Two Years Ago, One Year Ago & Today

Posted on May 18, 2021 by Helga

Tuesday

Today was the day…

Google reminded me of what was happening on this day last year and the year before.

On this day in 2019, our plot looked like this…piling for the foundations was underway.

A year ago, this was our bedroom….

And today, this was our sunrise from the same bedroom.

What a journey it has been. Yesterday, a friend went paddling and took a few photos of the house from the sea…

Yesterday was also the day of the dolphins. Today the Sea Search photos appeared on Facebook. They said they are Dusky dolphins and were fishing!

Fabulous close up one…

Amazing photos and animals. Today they haven’t been as active, although I did see some splashing in the sea and it may have been them.

I did not do any exercise today. Last night I was freezing and felt I was sickening for something. The idea of getting in the cold ocean didn’t appeal, so I took it easy. I worked for more than 6 hours.  I am fine this evening.

Julian arrives shortly, so time to wrap this up.

Psalm 71:14

As for me, I will always have hope; I will praise You more and more.

The best is yet to come – we are only passing through.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Helga xx 🙂

 

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All Day Dolphins

Posted on May 17, 2021 by Helga

Monday

Today was the day…

A small pod of dolphins spent the entire day frolicking and feeding just off Fish Hoek.  The leaping and diving that took place was such fun to watch. We see dolphins from time to time but to have them hang about for the whole day was so surprising and entertaining. A couple of paddlers looked to see how close they could get to them. Instead of swimming away, the dolphins just carried on with their feeding frenzy. Mike took a few photos.

There was also what looked like a research boat. This photo came from our neighbourhood whatsapp group. At one stage, the dolphins were porpoising right in front of this inflatable.

The dolphins were literally there from 10am this morning until it got dark. I’m not sure where they sleep. I guess fishing conditions were excellent.

This morning when I went swimming, underwater visibility was excellent – the best I’ve ever seen, so I wondered if that had anything to do with the dolphins. I swam further along the cat walk than I’ve ever swum before. From now on, for me to go even further, I’ll have to go further out around a couple of rocks and I’m a bit nervous of doing that.  Mike has suggested I get in at the bridge side of the cat walk and swim to the beach, which is an option. Conditions need to be as they were this morning. Flat sea with a highish tide and great visibility. When the water is so clear, it’s easy to see where the seaweed is. Swimming through the kelp forest is an amazing, although somewhat eerie experience. It’s very dark down there!

After we got home and had breakfast, I worked for 8 hours, so now it’s time to leave my desk and dive into the warmth of my bed!

Psalm 148:13

Let them praise the name of the Lord, for His name alone is exalted; His majesty is above earth and heaven.

He made the sea and everything in it…just imagine what’s waiting for us in heaven?

The best is yet to come – we are only passing through.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Helga xx 🙂

 

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Mike Announced He Had a Gift For Me.

Posted on May 16, 2021 by Helga

Sunday

Today was the day…

We had friends over for dinner. This is what we have been doing if the weather on Saturday is wet and rainy. The 83 steps can be challenging in the best of conditions but in rain they can deteriorate to dangerous, so we moved a Saturday dinner invitation with Murray and Ingrid to this evening as the weather wasn’t too bad. We had a lovely evening.

This morning Mike and I had our early morning walk to the beach. The tide was slightly higher than usual so I got to swim a little further than I normally would. I swam just beyond the Skellies rock pool.  It really is invigorating being in the water and this morning swimming conditions were lovely.

I also had our regular video chat with the Swellendam family. Elsie is so excited about her birthday on Friday. She’s turning 3.

I needed to do some work today as well, so I did that over lunchtime. I then walked down to the village to get some dessert for tonight’s dinner. On my return, Mike announced he had a gift for me. I couldn’t imagine what he had acquired while I was away. He produced the thing-a-majig that goes in Milo – the flimsy plastic strip – he found it under the drying rack on the sink. It’s so thin, it was easily missed…

I still claim it’s a design flaw. This is now living in the draw with Milo’s remote control. Mike’s quick-fix is actually working better, so I’m not sure if the plastic thing is going to be reinstalled.

It’s the end of a good weekend.

