Share Your World 20 February 2017

2017-02-22 | puppy1952

Here are my answers to this week’s Share your world hosted by Cee.

When you cut something with scissors, do you move your jaw (as if you were about to chew)?

No but I was a first grade teacher and many of the kiddies would stick out their tongues in concentration when writing or cutting. It was so cute.

Do you chew your pens and pencils?

Not anymore – ate a lot of pencils at school though. Have taught kids who ate crayons, glue and erasers. A strange species we are!

Are you a collector of anything? If so what?

I don’t collect things as such. I have though, found it difficult to throw out the greetings cards the kids have given us over the years and I have also kept stuff given to me by past pupils and their parents. I can’t bring myself to part with them. I also keep journals, photographs and trip reports. They take up a lot of space!

What size is your bed?

It is a comfortable Queen Sized bed. In the past we shared it with cats – but now we don’t have any pets or grandkids sharing it, so we sleep better than ever.

Optional Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

I am grateful for the workmen who are paving the front of our house and improving its look. I am looking forward to it being completed next week.

Struisbaai Marlin Competition 2017

2017-02-21 | puppy1952

Last week The Suidpunt Deep Sea Angling club once again hosted the Marlin Competition. This annual event is a great drawcard for deep sea anglers and a wonderful highlight on the Struisbaai calendar. This year 27 teams from all over the country took part and the competition ran for six days of which only two were not fished due to poor conditions.

The club catered all meals for the teams and there was a wonderful vibe at the evening dinners. Earl and I hosted Andrew, who was the communications officer and we were appointed the official photographers for the week!

What a Spread

Hardworking Girls behind the scenes

The rules of the competition were fairly complicated but this is how I understood them. A marlin had to be landed, photographed, a DNA sample taken then released. A video of the fish swimming away also had to be taken. The angler/boat who caught the last fish would be declared the winner – this was so that their enthusiasm would last to the bitter end!

Three fish were landed. Osprey caught the first, Woes Lekke the second and Salti the third.

Crew from Woes Lekke with DNA Sample – second Marlin landed

On one of the evenings Andrew was the Auctioneer and some generous bids were made for the wines donated by some local estates.

Wines on Auction

Sold to that man over there

Should we or shouldn’t we – they did

A special wine bottled in honour of Shanga

Shanga is Andrew’s dog who goes everywhere with him

And what am I bid for last year’s banner? Quite a lot it turned out and this year’s one went too.

The auction raised R39 000 for the club. Thanks to all the bidders this will be put to good use a Suidpunt Deep Angling Club.

On Friday there was a pirate party at The Club which was great fun. Earl and I were the judges and we found it difficult to choose so in the end gave one individual prize and one group prize. There was no female prize and I was the only girl to dress up and the judge can’t win!

Tattooed and scary?

Captain Morgan ready to pillage

Beware of this lot on a dark night

p1100254

The organisation of this event was mammoth. The caterers did an amazing job and kept us all well fed.

Hungry anglers enjoying the catering

Struisbaai, I think, thoroughly enjoyed having the anglers visit for a week and each afternoon the harour was a fun place to be as the boats returned from sea.

The winning boat escorted in by the birds

Feast from the fishermen

No fighting please – there’s enough for everyone

The Stingray will not be left out

Second boat to land a Marlin

Team Salti were the winners

Valentine’s Quiz

2017-02-14 | puppy1952

Joey at Joeyfullystated answered some questions posted on her Facebook page and challenged others to answer on their statuses too. I’ve decided to post mine in My Blog.

In honor of Valentine’s Day, all couples: Make this your status for fun and answer honestly.

Who’s older?
He is 8 years older than I am.
Who was interested first?
It was a blind date. He fell for me instantly. I wasn’t far behind.

How long have you been together?
34 years – 30 legal.

Married?
Very happily married. Would not swap him for anything.
More sarcastic?
Probably me. Yes – definitely me.

Who makes the most mess?
He says me – He’s Obsessive Compulsive.

Who has more tattoos?
We don’t do tattoos. He is totally anti tattoos – daughters beware – don’t bring a tatooed man to meet Dad!

