Keeping in touch.

Hi again. We are off on another short break again on Monday. My sister Joy from the UK, is here for a months break herself & we have been busy doing girly things together.
She treated me to a Pedicure this week,which was very relaxing.Then yesterday we both had our hair done.We've enjoyed some retail therapy & a couple of nice lunches & coffee's.

The weather isn't too good, as we are having oodles of rain again, but we are not letting it get us down. On Monday we are going to a place called "Ngwenga " which is only 9 klm's from "The Kruger National Park" I am hoping that Joy get's to enjoy the real African experience & can appreciate our wonderful wildlife. Trouble is with all this rain the animals might be hiding in the long grass!!

We were with Heidi for her Birthday on the weekend & had a lovely afternoon .

Hope to be able to post some good wildlife pictures on our return.Bye for now Gilly.

Great Time with Friends.

Hello again from Benoni.We have been busy of late having a great time with our friends June & Roy. June is a friend of 50 years ( Don't like to admit that I am really that old!!) Her newish husband Roy is a terrific guy who although only married to June for about 3 years honoured her desire to visit her old school friend.

The picture above is of the famous elephant sculpture at Sun City with John,June & Roy.

We had a wonderful time there, enjoying great food ,wonderful experiences, & for good measure a Game Drive as well. We had two nights & fun filled days. On our way home we visited Heidi & Steve & our grandson Luc & our friends enjoyed their pool. Luc just wanted to get our friends truly in the drink!!

Luc had a great time & enjoyed another Granddad to tease!

After our trip to Sun City & Heidi's, we left for one of the picturesque areas of South Africa, Mphumalanga. We had three nights at one of our favourite places "Crystal Springs". This is a beautiful area of South Africa, with waterfalls, forests, & huge vistas overlooking fantastic scenery. We were not so lucky with the weather & many of the vistas were in cloud when we tried to see the views, but we didn't let it stop us enjoying ourselves. We had to drop down from our high position to enjoy what was on offer & spent the evenings with log fires & good red wine!

There was also an adults only, health centre to enjoy, which included a sauna, gym, steam room & Jacuzzi. This is a great way to unwind at the end of the day.

Following all of our travels ,we chilled out at the end of our time together by chatting, & chatting

& reminisced about all the years that had gone by.

That is the best thing about having friends,we have all grown older at the same time & none of us feels any different than when we were so much younger!!

At the end of a wonderful day. God Bless everyone.

OK,so I've been busy!!

Hello friends one & all,

My biggest news for a long time,is the success of John's constant

perseverance.He really is a Bull Dog after all! It has taken many months of activity to achieve the desired result.I have put up with

many problems over the years ,due to our commitment to each other, & have to admit that our methods may be at odds,but I can only congratulate John on his decision to stand by his principals against all the odds.

Doesn't time fly!!

Sunset in Benoni.

Precious Luc.

Heidi & Steve's lovely pool.

Hi again folks,

I can't believe how soon the weeks go by.It only seems like a few days ago that I wrote my last blog, but wow it will be Christmas again before we know it.Well, what have I been doing.

Lots of cleaning, as we have finally had a new carpet fitted in the lounge. Not before time either, as it had been down since 1991!! Of course, once you have removed all the furniture & ornaments etc, it all looks decidedly yuk! But time did not allow for a new paint job as well, so that will have to wait. Everything did get a good clean though before it was put back.

We had lots to do on our return from Oz, as the house had been left empty,except for visits by Kevin who uses our spare room as his office. The pool & garden were not looking too good,but after a lot of hard work we got it all looking ship shape again.

Our weather has been up & down,like the rest of the world, it can't be relied upon these days.

We had a really long thunderstorm last night,that seemed to be tarketing our house. It went on for ages & I am feeling quite tired today from lack of sleep.It is nice to feel safe inside your house

but always a bit scary when it's so close.

There seems to be an endless supply of things to do in the garden & I am finding it hard to keep up, even with a gardener once a week. We had to buy a new Lawn Mower too as the last one wasn't doing the job. Our home is sitting on 1100 square meters which isn't a huge amount, until you come to cut the grass!!

We recently had a wonderful time with my Daughter, son-in-law & precious Grandson Luc, at his Carol Service, at his first school. One of the best things about being a Granny is watching your children's children, & knowing exactly how they feel watching them too.I get all warm & fuzzy inside,like when my eldest Grandson in Oz said, " Would you like a cup of coffee Gran?"

After missing so many years while they were growing up,just being called Gran was worth the wait!

We have visitors coming from UK in February.My school friend from since I was 12 years old & her husband. She had passed through SA docking at Cape Town on her way to New Zealand many years ago, but this will be their first time here in Benoni.It gives us plenty of incentive to get everything looking as smart as possible.As South Africa is now my home after being here for nearly 25 years, I want to paint as good a picture as I can, even though I know that there are many problems to overcome in this newly emerging Rainbow Nation.

Ah well, time to call it a day for now.Bye,bye & God Bless everyone.xxx

Return from Oz.

Sister Cheryl & Husband Ross.Yes we really were there.!!Son Mike & his family.

Well, it's all a memory already,& life has to get back to normal again. We enjoyed some wonderful trips out to see the sights of Sydney in the very competent hands of Ross & Cheryl.

Did all the tourist things, but had some great chatting time as well.

Enjoyed getting to know my Grandsons,who I hadn't seen for 9 years.Caught up with all the developments of boys who are eager to be the best that they can be.

Felt very special as Mike & his Wife Caron kept the children off school to get to know there Grandparents.

Really enjoyed the Adelaide Hills,with all the wineries & wonderful scenery.Can't believe my son is a bit of a wine fundy, after living in the area for the last few years.

Appreciated all the differences,but also felt that SA is now my home after 24years.Home is where the heart is, but also where the mortgage is paid off!!!

Had plenty of special moments,but my best was just being called Gran after all these years.

Sloppy, but true!!

We returned to grass that hadn't been cut for 3 weeks, a home that hadn't been cleaned,& 9 notes our security company had posted after various alarms!!

Still par for the course here in South Africa.

I am happy to have been watching our TV to witness the new President Elect of America.

Here's hoping that he keeps to his promises & maybe it will be a new dawn for the whole world.

There's a thunderstorm coming so I'll sign off for now. God Bless us all.xxxx

Last post for now.

Dear All,

This is my last post for awhile as we are jetting off to Australia on Friday.

We spent a lovely day on Sunday visiting Heidi,Steve & Luc. They had their first night in their new home & invited both sets of Parents for a Braai to celebrate. There is still a lot of work to do on the outside with landscaping & the pool to be finished, so the house will have to remain dusty for awhile longer. Everywhere is dusty here right now as we haven't had rain for so long.My windows are grimy & the garden is crying out for water, but there's not much one can do about it. I hope that while we are away the rainy season will start.

Well, I'm basically packed & ready to go & hope that I haven't forgotten anything. Today I am having a quiet day & hope to recharge my energy levels. I know that we are going to be very welcomed by both Cheryl & Ross & Michael & Caron & have my camera at the ready to capture all the wonderful moments.

Now it's time to try & finish off any washing & to clear out the fridge so I don't come back to any nasty surprises!!

Love you all Bye, bye.