It's been just over 7 years since I, rather enthusiastically, started this blog, yet somehow just lost the thread, or was it the plot?
It's been irking me for a while to pick up from where I left off, but couldn't find a way of linking the missing years. So much has happened between then and now - minor irrelevant things, major issues, and life changing events have all played a role in where I am now, and who I am now.
So here I am, trying to pick up from where I left off:
While I was still in the USA in 2011, I got to witness the birth of my granddaughter, Kate - this was part of the reason why my trip was planned around that time, so I could be of some help to Jake and Carla as they adjusted to parenthood with Luke, who was then a fiesty 2 year old, and a new born.
Being present for Kates birth was a huge highlight, and when I say 'present', I mean 'present', as in I actually stood next to the obstetrician and watched her enter this world.
The antics that took place that day in the labour/ delivery room were actually on one of my unfinished, unpublished drafts.... maybe I'll finish it one day :)
I did a whirlwind trip to Washington DC a few weeks later. Caught a Greyhound bus, missed the connecting bus, and ending up sleeping on a bench at a bus station in Richmond, Virginia. The sights I saw that night!!!! When I finally got to DC, I checked into a bed and breakfast, took in all the landmarks the next day, then caught another Greyhound bus back to Rocky Mount where Carla picked me up again the following morning.
She could only hope that I would be more or less on time, as my phone connection had decided to go on the blink and we had had no contact at all, so all we could rely on was common sense (when it comes to direction, I have very little) and the hope that I hadn't got lost, or delayed again.
Shortly after that I was off to the UK where I had registered to do a frail care course and meet up with family, some of whom I hadn't yet met, and some who I had last seen when I was 6 just years old.
I spent the first couple of days in a hostel in Birmingham, sharing a 4 bed dorm room. I met a guy from Poland, a girl from Czechoslovakia, a guy from Nigeria, and an Irish girl, all of whom were my roommates at some stage during my stay.
During this time, I also met up with one of my online scrabble opponents, who walked the streets of Birmingham with me, while listening to me complain about the cold, the gloom, and the fact that I had hardly seen any sunshine since arriving there. After spending a day with Ms Misery Pants, it's hard to believe that we have remained friends :D
I then moved on to Gloucestershire, where I did the care course, and then met up and stayed with family which was awesome.
Public transport in England is tops!
I was offered a position as a live-in carer, within days of completing the course - which is what my actual intention was - to stay in England for a while - earn some pounds, and then play it by ear from there, but the gloomy weather, a touch of homesickness, and my gut, was telling me otherwise and something just felt off. I declined the job offer, stuck around a couple more weeks and then decided to head back home to Cape Town. By then I had run out of money and was unemployed, yet going back home felt like the right thing to do. The sunshine was calling me!
Back in Cape Town I got an awful temp job to tide me over, and after 6 months was given an opportunity to visit Dubai. How could I refuse? So off I went again....... and spent an amazing 3 weeks in Dubai with two of my special people.
I saw the desert, crossed the creek on an abra, ate lunch at a restaurant on the top of a flat roofed building that looked down over the city and the creek, shopped at the little stalls along the side streets, bargained with the stall holders, and bought a handmade wall hanging that is currently displayed on our dining room wall. I visited the local museum, and floated (yes, me who cannot swim, floated) in an ocean that was as warm as bath water. I also experienced heat like I could never have imagined possible - it was as high as 49C, on one of the days that we were out - fortunately everything is airconditioned. I also got to watch the magnificence of a sandstorm as it built up to its peak. I went up the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world (one of the Tom Cruise, Mission Impossible, movies was filmed there), and although I had to crawl to the observation deck because I was so woozy, I was eventually able to stand up and look over the edge (I cannot recall how high that building is, but it was HIGH).
The highlight, of course, was riding a camel in the desert - scratch that one off my bucket list. Beautiful, graceful creatures (once they have stood up) with the most amazing eyelashes. That sense of open space, and miles and miles of nothingness in the desert, was the absolute best.
The next couple of years were tough, and we had some ups but a lot more downs. Everything that could go wrong did, yet we always managed to find the humour, no matter how down and out we were. Bottom line - we survived, as we always do, and that's all that matters.
On the bright side, I had secured a half day position, which eventually evolved into a full day position, with the company I am still working for now, 6 years later.
Jarryd headed off to Thailand towards the end of 2013, and so I had 3 children on 3 different continents. I remain eternally grateful for technology that, besides having to calculate the time difference, allowed us to keep in touch on an almost daily basis.
He's still on a different continent, although somewhat closer now as he has settled, and is extremely happy, in England.
2014 brought the birth of little Eden, my third grandchild. I was on skype with Carla for most of the time that she was in labour, then logged off to drive home from work. I drove like a bat out of hell to get back onto skype again, only to find Eden had chosen not to wait for me, and had made her appearance during my 25 minute drive home.
I was able to meet Eden the following year in 2015 on my second visit to the USA. By this time, Carla and Jake had moved from North Carolina, back to Michigan, so I got to experience yet another part of the States.
