Cruise Cancelled 😥

Tuesday

Dear Elsie

Today was the day we heard our northbound 27 night Grand Voyage from Cape Town to Genoa was cancelled due to the unrest in the Red Sea. It is more cost effective for MSC to take the ship back empty than to reroute round the southern Cape and up the West Coast of Africa. I got a call and then received the letter.

Are we disappointed? Absolutely! But there are no surprises with the Lord. He saw this coming. We have (already) got used to the idea and will make a plan. I’ve been trawling through the MSC website looking to see what the options are. I think the most sensible option is just to postpone it a year and go next year – same time frame, same itinerary. Fortunately, we only need tell them at the end of February so we have some time. We do still need to get to Europe because we have an EasyJet flight out of Milan on 3rd May for our cruise with Julian.  That’s something wonderful to look forward to and Mike has got used to the idea that he has to fly both ways.

For the rest, I worked 8 hours.

The wind has picked up & there will most likely be no beach visits until the end of the week.

Grateful for the day & I’ve got my puzzle to finish!

Matthew 11:28-30
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is 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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Seaside Days

Monday

Dear Elsie

Today was another day for the beach. These are really seaside days and it’s not often we have so many of them in a row. I think we’ve had 5 perfect days in a row and we have taken advantage of them. The day dawned and I was up to see it.

I got up early so I could get some work done before going to the beach. Swimming conditions were amazing. I thought the shark net was out because I saw the shark spotters in their inflatable. It was only when I got out to the barrel that I realised they weren’t putting it out. Then I saw the trek fishermen rowing furiously across the bay. They did a big circle and came towards the barrel before turning back to the beach. It was then that it occurred to me the shark spotters couldn’t put the exclusion net out because it would be in the way of the trek fishermen who have preference. It didn’t really matter. There were lots of people around and the shark spotters were on duty. There were not sharks, so I felt safe. A lovely 36 minute swim.

We’ve certainly taken advantage of the weather. Swimming in the morning and eating out on the balcony every evening. The wind is forecast to pick up tomorrow, so we’ll have to wait another few days to do this again.

Home for breakfast and work. Now I’m done and ready to relax.

Psalm 13:5-6
I trust in Your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in Your salvation. I will sing to the Lord for He has been good to me.

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

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Gran xx 🙂

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Another Glorious Summer’s Day in Fish Hoek

Sunday

Dear Elsie

Today was the day I really wished you were here visiting. The sea was so flat and warm. It was so clear and shallow, you would have loved it and easily been able to paddle. You could see fish as well. It was just amazing.

This was you on the beach a year ago! How much you have grown!

We had a very quiet, restful day.  I did quite a lot of puzzle, but probably most of the day was spent surfing accommodation in Copenhagen. Mike has a preferred area and to find a spot for 3 of us to lay down our heads of 4th May (at a reasonable price) was near impossible. I have a $100 Airbnb voucher, so the plan was to use that, but none of the options was in the right location – it needs to be near the centre and very close to a Metro. It doesn’t help we only need 1 night which is always awkward for those who manage Airbnbs. Just to give you idea, the most convenient one will cost a whopping R8915 – that’s with a discount because it’s new. We still can minus the $100 – but even then it adds up to R2350 per person per night. Gasp.  We’ll see what else comes up.

Today, Raiku sent us a ‘do not disturb’ message…

It has been another very still evening, so breathless, we had dinner on the balcony again.

Proverbs 3:13-15
Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Gran xx 🙂

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Beach Days

Saturday

Dear Elsie

Today was the day I watched you play your game on your Mom’s computer. We had a chat as well, and you watched Claw’d watching YouTube! So fun. Today it’s been 6 months with the cats. They have bought us a lot of joy and laughs, that’s for sure.

Today was absolutely a beach day. The water was incredible – it was so clear and flat as a swimming pool. I really enjoyed swimming very close to the coast, looking at the underwater rocks, mussels and some fish. By 8.30am, the crowds were gathering….

We came home for breakfast and the rest of the day was comfortably quiet.

The funniest thing happened the other night. I was settling in for the night and just dozing off when I heard Julian come down saying something really weird was happening on his floor. It was a particularly windy night and I expected it had something to do with the wind. I dozed off while Mike went to see what was up. When Mike came back, I surfaced sufficiently enough to hear the story. Bizarrely, there was an ongoing rumble in the bathroom of plumbing pipes vibrating. First Julian though someone in the building was showering and it would soon go away, but it didn’t.  He turned on the taps to see if that made a difference – maybe it was an airlock. That didn’t help. He closed the bathroom door to see if he could sleep with it and concluded he may be able to, but best to see if Mike could figure out what was wrong – hence his late night visit. Mike was completely perplexed and quite concerned there was something very wrong with the plumbing. By now it was about 11pm. Mike went down to the main water supply and turned it off. If it was plumbing, it should stop. Back up the stairs to find the noise continuing. And it was about that time that Julian discovered the reason – peculiarly his electric toothbrush had inexplicably turned on and was merrily vibrating in its little container. If perfectly mimicked plumbing pipes rattling! You can imagine the laughter that followed! One of the little anecdotes for future family to chortle over!

