And Suddenly There Was a Wall

Posted on May 19, 2022 by Helga

Thursday

Today was the day…

there was suddenly a wall outside Mike’s study. It took me by surprise. I walked into his office and looked out his study doors and there was a wall! Courage had been working on it and it had been covered the last time I looked. Now it looks like this…

Above it will be 3 water tanks. Below it will be a patio off Mike’s study.  Courage has got building rock walls down to a fine art!

Meanwhile, yesterday off Glencairn there were Bryde’s Whales…

It’s not the time of the year for whales, so they are a rare sight. I guess it’s because Bryde’s are a different breed to Southern Right. Last year in October, 4 female Southern Right Whales were tagged so their migratory patterns could be monitored. Take a look at this posting of the route these lady whales have gone…

They usually return to Cape Town in the spring time.

Today we didn’t get to swim. We thought we might but it looked pretty chilly and we were glad we didn’t because we would have got caught in a serious rain shower around 9am.

I worked 6 hours and also got to do some birthday present shopping for Elsie.

Mike and I are now going to watch the last episode of Sanditon.

James 3:17-18

The wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.

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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Shepherd’s Warning

Posted on May 18, 2022 by Helga

Wednesday

Today was the day…

We woke to a stiff north wind and the threat of rain. The weather forecast was for rain later in the day. The early morning sky told the same story.

I watched 5 fishing boats plying their trade throughout the night. At about 9am, they lined up and crawled across the sea towards Kalk Bay, patiently waiting as the one before entered the harbour. The promise of a good catch reverberated through the valley.

In due course, the rain came…

It wasn’t too heavy, but it was sufficient to work on filling the tanks. As it cleared this evening, Mike and I took a walk to the end of the road. Here is where Mike and I differ. “No,” say I, “we don’t need an umbrella”. “I’ll take one,” says Mike. And off we go. We got to the end of the road and down came the rain! I had a jacket on and put my hood up, while Mike walked smugly under his umbrella. Of course he is a gentleman and would have shared, but I  was too proud for that. I announced my legs were getting wet (so were his) and I would race home. He gave me the key and off I went, first at a fast walk, but when I got to the downhill, I set off at a jog, trying out my new ‘feet’. I ran the rest of the way home. It was good for me. My feet had no issues. These orthotic inserts have relieved all the strain on my inflamed tendons.

The rain is now pouring down. A hot chocolate kind of night. And while I type, the wail of emergency sirens is competing with the falling rain. They are somewhere round Kalk Bay, although through the mist I can see free flowing traffic.  No doubt something will appear on one of the neighbourhood whatsapp groups.

I worked 6 hours today and made lots of progress.

Tomorrow, we do it all again.

Hebrews 6:10

God is not unjust; He will not forget your work and the love you have shown Him as you have helped His people and continue to help them.

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

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Helga xx 🙂

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The Seagull Challenge

Posted on May 17, 2022 by Helga

Tuesday

Today was the day…

We got to swim and the water was a lot warmer than two days ago. It was flat too, so swimming was easy. The water was clear. When I started the swim, I immediately headed towards the barrel, on which,  I saw from a distance, there was  large fat seagull perched. After swimming breast stroke for a short while, I broke into crawl and swam all the way to the barrel, keeping an eye on the seagull as I breathed to the left. I swam around the drum and noticed two things about the bird. One, he was ignoring me. (I imagine he was male due to his size). Second, he was cleaning himself. Off I swam, leaving him to his morning ablutions. I swam towards the lighthouse, before turning back and swimming to the cat walk side of the beach, where I met up with Mike. I could see the seagull was still on the barrel but as I bobbed up and down chatting to Mike, it took off and flew gracefully over us – clean and smart – it headed for the office.

My swim continued after Mike got out the water. Back to the barrel where another seagull sat. This time, it didn’t hang around and flew off before I arrived. Darn! It’s always a bit of a seagull challenge for me to get there and not disturb them.

