If I lose this one I give up.

First encounter.
My three year old grandson.
My daughter and her son arrived on Thursday.
They will be here for ten days.
Be still my beating heart.
I have discovered that you really can’t mix a 66 year old and a three year old.
They are so damned active.
And vocal.

Jasmine was in her element.
A small person to play with.
And lick.

I took them to the elephant park today.
We drove around for hours and saw three elephants.
And lots of Zebra.

Then we hit the jackpot.
We got to a dam and there were about a hundred elephants there.
It was incredible.
The kid didn’t see them.
He had fallen asleep.
And I don’t wake sleeping three year olds.
We will show him the photos.

On the way back to the  main gate we came across this family ambling down the road.
We gave way for them.
Because it seemed the wise thing to do.

And they got closer.

And closer.

And finally….

Phew.

The next pic is censored.
Only for those over 21.
Eat your hearts out guys.

And then there was this pretty guy.

And finally…love is

Well, I think it was affection…..

Hello All.

The other day my Step-Dad announced that he would love some tripe and onions.
Being a dutiful daughter I went out and bought some on Friday.
They had Ox tripe.
But it looked a bit suspect.
Not that tripe ever looks attractive.
And, for the first time, I saw lamb’s tripe.
This looked nice and white(and small) so I bought two packets.

I took them out of their packets, yesterday.
Horrors…they were whole stomachs.
And looked dreadful.
They were like little pouches.
Only worse.

I boiled them up several times and changed the water.
Then I put them in the slow cooker where they simmered the whole night and most of the morning.
Just now I cut them up.
This was truly vomit inducing.
I tried to keep my eyes shut but it wasn’t easy.
Don’t laugh….I once cut up a whole pig’s head to make brawn.
And never looked at it once.
But I am a lot older now.
And quite attached to my fingers.

The bits I managed to rescue are now simmering in milk and onions.
Just enough for the old folk.
My brother won’t even try it.
After having the smell of tripe permeating the flat for nearly two days Mex and I are in total agreement.
We would rather starve!
I think I shall become a vegetarian.

I think this guy is a Wildebeest.
But I could be wrong.

On entering the park you are given a map and a list of instructions.
Like do not get out of your car.
Do not feed the animals.
Do not litter etc, etc, etc.
They also ask you not to drive over the elephant dung.
Apparently, the dung is home to the endangered dung beetle.
They eat and breed in the dung.
I really can’t get too excited about a beetle that eats shit.

That lot must have been a townhouse complex.

One more elephant.
Because I can.

Where have all the flowers gone?

Now you know.

Hello All.
No, this is not part of the Elephant park.
This is a trip we took today.
That is my cousin.
And this is where I am going to live WHEN I win the lottery.
I saw the perfect house.
It isn’t up for sale.
But I can be persuasive.

Back to yesterday.
We saw loads of these Warthogs.
Not the prettiest creatures on the planet.

Some of them go onto their knees when they eat.
Like the one above.
I googled them but can’t find out WHY they do it.

At several view points there were the following signs:

I DID get out of the car (Mex didn’t).
But I made sure there were younger and tastier looking people around.
I also left the car door open.
I think this Granny could move quite fast if a lion appeared.
That is if Mex didn’t slam the car door shut!
They probably feed on the next guys.
There are a hell of a lot of them.

And now, because I love them…another elephant.

Yes, today Mex and I spent the day at the Addo National Elephant Park.
What a place.
It is HUGE.
180,000 Hectares.
Whatever that means.

I suggested we go in my car.
Because I have an air-conditioner.
And I can smoke.
Mex said no and I didn’t argue.
I thought that if an elephant decided to lean on the car I would be happier if it was his car.

And we had some very close encounters.
The guy above materialised out of nowhere.
He was only a few metres away from us.
The skin on his butt reminds me of the skin on my arms.
Sigh.

This Buffalo came out of the bushes at a run.
We both had an adrenalin rush.

He really needed a bath.

Another look at him.

I reckon he could do some serious damage.

Now a better photo of elephants.

And some pretty amazing Zebra.

And this photo because I am rather proud of it.

I have no idea what he is but I think some type of Hawk.

I have loads more photos so you will get part two tomorrow.

Hello All.

