Beach Morning & Evening

Posted on March 6, 2022 by Helga

Sunday

Today was the day…

We woke a little late and ended up going to the beach later (and hotter) than usual. I took sunblock with us. The shark net was out already. Mike ran 5km and I swam 2km. We dried out on the bench.

I lathered up with sunblock, chilled a bit and then we walked home.

A late breakfast followed and then we rested. This afternoon, guests arrived at the cottage.

Late afternoon, Mike and I set off for a walk past the beach, through Fish Hoek, up the mountainside and home. We stopped for a few minutes to admire the afternoon beach.

Dinner on the balcony. It’s been a lovely late summer’s day.

End of the weekend. I have a busy Monday ahead.

1 Corinthians 8:6

There is one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things were created, and through whom we live.

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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A Good Saturday

Posted on March 5, 2022 by Helga

Saturday

Today was the day…

That was a good day. The plan was not to swim, but to have a lazy early morning and then go out for breakfast with Julian. Instead, Mike woke early, feeling as fresh as a daisy and immediately suggested we go down to the beach for a quick dip. The wind was blowing, the waves were crashing, the breakers were breaking and there were many of them. But still, if we are going to walk down, have a quick dip and walk back, why not? I wouldn’t be swimming just dipping! So off we went. Only half way down, Mike announced he wouldn’t be able to swim without warming up so he was still going to be doing his run. I told Mike he was moving the goal post! It meant that I’d be in the water for 16 minutes before he arrived and if that happened, I’d be swimming. And on a day like today, that wouldn’t be a good idea because to swim, I would need to get beyond the breakers and there I am out of depth. Being out of depth is not a problem for me, it’s what else is out of depth that is the problem, especially as it’s summer and a few more bronze whalers have been spotted.  As a result, Mike went for a very fast 2km run and was in the water in record time – just over 10 minutes! I had indeed got beyond the breakers and even though I started in depth, I soon found myself swimming in deep water. Visibility was quite clear, so being able to see the sea bed made me think I wasn’t so deep but when I stopped to check, I was far out and too deep.  I really did enjoy the swim though, even though I cut it short. It’s quite fun swimming in slightly choppy water & it was oh so worth it. We got home just after 8am and went out for breakfast with Julian.

Mid-morning, home with full tummies,  Mike & I went to clean the cottage. We spent about an hour sprucing it up for tomorrow’s guests.

Then, I got to video chat with both Stacey and later David. Stacey sent me this adorable photo of Elsie with a new friend. They walked hand in hand around the neighbourhood with their parents in tow. It was too cute. Elsie really enjoyed it. And the other special thing is tonight Elsie sleeps in her big girl – (adult size) bed for the first time. She’s growing up for sure.

This afternoon, I did some work and then Julian and I decided to go for a drive. We went to Tokai  – the plan was to go to Tokai Arboretum, but when we got there, the place was entirely deserted. It looks like it’s a casualty of Covid. We were not altogether alone though. Plenty of baboons about.

So from there, we went to Little Stream!

Where we had scones with jam and cream, a cappuccino, a walk and a swing…

One day when Stacey and Adrian are in town again, we must come back here. It’s a great place for children as they have a lovely play area now. Sadly, the oak tree that provided a beautiful backdrop to Stacey and Adrian’s wedding reception has been chopped to just below the bottom branches. It has started to grow again, but is not the splendid specimen we remember.

This copse of bamboo is still there.

Such a happy day!

Home again, trout for dinner, an evening walk to the end of the road on what is a beautiful balmy night.  Yes, it’s been a good Saturday.

The world is in turmoil – that’s for sure. We need to dig deep to find peace within.

Psalm 89:26

“He shall cry to Me, ‘You are my Father, my God, and the rock of my salvation.'”

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

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Helga xx 🙂

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Yay! It’s Friday

Posted on March 4, 2022 by Helga

Friday

Today was the day…

That had me quite busy from early to dinner time. Now it’s over and the weekend lies ahead. Not too much to do. The week has blitzed by.

