Deconstructing our Old Life

Posted on October 23, 2020 by Helga

Friday

Today was the day…

We went to back to our old house to take off the solar panels. Courage and David dragged them off the roof, onto our balcony, through our bedroom over the mezzanine and into the piano room…this was first…

This was the last…

Piano room from the mezzanine…

Solar panels in the piano room….

While that was going on, I took all the books off the wall units and cleaned them. These are the wall units Mike made for our first  home, so they were made before we were married. They will be painted and put in his study. Relics!

We’ve been married 34 year and had 31 years in this house. We are really deconstructing our life in this home. It was a wonderful 31 years and we are grateful, but there is a lot of stuff still to be sorted. Fortunately, we have some time to deal with it. What has become more and more obvious to me is that most of the stuff that remains at our old house can be donated. I am going to reduce and rehome. As much as Mike says we have so much storage here, I don’t want to store stuff that we don’t use. “It’s served its purpose” is going to cross my lips many many times in the month ahead.

I went to the doctor today, again about my toe. I told him I feel embarrassed coming again about my poor horrible inflamed infected left big toe as there are so many other big health issues others are dealing with. I pressed it last night and it bled, so he pressed it and got some pus out so he took a swab and sent it to the lab and now has me on a 14 day course of antibiotics and some other muti to put on. It doesn’t like being tampered with it has been barking ever since.

But there was no time to console myself as news came that the big truck bringing Julian’s furniture is coming sooner than we thought. I went back to the old house and picked up all the linen and duvets so I can make up the required beds. That done, Mike has now gone to buy snacks so the guys can eat in the morning.

Meanwhile, today I got burglar proofing on the scullery window which is the most vulnerable window in our apartment. It will also prevent baboons from getting in, although I do hear they send their babies in if they can’t get in. I think a baby baboon would be able to get in between the bars. We’ll keep the window closed to prevent that eventuality. We haven’t seen any baboons around but with the mountain directly behind us, you never know when they may pitch up.

And finally, the first thing Mike and I did this morning was move our bed. After a week here, we decided to change the orientation to look out towards Fish Hoek. I love it because my side is now close to the Juliet balcony doors.

Covid numbers in the Western Cape –they haven’t released Cape Town figures for today.

Covid 19 stats – South Africa

  • Friday 24th July – 13944 new cases (maximum we had in a day)– 250 deaths (245 771 recoveries/169 882 active)
  • Frid 16 Oct – 2019 new cases – 61 deaths (629260 recoveries/52573 active)
  • Sat 17 Oct – 1928 new cases – 38 deaths (630436 recoveries/53287 active)
  • Sun 18 Oct – 1662 new cases – 63 deaths (634543 recoveries/50799 active)
  • Mon 19 Oct – 1461 new cases – 21 deaths (635257 recoveries/51505 active)
  • Tues 20 Oct – 1050 new cases – 164 deaths (639568 recoveries/48080 active)
  • Wed 21 Oct – 2055 new cases – 85 deaths (641706 recoveries/47912 active)
  • Thur 22 Oct – 2156 new cases – 102 deaths (642560 recoveries/49112 active)

Total cases: 710515   Total deaths: 18843

Psalm 106:1

Praise the Lord! O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever.

The best is yet to come.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Helga xx 🙂

Braces:

1 year and 345 days

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White Horses

Posted on October 22, 2020 by Helga

Thursday

Today was the day…

The south-easterly wind picked up and blew gales across Cape Town. The white horses of the breaking waves are more visible, but I have seen them a lot worse. They look very tame in the photo…

Now that we are living in our new home, which feels like apartment living, we are learning where to avoid  if we don’t want to be blown away.  The wind whips around the back of the house and the bird feeders were in its path, so I moved them further into the trees to offer them more protection. Mike designed the house so the balconies would be sheltered from the prevailing wind so it’s still possible to find a sheltered nook in the corner of our porch.

Mike took today off. He had a case of vertigo when he woke up, so he left Courage to do the work and he had a rest. By late morning, after a nauzine pill, he was feeling a bit better but really enjoying doing nothing. I think it’s his body telling him he has overdone it. By the end of the day, he felt much better.

Brian the plumber came to fit the sink and connect the washing machine and dish washer.

And it was soon all done…

Now to learn how the new appliances work.

Later in the day, Mike and I took a walk to Fish Hoek beach. It was lovely despite the wind. We are trying to get into the habit of walking before dinner. To my horror,  I got on the scale the other day and I have gained far more weight than I imagined. I knew I had gained a bit – I was feeling it, but I never guessed it was close to 5kg! I’m at my heaviest ever!! With my toe (still not better), preventing me from running, I’ve been sitting working and I guess there has been some building stress along with lockdown eating – combined it makes for easy weight gain. Time to deal with it. 80 steps to my front door already are helping! A walk to Fish Hoek beach entails close to 200 steps to get back home!

Tomorrow is another landmark day. After serving us admirably for a year, the solar panels at the old house are coming down and will be trundled back to Johannesburg in a truck to provide power to Julian’s office. They were not compatible with what we are putting up at Echo, so Julian said he would buy them and install them there. The truck arrives Saturday with Julian’s furniture. It will take back a few tons of books and the solar panels, so you can imagine we are in for a busy weekend. Julian’s daughter and son-in-law also arrive on Saturday.

Covid numbers in the Western Cape –We are going up!  413 new cases in the last 24 hours.