During this trip, we went over the border into Canada - bearing in mind that Michigan is only about an hours drive from the border - got another stamp in my passport as we entered Canada (it's a hobby lol - collecting passport stamps) and spent 2 days at Niagara Falls, which formed part of my upcoming birthday weekend.
I remember, back in Primary School days, we used to do geography projects on various countries and one of mine was about Canada and the Niagara falls. We used to collect brochures from travel agents and cut out the pictures to paste into our project books, and there I was, actually standing in front of it, feeling its force and getting drenched from the spray.
2014 was also the year that we had to say goodbye to Lisa's beloved Max, my 4 legged Yorkie grand-doggie. He had suffered heart failure the previous year and was being constantly monitored and on permanent meds. He got to stage where the attacks were happening more and more frequently, he was starting to struggle and he was tired, and after 7 months, we had to make that call to send him to the Rainbow Bridge to get his angel wings. He went to join Jake, Micky, Bobby-Jean and Twiggy - all the fur-kids who have made our lives a little richer over the years.
18 months later, Kota came into our lives. I was still in the USA, when Lisa called me to tell me about this approx. 4 month old GSD cross who had been picked up wandering the streets not too far from home.
Kota touched the hearts of many people, and one thing led to another and within days a few people had rallied together and sponsored her adoption fees. The adoption was approved and Lisa went to fetch her. When I got home the following week, there was this beautiful, gangly, dorky, clumsy furkid waiting to greet me, and home, as it had been before I left, was never the same again.
For now, having just written about and recalled the events of the last few years, it has just reiterated how blessed and how privileged I have been and still am. Yes, there have been days so dark that I haven't been able to imagine ever seeing the light again. There have been unexpected expenses that just seemed to pile up. Yet, at the last minute, something always happened to make whatever the issue was work out.
My faith has been tested time and time again, but my Angels and the good vibes out there continued to keep me covered every step of the way - even the times when I doubt that they even exist.
I remain grateful and thankful for a minimalistic and simple lifestyle where my riches are not counted in material value but in memories, chances taken, and fears faced.
It's been irking me for a while to pick up from where I left off, but couldn't find a way of linking the missing years. So much has happened between then and now - minor irrelevant things, major issues, and life changing events have all played a role in where I am now, and who I am now.
So here I am, trying to pick up from where I left off:
While I was still in the USA in 2011, I got to witness the birth of my granddaughter, Kate - this was part of the reason why my trip was planned around that time, so I could be of some help to Jake and Carla as they adjusted to parenthood with Luke, who was then a fiesty 2 year old, and a new born.
Being present for Kates birth was a huge highlight, and when I say 'present', I mean 'present', as in I actually stood next to the obstetrician and watched her enter this world.
The antics that took place that day in the labour/ delivery room were actually on one of my unfinished, unpublished drafts.... maybe I'll finish it one day :)
 |
| The morning after the night shift :) |
I did a whirlwind trip to Washington DC a few weeks later. Caught a Greyhound bus, missed the connecting bus, and ending up sleeping on a bench at a bus station in Richmond, Virginia. The sights I saw that night!!!! When I finally got to DC, I checked into a bed and breakfast, took in all the landmarks the next day, then caught another Greyhound bus back to Rocky Mount where Carla picked me up again the following morning.
She could only hope that I would be more or less on time, as my phone connection had decided to go on the blink and we had had no contact at all, so all we could rely on was common sense (when it comes to direction, I have very little) and the hope that I hadn't got lost, or delayed again.
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| Finally on the road |
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| Lincoln Memorial |
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| Zoomed in through the fence to get a close up of the White House. |
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| Capitol Building |
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| Washington Monument |
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| FBI Field Office |
Shortly after that I was off to the UK where I had registered to do a frail care course and meet up with family, some of whom I hadn't yet met, and some who I had last seen when I was 6 just years old.
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| I cant find my pic of the green door, so this one I downloaded from the internet |
During this time, I also met up with one of my online scrabble opponents, who walked the streets of Birmingham with me, while listening to me complain about the cold, the gloom, and the fact that I had hardly seen any sunshine since arriving there. After spending a day with Ms Misery Pants, it's hard to believe that we have remained friends :D
I then moved on to Gloucestershire, where I did the care course, and then met up and stayed with family which was awesome.
Public transport in England is tops!
One of the highlights of this time was going back to the house that I hade been born in 50 years earlier. I knocked on the door, hoping to take a look inside, but either there was genuinely no one at home, or they were keeping dead quiet waiting for the crazy foreign lady to go away.
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| My birthplace - as in the midwife rode on her bicycle to deliver me in this house. |
I was offered a position as a live-in carer, within days of completing the course - which is what my actual intention was - to stay in England for a while - earn some pounds, and then play it by ear from there, but the gloomy weather, a touch of homesickness, and my gut, was telling me otherwise and something just felt off. I declined the job offer, stuck around a couple more weeks and then decided to head back home to Cape Town. By then I had run out of money and was unemployed, yet going back home felt like the right thing to do. The sunshine was calling me!
