Jeffrey’s Bay to Swellendam

Posted on May 20, 2023 by Helga

Saturday

Dear Elsie

Today was the day we drove from Jeffrey’s Bay to Swellendam to see you! You have been sick and so have your parents. Your Dad described it as ‘properly sick!’ You poor thing. All of you have got antibiotics and have had rotten coughs.  It was wonderful to see you and we will keep our distance so we don’t take germs home to David. I am so looking forward to your birthday tomorrow!

For today, we got up early and by just after 6am, we glided quietly out of Jeffrey’s Bay and hit the N2. There was not much traffic. We got to Storms River where a man asked us to buy a subscription to his YouTube channel!

When we drove into the Wilderness, we decided to turn right to Hoekwil. Back story – Almost 37 years ago, part of our honeymoon was at a remote wooden cottage on a river in Hoekwil. We have not been back since so we wanted to see if we could find it. One of the things I remember clearly was we were doing a lot of walking because we were about to walk the Otter Trail (also on honeymoon), so we went for a walk and I remember the Hoekwil Post Office. We found it – it’s still there and looking pretty smart.

We found the road the house was on but there have been changes and it’s not as remote as it once was. We couldn’t get down to see the actual house. We did find some friendly curious cows.

And a fabulous friendly Hoekwil cafe which wasn’t there 37 years ago.

We bought the most delicious lemon cheesecake (for breakfast – as one does) and cappuccino. Inside the cafe..

We stopped at a layby overlooking Wilderness and with this view we drank the coffee and ate the cake.

Onwards, we drove through the beautiful Garden Route. We had decided to do a detour to Stilbaai because we’ve never been there. Mike saw a turn off on Google map and thought that would be a good road. “As long as it’s not a dirt road” I said. “Oh good point.” He took another look and decided it probably was. Looking at other options, he said, “There’s a road coming up shortly, take that one.”

This would take us to Stilbaai. The road less travelled. A beautiful tarred road with lots of great scenery.

Finally we got to the sign to Stilbaai.

We had no idea all this lovely tar would end…

40km of dirt road. Mike was really unhappy! We encountered this unusual sight. Horses were being guided along the dirt road by a lady and her workers in the car. Not sure if they had escaped or what.

But after crawling along, we arrived in Stilbaai, visited the market and drove around a bit. By 2.30pm, we arrived in Swellendam and I have to say, we were tired! Enough travelling for one day. Visited the family and we are now tucked up in bed. I’m typing this superfast because we are loadshedding and my laptop battery is about to die.

Psalm 111:10
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow His precepts have good understanding. To Him belongs eternal praise.

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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Monica’s Funeral

Posted on May 19, 2023 by Helga

Friday

Dear Elsie

Today was the day we celebrated the life and mourned the passing of Monica, my sister-in-law, Granpa’s sister. We woke at about 7am, had coffee and breakfast, showered, dressed and left at 9.30am to get to the 11am service in good time. It took us an hour. We met up with Monica’s sons Dean and Sean and joined other family members in the church. Mike’s Aunt Sally was also there. It was great to see her – we haven’t seen her for a while.

The service was very meaningful. At almost the start of the year, Monica had been told her heart was failing and she wasted no time in sitting down and planning her memorial service. She wrote a bit about her life. She chose the hymns and the Bible reading. She wrote in a file a list of what her sons had to do should she pass away, listing them numerically, starting with phoning her church. She made it very easy for her sons to plan her service. Monica was part of a tight church group at St Hugh’s Anglican church in Port Elizabeth. A big imposing church that must have been around a long time.

The Rector, Rev Andrea Potgieter led us through a meaningful service which had Monica’s prayer group take part. These are special ladies who prayed diligently and effectively for numbers of people, including David. We will always appreciate them.

Monica had requested in her notes the service was to be followed by ‘simple snacks’ so to the hall we went for a tea and delicious goodies.  We caught up with the Eastern Cape family and then headed back to Jeffrey’s Bay. We are at peace.

