Yay ... the sun is shining!

We woke up this morning to lovely sunshine ....

... after a couple of days of unseasonal rain ... brr ... chilly and wet!!! When it's not expected there were many of us collecting littlies from school without umbrellas or rain jackets. Gentle but soaking rain and I spotted lots of littlies standing in the cold and rain waiting to be picked up. Lots more sick kiddies and mommies/grannies/grandpas/care-givers in a few days time, I'm sure!!

We all got wise by the second day and were prepared with suitable cover-ups from this dripping moisture from the sky!! Lovely for the gardens but not for us who live up on the Highveld who are used to dry, sunshiny but chilly days and crisp and cold/freezing nights!

I've had a busy week and not taken many photos so my Weekly Winners tomorrow will be mainly from our wonderful weekend in the Cape.

But ... we did have Mr T for dinner who hinted that he would love a roast lamb with roast potatoes and veggies and I managed to sneek a photo of him woofing down his favourite pud/dessert .... which of course he hinted at/asked for/begged to have ....

..... chocolate eclairs which are now becoming a must-for-me-to-make for any South American who comes to dinner!!!

Left-overs .. and yes there were, but only a few ... were equally woofed-down-with-gusto by the other youngest males in the family ... Bradley was so quick with his, so no photo, but managed to capture Connor in his male version of Red Riding Hood, with chocolate smudged face ..

Surprise !! I was presented with this lovely jewellery box the other day by Browns Jewellers in Cresta. We have introduced their jewellery to our South American friends who have all bought a few beautiful pieces to take back home and this was a 'thank you' for bringing them business. Now, isn't that fantastic! Good marketing ... as Elaine pipped up ... now that she is in the marketing world and thinks in marketing terms (!) ... AND has been told she will be offered a permanent post ! Yay !!!! What a relief!! She still has to go for the meeting to find out all the details.

Also in my week, I have had two sessions at a physio for my neck. Have been to a physio only once ... and that was many years ago for migraines and headaches, which I used to suffer from. It didn't really work and eventually I started yoga to see if that would help. Yes, it did .. and have been to yoga ever since!

My neck story is not serious as I have never had any kind of injury or broken bone but besides the normal degeneration of the joints - which I am told is normal at my age (horrors to be always told that when I don't feel as old as I am!!!) .... so besides all that, my neck clicks. It's not the normal 'crunching' that only you can hear in your head, it's a loud click! Have had it for over a year now and decided to go to the doc to see if my head was going to fall off!!

Anyway, the first step is physio who, after only two sessions, is very pleased with my progress already. I may just need two more sessions as I have been a good girl/granny doing my exercises and following her instructions as well -although she said sitting at the laptop is NOT GOOD! The angle is wrong - the screen is too low and needs to be raised. She suggested popping a telephone book under the laptop ... mmm ... that doesn't work 'cos then you sit with your arms up in the air like a squirrel!!!

I just have to not spend too much time doing blogs etc .... but what is good is that I do yoga which has strengthened my neck to such an extent that this problem that I have doesn't give me pain .. just clicks ... with no pain. That's a good thing!

Soooo ... I need to continue yoga .. forever .. and I want to start going to pilates again, which is equally as good.

I had to teach a yoga class yesterday! And it went well ... and they enjoyed it!! The instructor for the usual aerobic gym I attend every Friday, is away on a months holiday and she asked me to do two yoga classes with the other classes being taken by other fellow 'gymers'. Really nervous about taking the class, so I had my notes next to me ... still got a little flustered and 'lost' in the middle of the class but they didn't even notice!!!!

I had quite a few of the ladies come to me after the class to say how much they enjoyed it!! They loved the incense and the soft 'pretty' music. They battled more than I thought they would, especially with the one set of 'asanas' called 'sun salutation'. I thought that would be the easy one but I realised how flexible I was compared to them. I get lost in the normal aerobic class ... eye-hand-feet-body co-ordination at speed is totally different to the slow movements and holding of positions in yoga which is far more controlled with regular breathing, intense and calming.