David has had a few good days, but today was pretty bad for him. We ate outside on the balcony for the 3rd evening in a row. He joined us but didn’t stay long, preferring to retreat for an early night.

Matthew 9:35
Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.

It’s now about now. We are only passing through.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Gran xx 🙂

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It’s a Cat’s Life

Friday

Dear Elsie

Today began super cloudy and misty, so we didn’t go to the beach, but once the mist cleared and the sun came out, we wished we had.

I worked most of the day, but Claw’d did not! This was 1.15pm…

…and this was 4pm…

Later we walked down to the beach. Friday evenings at the beach are a hive of activity…shark net being pulled in…

Paddlers lining up for time trial…

Julian and I walked home via daisy lane. By then the paddlers were on their way…The other significant thing about today is we booked our flight back from Copenhagen. We leave Copenhagen at 7.20pm and God willing arrive back in Cape Town by noon the next day. We are slowly completing our itinerary. We need to book 3 night’s accommodation in Italy and 1 night in Copenhagen and then Mike can apply for his Schengen visa. It sure was easier before Brexit. We did all of this but then we handed in my British passport with his application and they gave him a free Schengen visa for 5 years!

Proverbs for today:

Proverbs 3:9-10
Honour the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.

It’s now about now. We are only passing through.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Gran xx 🙂

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Cheat or Compromise?

Thursday

Dear Elsie

Today was the day that some may say we cheated but I say it was compromise. The plan for today was always to go to the beach, but while the wind had calmed a lot overnight, there was still quite a significant swell and the waves were expected to be 2m. While I got up early, Mike slept in and by 7.45am I was taking coffee to both him and downstairs to David. By 8.15am, we decided we would go. By 8.30, I remembered the car was blocking Julian’s motorbike in the garage. We needed to take the car out, so he could take the motorbike out to go get the other car. So on our way out, I moved the car. I told Mike, because we are so late, we could drive down the road and park at the bottom of the hill. Then when we are finished, we won’t have to walk all the way up the hill. This is the hill …

So off we went, feeling like we were cheating on our exercise routine, but nah, the circumstances this morning meant it was a compromise. We parked in a little car park at the bottom of the hill and then walked over the bridge, onto the cat walk to the beach. The waves were as big as expected. Because we were so late, the net was already out so I had a lovely swim and it was super quick getting home. We usually come up the 122 steps that make up Echo steps and are pooped at the end.

I worked more than 6 hours, shopped and then Julian and I walked to the end of the beach and back on what was a beautiful evening.

Dinner was al fresco and we enjoyed every single minute of it.

These are the days. Over the last year, there have been very few times we could say that, but today was a day of note. David is still 10% of his usual self, but something happened this morning as I read my Bible. I was reassured that David is not forgotten. Instead of tears of despair, I cried tears of gratitude.  I had come to Psalm 10.

The Psalm starts of with a valid question, one I have surely asked over the last year…
“Why O Lord do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?”

David laments the evil in the world and then comes verse 14:
“But You, O God, do see trouble and grief; You consider it and take it in hand.”

Regardless of what happens, we are not forgotten.  You are not forgotten.

It’s now about now. We are only passing through.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Gran xx 🙂

 

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Reliability

Wednesday

Dear Elsie

Today was the day that the importance of reliability came to mind. As you grow up, my girl, be sure to be reliable. Integrity and honesty must be cornerstones of your life.

Early this morning, before the day began, I was thinking of some of the people who have passed through my working life and how unreliable they were. I was particularly reflecting on a teacher who I placed (twice in fact) and on both occasions she proved unreliable. After the first instance, I tried to justify it because she was really good at her job and I had another opportunity for her, but when she blundered the second time, I lost confidence in her.  It has meant that when she came back to me, I absolutely could not help her, no matter how good she is. Such a pity.

It overflows to many areas of life – I don’t want to book a flight on KLM because last time, they changed their flights so  many times, we had to cancel. They were just so unreliable, I can’t bring myself to use them again.