Covid 19 stats – South Africa

  • Friday 24th July – 13944 new cases (maximum we had in a day)– 250 deaths (245 771 recoveries/169 882 active)
  • Thur 15 Oct – 1770 new cases – 158 deaths (628301 recoveries/51574 active)
  • Frid 16 Oct – 2019 new cases – 61 deaths (629260 recoveries/52573 active)
  • Sat 17 Oct – 1928 new cases – 38 deaths (630436 recoveries/53287 active)
  • Sun 18 Oct – 1662 new cases – 63 deaths (634543 recoveries/50799 active)
  • Mon 19 Oct – 1461 new cases – 21 deaths (635257 recoveries/51505 active)
  • Tues 20 Oct – 1050 new cases – 164 deaths (639568 recoveries/48080 active)
  • Wed 21 Oct – 2055 new cases – 85 deaths (641706 recoveries/47912 active)

Total cases: 708359   Total deaths: 18741

Ephesians 1:3

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.

The best is yet to come.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Helga xx 🙂

Braces:

1 year and 344

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We Tried Out The Bath

Posted on October 21, 2020 by Helga

Wednesday

Today was the day…

I had quite a lot of work to do in the morning, which I started doing from my office nook. I thought I would finish there as well, (it included my weekly Middle East video call), but shortly before that happened the painter arrived to do some painting. I scuttled down to the cottage where David lives at the moment. He wasn’t there. I let myself in, turned off the alarm and continued working. David came home just before my meeting. He went to his desk to do his own work.

After the call, I went to Riana’s. She had made us butter chicken for dinner. How sweet was that? We had a good chat and I returned to Echo to drop off the dinner before going shopping.

A quiet afternoon passed at home. We keep saying how like being on a ship it is. I worked a bit this afternoon with this view….

Certainly reminds us of the cruises we went on.

Workers are still busy with the finishes. Downstairs in the planned rental unit, they have put the balustrade on the balcony…

Mike worked hard in finishing the scullery. The plumber comes tomorrow to plumb the sink and connect the dishwasher and washing machine.

After dinner, we took a walk to the beach and back. And then…

I tried out the bath.

It was fabulous! As it has been so sunny, the water was hot and and the jets worked perfectly. It’s just like a jacuzzi. Mike followed me and also enjoyed it. It takes quite a lot of water but with no drought at the moment, we will take advantage of the treat every now and again.

Today, I spotted a couple of birds trying out the bird feeders! Win!

Covid numbers in the Western Cape – 257 new cases in the last 24 hours.

Covid 19 stats – South Africa

  • Friday 24th July – 13944 new cases (maximum we had in a day)– 250 deaths (245 771 recoveries/169 882 active)
  • Wed 14 Oct – 1877 new cases – 123 deaths (626898 recoveries/51365 active)
  • Thur 15 Oct – 1770 new cases – 158 deaths (628301 recoveries/51574 active)
  • Frid 16 Oct – 2019 new cases – 61 deaths (629260 recoveries/52573 active)
  • Sat 17 Oct – 1928 new cases – 38 deaths (630436 recoveries/53287 active)
  • Sun 18 Oct – 1662 new cases – 63 deaths (634543 recoveries/50799 active)
  • Mon 19 Oct – 1461 new cases – 21 deaths (635257 recoveries/51505 active)
  • Tues 20 Oct – 1050 new cases – 164 deaths (639568 recoveries/48080 active)

Total cases: 706304   Total deaths: 18656

Psalm 145:10

All Your works shall praise You, O Lord, and Your saints shall bless You.

The best is yet to come.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Helga xx 🙂

Braces:

1 year and 343 days

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Scullery Success

Posted on October 20, 2020 by Helga

Tuesday

Today was the day..

I did three hours of work from the old house and then came home to say goodbye to Julian who headed for the airport with David.

Meanwhile, the new house was crawling with workers, mainly painting and doing little finishes like the architraves for our doors.

Mike made great strides with the scullery and the sink unit is looking great…

We needed a compost bin for all our organic scraps, so we got an old bin and cut a hole in it. Courage then dug a hole and secured it into the ground. Neat job, with a path to Mike’s study door.

I hung the bird feeders in a new place. I can hear the birds but they haven’t found the treats yet. I need to be patient…

This evening after dinner and tea on the balcony, we decided to stop looking at the beach and to walk to it. It was such a lovely evening…

Last night a cold front rumbled by. Suddenly the lights from across the bay disappeared under cloud. We heard the rain falling, but although we had our doors open, it didn’t blow inside. It’s dark now and not all the lights across the bay are visible. There must be some low cloud or mist obscuring them. The stars have come out though. Rain and shine…this is spring in Cape Town.

Mike is giving the sink counter top its second coat of varnish. Let me go and see if I can help.

Thinking of Anne tomorrow. Chemo 2.

Covid numbers in the Western Cape – 109 new cases in the last 24 hours.

