Over a week has passed since I last wrote but I have enjoyed finding articles to add to my Blog which seem to have resonated with a lot of you.
I have had a very lovely week, meeting with special friends, sitting on the beach at Baggies, seeing the fishing boats being brought back to their shelters by an old blue tractor, the occupants always looking happy and contented as they are paraded past us on the lawn.
While there the other day, just as I was leaving, two spear fishermen walked up. Both of them proudly showing off their catches. One of the men had a small bag hanging full of crayfish, while in the other hand he held two really lovely sized fish. The second man had also shot two fish and they were much the same size.
I asked what they were and was told that the two long ones are known as Natal Snoek while the fatter two were Lemon Fish. I tried to Google both but was not able to identify the second fish by its photos. But they certainly were proud of their achievements.
The weather has been kind. Not much wind and the days are perfectly warm at the moment. Even inside has improved a bit. I no longer need the little pussy cat for warmth on my iced feet at two in the morning, and this has resulted in me getting nice relaxing sleeps in, instead of waking during the night.
Bianca was looking decidedly grubby this morning, so I decided to take her to the car wash in the CDB.
I love taking her there, as it gives me the opportunity to go for an hour long cycle ride down Beach Road to Pipeline. I was amazed at the number of cars out today.
Normally, this route is fairly quiet, traffic wise, but not so today. I did the round trip twice, called in at the bowling alley to have a cup of coffee, but decided against it when I saw the hoards of holiday makers inside.
It was just as well, as when I returned to the car wash I found that they were just finishing with Bianca and moving her into a parking area. How smart she looks when clean. The little Warthogs on the back are once again prominently displayed on a clean white surface for all to see.
I never mentioned how the game of Mexican Train turned out last Sunday, so will mention it now. Three of us played for about three hours. In the beginning, it went rather slowly as I taught the others the rules, but once they were understood, it progressed well. It is a fast paced game and we all enjoyed it. When I played it in Ballito, we were using a round table and seemed to have a bit of trouble as the trains grew in length, but here we played on my oblong table and it seemed to be that much better.
The party ended just as the darkness approached and we all had a super afternoon.
Happy birthday to Toni today. It was nice that I caught a glimpse of you while I was cycling.
Unfortunately we were going in opposite directions and it was impossible to stop. I hope you had a good day, and have a fantastic year ahead.
I found this poem which I will end off with tonight. Hope you enjoy it.
The True Meaning of Life
By Pat A. Fleming
The Years have passed by,
In the blink of an eye,
Moments of sadness,
And joy have flown by.
People I loved,
Have come and have gone,
But the world never stopped,
And we all carried on.
Life wasn’t easy,
And the struggles were there,
Filled with times that it mattered,
Times I just didn’t care.
I stood on my own,
And I still found my way,
Through some nights filled with tears,
And the dawn of new days.
And now with old age,
It’s become very clear,
Things I once found important,
Were not why I was here.
And how many things,
That I managed to buy,
Were never what made me,
Feel better inside.
And the worries and fears,
That plagued me each day,
In the end of it all,
Would just fade away.
But how much I reached out,
To others when needed,
Would be the true measure,
Of how I succeeded.
And how much I shared,
Of my soul and my heart,
Would ultimately be,
What set me apart.
And what’s really important,
Is my opinion of me,
And whether or not,
I’m the best I can be.
And how much more kindness,
And love I can show,
Before the Lord tells me,
It’s my time to go.
