Travel and training

💥💬 Good evening, dear Blogger friends. Thank you for your kind concern for Skabby. He has improved quite a bit. However, I was away from home for four days. Although Thandi used the medical spray and powder on his wounds; Ronnie and John, my neighbors kept a close watch on his condition, I am sure he suffers from separation anxiety. I could see that he had scratched the one area badly again. And being home with him last night, it already improved. 

The reason for my trip away from home was to travel to the city of Pietermaritzburg to recruit Weigh-Less Group Leaders which had emerged from my Virtual Weigh-Less Group over the past year. 

What a challenge and what great excitement! I am a Weigh-Less Group Leader myself. The Chairman of Weigh-Less had offered me a Team Leader position in the company, but I prefer to remain a Group Leader. The co

For the first time in 12 months, I DROVE down the National Road, N3. A terribly dangerous freeway. It is bumper to bumper huge trucks; and being the lifeline between Johannesburg and Durban, our harbor city on the Indian Ocean, has hundreds of sedans, pickup trucks, mini buses and more traveling this route. 

But...

I, a real country bumpkin, completed the journey safely and managed to do what I set out to do in Pietermaritzburg.

I first collected my Group Leader, Dalene from Howick and we travelled to Pietermaritzburg together.

I started training Janda, Carey and Dalene from 9am; we broke for a salad lunch; continued afterwards and completed training at 3pm

Dalene and I travelled back to Howick (30km up the hill!) and I launched her with her first meeting at 5.30pm

I had medical appointments for my annual checkups, on Thursday. I stayed with Grant's aunt, Gill who knows everything that has happened to me in the past five years. She accompanied me to the appointments and afterwards we spent the morning at the shopping mall.

On Saturday I travelled back to Pietermaritzburg to launch Janda's first meeting. We were thrilled that the Chairman and founder of Weigh-Less, Mary Holroyd attended this meeting. 

The new Group Leader, Janda, successfully delivered her first message with Mary Holroyd looking on

I arrived home on the farm at 2pm on Saturday. 

ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL! 

HAPPY SUNDAY TO YOU ALL! 

Parkrun : my activities update

 Good morning, dear Blogger friends. As posted over the months, when Winterton Parkrun reopened after Covid restrictions, I was asked by the Run Director to come and volunteer.  This was in October 2021. (see here). 

I did many volunteering stints, but since 6th August 2022, I have started doing the Parkrun walk again.

 Mmm...

I am on a mission.

All will be revealed soon.

On 27th August, I loaded Skabby into my car and took him along to his first Parkrun ever. 

A new routine has been established. 

Skabby and me on our first Parkrun

No flies on this dog. He pulled me around the 5km course at a rate of knots. I have to keep him on lead (he's used to being let off the hook here on the farm roads); he weighs quite a bit more than I do AND he is 4 wheel driven. 

We finished at 2minutes faster than I had been doing since restarting the walk and for three days afterwards I felt every muscle in my shoulders, back, arms and legs. In fact, I had shin splints which is not an injury known to a vintage (non-running) lady such as I. 

Every week is better than the last; Skabby, while still terribly excited for this long weekly walk, has learnt to calm down by the 2km mark.  He has also become very well known by the other local Parkrunners who are surprised to see Jo's large black dog. One acquaintance said she's known me for five years and never associated me with having a dog. 

Well, I cannot remember a time in my life that I did NOT have a dog.

Visitors also approach and ask if they may pat him; even bringing their young children to stroke Skabby's broad head. He obliges every time going loopy-eyed and drooling while being petted. 

Three weeks later, the Tailwalker videoed all of us at the start of the Parkrun.

As you can see, Skabby's leash is taut, my grim countenance shows my concentration, and he has me almost off my feet! 

HAPPY MONDAY TO YOU ALL! 

Weigh-Less open meeting

 Good morning dear Blogger friends. In yesterday's post, I mentioned that a Goal Weight Member of mine agreed to be a guest speaker at an open meeting to be held next week. This is an effort of mine to increase membership in our venue groups. Many of the members who were used to physically attend a Weigh-Less group meeting, did not actually enjoy doing the "online weigh-in". While almost 80% reached their goal weight while we were still under Lockdown, a few just dropped out. 

Upon re-opening groups in September 2020, the membership and attendance has been sparse. But this is the same with the local Book Club, the Garden Club and at church services. Covid caused a certain lethargy and apathy towards gatherings. My Group Assistant takes a realistic stand: she says many have gained weight while under Lockdown and are too embarrassed to return to group. Which is a pity, as our Weigh-Less groups are all about just that: Weigh-Less!

Ironically, since April 2020, after I registered my first online member from Australia, with Weigh-Less, I have built up a large Virtual group of members: topping 160 who weigh in online every week.

Meanwhile, I am promoting the special offer for next week's meeting with this poster below. 

Harold is successful young businessman in town, a community leader and an avid sportsman. Now he has a success story to share with other hopefuls! 

In future, I look forward to coaching larger groups of members which, hopefully, this promotion will deliver. 

HAPPY THURSDAY

Hey ho, hey ho...

