Bits and bobs

The kiddies go on Easter holidays from Friday this week - so that's going to be a bit hectic (but nice).  They are off school until the 23rd April - so a full two weeks and a bit off school.  

Hayzel and I had a go at 'grooming' Laila at the weekend, as she was looking like the Wookie from hell.  I bought Wahl 'pet' grooming clippers from the big Pet warehouse store up the road (a bit of a con really because they're identical to the ones you use for normal human hair, the motor might be a bit stronger).  She doesn't look too bad (not like last time) and we're going to have another go this weekend.  Her fur is so thick and becomes curly if it's not brushed regularly, so it goes into dreadlocks or huge matted clumps.  Anyway, she seemed very appreciative and is such a good girl, she sits very patiently while we struggle away with the clippers and scissors.

Still needs a LOT of work but we're getting there. Her ears are supposed to be all the same length and brushes smooth but that's not happening at the moment, due to all the dreadlocks. 

The girl at the kennels where she was boarding when we were on holiday, had a go at trimming her arse fur and in the process also did some trimming of the base of her tail - a big no-no for a Lhasa, as now her tail doesn't fall properly over her back. So we have to wait for that to grow out before doing any work there. 

Next week we're going to do some more work tidying up her body and face, plus trim the hair on her legs.   Eventually she'll end up looking something like this:

  or this:  we live in hope.

Can you believe that I STILL have this ugly throat/ear infection, although it's not as bad as it was last week.  I bullied the doctor into giving me some serious pain killers this time and they helped a lot.

Steve and Sharon are going great guns with the work on their small holding, looking forward to seeing the pics of the chickens!  

We are really glad that Ingrid's op on her knee has gone well and that she is finding it easier to walk around now - well done and look after yourself.

My Auntie Jean is also having an Op this week, so Barbara/Les, if you read this, please pass on our love to her when you get a chance. 

All for now.
xxx

Happy Anniversary

Congratulations Andrew and Leigh on your second wedding anniversary.  I am sure that you are all very pleased to be together now, after the long drive down to Durban yesterday.  Looking forward to getting some photos to put up on the blog of your new place - so Andrew whip out the camera and take some good shots hey and email to me, so I can put them up here.   Hope everything is going well.  Love to you all.

Happy UK Mother's Day

To all us UK based mum's (you know who you are! wink, wink, nudge, nudge). Have a lovely day today, hope you get lots of kisses and hugs, maybe breakfast in bed (or in a close vicinity thereto).

Happy Birthday Sharon!

Hope you have a great day, despite David being in New York!  I'm sure we'll speak to you on Skype later on ... lots of love from all of us here in Long Stratton.

Early Spring in Tyrrels Wood (in FullHD where available)

Went walking in the woods yesterday for a short while yesterday.

Ewan wanted to go dinosaur hunting.

A few bud on the leaves and flowers on the ground still waiting for spring to kick in.

On the move over there in Edenvale

I understand that Max and the kitties arrive in Durban airport round about 10am South African time (so already happened?) and the removal company packers are at the house in Edenvale at the moment, sorting everything out and packing up.  Jimmy and Daniel are at Leigh's parent's house.  Jimmy and Nomsa will be leaving for Durban on Saturday morning.  The furniture arrives on Saturday morning in Durban as well.   Leigh is going to be driving down to Durban with baby and her brother or mum for company (who will fly back to Jo'burg) when she's finished work next week.
Hectic times!
Dave, Mags and Ally move into 19 Scott Avenue North on Friday ... whoo hoo!
Hope to see photos.  Who's helping you guys with the move Dave?  You haven't asked Kevin to bring his bakkie yet.  

Happy Birthday Barbara!

Hope you have a lovely birthday today!  Lots of love from me and all of us over here at Spider's Web. xxx

Still alive

Sorry I haven't been around much since Sunday and am not answering emails with any degree of enthusasism (if at all).  I had a massive abscess underneath my top left-hand side tooth and ended up having it yanked yesterday afternoon by a very nice German dentist, who used to work in Hillbrow and also at Sun City.  She was fascinated with my accent.  I've basically been flattened by it, the infection went into my sinuses, left side of my face (the gland under the neck) and ear. I've just slept the whole time and am still knackered. Can't really eat or drink properly yet but am on a course of antibiotics, so should be starting to feel more like my old (the operative word here) self by tomorrow (I hope). 
Donations in lieu of flowers are always welcome (har har)

Last of the 2013 Xmas's

Here are the last of the 2013 Xmas videos.

Rushed through before 2014 Xmas's start.

Lena Ruth Rowberry - a personal tribute.

You would have been 90 today, mum.   This July you will have been gone from the physical plane all of four years.  And there hasn’t been a second of any day since 10^th July 2010 that I haven’t felt somehow connected to you but at the same time very lost.   Little things, big things happen and I have to resist the urge to turn around and phone you about it.