Back in Cape Town I got an awful temp job to tide me over, and after 6 months was given an opportunity to visit Dubai. How could I refuse? So off I went again....... and spent an amazing 3 weeks in Dubai with two of my special people.
I saw the desert, crossed the creek on an abra, ate lunch at a restaurant on the top of a flat roofed building that looked down over the city and the creek, shopped at the little stalls along the side streets, bargained with the stall holders, and bought a handmade wall hanging that is currently displayed on our dining room wall. I visited the local museum, and floated (yes, me who cannot swim, floated) in an ocean that was as warm as bath water. I also experienced heat like I could never have imagined possible - it was as high as 49C, on one of the days that we were out - fortunately everything is airconditioned. I also got to watch the magnificence of a sandstorm as it built up to its peak. I went up the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world (one of the Tom Cruise, Mission Impossible, movies was filmed there), and although I had to crawl to the observation deck because I was so woozy, I was eventually able to stand up and look over the edge (I cannot recall how high that building is, but it was HIGH).
The highlight, of course, was riding a camel in the desert - scratch that one off my bucket list. Beautiful, graceful creatures (once they have stood up) with the most amazing eyelashes. That sense of open space, and miles and miles of nothingness in the desert, was the absolute best.
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| Observation deck of the Burj Khalifa ….. looking down, down, down |
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| Traffic jam while crossing the creek |
The next couple of years were tough, and we had some ups but a lot more downs. Everything that could go wrong did, yet we always managed to find the humour, no matter how down and out we were. Bottom line - we survived, as we always do, and that's all that matters.
On the bright side, I had secured a half day position, which eventually evolved into a full day position, with the company I am still working for now, 6 years later.
Jarryd headed off to Thailand towards the end of 2013, and so I had 3 children on 3 different continents. I remain eternally grateful for technology that, besides having to calculate the time difference, allowed us to keep in touch on an almost daily basis.
He's still on a different continent, although somewhat closer now as he has settled, and is extremely happy, in England.
2014 brought the birth of little Eden, my third grandchild. I was on skype with Carla for most of the time that she was in labour, then logged off to drive home from work. I drove like a bat out of hell to get back onto skype again, only to find Eden had chosen not to wait for me, and had made her appearance during my 25 minute drive home.
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| Eden - Just one day old |
I was able to meet Eden the following year in 2015 on my second visit to the USA. By this time, Carla and Jake had moved from North Carolina, back to Michigan, so I got to experience yet another part of the States.
During this trip, we went over the border into Canada - bearing in mind that Michigan is only about an hours drive from the border - got another stamp in my passport as we entered Canada (it's a hobby lol - collecting passport stamps) and spent 2 days at Niagara Falls, which formed part of my upcoming birthday weekend.
I remember, back in Primary School days, we used to do geography projects on various countries and one of mine was about Canada and the Niagara falls. We used to collect brochures from travel agents and cut out the pictures to paste into our project books, and there I was, actually standing in front of it, feeling its force and getting drenched from the spray.
Kota touched the hearts of many people, and one thing led to another and within days a few people had rallied together and sponsored her adoption fees. The adoption was approved and Lisa went to fetch her. When I got home the following week, there was this beautiful, gangly, dorky, clumsy furkid waiting to greet me, and home, as it had been before I left, was never the same again.
Kota is now a beautiful 3½ year old, with so much love to give and even Diesel Dude, who doesn't like anyone, took to her.
Of course, it didn't stop there ……. 2016 came along, and, as usual, I was browsing through the rescue sites, and stopping at each picture to say a prayer for each and every homeless dog to find the loving home that it deserves, when I came across Amy. She was dirty and matted and looked so, so sad. She had been surrendered because "they didn't want her anymore". She had subsequently been adopted, but was returned because "it didn't work out" and so there she was, back in foster care. I see this on posts every single day and I know I cant save them all, but something made me act on this. I was able to by-pass the home check and full process - this was already a sign - because it turned out that work colleagues were very involved with that specific rescue organization so they vouched for me. The following day Amy came home with me for a trial run ……. and she never left. There have been some health issues along the way, as well as serious anxiety issues (this is why she had to come home with me - we can relate to each other). It's been a long hard road of rehabilitation to teach her how to be a dog, but you should see her now. She barks, she plays with a ball, and she runs around the garden - none of which she had done before.
Unfortunately when I left Cape Town and moved up here to KZN almost 2 years ago, I had to leave her behind with Lisa, and the home that she had grown accustomed too. The move would have been too traumatic for her, and could have set her back and undone all the progress that she had made, so we chose what was best for her. Lisa has been just amazing with her.
This pretty much brings me to where I am now and how I got here -but that will be my next post.
My faith has been tested time and time again, but my Angels and the good vibes out there continued to keep me covered every step of the way - even the times when I doubt that they even exist.
I remain grateful and thankful for a minimalistic and simple lifestyle where my riches are not counted in material value but in memories, chances taken, and fears faced.
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