Category Archives: Uncategorized

A Gecko Getaway – Ebb and Flow, Wilderness

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Thanks to Colin’s wonderful initiative and organisation we are once again having a Gecko Caravan gathering in the Western Cape. This time the venue is in the beautiful Garden Route National Park – Wilderness Section.  Twenty-two Geckos will be invading Ebb and Flow Rest Camp for four nights. Some of us, however, have chosen to come for a little longer. 

For those who are reading my blog for the first time or have come across it by accident let me explain about Gecko. A small family business in Haenetzburg, Limpopo has been building Gecko Off-Road Caravans for some years now. Each caravan is numbered in the order in which it came off the production line. So in our case, we are Gecko 81 having been the 81st Gecko built.  Most Gecko owners belong to a WhatsApp group where ideas and experiences are exchanged. Because we are all proud Gecko owners we get excited when we meet a fellow owner and all over the country Gecko rallies are sometimes arranged. This will be the third one that we have attended and because it is being held in a summer month on the very popular garden route it is being very well attended with some folk coming from other provinces to join us.

Together with Cath and Alec, owners of Gecko 109, we decided to come a day early. We then contacted new Gecko Owners who recently bought number 12, and also live in Struisbaai, to join us. At the last minute they agreed and we set off together this morning at quarter to eight. BUT – disaster struck and just outside Struisbaai, Chris and Rita lost a wheel from their caravan! We were just about to pull off to wait for them when we noticed them not following when a car flashed lights at us and pulled over. We stopped behind her and she informed us of the disaster. Chris had been unable to ring us as Vodocom was down. But then it came back into function and we rang to see if we should turn back. Chris said that help was on the way and we should just go ahead. Thanks to Agri Bredasdorp they were able to get the problem solved at the roadside. We had just set up at Ebb and Flow when they arrived with no damage done to their caravan.

Ons is so bly dat julle veilig deurgekom het, Chris en Rita. Dit gaan ‘n baie lekker paar dae wees!

The weather today was overcast but very warm and there was no wind. Our three caravans are parked together under large shady trees. There are about eight of us already set up and ready to greet the rest of our fellow Gecko friends tomorrow.

Click on the first photo to enlarge and then use arrows to go to the next slide.

All set up
Hennie and Francis
First Braai
Albebert and Shirley
Suzette
Bushbuck making themselves at home

Ons kan nie wag om julle almal te sien nie! Ry veilig!

Share Your World 29 January 2024

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Here is my contribution to this week’s Share Your Word from pensitivity101

1.  Who is your oldest living relative (aunt, grandparent etc)?

I don’t have many relatives older than me. (I am 71) I have a ‘young’ aunt who is 83. She is actually an aunt-in-law having been married to my father’s brother. If you met my aunt you would not believe that she is in her eighties. She still looks fabulous.

2.  How often do you visit them or is distance a factor?

I try to get to see her when I visit my home town which is four to six times a year. But I know that she is not waiting in anticipation for a visit from me!

3. Have any of your family lived to be 100?

I don’t know of any family member who has lived to be 100! My great-grandmother, I think, lived to be 98. My maternal grandparents died in their eighties. My parents died in their seventies. My paternal grandparents died in their fifties and sixties. One of my father’s brothers died in his eighties, the other three were in their seventies. On my mother’s side, one brother died in his eighties the other two siblings in their seventies. All in all, I guess longevity is not in my genes! I have even lost a few of the cousins with whom I grew up. But on the positive side, my siblings are well and don’t look as if they will expire anytime soon!


4.  Would you like to celebrate your 100th birthday?

If I can maintain good health to 100 then yes, I would like to do something special on my hundredth birthday like celebrate in an exotic place like the Serengeti. My oldest grandchild will be 56, his brother 55. My granddaughter will be 50 and her brother 48. I am sure they could organise something! I just hope I can remember their names and that I wrote this post!

Gratitude: 

I am grateful that I can joke about old age. For some, it is not funny!