Covid 19 stats – South Africa

  • Friday 24th July – 13944 new cases (maximum we had in a day)– 250 deaths (245 771 recoveries/169 882 active)
  • Tue 13 Oct – 1178 new cases – 165 deaths (625574 recoveries/50935 active)
  • Wed 14 Oct – 1877 new cases – 123 deaths (626898 recoveries/51365 active)
  • Thur 15 Oct – 1770 new cases – 158 deaths (628301 recoveries/51574 active)
  • Frid 16 Oct – 2019 new cases – 61 deaths (629260 recoveries/52573 active)
  • Sat 17 Oct – 1928 new cases – 38 deaths (630436 recoveries/53287 active)
  • Sun 18 Oct – 1662 new cases – 63 deaths (634543 recoveries/50799 active)
  • Mon 19 Oct – 1461 new cases – 21 deaths (635257 recoveries/51505 active)

Total cases: 705254   Total deaths: 18492

Psalm 145:1-2

I will exalt You, my God the King; I will praise Your Name forever and ever. Every day I will praise You and extol Your Name forever and ever.

The best is yet to come.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In  His Grip,

Helga xx 🙂

Braces:

1 year and 342 days

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Scullery Sink

Posted on October 19, 2020 by Helga

Monday

Today was the day…

Mike started the countertop for the scullery sink. He made a template…

Then he and Courage set about cutting out the hole for the sink…

And it fits…

Varnish time. It needs 3 coats of varnish, at least. This evening it got its first.

I’m looking forward to getting the sink in action.

This morning, I went across to what is now our old house and worked for a few hours from there. I also did a good bit of sorting and cleaning. It’s such a relief to start getting it in some semblance of order. While there, flowers, beautiful ones, arrived from my sister Anne congratulating us on our new home. What a lovely gesture…

Back at the new house, I did some more work from my office nook. I am using a small table for now, but Mike will make me a desk when time allows. The view will stay the same.

I don’t know if this will ever get old!

This evening we went to Dixies for dinner. They have a Monday steak special for R99 which is pretty good. Steaks are very tender!

Julian returns to Johannesburg tomorrow.

Covid numbers in the Western Cape – Only 69 new cases in the last 24 hours.

Covid 19 stats – South Africa

  • Friday 24th July – 13944 new cases (maximum we had in a day)– 250 deaths (245 771 recoveries/169 882 active)
  • Mon 12 Oct – 888 new cases – 83 deaths (624659 recoveries/50837 active)
  • Tue 13 Oct – 1178 new cases – 165 deaths (625574 recoveries/50935 active)
  • Wed 14 Oct – 1877 new cases – 123 deaths (626898 recoveries/51365 active)
  • Thur 15 Oct – 1770 new cases – 158 deaths (628301 recoveries/51574 active)
  • Frid 16 Oct – 2019 new cases – 61 deaths (629260 recoveries/52573 active)
  • Sat 17 Oct – 1928 new cases – 38 deaths (630436 recoveries/53287 active)
  • Sun 18 Oct – 1662 new cases – 63 deaths (634543 recoveries/50799 active)

Total cases: 703793   Total deaths: 18471

Psalm 98:4

Shout to the Lord, all the earth; break out in praise and sing for joy!

The best is yet to come.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Helga xx 🙂

Braces:

1 year and 341 days

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Visitors!

Posted on October 18, 2020 by Helga

Sunday

Today was the day…

We had a bunch of visitors come over to see the house. Riana had arranged to pop by this morning and when she was here, she took a couple of photos and posted them on our ladies group. That resulted in a few more visiting during the day which was lovely.

I slept a whole lot better last night. I went to bed at about 9pm and woke up at 2:30am. I went and sat on the balcony and looked at the stars and mused over the cars that were driving through Kalk Bay towards Fish Hoek. What were they doing on the road at that time of morning? I soon returned to bed and slept well, waking up to this…

Not long after, at 6am, dozens of paddlers set off from Fish Hoek towards Simon’s Town…I had to zoom in on them to get a photo. Mike says I need a new cell phone with a better camera. He’s right.

The first paddlers returned at 8:30am. Two and a half hours of paddling – you have to be fit for that.

Mike and I took a drive back to Sun Valley and picked up a whole bunch of things. I had made a list which helped. But I forgot the breadboard! We’ve done the 80 steps a number of times today.

Stacey and I had a shortish chat. We will soon get back into the rhythm of long calls and Skype chats. Elsie is talking so much. She looked with much interest as I showed her round the house. “Granny house”!

Tomorrow, I’ll go back to Sun Valley to work I think, as this house will turn back into a building zone.

What an amazing first weekend in our new home. We don’t deserve this and are so grateful. As the sun sets and the lights begin to sparkle, it becomes quite mesmerizing. Time to call it a day.

Covid numbers in the Western Cape –  309 new cases in the last 24 hours.

Covid 19 stats – South Africa

  • Friday 24th July – 13944 new cases (maximum we had in a day)– 250 deaths (245 771 recoveries/169 882 active)
  • Sun 11 Oct – 1575 new cases – 107 deaths (623725 recoveries/50926 active)
  • Mon 12 Oct – 888 new cases – 83 deaths (624659 recoveries/50837 active)
  • Tue 13 Oct – 1178 new cases – 165 deaths (625574 recoveries/50935 active)
  • Wed 14 Oct – 1877 new cases – 123 deaths (626898 recoveries/51365 active)
  • Thur 15 Oct – 1770 new cases – 158 deaths (628301 recoveries/51574 active)
  • Frid 16 Oct – 2019 new cases – 61 deaths (629260 recoveries/52573 active)
  • Sat 17 Oct – 1928 new cases – 38 deaths (630436 recoveries/53287 active)

Total cases: 702131   Total deaths: 18408

Psalm 63:3

Because Your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise You.