Better singer?
Me but neither of us can really sing!
Hogs the remote?

He’s not typical male in that regard – neither of us hog it but I think he prefers me to be in charge of the remote.

Better driver?
I think it’s me. But he won’t let me drive. He thinks my driving stinks. Nobody else complains about my driving – It’s a control thing. He needs to be in charge. It’s a boy thing. He had to let me drive while he was recovering from surgery. It gave me great pleasure that he couldn’t do anything about it. It was very hard for him.
Spends the most?
Did I mention he likes to be in control? He spends the most because he is in charge of the bills. BUT He is a generous man and never denies me anything – so maybe it’s I who makes him spend too much? No that’s not it. We both enjoy the good things in life.

Smarter?
This is an American word for cleverer. Smart in South African means how smartly you dress – in that case – definitely me.

He thought he was cleverer but actually we’re equal. Many years ago we did a General Knowledge test with 100 Trivial Pursuit Cards. We got a dead equal score – But some things I knew, he didn’t and some things he knew, I didn’t. So we have different areas of clever. But don’t tell him – I actually think he is cleverer than I.

Most common sense?
Well – I think probably him – but I also have a good deal. He is just very practical and I am a bit of a dreamer.

What are your middle names?
Mine – Mary Edwina His – Mills
Whose siblings do you see most often?
His – He only has one sister and they’re very close so we see her whenever we are in Cape Town. I keep in touch with mine but don’t see them nearly often enough.

Do you have any children together?
No biological children together. But we both raised his two girls and my one. We also helped his oldest raise her two babies who are now 18 and 19. Nobody is allowed to say they’re not my real kids. Our three girls are sisters – not step-sisters. His grandchildren are my grandchildren – not step-grandchildren. When we told our grandsons the ‘truth’ about their ancestry – Jay said, “Lucky for you, hey Gran!”
Did you go to the same school?
No.

Who is the most sensitive?
I asked him – He said he was because he can’t handle pain. But he says I’m more emotionally sensitive.

Where do you eat out most as a couple?
Shipwreck Coffee Shop – usually for breakfast because at our age we don’t do late nights! Haha that’s a joke. We also do dinners at Seagulls or other restaurants in the area from time to time. Very occasionally we get a takeaway pizza from Bella Luna – they do gluten free bases.

Where is the farthest you two have traveled together?
We live at the southern tip of Africa – that’s far away. No seriously – Tasmania, Australia in terms of distance. But the distance we’ve travelled in life far exceeds that.

Who has the worst temper?
Me

Who does the cooking?
Both of us. But he will tell you that he does all the cooking. He loves cooking but when he cooks I usually help. But he can cook alone. He does cook breakfast most often. But I have just learned to cook a mean omelette – silly me – I shouldn’t have!

Who is more social?
Him – but I am also quite social. We both have lots of couple friends and own friends.
Who is the neat freak?
He’s OC. But I have to be neat to satisfy his OC

Who is the most stubborn?
He does see reason but he can be stubborn – I try not to be stubborn unless I know I am absolutely right.

Who hogs the bed?
He says it’s me. It must be because I don’t have a problem with him in my space.

Who wakes up earlier?
Me but he doesn’t have a problem getting up early if he has to.

Where was your first date?
The Round House, Camps Bay. It was a blind date. We’ve never been back! We will one day.

Who has the bigger family?
I have a bigger biological family. He only has a sister, brother-in-law, niece and nephew besides our own kids and grandkids BUT his late first wife had a huge family who we still keep up with. I am so lucky because they have accepted me as one of the family too. They are the warmest, kindest people on earth. My family are just as warm and kind.
Do you get flowers often?
I used to. Now we grow them in the garden.

Who does the laundry?
Me
Who’s better with the computers?
Me – He is extremely technical but can’t do the day to day stuff on computers. So he yells for me to help him.
Who drives when you are together?
He has to be almost dying before he’ll let me drive.

Who picks where you go to dinner?
Both. He suggests we go out and I always agree. There aren’t too many places we can go around here but whatever we choose is pretty good. We also entertain at home from time to time. And we have weekend visitors quite frequently.

