So what did you do during Earth hour?

I nearly forgot all about it! But we duly switched off all the lights. Jan watched rugby and I phoned my sister Elsabe. It is her birthday today. We had a lovely long chat....

Meanwhile in the bathroom (yes all these books are in the bathroom) the red candle leaked and made a horrible mess... there are little spots of wax on the acrylic carpet. How am I going to get rid of the wax on the mat? I can't iron it as I tried that before on an acrylic carpet and still sit with a scorched mark! Hope I can brush it off, but haven't the guts to do it today!
There are heaps of washing and there were unmentionables in the tupper cupboard, so late last night - after earth hour - Jan washed all the tupperware while I first cleaned out the cupboard and hunted you know what and then started to dry said tupperware.... It took me quite a while to sort out all the lids etc and repack the cupboard.

When I lifted the empty candle holder this morning, I saw that it made a horrible mess of the diary in which I record my weight - glad I have not set the house on fire!

Moral of the story: save electricity, but watch your candles!! If you burn down the house, you'll send even more earth warming gasses into the air than the burning light bulbs would have!

PS. Hendrik made the most of earth hour: he went to Goodland to watch stars with "sterrekundiges".

Bad news Thursday, Fun day Friday

On Thursday evening a terrible thing happened to Hendrik. His "new" car was stolen at church while he was attending a "selgroep" (prayer group). His previous car was stolen last year while he was at work. Of course he stresses a bit, but he is not too depressed. There is another reason for his cheerfulness, but that is another story...! We pray that the car will still be found because in it were his tools, his brand new gumboots (which he had just bought before cell group) and worse his medication.

On Friday, the L's came to visit after work. Jan was still away on a "bosberaad" (planning session for the work) and only came later. In the meantime, we enjoyed the glorious autumn weather (late summer really) and played with Franco outside. He is now 11 months.

He is very interested in Jakkie, our 10 year old Labrador. She is very friendly, but a bit lively and not too clever when it comes to babies. She still has to learn not to lick him in the face!

His dad put him in a tree and he drooled from enjoyment or is it apprehension? It was quite high and the trunk felt rough.

After supper we absconded to our bedroom/ T.V. room. Here Gert and Hendrik are fascinated by......

"Noot vir Noot" - a "How well do you know music" competition programme. A friend of Gert and Dorette's, Andre Opperman, took part in the competition. He is the one with the green shirt. He came 2nd.
Meanwhile Franco had a ball climbing all over Oupa.

Oupa your tummy is just right for standing up.
Jan is very ticklish and of course Franco gave his tummy a drooly kiss. Jan shrieked and Franco couldn't quite make out what was so funny.

Franco is going places..... "Ouma se klim en klouterkous!"

He quickly pulls himself up on the bannister above our bed and just about hangs from it from his little arms. Will he be a gymast like his mother has been?

Or perhaps a dentist? Oupa has a very fascinating mouth...!

What interesting thing is this?

Franco tried out the treadmill and soon caught on what it is all about. We did not switch on the machine but took turns in moving the "conveyor" belt. Quite hard work.

Oupa's turn to give Franco crawling exercise.

The engineer in Franco soon discovered the treadmill's bolt. Ever since he was a tiny baby, he has been very interested in hinges, electrical plugs, screwdrivers, bolts etc. Dorette says he now makes his swing stop by holding on to the sides!
The blue mark under his eye? No his parents are not baby batterers. Before we went to play outside, Franco tried to crawl onto our couch, slipped and bashed his little face against the wooden leg. Sorry Franco! (He succeeded in crawling onto the couch right after the accident and happily stood there looking out the window - that's why we went outside instead.)

Bedtime! Last smile for the camera! (In the background is a very exciting 20/20 cricket match between South Africa and Australia. South Africa won of course, but it was quite nail biting! Morne Morkel saved S.A.)

Is this blog going to become a household tip blog? I hope not but I was so thrilled about our "new" way of defrosting the freezer that I have to share this tip (Hendrik's idea) with you.
How to defrost your freezer
Get an attractive young right brain young man to help.
Unpack everything (just check that your right brain chap does not forget to put the ice cream in a cooler.)
Put a fan on a table in front of the freezer and go and have a cup of coffee. (Sorry, Rooibos tea - Hendrik says coffee is bad for you.)
Suck up water and loose ice with the vacuum cleaner. Keep fan going until the freezer is dry. (It dries it much better than a cloth!)
Done!
This was a quickest, easiest and by far least messy operation ever. I really recommend this method. I just wonder... How many people still have upright freezers that need defrosting? We have this separate stand upright one, a 3o year old refridgerator with a freezing compartment on top and a chess freezer and Hendrik and I cleaned all three of them all this morning! (End of household work for the day! The rest has to wait.)

