Joys of Nature

Posted on June 3, 2022 by Helga

Friday

Today was the day….

I was up early and got to witness one of the most amazing pre-dawn displays of the sun. The sun is only rising at 7:45am. This photo was taken an hour earlier. No filter. I literally was in my rocking chair, put my cell phone against the window and took the pic.

Mike slept in, so I made myself coffee and went down to finish cleaning the Seaview Apartment. I was joined by a neighbour, who kept me entertained. I think her name is Sybil. She couldn’t confirm!

Twas entertaining! The apartment is looking good.

I was there for sunrise…

Then it was off to the beach. Yesterday, because I was taken up with the Queen’s Jubilee, I forgot to write about one of the amazing things I saw on the ocean bed. The water has been super clear and as I swam, I passed a number of crabs. I saw one doing what I’ve never seen before. There have been round balls of vegetative matter on the the floor of the sea. They don’t float. Yesterday, I saw a crab pushing one along in the same manner a dung beetle would push along a ball of dung. As soon as the crab sensed me, he stopped what he was doing and scuttled under the sand. It was so interesting to see.

Today, one of highlights of my swim was watching a seagull flying towards the beach. From way out, it began to glide. Without flapping its wings, it majestically soared towards the beach. It descended gracefully, turning at the last minute;  a few flaps saw it land on the sand. It was so amazing.  Plenty of blue sky today…

I have worked for 5 hours, seen new guests in and am now ready for the weekend.

Deuteronomy 33:27

The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.

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

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Helga xx 🙂

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Bringing out the Royal in Me!

Posted on June 2, 2022 by Helga

Thursday

Today’s the day…

All of England starts a 4 day holiday in celebration of Queen Elizabeth II’s 70 years on the throne. She is remarkable. Mike was 1 when she became Queen. She has met so many heads of states and been Monarch through 14 Prime Ministers

Winston Churchill (1951-1955) – Died 1965
Anthony Eden (1955-1957) – Died 1977
Harold MacMillan (1957-1963) Died 1986
Alec Douglas-Home (1963-1964)  Died 1995
Harold Wilson (1964-1970, 1974-1976)  Died 1995
Edward Heath (1970-1974) Died 2005
James Callaghan (1976-1979)  Died 2005
Margaret Thatcher (1979-1990) Died 2013
John Major (1990-1997) – he’s 79
Tony Blair (1997-2007) – he’s 69
Gordon Brown (2007-2010) he’s 71
David Cameron (2010-2016) he’s 55
Theresa May (2016-2019) she’s 65
Boris Johnson (2019-present) he’s 57

Quite a list.

So our evening entertainment is watching the proceedings. What’s great is that it is streamed live so we can watch it now and carry on later.  It’s really bringing out the royal in me!

God bless the Queen! My weekend entertainment is arranged.

We swam this morning. Then dashed home in time for a 10am online appointment. 7 more hours of work. We also said goodbye to a guest who came for 4 nights and stayed 13. Tomorrow next guests arrived.

Hebrews 9:28
Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and He will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him.

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

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Helga xx 🙂

 

 

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Builder at the Back

Posted on June 1, 2022 by Helga

Wednesday

Today was the day…

That dawned cool and overcast. It was windless, so swimming would have been easy but sitting on the bench afterwards would have been cold. There was no sun peeking out from behind winter clouds. The clouds obliterated it completely. Sitting in the morning sun is part of the joy of swimming in the morning. With work to be done, we forewent the pleasure and got on with what needed to be done.

Mike went out to buy some things. I had a meeting. After it, I went out on the balcony for an eye break. I heard voices and then I saw people. The builder and two engineers visiting the building site diagonally behind us. It’s going to be a big house. I was expecting another call so went inside to take that. As soon as it was done, I dashed outside and up the back to find out about the new build. It’s going to be a big house and the piling will begin end of July/August time. It was good to find out. We’ll be watching.

Talking of building. I looked up what was going on 2 years ago today on our plot. The parts for the first kitchen arrived. It all began here…this is the Sea-View Apartment kitchen before…

And after…

I must take photos of the land at the back.

I worked 7 hours and still have more to do.

The sun has set, but it was a gentle one….