Honesty and reliability go hand in hand. When someone is dishonest, trust is broken and it’s hard to fix. Then later today, in our tiny little microcosm of the universe, we encountered dishonesty and we had to part company with the person. It’s so hard to do but there are consequences to actions.

I worked nearly 8 hours. The wind has blown the entire day. We had sand and stone delivered and lugged up the stairs. And Paul, the engineer came to inspect a tiny crack in the gabion basket. He laughed and said it’s not a crack – a crack is much bigger. It’s probably shrinkage. It was good we involved him. We also asked him about the decking outside Mike’s office and he’s happy with that design.

Proverbs 2:3 Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.

It’s not about now. We are only passing through.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Gran xx 🙂

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A Quieter and Windier Day

Tuesday

Dear Elsie

Today was the day that was just a normal working day. I had a few calls and lots of computer work to do which I got through in just under 8 hours.

Early this morning, I finished the puzzle, which gave me great pleasure!

I have another one ready, which I may start this evening. And it will be easier to do because Mike bought me a perfectly sized foldable camping table which gives me more space.

Tomorrow, we have a changeover of guests. The new ones are coming for a week, so next busy Airbnb day will be a week tomorrow. The guests have been nice though.

The wind has been howling. It’s got stronger as the day has progressed and we are in for a blustery Wednesday as well. I envisage swimming on Thursday. The pounding south-easter rips into fabric so the cushions on our balcony chairs are now needing to be recovered. The neighbours across the road have two hot water cylinders on their roof. A few months ago, a company came and wrapped them firmly in thermal blankets. The outer layer of one of them started to unravel and was flapping noisily. A week or so ago, I contacted the neighbour to tell them, but they said it just has to stay that way because the owner needs surgery and can’t go up a ladder to fix it. One of these days the outer layer is going to be completely ripped off and will fly away to Fish Hoek. The under layer is beginning to unravel & the wrapping on the other hot water cylinder is also showing signs of fraying. The wind at the Cape sure can be destructive.

We need the wind to clear the air and blow the rain up country. Also, if we didn’t have the summer breeze, it would be a whole lot hotter.

Matthew 7:24-25
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.”

It’s not about now. We are only passing through.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Gran xx 🙂

 

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A Work and Puzzle Day

Monday

Dear Elsie

When we came home from your house last week, we bought with us two puzzles and over the weekend I started one. It’s right next to my desk, so easy to play around with both during the day at in the evening. The light is so good at my desk. It’s quite a tricky one because there are so m any similar things….the rooves of the houses are similar, there are numerous trees and flowers that are similar and the boats have parts that look alike as well. Since taking the photo below, I’ve done a chunk more.

I’m finding it quite addictive and it also is very relaxing.

I worked for almost 8 hours and am all caught up.

Today, for the first time, a dodgy looking guy walked up our stairs looking for work. He stopped at the Seaview apartment and engaged the Swedish guy staying there. Swedish guy gave him a bucket and cloth and asked him to wash his car. I was so unhappy about this. I explained to the guest we don’t offer work to strangers off the street. That’s what Courage and Brian are here for. I guess no harm done, but it was unnerving. The stairs put people off but to have a loiterer try them out is something that rarely happens.

The fire of last night was finally bought under control at 2am. The firefighters have had their hands full this season. There is an ongoing debate about who starts these fires. Some say the homeless – last night was chilly, but most people suggest it’s arson. Hot, windy summer months make for dangerous conditions.

There were many rich nuggets in my Bible reading today. I’ve chosen

Matthew 6:34
Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

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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Bigger, Cleaner, Cheaper

Sunday

Dear Elsie

It was good to speak to you today my darling and to hear all about your friends, including Pink, She, My Little Child, Blossom, Kitty Cat, Sleepy Bear, Monkey and Woofie. I think I’ve left some out but those are the ones I remember – actually I wrote some of them down.

After yesterday, guests are in and happy. The guest in the Seaview apartment has been in the city for a few weeks. He was staying nearby but glibly told me that our unit was cleaner, bigger and cheaper.  Airbnb competition in the area is stiff – there are so many short term holiday lets on our street, let alone across the suburb, so it’s always difficult getting the pricing right. Too much and they’ll go somewhere else. Apart from 2 weeks in the second half of February, we are fully booked until mid June.

Today we had a good rest. We did get to the beach.

The water was colder than last time, but it was brilliant. I had a good swim.

The other day I looked out the back window and saw Raiku way up at the tree line. He was coming back down. He has the most amazing back garden to explore…day time only – we keep them in at night – don’t want them to encounter a caracal.

Today he went exploring next door. Always alert – always looking for something to bring home!

