A memory: Groentemarktbrug, Lijnbaansgracht, Amsterdam

Fred tells a story from his days as a little lad in Amsterdam; his father would give him a few coins and send him to the market over the Lijnbaansgracht from their flat. He remembers running past the police station and into the fresh produce market place to buy a handful of eels still squirming in their bucket. He would ask the time of the merchant and then run back with both the eels and the time for his father!

Doing our wandering along the canal in the Jordaan, trying to connect a decades old story with the busyness of the new, I noticed this sign on the bridge 'Groentemarktbrug', vegetable market bridge, the market is now a parking garage and petrol station but the sign on the bridge has not changed!

 

Views along the canals of Fred's youth growing up in Amsterdam.

A white village, medieval girl power, beautiful music and a pastry called 'vlaai': a visit to Thorn, Limburg

An afternoon in Thorn, wandering around its cobbled streets and whitewashed houses, we learnt about ambitious medieval abbesses ruling for 800 years from 990 and how the town avoided being taxed in the Napoleonic era by bricking up windows. 

Its a simple solution when you are taxed on the number of windows your house has, it was certainly fun picking out the bricked in windows masked by the whitewash.

This is a world apart from Amsterdam and the windmills and tulips of the Netherlands. Jan, Fred and I also lucked upon the Sittard Philharmonic rehearsing in the open air theatre set in the ruins of the abbey. The acoustics and the setting were quite remarkable and made for a gentle and reflective moment in this peaceful White Village. 

We are smiling after exploring Thorn, having a reflective moment in the gothic Thorn Abbey Church and tasting its regional speciality, the vlaai, a Limburgish pastry with a custard filling and a good coffee.

A line of Weddings.

Our 40th Wedding anniversary is soon and this morning I made this collage of those before us and those after.
So wonderful to feel the ancestral weight that forms our stories.

Number 96: A Sleep-over to see in 2019.

We have gathered a group of friends to see in the New Year. And it's a sleep-over here at our cottage at Millstream!

Number 96:

A Sleep-over to see in 2019.

The Johnz from Hawaii, Alistair and Glynis from Johannesburg and Rosella and Neville from Pretoria.  Our guests have never met before, although that is not technically correct as Alistair, Rosella and Neville were at our wedding in Vanderbijlpark in 1979! But either way, strangers.

As always Millstream creates a space to hold everyone, the place is so restful and beautiful, and the group has settled in, conversation flows in all directions, stories are shared over delicious food and a glass of wine. We walk, we read, we do soduko, we fly a kite, we take photos, we embroider, we sleep, we prep food, we cook, we set tables, we eat, we have coffee to start the day and a glass of something to end the day, we take in the endless views, we nap and we sleep, we argue, we debate, we make endless mugs of tea, we laugh... and as 2018 closes out and we see in 2019, I did not quite make 100 Different Things but what a year I have had.

All the moods of Millstream.

The 'work' at Millstream, prepping, cooking, eating, drinking, walking, photos....

Number 95: Celebrating a Quarter Century at Millstream.

In a blink of an eye our 26th year at Millstream has started. Our timeshare here at Millstream, in the high altitude grasslands of Mpumalanga, just before Dullstroom, has been a joy over the last quarter century.
It has been a place of beauty; a place of family and a place of friendship, and how I have loved to share this space.

Number 95:

Celebrating a Quarter Century at Millstream.

Special memories: Barry getting anxious about being lost in the 'wild woods'; Shawni playing with her dolls on 'Barbie Island'; my many hours with Dad on the veranda; starting my passion for birding at Millstream by wondering what the Stonechat was; reading on my couch at the window; walking in the cold, the heat and the wet; my brother Clive and Fred going off into Dullstroom and 'misbehaving'; having a sauna and a swim; listening to cricket under the trees; the mist obscuring the views; cooking delicious food for friends and family; playing scrabble; early morning coffee and rusks and evening G&T's; circle days and quilting days; Fred catching a biggie; making trout pate when the fishing has been good; watching Rosella make gnocchi; gifting Millstream to Shawni and Craig and Barry and Kim as their wedding gifts; Bri and Di making music; snow; finding lifers; marveling at the wildflowers in spring and summer; variability of the weather; a roaring fire; the fourth generation at Millstream; celebrating Christmas here... 