The best is yet to come.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Helga xx 🙂

Braces:

1 year and 340 days

 

 

 

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First Night

Posted on October 17, 2020 by Helga

Saturday

Today was the day…

We woke up after our first night in our new home. I did  not get enough sleep last night. This was for both good and bad reasons. The bad reason was that our doors had just been hung and had some edges shaved off. There was still some sawdust around and I felt I had a few blocked sinuses which resulted in a headache. The good reason was that I lay awake in the darkness, staring in awe through our open bedroom doors, admiring the twinkling lights and listening to the movement of the sea. Every now and again, I got up and looked out the doors. “I can’t believe we are here” is the refrain that has passed through my mind countless times and across my lips on many occasions today. I keep feeling we are on holiday for the weekend, but come tomorrow, there will be no packing up and leaving. We are here to stay.

Following a dream you have never had is a strange thing. Julian planted the seed. Eventually, Mike took hold of the sapling, nurtured it, pruned it, cultivated it, grew it and it came to fruition. It became the dream of all of us and now it has been realised.  This place is remarkable. After falling asleep in the small hours of the morning, I woke a couple of times and the sea was still there. Eventually, we woke up at 5:30am and Mike made coffee around 6am.

Werner arrived at 8am for a final load of furniture. The lounge is now looking grown up.

My study nook has a temporary table…

The first thing we noticed today was how much water traffic there is. It is amazing how many boats of different shapes and sizes sail past. Some roar past. Others paddle furiously past while still others glide elegantly by. One boat drew up in line with the houses below and seemed to be pointing or photographing something. Then they turned around and headed back towards Simon’s Town…

Another highlight of today was the waving whale.  I saw a splash a short distance away and spotted a whale waving its fin repetitively. I read on line that the sound travels under water possibly communicating with other whales. It then spewed a fountain of water and swam away. Thank you for the welcome.

A year ago today we paid scrutiny fees!

Julian and David are coming for dinner so I had better go and get it in the oven.

Covid numbers in the Western Cape –  I don’t like this: 413 new cases in the last 24 hours.

Covid 19 stats – South Africa

  • Friday 24th July – 13944 new cases (maximum we had in a day)– 250 deaths (245 771 recoveries/169 882 active)
  • Sat 10 Oct – 2544 new cases (ouch) – 126 deaths (622153 recoveries/51070 active)
  • Sun 11 Oct – 1575 new cases – 107 deaths (623725 recoveries/50926 active)
  • Mon 12 Oct – 888 new cases – 83 deaths (624659 recoveries/50837 active)
  • Tue 13 Oct – 1178 new cases – 165 deaths (625574 recoveries/50935 active)
  • Wed 14 Oct – 1877 new cases – 123 deaths (626898 recoveries/51365 active)
  • Thur 15 Oct – 1770 new cases – 158 deaths (628301 recoveries/51574 active)
  • Frid 16 Oct – 2019 new cases – 61 deaths (629260 recoveries/52573 active)

Total cases: 700203   Total deaths: 18370

Psalm 111:1-3

Praise the Lord! The works of the Lord are great, studied by all who have pleasure in them. His work is honorable and glorious , and His righteousness endures forever.

The best is yet to come.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Helga xx 🙂

Braces:

1 year and 339 days

Today is 4 months since my jaw surgery. Very close to being back to normal.

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We Moved In!!!

Posted on October 16, 2020 by Helga

Friday 16th October 2020

Today was the day…

We moved into the house we built on a mountainside!!

It is a red letter day for sure!

The house is not quite finished…there are bits and pieces that have to be done – the double doors from our bedroom to the lounge need to be painted and finished. There are patches where cornices and skirting boards still need to be done, Julian’s balcony ceiling needs to be painted and our balcony balustrade is not finished. There’s probably at least a week of work to do if we include the guest flat below us, which David will move into as soon as it’s finished.

When I got to the site this morning and my bedroom was still full of worker’s tools, I didn’t know if we would get in today after all.

At lunch time, Werner arranged for the bedroom to be emptied and cleaned and soon after the new bed arrived. I sat on the bed and took this photo…

I went home to what now I guess is our ‘old house’ and started bringing the essentials across ie coffee machine, kettle, microwave, coffee and milk! I picked up clothes for Mike, linen, plates, cups and cutlery. All that was taken up the 80 steps – mainly by our two workers. I did another run to pick up more stuff, then shopped and got back to Echo at 6pmish. Werner and some guys were putting our bedroom doors on.

We sat on the balcony and enjoyed the early evening…

Most of our furniture is in…

The workers left  around 7pm and we ordered pizza and sat on the balcony eating our first meal in this house. As darkness fell, all sorts of  lights could be seen. Planes circling over False Bay as they approach the airport, twinkling stars and a couple of night hikers on Clovelly Mountain. Adding to the specialness of this first night is the fact that there is hardly any wind. It’s been a beautiful balmy late spring day.

I looked back to find out exactly what was happening a year ago. This is what I wrote,

We are so grateful!

The internet is a bomb here, so work should be no problem.

Julian’s been testing how sound proof our floors are. He went up to his level and played Islands in the Stream really loudly and came down to listen to see how loud it was. We couldn’t hear a thing!  It will be interesting to see how well we sleep tonight.

And so life begins living on Fish Hoek mountainside.

Covid numbers in the Western Cape –  102 new cases in the last 24 hours.