Colossians 3:17

Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

The best is yet to come – we are only passing through.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Helga xx 🙂

 

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Milo’s Design Flaw

Posted on May 15, 2021 by Helga

Saturday

Today was the day…

We slept in. It was wonderful. We finally got up around 10am and went across to the Blue Route to do some shopping. I got Elsie her birthday present which is her request: a red dress.

It rained on and off the whole day – rain came and it went and tomorrow should be a beautiful, albeit cloudy day.

We got home just after lunchtime and had a quiet afternoon. I took a walk to the beach to get some exercise. The feeling of rain hung in the air but it didn’t start falling. The cat walk was completely deserted – it’s seldom I walk its entire length from the bridge to the restaurant without passing anyone.

On the bridge looking towards our hill…

Looking towards Fish Hoek…

Not a soul in sight…

The tide was high, so the drum looked miles away…

It was a good walk.

We had a really nice sirloin for dinner. David joined us.

Saturdays are cleaning days but with Milo, that chore has become a whole lot easier, although I have to confess there is a serious design flaw in our little Milo. When I emptied her dirt tray yesterday, I inadvertently tossed a strip of plastic that runs between her tray and the suction section. Today when she was cleaning away, she started spewing dirt. When we opened her to empty the tray, Mike asked where the plastic strip had gone. I had no idea! All we could conclude was when I emptied it yesterday, it went into the bin and out with the trash. Mike, always the innovator, made a plan and now she sports a new more visible strip, duct taped on for the moment. Still very effective. She is a bit clueless and robot technology has a long way to go! But, she is my first robot. When I think back to my first 1997 cell phone?? Well there you go. In 24 years time, I’ll have a far more superior robot to clean than my simple Milo. She’s just the start of technology yet to come.

A good Saturday.

Psalm 148:1

Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise Him in the heights above.

The best is yet to come – we are only passing through.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Helga xx 🙂

 

 

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Rain is Coming

Posted on May 14, 2021 by Helga

Friday

Today was the day…

I swam knowing that tomorrow I most likely won’t. Rain is coming. This is tomorrow’s forecast. At least the wind is not too strong.

I swam out to Skellies and because the tide was not as low as usual, the distance was slightly longer. I ended up swimming 2.159km in 44 minutes. That included walking across the beach in both directions. It was a great swim. With the north wind blowing, the sea was calm and flat.

The sunrise this morning was particularly stunning…

I worked for most of the day and stopped at about 4:30pm. Now we are in for a quiet weekend.

It’s been a good week, especially as I had two days off.  David passed a particular milestone this week –  when his YouTube channel passed a million views. Now he’s shooting for 10000 subscribers which will take a bit of time to get to. Pretty good for a South African guitar channel. Go subscribe if you haven’t already.

Yay for the weekend.

Psalm 100:1-2

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs.

The best is yet to come – we are only passing through.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Helga xx 🙂

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My Robot Has Been Named

Posted on May 13, 2021 by Helga

Thursday

Today was the day..

I named my robot.  It’s a Milex Robot vacuum cleaner and I have named mine Milo. She has a calm lady’s voice and says things like, “I am here to serve you” and “begin to clean”. When I press the stop button on the remote, she says, “cleaning is suspended.” When I hit the home button, she says, ‘return to charging dock to recharge”. Then the fun and games begin. For her to find her way back is not easy. She doesn’t know the house quite well enough yet and she needed a couple of attempts before she landed in the right spot.

She’s cleaning…

Heading for the docking station…

Closer…

Lining up…

Contact made…

But it didn’t work…reorienting herself…

Second attempt…

Success!

Charging commences. I’ve had a lot of fun with this today and WIN! My house is vacuumed!

I worked more than 6 and a half hours. That was a good day. I caught up most of my work but have carried over a whole lot of things for tomorrow. Mike and I also went to the beach this morning. I swam 2km, according to my watch. The water was slightly warmer.

Covid numbers in South Africa are creeping up. They say it’s as a result of lots of Easter gatherings. We will have to hope for the best.

Psalm 7:17

I will praise the Lord according to His righteousness, and will sing praise to the Name of the Lord Most High.

The best is yet to come – we are only passing through.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Helga xx 🙂

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Back From The Middle of Nowhere

Posted on May 12, 2021 by Helga

Wednesday

Today was the day..

