Family Have Arrived

Posted on December 21, 2024 by Helga

Saturday

Dear Elsie

Today was the day your cousins arrived! They are looking forward to seeing you. Lizzy trying out the rocking horse for the first time…

For dinner we had chicken and mashed potato with salad. Julian peeled all the potatoes..

Jess with Lizzy and Alex…

And we all had a chance to play with them…

We had a good boisterous evening. Now everyone has gone back to their units and we are watching TV.

I started the day going for a walk to Fish Hoek to pick up milk.  On my return, there were a few things that needed my attention. The guests in the Seaview Apartment left, so I went to say goodbye to them. The Courier Guy arrived with a parcel & I had to open the two units the family are using and make sure they are aired.  Then, this afternoon we did quite a lot of shopping.

I will sleep well tonight – it’s the shortest night of the year – summer solstice.

Revelation 12:10
Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come

It’s not about now – we are only passing through.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Gran xx 🙂

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Visiting A Building Site

Posted on December 20, 2024 by Helga

Friday

Dear Elsie

Today was the day we went to the beach in the morning. The water is still warm and the wind hadn’t yet picked up. I had a good swim as the tide was high, making the barrel further away. I swam out to it and back twice. Going out was like walking up hill. Swimming into the breeze and incoming tide makes it hard work. Swimming back was like going down hill. Blown along and carried by the tide made it much quicker to get back to the beach. The water was about 19C. Lovely.

I had a good day’s work, with my last meeting of the year. Yay!

After work we went to see a building site…mainly to see the workmanship of the builder. It’s at a place I’ve never been to before. Locals will recognise the scenery.

This is the slab just thrown…

It’s an enormous build. The builder is Zimbabwean. In this picture above, check out the little extra in the top right hand corner. This is a massive play set built on a terraced and landscaped section above the house. I went up there and it’s amazing!

They have built benches into the wall and the grass is doing so well.  A fun little outing.

I’m glad we got to enjoy the beach this morning, because I don’t think we will be going down tomorrow. We are in for some windy days, here in Fish Hoek.

If this is accurate, at least we have a little reprieve on Monday and on Christmas Day. I think between Christmas and New Year there may be a few windless days.

Today at our final meeting I was asked to wear something Christmassy. While waiting for the meeting, Raiku came to visit and I got a very sweet shot. He came in for a head butt….

So cute.

Revelation 11:17
We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign.

It’s not about now – we are only passing through.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Gran xx 🙂

 

 

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One Day Closer to Christmas

Posted on December 19, 2024 by Helga

Thursday

Dear Elsie

Today was the day you decorated your Christmas tree!

Great job Els! It’s going to look amazing at night with the lights on.

I came out of a bad night to a better day. I worked for most of the day and then went shopping for a few final Christmas presents. I got the tiniest gift for Pennie!

This evening, we took a short walk to see how things are going on the mountainside. A short distance away there have been some signs of gardening, so we went to see.

And the owner was there to say hello.

She’s treading gently on her piece of land.

Home for dinner and the day is done – one day closer to Christmas. Tomorrow, I think we will swim.

Today this was posted on Facebook . Two cars seen in Fish Hoek. Photo by Magda

Zephaniah 3:17
The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in His love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.”

It’s not about now – we are only passing through.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Gran xx 🙂

 

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Back to the Beach

Posted on December 18, 2024 by Helga

Wednesday

Dear Elsie

Today we went back to the beach after a break. We hadn’t been in a while, but it was so worth it today. The water temperature must have been 20C. It was so warm.

Came home, had a shower and breakfast and got to work.

Meanwhile, on the mountainside, there has been more excavation & the gabion baskets are nearly at the top of the property…

And today Mike had Courage and Hardlife screed the top of the right hand side gabion basket platform.

That was what happened today – one week before Christmas.

Today I read Habakkuk. As I read it, I found myself thinking, “I identify”. Violence, injustice, wrong-doing, destruction, strife, conflict. That was Habakkuk’s complaint. The last verse of the book:

Habakkuk 3:19
The Sovereign Lord is my strength; He makes my feet like the feet of a deer, He enables me to tread on the heights.