Some photos from the years at Millstream.

To celebrate I am doing something different. I have booked a pedicure this morning from the mobile therapist who will come to our cottage. It feels fitting as Millstream is my walking happy place.

Shawni's memories: Nostalgia indeed. For me it’s the many horse rides, swims in the heated pool, arriving late on a Friday night, choosing which of the many rooms to stay in, introducing Craig (and James) to Millstream, rowing out on Lake Millstream with Barry, sketching out at the lake Millstream “bridge”, our Millstream “circuit” walk, walking the shortcut route to and from the “Rec house” as kids....the list goes on!

And a note to family: my ashes at Millstream after you have had a coffee and rusk while watching sunrise over Lake Millstream.

Number 94: The 2018 Christmas Feast, one to forget

How I revel in planning my Xmas table settings; the theme, the colors and the menu all around the people I love. The prep and the cooking is all part of what I enjoy.

Number 94:

The 2018 Christmas Feast, one to forget.

Well I knew this year would be different, we had a special Christmas Eve dinner with the Tudhope clan at Chintsa Beach, it was a perfect beach setting, a beautiful table and delicious fare. 

Our drive back to Johannesburg was on Christmas Day. I used some of Debbie's left-overs to make a few rolls just in case the usual garage stops along the N1 were closed. 

Just as well!

The photo says it all - ham and egg sandwich and an ice-cream, with foil as decoration. Oh my. A Christmas feast to forget very quickly.

Number 93: Barefoot on Chintsa Beach

Our favorite spot, the 'green' pavement stones.

A holiday week here in Chintsa with the Tudhopes and the opportunity to spend many hours each day on a perfect beach walking barefoot.
 
I am collecting beach walking hours.

Number 93:

Barefoot on Chintsa Beach.

It is more than 25 years since I set foot on Chintsa Beach. We were doing the Strandloper Trail with the kids and the Krone family, the gang had set out from Morgans Bay and 5 days later the trail ended in Gonubie. 

I can still remember this magnificent stretch of pristine coastline and in particular this beach. It stretches uninterrupted for over 10 kilometers, it's wonderfully wide, firm and flat with high vegetated dunes along its length.

It's been full moon, so the tidal difference is significant and low tide has been in the morning. So we start off early after coffee and a rusk, walk a 100m to the beach, take off our slops and head off barefoot to spend a couple of hours walking - perfection.

Joy of hours walking Chintsa Beach

And of course, I have kept track of the numbers - 16 hours and 80 kilometers.

Number 92: A booking goes horribly wrong!

I suppose it is reasonable to expect that one of the '100 different things' that I experience should be challenging and confrontational.
So I have just had my one for this list. My first ever guests walking out on me.

Number 92:

A booking goes horribly wrong!

A termite causes me heartache.

I have been so happy managing my places on Airbnb and TravelGround. I enjoy the process, the interaction with my Property Managers and I am excited to be part of 'the shared economy'. And I take huge pride in our spaces.

Until - drywood termites made their presence felt at The Loft! 

We had a booking for 6 people from the UK and on day 5 of their stay, amidst the heat and humidity of Amanzimtoti, these little termites left their comfortable 'home' in the door of our bedroom 3. Talk about poor timing!

The termites caused endless concern and much hysteria and as a result I got yelled at, abused and the guests left.

I now await their formal complaint through Airbnb and I will have to breathe through the negativity.

Fred has been remarkable, he has removed the offending door, hung a new one and brought in an expert who checked out the rest of our wood, we seem clear and now I am holding my breath that it is an isolated incident. 

Our next set of guests arrive soon.

Number 91: A new Gadget, out with the old and in with the new.

We have arrived at The Loft. Fred is replacing a door that has wood borer. The eruption of the little grubs created such a drama with the last guests here that I am now looking for a bit of piece of mind and a new project is a good way to distract me.

Number 91:

A new Gadget, out with the old and in with the new.

The last frontier of decluttering and sorting to be done here at The Loft is my parents slide collection dating from the 1960 and 70's. A record of family holidays and family milestones, meticulously itemized and recorded by Mom.