JusJoJan – Congregate – 28 January 2024

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We are coming to the end of January so there are just a few more daily prompts for this challenge left. I have contributed most days and hope to continue till the end! Today’s word, ‘congregate‘ comes from Fandango.

It’s human nature to congregate in small or large crowds. Often similar people congregate together. You will often find that expats from the same country will congregate together, at church and clubs, or even live in the same neighbourhood. We also tend to gather in groups where everyone has a common interest and that is why ‘clubs’ are formed. The word congregation is used to describe a group of people in a church and of course, they congregate because of their common faith.

The instinct to gather together with like-minded people probably came about for survival reasons as strong bonds are formed and people learn to work cooperatively. This can be an advantage but if taken to extreme it can lead to those who don’t quite fit in being shunned. This happens in certain sects where you could be excommunicated if you do not obey the leaders or question their doctrines. 

I am usually not one who likes to be in large crowds of people, preferring smaller groups of friends at a time. But gathering in a very large crowd can be great fun. I did not grow up going to rock concerts and thought I would definitely not enjoy it. However, when I went to one I was thoroughly caught up in the excitement and joined in the dancing, cheering, and singing along with everybody else. Being amongst other people can change your mood and your attitude to some things.

Many people were traumatised during the Covid Pandemic as they were not able to congregate with others. Their mental health was affected and some are still suffering anxiety since that time. On the day that we were all allowed out to exercise for a limited time, the streets in my town were crowded with friends meeting and greeting after such a long time of isolation. The relief was tangible. 

Now that things are virtually back to normal some companies are still encouraging their employees to work from home. This can be both a good and a bad thing. I have two daughters who have this privilege. One loves it and goes into the office as seldom as possible. The other goes in as often as possible as she really misses the interaction with people. I really believe there should be a good balance between the two and that if you don’t go into the office at all you need to make some time to gather with people. For working parents working online can be awesome. Most people say they are way more productive when they have this option.

This past weekend we had six Air BnB guests to stay. That for us, is quite a congregation! But what fun we had as they were fishermen and therein lay the common ground! They opted to share meals with us and they provided the fish and I did the sides! Congregating with like-minded people is the best!

A congregation of fishing kids – Two brothers and friends, a friend and girlfriends – Dad not in the pic

JusJoJan24 – Make the Call – 27 January 2024

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Here is my contribution to the joint challenge of Stream of Consciousness Saturday and Just Jot It January.

The prompt today is, Make the Call. 

So often in our lives, we have to make the call. A problem is presented to us and it’s up to us to decide what to do, who to choose, where to go and the list goes on. 

We’re getting on in years. We have to make our money last if we want to live comfortably in our old age. Each time an opportunity presents itself that requires spending a bit of money it means we have to weigh up the pros and cons and make the call to bite the bullet and do it or save the money for a rainy day. 

Using money wisely always requires one to make the right call many times in one’s life. The Earl has always been the main breadwinner while I brought in the extra cash for the little luxuries in life. When we made an extra-big outlay for something he would always quantify it in how many contracts he would have to complete to pay for it! There are no more contracts now, so more careful consideration must take place before making the call!

I am grateful that we have been able to enjoy many adventures and wonderful experiences over the years but we still don’t want to stop having fun. It’s easy to say, you can’t take it with you so spend it now! Make the call and just spend the kids’ inheritance. Oh yes – the trouble is, the longer you live the more you need, so you have to consider the consequences of digging into your reserves. Spend too much on a world cruise and starve for the rest of your life. So, no that is not going to be an option. But perhaps a little 10-day cruise on the Mediterranean? It might just be manageable if we live frugally for the next few months. We need to make the call – to the MSC and book!

Earl! You have to actually make the call!

JusJoJan24 – Atrocious – 26 January 2024

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Today’s prompt word for JusJoJan is atrocious and comes from Jemima

I was hoping for a prompt word that would enable me to use an experience I had yesterday and today. It’s quite atrocious that I am manipulating the prompt so that I can write about this in today’s challenge. 