My watch says the temperature of the water was 16C, an improvement on the other day when it was 13C feeling like 11C.

We came home, had breakfast and then coffee with Julian before he headed to the airport. I worked the rest of the day. It’s now very quiet.

Romans 11:33

Oh, the depth and riches of the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How unsearchable His judgments, and His paths beyond tracing out.

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 Weather and Work Day

Posted on May 16, 2022 by Helga

Monday

Today was the day…

We should have swum but didn’t. It was an incredible day for swimming, but we concluded last night that it wouldn’t be possible. This morning, we woke early, mainly because we had heard there would be a total eclipse of the moon. We saw it before it dipped behind the mountain. I knew others would produce brilliant photos and I was not disappointed.

I stayed awake, we went through our normal routine and by 7am I was working. It meant I worked a lot of hours.

The weather was super warm for May. There was hardly any wind and the sea was flat. It was a great laundry day and we did 3 loads. We said goodbye to guests in the Sea-View apartment. The guest in the cottage chose to stay another night. We got another booking, so altogether it was a good work day.

The sunrises and sunsets have been particularly splendid this week. This is the moon rising this evening.

Sunset…

This was sunrise a few days ago. For a few remarkable minutes, the sea was pink. Taken with my cell phone with no digital enhancement.

It quickly changed as the clouds moved over the sun, so I was glad to have seen it. This morning, I did something slightly different. Before the sun rose it was cold, so I sat on  my rocking chair with my laptop and started work that way. My view pre-sunrise..

As soon as the sun rises, we drop all the blinds. That’s when it’s best to go to the beach. By the time we return, the glare is slightly less. Today, I worked with all the blinds down and all the doors wide open.  They said it was 27C but outside it felt hotter.

We had dinner on the balcony this evening, enjoying the rising moon and the still evening on the hottest day in May.

Tomorrow will be different. Perhaps we will swim.

Zephaniah 3:17

The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.

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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Looking for the Road up Constantiaberg

Posted on May 15, 2022 by Helga

Sunday

Today was the day…

We went in search of where the road starts that will take you to the top of Constantiaberg to the TV tower. It’s a crazy maze and ideally we should try find someone who has to drive the whole way up there, so they know where the closest place is to park to walk up there.

We went to the old Tokai arboretum which is pretty abandoned now. I guess that’s what Covid did. We drove up a bumpy road and scouted around a bit…

Mike’s experience in land surveying came in handy navigating over some of the ruts. I chose to walk!

Then we drove past Simon’s Town and mooched around on the mountainside close to Rocklands. We walked up Rocklands road as well.

Beautiful Sunday afternoon for a walk. With winter coming and cooler weekends, it’s time to get hiking.

It was a chilly morning for  a swim. I swam for half an hour and got bitten, so have tiny welts on the back of my legs and under my arms.

New week lies ahead.

Ecclesiastes 11:5

As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things.

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

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Helga xx 🙂

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New Feet

Posted on May 14, 2022 by Helga

Saturday

Today was the day…

I got my new inserts and in doing so, it’s like getting new feet! Lol. Not really, but they are so comfortable and force my feet to walk properly, within the first hour, I could immediately feel that the strained tendon was getting some relief. I also felt a twinge in my groin. I had asked the podiatrist if I’d start getting weird pains elsewhere and he said, in my groin. Simple orthotic inserts but because they are specially made to fit, they cost a lot more than off the shelf ones.

With my new feet on the go, we went to the second hand shops in Fish Hoek Main Rd. to browse. I had in mind to buy something for Elsie for her 4th birthday. I found the perfect gift! Look! Elsie’s Owl.

Elsie’s owl in bits…

She’s going to love it.

Today our new guest arrived, travel weary after a BA flight from London to Johannesburg followed by a local flight to Cape Town.

I cleaned our apartment today, which took a few hours & we had a guest for dinner. It’s been a good day.

