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/

RIP Dumbledore

With Nicole still in hospital ... improving daily, thank heavens, Carl has been 'stretched' a little ... with looking after little Erin, who has now had to stay with Nicole's Mum while Carl is on night duty (he is a paramedic) ... and now to top it all ...

... their beautiful 8 year old Great Dane, Dumbledore died yesterday evening

Rest in peace 'gentle giant'

Portrait of a budding photographer ..

Camera in hand ... "are we ready, Grwanny ...



".. nice shot of my Daddy ....

"... a Skywatch photo ....

"look, Grwanny ... there are fairies ... sshhhh .... let's take a photo or two .. or three .. or four .. or five ......

" look ... Daddy .. this is how my Grwanny does it ?

Carl and Erin came on Sunday as he needed time to relax. He, as are we all, are going through a worrying time with Nicole in hospital with no firm diagnosis as to what is wrong with her. She improves slightly daily but is being carefully monitored in the cardiac ward as they have now found that whatever she has is affecting her heart.

Jeanette and I are going to see her later today. Going across town is not that 'easy' anymore with massive road works on our 'highways and by-ways' (they live about half an hour's 'normal driving time' on the highway from here)

Hopefully we will find Nicole much improved.

My Great Grandfather ....

... Robert McMurray, was the Grand Master of the Bulawayo Masonic Lodge in Rhodesia in the early 1900's

..my son, Carl was introduced to the Freemasons by his father in law and is now a Junior Warden

He invited us to a 'Ladies dinner' the other evening where the wives, girlfriends and guests can get a 'peek' inside the walls of the Freemasons Lodge ... this one, in particular, is the Orphic Lodge in Johannesburg ...

As the meeting of the Masons was being held - which is behind closed doors - we, as guests, were able to enjoy the beauty of this old building with it's grand staircase and ornate ballistrade incorporating the Freemasons symbol of the Square and Compass ...

We were treated to sherry and port in the Library whilst a couple of the Masons chatted to us about their organisation and giving us an insight into this society which is shrouded in mystery for most people. The photograph below is taken in the Library ... there is a beautifully iced cake in a glass case which celebrated the Orphic Lodge's 100 years in 1995 ..

Along the corridors are paintings of past and present Freemasons, including the Duke of Kent ...




... and photographs of past Freemasons, which includes Oscar Wilde and Lord Kitchener ...

... and as the Freemason's business is a benevolent organization there are photographs of presentations of substantial donations to various organizations, including the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund ..

Once the meeting came to a close, we were invited into 'Lodge Room #1' which is the main hall and meeting place, and where guests are permitted. There are other such rooms upstairs but they are for members only.



We found it so interesting!! There was a further talk about Freemasonry - what they do, what the symbols are for etc. At last we were given an insight into what the organization is all about!
I now know lots more than I did before!!!!! It's a fraternity which always appears to be so secretive but as was explained to us, it's a organization which meetings are held behind closed doors, as is the case with many organizations. As was said "it's not a secret society, it's a society with secrets".
I am not going to go into depth about it all but if anyone is interested, there is a very informative website :
www.exsequi.org.za

I took photographs after the proceedings in the Hall - the above photo shows the Senior Warden's table with the smooth ashlar ... below is the Junior Warden's chair and table with the rough ashlar ... ie rough edges of a man are smoothed out as he advances to become able to sit in the chair as a Master of the Lodge



Below is the Grand Master's chair - there was a beautiful Bible on the table while the proceedings were in progress and was whipped away before I get a photo of it!!!




I took this photo on our way out. I have lived in Johannesburg for over 30 years and I have never seen the building!!!! That's shocking!!! .. but I have never had the need to go down the road that runs in front of it. I must make a point of going during the day so that I can get a better photograph and a photo of the huge heavy door.


Carl asked us to go the Grand Lodge in London when we were there last year - wow - that was an impressive building with a magnificent front door, marble staircase, huge library and very interesting museum. I should do a post about it ... I sneeked a few photos inside the museum even though there was 'no photographs' notice! Well .... I had to show Carl what it looked like, not so?

A tragic fire .... an annual squeeze and a knight!

I've been squished and squeezed .. it's an annual event!!

I go yearly for a mammogram and have been for years now as I have fibroadenosis. It doesn't usually lead to anything "sinister" as my GP says but I need to go for the mammo every year. OMW it's always stressful and this time was no exception. Deep yoga breathing helps when I had one boob xrayed twice 'because there was a shadow' and then I had to wait for ages until the xrays were checked! Nerve racking!! The radiologist said I had 'good boobies for mammograms'! 'Why' I asked 'is there something wrong' and of course she wouldn't say .. which makes me do more deep yoga breathing! Seems to be OK although the wording in the report is different so will take them when I next see my GP - but I didn't need 'the scan' so to me that's a good sign!

Long slow breath out !!

Elaine's having her braces on this afternoon - she is not looking forward to it but it has to be done. As the orthodontist said when she first started her treatment "once you're on the train you can't get off " ... so she's on that train and chugging along! She's not worried so much anymore about 'the look' ... it's the pressure and pain of the movement of the teeth. I do all I can to ease it with pain killers, when she needs, and soft foods etc. We tend to eat lots of mash and mushy foods to keep her company!! (She had braces when she was at Primary School so we've been though all this before!)