This afternoon, we went down to the amazing SuperTubes beach where all the massive surfing competitions take place. We were there yesterday and spoke to a couple of surfers who were from France. Surfers come from all over the world to try these waters. There is a big surfing competition coming up in July and it is here that they will compete. Loads of surfers both local and foreign are practising.

The waves weren’t quite as big today as they were yesterday, but we still saw massive swell and brave souls riding the tunnels. It was quite a sight.

The most treacherous part of Jeffrey’s Bay has to be the roads. Oh my goodness. The pot holes could puncture every tyre and swallow you up. We are in the Eastern Cape and road maintenance don’t seem to be a big part of the budget, although they are finally resurfing the freeway between J-Bay and PE. The money doesn’t seem to extend to little towns.

Now we are back at our comfortable rental and in half an hour the lights will go out, the internet will go off and we will be relegated to reading by solar light and surfing by battery. Tomorrow, we will be up early and will head back towards Cape Town.

Next stop, Elsie-land! We are off to see you!

This was the psalm Monica wanted read today.

Psalm 27:1
The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear?  The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?

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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Jeffrey’s Bay

Posted on May 18, 2023 by Helga

Thursday

Dear Elsie

Today was the day we left home really early and drove to Jeffrey’s Bay. We left super early – earlier than we have ever left home before – 4.18am to be exact.  We arrived at Jeffrey’s Bay at 1.30pm after a really uneventful trip down the N2. Leaving that early meant we got to Paul Cluver Wine Estate (around Elgin) in 55 minutes – an all time record for us. We only passed about 2 dozen cars on Baden Powell Drive and were through Somerset West 40 minutes after leaving home. We stopped at Caledon for our coffee. It was still pitch black by the time we glided past Swellendam with my body veering left as we did so. It was very strange not stopping there. We drove onto Riversdale where not much was open. We got there a bit too early so stopped for a bathroom break at the garage, took a drive around the very unremarkable town centre and then pulled up outside Mugg & Bean in time for opening time.

A hearty breakfast followed. We touched sides with the family and then continued on our way. We stopped briefly in Sedgefield because a junk shop caught my eye. I found wooden letters inside and believe it or not, they had most of the letters in YOUR name Elsie! Today was the day I got these for you. This is how they originally looked.

A little bit of wood work and they will soon look like this…

One day when you read this, you’ll say ‘ I remember those!’ Now you know, they were purchased for R30 per letter from the little second hand shop in Sedgefield & arrived in time for your 5th birthday.

Onwards we went with our next stop being at Storm’s River. We filled up with fuel, working out it cost us R700 to go from Cape Town to PE. We rested on a bench drinking coffee and a snack that was of great interest to the very tame starling population. Hungry eye.

This poor young one had a deformed claw. He must have broken it at some stage.

Less than an hour later we pulled up to our digs for the next two nights. It’s interesting to see how others do things. I have to meet guests at the bottom of the stairs on the road to help with luggage and show them where to go. I have yet to see our host & to be honest, I don’t think I will. She’s in the main house, but she had given clear instructions as to how to get in and here we are. Kitchen is well equipped.

The place is nicely furnished and very shabby chic

Bedroom is very comfortable.

No view though. No steps here.  Ah, those steps are worth it.

We are 80km or so away from the church where Monica’s memorial service will be tomorrow so it will be easy to get there. As we drove we both agreed it is surreal to be going to her funeral when just days ago we were wishing her a Happy Mother’s Day and she was doing so much better than recent weeks. Life is so fragile.

Mike is having a nap now. When he wakes up we’ll go for a walk to the beach and then find a place for an early dinner. That will end by coming home by 6pm when loadshedding is due to start for 4 hours!  We bought some solar lights with us and have books to read in case the internet doesn’t work.

I just got off the phone with David. I really want to find out how he is each day seeing at he’s now fully on his meds. He said he was still feeling slightly shaky but not too bad.