Share your World 13 February

2017-02-14 | puppy1952

Here are my answers to this weeks questions in Cee’s Share Your World

Do you sleep with your sheets tucked in or out?
I have a fitted sheet over the mattress and a duvet on top – no top sheet – so no tucked in sheets or blankets. In the summer I usually sleep, wrapped in a sarong, on top of the duvet. Sometimes when caravanning in the Kgalagadi or Kruger I wet the sarong, lay a towel on the bed and sleep with the wrung out sarong wrapped around me. It’s the only way to keep cool. In winter I sleep in warm pyjamas and have an extra rug on the bed.

Have you stolen a street sign before?
I have no idea how you can steal a street sign.

Do you cut out coupons but then never use them?
I have done in the past thinking that I might use them. I realised early on in life that I’m not that thrifty. I forget the coupons are there and just buy as I need. I am not a bargain hunter and hate sales. I just don’t like rummaging through a mess of products trying to find something cheaper than usual. Presentation is important for me. If I spot something I like on a shelf or rail then I buy it if I want it. I never go looking for stuff to buy just because it’s cheap. Black Friday doesn’t do it for me.

Do you have freckles?
There are some brown speckles on my arms and legs and just two that I can see on my face. But mainly I see laughter lines and wrinkles.

Optional Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

I am grateful for the rain that has fallen giving some relief to the drought. We need more so bring it on.

I am looking forward to The Marlin Competition which started yesterday and goes on until the end of this weekend. There are 27 boats, some independent and some from different clubs competing. They are creating quite a vibe here in Struisbaai.

This is how men like to be “@Work”

Share your world 6 February 2017

2017-02-06 | puppy1952

Here are my answers to Cee’s Share Your World 6 February 2017

Regarding your fridge, is it organized or a mess inside?

Funny you should ask because if I’d read this question this morning my answer might have been quite different.

Of course I like my fridge to be neat and organized but for the past few days it has been in a bit of a state so today I sorted out the chaos! I threw out left over food from last Monday’s anniversary party, poured mayonnaise from an almost empty jar into an almost full one, checked to see that the milk wasn’t past its use by date and put veggies into containers instead of leaving them in their punnets and plastic wrappings. I didn’t know this was going to be a question today so don’t have a before photograph – but here is what my refrigerator looks like after its clean out this morning!

Well the above is how my fridge looked when I started this post but then my adopted grandson, Sam and his friend, Daniel who are staying with us for a few days, came back from a night time fishing trip with four geelbek and a skipjack so they now have pride of place till tomorrow morning when they can be cleaned. Guess what we will be having for dinner tomorrow!

Sam (left) and Daniel had a great evening out on Sam’s boat Red Head

Lovely fresh fish

Do you prefer your food separated or mixed together?

Depending on what the meal is – I like each vegetable to have its own place on the plate but I eat them together with the meat or fish – a bit of fish and a bit of veggie on one fork is the proper way to eat isn’t it? I do not eat one food group at a time – first the peas, then the carrots and leave the best till last – that’s crazy. I like mixing the flavours.

Sushi of course is fish, vegetable and rice rolled together in a sheet of seaweed and I love that.

Do you prefer reading coffee table books (picture), biographies, fiction, non-fiction, educational?

If it is printed I read it. But if the first few pages don’t grab me I have no qualms about setting it aside. I like well written fiction. My favourite authors are Anne Tyler, Chaim Potok, Bryce Courtenay, Barbara Trapido, Mavis Cheek,Maeve Binchy, Anita Shreve. I also love books by South African authors about South African life. Michael Heyns, Rayda Jacobs, Pamela Jooste and Maire Fischer have written some amazing fiction. I am reading a book by Deon Meyer’s Icarus at the moment.

I have/had a huge collection of coffee table/reference books. I had to give most of them away when we sold our big house in Cape Town – it broke my heart but there’s no room for them in Struisbaai. I still have too many.

Close your eyes. Listen to your body. What part of your body is seeking attention? What is it telling you?

I’m thirsty – time to have a lovely cold glass of water. If I don’t drink enough water my blood pressure drops and then I wonder why I’m so exhausted.

