Italy Begins

Posted on January 31, 2024 by Helga

Wednesday

Dear Elsie

Today started with a magnificent sunrise. The last day of January …

We went to the beach early because Mike  had to go into Cape Town.

It was a perfect day for sea swimming. The net was not out when we arrived – earlier than usual – so I swam from the cat walk towards the lighthouse and back. It was shallow, flat and clear, and, slightly warmer than yesterday. A great start to the day. I think we may take a break tomorrow and Friday as the wind is due to pick up and Mike needs some recovery time after his several runs. His heart rate went up to 170 this morning which is a bit on the high side.

At about 9am Mike headed into Cape Town to get put his application in for his Schengen visa – he needed to apply for an Italian entry because that’s where our holiday begins. So that was one way Italy begins. Here is the other…

All that Bougainvillea! 😲 I’ve sorted a couple of hundred pieces of purple and now have a puzzle within a puzzle to work out. It’s a bit hit and miss to be honest, but I’ve got a few pieces in.

I also worked for 6 hours & did two loads of laundry. I think tomorrow I have one more and I’ve caught up.

I didn’t see much of David today, but he did ask for the car keys so went for a drive. When Mike took the keys down to him, I suggested he also take David’s sunglasses which were up here. Mike picked up the first ones he saw and took those, which happened to be my cheap ones with gold arms. Later, when I went to drop off washing and dinner,  David opened the door with my sunglasses on and announced that Mike had made a grave error of judgment! He still has his sense of humour. I just looked up ‘arms of glasses’ because I’ve never use that phrase before, but I’m sure you know what I referred to. Did you know the correct term is ‘temples!’ Smartbuyglasses.co.za has this on its website.

Anyway, my ‘temples’ are gold and clearly out of favour with David!

Psalm 25:21
May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope is in You.

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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11.9C – Alpine Water in Fish Hoek

Posted on January 30, 2024 by Helga

Tuesday

Dear Elsie

Today was the day we went to the beach and the water temperature was a chilly 11.9C. I adjusted and spent a wonderful half hour swimming. The water was so clear – it reminded me of alpine water and felt as if I was swimming in the sea of a different country.

Off the cat walk, a massive shoal of fish in the middle…

Not often you can see the shark net on the ocean floor…

Cold but idyllic…

I did a few hours work before we leaving for David’s doctor appointment. As long Covid is such an unknown malady, I had low expectations going into this appointment. The doctor is a highly recommended haematologist. He was attentive and concerned. He didn’t think much of the triple therapy solution. He highlighted some issues and suggested another batch of missing blood tests that David hasn’t had done before. Once he has recovered from the exhaustion from this outing, he will have a chest x-ray which is something basic he’s not had before. He should get his results back in the next few days. Meantime, I’ve ordered Low Dose Naltrexone and we can start on that, just so I feel we are doing something.

I finished the puzzle. One piece missing, but what a pleasure it was to find places for the 999.

Matthew 20:26-28
Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—  just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.

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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An Hour Long Holiday Everyday!

Posted on January 29, 2024 by Helga

Monday

Dear Elsie

Today was the day we went to the beach. There were not many people there because it’s Monday and everyone has gone back to work. The water looked lovely but it was cold! The water temperature had dropped by about 4 or 5 degrees and we noticed it! I still spent half an hour with the net in place and the north wind blowing fervent ripples towards the bay. It was easy swimming out to the barrel and harder swimming back. But look! It appears as calm and flat as a pond.

As we walked home we agreed coming down to the beach is like having an hour long holiday every day!

The micro-holiday over, we came home had breakfast and I worked. I also did a little bit more of the puzzle. Yesterday I did a chunk of it and now it’s the tricky bits, linking all the doors together.