Psalm 104:33
I will sing to the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.

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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Plans Unfold

Posted on May 17, 2023 by Helga

Wednesday

Dear Elsie

We are going on a road trip and this weekend get to see you! We looked at prices last night to fly to PE for Monica’s memorial service on Friday, thinking we could fly in and out on one day – which is possible – but for 2 flights it was more than R7000. As we are planning on driving to Swellendam on Saturday anyway, we decided to leave tomorrow, drive to Jeffrey’s Bay for 2 nights and drive back to Swellendam as planned on Saturday. J-Bay is close to PE so we can drive through to PE on Friday for the service. It’s 71km away. Our plan is to leave really early tomorrow.

Today, the rain set in. I got two loads of washing out early and got some of it dry-ish before it became decidedly drizzly.

I worked 8 hours and now I’m ready to stop and get ready to pack.

David meanwhile has had his entire first dose of his anti-coagulant medication. He said he was feeling a little shaky, but otherwise fine. The other thing the Dr said yesterday was with long Covid like this the person’s blood becomes like honey instead of water. It’s just way too thick and sticky. The anticoagulants will change that.  We leave tomorrow, but Julian arrives so he will be able to keep an eye on David. And David has the doc’s direct cell phone number, so he can drop him a Whatsapp if he needs reassurance about anything.

A nice late afternoon rest on my rocking chair is called for. It’s waiting for me.

Psalm 102:18
Let this be written for a future generation, that a people not yet created may praise 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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Monica’s Passing & David’s Appointment

Posted on May 16, 2023 by Helga

Tuesday

Dear Elsie

In the course of your life you will have sad days and bad days and sometimes those days will be turn out to be overwhelming days. Today was one of them for us. We woke up this morning with news that Monica, Mike’s sister had passed away this morning. What a shock. She had been recovering so well. Back in February when Mike was absolutely compelled to go to PE to visit her, it was because of such an eventuality as this. We are so glad we got to see her.

She took a bad turn yesterday and slipped away today.  We were so shocked when we heard. It happened so suddenly. But as I say every single day – it’s not about now – we are only passing through. And this morning, Monica went from this life to the next – arms wide open to be received by Granny and Granpa, by her husband Brian and more than anyone by Jesus Himself. That’s what it’s about.

The memorial service is on Friday at 11am. We are not sure if Mike will go on his own or if I will join him. We are due in Swellendam on Saturday so it may be worthwhile driving to PE and then driving back to Swellendam.

So after the shock, I did some work. Mike wasn’t feeling all that good – flu’ kind of feeling, so he stayed behind while I took David to see Dr. Laubscher. It was a good appointment. There were not really any surprises this morning. David’s plasma and platelets showed signs of micro blood clots. The image below is of platelets and these splotches should be pin pricks.

The treatment is 2 anticoagulants in the morning with a stomach lining protection pill plus one of the anticoagulants in the evening. It is strong medication and will thin his blood to get his endothelial lining to start functioning again. He should be on the medication for 3 months. He should see some improvement in 3 weeks. We have started the clock. He took the evening anticoagulant this evening. We are grateful for a solution but a little nervous at the same time.

Mike meantime tested himself for Covid and is negative. He’s still feeling slightly off colour but not too bad.

What a day.

Isaiah 24:4
Trust in the LORD always, for the LORD GOD is the eternal 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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Now What Have I Done?

Posted on May 15, 2023 by Helga

Monday

Dear Elsie

Today was the day I mainly worked! But I began the day by reading the Bible as usual and I came across a verse that I’ve read before but not really paid attention. Today I noticed it and smiled. It’s a verse we don’t really want to quote too much because it’s the kind of phrase that is said in irritation to family members!

Yep!