The Sunshine Blogger Award

2017-02-01 | puppy1952

Thank you Fiona and Dan for nominating me for the Sunshine Blogger Award. It has taken me a while to respond as I can’t think of 11 people to nominate so I’ll just post my answers for now and try to nominate later.

sunshine-blog-award

Fiona and Dan are an adventurous young couple who make the most of life and write about their amazing adventures. Fiona and Dan’s Blog

Rules of the Sunshine Blogger Award:

Thank the person who nominated you and link back to their blog.
Answer the eleven questions set by the person who nominated you.
Nominate eleven other blogs and give them eleven questions to answer.
List the rules and display the Sunshine Blogger Award logo in your post.

What made you start blogging?

I have kept a diary on and off for many years and when I heard about blogging I thought it was a good way of sharing my writing.

If money was no object, what would you do?

I would travel even more than I do now and I would give huge support to conservation projects.

What do you prefer Marine or Terrestrial environments?

I am very concerned about Marine environments and find marine life fascinating but I do not like boats and so prefer my eco touring to be terrestrial. I love birds and wildlife.

If you were kind and you knew then what you know now. Would you have chosen a different profession and what would it be?

I have been so rewarded in my profession that I can’t think of anything else I would have done besides teach. Once I joked in the staffroom – “In my next life, I will teach in an all girls’ school.” And a colleague exclaimed – In your next life you want to teach??? And the answer is YES – go figure.

Do you prefer sweet or savory?

I guess I would have to say savoury. But I do like a bit of sweetness now and then – I avoid sugar as much as possible but when I indulge in a treat it’s usually something with chocolate in it. Lemon Meringue pie and cheesecake are also good.

If you could save one animal on the planet which animal would it be?

The creature I would definitely choose is the Bee because if she were not saved all life on the planet would end.

Favourite music genre and/or band?

I have a few favourites – music that is easy to dance to and music that is pleasant to listen to in the background. I do not like ‘intrusive’ music.

My favourites are – Barbara Streisand, Neil Diamond, Chris de Burgh,

If you could earn a salary from blogging, would you do it?

No, because then I would have to commit to a regular contribution, I think. I am at the stage of my life when I want to be flexible and spontaneous.

What are your views and thoughts on global population numbers

There are too many people in the world and we need to educate people to plan their families carefully.

Where do you live now? If you had to move to a foreign country where would you go to?

I live in Stuisbaai at the Southern Tip of Africa. It is a small town, removed from the hustle and bustle of city life and all the dangers associated with most South African urban areas. It is like living in a different country. If I had to move I would choose Australia as I think I could adapt to their lifestyle. But I would rather stay here as I could not bear to be too far from the African bush.

When was the last time you spent the entire day without your cellphone and/or iPad?

In most parts of the Kgalagadi it is impossible to get cell phone signal and connecting to the internet is impossible. I was there in March 2016 and spent many days without cell/iPad. The only other time I separate myself from my devices is if I’m too sick to care and that’s almost never.

Share Your World 30 January

2017-01-31 | puppy1952

Here are my answer’s to Cee’s Share your world 30 January 2017

What is the most incredible natural venue that you’ve ever seen in person?

I am privileged enough to be able to visit many incredible natural venues in my own country and neighbouring African countries. It’s the birds and wildlife that attract us to visit over and over again. But the most unusual natural venue I visited in 2015 was Sossusvlei which is a salt and clay pan surrounded by high red dunes, located in the southern part of the Namib Desert, in the Namib-Naukluft National Park of Namibia. Those magnificent Red Dune are mind boggling.

We climbed to the top of this one

We took an hour and a half flight over the dunes and looked down on our lodgings – our hut is the first one in the row this side of the main buildings.

How many siblings do you have? What’s your birth order?

I have two brothers and a sister. I am number two. Big Brother is three years older than I am. My sister is two years younger and Baby Brother is seven years younger than I.

If you were a shoe, what kind would you be and why?

Well I would not choose to be a shoe! But I love boots – so that’s what I’ll choose as long as they’re made from real leather and don’t have killer heels.