I should finish it tomorrow. Talking of tomorrow, David has an appointment with a haematologist. I’m going to see if he can get a prescription for Low Dose Naltrexone. I think that may also help him. Today was a difficult day for him. He was so tired this evening. Before going downstairs, he said, “I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” but then immediately afterwards, “Well actually I do – I guess I have an inkling.” He still has his sense of humour, but it is so difficult to watch him struggle. This evening, as we were commiserating about how David was doing, this happened… look how big that rainbow is compared to Muizenberg mountain…

Psalm 24:1-2
The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the world and all who live in it, for He founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters.

God is faithful.

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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20 Years

Posted on January 28, 2024 by Helga

Sunday

Dear Elsie

Today we rested from the beach. We remembered your Great Grandmother, my Ma, who passed away on this day 20 years ago today – 28th January 2004. She was loving and kind; she was joyful and had a wonderful sense of humour. She was intelligent and a great conversationalist. She loved crosswords (the cryptic ones) and passed her love of word games onto me. In her 6th decade she came to know the Lord and enjoyed a wonderful 11 years of being a Christ follower. She had loads of friends and finished strong. It doesn’t matter how old you are, it’s never too late to make a change in your life.  I remember in about 1992, Ma (who lived in Johannesburg) coming to Cape Town at short notice.  Her husband had been abusive and Julian booked her on a flight almost immediately.  She came to stay on a Thursday, I think and on Sunday morning we went to church. It was the Baptist Church in Fish Hoek (when it was on 2nd Ave). We took our seats as usual and I remember we were sitting towards the front on the right. Pastor John stood up to preach. Here was my dearest Mother, not a Christian, sitting in church hurting over her broken marriage, feeling bruised over how she had been treated. I was sure the Lord had a special message for her.

Pastor John preached fervently. I squirmed in my seat. Inward sighing, not daring to look at my Mom.

The message: God hates divorce.

At the end, I didn’t say anything, but got up to leave. I was speechless. I really didn’t know how she would respond. I’m sure after the recent trauma, she was planning on divorcing her husband and we would fully endorse it. How would this influence her?

As we left, she turned to me and asked, “Did he know I was coming?” She wanted to know if I had spoken to Pastor John and told him her circumstances & then he had designed the sermon for her! “NO!” I replied, “He knows nothing about you. You only arrived on Thursday.” She answered, “It was as if I was the only person in the church & he was speaking directly to me.” I was stunned. The Lord was surely at work.

Ma returned to Johannesburg. The family went to collect her from the airport, taking bets as to how long it would take before she moved back to her husband.

You know what? She never did. She never went back to live with her husband, but she never divorced him either. And she started going to church. At the age of about 60, my Mom came to know the Lord and the next almost 12 years were spent getting very involved in church, Bible study, ladies meetings and ministry. It bought me much joy. I had been praying for her since I was 14.

On this day in 2004, we gathered around her deathbed and I read Psalm 23 to her. It’s also the psalm that comes up on my Bible reading every January 28th.

Psalm 23:1-6
The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters,  He refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley,  I will fear no evil, for you are with me;
your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.  Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Always remembered, always loved, my dearest Ma. We will meet again!

One of my favourite photos…

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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Puzzle Station

Posted on January 27, 2024 by Helga

Saturday

Dear Elsie

Today was the day you & I had a chat. You told me that Daskat had to be put down. 😥 He was about 17, blind in one eye, deaf and seemed in pain. It was a very sad day yesterday because of it. Your Dad sent your Mom a photo of Daskat when he was a kitten in 2007. Maybe there will be a Daskat 2. One of the things you really wanted to show me was your toes. Nora ran over your toes on a bicycle and you needed plasters. I understand why. That looks sore!

While I was chatting to you, you could also see me sorting out the puzzle pieces at my puzzle station. It’s the camping table and it’s right next to my desk so very convenient. The puzzle I’m now doing is of 32 doors of which, by the time I took this photo, I had done 9. I started with all the blue ones.

Now I’ve done a few more, but I am quickly realising the doors are by far the easiest part and it is going to be all the brickwork surrounding the doors is going to be the tricky (and time consuming) bits.

We had a good swim this morning on another perfect summer’s day – water must have been 20C or higher.