I got home from Kapteinskloof which is in the middle of nowhere. It’s an amazing place. The house was built in 1831 and has a fantastic thatched guest house. This is the kitchen…

This is in the garden of the main farmhouse…

Side view of the main house…

We had a wonderful time together – there were 8 of us. I tried to set up my cell phone in a tree…timer didn’t work first time…

Then it did…

Cropped photo…

I swam in the cold pool by day…

And by night, where a view of the canopy of stars was without equal.

The cold swim was after the hot tub which was sizzling.

The hot tub experience was after we had had a braai. Heidi was Braai Queen!

Fun on the swing…

Lots of fun, food and fellowship – accompanied by a lot of laughter.

Such an amazing place and one to which I shall surely return.

See it here.

I got back mid afternoon and my robotic vacuum cleaner had arrived! As I speak it is rolling around the house, mapping the rooms out. I’m so excited about this thing. It’s going to revolutionise my life!

Psalm 98:4

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

The best is yet to come – we are only passing through.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

Helga xx 🙂

 

 

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I Missed my Work Meeting!

Posted on May 10, 2021 by Helga

Monday

Today was the day..

I swam in the ocean and missed my work meeting! I thought I was on time as every Monday I have a work meeting at 10:30am. Last week was a  holiday in the UK so it was changed to Tuesday. Then it was changed back to Monday as usual but I didn’t read the alert properly. The time was changed to 9:30am SA time today and I only got in from the swim at 9:45am. First email I saw was a new alert saying the meeting was postponed to tomorrow as not enough people attended! Ha, I wasn’t the only one. I can’t be at the meeting tomorrow because I’m going away with friends for the night. It’s going to be great fun and I am looking forward to it.

The sun rose – it’s a cloudy sunrise.

And the sun has set with pink hues being cast across the sea…

I worked about 7 hours today and in the late afternoon walked down to the shops to pick up some final things for tomorrow. I tried to capture the colour of the sea. It looked almost alpine.

I had a lovely swim this morning. It was cold, but flat. I swam 1.5km and stayed in for 40 minutes. Mike ran further than usual. I have taken to changing after the swim which makes the walk home so much more comfortable. We take down bottles of warm water and I go to the changing room and wash with it. It’s amazing how much of a shower you can get out of 3litres.

Now my work is done and so is the blog. There will be no blog tomorrow. Back to normal on Wednesday!

Psalm 63:3

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

The best is yet to come – we are only passing through.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Helga xx 🙂

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I Bought A Robot!

Posted on May 9, 2021 by Helga

Sunday

Today was the day…

I bought a robot! Stacey has been telling me about her robot and how wonderful it is, so today, Mother’s Day 2021, while I was on a video call with her, I bought my own!

I am so excited about it and can’t wait for it to arrive. It may take a bit of time to get here, but when it does, I’ll definitely be writing about it! It’s going to revolutionise my housework habits.  It’s 55 Decibels so not too loud, I hope.

We woke up late this morning, so only did a walk to C’est La Vie to pick up croissants for breakfast. We enjoyed those and later Mike cooked his famous Spaghetti Bolognaise.  That was as good as usual.  Oh I got flowers from both David and Mike. Today is also the 35th anniversary of our engagement!

Sweet Barbara on the balcony – she is here until Tuesday.

We had a quiet afternoon, a short late afternoon walk and I am now going to catch up with some work.

Psalm 99:3

Let them praise Your great and awesome name! Holy is He!

The best is yet to come – we are only passing through!

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Helga xx 🙂

 

 

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New Favourite Recipe – Frikkadels

Posted on May 8, 2021 by Helga

Saturday

Today was the day…

I made frikkadels again! This is my new favourite recipe. It’s really good served with Sheba sauce.  I don’t often post a recipe (haven’t done that for years), but I’ve posted one today – it’s at the bottom.

I forgot to take a photo of Barbara. I’ll try to remember to do so tomorrow.

Mike and I went to the beach around 8am. Mike crossing the Sunny Cove bridge…

Down the stairs on the other side…

And full steam ahead to the beach…

I had a good swim at what was low tide. It makes the kelp more visible so I swam further than I’ve gone before. This was the beach after our swim. Tide very low.