“Now what have I done?” It comes out of 1 Samuel 17:29 and it’s the part that comes just before the account of David and Goliath.  David had been asking the soldiers about Goliath and what will be done for the man who kills him. Eliab hears him and gets really irritated, belittling him and criticizing him. David’s response is “Now what have I done? Can’t I even speak?” Then he goes off, is taken to Saul and he volunteers to go after Goliath. The rest, is famous history.

I’m sure those words have come out of my mouth in the course of my marriage. I’ll think twice before I say them again. One Bible verse I don’t really want to quote.

After work, Mike and I took a walk around the loop. Down Highway – up Hillside – along Daisy Lane – back down Highway. The view from the lane at sunset…

This afternoon, we got a call from Mike’s nephew Sean to say Monica, Mike’s sister is very ill. She was rushed to hospital in Port Elizabeth today and has been diagnosed with renal failure. Apparently, she was struggling to breath and it is expected she will need intubation. Such a sudden and unpleasant turn of events. Mike is naturally really worried and has been staying in touch with Sean. Life is fragile. We continue to pray.

1 John 5:14
This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.

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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Answers Are Coming

Posted on May 14, 2023 by Helga

Sunday

Dear Elsie,

Today was the day of three powerful words – Answers are coming. Three words out of thousands of words spoken in church today, but three words that are a great reminder for me. Answers are coming. George Muller who was born in 1805 and died in 1898 at the age of 93 was a man of prayer. He prayed morning, noon and night. As he got up and went about his business, he was praying. As he walked the streets of Bristol, he prayed, as he went to bed in the evening, he prayed. God was his constant companion and talking to Him was his ongoing conversation. And he knew, answers are coming. If I took anything away from church today, it was that. Answers are coming.

Mother’s day today. David went to the nursery and bought a lovely gift.

He got the helper at the nursery to put it in the boot and then Mike bought it up the stairs. This won’t be forever. He’ll soon be able to do that himself.

Cappuccino and rusks.

We had a lovely lunch and messages from Stacey and now I’m going to spend the rest of the afternoon chilling. I may go for a little walk to the end of the road later but for now, to my rocking chair I retreat.

Maureen Hawkins quote – but words Jesus would say.

“Before you were conceived, I wanted you. Before you were born, I loved you. Before you were an hour, I would die for you. This is the miracle of love.”

Luke 11:10
For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it will be opened.

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 Cape Doctor is in Town

Posted on May 13, 2023 by Helga

Saturday

Dear Elsie

Today was the day I went birthday present shopping for YOU! That was fun. In collaboration with your Mom I bought the things we think you will love. They are now mostly wrapped & ready to be taken to you. We are excited to spend your 5th birthday celebrating with you.

The wind continued to blow today. It started with a black south-easter – now there is no sign of rain and the wind is a howling Cape Doctor. Watching the sea from my rocking chair I am reminded of what it looks like from the ship.  This was it at lunchtime today.

At 3.30pm, it looked like this, so the wind has certainly picked up since then…

The waves rise and don’t quite break fully. Instead their tips turn to foam and then they are sucked back under to create the next swell. In doing so, they leave a sea of white dots & lines across the surface of the water. It goes on and on until it sweeps into the shore, masses of gushing white foamy water crashing onto the rocks, with the wind sending great clouds of salty mist across the coast. The birds meanwhile have their work cut out for them. Swooping and diving and fighting the wind, mad flapping of wings, searching for their next meal. Quite often flying on the spot, eventually, they turn around and let the wind carry them effortlessly back to where they started. They look like they are being battered about relentlessly. When they are tired, they can just land on the surface of the ocean. Yes, a windy day brings out nature’s busy-ness – everything moves more – the sea, the birds, the trees, the clouds. Windows rattle and the wind whistles through our double-glazed doors.

There was a lot of chatter last night on the street whatsapp group about the Cape Doctor and how strong it is. There are a few newcomers who have moved to Cape Town from Johannesburg and this is an early encounter with an autumn gale. May usually brings with it calm days and cooler weather, having left the summer south-easter behind. One of the long-time residents reminded the group of this event…it wasn’t a SE wind but rather an early winter storm from the north.

