Update & photo challenge.

Well life goes on so they say, it may go on but it always changes and we have to cope with and embrace the changes.

My brother is out of hospital & is being treated well and his recovery has been amazing (the power of prayer is awesome!). He still has a way to go but at least he's on his way.

Debbie has had a huge operation where they have got 95% of the cancer out and are hoping that the radical chemo she will have will be enough to give her 3 to 4 years!! I am amazed at how positive she is how her outlook is good and considering she is a nursing sister with oncology experience, she is great. She should be out of hospital this coming week & will have one lot of chemo done here and then take the rest of her treatments back to Mauritius. Debbie believes if this is God's will she will have a great 3 to 4 years otherwise if it is not she will still be with us for a long time. Lots of prayers please.

It made me think how often, woman in general tend to ignore pains & warning signs and we often leave it till its too late, please ladies lets have our check ups and listen to our bodies and care about ourselves. I am the very worst at that I may add.

Another sad thing was the fact that Debbie had been saddened at how the standard of nursing was so low, considering she used to nurse at the same hospital - that made me stop and sigh, our hospitals are modern and well equipped but our staff are really not up to scratch - not all of them obviously but really sad to think about.

Well onto more happy thoughts Andrea challenged a few of us to show our 7th photo in our 7th file so here it is. It was in 2007 at the Mothwa Haven ladies Christmas lunch we were preparing. Its an old age Haven run by volunteers (me being one) and every year we try & do something special for our 22 old ladies for their Chrsistmas lunch. Its held in the lounge & that year I took photos of each one and put them in stars I had been given, they loved it and after lunch all our stars were gone.

I am going to challenge Jenny to find her 10th photo in her 10th file - have fun.

Bad weekend & help required.

Well what a sherbet weekend.
Firstly my eldest brother had a heart attack, he is safe in hospital in Quatar where he lives. Trying to get information via the hospital - well!!!! His wife does not drive so there again a problem & being "far away" from all the support is really very difficult for everyone. Us sitting waiting for news & her trying to do what ever she can. This global village is a "pain" at times. Worst of all is that DH & I were discussing what to do if one of our very far spread family got ill or God forbid passed away, not so very long ago & its easy to talk about it but when it suddenly becomes real its not so simple......
Next my best friend Debbie has just been diagnosed with cancer & lives in Mauritius & will arrive in Duban tomorrow to see the specialist, so all in all not a great weekend.
So all of you with prayer lists or groups please add Ian & Debbie to them.

A question how do other people store there "old" printed photos, I am always trying new things eg in see through envelopes in the year or then in subjects eg Kylie - I just always seem to have a really messy lot of photographs & would appreciate advice. Scanning them lately has been good because I m trying to sort through them & get rid of blurry undesirables too - which does help a bit.

Son passed his exam & Kruger National Park Wow.

Yay our eldest son (middle child) Mark passed his second board exam & now we are very proud to have a CA in the family, Mark is just casual, great its over & real life (after arcticles finish in 10 days time) can begin. Anyway we are so proud of his achievement even if he is so nonchalant, seven years of hard work has paid off.

We got the news in Kruger National park so our mini break was really made special. KNP is water logged there has been so much rain, we were made to stay an extra day due to bridges being flooded & we were not able to cross them.( God is good - we loved it.) Will post some photos tonight, I am back at work & inundated with stuff!!! I already need another break LOL. It also made me realise how much I love the african bush its so rejuvenating.

We travelled back through Swaziland & I was so impressed with the fact that there is very very little litter - non on the road sides only in the main towns & everyone is so friendly. The drivers are super alert & considerate & we just were so so impressed. It was so "non" threatening - now I know only people who live in Africa will understand that.

A L/O FOR MY DH'S BIRTHDY

It's Alans birthda on Thursday & we are off to Kruger National Park courtes of our children, what a great gift as Alan loves KNP.

So I made him this framed double l/o as he is off in Joburg on business & I could get it finished.

I have also scanned 171 photos so that I can get my old photos scrapped & came across one of the two Jenny Engelbrechts in NZ in 2002 so of course I need one in 2009 to complete a really good l/o.

What a week its been so far

With school swimming gala, school governing body meeting & then open day tomorrow,,whew glad it'll be Friday & then a hopefully quiet weekend. Well in our house probably not but still no fixed arrangements.
The heat has been terrible & we have been cooling off in the pool only to get out and start sweltering once more.
My menfolk went fishing yesterday at 3.30am ....yes that early, they had chartered a boat in December but apparently everytim they wanted to go out it wasn't the right winds,tide etc. So they came back with fish, fresh dorado & tuna & were very pleased with themselves and so are we.
Good news our New Zealand holiday & scrapping is on track with all our flights booked & confirmed ( one & a half tickets paid for LOL.) and Senz tickets booked & paid for courtesy of my wonderful SIL in Wellington. She's a doll isn't she .....
So here's to everyone having a great weekend.

RUGBY FEVER HITS OUR HOUSE

Its rugby season in full swing here and while I enjoy watching the Natal Sharks & the Sprinboks, All Blacks, etc sometimes ......its a bit daunting to have my DH & our two sons with four of their friends yelling and shouting at the tv in the lounge. They all suddenly become expert coaches, refereees and know everything, they are passionate supporters win or lose.

Its the yelling at the top of their voices as if the players or ref can actually hear them that gets to me...... my neighbours thankfully are rugby supporters as well otherwise I think we would be in big trouble.

I am not complaining because this is my time to scrap or read or just chill out because they are so absorbed in the game, before after & during with the interviews and comments so Viva rugby season even with its noise !!

Thanks to Jenny for my award!

One nice thing about the man in my life: (gee only one...) My darling husband is my best friend and supports me in every way.

Now six ways in which I measure success in my life (thought provoking)

1. My DH & I have been together 29 years and weathered all the storms big and small, so that means we must have learnt respect & tolerance.






2. Our three off spring have grown up to be responsible young adults who are well adjusted and ready to jump into the river of life.






3. A home of which we are justifably proud of which is always full of youngsters who have become adopted family & who chat to us as if we were friends. (sometimes too much information .....)






4. The fact that I have a super position at work & good friends rather than colleagues.






5. The fact that I have learnt to look at two sides of a story before coming to a conclusion ( very difficult for me sometimes.)






6. The fact that my faith in God once lost in my life has been restored and sustains me everyday.

And now I pass this on to : Andrea, Linda,& Little Shop of Sketches & anyone else who really would like this award.

By the noise level we must have just scored a try so I am off to escape into my bedroom with my book.

A good relaxing weekend

Wow its Sunday already & we have had such a nice weekend. Quiet & chilled out.

Mark turned 25 on Saturday & we had a lovey lunch at Umhdloti with him & his girlfriend Maddie, the day was stunning & the view was quite something. I took a few pics which I will upload. It was the lazy kind of lunch that took three hours of just chatting & eating some delish food ( and I wonder why my clothes are tight !!!) Mark has so matured in these last few years its quite something to see him become such a super young man.

I actually had time to scrap yesterday & today, and will try to upload my l/os.

1. This was just finished off - a course I did with Desire Fourie at Makarnga Gardens in Nov last year - very busy for me but fun to be out your comfort zone.

2. Steven - he is such a water boy & I have been going to do some of him & so have started.

3. Alan & Adrian taken last year before Alan's 50th birthday & they are just so nice to see the brothers so chilled out. Adrian came out from New Zealand for it & I have lots of fantastic photos of them together which is very unusual.