Archive for December 2011
2011…
What a good year it’s been!
Happy New Year to everyone who visits me here. May 2012 be spectacular for us all!
This time of year is actually my favourite. I only realised it today, when Michael remarked that New Year’s is actually the crappest holiday.
I strongly disagree – it is fantastic. Everyone has calmed down after the Christmas craziness. Just about all the businesses are closed, and people are all chillaxed – I love it.
It is a time for new beginnings – another year to get it right, all that you haven’t managed to do just yet in previous years.
It is also time for my favourite – new year’s resolutions. I’m not even that concerned about being over-ambitious and making tons of resolutions that I probably won’t stick to. That is not even the point for me anymore. It’s just so much fun, taking stock and making resolutions. I live for it ;-p
One that I hope to stick to, though, is being a much more active blogger in 2012. I hope to post tons of pictures and vlogs and clips of me playing the piano (another resolution, to add some fun stuff to my repertoire), recipes of our new, healthier menu (another resolution, healthier eating for us) with photo’s of course.
I tell you, I can hardly wait. See ya on the other side…
Proper post.
I did promise a proper post today, so here it is.
I did not, however, promise a long one :-p
Frankly, the past two weeks haven’t been the greatest, hence the dirth of blog posts.
I have been a bit stressed for a couple of reasons. Firstly, that project we had on the go, remember that? Turns out it didn’t need me stressing about it, but it did keep us preoccupied for a good week. All sorted now though.
The other thing was that my mom had to have surgery to have her thyroid gland removed, and that had me plenty worried. She ended up going through the op with flying colours and is doing much better now. Still a couple of niggly worries regarding the meds and treatment, but I trust she will have a full and happy recovery. We will be celebrating her 62nd birthday on Thursday.
The third thing, which was probably as a direct result of the first two, was a minor MS flare-up. Numbness in the oddest places (and we’ll just leave it at that), and a disconcerting case of optic neuritis, which resulted in a blinding headache one night last week, accompanied by a feverish feeling and nausea.
Thankfully, I found some old homeopathic drops that I used to treat my optic neuritis (inflamed optic nerve) with in the cupboard (gelsemium and hypericum) and that cleared it up pretty quickly.
I was pretty relieved, because optic neuritis used to be the absolute bane of my life and I was not welcoming its return.
Anyway, things are pretty much back to normal, as far as the MS is concerned. I think it may have had to do with a spike in hormone levels, which is sometimes the case, with these minor flare-ups. It is actually quite scientific, and has to do with the slight rise in body temperature that women experience during specific stages of their cycle. Not sure of the specifics, but I have experienced it too many times to be coincidence. MS doesn’t play well with others, and PMS is no exception, lol.
Seeing as this is a bit of an off-loading post, I will also mention that my back has been quite sore this week. Seems like it is a little out of joint in the sacro-illiac area again. I’m going to the gym every day to swim in the pool there and hopefully stretch it out to that it settles back in again. That usually works. But for now it is hurting.
So now y’all know why I’ve been a bit scarce 
The fearsome heat of the past few days has been broken, and we are experiencing the most beautiful, soft rain. It is going to be so nice to go to sleep in this weather. Nitey-nite…
iPaw’d
Here is Michael, playing with his new iPad2. Next to him is Teddy, playing with his iPaw’d….
This next photo is quite blurry, but it is sucha good illustration of Teddy’s role as a…well… a teddy that I had to include it…
A proper post tomorrow, I promise.
PS. The Box was a crap movie, do not watch it on my recommendation.
PPS. WordPress is being all cute again, with snowflakes drifting over the screen. The Northern hemisphere may be in the midst of an approaching white Christmas, but as far as I’m concerned it may as well be droplets of sweat trickling down, because it is sweltering here in South Africa. Michael even said he thinks he is going through the manopause because he keeps getting hot flashes! So excuse us for not being entertained by the snowflakes! lol
7 December
There will not be too much of an update tonight.
Michael and I got involved with a movie this morning. Intriguing – but he had to go to work. So we are watching it now, which we never do on a week night
The movie is called The Box, starring Cameron Diaz. And it is quite riveting, in a weird, not-something-that-could-ever-really-happen kind of way.
I’ll be back tomorrow, but right now I gotta watch before I lose the plot…
Lazy, aged anus beef
Why do I wait until night-time to blog, when I am tired and can’t do it justice? Must change this poor habit.
