I love this week’s questions from Pensitivity100

What was the most memorable gift you gave someone?

I was once travelling with a friend when we spotted a beautiful hot air balloon in the sky and she said, “Oh I would love to go up in one of those!” I stored that little titbit of information away and months later just before she was to celebrate her 70th birthday I asked her for the birthday guest list. She was reluctant to give it to me but I was helping with the organisation of the party and said, “Trust me. I can’t tell you why I need it but I won’t do anything to embarrass you.”

My friend had stipulated that she wanted everyone to donate a book to a school library in lieu of gifts. I phoned each person and asked whether they would like to contribute to a Hot Air Balloon ride for our mutual friend. Almost everybody was thrilled by the idea – some also donated books! On the evening of the party I got the DJ to play, “Wouldn’t you like to ride in my beautiful balloon,” and then called the birthday girl up to the microphone. I then presented her with an envelope and said,” Would you like to ride in a beautiful balloon?” She looked totally confused until she opened the envelope to find a voucher for such a ride.

A few months later I took her to the Winelands on a beautiful calm day and she had her dream come try. I rode along with the ground crew and took photos.

What was the most memorable gift you received?

I have received many wonderful gifts in my life but the best has to be the surprise from my family for my 70th birthday last year. It was the most awesome weekend away with our children and grandchildren.

Would you be suspicious if your partner gave you flowers or chocolates for no reason?

No, I certainly would not be suspicious. It happens fairly often!

4.  Have you accepted a gift with pleasure, even if you hated it?

Yes, I have. Once I received a sushi-making kit from one of my children. I loved and still do love sushi, but I had no interest in learning to make it! I smiled sweetly and thanked her profusely and put the kit in the cupboard and left it there for months. Then one day while wondering what to make as a starter for a dinner party I took out the kit and read the instructions. While I was puzzling over them this same child came into the kitchen with a magazine that had photos of exactly how to prepare sushi! I made some and it was a huge success. Over the next several years my skills improved and I just loved making sushi! So the gift I didn’t want turned out to be one that I absolutely adored. (This particular daughter has a knack for picking just the right gift and/or card!)

Gratitude:
A gift given with love doesn’t need a price tag.

The above quote is absolutely true! I so value the little gifts and cards I have received from children I have taught. I treasure a little book compiled by one of the parents of a Grade One child I taught. Each page has a drawing and a sentence produced by each child. It is just so precious.

Here are my answers to the Easter Share Your World from Pensitivity100

Do you celebrate the Easter holiday and if not, do you have an alternative?

Yes, we do. When the grandchildren were younger we would have an Easter Egg Hunt in the garden. This year we did not celebrate with our own family.

Do you exchange gifts or have a traditional meal?

Our friends Sonja and Roger who live just around the corner from us had their family come to stay for the Easter Weekend. We helped accommodate some of them and joined them for their festivities too. We also had a visitor who arrived on Sunday and was happy to sleep in our caravan! On Good Friday we ate pickled fish for lunch and had hot cross buns for tea.

On Saturday we had a bring-and-share braai – I did a potato bake, broccoli salad and bacon and butternut savoury tart.

On Sunday, fourteen of us sat down to a beef fillet done on the braai. My contribution was a Greek salad.

On Monday everybody left except for our visitor, Tommy. We invited our exhausted friends over for braaied yellowtail served with potato salad, broccoli and red cabbage salad and spinach and butternut salad. After a weekend of entertaining such a huge crowd every day, Sonja was relieved to just relax. It was a good end to a wonderful Easter Weekend.

How many Easter Eggs (or alternatives) did you receive/give?

I gave all the children at the dinner a small packet of mini-Easter Eggs. There were four of them aged 5, 14, 16 and 18. I also gave Easter Eggs and treats to my domestic helper’s family. The adults did not exchange Easter Eggs but we certainly ate some!

Was Easter a Bank Holiday in your country or did you have to work this weekend?

Good Friday was a holiday as was Easter Monday. Our seaside town of Struisbaai was very busy as it was also the school holidays. Many people were making the most of the warm weather before winter sets in.

Gratitude:
There are only 24 hours in a day…….. don’t waste any as they cannot be replaced.