Psalm 91:1

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

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

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Helga xx 🙂

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Feeling the Cold

Posted on May 31, 2022 by Helga

Tuesday

Today was the day…

I began to feel the cold. It was a beautiful sunny day so when we got back from the beach, I dressed in shorts and a t-shirt. Our home is well insulated so is usually warm inside but as the day progressed, the wind cooled and I have got colder. It’s now after 5pm and I’ve needed to put on a jersey. I’m just going to wrap up a possibly short blog and then a shower will warm me up.

The beach was almost low tide.

and this is what it looked like…

A long walk to the sea edge was followed by a short swim to the barrel. The waves came in sets with some of them well formed with a perfect arc. Sometimes there is a bit of a rip tide and right now as I look out to Fish Hoek beach from my desk, I can see opposite about the first beach entrance to the red-roof houses, a strong rip tide that is causing the sea to swirl with eddies and churn up the sand. I wouldn’t want to be swimming through that – it looks very unsettled. Out at the barrel, this morning, it was clear and I swam over several crabs scurrying for their morning meal. On my way back I suddenly saw jelly fish – the transparent dangling kind – that was enough to make me try to get away as fast as possible. I don’t seem to have suffered any stings, but it made me not to want to return to the barrel and my swim was rather sedentary. The water was chilly. I imagined it about 14.5C but my watch said 13C. I was in for almost 25 minutes and then called it a day. It was let’s say, invigorating!

I worked the rest of the day. Work is busy for me.

The weird thing today was Julian’s departure. He usually would be back in a week but he is off on pleasure-bent and will only return 3 weeks tomorrow. It is immediately very quiet without him. He adds a pleasant amount of activity and entertainment when here.

Time will go quickly I am sure.

That shower is calling.

Colossians 3:16

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.

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

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Helga xx 🙂

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Busy Day for Mike

Posted on May 30, 2022 by Helga

Monday

Today was the day…

That was a busy one for Mike. He started by working with Courage to plot out the house that will go behind us one day. We won’t have too much to do with the building of this house, but it was a good exercise to see how it will affect us. Mike and Courage standing at the two front corners.

It was good to see its footprint & how it will work.

Mike then spent the afternoon installing a Solar Assistant. This is a device that attaches to our solar system in the plant room which is behind a fire door in the corner of the Little Lookout. When we have guests, it’s hard to get in there. When it’s winter and inclement weather inclines us to turn back to utility, often times it’s tricky because there’s a guest insitu. The Solar Assistant gives us remote access. Mike ordered it online and it arrived today, so he’s getting on with the job. There actually is a guest who may or may not spend his last night in the unit tonight. He contacted me to say he had checked out as he has a wedding to attend and may not return.

Being able to control the solar remotely will be super helpful.

For me, I worked 7 hours and had a couple of friends pop in for tea. Ruth came as well – she was a great help in cleaning the Sea-View apartment and sprucing up the cottage. Australian guests have been given the lockbox code and may even be in the cottage already. I asked them to drop me a message when they arrive so I can gallop down to meet them. We haven’t had guests in the cottage for a week. Yesterday, Julian suggested I change the pricing structure and that worked – within hours we had a booking.

The other major event of today –  a train hit a car at the Kalk Bay Harbour entrance. It seems there were no injuries – or maybe not serious injuries –  because very little  information can be found online. These were the photos that were doing the rounds.

The train line is fully operational again, but I can’t find any information about the driver of the car.

That was a busy and successful Monday.

Psalm 56:4

In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?

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

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Helga xx 🙂

 

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38mm Rain Overnight

Posted on May 29, 2022 by Helga

Sunday

Today was the day…

after it rained heavily overnight. Last night, we went to finally see the Downton Abbey move – A New Era. Definitely worth it – I really enjoyed it. We’ve been talking about going to see if for ages and finally hit the perfect time last night. We got in late and went to bed around 11pm.  I woke a couple of times to the sound of heavy downpours. Sometimes it was from the north and other times, the wind swung round and was from the south. Both useful for us because the windows from different sides of the house got a good dousing. We ended up only waking up at 8:30am. What a treat that was.  This morning, one of the neighbourhood watch people said there had been a whopping 38mm rain overnight. It took our tanks from 1/3 full to full.