I also realised I need to keep it even more simpler and slower. Wish I could explain each asana with the science behind each one as it would mean more to them, as it does to me when I am in a yoga class. My memory is such that I can never remember, in detail, what it all does for each specific part of the body. But I am not a teacher and I haven't had the training ...

Sooo ... in two weeks time I shall be doing another class .. with about 18 to 20 pairs of eyes watching my every move!!! (it's a big class!)

Have you been upside-down lately ...

... like I do and always cringe at the sight of gravity-pulling-sagging-aging skin? Oh no - it's happening to me ... I am getting old! (really really sad face here!) :(

It seems every Thursday I notice it more when I hang up the washing with my arms up and outstetched .. no sleeves as it's still summer .. autumn actually .. but upward facing arms with skin that kind-of sags.

Wednesday is my 'yoga day' which I love. Love to challenge my body into all sorts of pretzel shapes .. the inner focus .. the me-time .. the relaxation afterwards, which is the best part. I just wish I could do it more as once a week is not enough for me.

First started yoga about 8 or 9 years ago at the gym and have followed my teacher to private classes. I missed a year or so whilst looking after Bradley when he was tiny, and then when our gym went belly-up about two years ago I waited for my teacher to start private classes that suited my free mornings. She only does one but it's better than nothing.

But ... when I first started, I had no idea what one wore to yoga so went along in my gym shorts - bad idea!!! I thought I was doing quite well for a first-timer until we went into our first shoulder stand! Oh .. my ... word !! Have you ever seen knees upside-down?! Ooh - not a pretty sight!

Went out after the class and bought myself those three-quarter tight stretchy gym pants! Yay - don't ever have to look at the upside-down knees again!

Anyway, 8 or 9 years down the line I am, of course, much older!! .... and the skin is hanging even more! Horrors! I have always, always, always used body lotion as I never, ever, ever wanted to have skin like my mother! But I grew up in Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) where everyone played some sort of sport all year round. (That country has the BEST climate!! Pity about it's leader who has absolutely and completely ruined it). When I was little there was no such thing as sun block or if there was, we didn't have it (the country had economic sanctions so if things weren't "made in Rhodesia" they weren't available). Hence always being outdoors which plays havoc with skin!

Now doing shoulder stands, my yoga pants (yes, I have newer ones - proper lose fitting yoga pants!) but they flop down in the upside down positions and then I see them again ...... those knees! But now it's not only the knees .. it's the skin on the thighs !!! My lower legs, which are now higher than the thighs, are fine but then I study my feet - we hold the position for a while 'to enjoy the pose' !! Oh no - even the skin on my feet crinkle !!

.... and then my T-shirt starts to flop down towards my nose .... oh no .. my tummy!! Need to close my eyes .. need to close my eyes !!!

Yesterday we did a hand-stand against the mirror, of all places!! Yep - whole body now is upside down, with pants and T-shirt flopping, exposing areas I DO NOT want to see but need to keep my eyes open otherwise I'll fall over!!!!

Fortunately we always have a long relaxation afterwards - my teacher talks us through visual relaxation taking our minds to feel and see wonderful things and places .... forget about the gravity-pulled-wrinkley-skin ... I am in another world ....


.. until the next morning when I have to put the washing on the line!

Wordless Wednesday :

More Wordless Wednesday - Here

Our Greenbelt .. and walking off the 'podgy-ness'

The very worst thing you can do is to hop on the bathroom scale when clothes starting feeling tighter around the middle! I know I shouldn't have done it .. !!! Oh my .. a few kilos more ! My heart sinks .. "I knew it .. have never been this weight before ... EVER ! " I say downhearted! I have always been a constant weight until the 'age thing' started coming into play! And now, it's like a yo-yo .. fortunately, I am lucky .. it's only a kilo here and there, but still !!!!! On one of my Mum's visits here, from Zimbabwe ... several years ago .. she said to me that I was looking a little "podgy" and "you know" - in her very English\Rhodesian accent - "we don't come from a family of large women" !!!! I have never forgotten that !! This comment came when we were getting out of the car at gym. I had taken her as my 'guest' to my gym class, which she enjoyed and came on several visits - and kept up with us!!