I love the above quote and am grateful for all the small pleasures in my life.

Once again we have some questions from Di at Pensitivity101 to answer.

 What kind of vacations did you have as a child?

When I was a pre-schooler I lived for three years in goldmine-littered Johannesburg which was far from the sea. The rest of the family on both sides resided in Cape Town and so my earliest holiday memories are of travelling there and back in the family Opal Caravan (Station Wagon). My two siblings and I, beside ourselves with excitement at leaving in the dead of night, would cuddle up together on a mattress at the back of the vehicle and finally fall asleep while Dad drove the 1400 kms, stopping only for loo breaks and picnic breakfasts and lunches at the side of the road. Then we would have three glorious weeks of family, sun and sea at Fish Hoek Beach.

When I was five we relocated to Fish Hoek and my father said that since we lived in a holiday resort it would not be necessary to go away for a holiday. But we did visit the Kruger National Park when I was seven years old and The Lakes at Wilderness when I was thirteen.

Have any of those remained favourites now that you’re an adult?

Although I only visited Kruger National Park once as a child, I never forgot it. I was forty-two years old when I went again and have been almost every year since.

What has been your best vacation ever?

This is a difficult one to answer. I have had so many awesome holidays. Game reserves aside I would say that the best holiday I had was cruising for a month from Mauritius to Venice in 2019.

Another very memorable holiday was in 1998 when we visited Australia. We did Sydney, Central, Sunshine and Gold Coast and also spent a few days bareboating in the Whitsunday Islands. It was truly amazing.

When our grandchildren were 7, 10, 14 and 15, we took them to Kruger National Park for the first time. This turned out to be totally amazing. We played game spotting games to keep their interest peaked but found that having four of them really worked well. The cousins got on super-well and the older two boys kept the younger two eager, engaged and entertained while travelling in the car as well as the time spent at the campsites. We have taken them on holidays since then but that one was certainly the best as seeing their delight at each sighting gave us more pleasure than seeing the creatures ourselves.

I blogged about this trip here

Do you prefer resorts where there are no kids allowed?

I don’t mind having kids around but at 70, a resort geared especially for families is not on my list of places to go. Now that we can, we travel out of school holidays. When we are caravanning off-season we find that there are very few children around but if there are we are quite happy to see them enjoying nature and the great outdoors.

Here are my answers to this week’s Share Your World questions from Pensitivity100

 Do you consider yourself to be romantic?

If you are romantic it means that you do and say loving things to your significant other. So yes, I believe I am romantic and so is my husband.

Do you send cards on Valentine’s Day?

No not anymore. When I was teaching my school made a big thing out of every special day and Valentine’s Day was no exception. The kids and teachers would dress up in red and we would make cards in the classroom. With our little ones they were usually for Mom or Dad! Each child would also get a little Valentine’s gift and we would teach the children about Saint Valentine and how the tradition of Valentine’s day began.

At home, I would give each of my family members heart-shaped chocolates.

Would you spend a considerable amount of money on a single red rose for your beloved?

I have never done that but I have been the recipient of a single red carnation. This was sent to me by my current husband after our first date! Yes – I fell for him straight away!

What is your idea of a romantic evening?

Dinner dancing at a smart restaurant. Years ago there was a hotel in Cape Town called the Cape Sun where we used to go for dinner dancing and then we would spend the night so we did not drink and drive. We did this at least twice a year and it did us so much good.

Gratitude:
Love is all around. Embrace it.

I am really grateful for a strong, romantic marriage that has stood the test of time. We have been happily together for 40 years and today is our thirty-sixth wedding anniversary!

Here are my answers to this week’s SYW questions from Pensitivity100

 Do you find it relatively easy to fall asleep at night?

Not really. I sleep quite well once I am asleep but it takes a while to doze off.

Do you remember your dreams?

Mostly I do but I need to write them down otherwise they disappear very quickly. I often look up the meanings. Sometimes they ring true at others not at all.

If you can’t sleep, do you watch TV, read or listen to music in the hope you will nod off?

I can’t read or watch TV otherwise I will disturb my husband. I do Sudoku on my phone. That helps.

Can you literally sleep anywhere (chair, sofa, bus, train, flight etc)?