The wind is howling now but 14 hours ago it was dead still. As I looked out our balcony door, I spotted something moving in the water, a little way away. I got the binoculars and had a closer look. It was a pod of dolphins finding breakfast. Without the binoculars, they were just a dark swathe in the water. You can see the patch in the sea to the left of the rising sun.

There’s always something unexpected. A beautiful still morning.

I swam to the Surf-ski club and then because there were quite a lot of paddlers about, I turned around and swam back again, stopping from time to time to demist my goggles. The sea was super clear and I watched little explosions of sand as I swam. I kept thinking it was caused by little sea creatures scuttling for cover as I swam over them. Then I realised they were way to regular for that. I was swimming in such shallow water that my fingers were very close to the sea bed and my hand action was causing the puffs of sand. Duh! I got my 2km done.

We came home, showered, breakfast, one hour work and then I went to my ladies’ meeting which I haven’t done for months and months. This afternoon, I had online appointments and then work to catch up on. I finally turned my clock off after 5pm.

We took a windy walk to the end of the road and back and then sat down for a fish dinner.

Yay! It’s Friday. The weekend lies ahead.

1 John 3:1

See how very much our Father loves us, for He calls us His children, and that is what we are!

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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Another Day Ends…

Posted on March 3, 2022 by Helga

Thursday

Today was the day…

I got to admire a majestic sunrise…

It had rained overnight and there was a little drizzle at about 7am as well. It smelt like the Vumba! Walking down to the beach, the air was fresh and cool. It was a beautiful morning. I swam 2km. The water was cold, but crystal clear. At the tail end of my swim, the shark spotters came to connect up the net. I swam out the barrel and back and then got out.

Back home, I worked 8 hours, walked to the end of the road and back, swapped out the linen in the Sea View Apartment and had dinner.

Another day ends, but hanging over our heads with unease and concern is the war in the Ukraine. There is no good news. The situation seems to be escalating and with it the loss of life and destruction of towns and homes. My favourite psalm is Psalm 46. I read it this morning…

“1 God is our refuge and strength,  an ever-present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way  and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam  and the mountains quake with their surging.

4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,  the holy place where the Most High dwells.
5 God is within her, she will not fall;  God will help her at break of day.
6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;  he lifts his voice, the earth melts.

7 The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.

8 Come and see what the Lord has done,  the desolations he has brought on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth.
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire.
10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;  I will be exalted among the nations,
    I will be exalted in the earth.”

11 The Lord Almighty is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress.”

We pray for peace.

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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Getting Back to Usual Day

Posted on March 2, 2022 by Helga

Wednesday

Today was the day…

That was a getting back to usual day. By the time I turned my work clock off, I had finally got my inbox down to zero.

This morning, I went to the beach, while Mike stayed home. He had some things to do. The beach was very quiet as it looked a little drizzly. The sea was cooler than usual but exhilarating. The shark net was put out and I got to swim out to the barrel a few times. It was crystal clear out there. Closer to the beach there was quite a bit of sea weed.

Back home, Mike had a bit of a house maintenance day and one of the things he did was clean the balcony. It looks so much better.

This morning when I was doing my Bible reading, I encountered a verse in Leviticus that really jumped out at me. It’s one of the reasons why reading the entire Bible is worthwhile. Ploughing through Levitical laws can be confusing and many wonder at their value or relevance today. For me, I reflect on how life was then and how it is now. What would it have been like trying to live up to those expectations. Reading about the ancient governance concerning crime reminds me that violence and injustice has been around since time immemorial. But that wasn’t the thrust of the verse I read today.  As God bought the Israelites out of the bond of slavery in Egypt, He does the same for us – the slavery of our lives is over. In Him we are free. He enables us to walk with heads held high.

Leviticus 26:13

I broke the bars of your yoke and enabled you to walk with heads held high.

This is not because of what we have done – our achievements, but because of what He has done on our behalf. It doesn’t matter what we think people think. By breaking the bars of our yoke, He puts His forefinger under our chin and gently pushes it up – He enables us to walk with heads held high.

