Category Archives: Share Your World

Share Your World Monday 11 November 2024

Here are my answers to this week’s questions from Pensitivity101

1. If reincarnation exists, would you like to return as a domestic pet or a wild animal?
I would choose to come back as an elephant. Elephants are a matriarchal society and I identify with that. Also, you and you can eat and drink as much as you like and nobody cares how fat you are! Elephants command respect even from the king of the jungle the lion!

2. Do you think Zoos are a good idea?
I do not like zoos. I know some good ones can be educational, but I prefer to see wild animals in their natural habitat. I dislike the idea of polar bears being in a zoo in a tropical climate!

3. Have you ever been to a safari park?
While safari parks are generally better than traditional zoos, the animals are still kept in captivity and are fed by the rangers. I believe that animals should not be removed from their natural habitats, but we do not live in a perfect world. These parks can be educational and provide people with the opportunity to see wild animals without having to spend a fortune on an actual safari holiday. To answer the question directly: No, I have never been to a safari park. However, I am fortunate enough to have visited several game reserves where animals live in the wild without human intervention.

4. Have you visited an oceanarium?
Indeed I have. Similar to zoos and safari parks, they provide education, conservation, and awareness. The animals are well cared for, yet one might wonder if they would be better off in the vast, wild ocean.

Grandpa explaining the mysteries of the ocean to his fascinated grandsons

Gratitude:

II am thankful for all the wildlife holidays I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing. I’m also thankful for the birds in my garden, especially for the beautiful Klaas’s Cuckoo that posed for me a few days ago. I often hear him but rarely see him.

Share Your World Monday 2 September 2024

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Here are my answers to this week’s SYW from pensitivity101

1. What was the last photograph you took?
I take lots of photographs. The last ones I took were of my friend’s birthday tea which I don’t want to post here. Instead, I am posting one of the Oriental cats, Mike and Alan who live next door but visit us daily.

2. When was your last field trip?
As a teacher, I regularly took my learners on field trips. The last one would have been in November 2014. It was a visit to Rondevlei and this is what I wrote about it at the time.

The Rondevlei Nature Reserve is located in Grassy Park, Zeekoevlei and Lavenderhill, suburbs of Cape Town. The bird sanctuary covers approximately 290 hectares of mostly permanent wetland and consists of a single large brackish lagoon which attracts many water birds.

Once again Ann and Andrea were there to present a puppet show and teach the children about the importance of wetlands. After this, there was a nature walk, a climb up a tall tower giving us a bird’s eye view of the vlei and a visit to one or two of the hides.

The children had an amazing time and surprised their teachers and guides with their informed answers to questions and interest in their environment.

3. What is your favourite pastime as an adult?

As a retired adult, my time is my own and I am free to enjoy a variety of activities. The best part is that nothing is done in a rush so even preparing meals and keeping the house tidy is a pleasure.

I read a lot, keep a diary, learn Italian and blog. I also enjoy knitting although I don’t do it very often. I usually take a daily walk and take different routes depending on the weather.

My hobby is birdwatching so the thing I most like to do is watch the birds in my garden. I also watch birds wherever I happen to find myself,

4. Do people ask you for advice?

Yes, but my advice is not always well-received. I always say, “If I was in your shoes this is what I would do,” But I am not in their shoes so they need to make choices for themselves and figure out their own solutions in the end.

I rather like Aunt Acid’s advice on the secret of the art of living.

Share Your World Monday 22 July 2024

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Here are my answers to this week’s SYW from sensitivity101

1. When you retire (or when you retired) do you have a picture of a small cottage with a white picket fence outside in a quiet village or something similar?
I did not picture any such thing. Hubby retired nine months before I did at the age of 70. I had just turned 62 when I left my teaching post at the end of the school year. We still had a houseful of family and pets and were very busy with our clubs and social life. The plan was to stay where we were until we died. Never ever did I plan to move permanently to our holiday home in Struisbaai! But the idea of it became more and more attractive as the post-retirement months flew by. After six months we decided that living in that quiet and sleepy village was exactly what we wanted to do. If we didn’t like it we could always move back. We bought a caravan to spend more time in the bush and although we’re unsure if it was the best decision we made we have not regretted it. Nine years of Struisbaai, caravanning, and other travel have been blissful. We are still able to visit our family and friends frequently and when that changes we will deal with whatever becomes necessary.

2. What do you associate with school dinners (apart from school of course) ?
In South Africa, we did not have school dinners. Every child had a lunchbox filled with whatever Mom decided to put in it. A lot of swapping went on. I was a picky eater. Sandwiches were dried out and inedible when break time came around. I preferred carrot sticks and polony. My mother gave us a cooked breakfast before school and I often did not eat my school lunch. School was over by 2:15 and I would have ‘lunch’ then.

3. Can you play a musical instrument?
I took piano lessons for about a year when I was seven. At college, I learned to play a few tunes on the recorder. I can’t do either now.
My daughter learned piano and guitar. She is pretty good on a keyboard now.

4. What made you smile today?

When an American patron offered to take a photo of my hubby and me having lunch with my brother and sister-in-law, I handed her a ‘real’ camera and not a phone and she didn’t know how to use it.

However, once I showed her, she took a pretty good photo.

Gratitude

I am grateful for my siblings

Share Your World – Monday 15 July 2o24

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Here are my answers to this week’s challenge from Di

1. Do you have a bestie (ie. best friend)
I have four best friends each of whom has had a special effect on my life. I am still in close contact with each of them, although we don’t live in the same town anymore.

My BFF and I have been friends since we were seven years old. We are now seventy-one! We are true soulmates and can almost read each other’s minds. Often she comes to mind and then the phone rings and it’s her and vice versa. We just seem to know when the one needs the other.