You were there at Andrew’s wedding, shivering in that big Bedouin tent (!).  When we started packing things up after we’d finalised the selling of our house in Kingfisher avenue, I felt you watching over your things and tut-tutting when we sold something that you may have wanted me to keep.  I felt terribly guilty about selling off many things that you owned and that I’d put into storage but we just couldn’t take all of those things, we barely had space for our own keepsakes, furniture, clothes and mementos.  One day, I came across an old battered brown suitcase and not thinking, opened it.  The things that we’d taken to the hospital were in that case, mum. Your nighties, your dressing gown, slippers, shawl, personal things … all with your scent on them still.  I took the case to my room and wouldn’t let anyone touch it for a long time.  It was the hardest thing I ever had to do when it came time to throw those things away.  I didn’t want to, mum.  I wanted to take your nightie and all the clothes that you had and hold on to them for as long as I could.  

And now we are living in the UK, something you always wanted to do, from the minute we left England in December 1968 and still I can feel you here with me, it hasn’t gone faint at all. You were there at my Auntie Jean’s 80^th birthday, you left a little reminder (the Whale Watcher’s wine, remember?). You smile at the things the kiddies do, wag your finger at them when they're naughty and huff and puff at the rubbish on TV that Hayzel and Kevin want to watch, just like you would have done back in your lovely little lounge in Hermanus!  And when Daniel was born, Andrew said how sad he was that his Granny couldn't have been there but I said that you were.    Hayzel said many times how much seeing Auntie Jean and Auntie Barbara brought back the memory of her Granny because you are all a part of each other, hey?  You live on through us somehow, I realise that now.

From Top L to R:  Mum, Jean, Barbara, my Granny Lena, Auntie Nell, Granddad Rowberry, Uncle Arthur

Happy birthday, mum. 

  

2nd Long Stratton Brownies part 2

Here is the video of Faye being enrolled into Brownies.

2nd Long Stratton Brownies

Faye did her Brownie Promise last night to Brown Owl and was enrolled into the Pixies Pack.

I didn't get to film her saying her actual Promise but this is her saying the Brownie Guide Law:

Mum is going to be busy this weekend sewing all the badges onto her Sash ...

Kevin took a video of the enrolment, so watch this space to see and hear her recite her Brownie promise which is way different to the one I had to do back in the Dark Ages ...

Hornsea, Yorkshire 1961 ... good god.  My grandad's motorbike and sidecar is behind me (I think)

Culinary delights ...

er

Yes, so I had the brilliant idea of trying my hand at making that greatest of all Sarf Effrican delicacies (no, not biltong ... blech) ... that's it folks ... ye olde koeksuster.

Syrup with cinnamon sticks

 I have to say that these thingies are NOT as easy as I thought they would be.  The only problem with my first attempt was I didn't allow most of them to sit in the syrup long enough - I actually thought my syrup was too thick but having watched another couple of hundred videos on the Yoob* I saw that in fact my syrup was most fine.  I should just have let the little plaits sit in the sticky stuff a little longer, then they would have been soaked to the core with syrup.  Everyone who had one (or six) didn't complain though and they were, by and large, a success.  I've discovered that if I put some Creme of Tartare in the mixture (syrup), then the koeksisters keep their shiny surface.

This Friday I'm going to make another batch so my Sarf Effrican family can taste and give their critiques.  If all is well, then maybe we will start a little cottage industry - selling koeksusters, melk terts ... we (Hayzel and I) have already identified plenty of local outlets to sell them in.  This past weekend, in fact, there was the first ever Long Stratton Farmer's Market held at Faye's school. There were women there selling koeks, muffins etc. etc. and we bought some really good quality meat direct from the farmer. There was a fishmonger from Lowestoft there as well, his fish looked brilliantly fresh, so will maybe buy from him at the next market.  We were able to buy locally produced eggs, bread, cider, wines, cheeses, meat (from a variety of farmers and butchers), jewellery, chocolates ... loads of stuff and the prices for the meat (in particular) wasn't bad at all. I will try and find out this week how much it costs to have a stand. 

I've even come up with a name for the tuisnywerheid business ... how about, 'The Three Tannies"
(No, seriously).

Anyway, today we had to take in a potato dressed up in one of Ewan's favourite characters from a book.  We thought about this over the weekend and orders varied from Obi-Wan-Kenobi to Darth Maul and Garth Vader ...  I decided that it might be an easier challenge to go with his supreme holiness, Master Yoda.   Having located an image of 'Mashter Yoda' on the internet (a plastic Disneyland memento type toy that you can buy there), I had a go using ear-buds, paint and kitchen paper  ... 

There were some really cute ones at school this morning- Angry Birds was a popular choice and of course most of the girls dressed their potatoes up as Rapunzel or the Frozen princess.  Anyway, I think Mashter Yoda is fairly good - Ewan thought it was awesome and so did some of his friends - so we'll see if he wins a prize (I don't think so,  because these things are all very clique-y but like Hayzel said, we did win the Christmas hamper, so you never know!)

*YouTube to the rest of you.

Happy St. David's Day ...

Well this made me cry ...