Weekly Winners : 27 Dec - 2 Jan

A new year .... let's hope the road ahead ...

.. with all it's twists and turns ... (spot the giraffe !)

... is not going to be tough going ...

... it could be challenging ..

... but not tough enough to be 'suited up in armour' ...

.. with helping hands ...

A party ... or two ... with giant cupcakes !

.... and giant cherries on top !!!!

Summer evenings ...

... quiet, peaceful ...

.. and calm ...

Hubby and I took a drive out to Hartbeespoort Dam on New Year's Eve - these 'Big Five' floor tiles caught my eye in a curio/African art shop called 'Just Africa' ..

For more Weekly Winners go to Lotus' sarcasticmom.com

Through my hubby's eyes ..

... who attended the wedding of Mr T and P in Bogota over the weekend, once all the business 'stuff' was complete (which is why he went in the first place !)

... and who was amongst a few friends and family at the Andres Carne de Res restaurant which is well-known for it's superb beef .. and Latino beat ... and which seats around 1 000 people!!

.... where the decor is all made from recycled material ...

... and if you're special ... especially extra special like the future Mr and Mrs T ... then you are a King and Queen for the night ... !!!

View of Bogota from the wedding venue ...

.. where the civil ceremony was held ...

.. and a happy groom with his Mum, who came, with Mr T's brothers and sister, from Australia ... I must say she looks very well having broken her arm days before ...

Saying their vows ... (and look at her stunning dress - sooo elegant!)

Mr T's Mum saying her speech in Spanish!! It just goes to show you .. you are never too old to learn something new!!! She went for 'secret' lessons so that she could surprise them! Well done, Mr T's Mum !!!! :) Just before we move onto the next beautiful photo .... look at the wedding cake!!! Sunflowers and chocolate !!! Oooh yumm!!

A stunning bride sharing a moment with her new brother-in-law ...

... a beautiful bride ...

The first dance/salsa!! ... and may they dance forever ... together ...

Then the party began ....

Goodies which hubby brought back included napkin rings which were on the tables (those grass rings with tiny hats, baskets, shoes etc attached - cute!) ... a little bag given to guests on leaving ...


... and out popped a kangaroo and Colombian keyring hat ...

... and the wedding invitation with a tiny Colombian hat and boomerang ... inside had these words ...

We wish you a lifetime of happiness together!

Note to Mrs T ... hope we meet one day .... soon !

Weekly Winners : 5 - 11 July

"Hello, it's me ... 'gain ....



"What dat" I asked my Gwanny ...

"A bird-feeder, she said, made by her friend, R ... nice, hey ?

"... and when I look through a circle, I can count "dee circles" !!!

"My Gwanny said that my cousin Erin came to play the other day but I went with my Mummy and Daddy ... and 'Bladely' to a 'nic nic' /concert so we didn't see her. My Gwanny took lots of photos of Erin ... here she is hugging her 'baby .... ahhh coot" ...

"... and here is Erin drawing with our chalks ... 'Bladely' and 'me' saw all her drawings when we went to Gwanny's house on Monday ...

"Lainey was teaching Erin how to twirl like a ballerina ....

" ... clever Erin ... pointing her toes too!

" Gwanny made lemon meringue pie for 'puddin' ... Gwanny gave some to 'Bladely' on Monday but he said it's 'not nice ... yuk' ! It was 'all gone' when I got to Gwanny's house so 'there was 'none left for me to try! - the grown-ups ate it all ... so maybe it's a grown-up pudding!

"My Gwanny's friend had her 50th birthday the other day ... this is the pretty present she gave her ... Gwanny added some roses (the last before she does the pruning)

"There were floating candles on the tables at the party ...

".... and the birthday cake was a pretty Barbie cake ... (Barbie's are miniature ladies ... with 'boobies' !!) (for those who haven't seen Jeanette's blog post on the picnic/Johnny Clegg concert at Emmarentia Dam .. that's where Connor met Barbie for the first time!!)

" This is Lainey and her two closest friends (R and C) ... they have been friends since they started high school ....

... and here are their mommies - M, S (the birthday girl!) and my Gwanny ...

Here is 'Bladely's' friend, S - they have also been friends since they were born!!! Lainey's friend C is little S's big sister!! (yes ... there is huge gap!)


"Gwanny just had to add this photo .... it's the birthday girl with her twin brother !

Twins turn 50!

"That's all folks ....

Lots of love .... Connor :) x x x mwah! mwah! mwah!

For more Weekly Winners go to Lotus' sarcasticmom.com

What we did on New Years Eve ...