Well, it has been an interesting week.
Particularly Friday.
When I was very busy.
Sitting around waiting!

My Dad has not been well.
He has had a sore throat which went to his lungs.
And he was coughing up a storm.
I kept saying he should see the doctor.
But he refused.
My Mother read an article that said antibiotics were no good for flu.
So he said nature had to take it’s course.
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

Mex phoned me at nine on Friday to say the old man had had a bad night.
I came home and put on my sternest Granny face.
And he capitulated and agreed to see his doctor.
Who turned out to be in Cape Town.
Which is a bit far for a visit.
Anyway, his surgery gave me the number of another doctor who said to come in and wait.
Which we did.

I liked him.
I think I may have found a doctor I can deal with.
We shall have to see.
When he heard about all the different cancers the old man has had he sent us for blood tests.
And x’rays.
Then for a cup of really good coffee and back to the doctor.
The old man has chronic bronchitis and a touch of pneumonia.
And he has to take……antibiotics.
Which he tells me are the new craze.
I mentioned Madame Curie and the fact that they have been around as long as me.
Which is a long time.
But he keeps muttering about them and saying they aren’t working.
The fact he is alive tells me they ARE helping.

This is going to be a long post.
If you get bored, feel free to leave.

Today we went for a drive to a produce market.
Where I didn’t buy a thing.
Then we went to a reserve called Cape Recife.
We had to pay to get in.
It was a glorious day and there was hardly anyone there.
My ticker is valid for a week.
I think I shall go again next week when I am more suitably dressed for a nice long walk on the beach.
In the reserve there is a rehabilitation centre for marine life.
It was fascinating.
Meet some of the inmates.

This guy, apparently, has a mental problem.
He doesn’t mix with the others and stands around waiting for fish to drop from the sky.
I think he might be quite shrewd.
He knows a good thing when he sees it.

This guy is moulting.
And really pissed off with life.
It must be similar to change of life.
Did you know that penguins cannot dive for food when they are moulting?
And it can take weeks!
I didn’t.

This is a new comer to the rehab.
You can’t tell male from female until one of them lays an egg.
Presumably the penguins know.
I think this is a female.
She is pretty.

And finally.

This type of penguin has dots on the chest.
They are all different.
It is as good as a fingerprint.
I thought he had a bad case of bugs.

Hello All.

Yes, I am having to eat humble pie.
For those of you who have not been following my blog for too long…  a little insight.

For five years I had four of my grandkids living with me.
Apart from the financial implications, most of it was fun.

I remember a recurring refrain.
“ Granny I am bored”
My stock reply was…only unintelligent people get bored.
Read a book.
Go and play outside.
Do SOMETHING.

So, it appears I have lost my intelligence.
I think I left it in Cape Town.
I am so bored I want to go to work tomorrow.
And I don’t like my job.
Sorry kids.
And I can’t even blame rampant hormones.
Well, I don’t THINK I can.

There has been some excitement in this beautiful country of ours.
I don’t know how much you saw on overseas news broadcasts.
We have an Indian family living here.
The infamous Gupta’s.
Our president’s son is a director for several of their companies.
Our president’s (one) wife works for them. They know what is happening in the government before our ministers do.
And they had a wedding for their daughter in Sun City.

Their jet, carrying 200 guests, landed at our military airbase.
Apparently, without permission.
And they were given a huge police escort to Sun City.
As afforded to royalty.
Which they aren’t.

People are being suspended.
The main fall guy being the chief of Protocol.
I didn’t even know we had one.
Somehow, I don’t think he has the clout to over-rule the ministers of defence, police and revenue.

We are told the president had nothing to do with it.
By his office/spin doctor.
The president himself is conspicuous by his absence.
Come on government we have brains.
We can think for ourselves.
Well, some of us can.
OUR PRESIDENT NEEDS TO BE RECALLED.

The question is…are there enough ministers with the balls to do the right thing?

Indoor heated pool at the hotel…which I didn’t try.

Hello All.

Things must be improving.
Two posts in two days.
Maybe I am back.

I had lunch with my cousin on Friday.
He lives just around the corner but we have not seen much of each other.
It was nice to catch up.
And compare ailments.

