Stream of consciousness Saturday – Bun

2018-03-31 | puppy1952

So it’s the Easter Weekend and the prompt for Stream of consciousness Saturday is bun.

It’s traditional on Good Friday to eat a Hot Cross Bun or two. Yep – I did. Well I had half a bun because I am on a low carbohydrate eating regime – have been for three years and it suits me very well. But hey – it was Good Friday and those traditions die hard. I regretted the indulgence five minutes later as the half a bun gave me a tummy ache. I thought the best thing to do was to get out for a walk to work off the effect. My darling daughter and I set off for the harbour and then continued along the board walk.

It did help a tiny bit but really carbs do not agree with me and I won’t give in to the urge again this weekend. Chocolate is a weakness – I do indulge in the odd piece of dark choccie. But on Sunday I will not be having any Easter Eggs. My family are visiting for the weekend so I have bought a clutch of eggs to hide in the garden – even though they’re all past the age of fantasy. The daughters are grown and the grandsons are just short of 20 and 21. However, if they want eggs they’re gonna have to search for them!

But the best thing about this holiday is having us all together. We planned to eat fish on Friday but it rained and the fishermen in the family reneged on the fishing trip so instead we put a chicken in the Weber and that was Good Friday dinner. Apologies to my late Catholic mother to whom we always donated a fish dinner on Good Friday! Today they are fishing – so I will make up for fish on Good Friday by having it on Good Saturday.

Father and Daughter 3

Josh, Lisa and Grandpa at the Weber

Gem Squash, Sweet Potato, Onion and Garlic

Family Good Friday Dinner – Laurie, Josh, Jay, Lisa and Grandpa

But back to bun – the grandboys needed no second invitation to polish off one or two and I’m sure they’ll all be gone by Easter Monday!

Thanks Gran – great buns!

Cee’s Odd Ball Challenge – 30 March 2018

2018-03-30 | puppy1952

It’s time for Cee’s Odd Ball Challenge again

This week I am submitting another photo of an odd place to plant your flowers!

Cee’s Black and White Challenge – Store Front and Building Signs

2018-03-29 | puppy1952

Here is my contribution to this week’s Black and White Challenge

The cutest police station ever

Enter a caption Fish Shop in Warner’s Bay Australia

Coffee Stop in the middle of nowhere – Australia

Tiny Library

Daily Post Weekly Photo Challenge – Sunrise/Sunset

2018-03-29 | puppy1952

Here is my contribution to this week’s Weekly Photo Challenge

Sunrise – Rumbly Bay – Simonstown, Western Cape

Sunset Kruger National Park

Sunset Warner’s Bay, Central Coast, Australia

Sunset over Sydney, Australia

Cee’s Fun Photo Challenge – Alone

2018-03-28 | puppy1952

Here is my contribution to this week’s Fun Photo Challenge – Alone

Alone on a Desert Dune

A man, a tree and a rock alone in the desert

Alone in a hostile environment

Gemsbok (Oryx) alone in the Namib Desert

Cee’s Share Your World 26 April 2018

2018-03-27 | puppy1952

Here are my answers to this week’s Share your world from Cee

What is your favorite color of hair? You can name your hair color or a color that you just like.

I don’t have a favourite. Hair colour goes with complexion and I think that people look best when they choose a colour that suits them and not what is considered beautiful by the fashion world. Having said that, I think it’s fun to experiment with psychedelic colours. Pink or green hair can look great if you dress outlandishly too. Yes – why not? I think I might try it some day!

I think blond is very pretty but way too common and boring. I prefer rich colours – black, auburn, chestnut, titian. People who are blessed with colours like that are striking.

I used to colour my hair. One day my grandson said, “Gran all my friends grannies have grey hair.” When I told him I coloured mine out he was shocked. “You mean you really are old?” he exclaimed.
So when I retired I decided the time had come for me to become a real granny so now I grey and proud of it!

Before 2015 After 2015

List at least 5 things that you are good at.

I won’t claim to be good at anything really. However, I’ve reached a certain level of proficiency at the following:-

Blogging
Knitting
Identifying birds.
Teaching
Computers – well the grandkids did help.