I couldn't resist placing a photo showing what an excellent son I have. He has very creative ideas and is always willing to help. Maybe a certain someone will read this blog one day and know just how special he is...! We hope to meet her soon.

Franco on the treadmill.

Weekend jobs and a special day for Willem

This weekend was pretty much spent like most other weekends since my life without X started three weeks ago: housework and more housework! I did the schlepp like laundy and dishes whilst having long telephone conversations with Dorette (with the phone in a bag around my neck), I found satisfaction in jobs done that were long overdue but still feel guilty about jobs that I did not get round to... not because there was not enough time, but because I could not make myself do it. I did exercise though! The scale is tipping very slowly.

My grandfather made this "blikkas" (steel cupboard) for my grandmother and it stood in her farm kitchen. It was green then. She died the year my mother bought our farm (let wel, Ma en nie Pa nie, maar dis 'n storie vir anderdag...) and it has stood in Ermelyn (our house), for the past 39 years. When we renovated the house, I made sure that there would still be a spot for this useful cupboard - albeit a difficult one to keep tidy seeing that the door does not open all the way and it has nice corners where one can hide (and forget) things.

My magnus opus on Saturday was to clean it out and to tidy it. The vynil on the shelves is becoming worse for wear, but no so much so that I want to remove it yet - the "Novilon" was my choice and my handiwork when I was a student and we came out to the farm over weekends. I had very grand ideas of how the kitchen should look. I was very inspired by the kitchen of my Belgian French tutor, a Mrs Devos . She was a fundi with walll paper. (Ermelyn's kitchen in those days had no ceiling and a low corrugated iron roof - I vividly recall the sweat running down my back when doing the dishes in the stuffy little corner.) Do I sound like a grandmother? Well, I am one!

Another job that gave me much satisfaction was to clean the copper and silver. Some of these pieces were made by my grandfather, so again they have lots of sentimental value. My good friend Alta gave me her mother's wonderful recipe for cleaning this stuff and it works. Anyone who has copper or silver must remember it. It works like a charm and it works for jewelry too! Thanks Alta!
Copper/ Silver Cleaning Recipe
50 g Acid (Alta's mother uses citric acid or tartaric acid, but I had none - as I only discovered when I tidied the grocery cupboard, so I used vinegar and it worked fine)
25 ml Sunlight liquid
Very hot water.
Soak piece in it for a short while, rinse it and it shines! Some pieces did need a bit of brasso or silvo, but I just rubbed it on and then rinsed it in the above solution. No hard polishing and no white bits in the crevices!
I used a plastic container just to be on the safe side and heated the solution in the microwave when it got too cold, but even the cold solution seemed to work well enough.
Late last night I crept out of bed and cleaned my wedding ring - it sparkled again!

??? Jan's project will be ready before Easter. It is a BIG and HEAVY job. It has and will still require a lot of muscle power and determination. WATCH THIS SPACE. I will definitely blog about this project again! Hendrik helped him all day Saturday to paint the planks (2 x 6 meters and 2 X 3 meters).
We had a problem with our electricity supply to the stables and labourers' housing
and the internet and radio tower on our koppie, so that took quite some time to get that sorted out. Many thanks to our community radio man, Rudi, who came to the rescue!

Today we went to Jan's brother Willem's "bevestiging" as a church minister. He has been the director of Youth@ Heart since its beginning many, many years ago. He will continue his youth work, whilst also ministering to this congregation. This photo is not too clear (we should have sat in the front pew), but I think it is the only one where his wife, Rina and his daughters presented him with his toga.
The service was about the parable of the sower: God wants us to sow abundantly. We need not be careful with the seed. Only one of every 4th seed will grow, but these fourth seeds that do indeed grow will yield a crop way over what man expects!!
Willem was welcomed on behalf of the "Ring" by Ds Wouter de Vos, the man who videographed Gert and Dorette's wedding and Inkululeko's (my previous nursery school's) concerts. Who said it is amazing how many old acquaintances we do meet?

Willem's family: Righardi (Grade 11), Rina and Tani (1st yeat B.Com Accountancy). The eldest daughter, Marianne, could not be there. She is studying to become a vet.

Jan, Noella and Chris, Willem's older brother. (Jan's father married their mother and the combined family had ten children. Jan's one sister has since died, but the other 9 are all well and married. A very big family indeed. Willem is the youngest of the 9 brothers and sisters.)

Willem greeting some congregation members at the tea afterwards.

In deep conversation with another congregation member.

Noella and Rina.

Afterwards Jan and I went to the H's. Martelize has ear infection - again! She was not too keen on eating, but she managed a sort of a smile for her Ouma. Ouma se pampoenbekkie!

She loves to stand and pulls herself up against the furniture, (7 1/2 months) but I sat behind her ready to catch if needs be, but it wasn't necessary. Here she is having her portion of the newspaper.

