Summer Holidays........

On Friday night we had Christmas Carols at church and

Lauren sang with the children in front.

It was really hot on Saturday and Lauren relaxed in

the back seat on the way home from church.

Saturday afternoon, my mom, dad, Lauren and I visited

some dear old ladies that used to attend our church when

they were younger, fit and strong. Mrs Mona Pretorius

and Mrs Mona Johnson stay at Langham Old Age home.

My mom and I used to sit next to Mrs Pretorius in

church when Lauren was a few days old. She is now

95 years old. We took her a Christmas gift and spent

some time with her. Lauren was rather shy at first,

but after a while, she was chatting up a storm about

animals and pets with the dear old ladies. Various folk

from the church visit them.

On Saturday night, we visited Allison and Lance.

Dean, Lauren and Lance decided to have an evening

swim. We admired Allison’s Christmas cakes which

she completed in Icing Decorating classes.

Sunday morning, we gathered at Bryan & Terri’s house and

all the cousins had a great time swimming. The weather

was perfect this weekend and I successfully got a light tan.

Holidays begin in 4 days time!

It feels like Christmas........

My new kitchen is complete and I am so happy!

Here are the before and after pictures........
After

Before

Heaths @ H.aga-H.aga Beach Resort

This weekend, some of the Heath family went away to

H.aga-H.aga to stay at a holiday house. It was really

pleasant & relaxing. The children really enjoyed

themselves. Lauren was so excited to be with her

cousins everyday. They were up at 6am in the mornings.

It was great to have Grandpa & Granny Heath with us.

The food was plenty, the company fun and the house

very spacious. We spent time on the beach with the

children. Board games were played, colouring-in, egg

races, throwing & catching eggs competition, running

games, fishing, swimming, playing in rock pools,

building sand castles & lying on the sand.

A great weekend at the sea.

Keeping busy........

Inbetween having kitchen renovations for 2 weeks now,
we have attended the travelling circus and kept busy
with many chores. Some of us though, have a relaxing
time most of the time!

This is not a picture of Befor.e or Afte.r, but during!

Music & musings at the bay.........

On Saturday, Lauren and I went to church and later to

Pathfinders. At Pathfinders, the little kids had to run

around collecting plants and objects from nature to glue

on a piece of paper. They really enjoyed themselves.

Saturday night we sang in a Variety Concert

at the church hall. We sang the song E.e.n.s.y W.e.en.sy

Spider and H.o.w muc.h is that do.gg.y in the win.dow!

Our props were two spiders and a fluffy dog. Lauren

sang along for the spid.er song and then just barked

for the do.g song. I was fairly nervous, but it was not

supposed to be a professional show, so we did our

short little numbers and tried to look cute!

Dean left early and took Lauren home for a bath and

early to bed. She was really tired and had a full day

& night. I stayed with my parents until the end.

They had a slide show - Blast from the past..... showing

many of the older folks photos of younger days. I was

asked to submit some of my mom. This is my mom

when she was small & when she first started working

and had little me.

On Sunday morning, I met a friend for coffee at a Coffee

shop - Cafe' do Brasil, in our neighbourhood. We

had a great chat and had a lovely breakfast.

(Dean and) Lauren went for her first Spring swim at

Uncle Bryan and Aunty Terri's house with cousin Caleb

and a friend. In the afternoon Lauren spent time

playing in the garden.

I had my mom's domestic worker at home cleaning for

the day and arrived home to a nice clean house. I did

many loads of washing and had a little snooze in the late

afternoon.

It was a pleasant weekend.

Fun in the sun.......

I was on leave on Friday. I had such bad sinusitis, that

I couldn't stand to be at work and I needed to do some

shopping in preparation for our new kitchen.
On Saturday, Lauren went with Dean to Cintsa as his

two brothers & families were staying at Resort for the

weekend. They had such fun in the sun.
I went to church with my mom. In the afternoon L & I

attended Pathfinders.

Saturday evening I started feeling a little better, so we

visited my brother and Allison. She is so sweet, we just

arrived for Dean to watch the rugby on d s t v and she

puts on a full spread for supper for us.

My mom has been missing Lauren terribly. We haven't

had a chance to visit for a while, SO on Sunday I said

that they should come for a braai and I made many

salads and she brought fruit salad for desert. She spent

plenty of time with L in her room and caught up on her

grand-daughter. Dean kept my dad occupied and I did

the cleaning.

I did housework for the rest of the day & night, but felt

like I had at least achieved something when I went to

sleep on Sunday night.