Covid 19 stats – South Africa

  • Friday 24th July – 13944 new cases (maximum we had in a day)– 250 deaths (245 771 recoveries/169 882 active)
  • Fri 9 Oct – 1461 new cases – 139 deaths (620081 recoveries/50724 active)
  • Sat 10 Oct – 2544 new cases (ouch) – 126 deaths (622153 recoveries/51070 active)
  • Sun 11 Oct – 1575 new cases – 107 deaths (623725 recoveries/50926 active)
  • Mon 12 Oct – 888 new cases – 83 deaths (624659 recoveries/50837 active)
  • Tue 13 Oct – 1178 new cases – 165 deaths (625574 recoveries/50935 active)
  • Wed 14 Oct – 1877 new cases – 123 deaths (626898 recoveries/51365 active)
  • Thur 15 Oct – 1770 new cases – 158 deaths (628301 recoveries/51574 active)

Total cases: 698184   Total deaths: 18309

Psalm 104:1-2

Let all that I am praise the Lord. O Lord my God, how great You are!

The best is yet to come.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Helga xx 🙂

Braces:

1 year and 338 days

 

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Pre-Move Day

Posted on October 15, 2020 by Helga

Thursday

Today was the day…

We moved furniture across to Echo. I didn’t see that coming. Werner, the builder made three trips…

It was strange to see the furniture in the building…

And even stranger to see our house so empty. So here comes the truth. I was left at home and did some work. When that was done I went downstairs and did some sweeping. I looked around and started walking through the house. Memories flooded my mind and I found myself filled with emotion. Tears rolling down my cheeks, I recalled the amazing life we have had in this house. I prayed and praised and was filled with gratitude. I don’t cry because I’m sad. I cry because I’m grateful. Grateful for 31 tender years of love and growth – 31 years of happiness – 31 years of productivity – 31 years of family life. I close the door on an epic chapter of living here and I open one that feels almost ship-like… and you know how I love cruising!

Amidst my tears, my cell phone rang. Composing myself, I took the call. It was Nazaam from Tile Africa, Paarden Eiland. Of course it was. Yesterday, I received the news that our shower pipe was blocked and that, believe it or not, I was going to need another Pisa tile. There are no more in Cape Town. Stock *may* come at the end of the month.  I no longer worry about this tile. God has supplied and supplied again. What is a third provision in His eyes? I walked down the stairs saying, “I’m not concerned about needing a tile. The Lord will provide again.” First thing this morning, I called Nazaam and told him I needed two. There are none in Cape Town, that I know but could he possibly phone one of his customers to whom he has supplied a lot of them and see if they have one or two unused ones? He said he’d phone me back.

Quickly drying my tears, I took his call. He had no success with his customers. No one had spare ones, so he had gone to the back and believe it or not, he had found two far apart from each other. He didn’t know how they got there, but he was keeping them for me. So late morning, I drove across to Tile Africa, Paarden Eiland, armed with the money and a large Aero Mint bar for Nazaam and I picked up the two tiles. The plumber was relieved. The builder was relieved. I was happy! I think we only need one so we now have a spare.

I returned to Echo to deliver them and spent the afternoon there. The door people came to ensure the doors were working properly. After the tiling had been done on the balcony, there was some concrete shards that prevented it from opening. After a good servicing, it is now working well… this is why I say it’s ship-like…

David took Julian to Honda to pick up his motor-bike. Julian rode it back and managed to stay aboard amidst unexpected gusts of wind.

The internet people came and moved the dish. We have internet on the top two floors and lower floors will be sorted tomorrow. Mike has been amazing in getting that sorted.

There is still a ton of stuff to be done before we can comfortably move across and not have workers under our feet. We’ll camp there the weekend and see how it goes. Takes a LOT of work to build a house!

Covid numbers in the Western Cape –  257 new cases in the last 24 hours.

Covid 19 stats – South Africa

  • Friday 24th July – 13944 new cases (maximum we had in a day)– 250 deaths (245 771 recoveries/169 882 active)
  • Thur 8 Oct – 1736 new cases – 160 deaths (618771 recoveries/50712 active)
  • Fri 9 Oct – 1461 new cases – 139 deaths (620081 recoveries/50724 active)
  • Sat 10 Oct – 2544 new cases (ouch) – 126 deaths (622153 recoveries/51070 active)
  • Sun 11 Oct – 1575 new cases – 107 deaths (623725 recoveries/50926 active)
  • Mon 12 Oct – 888 new cases – 83 deaths (624659 recoveries/50837 active)
  • Tue 13 Oct – 1178 new cases – 165 deaths (625574 recoveries/50935 active)
  • Wed 14 Oct – 1877 new cases – 123 deaths (626898 recoveries/51365 active)

Total cases: 696414   Total deaths: 18151

Psalm 47:6-7

Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises! For God is the King of all the earth; sing praise with a psalm!

The best is yet to come.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Helga xx 🙂

Braces:

1 year and 337 days

 

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Finishing the Finishes

Posted on October 14, 2020 by Helga

Wednesday

Today was the day…

We started seeing a number of finishes being finished. Outside, broken steps were repaired…

Most of the toilets are in and working…

Basins are in with working taps…

My bathroom is looking good…

I helped Mike make a cupboard for the upstairs bathroom – it will be useful for cleaning material but its urgency lies in the necessity for a place to put the router for the internet. First lay the wood down on the floor…

We screwed them all together and put the back on. We took it through to the upstairs bathroom and installed it in the right spot…

Ready for the internet peeps who come tomorrow to connect everything.