Saturday’s are a good day off.

Psalm 22:24
For He has not despised or scorned the suffering of the afflicted one; He has not hidden His face from him but has listened to his cry for help.

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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Being More Deliberate

Posted on January 26, 2024 by Helga

Friday

Dear Elsie

Today was the day we went to the beach. It was overcast and windless and as a result I could swim and swim and swim.

The walk home along the cat walk…

The sea was dead flat and the tide super low.

I’ve been thinking today of how, these last several days I’ve been more deliberate. This has been my experience this week at least – possibly influenced by the fact that work has been quieter. When I read the Bible in the morning, I’m deliberately slowing down – taking care to read each word -trying to absorb more.

Going down the stairs, I’m very deliberate in watching where I’m walking – that’s all the time – I wouldn’t want to take a tumble on the hard rock stairs.

I’ve been trying to be intentional about stopping to look, appreciate and enjoy life. When I’m swimming, when the sea is as flat as it was today, each stroke, measured – trying to swim silently – move smoothly through the water making as little splash as possible. It takes discipline, with each stroke, to break the water gently and to kick underwater. When others swim silently, it’s very elegant to watch – almost furtive. It’s fun to try and easier when the water is flat. When there are waves and breakers and swell, rougher water demands a heavier hand. Work is quiet – no need to rush home. What a treat.

Sometimes, life gets stressed but generally, it’s far easier to pace ourselves now than 10 years ago. I think I’ve seen it with David as well. He can’t go fast – he has had to slow right down and just take it easy and that has rubbed off a bit. I guess it’s an art that improves with practice! Slowing down is wonderful.

End of the week.

Exodus 3:7
The Lord said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering”

God is concerned.

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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Orcas in the Bay

Posted on January 25, 2024 by Helga

Thursday

Dear Elsie

Today was the day we went for a delicious swim in warm water. We went down late so the shark net was already in place and there were loads of people in the sea. It was lovely. Later in the day, the shark siren went off a number of times. Apparently it was because a couple of bronze whaler sharks were caught in the fishermen’s nets.  So it was surprising to me the bronze whalers were around at all. I would have imagined they would have kept clear from False Bay’s famous Orca pair – known as Port & Starboard. They graced Fish Hoek with their presence today, cruising through Sunnycove towards Kalk Bay. Nanette Smith, an accomplished photographer got a couple of photos of them…

Orca’s (also known as killer whales) are apex predators meaning they are the top of the food chain.  It’s good to see them around because they are partial to great white sharks and the pair’s appearance generally means great whites will find another home. I still wouldn’t want to encounter a bronze whale shark, even if they are not known for their aggression. So with the exclusion swimming zone I happily swim.

Today I worked under 6 hours, I did some shopping and voila! I finished the puzzle.

It is so detailed. I enjoyed it so much.  The lady who lent it to me sent me a photo of all the others she now has bought home for me to borrow. I’ll go visit her tomorrow, take this one back & pick up a couple more.

David had a bit more energy this morning, so took himself up to Silvermine Reservoir. He was able to have a little swim as well which he really enjoyed.  That’s his outing for a while. He plans to rest from now until Tuesday when he goes to see a haematologist. We are hoping that will reveal some useful information.

Matthew 16:24-27
Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in His Father’s glory with His angels, and then He will reward each person according to what they have done.

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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19.5 Degree Sea Water

Posted on January 24, 2024 by Helga

Wednesday

Dear Elsie

Today was the day we went to the beach and swam in beautiful warm water. Someone said it was 19.5 and that last week it was a balmy 22. There was quite a bit of swell but it was lovely swimming. The shark net was being put out, so there were lots of people enjoying the morning.

Home for breakfast. Ruth was here and Courage helped her move swiftly through the Little Lookout, the Seaview Apartment and Julian’s top floor, so that David could move down, Emir, the guest could move to the Seaview & Julian could arrive this afternoon. Three apartments clean, three loads of washing, all done.

I worked, had a meeting and did some puzzle.

It should be finished by tomorrow.