I can’t sleep on an aeroplane. I can sleep in a car – I think the movement rocks me to sleep. But yes – if I’m really tired I can sleep anywhere. I once fell asleep during a staff meeting – I was ill – not bored!

Gratitude:
Flowers from a child, be they weeds or roses, have equal worth.

Flowers or a handmade gift from a child is so special. I find it hard to part with the cards and gifts given to me by my small learners when I was teaching.

Here are my answers to the last SYW of 2022 from Pensitivity101

It’s Boxing Day for those of us who celebrate Christmas, but hopefully, these questions are suitable for those who have alternative celebrations be it now in December or another time in the year.

1.   If you have been given a variety of gifts, do you have a clear-out of older stuff to make room for it?

I don’t specifically have a clear-out after Christmas but I do try not to keep things I no longer need. I either give stuff away to people less fortunate than I am. The real junk goes into recycling.

2.  Do you overindulge in food for special occasions and then come to regret it with either weight gain, guilt or severe indigestion?

I do indulge a little more than usual on special occasions. Who can resist that special dessert after a delicious Christmas dinner? If I really overdo it I pay with an upset stomach. So I try to just have a tiny bit of the ‘wrong’ food that I indulge in.

This year everybody had a job to do for Christmas Lunch.

Those who didn’t cook, cleared away and packed the dishwasher!

3.  What is your favourite part of any celebration?

Having the people I love most in the world all together to celebrate. Right now I am with all my children and grandchildren. The grandkids are all over 18 now so I’m not sure for how much longer I am going to be this lucky!

4.   Are you looking forward to getting bargains in the January Sales?

No, not really. I am not a bargain hunter. I think I have everything need but if I see something that takes my fancy and it is going cheap I might not be able to resist.

Gratitude:
Every day is a gift and a chance to make memories.

For our family that is what it is all about. I am the family photographer and have a huge collection of PowerPoint Memories. I am grateful that I get to see my family often and that we enjoy doing things together.

This morning the younger members of the family hiked the Robberg. I have done the Robberg a few times but gave it a miss this time as my foot is sore. Well, that’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it.

Lauren, The Earl, and I went to The Old Nic for breakfast and to help Lauren spend her birthday gift vouchers. Lisa and Laurie joined us a little later.

Here are my answers to this week’s SYW challenge

Do you have a favourite outfit you like to wear?

I had a favourite long-sleeved shirt that I bought at Marks and Spencer in 2013. I would have it still but it actually wore out! It got a tiny hole in the back. I darned it and as the hole became bigger I darned it some more. It tucked into my jeans so you could not see it but very recently it just got too bad to mend. My friend, Stephen saw me tear up my beloved shirt and said, “Hey, I can use that – I need rags in my workshop.” And so my beloved shirt lives on doing menial labour.

I live thirteen thousand kilometres away from the nearest Marks and Spencer but when next I visit the UK I hope to find another shirt like the one I loved so much. Sadly, I can’t find a photo of me in it!

I also have a favourite dress – also bought in 2013 at a little boutique called East. I have it still and wear it often.

What is the worst thing you were forced to wear as a child (school uniforms aside)?

My parents gave me free choice as far as clothing was concerned but I did have to wear a hat to church. I don’t know why, but I hated wearing a hat. I still hate wearing a hat but I did wear one to Harry and Meghan’s wedding.

Do you have a sweet tooth, and if so, are you a chewer, cruncher, or sucker?

I do have a sweet tooth but not for the kind of sweets/candy/lollies that most children like. I hate chewing gum/bubble gum – so I’m not a chewer. If I do have a boiled sweet then I prefer to suck. Chocolate is my preferred sweet treat and I allow that to melt slowly in my mouth and may have it with black coffee which makes the experience even more enjoyable.

Do you think you could eat your weight in chocolate?

When I was much younger I considered myself to be a chocoholic. I could certainly consume an entire bar all by myself. No, I could not eat my weight in anything in one sitting. Chocolate is still a favourite treat but these days it’s dark chocolate and only one square at a time. I do, sometimes, indulge in the odd chocolate from a box – Lindt! Anything chocolate-flavoured goes down well with me.