Psalm 139:13-14
You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

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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Three Hats Day

Posted on May 13, 2022 by Helga

Friday

Today was the day…

We woke up quite late. There had been rain overnight, but the morning dawned partly cloudy with the sun shining. There was no wind. I had no appointments so I put on my “retired hat” and Mike and I went to the beach. The water was 12C but flat, making it perfect swimming sea. I swam 2km and then sat on the bench in the sunshine. Good to be retired!

We got home close to 10am.  A short while later, a prior guest contacted me to find out if we have accommodation. The cottage is free, so we offered him that and Mike and I put on our Airbnb hat and went down to tweak it before his arrival.

Mike also sorted out all the keys today.

He did such a good job, I showed him the linen cupboard, hoping he would get the same inspiration. He didn’t bite! I guess that’s my challenge.

My third hat mainly this afternoon was regular online work.

We are fully booked the weekend with the cottage occupied, a new guest coming into the Little Lookout tomorrow and the girls in the Sea-View apartment staying on the weekend. It’s good to be full.  It’s been super slow for May, so we are appreciative for each booking.

Psalm 143:10
Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.

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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This Will Be A Patio

Posted on May 12, 2022 by Helga

Thursday

Today was the day…

That bought with it a cloudy, but  majestic sunrise…

David came up for a cappuccino and then breakfast. He was collected at about 9:45am and headed to the airport. He’s flown back to PE, but will be back in a month or so.

Courage continued working behind the house. This will one day be a patio. It’s good to have a record.

I worked 8 hours and then Julian and I went for a long walk to the end of the beach and then back home the mountain route, so it was more than an hour. It was dark by the time we got home. This is from the end of the beach…

I’m looking forward to climbing into bed!

Romans 8:1-2

There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life in Christ has set me free from the law of sin and death.

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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R114 vss R499

Posted on May 11, 2022 by Helga

Wednesday

Today was the day…

That dawned overcast with a hint of rain that didn’t materialise. No swim was had, but we did walk to Harbour Bay this evening. One of the reasons we didn’t swim this  morning is because my watch battery was almost dead and my charger had broken.  Initially it was a failing charger, that needed careful jiggling to get the connection going. Eventually, the jiggling was not working so well any more and it was replaced with fury and frustration, occasional meltdowns, with Mike needing to take over the jiggling! But that could only continue so long before one of the pins was completely gone and it didn’t work. End of story. Battery dead. No more Garmin swimming watch. I set about finding a replacement. I found one on the Garmin website, but the flaw was obvious. It was R499. Put your order in here. We will send you a pro-forma invoice. You pay via EFT. When your R499 reflects, we will ship it to you. I did all of that. Then I went onto Take-a-lot and voila! R114.  And it works perfectly!

Because it was only R114, it meant I’d pay a delivery fee unless I spent R450, so I bought Mike printer ink and I bought this for Elsie’s 4th birthday.

Watch is now charged and back on my arm and tomorrow, I may get to swim.

Google reminded me this week of what was going down two years ago. The Little Lookout was under construction. The kitchen area.

Little Lookout kitchen…

The view window…

It’s amazing how much has been accomplished over the last two years. Courage has been an amazing worker and has achieved a huge amount, in building the wall and landscaping.  He has really honed his stonemasonry.

Tomorrow David returns to PE. He comes back in about a month – spends a few weeks here and then heads overseas for a couple of months. Right now, we are sitting in the lounge and he is playing classical music for us. So peaceful.

He’s nearly at 10000 YouTube subscribers.

I worked for more than 8 hours today. The walk to Harbour Bay did me the world of good.

Ephesians 4:32

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

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

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Helga xx 🙂

 

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Sorting the Sea-View Apartment

Posted on May 10, 2022 by Helga

Tuesday

Today was the day…

We didn’t get to swim because I had early meetings. At just after 7:30am, Mike and I went to clean the Sea-View Apartment. Mike said it should take half an hour. I swept and mopped, while Mike cleaned the bathroom. The thing with Mike is he does nothing by halves. I left him at 8:30am to prepare for my 9am meeting. Half an hour was already up. Mike spent about 5 hours sorting it out. He ended up going through every single thing in the kitchen and cleaning everything.  Then he made a list of what was needed and went off shopping. He returned and put the new things in. He bought new cups, plates and glasses.  He also bought a hair dryer and a few other things.

