit Skywatch

Wordless Wednesday :

For more contributions to Wordless Wednesday .. go here and here

This is what helps Elaine's jaw ...

... so I phoned Elaine's therapist, who was referred by her orthodontist to see if she could help with my anxiety. She said she could ... so I decided to give it a try.

When Elaine started her treatment with the orthodontist, which began with a silicone template on the bottom teeth, then top braces and then bottom teeth braces, she was referred to a physio who specialises in Cranial Sacral Therapy. (She needed the orthodontic treatment to release pressure in the jaw joint which caused her jaw to click and frequently dislocate.) The therapy helped her so much in the beginning, leaving her jaw relaxed enough for the treatment to work it's 'magic' ! She has been for therapy on the odd occasion when her jaw goes into a spasm .. when new wires and elastics are put on, it results in quite a bit of pain. Two weeks ago, more wires and stronger elastics were added and she was in terrible pain .... again.

A visit to the therapist worked wonders and she came back home so relaxed and spasm free! This is when I thought that I would give it try. I also came home so relaxed and slept all afternoon! This video shows the therapist working only on the head, but they start at the feet and work their way up the body, releasing trapped energy. She found I had trapped negative energy in my liver (which is a sign of stress and anxiety) and all across my upper chest and shoulders - where I get 'the alien' feelings starting. She 'worked' for a long time in this area and so releasing the energy. It's not only her doing the work, she told me to turn that negative energy into positive energy (which I have been struggling with ... thinking positively when you are in that state is hard ... very hard.)

I thought she would leave me to relax while she 'worked' but she talked most of the time putting a different perspective on what I was feeling. I now am consciously turning that negative energy into positive energy and it seems to be working !! I have changed the gender of the negative energy and given it a 'form' and she is now in my garden! Sounds a little daft .. but that's what I've done ... I have to use 'her' to work 'for' me ... and not 'against' me! Sounds weird, I know, but hey ... it's working ! I have reduced the tranquilisers by half ... and today, I haven't had any ... ok, it is Sunday and a relaxing day but it's better than any other day .. for 7 weeks !!!

Tomorrow will be a good day !!!!

BTW ... my negative energy is now positive energy and her name is ...... Gemima !!!

Cliffs of Moher, Co. Clare ...

Time for a little more of Ireland to share - haven't done a post for ages on the many places hubby and I visited when we travelled around beautiful Ireland in October last year ..


.. with Liscannor in the far distance on the left ... and after parking our car in the car park .. there are paved walkways, pathways and steps ....




.... leading visitors to this most spectacular sight .... the Cliffs of Moher ...


... which stretch for 8 kilometres and 214 metres above the Atlantic Ocean .. and home to one of Ireland's largest nesting seabird colony with over 30 000 nesting seabirds ...

Unfortunately, it was a bit hazy on the day we were there ..

From the view point (above) the steps and walkway leads to the right to O'Brien's Tower which was built in 1835 by local landlord, Cornelius O'Brien as a viewing point for visitors ...

.. where the Aran Islands can be seen just to the left (dark strip in sea) and the mainland - Co. Galway - in the distance ..

Gentle sounds of a harp and the voice of an angel drifted around the cliffs ...

.. and rolling green hills, thick with emerald green grass ..

.... scattered with fat, furry cows ..

... we walked to the left of the main viewing area and came across this notice which seemed to be ignored by some .. including us! But we thought .. why not .. if they can do .. so can we ! but it is dangerous and there is also a notice warning of the deadly drop to the ocean below and how many people slipped and tumbled to their death ...

Sooo ... cautiously we walked along the cliffs edge .. it was rather scary !

... but we managed to get some awesome photographs ....

This view is from that cliff path looking across to O'Brien's Tower ...

On the way out, we stopped at the Visitor's Centre which is tucked away in the hillside. It's huge inside with coffee and tourist shop (where I bought one of Tina's CD's) and a virtual reality "Cliff Edge Experience" ..

Spectacular, isn't it?

Weekly Winners :

An orange rose from a bunch I bought for the vase ...




... a 'World of Fun' was 'opened up' ....

... all pieces of wood the same size ...

... and a box of 'doubles' to add to the dimensions ....

All tumbled out onto the floor ...

... and construction began ...

... will the plane fit in the garage too ? ...

The other day I took Bradley and Connor to see our friends' puppies ... remember the Jack Russell puppies from five weeks ago when they were just two days old ...

.. and had cute little pink noses and paws ...

Look how they've grown ....

.. now have cute little black noses and little fat tummies ...

For more Weekly Winners to go Lotus' blog