Monday, I was feeling MUCH better. Sinusitis gone and

all well to go to work!!!!!!

Beside the seaside............

The weekend included… church, a braai on Saturday
evening with friends to celebrate a little one year olds
birthday. Lauren & Dean spending time at the beach
on Sunday morning, visiting Geoff & Rocky for
lunch – they have just moved back to EL. Yay!
Charne’ & Charlene taking the girls (Kayla, Erin,
Jenna & Lauren) to movies.
Down came the rain on Sunday night. Maybe we
are in for wet week ahead.

Charity & Home.......

On Saturday night, Dean and I attended a Charity Ball

at one of the beach front hotels. I was invited by my

company to attend. The ball was to raise funds for

the h o s p i c e c a n c e r unit in EL. Lauren stayed

at gran & grandpa R's house and we fetched her

at 23h00. I interviewed a new domestic on Sunday

and had to sort out all the admin related to that.

The weather was very windy and not pleasant

at all. Let's hope better weather is on the way.

Wind & Wattles on the weekend......

We travelled up to Stutterheim on Saturday morning.
Dean on his motorbike and we followed in the car.
We stayed at a friend’s B & B, called W.a.t.t.l.e C.h.o.p
just outside of town. It is very dry in-land and a fire

broke out on a nearby property on Saturday night,

but was successfully managed. We enjoyed rowing

on the little dam and Dean and Lauren made clay

figurines.

Lauren made friends with the neighbours horses

and spent plenty of time talking to them. She was

excited about sleeping on the top of a double bunk.

There were two aloof donkeys and chickens which

L was introduced to.

The weather was hot and it was terribly windy when

we left for home. When we arrived back in EL, it was

30 degrees with no wind!

Springtime soon........

Winter is officially over! However, the weather doesn’t
show it. The wind was gusting and then it was raining

while the sun was shining. Dean and Lauren have a photo

every year in front of the ‘Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow’

tree in full bloom, since Lauren was a baby. Lauren’s

friend Amber (our sister-in-law Terri’s brother’s daughter)

turned 5 this weekend. Lauren and I had another photo

session with some old fashioned clothes and lipstick. Girls

mostly enjoy dressing-up and putting on a little make-up.

Our little girl could play dress-up all day. She does get a bit

tired when the photo sessions go on too long. Tomorrow is

Spring, let’s hope for good weather soon.

Show & tell on the weekend......

This weekend was one of relaxing, tea with a friend and

attending a tribute to N.e.i.l D.i.a.m.o.n.d show, performed

by C.e.n.t.r.e S.t.a.g.e at the G.u.i.l.d T.h.e.a.t.r.e. My two

sister-in-laws, Terri-anne & Charne’, and I decided at the

last minute to go and our dear husbands so kindly got

together for a curry evening on Saturday night and looked

after all the children. The show was great and the performances

were very professional.

Winter sunset.........

Yesterday it was 29 degrees in EL with hot dry winds,

so we decided to head to the beach after we arrived

home from work and playschool.

Winter sunsets are often dramatic. There was no wind

when the sun was setting and the river looked like glass.

Lauren enjoyed the time running on the sand and

putting her feet in the shallow waves.

My Birthday.......

Today was my special day. Lauren was sick last night,

so we had a difficult time with her and a high temperature

all night. I was feeling a little old when I woke up this

morning. Dean and Lauren gave me Noa perfume with

a delicious nougat.

I had my parents, gran, brother and Allison around for

tea and cake this afternoon. I had planned a garden

tea party, but the weather was sunny with a sneaky

cool breeze. So we rather sat inside on this winters

day.

I received plenty of messages and phone calls & felt

really special.

In touch with nature.............

On Friday afternoon Dean and Lauren went to see the Ballet
- The Ugly Duckling at the Guild Theatre. It was a lovely
performance and L really enjoyed it.

Granny & Grandpa R were baby-sitting on Saturday night,
while Dean and I attended a games evening with some friends.

Sunday, Lauren and I joined my colleague and friend, Mindanao
to visit the EL zoo. Lauren always enjoys visiting the zoo. This
time we tried to see the Zoo’s Big 4…. Giraffe, Lions, Monkeys
and we skipped the Bears. It can take hours to see everything.
In the afternoon, Dean and Lauren went to the shopping centre’s
quiet parking-lot, so L could practice riding her bike. I tried to
complete the painting in Lauren’s room, where the new aluminum
window was installed.
Late afternoon, I took some photos of Lauren in the garden

and edited them to look Vintage style.