It’s not about now – we are only passing through.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Gran xx 🙂

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Getting Some Wrapping Done

Posted on December 17, 2024 by Helga

Tuesday

Dear Elsie

It’s almost Christmas. One week tomorrow. Today I got some wrapping done. Yours is the one with the dots! You will love it!

We are looking forward to having the family altogether.

Today is Jess and Gerrie’s 8th Wedding anniversary. Time flies. 

They now have two little ones, Lizzy and Alex so life is super busy. Tomorrow Julian arrives and the Jo’burg family on Saturday. Exciting days ahead.

This morning Mike joined me for my morning walk. We did about 5.5km. As we walked we noticed a little more development going on at the start of Gleneagles….at least the marking out of a plot. We need to go up the mountain and take a closer look.

After we got home, David came up for breakfast and we had a good chat. As a result, I started work a little later than normal. After work it was off to the shops to start stocking up on holiday food.

This evening, I had a lovely long chat with my sister Anne.  On video, I met her granddaughter Ella and we caught up with all the news. We must do it again some time.

Revelation 8:4
The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God’s people, went up before God from the angel’s hand.

It’s  not about now – we are only passing through.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Gran xx 🙂

 

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Biggest Things This Year

Posted on December 16, 2024 by Helga

Monday

Dear Elsie,

The highlight of the day was David coming up to talk about his weekend and his chess channel. As he was away with friends over the weekend, he wasn’t constantly glued to his phone watching his channel blow up, which was a good thing. Neither did he talk much about it, choosing not to tell his friends that he had a chess video that was going mega-viral. He did tell Anna, of course.

Apart from Anna (!), for David this is the biggest thing this year. Anyone who is a YouTuber wants a viral video. David had one last year, just 6 months into his major health issues. It was September and that encouragement gave him a boost. He had made this video of Magnus Carlson going under cover while playing an online chess game against another grand master. It did very well & now has 2.2 million views, but that’s since September 2023.

Compare that to this one, released on Thursday evening – 4 days ago.

If his latest video had got 44 448 views, David would have been happy – it would have done well. That he can add 1.7m in front of that, is, for all of us, mind-blowing. It’s huge. It’s a rarity that may come along once in a very, very long time, so we are enjoying every moment. When David came up this morning, that’s all we wanted to talk about. I’d love to see it overtake the Carlson video.

It was 22 months ago yesterday that he collapsed after a fast 5k run, and has not been able to exercise since. His Long Covid journey has been one of some serious lows, especially last year. From not having a clue what was wrong with him, to getting a diagnosis of LC and,  having the only plausible treatment, only to have it not work. It was back to the beginning. Over time, he has learned how to manage his condition, but for 22 months, he has not been able to do anything more than  mild walking/ cycling. Now-days, he can walk about 3km and cycle about 5. He can no longer climb a mountain or do a park run. He can’t train for a marathon or ride the Argus. That may come in the years ahead, but for now, we are so super grateful he can socialise, work, go swimming, go away for the weekend and go shopping. The other day he went to the Blue Route mall and walked through it. He passed the bench close to the Blood Transfusion office. His mind went back to just after he collapsed. He tried going on as normal. He had gone to the Blue Route and was just exhausted.  He got to that bench and had to sit down. He just knew there was something very wrong with his body.  As he walked past that bench last week, it was an indication of how far he had come.

And then there’s Anna.

She’s a joy and a pleasure and we have enjoyed getting to know her.

Life is hard.. I’m watching a couple at the moment. The wife has short term memory loss. The husband is caring for her, providing for her; everything he does is with her in mind. It’s not easy. I admire him so much. She is so sweet; so child-like; so vulnerable. He builds her up, tells of her accomplishments, involves her, compliments her and takes full responsibility for her needs.

So when there is a break in the rough times; when a glimmer of sunshine comes through the cloud,  we appreciate it, embrace it & enjoy every moment of it.

Revelation 7:17
For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; He will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.

It’s not about now – we are only passing through.

Keep the smile going.

God Bless you.

In His Grip,

Gran xx 🙂

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Night of Drama

Posted on December 15, 2024 by Helga

Sunday

Dear Elsie

Last night was a night of drama! A regular Saturday evening turned into an absolute nightmare for a couple of youngsters who misjudged a number of things – possibly how much they had been drinking – possibly which road they were on. As a result, suddenly this popped up….