What is your favorite animal or type of animal? (pets, dolphins, stuffed, wild cats, etc)

All animals excite me. I love wild animals and wild birds. I’m against zoos and wild animals being kept as pets.

Perhaps my favourite wild animal is The Elephant. I love the matriarchal system – Males have to leave the herd after a certain age and may only visit when invited! Elephant society works extremely well.

This mom is so protective of her baby

What did you appreciate or what made you smile this past week? Feel free to use a quote, a photo, a story, or even a combination.

We had old friends from Cape Town visit us for three days last week. Jeff and Earl have been friends since they were five. They never had kids of their own but were always a huge support to us with ours and when the grandkids came to live with us they were always on hand to babysit and gave us enormous support. So – yes – I smiled a lot when they came to visit. We had an amazing time with them.

Our friends at The Southern Tip of Africa

Cee’s Odd Ball Challenge – 25 March 2018

2018-03-26 | puppy1952

Here is my contribution to this week’s odd ball challenge

Putting a scrapped car to good use!

Photo a week challenge – Nature’s White

2018-03-23 | puppy1952

This is the brief for Nancy Merrill’s Photo a week Challenge

IN A NEW POST CREATED FOR THIS CHALLENGE, SHARE A NEW PHOTO OR TWO (OR MORE) FEATURING WHITE AS FOUND IN NATURE.

Here is my contribution

041 Upington Landing strip 2015-01-09 07-46-36 AM 4000x3000

Looking up on the white clouds from the airfield

025 Clouds below us 2015-01-09 05-42-38 AM 4000x3000

Looking down on the clouds from the aircraft

An unexpected fall of snow – Kaggakamma – Cederberg – Western Cape

Cattle Egret

Pelican-Great White-Strandfontein-swimming

Great White Pelican

Cee’s Black and White Challenge – Heads and Facial Features

2018-03-22 | puppy1952

Here is my contribution to this week’s Black and White Challenge

Marabou Stork

Giraffe

Cheetah

Elephant

Granddaughter!

Cee’s Fun Photo Challenge – Rain and/or Rainbow

2018-03-21 | puppy1952

For this week’s Fun Photo Challenge we’re asked to post photographs or rainbows or rain. Here is my contribution

A summer thunderstorm interrupted our braai – “No problem,” said our grandson, Jay. And he stood in his bathing costume to complete the cooking!

Rainbow over the vineyards

003 Full Rainbow at Nossob 2015-03-18 06-39-57 PM 4608x3456

Stormy Rainbow in the Kgalagadi Trans-frontier Park

Share Your World – 19 March 2019

2018-03-20 | puppy1952

Here are my answers to this weeks questions from Cee

What is your earliest memory?

It is difficult to say what my earliest memory is. I was born in Cape Town but lived in Johannesburg from age 2 to 5 and my memories definitely begin there. Something that stands out very clearly is walking down a road with my mother. I am holding onto her as she is pushing my sister in a pram. I must be three years old. We’re on our way to meet my brother aged 6 from school. I see him walking proudly toward us, carrying his little suitcase. I know I have missed him while he’s been at school while I have had to remain home with the baby and I desperately want to go to school too. So desperate was I that my parents got me enrolled at age five when the legal starting age for Grade 1 was actually 6! That didn’t turn out well – but we won’t go into that now!

Which way does the toilet paper roll go? Over or under?

It depends on the holder. Mine works best with it going over. When it’s the other way it tends to unwind too much. There’s more control with it winding over.

What makes you feel grounded?

I don’t know. I just am. I don’t allow myself to worry about insignificant things. I concentrate on the positive.

What did you appreciate or what made you smile this past week? Feel free to use a quote, a photo, a story, or even a combination.

I appreciated the work done by the contractors who did my bedroom extension, the cupboards that were so expertly built and installed and the painting that was done. I also appreciated the two days we took to go to the Hot Springs in Warmwaterberg. It was delicious relaxing in the mineral waters. I also smiled when I came across a huge crowd of motorcyclists at the place we stopped for breakfast on Friday. They gave me some great material for photography.