What is the strangest/weirdest thing you have ever eaten?

Several years ago we stayed at Lokotula Lodge, Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe – another phenomenal natural venue.

Earl and Me with The Victoria Falls thundering behind us – September 2002.

On our first evening we ate at The Boma which is an area enclosing guests under the glittering African sky. There were sumptuous braaied (barbequed) meats to choose from the buffet and we tried a whole variety including warthog – you can read my story about that here.

As we were wandering around choosing our dishes one of the servers said, “Would you like some mopani worm?” “No thank you,” I replied. “But you must,”he insisted and not wanting to offend him both my hubby and I swallowed one each. It really wasn’t bad but not something I’d rush back to have any time soon! Well, we continued with our meal and when one of the hostesses came to enquire how we’d enjoyed the food, we told her that it had all been delicious. “Did you have mopani worms?”she asked. We replied proudly that we had and she promptly wrote out a certificate for each of us. So we have proof!

Optional Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

This week I am grateful for my precious husband, the wonderful friends we have made in our new home, Struisbaai and of course for the family and friends in Cape Town and the rest of the world too.

Young and in love – On our Wedding Day – 1987-01-30

Still in love thirty years later – 2017-01-30

We don’t have many friends in Struisbaai but last night we invited them all to help us celebrate our thirtieth wedding anniversary. Looking back on our years together brought home to us how much we have survived and how much we have been blessed. They have certainly been dramatic, exciting and adventurous years and we would not have changed a thing.

We don’t plan ahead so I am just looking forward to the surprises that are bound to happen in the coming week.

Share your world 23 January 2017

2017-01-26 | puppy1952

Here are my answers to Cee’s Share Your World 23 January 2017

Do you prefer juice or fruit?

Fruit – I have always loved all kinds of fruit. My grandparents had a lovely garden with a variety of fruit trees in it and we were free to pick as much as we liked. Perhaps that is why I love fruit so much. I don’t drink much fruit juice or any sweet drinks but if I do guava is my juice of choice.

Did you grow up in a small or big town? Did you like it?

The city of Cape Town was an hour’s train ride from the small seaside village where I grew up and what was there not to love? We had the beach, the mountain and the safety of the times.We had freedom – we’d walk or ride bikes everywhere on our own, play unsupervised on the beach and climb the mountain in kids only groups. It was an idyllic place to grow up.

Fish Hoek – where I grew up

If you were to paint a picture of your childhood, what colors would you use?

Bright and beautiful ones -blinding white for the sea-sand, sparkling blue for the sky, emerald green for the grass and trees. The sun shone a lot – but of course there were the grey, rainy days but they were filled with siblings and cousins playing board games and joining the dogs in front of a roaring log fire at Granny’s house

Ways to Relax List: Make a list of what relaxes you and helps you feel calm.

Taking a long walk on the beach
Reading a good book
Journalling
Doing a crossword or Sudoku
Having a good coffee with hubby or friend at a friendly coffee shop.

Optional Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

I am grateful that Earl has been feeling well this week. I am looking forward to entertaining friends next week.

The Long Road to Struisbaai

2017-01-15 | puppy1952

Since our ‘holiday’ in Italy, The Earl’s health has improved, we’ve sold our Sun Valley Home and had a great holiday with The Rural Family in Kokstad. There was a hiccup with chest pains in Kokstad but they were caused from Fly Fishing and not his heart! However, it did prevent us from taking our grandchildren to Tala Game Reserve.

Once that settled down it was time to return to the Fiefdom of Struisbaai. We decided to take it slowly and take the scenic Garden Route.

6 January 2017

It was raining again this morning. We were up and packed by 5:30, went to say farewell to the family and then hit the road.

We stopped at Stone Junction in Maclear for breakfast. It was lovely. We had eggs, bacon, pork sausage, mushroom and tomato. The coffee was good.

Delicious Breakfast at Stone Junction, Maclear, Eastern Cape

Our next stop was Queenstown where we fuelled. The roads were not too bad but we had to look out for cows, goats and donkeys. The scenery was stunning.