Anyway, just had to share this amusing anecdote, before I forget…
So, we’re walking down the meat aisle at Pick ‘n Pay, and I spot a display of Lazy, Aged, Angus Beef.
I don’t want my beef lazy or aged. I want it young and fresh. (Yikes, if the old vegetarian me could hear me now there would be drama).
I voiced my disdain, by telling Michael, “That doesn’t sound very nice, does it?”
He glanced where I was gesturing, and exclaimed in a horrified (and loud) tone, “Anus Beef!!! That doesn’t sound nice at all.”
The shoppers standing nearby all stopped what they were doing to turn and stare at us.
“Angus Beef, darling. Angus. You’re missing a ‘g’ there,” I muttered, in a much lower tone.
With that cleared up, Michael continued his train of thought.
“Ha ha,” said he. “I can just imagine this old, lazy cow wandering around the field.”
And that is why I usually go shopping alone, Bwahaha!
All is not well in our household. There is something wrong with Teddy Boy. He is still busy moulting, but is now losing huge chunks of fur and getting massive bald patches on his back. He was acting out of character this evening, trying to communicate something to Michael. He was tugging gently at M’s clothing and led him out into the garden. Once there, he was nibbling at him and pawing. Very strange behaviour for Ted, who is usually pretty aloof. He’s going to the vet tomorrow, who will hopefully be able to shed some light on the fur-loss 
No pun intended, blah, blah.)
And Michael’s back is out again. He has asked me to make an appointment at the chiropractor’s for him tomorrow.
So best I go to bed. Early start tomorrow, with vets and chiropractors and what not.
Laptops! :-)
I have been known to say that my laptop is my very favourite material possession. I love it. It is my first computer that has belonged solely to me. I’m a bit of an addict. I can spend a lot of hours a day on my laptop, working and playing. And facebooking, googling, blogging… you get the picture.
More often than not, Michael’s laptop is also on, and we sit with both of them on the big dining-room table. Very new age couple
Anyway, this week my dear Mom got her own laptop, too. And Michael and I went to visit my parents and I was showing her the ropes…
I just love this photo of me and my beautiful mother, with our respective laptops. My favourite possession and one of my very favourite people.
Just a pity the mirror behind us reflected the flash of the camera.
Still love it, though
Quick Sunday update…
Firstly, I am happy to report that the unpleasant symptoms that I have been experiencing, are departing.
The optic neuritis is no more, and the numbness in my feet/ legs is back to what it usually is, i.e. not perfect, but good enough.
As for the ‘holes-in-my-fingers’, the left is 100% better, and the right is getting there. Much better than it was! For this I give thanks.
Our big project that we had going? Well, we were afraid for a moment that the whole thing was going to go belly-up, but it turned out to be not so bad. Funny how a person can stress about things like crazy and then they turn out to be okay. It didn’t work out as well as we had hoped, but it was not too bad, either.
And to close off with, some photo’s of myself and one of my sweeties, my adorable niece, Cayleigh. This girl is just too cute…
Cheeeeeeez
Aunty Maggie and Cayleigh
Photo of Aunty Maggie, taken by Cayleigh (who is all of 3 years old). The little minx
State-of-the-art car alarm :-)
Michael and I went to SPAR to get some food. We got a parking spot nice and close to the main door. I remarked on the car parked alongside us, a Mazda 2, as I am sort of in the market for a small car at the moment, depending on whether I will be returning to work or not.
Then I noticed what was in the car. A beautiful Labrador, sitting as good as gold on the front passenger seat, waiting for its owner to return from his/ her shopping. The windows of the car were partially open, but the dog made no attempt to climb out. It also was not barking at anyone or causing a ruckus.
I have rarely seen such a well-behaved dog. It gives a whole new meaning to SIT/ STAY.
I was so taken with it, that I whipped out my camera phone to take a photo. While I was doing so, people were peering to see what I was photographing. When one lady realised there was a dog in the car, she, too, took out her camera phone and snapped a pic, lol. It was quite funny. I wonder what the dog thought of us. It was almost as if he was posing for us…
And a close-up. Isn’t he just gorgeous?
Note: The Spar in question is a QWIKSPAR (a mini-supermarket). People typically spend no more than ten minutes in it, doing their shopping. So the dog didn’t have long to wait. The car (with the dog) was gone by the time Michael and I came out again.
Three impossible things…
…
3 impossibilities in the world.
- You can’t count your hair.
- You can’t wash your eyes with soap.
- You can’t breathe when your tongue is out.
Now please put your tongue back inside, you look like a dog… 