As I write, a fire has broken out below Peers Hill. Apparently there are fire tenders on the scene. Someone must be lighting these fires. There have been so many of them over the last 2 weeks.

It is spreading…and we can now see the flames.

Mike’s took a photo through the telescope.

Hopefully they will get it under control.

While I rested well today, I’ve got a ton of work waiting for me both my formal job and I need to sort out the Little Lookout. I still haven’t done that. It’s not going to happen tonight!

In my Bible reading I’m up to Genesis 17. I have a note, Miracles Take Time. It’s a good reminder.

Genesis 17:14
Is anything too hard for the Lord?

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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Up and Down the Stairs Day

Saturday

Dear Elsie

One of the things I’ve been smiling about today, my Els is how you told me “You’re the preciousest!” It’s one of the things I say often – mainly to the cats – but also to you when I see you, “You’re precious” but I think when I left yesterday I said, “You’re the preciousest” and that’s what you told me I was. So cute! It certainly made me smile today.

Today was the day we went up and down the stairs many times. From about November last year, I always knew today, 6th January, would be an extra busy day. All the guests left – both family and the Airbnb guests in the Seaview Apartment. Just after 7.30am, Jess, Gerrie and family drove away on their long trip back to Johannesburg.

They are staying tonight in the middle of nowhere, Karoo. Actually, it’s Strydomburg which I had never heard of until yesterday.

Strydomburg is about 30 minutes from Hopetown on the way to Kimberley. If they turn right at Hopetown and drive for another 30 minutes they will get to the famous enclave of Orania which is a bit of a curiosity. It has its own currency – the Ora. I remember Stacey and Adrian passing through Orania when Adrian moved to Cape Town in 2007. The Karoo is hot, arid and pretty featureless so I’m not sure I would be interested in Orania or anywhere else in the Karoo. I need the coast. The fresh sea air. The cool breeze. And the mountains. It will be interesting to hear if the family get to visit it.

For us, we started cleaning the Seaview Apartment. When Ruth arrived, she took over. I did all the linen – 4 loads of laundry. She finished the one and then went to clean the cottage. She was done by about 3.30pm. The guests from the Little Lookout went to Cape Point and then returned to move into the Seaview. Tomorrow, I’ll sort out the LL. There were some firsts today. The guests who stayed in the LL had booked the Seaview Apartment and the Cottage for this month (on Airbnb), but needed to come 2 days earlier. By the time they told us that, we were on Whatsapp, so we arranged it directly. It’s the first time we have had Airbnb guests come stay with us off Airbnb before their booking started. And it’s the first time, we’ve had such a big changeover of guests on one day.

Mike & I have also been talking about which airline to use to fly home from Copenhagen. Initially, it was to be KLM and try the day flight, but on further thought, it’s a pretty bad idea because we have to be at the airport at 3am and accommodation in Copenhagen is frightfully expensive. Also, KLM only arrive in Cape Town at 9.25pm so it’s a very long day. We’ve looked at Turkish Air – they fly at 7pm from Copenhagen – get to Istanbul around 11pm and then fly at about 2am to Cape Town, arriving at 11.45am. It would take us 16 hours or so to get home which is pretty good. The other consideration is to arrive in Copenhagen the day before the cruise. This is sound cruise advice which I overlooked and booked our Easyjet flight to get in on the day of the cruise. What if there’s a strike or a storm? Any major delay  could result in us missing the first 2 days of the cruise which would be expensive. To change the flight to a day earlier will cost R1000 but for peace of mind it may be worth it. We can discuss further when Julian comes next week.

We have now collapsed in a heap and will start watching the Crown later, something we have been planning to do for weeks.

It’s been a satisfying day.

Psalm 6:9

The Lord has heard my cry for mercy; the Lord accepts 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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Home from Swellendam

Friday

Dear Elsie

Today you and I played with your Duplo and you built a massive double storey house with a pitch roof and a chimney. You also built an impressive very stable stairway going to the second floor. We spent some time together reading the Bible and saying “Onse Vader” and then said goodbye. We got home just after 11am. It was a beautiful day in Cape Town, with a north wind blowing and clearly a lot of fish in the sea.

One of the first things I arranged was for Courage to put up Oupa’s hanging plant. It’s by the front door. I love this one – I think it’s called a String of Pearls Fern. I also bought home a few others which was are planning on using.

During the course of the morning, a fire had broken out above Dixies. The hum of helicopters once reverberated overhead.

With their expertise, it was soon under control.

I worked all afternoon and then this evening we had the family come up for coffee before they all leave tomorrow.

Bed time for me now.

Matthew 4:16
The people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.