The next best friend I met was when I was twenty-one. We are ‘buddies’ and have shared many life experiences together. She is the one I’ll call to meet for shopping and coffee excursions!

Then I have a best friend who is nine years younger than me. We became very close when we taught at the same school and then became close neighbours. She was also my ‘running mate’ and we would run together for many years. My house was her house and her house was my house.

I am very close to my fourth best friend who I met when I was 35 and she was 49. She was my mentor and made a huge impact on my teaching career. She also introduced me to birdwatching.

2. Do you have a lot of friends?
I don’t think I have a lot but I love the ones I do have. I have a group of friends who I’ve been friends with since my college days and when we lived in Cape Town we met once a month for breakfast. It was a great way to keep in touch and I still go to those breakfasts if I’m in town.

I also have friends who live abroad that I keep up with.

Here in our retirement town, we have made some very good friends and we socialise regularly with them.

3. Has a friend ever let you down to the extent that the friendship has died?
There is one person who turned out not to be quite as honest as I thought he was. His actions caused me to find out his true nature and that made it impossible to continue being his friend.

I tend to live and let live and consider myself tolerant. We all make mistakes and that’s fine, but when a relationship makes you feel uncomfortable it’s best to let it go. Both parties should just move on.

4. Are you more likely to confide in a friend rather than family?
It depends on what I need to confide. Generally, my life is an open book. I don’t have many secrets. I would probably tell my BFF before letting my family into what’s troubling me. My family is, however, very supportive so it wouldn’t be long before I let them know what was troubling me.

Gratitude:

I am truly grateful for all my amazing friends. Each one has a special place in my heart. I include my blogging friends in this number too.

Share Your World Monday 20 May 2024

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Here are my answers to this week’s Share Your World from Di

1. Do you have a favourite movie you never tire of watching?

84 Charing Cross Road. I read the book first and absolutely loved it. I did not believe that it could be made into a movie. I caught it by chance on television several years ago and it was outstanding – just as good as the book even though the book is an exchange of letters between an American rare book collector and a bookseller from London. I have watched the movie several times.

I also love – Yentl, Working Girl, Shirley Valentine, Beaches, The Holiday and Miss Potter

2. Do you have a favourite song or special song as a couple?

Everybody connected to me knows that Lady in Red (Chris de Burgh) is our favorite song. We get up an dance every time we hear it.

3. How do you relax in the evenings?

We usually have sundowners just before six either at the harbour or at home while watching the birds in our garden. We eat dinner at around six. We have friends over at least once per week. After dinner we watch TV – either Netflix or pre-recorded programs

4. Do you celebrate special birthdays or anniversaries?

Not with as much ceremony as we did in the past but, yes, we do celebrate with close friends or family.

One of the most memorable celebrations was when I turned 60. One of the moms at my school baked me a special cake decorated with photos of the kids. We also had cup cakes and the kids presented me with their own handmade cards and special gifts.

Gratitude:

The meme below is just so apt for me. LIfe is very good!

Share Your World Monday 15 April 2024

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Here are my answers to this week’s questions from pensitivity10

1. Regardless of whether you had them or not, can you remember three popular toys from when you were a child?

Tinkertoy, Meccano and Walkie-talkie dolls come to mind.

I remember that the ultimate toy for girls was a ‘walkie-talkie’ doll. For boys – Dinkie cars were the rage. My brother had many and when he deigned to play with my sister and me he shared them out equally – one for sister 1, one for brother, one for sister 2 one for brother, one for sister 1, one for brother, and so on. We could not figure out how he ended up with more! He was the smart one in the family!

In 1959, I was six years old but was quite unaware of the launch of Barbie! She became a thing when I was in my teens and my younger cousin had an array of Barbies. My sister and I would go and play with her so that we had an excuse to play with dolls which, of course, we had outgrown years before!

2. Did you ever want something specific as a child, but never had it?

We did not grow up with many toys but in retrospect, I realise what an awesome childhood I had. More than games and toys we had freedom, a mountain, and a beach. There were a few things I really wanted and in the end, I usually got them. When I was twelve I begged for a tiny transistor radio and my dad got it for me for my thirteenth birthday. It was my prized possession for many years.

3. Do you still have any toys or games from your childhood?

I don’t. The baby dolls that my sister and I received when our baby brother was born were with us until we were adults but I have no idea what happened to them.

My sister-in-law keeps a suitcase full of her children’s toys (they are in their 40s and 50s now). Her grandchildren and great-nieces and nephews love playing with them now.

My grandson, Josh, and granddaughter Shannon playing with some old Fisher Price toys kept by my sister-in-law, Barbara. (Shannon is now married!)

My child adored Barbies and for a few years running, she asked for the latest one for each birthday until she was 11. I tried to persuade her not to get one for her 11th birthday as she was already losing interest in childish things. But she insisted that she would play with it until she was sixteen. Of course, I gave in and it was indeed the last one she requested. I kept many of the toys but when we packed up our family home of over 40 years I donated them all to good homes. My cousin, I think, still has hers and I believe they are worth quite a lot of money!

When my daughter was nine years we visited my brother in London. He bought her a Padding Bear. She is now in her forties and still has that bear.

My daughter allowed Paddington to attend a Teddy Bear’s Picnic when I was teaching Grade 1

4. I think I’ve asked this before, but what was your favourite toy as a child?

In photos of myself as a very young child, I am holding a teddy bear so I guess that was my favourite. As a primary school child, I loved playing with cut-out dolls. My needs were simple! I was a bookworm and if I was not outside riding bikes or playing on the beach, I would be curled up with Enid Blyton.

Gratitude:
Memories are with us forever. May the good ones far outnumber those not so good.

For many years I have kept a journal and it is full of all the good and all the bad times. The good times certainly outnumber the bad, and for this, I am eternally grateful.