juststuff: my weekend in pictures

I always have my camera in my bag but keep forgetting to take pictures. I have noticed how well other "bloggers" document their posts with pictures and thought I would take you through my weekend with pictures.

What amazing weather this weekend. Cape Town is just glorious. I was up early on Saturday morning with my cup of tea in the garden.

Sunrise, on my tea mug makes me happy

(How did that song go?)

Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy, sunshine in my eyes can make me cry.
Sunshine on the water looks so lovely, sunshine almost always makes me high.
If I had a day that I could give you, I'd give to you the day just like today.
If I had a song that I could sing for you, I'd sing a song to make you feel this way

(John Denver, my absolute worst but quite a nice tune)

I had a pretty busy Saturday planned and started off with some bright and early shopping at Palmyra Junction. The centre has been opened for nearly a year now but it is only recently that I have started using it on a more regular basis. There is a small stationery shop called the Ink Well where I had to buy a thick marker pen for Margaret, who I heading off to visit. I also bought a new mouse for my computer, while I was there and some new fancy write upon "post-it's" to help me organise my filing at home. I popped into the gift shop and for once did not buy anything and then got a couple of things at Woolworths (also for Margaret). There is a lovely second hand book shop there too and spied an Ian Rankin for Gareth on the table outside the shop (he probably has it). I was in and out of the centre in about 25 minutes.

(not my picture)

Meet Margaret

Margaret is a friend of Michael's mom. She used to live at the same retirement complex as Helen but had a fall about 18 months ago and had to move to a frail care home over the road in Diep River. She is partially blind, is a widow and never had any children. Her only family is a niece-in-law who lives in Port Elizabeth. She speaks to Margaret on a daily basis but cannot get to Cape Town as often as she would like, so we are basically her Cape Town family. Margaret is a tiny, 89 year old lady who has wormed her way into our hearts. She is as sharp as a tack, spunky, cheeky and quite a handful at times. The light of her life is listening to Fine Music Radio and she has two, very old portable radios on the floor next to her which she listens to all day. She calls into the station and the announcers all know her well. During the week she calls me and gives me a list of shopping she needs done. We also do an odd bit of laundry for her but I think it is just so that she has an excuse to see us more often as most of her washing is done at the centre. I had done her shopping and had a couple of towels for her. Another reason for my visit was a letter that I had received from an old friend of hers called Norman who is 94 and lives in England. He is a pretty together old man and has a computer. He emails me from time to time and we have struck up a friendship. He is always concerned about Margaret and I keep him up to date with how she is doing. Last week however I received a letter from him.

He attached a copy of an article that he had written to a magazine about the excellent care his late wife had received at a Oldroyd House frail care in Gloucestershire. She has subsequently died. He asked me please to read the article to Margaret when next I visited her. Well I started reading the letter and had just got to the second paragraph when she said to me "For goodness sake Jenny, just tear up that letter. I can't be bothered listening to that old man going on and on about the past and his wonderful frail care centre. If you want to communicate with him that is fine but DO NOT INCLUDE ME in this relationship. I don't have anything to say to him." I then tried to skim read the letter and take out certain parts, even a poem he had written to his ailing wife, but she was not interested or impressed. Poor Norman.

Margaret's lovely knitted blanket which she has had for 55 years.

(Her disabled sister-in-law knitted the triangles for her and she stitched them together)

So besides her being very snappy about poor Norman and her giving the nursing aid a hard time about exactly how she likes her bed made, it was a good visit. She is always so happy to see me and grateful for what both Michael and I do for her. We try to have her around for lunch with Michael's mom on Sundays but usually only manage it every 3rd or 4th week as it is sometimes rather trying having the two old ducks together, one who cannot hear or remember and repeats herself all the time and, the other who is nearly blind and pretty cantankerous. They are either very sweet together and sit and hold hands on the couch or they are a bit irritable with each other.

After visiting Margaret I popped in to have a cup of coffee with my friend Janetta on the way home. Always good to see her and it is never a short visit. I came away with the bib and vests which I had ordered from her, some plants for the garden and some lovely tins which she had saved for me because she knew I would love them.

Ruby Olive vests and bib

What the Forget-Me-Nots will look like in a month or two

Lovely memorabilia tins - Thanks Janetta, I do love them.

It was now close to lunchtime so off to pick up Amy (Ikey's No. 1 fan - and beware any other fan should wear the T-shirt or try to dethrone her!!). The two of us then headed up to UCT to watch Nic play rugby. Bielle was also there and arrived with 2 plastic glasses filled with lots of ice and very acceptable dry white wine. Lovely in the sun, watching rugby, looking at our magnificent mountain while sipping ice cold wine.

Match with a view

Nic on the move

Ikeys were 19-6 up at half time, playing really well but somehow managed to lose 28-24 to Stellenbosch. We left after Nic's match as Kathy had invited us for a late lunch. We missed the first team game, a pity because they beat Stellenbosch. A good season so far for UCT.

After rugby Amy and I popped into Cassis in Newlands to buy some dessert to take to Kathy. They were about to close and we chose 5 different small "works of art" to have as dessert.

I could not resist introducing Amy to their macaroons - She chose the strawberry and I had the citron one which I had not tasted before (not as good as pistachio).
(Two little piggies stuffing macaroons into their faces just minutes before a special lunch)

Kathy's lovely courtyard in Newlands Village

Gourmet lunch of quiche and salad, lovely champagne

and lots of laughs

This was the first afternoon that the girls have had together since Kathy got back from the States. Lesley is recovering from an operation and she was pleased to be out in the sunshine.

Amy with one of the many magazines from America

(Isn't she lovely?)
(There is another song here but I won't bore you)

Kelly with chocolate pretzels (Kathy knows her customers)

(Isn't she cute and lovely?)

Wall of hearts

Our lunches are known to go on a bit. Michael called me at 8 to say that he was home from golf. He was pretty tired and happy to relax on the couch and watch the televised golf. The girls opened another bottle of bubbles and chatted some more.

Today (Sunday) was another stunning day. We had Michael's cousin Alan and his wife Cynthia, who are here for a couple of days from Johanneburg, for lunch. I roasted a chicken, boiled some baby potatoes with garlic butter and green beans and made a salad (copied Kathy's salad from Saturday using the Woolies Baby leaf bag of greenery together with cranberries and grated raw beetroot). Easy Peasy. A lovely afternoon and good to catch up with them and hear about their recent travels. Kelly joined us for lunch and ended up spending the afternoon with me and helped in the garden, once the visitors had left.