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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Remembering Oupa

Thursday

Dear Elsie, you are with me as I write this.

Today was the day we gathered in Oupa’s beautiful garden to remember him and thank the Lord for his life. What a garden. Elsie, one day you may read this and only have vague memories of your Oupa. So it is good that I remind you of his life. He was a gentle, kind man with a great love of gardening. He spent endless hours in his garden, building, growing, pruning, watering, tending, increasing and planting.

I took a number of photos.

I remember him being so excited about getting his gazebo. He ordered it from somewhere in KZN and was quick to get it assembled and it was there that we met. It was so appropriate.

We bought home 5 plants with which we will enjoy remembering him. He was born in 1952 in Newcastle. He married your Ouma Joey in 1981 and they had your Dad in 1983. They were married until Ouma passed away in 2016. He worked for ABSA for 40 years and after retiring, he moved to Steytlerville. After Ouma died, Oupa moved to Swellendam to be closer to your Ma and Pa. Then, in 2018, you were born and you bought him a lot of joy. He had a very happy time in Swellendam and your parents looked after him until the day he died. He will never be forgotten and we are privileged to have known him.

Matthew 4:23
Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.

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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Another Leg of our Journey

Wednesday

Dear Elsie

Tomorrow I get to see you! I am excited about that. It will be bitter sweet because tomorrow is the day we get together to remember Oupa & how special he was. You can sit on my lap and I will hold you tight.

Today was a busy day for us. Julian went back to Johannesburg. David moved up to his floor.  Courage cleaned the Little Lookout from top to bottom. Brian washed the windows. I made up the bed. The guests arrive tomorrow.  I also did all the laundry, worked and have just come in from doing some shopping.

But the most exciting part of the day was booking another leg of our journey. The family know we are going north on the ship in April.

For many months it has been under discussion about what to do when we arrive in Italy. Julian will join us once we get to Europe.  Mike wants to see snow and mountains. Julian wants to see Florence. We couldn’t quite make the two work. We started looking at another cruise for Julian to see some of the Mediterranean that also has a visit to Florence, but Mike wasn’t wild about seeing a place he has seen before. We asked him what he wanted to see. He said, “I want to see northern Europe.” Within an hour or two of looking we had found an ideal option from Denmark to Norway and back via Germany. 7 nights. And all of us are super excited about it. We found flights from Italy to Denmark that arrive within 10 minutes of a flight from Johannesburg to Denmark, so it worked out really well. I would never have believed in my lifetime I’d get to see Northern Europe.

To get Mike’s Schengen visa we need to fill in the gaps – have accommodation booked in Italy and a flight home from Copenhagen.  Then he should be able to apply.

This evening I am kaput but the good thing is the guests who are coming into the Little Lookout tomorrow came and picked up the key this evening. They can arrive any time they wish tomorrow & I’ll see them on Friday. Saturday they move up to the Seaview Apartment. It’s a busy month on the Airbnb front.

Psalm 3:5
I will lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me.

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

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Gran xx 🙂

 

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Deconstructing Christmas

Tuesday

Dear Elsie

Today was the day that there was very little wind and so we took off to the beach for a swim. The water was lovely and the beach crowded. Such a holiday vibe – I almost forgot it was a work day for me. This is what greeted us on our way down.

I had a wonderful 30 minute swim. The net was not out, but there were a lot of people in the water, so I followed a couple out towards the barrel. The trek fishermen started rowing out. There have been plenty fish in the sea these last few days and with fish come sharks. While there were 4 great white sharks spotted in various parts of False Bay more than a month ago, it is the Bronze whale sharks that are frequent visitors when the fishermen are at work. Nigel Riley captured this fantastic photo of one near the trek net this morning.Bronze whalers are not known for their aggression, but I still wouldn’t want to encounter one. My 30 minute swim was happily concluded before the shark arrived. We enjoyed a few minutes of soaking up the sun.   It got busy pretty quickly. 

We came home and threw open the doors and enjoyed the summer weather with the relief of not much wind. I did a couple of loads of washing and then this afternoon I deconstructed Christmas.

 

Mike made two trips to the garage and put them on the mezzanine in the garage. I am writing this hoping that I will remember later this year when I look for them again. We will say, ‘where did we put the Christmas decorations?’ and scratch our heads and rub our chins and offer suggestions. Eventually, one of us will say, “I’m sure they are in the garage”. Ha! I’ve had another idea…

That will help.

The day ended on the balcony. Julian and I watched a couple of international planes pass overhead. If you can see it this one is Eidelweiss Air heading to Zurich. A beautiful evening.

Proverbs 1:7
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

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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