He gave me three documents that his daughter had got hold of in England.
I am absolutely fascinated.
One is a census done in 1911 and filled in by my Grandmother.
There is a column marked infirmity.
1)Is anyone totally deaf or deaf and dumb.
2)Totally blind.
3)Lunatic.
4)Imbecile or feebleminded.

I was relieved to discover that none of my family were three or four.
Though it might explain a lot.

It also mentions that my great grandparents had six kids.
All living.
I never knew that.
I knew Granny had a brother but what  happened to the rest of them?
I might have a huge family out there and I don’t know anything about them. One of the sisters living in the house was a widow of 33 with two children.
Both kids had the same surname as the rest of our family.
How curious.

The second form is the passenger list for the Dunnottar  Castle on 11/12/1936.
It shows my Gran, her four daughters and my Dad who was eleven.
She had left her husband and came out to this country with her five kids.
At the age of 51.
A brave lady.

The third form is the army paper of my Grandfather.
Dated the 8/7/1917
He was 38 and a butcher.
We suspect he was a naughty bugger.
He appears to have had a second family.
He might have been a bigamist.
Anyway, a good reason for my Gran to leave him.
I would love to know more.

The promised pic of the ladies room at the hotel.

Hello All.

Ah well, my intentions were good.
I really WAS going to blog the next day.
I just don’t know why I can’t seem to get back to blogging.
I DO miss you all but I just have no oomph or inspiration.
Oh God…Jasmine is lying right next to me.
And farting.
This should help the flow of my mental juices.

This is the present I received from my brother for my birthday.
If you can’t make it out I shall explain.
It is a plastic bottle shaped like a sperm.
And filled with strawberry cream liqueur.
I doubt I will ever drink it.
I have a vivid imagination.
And I don’t swallow!

My birthday was good.
I was spoiled rotten.
Lots of sms’s, phone calls and e-mails.
Oh yes, and loads of messages on Facebook.
The three kids who are talking to me all phoned.
And I got to speak to quite a few of my grandkids.
I felt loved.
A good feeling to have.

My Dad took us all out to supper and that was nice.
Mex gave me a pair of jeans.
My brother the “sperm”.
And some shower gel from my Mom.
There is something special coming from ML but it hasn’t arrived yet.
Can’t wait.
She spoils me so much it makes me squirm.

Tomorrow I have to go through a year’s worth of medical slips for my brother.
I have been putting it off.
It looks like a dog’s breakfast.
Inbetween times I shall be visiting as many blogs as possible.
Now to see to supper.

Mwah!!!

The view from ML’s Room.

Hello All.

And I am home.
And it was fun.
And I am glad it is over.

ML likes to eat at nine at night.
Which meant we didn’t finish until eleven or later .
Then I would have to drive home.
The only one on the road.
And I went through red traffic lights in certain places.
I wasn’t sitting there all alone in some of those areas.
Some evenings, by the time I had showered, it was one in the morning.
And I had to get up at five for work.
After three or four days of this I was finished.

Spending the weekend at the hotel was super.
I loved every moment of it.
ML wasn’t impressed.
She never is.
I am used to it.
I just find it sad that she can’t seem to enjoy everything like I do.

They had an Iron Man competition over the weekend I was there.
Thousands of people on the beachfront right in front of the hotel.
And ML’s room overlooked the whole thing.
The loudspeakers started at six in the morning.
My room overlooked the car park and over to the harbour.
I heard very faint voices.
Coming out of my cupboard!
Once I realised I wasn’t going crazy they didn’t worry me.

This is the smoking bar in the hotel.
We spent quite a lot of time there.
Very elegant and peaceful.

This is the reception area.

A really nice hotel.
The only complaint I had was the food in the hotel restuarant.
It was definitely not five star material.

I’ll show you more photos tomorrow.
Don’t want to overload you today.
Even the ladies room in the hotel.
I am easily impressed.

We drove along the coast.
And had tea and scones.
Very nice.
We spent a lot of time in the casino.
Not so nice.
Though I DID recoup some of my losses.

I had one moment of panic.
I was sitting in the car waiting for ML.
Decided to put my recharged batteries back into my camera.
Couldn’t see the plus and minus sighns.
Thought I was going blind.
Then I realised I had my sunglasses on.
Put on my reading glasses and I could see again!
Bear with me.
My eldest grandson turned 21 the other day.
They are getting old.