There is an issue with our shower but they will try to fix that tomorrow. The plan is to see how finished it is by Friday and take it from there.

Mike managed to get the hard drive out of my sick laptop and has got hopefully all my documents off. So grateful!

Covid numbers in the Western Cape –  287 new cases in the last 24 hours.

Covid 19 stats – South Africa

  • Friday 24th July – 13944 new cases (maximum we had in a day)– 250 deaths (245 771 recoveries/169 882 active)
  • Wed 7 Oct – 1913 new cases – 145 deaths (618127 recoveries/49780 active)
  • Thur 8 Oct – 1736 new cases – 160 deaths (618771 recoveries/50712 active)
  • Fri 9 Oct – 1461 new cases – 139 deaths (620081 recoveries/50724 active)
  • Sat 10 Oct – 2544 new cases (ouch) – 126 deaths (622153 recoveries/51070 active)
  • Sun 11 Oct – 1575 new cases – 107 deaths (623725 recoveries/50926 active)
  • Mon 12 Oct – 888 new cases – 83 deaths (624659 recoveries/50837 active)
  • Tue 13 Oct – 1178 new cases – 165 deaths (625574 recoveries/50935 active)

Total cases: 694537   Total deaths: 18028

Psalm 103:2-4

Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all His benefits – who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion.

The best is yet to come.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Helga xx 🙂

Braces:

1 year and 336 days.

Posted in Building a house on a mountainside, Day to Day Blogs, Echo Photos | Tagged | Comments Off on Finishing the Finishes

Getting Used To The Idea

Posted on October 13, 2020 by Helga

Tuesday

Today was the day…

We spent a goodly amount of time trying to get the data off my dead laptop. The delightful off-spin was a drive through to Claremont to see Joe and Lenore – where Joe bravely agreed to try his methods. Knowing the terminal illness of the laptop and the complexity of getting information off it, I reassured him I had very low expectations. It was great to catch up with them and even though the computer stubbornly refused to cooperate, I left feeling sure to have them over once we have settled up our 80 steps.

I got home just before Mike who had been out doing building buying. After coffee, he went off to find a way of taking the hard drive out of the computer. I meantime, contacted my company’s IT guy and he took over my new laptop and put my working life back together. I am now all set up for work tomorrow, which is a relief.

Mike returned with a modicum of success. He had the hard drive out and in a cradle and it was in due course attached to my laptop and I could see some of my stuff. The fact that messages came up saying it was corrupt was not encouraging, but Mike is now trying something else. I meantime, am doing the blog on the little blue notebook I took to Egypt with us in December. Egypt feels like 10 years ago and not 10 months. That’s the nature of 2020. It seems to have gone on forever

Meantime, I’m getting used to the idea that we are moving soon. I don’t know what to make of it really.  How will it be walking up 80 steps every time I go out? We’re moving over with minimal stuff. There still looks like a lot of things need to be done. Back here, I’m looking up photos of the house…

Bedroom…

Lounge…through to piano room

Kitchen bay window…

This house holds so many memories. I was 24 when we arrived here. I’m now about to turn 56. That’s a lot of years under one roof.  31 very happy years. I leave so grateful for this home. When we moved into a tiny little three bedroom, one bathroom very ordinary Sun Valley house, I was ecstatic. It gave me so much security. We owned our own home! Now after so many years, we are moving and it’s to a home with a view that I could only have dreamed of enjoying if I were on holiday. The idea that I will wake up to this view is mind-boggling. We do not deserve this and yet it is the road that has been chosen for us.

My heart strings are tugged at leaving these four walls. But this tender moment is superseded by what I am moving to. Yes, the house on the hill is, in the light of eternity, just a grain of sand – a place that we will enjoy for the time God gives us and then that tender moment of pleasure will once again be superseded by moving onto an eternal dwelling – one that is beyond our comprehension.

And now I need to leave for the airport!

Covid numbers in the Western Cape –  111 new cases in the last 24 hours.

Covid 19 stats – South Africa

  • Friday 24th July – 13944 new cases (maximum we had in a day)– 250 deaths (245 771 recoveries/169 882 active)
  • Tue 6 Oct – 1027 new cases – 87 deaths (616857 recoveries/49282 active)
  • Wed 7 Oct – 1913 new cases – 145 deaths (618127 recoveries/49780 active)
  • Thur 8 Oct – 1736 new cases – 160 deaths (618771 recoveries/50712 active)
  • Fri 9 Oct – 1461 new cases – 139 deaths (620081 recoveries/50724 active)
  • Sat 10 Oct – 2544 new cases (ouch) – 126 deaths (622153 recoveries/51070 active)
  • Sun 11 Oct – 1575 new cases – 107 deaths (623725 recoveries/50926 active)
  • Mon 12 Oct – 888 new cases – 83 deaths (624659 recoveries/50837 active)

Total cases: 693359   Total deaths: 17863

Psalm 86:12-13

With all my heart I will praise You, O Lord my God. I will give glory to Your Name forever, for Your love for me is very great.