I remember that particular storm. I had only been in Cape Town about 18 months and was visiting a friend in Kenilworth. The winds were so strong and the storm raged right through the night. I really didn’t feel safe driving home so I stayed the night and left early in the morning to return to Somerset Hospital nurses’ home. I remember there being a lot of debris on roads out of Kenilworth (Rosmead Ave particularly). I also remember thinking I may get into trouble having stayed out for the night (I was only 19) and thought maybe they would wonder where I was. Unbeknown to me, the night matron didn’t really have a record of who was in and who wasn’t & I was relieved to find I wasn’t missed.  Funny what you remember. The biggest Cape storm in 50 years – I was safer to stay off the roads at 10pm at night.

We are expecting this blow to come down a bit by tomorrow night – then hopefully we’ll return to autumn’s gentleness for a few days. I have just taken a look at Windguru and it forecasts winds of up to 90km/hour in a northerly storm expected on 26th May. We’ll see if that comes to pass.

I have to admit, I love winter!

Psalm 96.12
Let the fields be jubilant and everything in them; let all the trees of the forest sing for joy.

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 Good Things About The Day

Posted on May 12, 2023 by Helga

Friday

Dear Elsie

It’s almost a week until your 5th birthday. Your Mom says you are not fussy about which birthday presents to get and that you take delight in little things. I feel the same way. The things that made me happy today and the good things I saw about the day were really not huge, but things like seeing your video of your first book made me happy. It’s about Blossom!

Just waking up to Friday and getting that Friday feeling made me feel light and happy. Knowing I had a facial at 1pm gave me something to look forward to. A little bit of pampering goes a long way. It’s my little treat each month.

Being a cool windy winters day, I loved getting into my favourite jeans and putting on my warm jersey. Such a small thing that made me feel cosy and warm and appreciative.

Having work to do makes me happy.

Knowing we’ll have fish for supper makes me happy.

And! The unexpected rotation of flowers makes me happy! Mike wondered how long it would take for me to notice the change.

Then I got sneaky when Mike was out and put a blend of the orange and yellow back. Now let’s see how long it takes him to notice!

But the thing that makes me the happiest today is that at least we know David has a way forward.

Deuteronomy 32:4
He is the Rock, His works are perfect, and all His ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is He.

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

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Gran xx

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David is Positive!

Posted on May 11, 2023 by Helga

Thursday

Dear Elsie

Today was another day of work on what was a very rainy day. I did get out for a bit to go and buy a few things including birthday gifts for YOU Elsie! It’s not long before you turn 5 and we can’t wait to be there to celebrate with you.  For today the rain came but not much of a storm. It has been overcast the whole day and so the sun didn’t come out to charge the solar batteries. We changed over to utility while Eskom was up to charge them a little more.

During the course of the day, David messaged to say he got his blood results back and the result was positive which is a good thing. The receptionist called to say that he can see the Doctor at 12noon on Tuesday which is really quick and is helpful because the sooner he sees the doc the sooner he can start on the regimen of treatment. We are grateful we have the reason for his debilitating fatigue, exercise intolerance and chest pain and have hope for a full recovery. We thank God for this progress.

On Facebook, I’ve joined the St Helena Facebook page which is always entertaining, mainly for some of the photos posted. Now I’ve been there, I’ve got more context of what happens there and it’s fun to follow. This photo was posted today. It’s a good view of the (tiny) modern St Helena Airport. That’s the sea beyond. It’s area called Prosperous Bay.

It cost a whopping £250m. This is the land before construction. It came from this website.

It was quite an operation which included building a 14km road to carry all the material required for the build from Rupert’s Bay to the building site. Haul Rd it became known as. We called in the Airport Rd.!

The red arrow shows the direction from which planes land. As they pass through the two rocky outcrops there is serious wind sheer.

