Day 221 - Jaco? Are You There?

Today is a short post. I slept late - I love sleeping in on sea days! Jaco worked ALL DAY. I unpacked & managed to use up very little space! Look at me go! I can downsize! There's always hope! I took some photos of the cabin for your viewing pleasure... Hopefully you'll get a feel for what it's like. 


I watched some TV - mostly bizarre movies & a few good nature programs. I helped Jaco type a few things, organized the cabin a bit more - arranged Jaco's clothes closet. Oh the excitement! I visited with a few more people & disappointed a few more... Those that were looking for Valentina & not me! 


I managed to find Daniela to say goodbye. I'm going to miss her, even though I'm only onboard for a few more days than her! She's such a wonderful person & she has a big heart. One day I'll visit her! Safe travels my friend... Valentina misses you! Oh, see the photo of us below. I've got a wig coming that will make me look like her twin sister - no lie! :o)


Enjoy your tour of the cabin... It's the biggest 'house' we've lived in so far! :o)
xxxxx
Maria & Jaco

Daniela - Isn't she beautiful!?

Daniela & Giuseppe

The entrance

Walking down the corridor

Turning the corner

Corner turned

Sitting room with sofa bed

Desk & TV - watching really heart wrenching movie with DeNiro & his kids don't take time for him - Don't know the name, but I bawled like a baby!

Chairs & plant?

En route to bathroom & bedroom. Dual closets on right, mirror & drawers on left.

Massive bathroom cabinet

Told you it was big!

Really! It's huge!

Shower

Bathtub - very rare on a ship!

Toilet. They are all vacuum packed! A comedian on ships always makes the joke that you can get out of the shower dripping wet, flush the toilet & you're bone dry! :o)

Drawers & mirrors opposite from closets

Into the bedroom

Comfy big bed! 

The ONE & ONLY area of the room I didn't tidy up before photos!

Day 220 - And There He Is!!!

Why do mornings always come so soon? I never get enough sleep! Unless I go to bed at 9 or something! I was nice & toasty under the covers, so I wasn't excited to get out! However, Karen & Werner have in-floor heating in the bathroom downstairs, so my tootsies were toastie if nothing else!!! I regret not taking a photo of their bathroom! It looks so awesome! Next time!!! 


The shower even has a corner cupboard to keep shampoos, soaps, etc. What a clever idea! The soap doesn't get soggy that way! And they have a smart flush toilet. I remember I saw my first water saving toilet in Australia. Another ingenious idea. Why doesn't Canada have these toilets EVERYWHERE!


Anyhow, finally out of the loo & ready for the day, I packed up the rest of my stuff, including my hard drive that Werner so wonderfully loaded with movies & shows! Yay! (More Big Bang Theory!)


We hit the road & headed for downtown Victoria. We were stopping at the grocery store for a few items I wanted for the ship & then to Booster Juice for a smoothie. Thank you for the Canadian Colada, btw! Stinkers!


We headed for the ship, but our route was slightly altered. Apparently there was a bike race in town today. No biggie. My heart started to race a little when I couldn't see the ship. I had fleeting moments of panic. Did I get the day wrong? Was he here yesterday? I hadn't checked my emails! What if I missed him!? And then, there it was! I could breathe a sigh of relief! It was the right day & my baby was just a few moments away! Yippee!


Werner parked in his usual spot - they've visited the pier many times before! Either to visit his brother, Nico, or Nico's girlfriend, Talia, or dropping me off to see Jaco... We all hugged goodbye & I told them I'd see them in a few days when the ship was back. They watched from the pier until I'd made it onto the ship. (See photo below & try to find them!) :o) 


Of course, everyone was more concerned about Valentina & her whereabouts than they were me. The disappointment in their eyes when I told them she was at home for training!  Once onboard, I couldn't find Jaco! The paging system wasn't working & he didn't answer his door! He had told me a few days before that he might try & go ashore, but the A-Pass system said he was still onboard. 