I could not believe what I was reading. How does a car go over the end of Echo Rd? It’s a dead end with a barrier. I called the police, then grabbed a torch and hot-footed it to the end of the road. As I went, 2 tow trucks rushed past. Always first on the scene. When I arrived, Ithuba was already there and both the security guy and the tow truck driver had gone down to the car to evaluate the scene. Then 2 doctors, who had been having dinner with friends on Highway Rd arrived. The male was an anesthetist and the female was an emergency room doctor – useful to be sure, but they had no supplies. The mountainside is not easy to get down, but the male doctor headed down to the scene.

There were two young guys in the car. One managed to get out and was sitting outside the car. The other was fully trapped. The car on its roof –  he could not get out. Before long, the fire services, emergency services, fire and rescue had all arrived.

The paramedics went down to help.

It was an enormous exercise. They had the police down on Simon’s Town road ready to close the road, because the car was unstable. That got it secured to a rock. Then they had to call the AA emergency to get the right equipment to be able to extricate the second guy. (Photo below cred: Berni). The two on the left are the doctors. The guy with the white Tshirt is one of the occupants. The guy in the black is the tow truck driver.  The paramedics are trying to stabilize the other occupant.

Eventually, I decided to leave. The only help I had been was using my torch light to add a bit of light to those coming and going. The battery was dying, so I headed home. Berni sent this update later. It was almost midnight by the time they had managed to free the second youngster and he was winched up to the ambulance.

This morning, early, I went to the end of the road again to see if the car was still there. It was.

So how did it happen? All I can imagine is they drove hell for leather up Echo, ramping up the last hill, careening down the other side and didn’t realise they were at a dead end. They hit the rock on the right (hub cap and bumper visible) and then flew through the gap, missing the barrier altogether…this is the light of day…

When I drove along Simon’s Town rd. this morning, I took a photo of where the car had been…

The tow truck took the car away (not sure where I got this photo from – must have been on one of the Whatsapp groups)

The emergency personnel were absolutely amazing. They bought in one resource after another to get the boy extricated from the vehicle. They were professional, cheerful and calm. They worked carefully and thoroughly. They were safe and took no chances. No judgment. They just did their job. I’m grateful that we have such a team.

So that was the Echo Road accident of Saturday 14th December 2024. I hope to never see a repeat of it. I’m so glad there were no fatalities. I hope they will be all right.

Revelation 5:13
Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying: “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!”

It’s not about now – we are only passing through.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Gran xx 🙂

 

 

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A Day to Chill

Posted on December 14, 2024 by Helga

Saturday

Dear Elsie

Today was a day to chill. There was no stress. We got up, had breakfast and drove to Access Park for me to buy some Christmas gifts and a new pair of road walking shoes. My original Skechers have had it and the marvellous trail shoes don’t do well on tar because the lugs wear out. I needed some new road walking shoes. One of the factory shops at Access Park had just the right pair at 30% off.

This afternoon the guests in the Seaview Apartment come up for tea and mince pies. They are moving to St James next week. They bought a house there 25 years ago and spent time on and off there before moving to England where they stayed for 18 years. Now they are back to enjoy their retirement. The house is being renovated. Their most essential furniture arrives on 19th which is when they leave us.

After they left, I started walking to Fish Hoek. The view from the Sunny Cove bridge looking down the cat walk on a stunning December day.

Mike picked me up in Fish Hoek and we headed to the new Pizza place in St James. I had heard the pizzas were amazing. It’s picturesque to be sure.

But the bases took us by surprise. We like thin crispy bases. The topping was delicious but the bases were fat & floppy. I’m sure there are people who like their bases like this.

It was a good experiment but I don’t think we will go back there unless we go lunchtime Monday to Friday when the pizzas are only R100.

Pets

On the way home from Access Park this morning, Mike spotted sods of grass for sale on the side of the road, so we stopped to buy one. When Pennie comes for Christmas with you (Elsie) and your parents, she gets her own portapotty. Pennie is small, so this little patch should be fine.

We only have artificial grass at our house – so Pennie must choose wisely! Pennie has probably grown since this photo was taken. Cuteness!

Someone who may be bigger than Pennie and will view her with some curiosity is this very long scally-wag cat. Scally-wag I say, because she may or may not have set off a neighbour’s alarm last night.