It was as an awesome and a little unnerving experience. Exciting times.

Tomorrow is Friday! I’m so looking forward to it.

Psalm 102:12
You, Lord, sit enthroned forever; your renown endures through all generations.

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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Lull Before the Storm

Posted on May 10, 2023 by Helga

Wednesday

Dear Elsie

I don’t know if there will be an actual storm tomorrow, but we are expecting rain. Early today was very still with hardly a breath of wind and plenty of sunshine. The autumn sunrise did not disappoint.

While it may not be a massive rain storm that blows across the Cape, the winds will are going to be significant. Gusts of up to 80km/hour for two days from Friday.

The guests who are currently in the Seaview Apartment (although they went to Wellington for a few nights and are back tomorrow), were really happy the weather had been so good. They particularly mentioned the wind. Welllll, about that wind…they will experience the full force of it over the weekend. I think they are planning on going up Table Mountain on Monday at which point they should encounter a lovely day. This guest is particularly brave because he isn’t all that steady on his feet. The stairs did not deter him. We leant him a walking stick to be sure. When Julian bought his bounty of walking sticks, I thought they were characterful, but wouldn’t necessarily ever be used.

How wrong I was. There are 5 here. There were 8. One hiking stick with Hogsback on it has gone missing. David has one and the guest has the other. Whenever we go mountain walking we take sticks.

Talking of walking, after work, I walked to Fish Hoek to buy milk. I stopped on the cat walk to talk to the locals. Anita said the sea water was 17 this morning. I will swim again, but only really once David is on the mend. For now, we breakfast with him every morning and with it being winter, that means no early swim. The other local asked how I felt about the reshaping of the dunes. I said I was ambivalent. She spoke of others dismay. They think the privacy of the caravan park and little red-roof housing estate will be impacted. We’ll wait to see.

Then it was onto Fish Hoek Main Rd where I stopped to speak to a local estate agent. She told me her husband had passed away suddenly about a month ago. That was sobering. Life is fragile and we need to make the most of each day.

After shopping, I decided to go home the long way. That meant up all Ravine steps – I counted 261.

I went up onto the mountain and cut across to Contour Rd. This is the view from that path. I had come from Pick n Pay which is by the red X.

And this the view of the beach from this spot.

After all that, I took longer than expected and Mike was soon phoning to find out where I was. I trekked across the mountain behind our house and he came out to meet me.

A lovely walk.

Isaiah 41:13
For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help 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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Long Covid Info

Posted on May 9, 2023 by Helga

Tuesday

Dear Elsie

Today was the day David went for his Long Covid blood tests. The lady who took the blood said very few people who get to these rooms test negative for LC. By the time they have tracked down this doctor and trial, they are pretty sure they have it. He will get the results in a couple of days time. He was given this information – a bit technical but informative if you want to google all the terms.

Once the results come out, he needs to make an appointment with Dr Laubscher. Right now the next appointment is 6th June and there is a waiting list for the waiting list! There are patients flying in from all parts of the world. They get precedence because they fly in, get their bloods tested and if positive, get an appointment before they fly out. We just have to get in line and hope we can get a cancelled appointment. Meantime, we are just so grateful we seem to be on the right track. It really helps.

I worked while Mike took David to Stellenbosch, dropping Julian off at the airport on the way.

I’ve just had a little walk to the end of the road on what is a very sunny, windless day.

Let me not forget that today 37 years ago today,  I got engaged. A good man!