A good lesson from Leviticus.

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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What Strange Prints on the Beach

Posted on March 1, 2022 by Helga

Tuesday

Today was the day…

I got to go to the beach with Elsie again and we found some really strange prints on the beach. First there were two…a duck of some sort?

And then there were 6. Where did they come from?

In the photo above, there is a hint of the special person who made these prints! It was Elsie! This is what it looks like when a 3 year old picks up a handful of wet sea sand! I love the patterns. She loved the beach. Mike coming back from his run…

Elsie and I walked down to the trailer with the shark net. Very interested in it, she was.

When we got home, we said our good-byes and they trundled back to Swellendam. We’ll see them again before too long. Elsie is 4 in May.

The Little Lookout guest checked out. We cleaned.

And the new guest checked in at 11:15am.

I caught up with work and did all the laundry. Julian arrived. Courage finished the top steps up to the property behind. All good!

Slowly but surely, the wall is being finished. It’s looking good.

2 Corinthians 6:18

I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord 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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Mike’s 71st Birthday

Posted on February 28, 2022 by Helga

Monday

Today was the day…

Mike turned 71. Every birthday is a blessing. Today was no different and it was beyond wonderful to have Adrian and Stacey and Elsie with us. We started with coffee before 7 &  gave Mike his gifts. He said I must mention this one! It’s a Hisense TV sound bar. It makes a huge difference to the TV sound.

We went to the beach. Mike ran 5km and I stood in the water with Elsie. I asked if she wanted to go back or closer to the water.  She kept saying ‘closer, closer’. The tide was coming in and the water was getting a little higher up her legs. Eventually, I wouldn’t go any closer but we let the water come to us.  She was so cute. She loved it.  We watched some ducks (maybe they were oyster catchers or a couple of random cormorants – it’s difficult to tell when they are swooping through the water trying to catch fish.) Elsie said, ‘they are going closer!’ As sets of waves built up, the tide was getting higher. First to her shins, then her knees, then to the top of her swimming costume. I said to her, ‘where’s your belly button?’ She showed me. I said, ‘when the water gets there, we’ll go back.’ She put her finger on her belly button. I had my arms under her arms. A big wave came and washed right up to her finger. It was time to retreat! But the fun wasn’t over. She learned about throwing sand. That was fun.  Mike came in from his run and had a swim and then showed Elsie how to make sloppy sand-castles. Then there were mud cakes to be made and shallow rock pools to sit in. If I have to abandon a swim, I cannot think of a better cause than playing on the beach with Elsie. Suddenly, I noticed her arms were getting a little pink and we hot footed it back to the bench and got out of the sun. Tomorrow, we do it all again before they head back home.

We enjoyed lunch together and a quiet afternoon. Stacey is knitting me a jersey! I am excited!

I love the colour and I love the pattern! She’s so talented.

In the afternoon we had a video chat with David.  Altogether, we had a great day. I am so grateful for Mike and all the family.

1 John 4:19

We love because He first loved 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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I Have Company!

Posted on February 27, 2022 by Helga

Sunday

Today was the day…

I had company. What wonderful company it is! She helped peg the washing.

And even if there is a hurricane, these towels are going nowhere! Elsie is very good at pegging up the washing!

She also loved the rocking horse.

She found the buttons in the ears and we galloped along with great delight.

She was kept well entertained between rocking on the rocking horse and rocking on my rocking chair.

We had a lovely day. We swam in the morning and guests left while others arrived. It’s been a stunning summer’s day with very little wind.

Tomorrow is Mike’s birthday!

1 John 4:7-8

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

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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We Did Something Different

Posted on February 26, 2022 by Helga

Saturday

Today was the day…

We did something different. I feel as if I’ve been working none stop and not had a day off. Today we did something different seeing as it’s Mike’s birthday weekend. We went to Fran’s Place in Simon’s Town for breakfast. We got there at 8:50am. They open at 9am but they let us in. We were the first and could sit outside. Nice view.

I even had coffee. I don’t often have a cappuccino away from home…

Then we went for a walk. Looking at yachts, “which one do you want?” The biggest one!