We had a restful day. I did some shopping, did some work and cooked the frikkadels for dinner. We had a lovely meal with Barbara, Julian and David joining us.

I am looking forward to going away with my friends for one night on Tuesday. I don’t know if I’ll get the blog out on that night. I’ll wait and see.  If there’s no blog Tuesday, I didn’t take my laptop!

Psalm 105:1

Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim His greatness. Let the whole world know what He has done.

The best is yet to come – we are only passing through.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Helga xx 🙂

Frikkadel Recipe (Also known as Meatballs!) this recipe came from tasteofhome.com

Ingredients

  • 900g ground beef
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 small onion finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup of water
  • 1 & 1/3 cups of soft bread crumbs
  • 2/3 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
  • 2 cloves of minced/crushed garlic
  • 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
  • 1 & 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 180C

In a large bowl combine the eggs, water, onion, bread crumbs, cheese, garlic and seasoning. Mix well. Then crumble the beef over the mixture and thoroughly mix that in. Shape into the size you want. Place the frikkadels on a greased baking tray. Bake uncovered until they are evenly brown and cooked through. The recipe said 15-18 minutes, but mine were in for much longer. I like very brown.

Sheba Sauce

Ingredients

  • 4 large fresh red ripe tomatoes chopped
  • 2 onions roughly chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic minced
  • 1 teaspoon dry oregano (or 1 tablespoon fresh)
  • 1 teaspoon dry parsley (or 1 tablespoon fresh)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon sugar

Directions

Saute the onions and garlic in a tablespoon of butter until onions are translucent. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer uncovered for 15-20 minutes. I then put my stick blender in it and smoothed it out.

I served it with Mike’s amazing mashed potatoes and peas.

Lovely meal!

 

 

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Something Strange Happened Last Night

Posted on May 7, 2021 by Helga

Friday

Today was the day…

We found out why something strange happened last night. Mike and I had turned in for the night. It was quite late – around 11pm when suddenly the lights went off. Then they came back on again.  For a few minutes everything was normal and I wasn’t sure if I had imagined it, when the lights went out again and this time they stayed out. Mike immediately got up and went down to his plant room to find out what the cause was and if it was an Eskom power outage, why the solar hadn’t taken over. He was baffled. He powered it down, turned over to Eskom and returned to bed. This morning we discovered the cause. A taxi had wiped out an electricity pole…

Fortunately, our electricity wasn’t affected, apart from the surge which seemed to confuse our inverters. The damage was assessed today and took some time to restore…

Many residents were without power for the duration of the day.

Meantime, today Barbara arrived for a few nights. Barbara is an old friend of Julian’s and arrived from Durban for a little escape to the Cape. Tomorrow I’ll try to post a photo of her.

For the rest of the day, it dawned with very little wind. Mike and I went to the beach…

The sun stretching through the clouds…

After Mike had a run and I had a swim, we came home for a very well deserved breakfast and then I worked for 6 and a half hours.

I also did some washing – the day was drizzly so we decided to try out our  new tumble drier. Appliances these days are not simple. There is an extensive manual to learn. Mike figuring it out…

On its way…it senses how dry the contents are and reduces the time as it goes…

Over in Swellendam, our little Elsie was trying out making birthday cookies ahead of her 3rd birthday!

She was so happy with the outcome and enjoyed trying them out.

It’s late and I’m ready for bed!

Psalm 111:2

Great are the works of the Lord; they are pondered by all who delight in them.

The best is yet to come – we are only passing through.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Helga xx 🙂

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Strong Winds and Seaweed

Posted on May 6, 2021 by Helga

Thursday

Today was the day…

…after a big stormy windy night in Cape Town. It was a storm swept in by a black southeaster which howled all last night driving in 22mm of rain and has blown all today. There has not been much rain today though.  Cloudy sun rise…

After a few hours work, Mike and I walked to the village to pick up some groceries…the tide was high and there was a lot of seaweed that had been thrown onto the beach…

Throughout the day, it was the one thing I noticed over and over – bulky lengths of sea weed floating in the ocean. Massive kelp trunks uprooted from the sea bed and gathered en mass on the surface of the water. There is lots of it and no doubt it will be washed up on the sand with each incoming tide.