He found spots to clean that had been overlooked. It is now spotless, literally.

The guests were very happy with it. They are only here for 3  nights, so Mike says he wants to do the clean when they leave. He is sure it will only take him 10 minutes! Ha. We’ll see. We got another booking for the Little Lookout this evening. It has been super quiet so every booking is good.

I worked 8 hours.

Nothing more to report, except some rain this evening. We saw the clouds rolling in earlier when we walked down the street.

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?

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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Of Snakes and Boats and Rings

Posted on May 9, 2022 by Helga

Monday

Today was the day…

We spotted a spotted harlequin snake. When I say ‘we’, it actually was David. He was coming home when a brightly coloured snake was trying to slither into a little hole. This was David’s photo…it was trying to slither into a crack in the concrete.

This is an online photo from Tyrone Ping.

I learned today of an app ASI Snakes – it’s from the African Snakebite Institute and has loads of helpful information enabling you to identify snakes, request an identification, learn about species profiles, read first aid advice and phone for removals. I downloaded it. You never know when you may need it. Of this snake it said it was mildly toxic but not fatally so. They usually feed on lizards, of which we have lots, so they will not starve.  David once came bounding up the stairs and as he turned the corner, he came face to face with a Cape Cobra! That freaked us all out good and proper. It slithered away never to be seen again, but that’s the thing about snakes…the are there, just unseen. It’s the compromise for living on a mountain.

So the Sarah Baartman Fishery patrol vessel was in the bay today. Early evening, it could be seen spraying water. A guy called Peter posted this impressive photo…

And finally, this is the day I got engaged. 9th May 1986.  I was so excited. I remember going to work the next day and not being able to stop smiling and admiring. Engagement day is always filled with hope. What a gift.

Lamentations 3:22-24

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

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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Mother’s Day Hike up Elsie’s Peak

Posted on May 8, 2022 by Helga

Sunday

Today was the day…

We hiked up Elsie’s Peak. What a treat. We walked from our house, taking 20 minutes to the start. We were up in just over an hour (including the 20 minutes) and down as my watch registered 2 hours and 16 minutes. That included a stop at the top, a ramble to the edge to see if we could see our house and a meander down a different route (via the Shark spotters). From there we took a different path to see if we could access the Elsie’s Peak path from Mountain Rd, which we can. Next time, instead of walking all the way to and up Ravine steps, we’ll take a left up Mountain Rd and join the contour path which will be a more direct short cut. It was a good 6km hike that I would love to see more of this winter. One day Elsie will full on understand there is small mountain that has her name on it!

Here are more pics…Mike leading the way…

Obligatory selfie at the top…

Looking down at our house…

We got back just after 1pm. David finished teaching at 1:35pm and then we all sat down for a lovely lunch provided by Freedom Foods!

We’ve had a quiet afternoon. It’s been a good weekend.

Colossians 4:5-6

Make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

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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Podiatrist Visit

Posted on May 7, 2022 by Helga

Saturday

Today was the day…

I went to the podiatrist. But first, I enjoyed a very still overcast morning with stunning clouds at sunrise.

Even though it was so still, no swim today as my appointment was at 9:30am.

The podiatrist gave my feet a full examination and quickly spotted where the issues lay. It just is what it is. He said if I had come to see him 30 years ago, he could have predicted this. These are feet that will have issues as they get older and the left one is only a little ahead of the right. Both need inserts. The casts are made of Plaster of Paris…

Pop slippers…

This is where the problem lies on my left foot – I’m pronating this much…so the inserts will push my foot up to correct my gait.

They take a week to make, so I’ll pick them up next Saturday. I’m hoping they will make the difference I need to walk further than I am now.