I think it’s time to keep him in at night again.

David’s video crossed 1 million views today.  It’s now  1.1 million. David would have been thrilled at 100k views, so to get a million past that is far beyond his wildest expectations. The Lord provides in mysterious ways!

Revelation 5:5
Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed.

It’s not about now – we are only passing through.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Gran xx 🙂

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David’s Chess Video Went Viral

Posted on December 13, 2024 by Helga

Friday

Dear Elsie

Yesterday David had a chess video that went viral.  We were so excited to see this unfold. For two weeks he had laboriously live-streamed the World Chess championship. It ended in dramatic & unexpected fashion yesterday afternoon when, late in the game Ding blundered and Gukesh took advantage and went onto win. It was the last game and suddenly, the tournament over, 18 year old Indian Gukesh was world champion. David made a video of the reactions to the blunder and what followed –  that was the video that immediately got traction.

In two hours it had 44500 views.  By this afternoon, it had gained him 1500 additional subscribers, more than 1000 comments, 15000 likes and over 740 000 views.

In reality it’s more. We don’t see the real figures.  He began to feel that all that work for the live stream had finally been worth it. If yesterday’s game had been drawn, today would have been the decider. Instead, the tournament is over and David has gone away for the weekend, so gets a change of scenery.

Today was a slightly slower day. Mike is better. Maybe this weekend we will get out. We are gearing up for Christmas & have shopping to do.

Revelation 4:11
You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.

It’s not about now – we are only passing through.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Gran xx 🙂

 

 

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Today This Happened – No More Walking Required in 2024

Posted on December 12, 2024 by Helga

Thursday

Dear Elsie

Today was the day you got your Grade R report and passed with flying colours. You are marching confidently into Grade 1 next year and we couldn’t be prouder! Well done! Today, I achieved a milestone I’ve never managed before. In all my 60 years on earth, I’ve never walked 10000 steps a day for a year. Today, I passed 3 million 660000 steps – meaning I’ve walked the equivalent of 10000 steps a day for the 366 days of 2024.

The breakdown is quite interesting…this is what 85 steps to your front door does.

I didn’t walk today. No more walking is required for 2024 – I could become a couch potato! I walked around the house walking my new trail shoes in. I can’t wait to use them on the mountain, but it won’t be for a while. Mike is fully flu-sick. He has a streaming nose and a hacking cough. He doesn’t have a fever, but he sure has got  lurgies and he absolutely is not going running/swimming/hiking until he’s better. While I don’t need to get any more steps, I know I will go walking. It’s such a habit now, I’ll be off stomping the pavement soon.

Today my attention was pulled in many different directions. Guests left. Ruth came. A mountain of laundry was done. Mike sick. And through it all, I worked 10 hours. More guests arrive in an hour.

David completed his streaming of the Chess world cup and it finished in dramatic style. Ding made a blunder, Gukesh took advantage of it and Ding resigned. It was the last day, so it means the 18 year old Indian is the youngest World Chess Champion in history. The Guardian’s Headline:

David really enjoyed the 14 games he covered. It won’t be the last live streaming of chess he does, that’s for sure.

And finally, I found this super photo of Table Mountain, Lion’s Head and Devil’s Peak. We climbed Table Mountain and have now climbed Devil’s Peak.

Lion’s Head must be next. I haven’t done that for years.

Revelation 3:20
Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.

It’s not about now – we are only passing through.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Gran xx 🙂

 

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Ten Years Ago This Week

Posted on December 11, 2024 by Helga

Wednesday

Dear Elsie

Today was the day I went for an early morning road walk. As I walk I always imagine what the view is like from some of the houses. There’s this huge complex on Highway that from the beach look like a block of flats but when I identified them from their road, I realised it was two plots, with one massive house that had been subdivided into units. There is also the cutest little cottage. They back onto Daisy Lane which has this fabulous view.

And this is the complex looking up from Daisy Lane…

All the houses along the mountainside have attractive views. Further away from the sea, the views take on a whole new dimension as they become more valley views with the backdrop of the mountain.