... was ... instead of having a quiet last day of 2008, which was the plan ...

we visited the Walter Sisulu National Botanical Gardens in Roodepoort. It's only a few kilometres away from where we live and I am ashamed to say that we haven't been there for ages !! I think the last time I went was when my Mum was visiting from Zimbabwe, when Bradley was around two and half years old!!! So that's about 4 years ago !! Not good enough - we have such a beautiful place on our doorstep and we don't enjoy it as we should.

That's going to change ... it's really beautiful, and hubby and I decided that we need to go back and stroll around the gardens more often ... and take a picnic basket. Picnics are allowed all around the gardens except in the area of the waterfall.

Bradley and Connor striding out ..

Jeanette asked us to look after the boys for the morning while she and Elaine went shopping - hence the trip to the Botanical Gardens to let them 'run free' for a bit !!! It worked ... they were exhausted when we got home !!

I was most impressed with the improvements that have been made to the Gardens since my last visit. Only indigenous plants are used throughout .. it's really pretty now .. and one can see just what can be used in our gardens without using the 'exotics'.

For more info on the Gardens go to http://www.sanbi.org/ : then go to Walter Sisulu under Botanical Gardens.

"A breeding pair of majestic Verreaux's Eagles nest on the cliffs alongside the Witpoortjie waterfall." It is the only pair of nesting Black Eagles in urban Johannesburg. On one occasion we have spotted them soaring and swirling in the blue skies - a truly magnificent sight!!!!

Pete and the boys at the waterfall

There are benches scattered in shady spots .... it was a scorcher of a day - hence the photo is not that good but this path leads to the cactii and aloes section ....

Yay !! Papa's buying us an ice cream !!

Bradley ran ahead of us pointing out different plants and flowers along the way. Connor too, stopped at intervals pointing to flowers and smelling them. (We have taught them well ... to appreciate nature, the environment and their surroundings !!!) Bradley stopped at a dandelion and shouted "Wow, Granny, look at this HUGE dandelion ... it's enormous !!!" But wouldn't stay put for me to take a photo of it with him. Connor became my willing subject!

Took two tired and very hot little boys home - and ... yay .. my car is air conditioned!! (Had to use my car as I have the two car seats for the boys). Weren't home long before Jeanette and Elaine came back after their successful shopping trip. I must add .. my eldest daughter has taught the youngest daughter how to shop ... they do it well !!!!!!


They also said that I need to go and do my food shopping quickly .. like now .. don't delay ... as the shops are bedlam with shelves emptying rapidly and long queues at till points. Oh no! So much for my quiet day!! Actually, it wasn't toooo bad by the time I got there - the shelves were being replenished with fresh stuff - maybe I was the lucky one after all - although the queues were still long! Just home in time to make a salad and organise our braai (barbeque) food to take with us as we were going to a party !!! Yes, a party !! We haven't been out on New Years Eve for many years. We tend to stay at home and have a quiet evening. Fireworks in the area drive the dogs mad - our little Jackie included - and we always feel that it isn't worth going out leaving the dogs when they are so frightened. We have heard of horrendous stories of dogs jumping through glass windows, leaping over huge garden walls, running away etc. There are by laws for the prevention of the use of fireworks but most people don't abide by the law.


Elaine went to the vet to get a calmative for Jackie, just in case, and she said there was a queue of people also getting the same for their animals. So sad that we have to do this for the sake of other people's fun.


The party was great - we all stood or sat in the garden on a balmy summer's evening .. until we could see a storm brewing in the distance and everyone grabbed their meat to slap onto the braai grids. The heavens opened just as most the meat was cooked then there was a mad scramble to get everything indoors. Quite a few drenched people later, we carried on indoors and saw the New Year in with the 'old' sounds of Abba !! The stage play and movie 'Mama Mia' was very popular here (I got the DVD for Christmas - love it!) It's the kind of movie that makes you smile all the way through, while tapping your feet and singing along with the songs!! I suppose only if you like Abba music !!

Our hostess and her friends belting out their version of "Dancing Queen"

Note the microphones !!

And our little Jackie ... she had scratched the passage door so hard that it unlatched (although it doesn't close all that well .. we usually lock it at night to keep the 'baddies' out!) So much for the calmative !!!! BUT thank goodness for the rain which I am sure put a 'dampener' on the fireworks this year! Jackie is petrified of thunder too, so that added to her stress. Happy little doggie when we got home .. rewarded her with a nice 'choccie'. Robbie, the labrador doesn't give a hoot about thunder or fireworks but he got his 'choccie' too!!

Richest blessings, peace, love and laughter to all for the New Year