Weekend 21 March 2015

Last week I caught up with many household tasks; mainly unpacking boxes of stuff which has been stored for the past fifteen years! 

Meanwhile we admired the indoor plants we'd had "before Rina" and which now could win prizes on an agricultural show. 

These anthuriums used to bloom a short while after winter and then die off

Now this plant has bloomed fully under Rina's care from August and still going strong 

During the week, Joel and Abby often visit us for an hour or so in the afternoon. On Friday, Rina called Joel to stand still on the patio while she cut off an errant lock of hair over his right ear. Joel's mum, Amanda cuts both the children s' hair but this one strand jutting out caught Rina's attention! 

Stand still, little man, while Rina cuts the extra lock off ! 

Isn't this just the sweetest face ever?

Unpacking the many boxes stored, I found several of our sons' Boys Annuals. When Rina had finished with Joel, he sped off to find his granddad, who was sitting reading a "Dandy" 

 Joel leans over his granddad to read the book

For a child who has all the electronic amusement available for his age, it was good to see Joel reading a "real" book! 

Meanwhile (when not reading old Dandy's!) Grant has been very busy sorting the outhouses. He cleared out our garden room around the back of our garages. Then he concentrated on the little room I had had built on to the garages. I did this when I owned ten cats. They had their own lounging chairs, a table to eat on (for those who like to jump up) shelves, one which housed their  clean food bowls and one on which they could walk or sleep! 

Since then my cats had all died until in 2013, the last cat, Felix , succumbed with a stroke. In time we acquired Chappie and when Rina moved in last year, with her two Tanzanian kitties, Tipsy and Topsy. In February this year, we brought our three cats home but as Topsy went missing in November, we now have a family of five cats. 

But... times have changed: all live inside the house! 

Grant and John removed all the cooler boxes, cat travel cages and tons of junk from this little room. Then they set about washing down the walls and John swept out. The cats boxes and cooler boxes went into the now tidy garden room! 

Eddie didn't waste time finding her doggie bed and promptly fell asleep while the rest of the household worked around her! 

Grant and John carried the two washing machines and two tumble driers (one at a time, LOL!) that belong to me and Rina out to the new laundry! Rina, who had previously washed MIL's bathroom curtains from her flat, hung them up in the laundry.  

The two identical washing machines stand side by side in the "new" laundry

Opposite the two washing machines, the two tumble driers also stand side-by-side. We hardly need to use these machines as the weather is always hot and dry here in the Free State. In the winter the weather is cold and dry so natural drying on the windy-drier at the back of this laundry is effective and of course, free! 

On Saturday, Grant, Rina and I attended the local Dutch Reformed Church Bazaar. This is an annual event in small towns. The congregation members work like Trojans baking, bottling, cooking and making goods to sell at the bazaar. The rest of us walked in on Saturday morning and immediately could buy cakes, tarts, cookies, puddings, home-made bread, fresh meat and many handmade items. 

Rina and moi on the way to the Church Bazaar on Saturday morning

The reverend (called a dominee) opened the day with a scripture reading and prayer

Two of my young friends, Ida and Carin had a Tombola stall

Apart from browsing the items on sale at each stall, you could order full South African breakfast, or curry and rice, or cooked sausage, steak, sosaties/kebabs (grilled meat cubes on sticks), pudding and pancakes.

While Grant and Rina enjoyed a tub of curry and rice each, I went off to order coffee for me and Grant. I only returned to our table much later having bumped into and chatted to umpteen friends who wanted to know how long we'd be in Marquard this time!  

After we'd had our coffee, we got up from our table and went over to the pancake stall . They had a backlog of orders and we waited about 45 minutes for our order of three pancakes! It wasn't a problem and we once again, met up with, and chatted to friends as they walked past! 

Betty, who was widowed two months ago, and Grant share a hug!

While waiting here, a lady approached me and said I looked so familiar to her. Was I from Clocolan (a neighboring town) I recognized her as Jill Moffat from our then church in that town. I told her I had been the church organist for twelve years. She and her husband have recently moved to Marquard and were living in their own home in the retirement center! Then we started talking about birding... and the game was on! We shared different experiences of birding and Grant and I said we'd pop in to visit them. I also asked her to visit Pam in her unit as Pam and my FIL also attended the same church when they lived in Marquard in the nineties! 

A selection of tarts and sweet treats which we enjoyed for Saturday afternoon tea

On Saturday afternoon we had a rainstorm, and then it rained all night! This was very welcome. 

Wishing you all a wonderful week ahead!