Courage has been working hard out the back – the gabion basket boundary wall has grown.

We have had a sad parting of ways with Courage’s ‘handlanger’ who, it was discovered, had been stealing. Courage was very disappointed as he had trusted him and treated him as a brother. We are not going to replace him just yet, so Courage works on his own but Mike has been working to find ways to make the work more efficient. There will come a time when we may need to hire a team of guys for a short period, but that’s not needed just yet.

I was very happy to see Timeout has just released results of a survey that have Cape Town as the 2nd top city of the world for 2024.

What a privilege that I get to live in Cape Town. When I arrived here 41 years ago, I clearly remember being in awe that this was the city God chose for me.

Psalm 20:4
May He give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed.

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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Pasttimes

Posted on January 23, 2024 by Helga

Tuesday

Dear Elsie

One of the things you and your Mom love doing is puzzles and the bug has bitten me too. The puzzle I started has grown. The pink, red and orange are done.

The other thing I like doing is giving my brain a workout and playing Sporcle.

Quite a challenge. I nearly forgot Serbia and El Salvador!

For Mike, he’s gone and got himself playing chess against varying and increasingly difficult computer bots. So this is how it starts…

This was how it transitioned this morning…

And the afternoon game ended with this…

It’s hard mental work.

Today Mike has worked hard. He has been working on painting the wood for one of his upcoming projects and he did quite a lot of that today. The wind picked up this afternoon, but it’s expected to drop tomorrow.

I also managed to get in just under 7 hours of work. Tomorrow, we should get to the beach. It’s also going to be a big cleaning day. The guest in the Seaview  apartment leaves. The guy in the Little Lookout moves in there, so both those units need a clean. David moves down to the LL, leaving upstairs to be cleaned. We have got it sorted.

The other thing that happily happened today is our Ethiopian air flight was bought forward by 45 minutes, meaning we have 2 hours and 15 minutes connection time in Addis instead of only 1.5 hours. That made me happy. Hopefully, there won’t be any further changes.

There were lots of gems from my Bible reading this morning – I chose this one…

Psalm 19:7
The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.

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 Cats Who Sit

Posted on January 22, 2024 by Helga

Monday

Dear Elsie

Today was the day I got Claw’d to sit from a lying position, and, I had no snack for him. Els, it’s one of the things you’ve seen them do on our video calls. When you come visit, you’ll be able to watch them wrestle  and sit for snacks. It’s one of the fun things these cats will do. They both sit on command. Here they are obediently waiting for their snacks.

Snacks given…

They match the carpet! Later they were in the lounge and Claw’d was lying on the carpet. I told him to sit, but he was too lazy to get up. He also probably could smell that I didn’t have snacks on me. I kept saying, “Claw’d sit” and eventually, with David as witness, Claw’d got up from from lying and obediently sat. I don’t know how the previous owner taught them to sit but they still remember it. What’s fun is they obey my command regardless of who is around, so if I want to show someone & I’ve got the snacks in my hand, they will sit with pleasure!

Yesterday, I started the puzzle…

And today I got the pieces sorted and started on the pink side.

Such a lot of pleasure. As a result, I only worked for 6 hours!

Wind is blowing gales today and tomorrow, so I have a feeling it will only be back to the beach on Wednesday.

David seems to have had a good day today. He is pacing himself and managing his energy levels. He’s not going out at all but having useful days. He loves having the cats and the cats love him.

Proverbs 4:11
I instruct you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths.

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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Training Walk – Kalk Bay to Muizenberg & Back

Posted on January 21, 2024 by Helga

Sunday

Dear Elsie

Today was the day we did our first so called training walk – with the intention of getting fit enough to walk miles and miles through Italy. We parked outside BI in  Kalk Bay and set off up the path next to Olympia. Did you know Kalk Bay has a vineyard? I didn’t…but there it is…

Up the stairs to Boyes Drive..it brought us out at Ponder Rd. 

