A-NOTHER Birthday!

 Dear Blogger readers. Just when you thought it was safe to visit this blog again...

LOL

However, this is a VERY important birthday, celebrated on a SPECIAL date in my life.

Thandi, my house lady of the past seven years has a birthday on 4 March. This is the same day which Grant and I married many years ago. This year, it was my 53rd wedding anniversary...

BUT 

more importantly it was Thandi's 60th birthday.

I had a personalized cake made for her and Estelle painted a personalized coffee mug as a gift. 

A cake and coffee mug with Thandi's photo 

In South Africa, when you turn 60, you qualify for the old age pension. Because you have to jump through several hoops, I helped Thandi through the process. 

We started off at a commercial bank; we waited in a long queue eventually getting to the front and opened an account in Thandi's name. Then we went to the municipality to obtain a "proof of residence" for Thandi.  Here we waited in a long queue before finally being served. We eventually arrived at the SASSA (South African Social Security Agency) at 1pm.  Yes, again, we waited in a long queue. By 4pm we had not yet been attended to, and we told to return the next day. 

Which we did...

Finally, by Thursday midday Thandi had been approved to receive her social security pension. Hallelujah! 

 I dropped Thandi off at her home and I returned to the farm. 

That night I received a WhatsApp from Ntombi, Thandi's adult daughter: 

Hi Gogo (pronounced gawgaw - Zulu for grandmother) 

Thanks a lot for taking my mom back to SASSA today.  She has been approved for her pension. You have given her a second chance. 

HAPPY MONDAY TO YOU ALL!

Snow in September

 Good morning, dear Blogger friends Thank you for the comments on my previous post. 

Although it's spring in the Southern Hemisphere and that we experienced very high temperatures mid-week, on Friday the weather changed. Heavy grey skies were the order of the day; it began to rain. And rain.

By 9pm Friday night, the snowflakes began to cover the ground.  On the high Berg and in several towns which lie higher than the Champagne Valley.

It was also the start of a long weekend (we celebrate Heritage Day on Tuesday), and the school holidays had also begun. 

So... guests were pouring into the Valley. 

Only problem is that anyone who was still on the roads that night, were caught in traffic jams on our passes and at the toll gates along the National N3. 

Which is scary. 

We are NOT equipped for snow and extreme conditions. 

An aerial view of one of the passes on the freeway between Johannesburg and Durban. Although not distinct in the photo, the vehicles were backed up for 30km and strainded on this pass for more than 24 hours

This image was posted on our WhatsApp group at 5am on Saturday morning

Emergency services worked tirelessly to succor people stranded by supplying warm blankets and flasks of hot drinks.

I had guests who were due in by Saturday midday. They wisely waited in Johannesburg and were kept abreast of the situation when I shared the messages with them.  They eventually left home for the Drakensberg early this morning. And arrived safely via a second pass (which only JUST opened by 9am today) at The Bunker. 

The pass on the National Freeway was closed to ordinary traffic while the emergency services and heavy-duty machines cleared the road and assisted the motorists down the hill, 

This message was blazoned on our social media warming all motorists not to attempt using this pass. The SA police and traffic was out in full force and turned private vehicles back as they approached the pass. Only emergency vehicles and machines were permitted on the pass

People from the cities on the East Coast swarmed up the Freeway wanting to see and experience the snow firsthand. This exacerbated the traffic congestion, and the public was urged via all platforms and over the radio NOT TO CHASE THE SNOW. There were so many images on the socials, you could experience it here. 

The sun is out again, and it will be another 28 years before we experience such heavy snow in South Africa again. 

Meanwhile, we admire the great mountain peaks in our Valley

Champagne Castle and Cathkin Peak 20 September 2024

POST SCRIPT:

I received a message late yesterday afternoon with this image below: 

This was the traffic situation on the N3 Freeway pass which has been closed to traffic since Friday night.  Received 16h13 on Sunday 

WISHING YOU A WONDERFUL MONDAY AND WEEK AHEAD

... or walking

 Good morning, dear Blogger friends. As I said in yesterday's post, I am either working ...

or

walking!

Earlier this year I wrote in to take part in an annual event arranged by our regional radio station called the East Coast Radio Big Walk. You could enter to do the 5km or the 10km. I signed up for the latter. On Sunday 26 May 2024. 

As I have posted ad nauseum  regularly  Skabby and I do the 5km Parkrun here at home on a weekly basis.

Taking part in the Big Walk was a lot different. I had to travel to the city (180km from the farm). I also had an appointment with Weigh-Less HO CEO on the Friday, so I traveled down for the weekend.

Ready for the off!

I always set out early 

Waiting in the Weigh-Less Head Office

After a fruitful meeting with my Weigh-Less employer, I stopped off at the designated venue to collect my goodie bag for Sunday's event. 

My race number, a tee shirt, lip balm, bottled water, several power snack bars and a small tube of sunscreen

I drove to the North Coast and stayed with my SIL, Shelley (my birding mentor) for the weekend. 

On Saturday, while everyone slept on, I de-activated the burglar alarm, let myself out of their house and drove to the nearest Parkrun.

Ballito Parkrun 

After the Parkrun, I met up with Shell and Chilly, my BIL and their older son Bruce, his wife, Amy and their baby girl, Anna

I spent a restful Saturday afternoon and evening with Shelley (walking on the beach with her six dogs) and back at home cooking pasta for dinner and catching up on all our news. 

Early, very early on Sunday morning, I, once again deactivated the burglar alarm, let myself out of the house and quietly drove off to Durban. 

Starting out on the Big Walk

7am and the sun rising over the Indian Ocean

At the 1km mark, I met one of my favorite radio announcers, Deon G (Govender)

The participants stretched far ahead into the distance. There were 20, 000 entrants to this event. More than the Comrades Marathon which is run between the two cities of Durban and Pietermaritzburg every year!

When I passed the 5km mark, I thought, mmm, that's my Saturday Parkrun done and dusted. It was also here that those who had signed in for the 5km distance, veered off to the right and to their destination

2km further we passed under the freeway, the N2 

Our very own Sydney Opera House lookalike: The Moses Mabida Stadium

As we approached the last 1500meter before the finish, we were entertained by various artists. These three ladies caught my attention belting out Zulu beats

And then I was at the finish line. Whoohoo! 

I noticed a couple taking photos of each other, so I offered to take one of them together under the FINISH banner. I asked the gentleman to take a photo of me 

Along with several other participants, I was bussed back to our vehicles at the start. It was 9am. I set off out of the city; and by 12 noon I drove into the farmyard. 

Greeting Skabby who was ecstatic to see me and walking into my house, I checked my watch...

20, 722 steps which translate into 17.5km

I slept well that night!

HAPPY MONDAY TO YOU ALL!