We arrived at Casa Mia near Addo Elephant Park at 15:30 had some coffee and rusks and a bit of a rest then went to dinner at Lenmore Family Restaurant about 5km away. We met a young family – Mom, Dad and five-year-old Noah from England. They were on a round the world trip. Tomorrow they’re doing Addo and we gave them some advice as to where to go and what to do.

Saturday 7 January 2017

The alarm woke me at 5 and I had no trouble in jumping out of bed to ready myself for a day in Addo Elephant Park. I was not anticipating too much as we were there just a couple of months ago and the sightings were average – no big cats and nothing unusual. But just being in the park again would be enough for me. We packed our picnic breakfast and set off in high spirits.

It was 6:00 am when we entered the main gate and were slightly put out when we were told that reception would only open at 7:00 and it was there that we had to get our day passes for the game viewing area! Never mind – we could have breakfast at Cattle Baron and eat our picnic for lunch – no such luck – The Baron opened even later!

So we went to the waterhole and enjoyed the birds then got our day pass, had a coffee at Barons and set off to find what we could find.

The Egyptain Geese were feeling frisky

A good start to the morning

By 10 o’clock we had photographed some lovely birds, kudu and zebra.

Ant-eating chat

African Pipit

Lone Buffalo

Beautiful Male Kudu

Malachite Sunbird in transitional plumage

Southern Boubou

Karoo Scrub-robin

But what we really hoped to find were the Bat Eared Fox cubs that everyone on The Addo Facebook page was raving about. And we were in luck – a single car was parked on the side of the road to Carol’s Rest and pointed out the den to us. We spent half an hour enjoying their antics and taking photos and soon there were several other cars joining in the fun.

p1090788

After that we headed up to the Zuurkop Outlook. “Look at all the dung beetles and worms on the road,”said Earl trying hard not to run over any of them.

The mighty dung beetle cleaning up the landscape

At Zuurkop we hopped of the car and were joined by a few other tourists. We got chatting to a Mom and daughter, saw some elephants a short distance away and I lingered to look, a few feet away from Earl while he chatted to some people. My back was to him and when I heard him call to me to look at something. I turned around and my heart almost stopped. He was teetering backwards in the most alarming way – I ran – and as he fell I heard a gurgling sound, his eyes rolled back in his head and he dropped flat on his back – out cold. Crazy thoughts raced through my head – he’s dead – what am I going to say to the girls, I’m not ready to be a widow – I have to get him breathing again – I pinched his nose, put my mouth over his and started blowing what I thought was life back into him – not holding out much hope that it would work – what the hell did I know about CPR – nothing! Suddenly he shook his head, giggled and said, “What’s going on. I’ve just had the most beautiful dream.” I freaked out – “You fainted – I thought you were dead!”

“Keep calm,” said a soothing voice, the lady to whom we had been chatting. “If you’re calm he’ll be calm.” I found out later that her name was Ayshia. She put a pillow under Earl’s head and it was then that I realised he was bleeding. I ran for the first aid kit, couldn’t find the wipes so Aishia gave me hers, I cleaned it then put a plaster on his wound. We checked that he wasn’t hurt and he insisted that he was fine.

“I just bent down to pick up a worm to show you,” he said, “I did feel a bit light headed so I must have passed out when I stood up. I really am fine now.”

Well – it’s not normal to just keel over like that. I wanted to take him straight to a doctor. He agreed to let me drive and after we both calmed down I got behind the wheel and drove to reception to get names of doctors. Not helpful at all – You have to go to Port Elizabeth, they said.

So we drove back to Casa Mia and Earl said his neck was sore. He just wanted to rest. I massaged him with Traumeel and gave him an anti inflammatory. I then asked reception hostess for the name and number of a doctor. She suggested a practice in Kirkwood. The reply from them was – the doctors are going off duty now you must go to outpatients at the hospital.

Earl thought he didn’t feel up to driving anywhere. He just wanted to rest. I allowed him to do this but after consulting with our Jeffrey’s Bay friends who we were due to visit the following day we decided to go straight to St George’s Hospital Outpatients just to be on the safe side.