Sometimes I see something on the sea from the house and then (usefully) someone has posted about it on Facebook. That happened today when we saw the new navy vessel doing the rounds on the bay and Gavin Finlayson conveniently posted this photo…

New navy vessel Sekhukhune.

Today I only got up at lunchtime. For the rest of the morning, I lazed about, had an hour and a bit long call with Stacey and chilled in my rocking chair. At lunchtime, I had a shower, washed my hair and then spent the afternoon watching a couple of YT videos.

Then mid afternoon we went to Kalk Bay and took a walk up Boyes Drive from Clairvaux Rd to the Shark Spotter lookout. It was just to stretch our legs and enjoy the freshly washed outdoors.

Good view of Kalk Bay with our house just in sight…

Mike and Julian walking…

On the way, we passed this massive piece of land, with very expensive access already in place. It’s more than 4000 square metres and on the market for close to R30million. 106 Boyes Drive.

It was a good 5km easy walk. It’s been a lovely weekend.

Psalm 103:17-18
But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear Him, and His righteousness with their children’s children — with those who keep His covenant and remember to obey His precepts.

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

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Helga xx 🙂

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Mike Ran 10km

Posted on May 28, 2022 by Helga

Saturday

Today was the day…

We woke to storm clouds gathering. There was this thick layer of low cloud coming from the direction of Muizenberg. High above it was dark grey ominous clouds, threatening rain.

It looked very dramatic silhouetted against the rising sun.

But the rain only came much later in the day. As we had decided not to swim, we walked down to Fish Hoek to join Julian for breakfast at a very quiet A.P. Jones.

After getting home, with the wind still not too strong and the temperature cool, Mike decided to go for a run. He headed off towards Simon’s Town – ran 5km and then turned round and ran back. That was a significant run, considering most days he only runs 2-3km.

While he was out, Carol came round to drop some things off for Elsie and Stacey. We had a chat.

After she left, I decided to walk to the shops and pick up one or two things. The beach had a whole lot of youngsters on surf or bodyboards. I guess they were part of the life-saving club. They were all in wet suits and some were swimming. I was envious!

I got home before the rain. It’s now pouring down. The main cold front has arrived. Winter in Cape Town.

We have plans this evening as well, so let me get this wrapped up.

Matthew 5:3
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

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

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Helga xx 🙂

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Venus and the Moon

Posted on May 27, 2022 by Helga

Friday

Today I woke up at about 5:30am and the first thing I saw was Venus and the moon. Kaashiefah who lives up the road took a couple of amazing photos.

Iris took this one..

I don’t know  much about astronomy but this morning’s meeting of the moon and Venus is said to be a special one. They were expected to get only 1 degree apart and with the sky as clear as it was, it was against a perfect canvas. Apparently there were Americans watching it on a live webstream so we enjoyed our front row seats.

We got in a swim in lovely water.

So I felt I dodged a bullet today. There is this guy who we met walking on our road. I asked him his name and (stupidly in hindsight) gave him my number because he said he was visiting the area and staying at a guesthouse in Fish Hoek.  Mike then had a long conversation with him and we began to think he was telling tall stories. This all happened about a month ago when we  had no guests. Then May picked up and we ended up being pretty full. He arrived unannounced in pouring rain about a week ago and asked if we could help him. He looked really rough. The Little Lookout was occupied so I said we couldn’t. Today, he reappeared and again asked if we had space. He looked better, so I asked him where he was staying and if he was still at the previous lodging. No he said he was at another very nice guesthouse on Berg Rd. I told him the Little Lookout was booked. We exchanged a few more words and then he left. He had told me which guest house he had been at, so I immediately came inside and phoned them to ask if they knew this guy.

OH BOY DID THEY JUST!!

Avoid him like the plague. Do not have him stay at your place. That guy is trouble. He wrecked my place. I had to get the police out at 4am to evict him. Do not let him in. I have spent thousands fixing the damage he did.

I blocked his number on my cell phone.

References are always good.

I’m so grateful this didn’t go any further.

Proverbs 27:12
A prudent man sees evil and hides himself, the naive proceed and pay the penalty.

The Message is more colourful…

A prudent person sees trouble coming and ducks; a simpleton walks in blindly and is clobbered.