The best is yet to come.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Helga xx 🙂

Braces:

1 year and 335 days

Posted in Building a house on a mountainside, Day to Day Blogs | Tagged | Comments Off on Getting Used To The Idea

New Laptop

Posted on October 12, 2020 by Helga

Monday

Today was the day…

My laptop went into cardiac arrest. My beloved husband saw this coming and while out buying building things, he went to the computer shop and bought me a new laptop. He is now performing CPR on the terminally ill one, hoping to recover my personal documents and pictures. I have every faith in him, but right now it’s not going well.

I got some work done but because my computer was so unwell, I couldn’t load Microsoft Teams and so completely missed my Monday team meeting. I hope to be up and running for the meeting on Wednesday.

There was a lot of running around and buying building supplies today. We are getting to the end of the building budget – money has been flowing like a river and today we bought a whole lot more stuff required to reach the finish line.

I met with Werner onsite and he said he should be finished by Friday. I think it’s going to be tight. There will be things that are not finished but they will mainly be Mike’s things. It’s one of the reasons why I want to move over there, so that Mike can do the final things at his leisure – if he wants to put drawer handles on at 10pm he can.

Today one of the main things they were working on was the balustrade for our balcony. It’s dangerous work as that is a sheer drop.

The house today…

Today has passed by in a flash. I know this week will go lightening fast. Tomorrow and Wednesday Courage is off to finish some work he promised another of his clients. He’ll be back with us on Thursday.

Time for me to wrap up for the day.

Covid numbers in the Western Cape –  198 new cases in the last 24 hours.

Covid 19 stats – South Africa

  • Friday 24th July – 13944 new cases (maximum we had in a day)– 250 deaths (245 771 recoveries/169 882 active)
  • Mon 5 Oct – 926 new cases – 40 deaths (615684 recoveries/49515 active)
  • Tue 6 Oct – 1027 new cases – 87 deaths (616857 recoveries/49282 active)
  • Wed 7 Oct – 1913 new cases – 145 deaths (618127 recoveries/49780 active)
  • Thur 8 Oct – 1736 new cases – 160 deaths (618771 recoveries/50712 active)
  • Fri 9 Oct – 1461 new cases – 139 deaths (620081 recoveries/50724 active)
  • Sat 10 Oct – 2544 new cases (ouch) – 126 deaths (622153 recoveries/51070 active)
  • Sun 11 Oct – 1575 new cases – 107 deaths (623725 recoveries/50926 active)

Total cases: 692471   Total deaths: 17780

Psalm 150:6

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord.

The best is yet to come.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Helga xx 🙂

Braces:

1 year and 334 days

 

Posted in Building a house on a mountainside, Day to Day Blogs, Echo Photos | Tagged | Comments Off on New Laptop

New Move-in Plan

Posted on October 11, 2020 by Helga

Sunday

Today was the day…

Mike and I figured the house will not be completely ready for us to move in permanently on Friday. We will speak to the builder tomorrow about some of the details and see what he says. Meantime, we thought it would still be a good idea to move in on Friday and try the house the out, even if it’s just for the weekend.  We can stay on if we are able, but if there is work that still needs to be done inside, we can move between houses. I think it is a case of lowering my expectations regarding moving completely over and not having workers still crawling all over the place.

Mike has  made extensive lists and taken all the measurements for various projects to try to complete this week. The two primary ones are for the internet and security.

The other fly in the ointment is that my computer, on which my fingers are currently flying across the keyboard, has on several occasions today, frozen! Mike is very worried about it. He feels I need a new one as soon as possible. I’m hoping it will keep on going for a while longer. We’ll see how it goes tonight and re-evaluate tomorrow.

We had a relaxing day today, watched most of the men’s French open final between Nadal and Djokovic which was surprisingly one sided and was won by Nadal who has now tied with Roger Federer in winning 20 major titles. He played brilliantly.

The other joy from today was chatting to Adrian, Stacey and Elsie in Swellendam. It’s always a pleasure to see them and catch up. I also had a second chat with Stacey later this afternoon on a whatsapp call from Echo.

Back at our house on the balcony, the birds are coming in droves again to enjoy the seed ball and bird nectar. I’m looking forward to seeing new birds when I put the feeders up at Echo.

Let’s hope they are as enthusiastic!

So I’ve just had to reboot my laptop. It suddenly froze again. What I’ve done now is removed all the peripheral hardware, like my mouse, keyboard and large monitor and I’ll see if that helps.

End of the weekend. Big week lies ahead. Let’s see how Covid is doing in South Africa…

Covid numbers in the Western Cape –  110 new cases in the last 24 hours – certainly better than yesterday.

Covid 19 stats – South Africa –I see France has overtaken us.

  • Friday 24th July – 13944 new cases (maximum we had in a day)– 250 deaths (245 771 recoveries/169 882 active)
  • Sun 4 Oct – 1573 new cases – 38 deaths (614781 recoveries/49532 active)
  • Mon 5 Oct – 926 new cases – 40 deaths (615684 recoveries/49515 active)
  • Tue 6 Oct – 1027 new cases – 87 deaths (616857 recoveries/49282 active)
  • Wed 7 Oct – 1913 new cases – 145 deaths (618127 recoveries/49780 active)
  • Thur 8 Oct – 1736 new cases – 160 deaths (618771 recoveries/50712 active)
  • Fri 9 Oct – 1461 new cases – 139 deaths (620081 recoveries/50724 active)
  • Sat 10 Oct – 2544 new cases (ouch) – 126 deaths (622153 recoveries/51070 active)

Total cases: 690896   Total deaths: 17673

Psalm 69:30

I will praise the Name of God with a song; I will magnify Him with thanksgiving.

