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.

Wow, time is flying by.

Is it just me, or does time seem to be going quicker? Had a lovely public holiday yesterday. The weather was lovely & John & I just relaxed & spent the time reading & doing more crosswords.

Today has been lovely too,with my two helpers here today getting the garden & my house into shape.It's only once a week,but I enjoy having the day off,although I can't say that I did anything remarkable with my time.

Only two weeks tomorrow 'till we leave for Aussie. So we've started to organize things a bit.
Had a bit of a clear out yesterday, going through our wardrobes.Finally plucked up the courage to give away all the clothes that we haven't worn for a long time. (Plus it will give us reason to replenish some things) John & I aren't extravagant most of the time,but it's simply stupid to keep items that are not being used. I bet there are other people out there who wear their favorite things over & over again. I'm sure that it's just good old human nature to have favorites.

We still haven't had any rain for ages & we really need it,however much you water,even with sprinklers it is as nothing compared to a good shower of rain.

A poor family 3 doors down from our house had their house burn down on Tuesday.It was a great spectator attraction with flames leaping into the air & an awful lot of smoke.The Fire service took half an hour to arrive so not much was saved. One of those occasions when one says thank God it wasn't us!!

I have enjoyed reading Hazel & Heidi's blogs,& have to admire their creativeness. My life appears quite dull in comparison, but that's another story about the empty nest syndrome !!

Well, I must get on & decide what we are having for supper tonight.So will love you & leave you all for now.

Spring has arrived in Benoni.

Well, it's the first day of Spring, & with it came some high winds & low temperatures. I couldn't believe it when we took my car in for it's first service this morning, it was only 2.5c.

John & I returned yesterday from a two night trip to see my Daughter Heidi, son-in-law Steve & Grandson Luc. We had a lovely time,especially the 4 hours that we spent on our own with Luc.

Much as we love our children, there is nothing to beat having Luc by ourselves.Being called Granny & Granddad, & finding a little hand clasping yours is happiness to the best degree. He is fast approaching 4 years of age & any time that we can spend with him is precious.

We came home to find our pool full of blossom from our Prunus tree, it had obviously been very windy while we were away.The whole garden was littered with debris & our front stoep was covered with leaves & pollen. This morning has been operation clean up for me but there is plenty more to come before we have any decent rain to dampen things down a bit.

Once the rains come it will be time for spring cleaning again. Any effort now will be wasted as the dirt & dust just keeps blowing.

My brother Tony & wife Gill phoned yesterday, but they may regret that they did, as I realised later that we spoke for about an hour & a half!!!! Much as I like the internet, there is still nothing to beat a phone call for one on one conversation.

As a family we are all living in different places & travel is still an expensive option. Last year John & I went to Nova Scotia to visit my Daughter Hazel & her family,UK to see my sister Joy & various good friends & John's Mum & sister in Nottingham. We finished our travels with Spain to spend some good times with said brother & sister-in-law Gilly. All in all it was a wonderful 3 weeks,time & money well spent, but the memories being priceless.

In October we are travelling to Australia for the first time, visiting my sister Cheryl & husband Ross, & also my son Michael & daughter-in-law Caron with their 3 sons Colin, Brody & Alec. We haven't seen them for over 9 years so I expect conversation to be very easy as there will be so much catching up to do.

I am currently keeping up with the latest hurricane Gustav & feel so sorry for the people who once again have to leave their homes.The current weather patterns are certainly playing havoc with peoples lives & hopefully all our Governments will sit up & take notice.

I thoroughly enjoyed watching the Olympic's this year & wish that the spirit of " We are all just members of the human race" could continue after all the pomp & ceremony is over. It is wonderful to watch 10,000 athletes having a ball together.

The wind has quietened down again now & it is looking good for a lovely afternoon. My washing is fluttering on the line,so I have some ironing to do later.I am looking forward to the next few weeks as we plan what to plant in our hanging baskets. Before too long there will be new signs of life everywhere.It still seems like a miracle to me that all the plants & trees renew themselves every year & we can enjoy every individual thing coming to life again.

Well hopefully all the joys of Spring will transfer me into a happy bunny with lots of zest for the new tasks at hand. I'm sorry for you northern hemishere people who are now beginning to see your days shorten again, but luckily what goes round comes round again to you.

Much love people everywhere & God Bless.

New POST!!

Well hi there everyone, thought I'd better let you know that I'm still here. Just read your latest Heidi, & will soon read Hazel's to see if she has added anymore since her visitors. I did a long blog recently, only to find that there was a problem & it didn't publish. After all my efforts I was quite disheartened & gave it up as a bad job.
Been having more problems with our alarm system,but at last I am assured that now all is well.
Can't say that we enjoy being woken at 4.30 am, but was more worried when we found that the control room weren't aware of it!!
I had a lovely birthday made even more special by several phone calls from my family.When all is said & done one's family & friends are the best gift in the world.
The weather is slowly improving with signs of new life here & there. Daffodils in bloom & new growth starting on a quite a few plants.
John enjoyed his trip to Madagascar & is enjoying a new challenge.It's always better to be in at the start of something.Maybe I will get to see the country myself one day!
No new photos to add right now so this is a bit boring,but it's just to show that I'm still alive !!