Finally he answered his phone. He'd been in the shower! Oh, it was so good to see him again! I swear he gets more & more handsome each time I see him! We had a wonderful visit for the afternoon & then it was clinic time for him. He was VERY busy this cruise & there was no end in sight! I ventured upstairs to find Eddie. 


Oh he has quite the dramas... Apparently US Customs & Border Patrol decided to pick on him when the ship was in San Francisco last. There were a few Argentinian crew members on a completely different cruise line that jumped ship in San Francisco a week or so ago. CBP decided to make ALL Argentinian crew stay onboard for an unknown period of time. Because if all my friends jumped off the bridge, I would too. Oh the lack of common sense drives me batty! To make matters worse, Canadian CBP held him onboard today in Victoria. Why? Because the US CBP told them to! Ridiculous! Hopefully he'll get his I-95 back soon. It sucks to be stuck onboard & he has some good friends in Alaska that he enjoys meeting up with.


I also ventured down to the shops & to my surprise, Maria, a shoppie from Portugal was there! She had joined the day I left in Florida & I knew her from the Dawn Princess a couple years back. We had a great visit & she's been to some amazing places since I saw her last! She was telling me about CAT sized RATS in China. I still shudder at the thought of it! Yuck!


Of course, I saw Daniela. She was so sad when I told her I didn't bring Valentina. Valentina loved her so much. Every time I would go back to the cabin with Valentina, she's smell like J'Adore, Daniela's perfume. And she LOVED Daniela's cuddles! Daniela was heading home to Macedonia in a few days time. She was VERY excited to be finishing up her contract. I know that feeling!!


Jaco was busy with work & I was happy when he finally finished up & we were able to spend a little time together. I told him I'd help him tomorrow with whatever I could... At least that way I could see him - hopefully! He's a hard workin' man these days!


Sleep well & see you at sea!
xxxxx
Maria & Jaco

Can you see Karen & Werner? Thanks for a great time guys!

My hubby, hard at work!

Eddie, 'grounded' at sea

Busy moments at the bar. Can you see the orange elbow on the right hand side? This horribly annoying little kid & his non-disciplining Mom came by for a coke & coffee. The kid couldn't whistle to get Eddie's attention, so instead he squealed. Loudly. High-pitched. One more whistled & he was going to walk the plank!!! :o)

Day 219 - Ferry Rides & Pony Rides

It felt strange to sleep without Valentina OR Jaco. I woke up when I heard Ross & Krystle's door open & there they were, dressed to the nines! They had a wedding to go to today, so I was going to meet up with Milla, who was also in Vancouver for the weekend, and then when Ross & Krystle came back after the wedding, they were going to take me out to the ferry terminal to head over to Victoria. 


I took a photo of the happy couple & away they went. Not long after, I got a call. They were early for the wedding. This meant that they wouldn't be back in time to take me out to the ferry terminal, but more importantly, to say goodbye! :o( I called Milla & she came to the rescue! Her & Deric agreed to take me out to the ferry. Phew!


The crazy part was that Krystle had left me her phone & her keys. When Ross called her phone to tell me they wouldn't be back, he suggested I ask Milla if she could take me. I said I'd call her & then call Ross back. It wasn't until I hung up that I realized I didn't know Ross' number & I had NO CLUE how to use here Blackberry! It took me awhile to figure out how to find Ross' number... Luckily she'd called him recently!!! :o) Then Margarita texted Krystle's phone to ask how I was getting to the ferry, not realizing I had the phone. I managed to type a text back, but when I went to find send, my message disappeared! Again, luckily Krystle had recently called her Mom & I was able to phone her & let her know I was taken care of! Oh the dramas of modern technology!!! I guess maybe it's time I got a cell phone! :o) (Hello iPhone 4)


