Where did January go?

Or where did we go in January... ?

Copious trips to the Aquarium:

Multiple trips to the Mineral World's 'Scratch patch':


A swim with the penguins at Boulders Beach:
Numerous visits to the V&A Waterfront:


And lots and lots of nice food:

Some just looked interesting (but not eaten...):

Cape Town! Well worth a visit!!

Not long now...

and home will be another place.

Cushion: www.veldtdesign.co.za


The boys are counting sleeps, remembering friends and toys back home...
and I am wondering if I will remember how to sew, how to wear socks and how to open mail...


3 months of being in South Africa is almost over. 3 months of seeing the sun

and the lagoon

and the sea...



This week we will drive to Cape Town for the last time for a while and spend the last few days of our time in South Africa preparing for the onward journey to the UK...

bags will need to be packed (fabric secreted between clothes), goodbyes said and life will change again.



Sadly, it has taken almost the entire 3 months to release Sonnja's bears first from Customs and now the Post Office... I am hoping in my last few days here that I will able to deliver them to the children at the Red Cross Hospital with Ruth. But TIA (this is Africa)...


I feel sad to be going, but I have not properly unpacked my suitcase in 3 months.., I have lived the moment, but not the life.., I am ready for routine, but not complacency..., I feel nervous for the journey, but not the destination... Perhaps I am just ready to sew...More likely though I am ready for our new kitchen (!!)

I have missed friends, but will miss others that live here... I will miss my family, but have family there too. This is the life of one who has African soil in their soul and an Englishman in their heart...

I guess that's why I'm always covered in threads... Threads of these 2 lives. Fabric that sews me together and keeps me from falling apart. (And if I'm away from my friend Angie's cakes I'll not fear bursting at the seams either LOL)

And what will you read on this blog when I return? Perhaps a return to creativity? A finished project or two? Perhaps. But then that would be telling ;-D

Bag L O V E

I coveted this 'Mielie' bag soooo much.



I went into the shop at Noordhoek Farm Village so many times to look at it there was almost a path tread by my fitflops! Then one day I went in and it was gone. Gone! Oh well, I thought, it was a great bag, of course someone would buy it. I just never realised that someone special had bought it for me!!


Thank you so much A. I love it (serious bag love here!!!)

Perhaps I should have looked it up

I have never been very good with the facts :-) Even when I was given a book on succulents, I still thought I knew better... this could also be said for any of my crafting ventures LOL



Turns out it's not a Desert rose ahem, but the above succulent is indeed a white Mexican Rose or Mexican Snowball, Hens and Chicks or in fact: Echeveria Elegans

Many fine examples in gorgeous pots can be found at Pret-a-pot (http://www.pret-a-pot.com/) in Plettenberg Bay...

This shop is situated at Old Nick's which has the most amazing flowers in the gardens.
Roses... (I know this for a fact LOL)

And something gorgeous and purple (I declare I know not what it is...)

On the crafting front I have been drawing quite a bit and love it. Mother was going to teach me to crochet. We bought a hook and some red wool. I don't think I love it. It looks such fun and Mom says it's really easy, but it makes me feel all fingers and thumbs :-(
I shall admire from a distance I think...

The colours of Cape Town

When I'm in Cape Town, I am pretty much cut off from the internet.

But the colours of Cape Town...

The fabrics...

the flowers...

...

fill my days (and my new eyes!)....

Normal blogging will resume soon (I hope!)

Wish you were here

Sandybanks

Well, a month of our 3 month holiday is already up, but we have been having a great time. The no sewing thing is getting me down a bit, but at least my body feels warm and my mind feels blank LOL

I have neglected this blog a bit, but then I am not always able to connect to the www... and when we're back to reality and I'm sewing again, I'll be blogging again I'm sure.

In the meantime, Ruth & I have been organising the release of Sonnja's bears and we hope to have some good news soon!

Gone swimming

Apologies for no posts, but we are in an internet void here. I'm just trying to figure out how to do a post direct from an email so the next few posts may be different...

Just to say, I miss reading everyone's blogs. I also miss sewing because by the time we have entertained the boys for the day in the heat, I'm too tired to sew... but hey, I'm on holiday and the sun is shining and the boys are growing so we're doing as much with them as we can. This involves copius trips to the Aquarium, the beach, play areas etc etc. All in over 30 degrees centigrade heat.

Keep well and look after yourselves!!
xka
ps Sharon, I think I'll need to join 'loser Monday' when I get back because I'm eating far too much of all the yummy food here!

Secrets and Braais

In South Africa we don't barbeque - we 'braai'...



So come on over!

But don't forget to wash your hands!



As Ruth would say " there has been sewing". But it's a secret, so this is all I can show for now...