Some people prefer mountain views while my preference is by far the sea. Mike and I regularly would stand on the balcony of our old house and say all we need is the sea across the road….never in our wildest dreams did we imagine that one day we would have – it would just be across a different road.  While we desired to be close to the sea we never tried to make it happen. We never said, ‘let’s sell and buy or build next to the sea’. In fact the converse was true. We would see plots close to the sea and say ‘we’d never buy  here’. Why? Because of how difficult it would be to build there and that there would be so much maintenance. We were not wrong! Today I watched Courage through my study window as he did some derusting and painted the woodwork on the balcony. Now it’s looking nice and clean.

We would never be here if it hadn’t been for Julian. It was 10 years ago this week that he put in an offer on a little cottage which had hand drawn plans dated April 1949

As he went to sign the offer, there was a very brief conversation (one question in fact), which led to me also standing in front of the estate agent as he explained the terms of the offer. “The poor tree that gave it’s life for this contract,” I thought. “This offer isn’t going anywhere.” We had put in a very low offer and we were very confident it would not be accepted. The next day when I took the call from the estate agent and he gleefully announced the offer had been accepted, I was bewildered. What would Mike say?! After everyone had got over the shock, financial arrangements were made and we spent 2015 feverishly saving to pay off our bond so Mike could retire debt free in 2016. The Lord had opened the door for me to work and that money became invaluable.

And so the cottage was bought. We didn’t live there. David had the loft and Julian had the downstairs when he was in town. And that’s how it may have stayed if (again) Julian hadn’t come up with an ambitious dream of building on the mountainside behind the cottage. After all, there was 300m2 of mountainside that came with the little house. It would be a waste not to build on it. So Mike got designing and the first step to building, was clearing…. a job that was done on 8th April 2016.

I documented that Red Letter Day – it all began on that day – the blog is here

I was in awe that we would build a house, but big dreams take time. From 8th April 2016, it would be 3 years before we had plans & piles and a further 6 months before ground was broken and earthworks began.

Throughout the build, during 2020, my mantra was the Bible verse we had on our wedding invitation – Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labour in vain. And it is quite remarkable that the house got built in 11 months during the pandemic year. November 2019 we broke ground – October 2020 we moved in.

I often say we wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for Julian, but obviously, we wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for the Lord.  He poked and prodded around Julian’s mind, giving him ambitious building plans. It was very hard to build and there is a load of maintenance but it’s so worth it.

Revelation 3:3
Remember, then, what you received and heard; keep it, and repent.

It’s not about now – we are only passing through.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Gran xx 🙂

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I Won’t Slip In These

Posted on December 10, 2024 by Helga

Tuesday

Dear Elsie

Today was the day we went shopping. I took the morning off and we headed to find an Outdoor Warehouse. Right next door is a Sportsman’s Warehouse and that was helpful because I need trail shoes. When we were climbing Devil’s Peak the other day, I slipped twice. My current walking shoes are shot. There is hardly any tread left on them and they no good for hiking.  On Saturday, the rocks had sand on them and in places were wet – I had no grip and had a couple of close shaves.  I determined that would be the last day my current walking shoes graced the side of a mountain.

So, today I got these…

The one thing I did read online is I mustn’t walk on the road with them. The lugs will wear out. They are designed for trail running, or in my case, trail walking. I’m excited to try them out.

Next, I need to replace my skechers.

Last night, our guests were caught up in the fuel furore at OR Tambo Airport with Safair. Their flight was delayed and then cancelled. I had made an arrangement for them to get in if they arrived in the middle of the night. I had sent them videos and clear directions. When I heard their flight was cancelled, I didn’t expect to see them. When I left for my walk this morning, they had arrived. Later today I met them and what a lovely couple.  They managed to get on a flight and arrived here at 2.30am. The only issue was their luggage got lost in the chaos. Hopefully, it will get here soon. His parents come to Cape Town every year and stay in the area, so they came to join them. There is no space at their parents holiday let at the moment but there will be on Thursday, so they are here until then.

I worked all afternoon and now it’s time to wrap up for the day. My eye is better. Mike has a cold. Not Covid this time, but snotty enough to need to stay away from David.

Revelations 2:2
I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance.

It’s not about now – we are only passing through.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Gran xx 🙂

 

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The Brazilian Pepper Tree

Posted on December 9, 2024 by Helga

Monday

Dear Elsie

Today I felt was bitter sweet as we said goodbye to the Brazilian Pepper Tree. It has stood alongside the stairs for years, providing lovely shade, a landing place for birds and other critters. We always knew it would one day have to go and today was the day. We need the space for the gulley that will take both the utilities for the upper plot and also, eventually, the funicular. This is looking down the stairs…

Later in the day, the tree was gone.