It looks like inclement weather is forecast for tomorrow as well.

I’ve done a good day’s work today and now it’s time to pack it in and get to bed. Last night I went to bed at midnight and slept through to 6am. That was a treat. My usual routine is to wake in the small hours of the morning. We’ll see what happens tonight.

Psalm 69:34

Let heaven and earth praise Him, the seas and all that move in them.

The best is yet to come – we are only passing through.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Helga xx 🙂

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Storm Warning

Posted on May 5, 2021 by Helga

Wednesday

Today was the day…

…that began calm and still but has picked up now. It’s expected to be a stormy night with a strong black south-easter blowing bringing with it the threat of heavy rain.

I think it’s mainly going to hit the Southern Coast. It has been very overcast here but we’ve only had a little rain. View from my desk a little earlier…

I’ve just heard from Stacey who said it’s very rainy and stormy in Swellendam which is what has been forecast. Talking of Stacey, look who finished her chart and got her gift. It was a set of giraffe bowling pins and Elsie got straight to work trying them out. Love this little girl.

Mike and I went to the beach this morning. At the time, swimming conditions were wonderful and I swam to Skellies rock pool and back to the beach – then back to the barrel and back to the beach. It was about 1.2km. Sea was flat and cool with the tide rolling in. It made for very pleasant swimming.

After that, I had a busy work day and accomplished a lot. Grateful to be able to wrap up computer work and put my laptop to bed.

1 Chronicles 16:24

Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples.

The best is yet to come – we are only passing through.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Helga xx 🙂

 

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Poor Rat!

Posted on May 4, 2021 by Helga

Tuesday

Today was the day…

Mike and I did not go to the beach for our exercise. We watched the sun rise…

And I got working quite early. The day was again very still with not much wind. It was quite cloudy.

The bachelor is coming together…dining area..

Kitchenette

After working for most of the day, I zipped across to the mall to buy some blinds and then came back for dinner. After dinner, I took off for the beach to get some exercise. I ended up jogging a bit. I got onto the cat walk and broke into a slow run. An unsuspecting rat came out of a hole on the railway side and started across the path when he suddenly saw this great big giant (aka me) coming towards him. He took fright, bolted towards the sea-side of the cat walk and literally leapt over the edge of the walkway and landed about 4 feet on the rocks below. I was so shocked and so were a group of three who also saw it happen. I didn’t see him again, but I’m sure he was okay. Poor rat!

Home again and now to wrap up for the evening. David is going to get Julian who arrives tonight.

Psalm 149:1

Praise the Lord! Sing to the Lord a new song. Sing His praises in the assembly of the faithful.

The best is yet to come – we are only passing through.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Helga xx 🙂

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Fire and Red Tide

Posted on May 3, 2021 by Helga

Monday

Today was the day…

…that was another summer’s day in autumn. The sunrise was spectacular, with False Bay looking like a lake it was so still. Breathless and breathtaking.

But with the rising sun came a convoy of fire vehicles rushing to Simon’s Town to put out a mountain fire. (Photo from our local Whatsapp group – no idea who took it)

And soon there were helicopters flying in the same direction. Fortunately, there was no wind. It took a bit of time, but it was soon contained.

Mike and I walked down to the beach mid-morning. It was so warm and sultry but still I wore my spring-suit and I’m glad I did. The sea was murky and brown, dense and unusual. I was careful not to put my head under the water. I swam through a long swathe of red tide until eventually I got to the other side and close to the drum where it was clear. But I had to get back, so I retraced my strokes and decided to call it a day.

The rest of the day was like a perfect summer’s day. I worked 6 hours, did laundry and had dinner on the balcony. We must enjoy the stillness of the evening because a few windy days are ahead.

Another highlight was an Orca Whale majestically porpoising very close to the shore. It was just amazing to watch.  It was fast and moved quickly through the water until it was soon out of sight.

In Swellendam, Elsie is very close to the big Responsibility prize! This is so effective in reinforcing good behaviour.

Psalm 100:4

Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name.

The best is yet to come – we are only passing through.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Helga xx 🙂

 

 

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