The best is yet to come.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Helga xx 🙂

Braces:

1 year and 333 days

 

 

Posted in Building a house on a mountainside, Day to Day Blogs | Tagged , | Comments Off on New Move-in Plan

Countdown!

Posted on October 10, 2020 by Helga

Saturday

Today was the day…

I realised that last night may have been my last Friday night in our current house. Tonight our last Saturday.   The countdown has begun. I had been thinking that we may or may not move on Friday, but today I decided Friday we move regardless! But when I say move, we move in, but not necessarily with every single one of our possessions. On the contrary, a lot of stuff will stay at our house and we’ll move it over gradually. It’s like we’re going on holiday and travelling light!

We spent most of the day at Echo today. Mike installed the oven (properly) and did some electrics. We also had to buy a backsplash for the kitchens. We found a stunning tile that will do the trick and bought three boxes. Mike has a plan that he could use it in the scullery as well, so we’ll probably go back for another box.

Some comparison photos…

This is the counter top granite right after it was installed and polished – it’s very dark, but what got my attention was the line that went through it…

A couple of days later – the line has gone and the granite is much lighter…

Still beautiful.

This was before…how we bought the granite in November last year….

And this is after….it’s the island with the counter in the background…

This next photo goes back to March 2020 – Mike standing where the kitchen island would be and pretending to cut onions!

Standing in the same place in August…

And today….

Maybe next time, there will actually be onions in front of him!

Toe update: the pain has been much less. At lunchtime today, I decided a new bandage was in order. I got the new one ready along with a bowl of warm water. I undid the massive bloodied bandage and expected to see a badly bruised, severely battered toe. Instead, to my amazement I saw a tiny cut – the equivalent of a bad paper cut! I cleaned it and put on a fresh, but smaller dressing. It did ooze a bit but I’m sure over the next day or two I’ll graduate to a plaster. Definitely on the mend! Yay. I can go back to gym soon!

The day has caught up with me and I’m ready to fall asleep.

Covid numbers in the Western Cape –  314 new cases in the last 24 hours.

Covid 19 stats – South Africa –I see France has overtaken us.

  • Friday 24th July – 13944 new cases (maximum we had in a day)– 250 deaths (245 771 recoveries/169 882 active)
  • Sat 3 Oct – 1883 new cases – 29 deaths (612763 recoveries/50015 active)
  • Sun 4 Oct – 1573 new cases – 38 deaths (614781 recoveries/49532 active)
  • Mon 5 Oct – 926 new cases – 40 deaths (615684 recoveries/49515 active)
  • Tue 6 Oct – 1027 new cases – 87 deaths (616857 recoveries/49282 active)
  • Wed 7 Oct – 1913 new cases – 145 deaths (618127 recoveries/49780 active)
  • Thur 8 Oct – 1736 new cases – 160 deaths (618771 recoveries/50712 active)
  • Fri 9 Oct – 1461 new cases – 139 deaths (620081 recoveries/50724 active)

Total cases: 688352   Total deaths: 17547

Psalm 135:3

Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good;

The best is yet to come.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Helga xx 🙂

Braces:

1 year and 332 days

 

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My Toe

Posted on October 9, 2020 by Helga

Friday

Today was the day…

I went back to the doctor. My toe with its paronychia has actually got worse, so I decided to make an appointment and today I went. I was not given the answer I wanted. I wanted to walk out with an antibiotic. The doctor said it will only get better with an antibiotic, but first he had to lance it.

So that’s what he did. I came out with it looking like this…

On my way home, it was so sore, I had to practice breathing! As soon as I got home, I took the antibiotics and TWO myprodol. It took about 45 minutes for them to work and then I had a peaceful, pain-free afternoon. It’s actually still not sore and the bleeding has stopped.

And, as a result of needing to keep the bandage on, this evening I got to take a bath! It was the first time I have bathed in probably 4 years.

Quiet evening at home now.

Covid numbers in the Western Cape –  264 new cases in the last 24 hours.

Covid 19 stats – South Africa –

  • Friday 24th July – 13944 new cases (maximum we had in a day)– 250 deaths (245 771 recoveries/169 882 active)
  • Frid 2 Oct – 1749 new cases – 43 deaths (611044 recoveries/49880 active)
  • Sat 3 Oct – 1883 new cases – 29 deaths (612763 recoveries/50015 active)
  • Sun 4 Oct – 1573 new cases – 38 deaths (614781 recoveries/49532 active)
  • Mon 5 Oct – 926 new cases – 40 deaths (615684 recoveries/49515 active)
  • Tue 6 Oct – 1027 new cases – 87 deaths (616857 recoveries/49282 active)
  • Wed 7 Oct – 1913 new cases – 145 deaths (618127 recoveries/49780 active)
  • Thur 8 Oct – 1736 new cases – 160 deaths (618771 recoveries/50712 active)

Total cases: 686891   Total deaths: 17408

Psalm 113:1-3

Praise the Lord. Let the Name of the Lord be praised, both now and forevermore. From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the Name of the Lord is to be praised.

The best is yet to come.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Helga xx 🙂

Braces:

1 year and 331 days

 

 

Posted in Day to Day Blogs | Tagged , | Comments Off on My Toe