It was about 3 o’clock on this Saturday afternoon when we arrived at the hospital. We parked the car and trailer in the street and a car guard offered to give the vehicle a wash. It really needed it so we agreed. It cost us R100.

Earl was ushered straight into the emergency room and given an angiogram. I remained behind to fill in forms and it was half an hour later before I was allowed in to see what was going on. The staff were amazing and after Italy we were delighted that everybody spoke English!!! A young lady doctor with the gentlest bedside manner broke the news – “I have spoken to the cardiologist and as your husband is a high risk patient he would like to do some more tests and so he must remain in hospital overnight.”

I was devastated. Stupid thoughts raced through my mind. Where would I go? We had a trailer – where would I park it – how would I get it off the car. I have no sense of direction – I will get lost in Port Elizabeth. You would swear I hadn’t dealt with worse in Italy!

I heard Earl say to the doctor –“Can’t I just take my wife to a B&B and come back later?”

No – she said.

It must have been the fainting episode that had put me into panic mode. I felt like I was falling apart – my arms and legs didn’t belong to me, I had to take control of them and instruct them what to do. I had to gear my mind to the right thinking paths. I had to assure my husband that I would cope!

I heard myself say, “I will be fine, Darling. I can tow a trailer – nothing to it. And I will find a B&B with space to park it!”

The doctor said, “You can ask the nurses at reception for if they know of accommodation nearby.”

But I started googling. A few minutes later the doctor reappeared. She handed me a slip of paper – My fiancé’s parents have a B&B in Summerstrand. They have space for your trailer and will help you unhitch it.

Wow – The Lord once again sent an angel to our aid

I rang the number and made the necessary arrangements.

After getting lost for an half an hour because I entered the address into the GPS incorrectly, I finally made it to the B&B a mere 10 minutes away if you have your mind functioning correctly.

Bev met me at the gate. “You must be stressed out,” she said and gave me a comforting hug. Another one of God’s Angels. She told me she had been a nursing sister and had looked after her own dad who was a heart patient too. Her stories were most reassuring and she told me that St George’s was an excellent hospital and that E would receive the best care.

After settling myself in I walked to the shopping centre just around the corner and had a glass of wine and some sushi at Taste of Asia.

I felt much calmer when I went back and was able to contact the girls to give them the news.

Sunday 8 January 2017

I was confident that Earl would be discharged today. I phoned the hospital and they said, “Your husband had a good night. No pain and no dizziness when mobile. The doctor still needs to see him but we are don’t see any reason for him to remain another day.”

So I cheerfully packed him some clothes and made my way to Life St George’s arriving around 10 o’clock. When E saw me he said, “Why have you brought my clothes? I sent you a text to tell you I have to stay another night.” The Port Elizabeth doctor needed to consult with the Cape Town doctor and as it was Sunday it would have to wait till tomorrow. “Oh, I’m sure that he will let you go and you can stay with me at Le Fishermans and then see him in his rooms tomorrow.”

We got into conversation with the 2 other women in the ward. They were convinced that they were going home today too. “I’m not staying here another minute,” said the one next to the window. “Neither am I,” said the one across the way. Nobody’s going to make me shower at 4 in the morning again!” They dug in their heels and prepared for battle against the great doctor. The staff who were in and out, looked on with knowing smiles.

Earl was first on his list. I introduced myself. “So your husband has been picking up worms and then keeling over unconscious,” he said. “Yes, he is not in my good books at the moment.”

He asked me my version of the story and then checked the dosage of his medication. He said to stop taking the Cardicor so now all Earl needs to take is Pritor for blood pressure, cardio aspirin and Crestor for cholesterol.

I asked him if Earl could be discharged and see him in his rooms tomorrow morning. He was appalled – “Absolutely not,” he looked at me in horror. “I need to monitor this man’s heart!”

“But I thought everything was fine.”

“No it’s not. There is something strange about his cardiogram” He spoke to the attending staff member – “how was he last night?” – and he looked at the chart. “No irregularities” said the nurse. But he wanted to see if the strange thing came up again and he wanted to know if it was a new phenomenon or whether it had been seen on his angiograms before. That is why he needed to speak E’s cardiologist in Cape Town.