Smile for the camera.... After her medicine and bottle, she was cheerful and babbling, but the moment Thelwyn gave her her blanky (the one I knitted), she closed her eyes.... She falls asleep so easily and usually sleeps very well, but Thelwyn says the ear kept them up, pretty much of the night.

Franco is also sick again - not serious, serious, but feeling pretty grotty and miserable, so we never got to see them this weekend. Tomorrow he will be 11 months! Can you believe it! Tomorrow it will be a year since my mother died. She died on Easter Sunday, exactly a month before Franco was born. (Ons mis jou, Ma! Het wanneer laas patat geeet. Geniet dit daar in die hemel saam met Pa.)

Election coming up

I just wonder whether all our South African friends and family overseas realize that they can vote at the embassy if they are registered voters? Check their website

Overseas votes
The Constitutional Court ruled on 12 March that South African citizens outside of South Africa who are registered to vote may vote. You must send your completed VEC 10 form to us at vec10@elections.org.za by Friday 27 March.

I pray that everyone who can vote, will vote.

Whom to vote for? I listen to many party debates and my head tells me this one and my heart tells me that one....! We all have to pray and seek God's answer before we choose. If ever we had a responsibility to our country and fellow South Africans it is now. May we never have a Pharaoh who hardens his heart and just does not use common sense! We have such a Pharaoh next door in Zim...

BUT ISN'T IT GOOD TO KNOW THAT GOD HAS THE WHOLE WORLD IN HIS HANDS....! God let your kingdom come, on earth as it is in heaven!

What a blessing without my "blessing (?)"

So why is Jan vacuuming the floor?

In South Africa many women are blessed (?) with an "ousie" (sister), i.e. a domestic assistant/ house cleaner, servant - call her what you may. I have had a full time "Ousie" for the past 25 years. In Kempton Park, we had a darling woman who spoke very little Afrikaans (and no English), but she had a heart of gold. She was always friendly, reliable and very hard working. In those days I had a play group and every day, she washed lots of paint pots, and two big sliding doors besides doing all the washing and cleaning up after my own brood. Her attitude was so positive and she was so pleasant.

...And then 12 years ago we moved to the farm and appointed X. Why X? Because her mother worked for my mother and she just happened to be on the farm...

She was also hard working and reliable (at least she always turned up for work, albeit half an hour late, despite living on the farm.) In those days our little hovel (it wasn't really a house, house), had cement floors and she polished them till they shone - not that I had ever asked her to go on her hands and knees to do that! (We had since renovated and the house has ceramic tiles or carpet throughout.) She could scrub a tacky until it was as white as new.

But there was always this "vibe" - I always felt as if I tread on eggs when she was around. She was very quick to complain and I found it very hard to confront her.

She mostly worked completely on her own as I worked very long hours. I very seldom saw her, and communicated through notes. (Her reading is limited, but she usually understood my notes or otherwise phoned me.) The times I did see her and wanted to talk about work that was either not done or poorly done she yelled at me that I caused her stress and gave her high blood etc. She sometimes even walked away while I was still talking to her! She often threatened that she would leave - knowing that I could not easily get another. Then she would return and continue as if nothing had happened and I lacked the courage to raise the matter again. However, the negative attitude became worse and her work became more and more sloppy - in the third week of February, I wanted her to tell me what her work schedule was (she obviously did not stick to mine). I just wanted to know where and when she worked and what she did, because some days I just could not see what she had done all day and I wanted to know what my pills were doing in the waste paper basket.... It ended in another accusation of me causing her "high blood" and that she was going to leave (f... off!)! I had never given her a written warning (which of course I should have done), but now I just knew I could never go into "retirement" (its around the corner would you believe) with her in the house.

We therefore decided to reconstruct, so we gave her a month's notice (paid leave) and the end of which she will get several months pay plus all accumulated leave will be paid out. (It will cost a bundle I can tell you...!) I no longer come home to a clean house with heaps of ironed clothes every day, but I come home to peace and FREEDOM! I can do in my own house as I please! I never realised how much she inhibited me. True, I am not used to housework, but I am getting used to it again and Jan and I once again spend Saturdays cleaning the house - pretty much the way we used to when we were newly weds and young parents.

One of my first jobs was to sort out the cleaning materials: what a collection of half used Mr Mins and empty furniture oil bottles - slowly but surely everything in this house is getting sorted out and suddenly there is space in the cupboard. The liberating thought is that my cupboards will stay fairly organised!!

Same story in every bathroom: several bottles of Handy Andy and Jik - all almost empty. Funny thing is how long my dishwashing liquid lasts now. The last week before X left, I bought a new one and by the end of the week it was 1/2. Now two weeks later, it is just below half...! I no longer have to hide my Nespray.

Jan does a thorough job! He even vacuumed on the top of my built in cupboard!