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

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Helga xx 🙂

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Earthquake up the West Coast

Posted on May 26, 2022 by Helga

Thursday

Today was the day…

I worked in the morning and took Julian to an appointment in the afternoon.

That could be the end of the blog, except today there was, I understand, an earthquake up the West Coast. The first I heard of it was on Facebook.

I didn’t feel anything at the time…

I wasn’t quite sure how accurate it was so I went onto a different website…

We don’t have many earthquakes & when we do, they are not very large. I haven’t seen any posts of people saying they felt it, so we are not very shook up.

We had load-shedding this evening so everything was very dark outside. It’s always amazing to see the stars.  The lights of the valley have sprung back to life.

My day is over.

John 3:17

God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.

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

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Helga xx 🙂

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Mike Painted His Pots

Posted on May 25, 2022 by Helga

Wednesday

Today was the day…

We woke late, expected rain – saw there was none and went swimming. The water was warm – must have been 15C and was flat and clear. A few people came and went. One guy enjoyed playing with his happy sack. I haven’t seen one of those for years. It was certainly a glorious early winter’s day. A windless sunny day that popped up after the rain.

But we are bracing ourselves. It looks like a massive cold front will roll through Saturday and Sunday.

We got home and had breakfast and I went straight to work. I worked 7 hours. I also got to tune into David who did a Live YouTube session to celebrate his almost 10000 YT subscribers. He’s so close….just a few to go…

Meanwhile, Mike pottered around  – literally. He painted his pots.

In fact since taking this photo, my fuschia has been planted in the middle one. Actually, turns out that spot is probably not going to be good for my fuschia. It would do better being moved onto our front balcony where it will get morning sun.

It’s 25th May 2022 – 7 months until Christmas.  Sad heart when I see what went down in Texas yesterday. I have no words. To kill a class of 10 year old children is beyond evil.

Psalm 119:89

Your word, Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens.

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

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Helga xx

 

 

 

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The Rain Came

Posted on May 24, 2022 by Helga

Tuesday

Today was the day…

It rained. Rain was forecast, so we planned on not swimming which was a good move, but the cold front took a bit more time to roll on in. Flowx showed it this way…

And out the window….

I worked most of the day. I also did the linen from the loft as the guest who had stayed one night there left early this morning. I hung most of it in the scullery and opened the wind to get a bit of a threw-draft. With the units rented, I didn’t imagine we would be doing so much laundry. Stripping beds, doing all the washing and putting it all back together again, come rain or shine, it is par for the course.

This afternoon Julian arrived which is always good.

David’s YouTube channel is about to hit 10000 subscribers which for a South African guitarist is not too bad. I think he’ll get there sometime this week. One of my favourite videos is his own composition…

I suggested to Mike he write today’s blog. He said it would be very short. We woke up, we worked, Julian came, the day ended! But then he reminded me the other thing I did carry rocks. Courage spent some time sledge hammering a massive rock into bits. Mike called me offering me a break along with a pair of gloves and for 15 minutes or so, I carried the rocks up from outside the Seaview Apartment to behind the house where Courage continues building the wall. It certainly goes a lot faster when three people are carrying rocks instead of only one. The job was soon done and I went back to work.

The day has ended.

Romans 12:10
Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honour one another above yourselves.

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

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Helga xx 🙂

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Please Do Not Swim

Posted on May 23, 2022 by Helga

Monday

Today was the day…

Fish Hoek beach was a no-swim zone. This horrible message appeared at the beach.

Mid-morning messages appeared on the local Whatsapp group….

Sounds ghastly! Hopefully, it will be fine by tomorrow, although there’s been a bit of a north wind blowing so I’m not sure if rain is coming.

This morning just after 7:30am we moved our Little Lookout guest into the loft and then spent a couple of hours cleaning the Little Lookout for a new guest who arrived this afternoon. He is here for his mother’s 89th birthday so he anticipates not being around too much. In fact, yesterday his mother announced he should come and stay with her. He’s booked 7 nights – 4, then a one day break, then another 3.  We’ll wait to see what happens. 89 year olds have a tendency to change their minds. I love meeting all these interesting people.

I worked most of the day, also fitting in doing all the washing.