 ...off to clean we go! 

Wednesday is my longest day in the week. I start answering WhatsApp messages from 3am. Motivating and congratulating Weigh-Less members from all over the world who send their weights in on my phone. I eventually do my motivational talks (I have four groups in two sections) by 14h30. 

Which is fine

On a normal day

However, yesterday I had guests checking out after a five-day- stay and International guests checking in at 14h00.

I dealt with about 50% of my online members before 7.30. Then popped over to Ronnie to ask if I could have the morning off from the farm office. Of course, she said! 

So sporting our picks and shovels bags, buckets and mops, off to the mountains Thandi and I went. 

We met the guests; I let them out and then Thandi and I stripped the linen off the bed and remade it with fresh bedding. As I've mentioned before, Thandi and I do certain jobs together and then we continue with other separate tasks. 

After I had dusted and polished the wood surfaces; wiped the TV screen, mirrors, door handles and light switches with sanitizer, and set out the Continental breakfast food  (Thandi was busy in the kitchen at this stage), I decided to help her by cleaning the bathroom. 

C'est moi cleaning the shower cubicle

Thandi mopping the floor tiles

The guests at the top were honeymooners who had postponed their wedding twice because of Covid. They were finally married in October last year and the bride booked The Bunker for May this year

The guests below came from the Free State; he works in India for three months and comes home for three weeks. They decided to spend this holiday with us here in the beautiful Berg

Previous guests sent me this photo of their stay at The Bunker

By now it was 10.30 and I could continue with my online responses while sitting in The Bunker. Oh,  the wonder of technology.

 Thandi was working on the patio by now and finally she, too,  was finished. 

After dropping her at home at 12noon, I returned to the farm. I loaded the washing machine with linen brought from the accommodation. I then proceeded to deliver my motivational talks online. 

Eventually all was done and I could have lunch at 15h00! 

All in a day's work for me and Thandi...

HAPPY THURSDAY TO YOU ALL! 

 Good morning dear Blogger friends. As you can see, I'm on a roll and posting well ! 

I have a very busy week looming. On Tuesday I am having the first two open meetings for my Weigh-Less Groups in Winterton.

 On Wednesday, I am busy from 3am until after 14h00 with my Virtual Weigh-Less group. Members from all over the world weigh in on my private WhatsApp; I interact one on one with each member, and by 13h00 SA time, I deliver a motivation talk via WhatsApp voice note. 

I have 103 members online : from all over South Africa; from the neighboring Africa states; Mauritius; the UAE; Qatar; the UK; the US; Australia; Germany and Holland in and most recently, a member from Hanoi, Vietnam signed onto my group. Even though these members have never met me, in 2021, I had 22 members reaching their ideal goal weight. 

A year ago I took over the Pietermaritzburg Weigh-Less group online, when the Group Leader retired. These 26 members also clock in online on a Wednesday. However, this week I am having two separate open meetings, to meet these members and to try and recruit a Group Leader for these two areas. 

This meeting will take place on Thursday. The one for the city, is scheduled for Friday 18th February. I have not been down the N3 to the city since before Covid, so rather a challenge awaits me! 

On Thursday night, I will stay over with Grant's 84 year old aunt, Gill who I have known since I was 15. We will have a great time catching up on family news and being together.

HAVE  A GREAT TUESDAY! 

OH MY WORD...

... where did January go?

Yet, my blogger friends, I'm back and posting about the first month of the year's happenings. 

As I posted earlier in January, my mother-in-law, Pam, passed away at the ripe old age of 90 going on 91. I knew her two years longer than I knew my own husband; she had outlived him. In November I posted about going to my old home town and packing up our home which had been in storage. During the four days of hard, dusty work, (where my dear old house-lady Emily assisted me) I also spent many hours with Pam in her unit in the assisted care center. I am glad I did.  

With her passing on 11 January, I was very much involved in remotely arranging her room to be packed up (my DIL Amanda and Erica, Emily's daughter did this job with love.) My BIL, Chilly,  Pam's only remaining son, lives many kilometers from where Pam passed away. So, in lieu of his uncle, Angus, Pam's second oldest grandson, attended to the identifying of the body in the hospital mortuary, met with the funeral parlor,  chose the coffin and authorized the cremation. This is all we needed the parlor do. 

Although Angus was on the spot, there were many little facts he had to ask me about: Where was Bammie (the grandchildren and great-grandchildren's name for Pam) born? Her birth certificate was in the home's files. What coffin should he choose? Pam wanted the simplest, most economical coffin. So when he sent me the options on Whatsapp, I chose one. He and my BIL decided on that one. Is there anyone in the family against cremation? I said I could guarantee the answer is no, and Pam told me in November she wanted to be cremated. Pam was a feisty old lady and insisted on this particular last request. I fielded all these questions while traveling in extremely hot conditions to my accommodation in the Valley and afterwards to hold my Weigh-Less group at the Nest Hotel.  

Meanwhile, I was due to attend a Weigh-Less conference  in Durban - two hour road trip to the eastern seaboard of South Africa. This took place the weekend before we were having the memorial service in Marquard - a three hour road trip to the north and center of South Africa! 