The curtain once more has got all its hooks!

This is how X left the corner on my kitchen counter top - making it very hard to get going with the cooking.

The same corner after I had rearranged things the way I want them. (My food processor tells a story about my age doesn't it?)

My towels are folded reasonably -why did I live with a mess all these years? The bathroom door got clean with one swipe of handy andy, the dustbin lid is as clean as one can get it... Why did I leave these little irritations for X all these years?! Now that they are my job, I realise it is not so bad to just do it!

A clean drawer: The first weekend was spent just unpacking cupboards to make sure there are no nasty creepy crawlies. I had found a cockroach just after she had left and then unpacked the whole kitchen and went wild with insecticide, but fortunately I have not seen another unmentionable. It's an ill wind that blows nobody any good: now at least most of my cupboards are tidy - the big grocery cupboard and the freezers are still waiting for their turn.

We have a few precious antique pieces - when I polished them, I realised again just what a big job they were. Where can one find an electric polisher that can get into all the little curls? I'm looking at my electric toothbrush, but the head is in the wrong place. Surely there must be an electic furniture and copper and silver polisher? If you know of such a contraption, please let me know! (Mr Min and Pledge just do not get the wood shiny - sorry X I thought it was you ... but on the other hand why did you not lift the cushions to polish there? The very thick layer of dust tells another story...)

Dear God, please be with X and help her to find a job (and peace and good health) and help me to be a Proverb 31 wife! Thank you for our house and please bless it - even though the windows are not shining (yet).

A busy weekend

On Saturday morning Jan and I attended a breakfast in aid of a special outreach. We were invited byCarl, one of Jan's varsity pals and guess who sat at our table? None other than our
same street neighbours of 30 years ago! Here they are: Rina and Dewald.

Other varsity pals: Amanda and Diederik. Diederik had some nice things to say about what my Dad had taught him all these many years ago: don't look at past mistakes, but focus on the present situation and do what is needed now - if the bridge had been built on the wrong spot, so be it, don't continue with that bridge. (My dad had been a professor in civil engineering.) (Note to myself: I must make a plan to go and visit Amanda - she is such a nice person and we have a lot to talk about...)
The breakfast came at a bad time though: back at the "ranch" my children were visiting with my sister Anne who had come with her son Neil from Ladybrand. Neil and Marissa came up for a wedding and Anne had thought it a good opportunity to fetch some horses at the same time. Neil's friend had to drive Neil's bakkie (pick-up) because Neil does not have a licence to tow a horse box... Life is one massive puzzle of many people who have to fit in many activities at the same time...!

Bottle time for two hungry babies: Martelize is 7 months and 1 week and Franco is 10 months and two weeks.

In the middle of all the chit-chat Hendrik fell asleep - he was dog tired, but did not want to go and lie down - didn't want to "miss" a thing. He was a very good coffee maker throughout the weekend. (Ek sal jou hou Hendrik!) Meanwhile I had such a good time catching up with Anne that I forgot to take a photo of her! On Sunday morning she had to put down the F's old dog - a very sad moment for them.

"Who is calling my name?"

"Can't you see that the Blue Bulls are playing against the Stormers and I don't want to be bothered?"

"Come on.... kick it over..."

"Missed! Well this is rugby is getting boring now... I wonder when Franco will wake up."

"He is awake and I rather like the foot massage he is giving me..."
The cousins slept in relay but at one stage they were together and Franco was very intrigued with Martelize's foot! He gave her a hug, but when she returned the hug, he pulled a face - very much like the one he pulled when the dog sniffed in his face and when the horse leaned over the stable wall!
Franco seems to have a very sensitive face and mouth: he doesn't put just anything in his mouth (albeit something nice to eat) and he does not allow you to put something in his mouth either. He loves standing now and especially enjoyed standing on the couch and looking out of the window. Thelwyn, Dorette and I took the babies to visit the stables and Franco loved the ride in Martelize's pram. Later Dorette and I took them in our arms for a km walk: it was beautiful outside and the babies were talking a bit too loudly for the serious rugby watchers liking! Thelwyn, Frans and Anne were busy innoculating the horses.

Sunday morning was Urielle's consecration. She is Franco and Martelize's niece and will be spending many Christmasses together. Here she is in her pretty gown with her mother, Nelia.

After the service: Proud parents Jopie and Nelia with Urielle. And guess what! They have just found out that they are expecting another baby. After all the trouble to fall pregnant with Urielle, this is a pleasant surprise!

Gene (Urielle's Oupa), Jan and Hendrik and Dorette enjoying the lovely shady lawn where the F tea party was held.

Franco was a bit tired: he had just been to another consecration and the L's were on their way to a baby shower, but quickly dropped in to see Jopie and Nelia and the baby girl of the day. 10 Months old and already such a hectic social schedule!