He then went to speak to each of the other patients in turn. Each of them begged to be discharged. He wasn’t having any of it. “Doctor, I promise it won’t happen again,” said the one old duck. “O really,” came the reply “and how did this happen in the first place?” “I don’t know, Doctor.” “And neither do I so that’s why you’re staying so I can work out how to fix you!” And that was that.

When he left and the nurse returned to check on the patients, she smiled and said – so you’re staying, you’re staying and you’re staying!
I said, “Now ladies – I hope I can trust you with my husband.”

“Ha ha,” said Mrs wont’t shower at 4 am. “We’re too weak to do anything. Your husband has more energy than either of us – can you trust him with us!”

At 11 I left and went to the coffee shop for breakfast. I phoned each daughter to break the news – Laurie – Oh no man – now listen all this travelling around has to stop. You have to make dad take it easy. No more travelling for the next six months!”

Lisa – “So hasn’t the bypass worked?” “Yes it has darling. This is something new.” “Oh well then it’s good the doctor is doing something about it.”

Lauren – “Oh dear – How are you handling it? Are you taking strain – Don’t worry – it will all work out.”

After several long conversations I finally drove home. On the way the phone rang. I stopped to answer. A friend of mine when she heard I was in Port Elizabeth asked her friend who lives nearby to contact me. I also knew Brenda when she lived in Cape Town so it was great to hear from her. We arranged to meet for coffee later in the afternoon.

So after I’d visited E she collected me from Le Fishermans and we went to the Beach Hotel which was wonderful. We sat on the deck on comfy couches and chatted and chatted.

Thanks for a lovely afternoon, Brenda

Monday 9 January 2017

I packed up but left everything in the room and by 8 o’clock I was ready for breakfast. I was the only guest there and Bev provided a delicious meal. I started with Greek Yogurt sweetened with something delicious she makes herself. I added some fruit to this. Then she asked how I would like my eggs – medium – and it was served with bacon, tomato and fried zucchini – fabulous. The coffee was excellent too.

I then dashed off to the hospital with high hopes the The Earl would be ready for discharge. I was allowed in but when the doctor arrived was asked to wait in the foyer. But all was well. The two cardiologists had consulted and they concluded that the strange pattern in Earl’s cardiogram was normal for him – so no further intervention needed. The fainting was simply due to a fluctuation in blood pressure when he stood up too quickly.

So after 2 nights of excellent care – in English! – we went back to Le Fisherman’s, hitched up the trailer, bade farewell to my amazing hostess and headed to Jbay.

We had a great time with our friends there and the following day stopped at Great Brak for a visit with relatives. We are now back and settled in good old Struisbaai!

Share your world 2017 #1

2017-01-08 | puppy1952

Each week Cee is once again challenging us to answer some interesting questions Here are my answers

Would you prefer to receive a unicycle, bicycle, tricycle or motorcycle?

I have a bicycle which I used to ride regularly when my grandsons were in Primary School. The traffic where I lived was scary so I gave up fighting with busses and trucks for fear of coming to a sticky end. But now I live in a quieter place and plan to start again – but perhaps a tricycle would be better at my age – I have this fear of falling off!

When we were all a lot younger in 2006!

What is one thing you’d like to accomplish this year?

I have stopped trying to accomplish things. I just want to be able to get through and cope with the challenges that life keeps throwing my way. Hopefully there won’t be too much drama this year.

What was one of the highlights of 2016 for you?

Getting through the Drama of my hubby’s hospitalization in Italy!

Would you prefer to fly a kite or fly in a hot air balloon?

I would prefer to fly a kite because then my feet will be firmly on the ground. I don’t like flying – in anything. Having said that if the opportunity presented itself I would probably get into that darn balloon. I have FOMO!(fear of missing out!)

Optional Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

I am grateful that my grandsons, aged 18 and 19, while travelling abroad for the first time, on their own, coped well with delayed flights and missed connecting flights when wifi and contact with home was non-existent or very limited. They made it from Cape Town to Las Vegas and enjoyed the adventure from beginning to end.

I am looking forward to getting back to Struisbaai after an very eventful three weeks in KZN.