We did ponder why we need to go to Italy when we have views like this…

And as we walked, they just got better and better…

Over the hill, past the shark spotter hut and all of Muizenberg lies below…We took the obligatory selfy…

Down Camp Rd stairs, past CCFm, across the railway line – Muizenberg!

Then it was along the Muizenberg – St James path…

Which is as picturesque as ever… 

At St James, we sat on the rocks and put our feet in the water to cool off…

St James Beach was cooking!

An easy walk from St James to Kalk Bay, past the harbour…

And back to the car…

It really was a lovely 2 hours – walked just over 8km which was enough on this sunny day.

In the afternoon, I ensured the cottage was ready for returning guests. The guest in the cottage – a really nice guy named Emir – moved up to the Little Lookout. I found out he plays chess and the guitar, albeit both as a ‘junior’ so I forwarded his number to David and David’s number to him. They connected and Emir came up to visit David this afternoon.  Cut from similar cloth & the same age.

One way to get to know the neighbours is to ask if anyone has something to lend you. I was looking for a new puzzle, so I asked our street NHW chat group if anyone had a 1000 piece puzzle to lend me. A lady named Cheryl said she does. I went to pick them up today (she had 2) and we had a chat. Lovely lady. The puzzle is going to be a fun one. It’s so detailed. It’s called Colourful Rainbow.

I’ve got my work cut out for me.

Psalm 18:28
You, Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light.

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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Sad Day at the Beach

Posted on January 20, 2024 by Helga

Saturday

Dear Elsie

I often say, “the beach is such a happy place.” And it is, most of the time, but occasionally something sad happens at the beach and today as one of those days. We went down this morning and it was beautiful. The shark net was in place and I got a good swim in. We went a little late, so it was already crowded. We were home by 10am and it was a little later than that when you and I had a chat.  It wasn’t this morning the beach was struck with sadness. It was this afternoon.

I walked down to Fish Hoek to buy some things. I decided  to walk on the road and took this photo from Simon’s Town road. I did notice there were very few people on the barrel side of the swimming area, but didn’t think why. It was only afterwards, when I looked at this photo again, I noticed a lot of those in the water were looking towards the cat walk.

I walked down the steps next to Dolphin Park and took this photo which really shows how busy it is, but again, I didn’t notice how many people were looking towards the cat walk.

I walked along the road and heard a siren. A police car appeared and pulled into the beach precinct. I looked across the railway line and saw a fire engine, an ambulance and another CMR emergency vehicle. I thought I saw someone pushing a wheelchair towards the ambulance so guessed someone had been injured. When I got into the beach area, I immediately saw a big crowd on the cat walk.

Someone had drowned and resuscitation was under way. I was so sad. I went off and did my shopping and when I returned, there were more emergency personnel, plus the police to try keep onlookers away. I walked home sadly, praying for all concerned. The beach was very sombre.

The sea was flat and the water warm. Sometimes, when it’s rough and I am swimming, I’m aware of the dangers. Waves can sweep over while I’m coming up for a breath. I always try to take care, but when the water is flat it can still be dangerous.

Psalm 18:1
I love you, LORD, my strength.

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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Fish Hoek Summer

Posted on January 19, 2024 by Helga

Friday

Dear Elsie

Today was the day your Mom sent me a few photos of you playing with Simone. I loved seeing the photos of the two of you on the slide and playing in the sandpit. I’m so glad she is in your class.

I only did a few hours of work today. It was  hot & sunny, so we went to the beach. The water was super warm – at least 20C. I had a lovely swim. There were loads of people enjoying the early morning…

One of the first things I encountered as I got further into the water was a little penguin! It was swimming and surfing and enjoying itself. It came within centimeters of the swimmers, peering curiously at us and wholly unafraid. I felt he must have come from the Seaforth colony where there are lots of people. He felt right at home.

The day got hotter and hotter, so it was good to stay inside.

Riana and Ingrid came to visit and that was a lovely morning.  After they left, I did a bit of work before going for a facial with Lorraine. That is such a treat for me. Post facial pic…I’m getting a bit of a tan with all the visits to the beach…hair is after swim hair!