My daughter is visiting and working online and yesterday was just settling down to tackle the morning’s tasks when she spotted something atop the braai chimney! 

“Mom,” she yelled. ”Come quickly!” Dad was still reclining in bed while I was loading the washing machine. I knew it could only be a special bird that the daughter was yelling about so I dropped everything and grabbed the camera from its place on the workstation counter, and there staring straight at me was a beautiful spotted eagle-owl.

We have had this bird visitor our garden before and we have wished for it to return but it has been at least a year since last it graced us with its presence. So imagine our joy when it decided to stay for the whole day and only flew off in the evening to hunt for its dinner.

This morning she was back and she was not alone. A smaller owl was with her and was probably the male as he is usually a bit smaller.

During the day both were about but the female went while the male remained till dusk.

We have cats who visit every day and it was so amusing to observe how the owl reacted to Mike as he climbed over the wall. The owl considered that the cat was quite atrocious invading the garden that he had claimed as his own. The cat of course just totally ignored him but I wondered if like the owl and the pussy cat they might become friends! What an atrocious thought – they did not even try! The owl hissed at the cat and the cat stalked off to find smaller prey!

The owl also considered our birdbath a rather fun place to visit and enjoyed a nice long drink. 

We just hope these lovely creatures decide that our garden is a friendly place and that they will continue to make themselves at home here. We don’t think that will be too atrocious at all.

JusJoJan Mood – 22 January 2024

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Today’s prompt for JusJoJan is mood and it comes from Dar.

A mood is a temporary state of mind or feeling and many factors can affect the mood we are in at any given moment. If one has a healthy Emotional Intelligence, one can recognise and manage one’s moods and also know how to deal with the moods of others.

I taught at a school where we were encouraged to look out for children who had difficulties with their emotions and moods, to consider the causes when dealing with them, and to help them manage their reactions to their moods too. 

Every morning as the children filed into the classroom each greeted the teacher with a show of fingers. Four fingers meant – “I am feeling great.” Three fingers meant – “I am okay.” Two fingers meant – ”I am not so great’ and 1 finger meant – “I am going to cry.”

This system helped the teacher to understand why a child would be distracted or acting up. There was no pressure on the child to say why they were feeling a certain way but they could choose to discuss things with the teacher, ask for a care circle, or ask to see the school counselor. 

We had care circles where the children could share anything with the class – just their news or anything that was bothering them and then their classmates could offer comfort or solutions. Things like – my hamster died, my dad’s gone on a business trip and I miss him. Granny is in hospital. I had a fight with my sister. The sharing really helped and made for a bonded class. A child could ask for a care circle at any time and usually after break, we would have one to settle disputes that occurred during play! Anyone who wanted to speak held a teddy bear and nobody was allowed to interrupt until the teddy was passed to her. The children loved care circle time and many issues were thrashed out during this time and the children usually ended up finding solutions with very little input from the teacher.  

You might think that all this would take time but it was time well-spent. The children knew that they were understood and cared for not only by the teacher but by their peers as well and this reduced bullying to a great degree. 

I found that most of the children would enter the classroom with four fingers and the ever-cheerful ones even went as high as 10! Then there were the melancholics who were always a two and would express something very minor as the cause. I would say something sympathetic and then ask if there was something else at that moment that could make them a three. After a little thinking, the answer would be something like – I’m a three because I‘m at school, or after school I have a playdate with my best friend, or it’s swimming during phy ed today. Often another child would take the sad one in hand and cheer her up.

Mental health at all ages is very important. We should never dismiss moodiness as just a bad personality trait. As we grow older we should also not ignore mood swings. There are many causes including, dementia, menopause, ill health, and poor diet. When one is retired and no longer in a regular routine of work, exercise, and diet, one can let things slip and drink too much, eat too many treats, and even take in too much coffee! All these will affect mood! If we keep busy, eat correctly, and do a little exercise and still have mood swings, we should seek help straight away.