Simon’s Town harbour…

Back home, we put some finishing touches to the Sea View apartment – Graham arrives this evening for a two week stay. Tomorrow, we have two lots of guests checking out and two checking in. One is checking into the Little Lookout, but I’m most excited about the second family who are checking into Julian’s apartment! Only the most special get to stay there! Yes! Stacey, Adrian and Elsie arrive!

This evening, we did something we have not done for years! We went to a movie. We went to the Blue Route to see Death on the Nile. Without giving anything away, there’s more than one death!

What a treat! We really enjoyed it.

Now it’s time to wrap up what’s been a really nice day! God willing, tomorrow I swim!

1 John 4:16

God is love.

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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Train Going Nowhere

Posted on February 25, 2022 by Helga

Friday

Today was the day…

Mike left early to have his car serviced. I was due to go with him, but we decided it was better I stay home. If Courage forgot his key or my guests arrived early or my new UK passport couldn’t be received by anyone but me, it would be messy. So he went off early and I watched a black south-easter blowing.

It’s bought with it some misty drops of rain.

I took a couple more photos from my bedroom. There is a train that is going nowhere. It’s sitting on the tracks just off Sunny Cove station. All I can gather is that there is sand on the tracks further up the line and that it’s waiting for it to be moved. It could return to Fish Hoek of course. Unless it has broken down. That’s also not impossible.

Eventually it trundled off back to Fish Hoek.

And here is Courage working on the wall, while Hard-Life carries sand from the kerb to the top of the stairs.

It was a cool start to the day – ideal for hard outside work.

As it turned out, it was a good call staying home as mid  morning, my new British passport arrived. I’m set to go for the next 10 years. Whenever I get a new passport, I wonder where and  how I will be when it expires. 2032 sounds like a very long way away!

Work wasn’t as intense today as it  has been this week. I’ve got on top of it. I’ll do some over the weekend as well because I am pretty much taking Monday off as it’s Mike’s birthday. Yes! It’s been a year since he turned 70. What a blessing he can be turning 71 and in good health.

I have realised that we have guests arriving today, tomorrow, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday! Sunday and Tuesday I’ll have to clean the Little Lookout. Sunday afternoon Ruth comes to clean the cottage. The Seaview is already clean for tomorrow’s guest. The guests arrived at the cottage mid afternoon. After this spate of bookings, I think everything will quieten down.

Psalm 127:2

It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to His loved ones.

Good advice.

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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Handrail

Posted on February 24, 2022 by Helga

Thursday

Today was the day…

We finally got a 2nd hand rail up the main stairs. Two down, one to go.

This one goes from the lower patio to the Little Lookout. The second one goes from the Little Lookout to the Sea View Apartment. This is what it used to be like – August 2021. Looking up the stairs from the lower patio….

The final hand rail will go from the Sea View to our front door. It’s coming soon, I think. Quite a lot of work was done outside today. Another load of sand has arrived and Hard Life came to move it. It ended up only coming late in the afternoon, so he comes again tomorrow and it will be moved from the kerb to the top of the stairs.

Today the wind picked up. No swimming was done. I did work though. It’s been a grueling couple of work days but I’ve just about smashed the bulk of it. Weekend is coming!

Time to stop.

Psalm 52:8

But I am like an olive tree, thriving in the house of God. I will always trust in God’s unfailing love.

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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Brain Fried

Posted on February 23, 2022 by Helga

Wednesday

Today was the day…

I worked for more than 9 hours. Brain is fried.

I’ve just come back from a walk down the road, where 55 Echo is now completely cleared. It’s like a blank canvas waiting for a massive building. Down at the end of the street – is it 73 ? The shuttering has been put onto the next level and filled with concrete, so they are up to garage height, I think.

It was another perfect summer’s day and a good day for the birds at the bottle.

We swam this morning. The water was warm. 20C. It was fabulous. Swimming with the sun on one side and the moon still visible on the other. My latest swimming song:

Wide, wide as the ocean, high as the heaven above
Deep, deep as the deepest sea is my Saviour’s love for me;
I, though so unworthy, still am a child of His care
For His Word teaches me that His love reaches me everywhere!