I met Milla & her boyfriend, Deric, at the mall & we made a quick stop at Jugo Juice & then loaded up the luggage & headed out on the highway. Milla & Deric were in for a concert & Milla wanted to do a little shopping on Robson St. We had a great visit out to the ferry terminal & a few big hugs & goodbyes later, we were headed in opposite directions. Milla & I also worked on ships together & I witnessed her first Italian boot purchase in Napoli at Le Fate Scalze (the barefoot fairy). While I checked the link, I saw I missed the photos of their Spring 2010 collection. Sigh. I should be in Italia, photographing their summer line. Next year. Anyhow, back on track... Milla! We said goodbye & I headed off towards the ferry. Just in time, as we left the dock about 2 minutes after I sat down! Close call!


I love the ferry rides. Although I didn't enjoy much coastal scenery - I slept the whole way! I woke up & we were pulling into the harbour! Whoops! Karen & Werner were there to meet me on the other side. Werner is from South Africa & I used to date his twin brother. Karen is from Victoria & they met when Werner was studying at UVIC. She was at a friend's party & Werner's distant relatives lived on the same street. They had invited him to come along. Karen was supposed to be introduced to a local fellow, but when she heard a South African was coming, she was all ears. Karen had been to East Africa recently & the rest is history! You'll be hard pressed to find a more well suited match. They look good together, they are considerate & thoughtful of one another, & these two have so much fun together, you can't help but have fun too! 


I was excited to see their home. They bought it a few years ago, but have done MAJOR renovations. Wow! It had definitely changed since my last visit... which was last July. The main entrance was finished, the bathrooms up & downstairs... I know who I'm calling if I ever need reno advice!! Karen has classy taste & I like her style... Even if I didn't I wouldn't write it here because she's a black belt in Karate! :o) 


Werner (Vairrrr-nur) dropped Karen & I off at a friend's place & he went to town to get supper groceries. Karen & I were going to ride some horses. Karen rides English & last week she rode a gelding with a few separation issues. He tried to buck her off! Way to go Cowgirl & stay on! So she asked me if I would like to ride one of the mares while she attempted the bronc again. I ride western & luckily they had a saddle to suit me. Now, I haven't ridden since (?) Chile? South America last January 2009? As luck would have it, the mare was in heat & apparently Dudly Studly had tried to mount the mare, Sunny, earlier in the day. GREAT! There's only one mount allowed on the horse at a time & if she's saddled, I'm it!!! 


We got on our horses & Karen looks at me & smiles, as she says something I completely couldn't understand. I racked my brain - Spanish, no, French, no, hmm, Afrikaans! I had no clue what she just said! 'Huh?' came my reply. 'Are you ready?' was the sentence. Apparently I haven't been learning enough! :o) 


I was quite nervous, as I haven't ridden a horse in heat with other horses around, so I wasn't too sure what I was in for. Apparently mares in heat urinate A LOT more, as every 2-5 minutes, she would stop & mark her territory. 'I'm over here boys!' Great. The pen was quite small, compared to the wide open fields of the prairies I grew up on, so we weren't in a dead run or anything. We mostly walked around, Karen trotted around a little, trying to get 'Studly' to collect. I jogged a little bit, but after awhile, the hormones kicked in & my mare began throwing her head around & wringing her tail. Sorry, no fight in this Cowgirl. We decided to get off & attempt lunging the gelding. 


I've lunged my old horse, Cactus, before, but it was in a round pen. Here, we had a LONG lunge line & that was it. The horse knew exactly what he was supposed to do, but we didn't. I didn't know how to make him stop or slow down & he didn't take long to hit a lope! After we dug up a dirt circle, we decided to call it a night. We bid our (trusty) steeds farewell & went inside the house to call Werner to swing by with the 'wagon'. :o)


Karen & Fred, the owners of the farm, had quite the taxidermy display. Fred is an avid hunter & I can honestly say, I've never seen a collection of animals quite like it! Wow! Poor Karen was mortified, as she is vegetarian & loves all God's critters. Don't get me wrong, I do too, but for a select few creepy crawlies! Fred knows Cody Robbins - I guess it's a small world! 


