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.)