These conferences are always pleasant as we country group leaders, meet with the city slickers. Zulaika, my mentor from Ladysmith, rode in the car with me so we caught up on family news. She has been with Weigh-Less for 16 years and I learn so much from her while in her company. 

The meeting started at 11am and after a welcome by  the Weigh-Less Chairman and founder, Mary Holroyd, we had 45 minutes of training. After this we are grilled by the branch manager, Rouna and said Mary on what we learnt from the video lecture. As group leaders guiding people to lose weight the healthy way, Weigh-Less keeps up with - and is often ahead of -  the latest in nutrition and health issues. 

We were served with a delicious meal after which the awards ceremony began. Last year in February  I won the Newcomer Group Leader of the year award. I had been running two groups for five months and had 18 members. here . This  year as Rouna and Mary, awarded this year's Newcomer of the year and the Group Assistant of the year, Zulaika, seated next to me, whispered that she was sure I would get the next award. Mary then stood in front of us and said the Group Leader of the year's membership had grown phenomenally but the criteria for being the winner would be member retention. I, in turn, whispered to Zulaika, that Amina or Sadia, from Durban had a better retention that I. 

Next Mary (looking to the back of the hall where one of my contenders were seated)  announced: Group Leader of the Year for Kwa-Zulu Natal is Joy Hedges ! Mary, Irish by birth, still has much of her accent pronounces my name, Jo as Joy! 

I was thrilled, of course, and went up for the award, a certificate and several  gift vouchers which I will enjoy spending.  

Moi, above with certificate and top with Mary

I now run six groups in three different towns; I  have 85 members on my tallies and I'm quietly training three members (one on target, going for goal; and the other two still with weight to lose) that as soon as they have "qualified" to become group leaders and one group assistant in their home town. 

Back home that weekend, I had to get on with the obituary I had written for MIL in the Afrikaans newspaper in the Free State. I also had a deadline for the first Probus newsletter of the year that Sunday night. Meanwhile, I was arranging eats for Pam's service the coming Wednesday.  I'd spoken to the pastor and pianist the previous week, and they were available. Estelle (my erstwhile employers at The Art Box) and good friend, printed the service sheets for me. 

On Tuesday afternoon, my SIL, Shelley pulled into the farmyard in her Kombi. In the passenger seat was BIL, Chilly and behind them were the two aunts, Gill and Carole. 

We had a companionable trip up to Marquad; a repeat of our journey in May last year! The two aunts, Carole 77 and Gill 84, are delightful company and regaled us with stories from their youth. 

Pam's family: Jo (yes, I wore the same outfit!) Eryn, Gill, Joshua, John, Carole, Angus, Amanda, Shelley and Chilly, with Joel, Abbey and Liam with their mom

We were sad to bid farewell to Pam, older sister to Gill and Carole;  mother to Chilly and MIL to me and Shelley; grandmother of Angus, John (my sons); Bruce, Louise, Kerry and Mitch; (Chilly and Shelley's children) and 13 great grandchildren. But we were grateful for her long life and that she only had a short illness before going to her Maker. 

HAPPY SUNDAY TO YOU ALL ! 

Oh whey!

Or should that be: oh WEIGH?


The festive season is over, thank goodness. My Weigh-Less classes started again earlier this week and I was so pleased to see many of the members coming in to weigh, reconnect with their fellow Weigh-Less members and glean motivation from my lecture for the new year.

Last year I discovered an app on my Smartphone and ended up playing with my photos for the group. Since the beginning of December, to keep my members motivated and also as a marketing ploy, I update my status with photos and pithy sayings on a daily basis. My intention (and it works) was to use a play of words. Working for a company called Weigh-Less, makes it rather easy and great fun to use pithy wording with great effect. It definitely catches the attention of contacts on my WhatsApp.


This week coming I have a promotion on my groups and already I've had several queries via WhatsApp or people stopping me in the street as to when they can join.

I also had two weeks off from the farm office and my Avon sales. My accommodation guests were long stays which also made it easy.


I'm about to blog hop this evening and catch up on your news.


HAPPY SATURDAY TO YOU ALL

Weigh-Less in Winterton

I've been the Weigh-Less Group Leader for Winterton and Champagne Valley since mid-October and have had several successes already. Two of my members have reached their goal weight and three more are in the running for getting there in the next month. Several others are a third of the way and halfway to their goal. 

 Weigh-Less has specific guidelines as to how you display your information at the venue

 My own success is displayed on a paneled board - as a Group Leader you have to be at your healthy goal weight

 I deliver a lecture after weighing each member privately 

 Explaining the first steps in the Weigh-Less filo (eating plan) 

 Two of my members show their 5kg weight loss awards 

 Kerry, whose successes has featured on Facebook, proudly shows her 23kg loss 

On Thursdays I have a second group for the week, to accommodate the ladies in Champagne Valley .

 Stella smiles beautifully while reading through the March pamphlet 

The members wait for the lecture in the Valley to start 

HAPPY THURSDAY TO YOU ALL !