It certainly has opened up the view from some spots…this is from inside the Little Lookout before…

And after…

But it’s from the entrance to the Little Lookout that the biggest difference is noticed…

And after…

We’ll get used to it not being there.

We didn’t go to the beach today. You can see it was a peach of a day but Mike was waiting for the tree cutters to come. And I have a few small burst blood vessels in my right eye. I felt if I went swimming, the suction of the goggles may make it worse.  I bought some over the counter eye drops that have a lubricant and that really worked.  I did go for a 5km walk this morning. Ruth came and cleaned the Seaview Apartment and the Loft and just as well as we had last minute bookings for the Seaview for tonight and the Loft for tomorrow.

Today I started the last book of the Bible.

Revelation 1:1
The revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending His angel to His servant John

It’s not about now – we are only passing through.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Gran xx 🙂

 

 

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Camel on the Cat Walk

Posted on December 8, 2024 by Helga

Sunday

Dear Elsie

Today was the day we tried to recover from yesterday’s hike. I am as stiff as two short planks. Devil’s Peak is maybe not such a good one for older hikers – that’s what we concluded. Probably 80% of the hikers we encountered were in their 20s.  A good way to recover is a soak in the ocean.  I spent 40 minutes in a pleasantly warm Fish Hoek sea. Swimming crawl was ok. Swimming breaststroke was harder on my legs. I could feel the inside of my knees…that’s where the stiffness is.

It doesn’t look like it from this picture but the tide was quite high. As we walked home, I spotted a camel on the cat walk. He’s always been there but when the tide is at a certain level, the Skellies Rockpool is transformed by a camel resting on his knees, just waiting for someone to come and climb on his back. Conditions have to be perfect to get this silhouette.

As soon as you walk past, he’s transformed into the skeletal bone formation that gave the pool its name in the first instance.

Camel gone.

Guests left today. The French are on their way back to Paris and Graham is on his way back to London. The French, Mother and son,  I doubt we will see again. They actually originate from New Caledonia and visited Cape Town because they were here 20 years ago. They came here for 4 days after a visit to the Kruger which was a real highlight for them. They hired a car here and drove all over the place, including to Monwabisi Beach, where, as you can imagine (those in the know), they were eyed with great suspicion. The son was HUGE, a hulking 6 foot 7 inch frame. As yesterday was their last evening, they came up for drinks.   He had many complaints about having to fly economy. When you are that size, no regular airline seat is going to be big enough.

The Berettas are coming for dinner and will be here shortly, so time to get ready.

Jude 1:21
Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.

It’s not about now – we are only passing through.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Gran xx 🙂

 

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Devil’s Peak Hike Was Quite a Challenge

Posted on December 7, 2024 by Helga

Saturday

Dear Elsie

Today was the day we hiked up Devil’s Peak and it was quite a challenge! We got to the start at about 6.45am.

I took a photo every kilometer or so….this is 1km.

2km… you can see the large swathe of cloud coming down Table Mountain…

We were walking in the shade. 3km….the rocky path.

but just 200m later, this view appeared….

That was from the saddle. Here’s the deal – that was the warmup! What was to come was very very steep. A 1km vertical climb that bought us out in view of the first (auxiliary) beacon.

4km…very misty with no city views to be seen.

The trip up was 4.3km. At the top we hung around the beacon a bit and took a few photos.

Other photos from around the top…

Yay, I got a view….

High above De Waal Drive….

This was one of the most amazing photos…Cape Town looking like an island..

5km photo….actually 5.4km.

6km…

7km…

8km…

Our hike was 8.72km.

That was the first time we had climbed to the top of Devil’s Peak. This was where we went.

We spent the rest of the day recovering. In the evening, the guests from the Loft came up and we had a bit of a chat. They are French originating from New Caledonia which is a French owned territory between Australia and New Zealand. It was very interesting. But now I eked the marrow out of this day and it’s time to wrap it up.

3 John 1:2
Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well

It’s not about now – we are only passing through.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Gran xx 🙂

 

 

 

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