So appropriate! After the swim, sitting on the bench, there’s such a lovely vibe. We need to enjoy the warmth while it lasts. The wind is expected to pick up in the next day or two but Sunday and Monday should be pretty windless.

Nothing much more to say except I’m going to call it a day!

Psalm 42:8

But each day the Lord pours His unfailing love upon me, and through each night I sing His songs, praying to God who gives me life.

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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All Twos – 22-2-22 – Twosday

Posted on February 22, 2022 by Helga

Tuesday

Today was the day…

That was 22-2-22 -a Two filled Twosday.

So now you know. Try remember at 22:22 tonight. Then you’ll really have experienced as many twos as you can get, until 2222 I think.  The day dawned with a beautiful sunrise. Not only is it getting earlier. It’s also rising further north.

Off to the beach we went. There were a bazillion tiny fish in the sea. As we walked along the cat walk, we kept seeing swarms of tiny little fish.

It was quite a sight.

Mike ran 5km. I swam, in amazing flat water past the lighthouse and towards the Seaside cottages. As I swam, I heard voices. I looked up and the fishermen had launched their boat and were rowing enthusiastically towards Clovelly. As I watched, I noticed their fellow workers running along the beach with their nets. The boat came in and the nets were cast – then the fishermen rowed vociferously out to sea. I swam up to just before where they were working – my watch buzzed 1km so I turned around and swam back. Such lovely conditions this morning.

Other things that happened today. Julian returned to Johannesburg. The cottage guests, a family of 6 – parents and 4 children aged 2 to 9 – checked out. They have spent the last 4 months in South Africa and chose to spend their last two nights in our cottage. Tonight they fly back to Germany. I got the impression they are a very busy family. I stripped the beds and washed most of the linen and towels. I’ll do the rest tomorrow.

Today there was a fire close to Lake Michelle. It looked serious.

But it was soon doused and last I heard everything is fine.

I worked a good 7 hours.

Psalm 36:7

How priceless is Your unfailing love, O God! People take refuge in the shadow of Your wings.

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’s Bespoke Doors are Done

Posted on February 21, 2022 by Helga

Monday

Today was the day…

Mike and Courage installed the bespoke courtyard doors Mike designed and made himself.

They look great. This is from the stairs…

And this is from the entrance to the Little Lookout looking towards them…

When these are closed, when we walk down the stairs, the guests have privacy. That was the idea in making them. There is still some way to go because we will raise the height of the wall with pot plants. We still need to get those going.  One door down, 2 to go! Mike did really well – doors made from scratch!

The day was perfectly still, but with a slightly later start and the doors to complete, we surprisingly, did not go swimming. It was so clear across the bay towards Rooi Els.

and Kalk Bay this evening…

I worked about 8 hours.

Nehemiah 1:5

O Lord, God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps His covenant of unfailing love wit those who love Him and obey His commands.

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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3km Swim

Posted on February 20, 2022 by Helga

Sunday

Today was the day…

I did a 3km swim. It took more than an hour and was hard work in the end. The sea was flat, the sky was overcast and because we were late, the shark net was in place. It was too good to resist. Mike ran almost 5km, so he was a little longer as well.  We got home just after 10am and rest followed.

At lunchtime, I cleaned the Little Lookout and it’s ready for tomorrow’s guest who is coming for 6 nights.

In the afternoon, we watched the last episode of Inventing Anna. The language was completely over the top. It’s not something I’ll watch again, but there were parts that were gripping.

We have just come in from going for a drive. We went to the penguin boardwalk…

It was a beautiful still evening…

Boulder’s penguins…

Conversations…

It’s always nice to come back to this place every now and again.

We have the cottage guests arriving in ten minutes, so I’d better get ready to meet and greet.

Deuteronomy 7:9

He is the faithful God who keeps His covenant for a thousand generations and lavished His unfailing love on those who love Him and obey His commands.

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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