But yesterday was not a good day for her either. Her boss had a tragic fire at their house on Sunday night and burnt most of the house ... absolutely awful .. and Elaine and others went yesterday afternoon to give some comfort and support. She came home very upset having now seen what damage has been done. Major damage! Nothing has been spared. They're not allowed in because everything that may be saved has to be detoxed first before it can be touched apparently. (Nicole, our DIL who is a trained firefighter as well as a paramedic, would be able to tell us more about that)

A miracle that the family (and pets) managed to escape unhurt because apparently the fire spread extremely fast.

Elaine told us in detail about the state of the house. OMW what a tragedy. We always see tragic fires sweeping through housing estates etc on TV and we witnessed the aftermath of a fire in Hermanus a year or so ago when thatched roofed houses were left as burnt out shells but it's never anyone we've known. We don't know them (E's boss) personally but my heart goes out to them as they pick up the pieces of their lives again.

Some things have left a deep impression in her mind like the description of the paint peeling off the walls right before the boss' eyes when she ran upstairs to fetch the sleeping child ... their beautiful furniture and possessions in a heap under rubble, blackened and burnt ... the little girl's room with blackened and burnt bed, toys, dolls and a dolly's pram ... and more.

Very very sad, but with all tragedies and war, families pick up the pieces of their lives and carry on. I pray they do.

On a happier note and .... wow - how proud are we (!) - my son has been knighted! He has put it on his blog so I don't think it's a 'secret' - he has been knighted into the Knights Templar (with sword and all !!) of the United Religious, Military and Masonic Orders of the Temple and of St John of Jerusalem, Palestine, Rhodes and Malta of England and Wales.

Skywatch Friday : Sunrise ...

.... over the sea : Ballito, Kwa Zulu Natal

.. which I have dedicated to all Emergency Services men and women who are so dedicated in what they do - may they see each new day with peace in their hearts. My son and daughter-in-law are paramedics and Carl has quoted a very powerful poem .. please read it.

For more beautiful skies go to Skywatch Friday

Weekly Winners : 1 - 7 March

My son always participates in the Cansa Shavathon. He has done for some years now - being a paramedic has transported very ill cancer patients to hospitals and care centres as well as visited 'his' patients in hospitals. Both he and his wife are paramedics who very special people taking the time to care .. during a crisis and afterwards. His father-in-law passed away two years ago from this dreadful disease .. shaving his head means much more now.

A simple gesture for the fight for Cancer. Jeanette's Weekly Winners is dedicated to the Cansa Shavathon and I thought I would add this photo - which I took today (so it doesn't fall into the category of this week's dates for Weekly Winners) but he did participate in the Shavathon yesterday. Nicole and little Erin also had their hair sprayed but today most of it had washed off so I couldn't get a good photo.

By the way - all hair collected is used to make wigs.

Cancer touches us all. I lost my dear friend to breast cancer - she was my bridesmaid at our wedding ... and there was ..... and then there was ...

Just the other day, at gym, I asked one of the ladies how her daughter was. The daughter lives next door to a friend of mine and I have met her on several occasions. She had also battled with overcoming the disease and was in remission when I met her the first time. Such a bubbly, beautiful woman and sooo positive about absolutely everything. I heard recently that IT was back again - and I needed to ask her mum how she was doing. Not good - she was having a bad week having had chemo the week before - but she is still positive that she will beat it again. Her mum has moved in with them to help her.

On a happier note ... my Weekly Winners contribution ...

Opening bud of Germiston Gold

Germiston Gold

Origanum

Marjoram

White Salvia

Buds of 'Eureka' lemon flowers

'Eureka' lemon flowers

Our little cutie pie granddaughter .. Erin

Another one of 'Granny's Speciality' birthday cakes for my son's birthday last Sunday

New and old - 20 years to be exact!!

Not bad for 20 years!

Bradley on the old one (Elaine's old bike!) and Connor on the new one


Vroom vroom vroom !

For more Weekly Winners go here

Erin came to play ..

.. yesterday while we enjoyed a quiet day with her Daddy and Mommy - my son and his wife. We don't see them as often as we would like as they live about 70 kms away (on the other side of town) and my son is a paramedic who works on alternate weekend shifts. Getting together is often quite difficult because of this but they came for a braai (bbq) yesterday and to celebrate his birthday with us. I am trying desperately to get a 'whole family' get-together but haven't managed so far for ages - and we all live in the same city - can you believe it!!!


Our pretty little granddaughter, Erin ...



... colour-coded with the slide in her blue and yellow ...

.. "MORE" ... she said whilst going up and down the slide ..

.. F U N !!!!

.. no more photos .. Granny .. !!!

.. I can still see you behind that camera, Granny ...

Our little cutie pie Erin , is 6 weeks younger than Connor - her 2nd birthday coming up in April ... and her 'talking' is also improving by leaps and bounds .. saying "Gampa .. Ganny .. 'Lainey .. Baddley .. Conny .. and Erry "(herself) - copying words and can count to 10! " .. two .. four .. five .. six .. eight .. nine .. TEN !" She attends a playgroup three times a week and told us the names of all her friends .. "Ryley .. Luca .. Ross .. (can't remember the others but she knew them all) and kept telling us that she was going to "p'ay" with "them" tomorrow.

Such cutie whose smile melts your heart !!! .. and still walks on her tippy toes around the house and garden!

Of course .. we had to have a "Granny's Speciality" birthday cake!!!

Here she is helping her Daddy blow out his candles ...