For the rest of the day, Mike and I went across to the Blue Route for a few things, visited a couple of nurseries for new pot ideas and came home via the second hand stores in Fish Hoek.

In the afternoon, I read, had a video chat with Stacey and Elsie who were making soup in the kitchen and I had a little snooze.  Mike and I watched the last episode of Vanity Fair.

It was a good relaxing day.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

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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Garden Cupcakes

Posted on May 6, 2022 by Helga

Friday!

Yay! Today was the day…

We got a lovely swim in before the rain came. I didn’t take my cell phone so couldn’t take any photos. The renovation of the cat walk was supposed to finished, but there are a few spots they are still working on. To our surprise they had completely blocked it with a fence in two parts. Mike and I had to do some serious bending and squeezing through a small space or two but we got through. We chose to go home on the main road and just missed the worst of the rain. The weather forecast of 100% of rain arrived. So did a load of sand and Hard-Life to carry it up the hill which he did cheerfully. He was grateful for breaks in the rain and that it wasn’t boiling hot.

I went out at lunchtime to buy treats, because I had friends come this afternoon. I haven’t seen these friends for more than a year. When I was going to gym, I would see two of them there and the other is an old friend from CCFm days.  I picked up some cupcakes. They looked like flowers in a garden.

The cupcakes came from the new cake shop on Fish Hoek Main Rd. It’s sort of opposite KFC, just next to Sharpe’s convenience store – I think it’s called Pat’s Cakes & Creations. When I went in and saw these cupcakes, I immediately asked how much they were. When the shopkeeper gave me the answer, I said, I’ll take all 8. How much did I pay per cupcake? Answer at the bottom! They were delicious. I didn’t need 8, so when I got home,  on the way up the stairs, I gave one each to Courage and Hard-Life – that would have given them a bit of an energy boost.

Today I’ve had to work on something. When people say hurtful things, the imagery that someone once suggested was seeing the malice as a cricket ball being bowled to a batsman. As the batsman, I have the opportunity of addressing the ball, making a mess of it and hitting it for a 6 (retaliating) or I can let the ball go through to the keeper. Just let it go. Mike is so much better than I at doing this. Just let it go.

Grateful for having David visit and getting to spend some time with him. I’m missing Stacey but enjoying wearing the jersey she made me.

James 5:16

Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

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

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Helga 🙂 xxx

Cost of cupcakes: R8 each!

 

 

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The Weekend Beckons

Posted on May 5, 2022 by Helga

Thursday

Today was the day..

…that the mist this morning was ‘pea soup’! It was so thick for so long that no swim was possible. Even at around 9am I was remarking on how cold the water would be due to the thick cloud that had spread across the valley.

So I did 8 hours work.  The best thing is I get all my interviews done by Thursday. I did 9 this week and at 4pm today when I wrapped up the last one, I got excited by the prospect of the weekend ahead. It’s been a busy work week but the weekend beckons.

The laundry and moving plans went to schedule. All the washing was done and David moved up to Julian’s floor for the next 5 nights. Ruth came and cleaned Julian’s level and the Little Lookout and changed the linen in the loft. This means that both the entire cottage and the Little Lookout are ready. One of the fun things of the Little Lookout is that it is on instant book and guests can book and check in up to 9pm on any day. So, like last night, I could get a booking at 6pm and the guest arrive at 6.01pm. Tonight, unlike last night, we are ready! Airbnb has a feature where you can change the booking, so last night I changed the unexpected guest’s booking from the Little Lookout to the Sea-View apartment – he got a free upgrade, which he didn’t mind!

David, not wanting to be an inconvenience, happily moved up to Julian’s floor, but didn’t give any thought to the implications. When he went up there, he quickly saw he is in for a treat.   I don’t have recent photos of the view from up there. These are from the top floor balcony before the house was finished.

He’s just a little bit higher than we are. Quite spectacular.

The end of a good hard working day.

Philippians 4:6-7

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

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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