I never went to the aerobic classes or did the circuits and weights - only yoga and pilates. Started about 8 years ago and used really, really enjoy my yoga, twice a week, and pilates, twice a week, with a Wednesday (rest day!) in the middle. That is, until the gym went bankrupt and closed their doors with chains and padlocks !!

Also had about an 18 months break in between when Bradley was a baby (I looked after him full time from the age of 4 months when Jeanette went back to work). Oh .. and I tried taking him as a baby. Everyone said to me, it was easy .. just take him along and put him in the 'nursery' area while you do the class. Easier said than done (remember, I am the granny!) .. and he just didn't like that kiddies room - just cried. (Softie grannies like me do not let babies cry!) So that was no good. I then gave up the yoga, and was allowed to take him into the pilates class. We had our little corner of the class where I had him in his baby chair, then seated on a mat when he could sit. I even used to give him his bottle with my arm outstretched while I balanced the gym ball on my feet in the air (stretching hamstrings!) Was determined not to stop my classes!!! BUT, I had to eventually - when he started crawling .. he would crawl in and out of puffing and blowing ladies - and a few men - scattering toys everywhere. Our instructor was SO good about it and never said anything but I got the odd glare from her and I saw her chest breath deeper and slower (she also does yoga breathing !!! ) and then I knew ... the end had come!

Once Bradley started nursery school a few months before he turned 2 - I was back to my yoga and pilates. Loved it ... until the gym closed their doors! I was reluctant to join another gym as I really like the way my yoga teacher teaches so I waited for her to start a morning class. Thankfully she now has one, but only once a week .. she needs more people before it's worth while to start a second one (cost of hiring the small hall etc etc) - so we are always looking for new faces to join us. Evening classes are hopeless as they start at 5.30 twice a week - I still, usually, have the kiddies at that time, so can't make it.

I have found a private gym class - one of those 'jumpy jumpy' kind .. to get the heart rate up and all that ... but can only go once a week as the one class clashes with the yoga. Prefer the yoga - so I do yoga once a week and 'jumpy jumpy' gym once a week.

All this long story leads me to the question of this extra podgy-ness that has appeared from nowhere!!! I eat healthily and now that it's summer, eat less ... so I have started walking again, which I used to do regularly before I joined gyms .. way back!

Monday's are not good days for walking, but must persevere! It's garbage collection day and now that it's summer, instead of breathing in lovely fresh morning air, it's tainted with garbage smells, whether it's before the bins are emptied or afterwards !! Pooh-wee !!

The whole point of this story !!!!! and I'm getting to it !!! ... was to share photos of the vlei/veld/greenbelt down the road from our house.

I don't think I could EVER do a "Wordless Wednesday" !!!!

Now that we've had rain, it's looking green and good! I can't walk through it, though, on my own .. you don't do that sort of thing here in our area - really really not safe ! Even the other day, to take photographs, I had my little camera tucked in an insignificent sock and carried it in the palm of my hand - whipping it out every now and again to take my photos !!! Like a spy camera !!! My cell phone and house keys are tucked away in my shorts - out of sight! There is a chappie that comes on a regular basis to cut the grass - he is not from our local municipality as they are quite useless (most of the time) - he is paid for by us in the community to keep the greenbelt 'user-friendly'.

(Below) Using the full zoom - the 'Pirate Ship' (new Wesbank\FNB building) and then part of the city of Johannesburg in the distance. This building is a 'monster' of a building. All residents were up in arms when building operations started. I think we've got used to it now and it's not so offensive anymore. It's on the other side of the N1 highway in the suburb of Fairlands, quite a distance - I'm not good at judging distances in kilometres, but I'd say about 3 or 4 kms away.

Closer photo, still using zoom, of the 'Pirate Ship'

There is a small tree on the verge of one of the roads which I usually use on my walk, that has glass ornaments hanging from it. I am amazed that they haven't been stolen yet. I spotted them a few weeks ago, and they're still there !!

Pretty, isn't it ? !