James 1:17
Every good and perfect gift is from above

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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Events of the Day

Posted on May 8, 2023 by Helga

Monday

Dear Elsie,

Today was an eventful day because two big things happened that were really good. To start with, first thing this morning we called the Doctor’s rooms in Stellenbosch to see if we could make an appointment for David. There is a process that needs to be followed and first up, he needs a blood test for long Covid. This was new to him. A month ago when he was trying to find out what was needed, he could not find a specific blood test that would identify if someone has long Covid. Now there is. There was place available for him to have the test tomorrow between 9am & 12 noon. If he tests positive for long Covid, (the results should be back in the next few days), he will be able to make an appointment with the Dr. That appointment may only be the first week of June, but we are so grateful to have found this option.  We saw parallels between David’s condition and what was said in this particular video with Dr. Laubscher

We are trusting the blood results will provide answers. David was saying the other day he had nothing left in his toolbox to find a solution for all this. I said we have faith. Now we have hope too.

The second thing I did today was something I have been procrastinating over for the last year. I closed my Standard Bank account. It has been dormant and wasting me bank charges every month. Closing it meant a trip to the bank and as today was a bank holiday in the UK (due to the Coronation), work was quiet. I got to the bank at 2.06pm. I got to see the consultant at 3.24pm. We walked out the bank at 3.58pm. Yes, it took almost two hours to close my account, but it is done!

And when we got home, we went for a walk to the beach. The main thing is the dunes are being redeveloped by the surfski club (building on the left)

As we walked back, I took a photo of Fish Hoek mountain to roughly show where we walked yesterday. We parked by the arrow (it’s not very clear)  and walked right and then over the mountain to Elsie’s Peak. We came down in front of the knoll and to the shark spotters hut – that’s where the circle is. We then walked back along the road to the car.

A really lovely walk and I saw today that Mike and I last walked it a year ago today which was Mother’s Day.

Paddlers paddling.

Home for dinner. We watched a Grand Design and finished up showing the photos from our trip.

Grateful for today’s events.

Psalm 100:5
For the Lord is good and His love endures forever;  His faithfulness continues through all generations.

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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Two Good Things

Posted on May 7, 2023 by Helga

Sunday

Dear Elsie

Today two good things happened. We got to climb ‘your’ peak Elsie! One day I hope you will get to climb it with us.

The other related to David. We were doing some online research about microclots which are common in long Covid and I found the email address of the main Professor from Stellenbosch University who has an interest in Covid long-haulers.  I sat down and wrote to her, explaining David’s history and symptoms – and asking who would be the best person for him to see. Within 2 hours she had replied, directing us to her clinician Dr. Jaco Laubscher. On googling him we found two videos that were really interesting to us. Tomorrow, we will phone to make an appointment for David and really hope for the best.

The walk up the mountain was wonderful. We parked at the top of Contour Rd, and took the side walk. It was an easy upward ascent.

We took the Circular Route – stay left.

There is a new antenna at the top, replacing the fallen one that is resting next to it.

View from the top…

We went to the side and had a look over the edge. I looked back over my blog and found Mike and I climbed it on Mother’s Day last year so almost exactly a year. But it was in December 2019 that I took this photo….

Now the house is there!

Mike and Julian looking down…

And the photo Julian took of me…

We came down what I thought was a short cut…to Contour Rd.

Familiar houses…

Nearly down.

It was altogether a wonderful hike & a great way to end the weekend.

Psalm 100:4
Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His Name.

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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Coronation Day

Posted on May 6, 2023 by Helga

Saturday 6th May 2023

Dear Elsie,

I got to speak to you today. You who are nearly 5! We look forward to seeing you in a couple of weeks. The big event of today was the first coronation to take place in 70 years. King Charles was crowned King of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth and the day was laced with televised coverage that plastered pomp and pageantry on screens big and small across the world.  The Brits certainly know how to do it. Photos from Getty Images.

But before settling down and watching a few hours of TV, Mike and I had been for an early morning walk.

While the early coverage was going on, Mike and Julian went to discuss the space at the top of the stairs and how that would work.

This is looking down from the top of wall behind where Julian is standing.

Crazy to think it once looked like this…the solar panels on the house across the road give some perspective. They haven’t changed. November 2019

It’s always good to look back, to see the faithfulness of God.

Psalm 100:3
Know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, the sheep of His pasture.

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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