Many years ago my sisters and I did an initial sorting and throwing away of slides that we thought would not be of interest to us and the remaining pile has been lurking at the top of a cupboard, quietly hidden but not forgotten.

So our Christmas present to ourselves this year is a Wolverine Slides Negative and Photo Digital Converter, sourced on Amazon. It has arrived, along with some spares that the Johnz organized for us before they left Hawaii to come out to South Africa. 

The stash of slides that need to be converted into digital images.

Out with the old and in with the new!

So here I am, just a little intimidated about where to start and how to use this new gadget. I suppose the manual that Fred printed for me off the internet, a cup of tea and looking out to sea, is a good start!

Number 90: The Much Anticipated but Most Unexpected News

In this year of so many different things this post is a standout.

We have celebrated the wedding of our son; the second birthday of our grandson; we have travelled extensively adding new countries and new destinations to our global travel; we have walked wherever we found ourselves and did some incredible hikes in Sicily, Austria, Italy and Tasmania; we have eaten gorgeous food and drank interesting gins; visited family in Malta, Australia and New Zealand; spent time with dear friends from all over the world; I have birded and baked and knitted and quilted and taken in amazing art spaces; bought a new car; and so on and so on. The list is getting to the magical 100.

Number 90:

The Much Anticipated but Most Unexpected News

A 12 week baby scan from Johannesburg

The photos tell the news.
We have been anticipating the expanding of our family so the news that both Shawni and Craig and Kim and Barry are pregnant was not completely surprising.
But!
Two babies due within days of each other, that was completely unexpected.
This is what is called abundance. 2019 is going to be a very special year for Fred and me.

A 12 week baby scan from New Zealand

Number 89: Streaming and Bingeing

Just because I am can!

Number 89:

Streaming and Bingeing

Date with the remote and my wool.

I have to sneak this into my year; this new way of watching TV, fibre optic high speed internet, streaming Netflix for the first time (thanks Ingrid and Justin) and bingeing on 4 seasons of "Grace and Frankie" this last week.

Certainly makes me think back to the time of Dallas and Rich Man, Poor Man in the late 1970's, where I had a standing Tuesday night date with a friend at her mother's apartment in Berea (who had the TV of course) for dinner and watching our favorite show. How different things are now.

So I went digging into my wool stash, found the beautiful hand woven wool made in Barrydale  (thanks Natalie) and started a cushion cover for my Moroccan Room. 

I have completely loved my daily date with the remote and my wool. The project is not finished yet so I need recommendations on series that make for great bingeing.

Number 88: A Bow for my New Car

Suddenly our fleet of vehicles have aged and getting the aches and pains of old age! Time to sell and time to replace.

Number 88: A Bow for my New Car

Gee it is a long time since I last walked into a car dealer and drove out with a car, it must be about 15 years ago when I was still part of the corporate world. So many decision points, so much paper work, a frustrated Fred sorting insurance but eventually I drove her out into the mayhem of Randburg and rather enjoyed the feeling of brand new.

Maddie joins the fleet, almost ready for our December road trip to the Eastern Cape.

Number 87: Accumulated Merits

I have been thinking about how to meet my goal of reflecting on 'different things' this year, when I have been meeting up with my special friends for more than a decade. We circle, which is sending time together and appreciating all that means. I have also been to Hermanus many times, I have seen whales in the bay before too, I have eaten at Bientangs Cave too.

So...

"Marvel Diver" and
Sharon, Natalie, Bev and Sharon loving the beauty of a few days in Hermanus.

Number 87:

Accumulated Merits.

In a year of traveling far and wide, what is different for me is seeing and experiencing what I know with a child-like delight and feeling as though it is the first time. My few days in Hermanus with my dear friends was an exhale, I had left my heart behind in New Zealand and felt its integration for the first time and the exhaustion of endless travel is abating.

Natalie shared a Buddhist concept with me, 'Punya or merits' - it is a beneficial and protective force which accumulates as a result of good deeds, acts, or thoughts... And I felt these merits; glorious weather, rainbows, whales, friendship, gifts, good food and wine, a roaring fire, marvelous sculptures, walks along the Cliff Paths, luxurious sleeps, sitting quietly with a mountain view and breathing deeply.