A little more work this afternoon and then to our surprise David came down early just to have a visit. He has found the biltong I’ve been buying him. He’s had it in the morning and it has helped reduce his afternoon crash.

I went shopping to buy eggs and bacon. Tomorrow, we hope to swim again and when we get home, we’ll have a cook-up.

I am really looking forward to a shower, but there is no water – a burst water main somewhere. Hopefully, it won’t take too long to repair. It was off this morning and then came on again for most of the day before going off later this afternoon. We’ve delivered water to the guests.

Psalm 17:6
I call on you, O God, for you will answer me; give ear to me and hear my prayer.

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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More Flights Booked

Posted on January 18, 2024 by Helga

Thursday

Dear Elsie

Today was the day we booked our flights to Italy. We decided to choose Africa’s leading airline – Ethiopian Air. It also is one of the quickest ways to get to Milan from Cape Town. God willing, we leave at 3.20pm, arrive in Addis at 10.45pm. We then have an hour and a half layover, which I’m told is ample. Addis airport only has 2 terminals and the international one only has 7 gates.  We then head off to Milan.

You may be eagle-eyed and see we have split our seats. We are trying something different. We’ve booked quite far back in the plane (they usually fill the plane from front to back) and we are hoping by putting an empty seat between the two of us, that one won’t get booked!

Once in Milan, we catch a train to Chatillon in the mountainous area of the Aosta Valley in north west Italy. Mike will get his Alps views and mountain walks.

I have a feeling we may end up getting off the train at Ivrea as I read somewhere they were doing maintenance of the train between there and Chatillon and we will need to complete the journey by bus.  Anyway, either way, we will be shattered and happy to arrive at our destination about 24 hours after leaving Cape Town. Our destination is a simple apartment in the centre of Chatillon, walking distance to shops and the bus stop which will get us around the area. We need to start getting some serious walks in.

With these arrangements now made, Mike can apply for his Schengen visa. So, good progress made today. We feel we are back on track.

David’s biggest chess YT video now has 919k views which is unexpected. I’m watching to see when it crosses a million. Sometimes you see the Lord’s hand in the most unexpected places.

Proverbs 3:27
Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act.

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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First Day of Grade R

Posted on January 17, 2024 by Helga

Wednesday

Dear Elsie,

Today you started your first day of Grade R. I’m so excited for you and so proud you had such a great first day. You have really grown in confidence over the last 6 months and you did really, really well. You have such a great imagination and creativity. Here you are taking a photo and video of Monkey using a pink calculator. You showed your video to your Mom with commentary added!

For me the day was windy. It started by Mike and I going to the doctor so Mike could have a lesion cut out of his nose. It was quick quick! He now sports a very neat dressing on his nose which can come off in the next day or two. No swimming in the sea though. I suppose he could as long as he doesn’t go under. Tomorrow, the wind is forecast to die down which is a good thing because today there was another fire….this time on Kalk Bay mountain.

Before long 3 helicopters sprang into action, water bombing the flames. They got the water from Kalk Bay harbour…(photo cred Arthur Manser who posted it to one of the whatsapp groups)

While it has largely been contained, there are patches that keep flaring up. Fire season in Cape Town is at its highest in January and February.

We are adjusting to the idea there is no long 27 day cruise coming. We were so looking forward to it, but we have quickly adjusted & now just planning how to get to Milan.

The other thing that happened today is I finished the puzzle. I got such great pleasure from this difficult one. I sorted all the pieces and had all the white and all the blue, but just look how spread out they all are.

Time to break it down and find another one.

Today was a good day for David! He went for a drive (down the 100 steps to the car) and parked next to a  hiking trail. He walked about 200m along the track and 200m back. And he managed admirably. He also stopped at Woolworths, so that was more walking. This evening he is not absolutely exhausted, so altogether he managed the outing well. We are grateful for these small steps.

Matthew 12:12
How much more valuable is a man than a sheep!

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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