It was delivered today to Chris who is going to Longarm quilt it as soon as she can.


And I've laid my "Berry Crush" (a.k.a Bonnie's Orange Crush mystery quilt) out on the floor, but I've not had a chance to stitch it together yet...



I had better do that soon before certain small people walk all over it!

BOM's will be back when I am

I have sadly fallen behind on my BOM's. (My blogging too, but I have such iregular internet usage that I'm actually just pleased I can blog at all).

This is the March Carol Doak Block of the month.



I still have November through to February to do!! But on my return I hope to make them in the same colour scheme and then put them together as a table runner for our home. I just love this fabric and I found out that it's made by a lady called Glenda Kirkiridis and her company is called Amafu. Glenda tells me that she has just sent some more of her gorgeous fabric to the Hilltop Quiltshop in Swellendam! Oh no!, this means I shall be tempted to make a detour on our long drive to Cape Town!!! I shall have to see how the kids handle the trip before committing to a visit...

When we get home (less than 2 weeks now!) I will also have to catch up on my Quilterscornerclub NYB BOM's!!

For the family in the UK who suffer through the sewing bits here are some gratuitous kiddy pics on a sewing/knitting related theme...

DS1 getting in the BOM picture...


DS2 asleep while photos being taken. Blanket made by Granny. There is another blanket (one each) which looks a lot more patchworky.



And on another note: DS1 and Mummy with her new haircut.



** - newsflash - ** A new haircut and now I need new specs too!! I went to see an optometrist today. I have to ease up on the contacts. My specs are so bad he was surprised I see anything. I had to admit I don't see much, but hey, I'm shortsighted, I don't expect to see much LOL. He asked if I knew why I was shortsighted. It reminded me of Little Red Riding Hood: 'Why, what big eyes you've got' he said. Turns out because my eyes are more open than 'normal' it means I am naturally shortsighted. You learn something new everyday. I went for a very funky pair of specs. I hope not too funky for me LOL.

On the road again

We spent 2 days and nights this week in Oudtshoorn which is famous for the Cango caves and Ostrich Show Farms, but somehow we didn't manage to visit any of those places LOL.

We stayed at the most amazing place called Red Stone Hills near Calitzdorp. It offered bird watching, hiking, swimming and horse riding (or my kids case 'horse-sitting')




((Calitzdorp is known for its great Ports so we stopped for a brief tasting - very good))

We wanted to take the kids to an ostrich show farm, but managed to miss it (luckily there were ostriches at the farm we stayed on) and so we ended up at the Cango Wildlife Park. On our way there we saw a tortoise trying to cross the dirt road.


DH picked it up showed it to DS1 and then popped it safely on the other side.

This sign seen on our travels should have had a tortoise on it!


Here are some pictures from our visit to te wildlife park...

This guy was nicknamed 'The Undertaker'...

And this White tiger was a beauty!

These were the biggest bats I have EVER seen!


I have another new hobby:


Appliqueing (by hand) names of my friend's children on little bags...

More travels, a quiltshop and road trip ramblings...

We have just returned from 2 days and nights at the hot springs in Montagu.



It was wonderful and because DS1 gets up pretty early I took him for a pre-breakfast swim both mornings. (DS2 came along on the second morning) We were always among the first people there besides the pool cleaners. Nothing like a warm dip before the sun comes up!





It's quite a drive to Montagu from Knysna and there are 2 routes: the R62 which is much longer, but more scenic or the N2 which is quicker and not so scenic. I convinced DH that if we went the N2 as he wished we would have loads of time to visit a quilt shop I had read about on the SA Quilter's Guild website. He obliged so off we went to the 'Hilltop Quiltshop' in Swellendam (a roundabout way to Montagu, but not too much out of our way). Sorry no photo, but this is what I bought. I did remarkably well as Carool who owns it doesn't stock a lot of fabric, but she did have these fabulous African prints...


(...and a few rose prints too)

The next day we strolled around Montagu, but a lot of the shops were shut (being Saturday afternoon.) I had read about this little fabric shop called 'Lapland'. It had this gorgeous hand made sign outside...



Inside they were stocktaking, but kindly let me have a little look. It stocks mainly dressmaking fabric, but I found this cute African fabric and a few iron on badges for DS1's clothes (Just had to get the Union Jack!)



Also in Montagu... an art gallery with a Christmas tree


decorated with teapots and teacups



Security is an issue in South Africa, but here's how to do it 'Montagu-style'




I came home to discover the cleaning lady had thrown one of the boy's quilts in the machine. It washed remarkably well according to DS2's inspection LOL


This quilt was made by my friend Ria and the boys both love it.