JusJoJan – Tenacious – 19 January 2024

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Thank you, Cheryl for providing the JusJoJan challenge word, tenacious, today.

I like the word tenacious. It’s a strong word and screams of character. It conjures up a vision of a person who is together, determined and has all her ducks in a row. The tenacious person is ready to face any challenge presented to her and will not give up when the going gets tough.

People in history who had tenacity are the likes of Churchill, Edison, Madame Curie, the list goes on. Would we have the light bulb if Edison had not persevered with his inventions?  Would Britain have won the war if it were not for the tenacious Churchill who would never give up! In fact, it was the tenacity of all players that meant there was victory at the end.

Can tenacity be taught or is it a character trait that one is born with? Probably a bit of both. It certainly can be encouraged. 

There is, of course, a bad side to tenacity if it causes one to be stubborn or obsessive. Not letting go of a bad idea can be very destructive. After some time, if what one is doing is causing distress or harm, then one should surely stop and find something else to be tenacious about. 

A tenacious person should also be careful of resisting change and I find this to be the case with many of us tenacious old fogies! Let’s try to be flexible and have a balance between being tenacious and knowing when to let go,

Thus ends today’s lesson!

JustJoJan and One Liner Wednesday – Grateful

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Today’s JusJoJan prompt is doubling with One-Liner Wednesday. The word to use is Grateful.

Every day is a gift. One more time I can enjoy a sunrise, hear the birds singing in my garden, and have the next-door cats come in for a cuddle. It’s another day to begin a new adventure, to talk to loved ones and create something special even if it is only the evening meal.

I am grateful that today I got to see the excitement on a six-year-olds face as she started Grade 1 on this first day of the school year. When we arrived to collect her she ran straight out the door to greet us. Mom followed all giggles saying she’d been up since dawn! My heart was full!

Proudly dressed in her new school uniform and more than ready for her first day of formal education!

JusJoJan Variety Tuesday 16 January 2024

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I am starting this blog an hour before 16 January ends so I hope it is in time – it’s earlier in some parts of the world and later in others! Anyway the prompt word is from John today and it is “Variety”

Variety is the Spice of Life. Boring people have no variety in their lives. They are not adventurous and do not seek out new experiences. Perhaps they feel secure in their safe cocoons eating the same food, seeing the same people, and never trying anything new. Many years ago a colleague of mine was going through a stressful time and mentioned that she’d love to go away for a relaxing weekend. So I offered her and her husband a free weekend at our holiday home just two hours away. She discussed this with him but he said, No thank you because it was too much effort to pack a bag and drive to a destination he would feel unfamiliar in. Then he would have to pack up after two days and drive home again. I was horrified. Did he not understand that the drive there would provide a variety of different scenes along the way. They would be able to stop, get out, explore, have a coffee at a quaint little farm stall, and then move on again. Then once at the destination, there would be the beach, different birds to watch, a lighthouse to climb, the list goes on. 

I find it amazing too that some folk won’t even add a bit of variety to their diet. The same old fare is oh-so boring. Why not add some spice, a vegetable you’ve never tried before a completely new food. We love sashimi and I have offered this treat to many people, some who immediately accept and others who say they would certainly never eat raw fish! When I ask if they have ever tried it the answer is always, No and I never will! Okay fine – your loss. For ages, I tried to get a close friend to try sashimi and finally after a year she gave in, and guess what – she loved it. 

Sometimes I think having a bit of variety in what you do, where you go, what you eat, who you see etc is healthy. You needn’t change your entire lifestyle but do try something new from time to time. You might find your depression lifting. You might find you’ve been missing out on something you thought you would hate. 

We live in a small fishing village and it is so easy to slip into a mundane routine but we make a point of doing a variety of activities. Recently we have put a couple of our rooms on Air B&B which means we meet a variety of guests both local and foreign and hosting them is proving to be great fun.