Mike was kept super busy doing a whole lot of stuff and he is feeling a little stiff this evening. I think he needs to take it easier.

It’s a calm quiet evening.

Romans 15:2
Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.

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

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Helga xx 🙂

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Good Day to Hike

Posted on May 22, 2022 by Helga

Sunday 22-5-22

Today was the day….

…that was overcast and cool and, with no rain forecast, it was a good day to hike. It was windless, so we began the day by going to the beach. The waves were tiny and the water wasn’t too bad – maybe 15C.  The tide was quite high and so the swim to the barrel was longer than usual. I swam to the barrel, then to the Lifesaving club, then back to the barrel and back to the beach. The water was clear and refreshing. I swam just over 2.5km.

After breakfast and a few hours rest, we headed to Silvermine where we walked the loop.

There are thousands of king protea bushes. This one stood out for all to admire.

View of Noordhoek

View of Hout Bay

Red faced walkers at the top of the mountain…perfect cloudy day…

We did some shopping on the way home, had a late lunch/early supper and then watched the final episode of the gripping Mrs. Wilson. What a story. Worth the watch. It’s on Britbox.

We are having a quiet evening. Tomorrow there will be no swimming. At 7:30am, the guest in the Little Lookout goes to the Loft for one night before leaving on Tuesday. We  give the LL a clean and scrub before the next guest arrives at lunchtime.

It’s been a full weekend.

Romans 5:5
And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

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

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Helga xx 🙂

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Elsie Turns 4

Posted on May 21, 2022 by Helga

Saturday

Today was the day…

Elsie turned 4. Let her be the star of this shining day. We drove through to Swellendam and were met by an excited happy little girl. As she swung on her swing, I asked her what she got. The first thing that came to mind was a unicorn blanket! She had seen it at the store and had shown a great deal of interest in it, so Stacey went back later and bought it for her. She was spoilt rotten today. We opened gifts throughout the day and she loved them all.

Elsie making the owl…

Making a bead necklace…

Getting to know the baby doll. She was absolutely taken with it. So adorable seeing her nurturing side coming out…she was so gentle.

She loves pink and red and she’s very much into girlie kind of things. She loves twirling in skirts and wearing dresses. She has more of a numbers brain than words and she’s fascinated by how things work. Elsie takes a lot after Stacey and could quite possibly be another little engineer in the making. She loves swinging on her swing and also having the swing wound around and around so it spins to get back to normal (I remember doing that as a child!) She loves play dough and baking and doing puzzles and she’s good at all of it. She smiles a lot and is altogether delightful.

We had a lovely birthday braai and soon after, Mike and I headed back to Cape Town. Mike had left his driver’s licence in his car, so I drove. Coming home, I always find myself drowsy, so he took over for 20 or 30km before Riviersonderend and again before arriving in Caledon. It allowed me some snooze time. We had coffee in Caledon and I drove home from there.

We got home in good time and are now enjoying a quiet evening.  Our go-to series at the moment is Mrs. Wilson, which is only 3 parts but based on a remarkable true story and we are also watching Cranford. We have already watched Mrs. Wilson and as soon as I’ve posted this, we’ll watch Cranford, if I can stay awake!

A beautiful special day. Thank you Stacey. I love you and admire you. You are a great Mom.

Psalm 118:1
Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever.

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

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Helga xx 🙂

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Orthodontic Treatment Before & After

Posted on May 20, 2022 by Helga

Today was the day…

Google reminded me of my orthodontic journey.

Ah man, those elastics did me in – I couldn’t stand them.

The before and after are noticeable –  2018 on the left and today on the right.

You can see my hair is lighter – maybe that’s the effects of the sea as well as age. The main thing is all my teeth now work and I am no longer in jeopardy of losing my front teeth. Before the orthodontics, my bottom teeth were biting the gum line above my front teeth and there was already damage which in time would lead to my front teeth falling out. The long journey was worth it.

Tomorrow Elsie turns 4!  We are ready!

My new guest arrived and after seeing him in,  I went out for coffee with friends. It’s been a pleasant day with no online appointments. I’ve got quite a lot of work done.

Romans 15:5-6
May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

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

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Helga xx 🙂

 

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