Werner soon picked us up & we were on our way back to their home. We enjoyed some great visits & a wonderful dinner, although I took my pills too close to dinnertime & I ended up feeling quite sick half way through the delicious meal! I felt terrible to waste all that food! I was so impressed with Werner's gentlemanly ways... Karen & I were visiting & she had a glass of apple juice. It was nearly finished & Werner grabs it without saying a word & refills it. He put it back in front of Karen, while her & I kept right on talking. She didn't even ask! How thoughtful! I was impressed! Boys! Take note! Werner has his Doctorate in Mathematics. If you want to solve anything, ask him! 


We chatted about their cat, Sahara, their upcoming trip to the UK & Rome, and a plethora of things in between! I sure wish they lived closer - I always enjoy my visits with them!


Anyhow, pretty soon, we were all a little sleepy. I was excited for tomorrow, but I didn't have any troubles falling asleep! 


Lekker slaap,
Maria & Valentina
xxxxx

Mama & Papa To Be!

It's a BEAUTIFUL belly!

Milla & Deric

On the ferry

My own private island. Sigh.

A sweeter private island!

Arriving in Victoria

Karen & the horse who's name I've forgotten! C-something

Apres-ride

Winter provisions

Fred & Karen's gorgeous Irish Setter

The Paddock

Werner the Chef

Sahara wanting out. Again. :o)

Day 218 - Downtown with the Browns!

I've decided 5.5 hrs of sleep isn't near enough! After being rear ended & driving home in a blinding slush/snow storm at 1/2 the speed limit, having to wake up at 0600 is just not my idea of a rockin' good time.


Nonetheless, I haul my butt outta bed & get everything packed up. I was off to the coast to see Jaco for a mere 4 days. Our last chance to see each other before I'm deep in the throngs of chemotherapy. Yay. Thankfully WestJet had a seat sale, otherwise it was a no go! 


I was quite upset, as when I arrived home, I hadn't felt well & my neck was HUGE. I had decided to cancel my trip to San Francisco to see Jaco & Ami & her family. I was very bummed about having to do this. I had also dashed any hopes of flying to the coast to see Jaco the following week. By the time I had spent enough time at home, resting & getting on track with me supplements, my neck had gone down a lot & softened up. However, my flight to California would have been, gulp, $1000!!! I was shattered. I managed to talk to Ami a few times & there is a glimmer of hope that I can still see her in September when she's back for her best friend's wedding. FINGERS CROSSED!!!


So, with Westjet on my side, I booked a record low flight to Vancouver & back from Victoria. I think it was $270 return. (!!!) Mom took me to the airport for 0745 & as luck would have it, my flight was delayed by an hour. I called Krystle & let her know not to dash off for the airport anytime soon! When I landed in Vancouver, OH MY GOSH!!!! I was so excited to see her! She is due with Baby Boy Brown in August & she has the most beautiful belly & is the most beautiful pregnant Mama I've ever seen! Krystle & Ross were colleagues from ships, but since we've left ships, our friendships have grown & I'm so grateful for them both! 


Krystle took me to a place where she gets her eyebrows threaded. I had previously heard of it, but never had it done. I'm VERY particular about my eyebrows & generally only go to the same girl at Merle Norman to have them waxed. When Krystle told me it was only $5 & I'd most likely be losing them during chemo, I thought, why not? It was so cool! It didn't hurt a bit & the lady was so fast! At first I didn't recognize myself - debushing accomplished - but the more & more I looked at them, I realized I finally had beautiful eyebrows! Yay! I'm hooked! Now I just need to find a place in Calgary!


Our next stop was her Mom's house. Krystle has the most wonderful mother. She is an amazing woman, with so many talents! She sewed ALL of the bridesmaid dresses for Krystle's wedding & each one was a different style. She's the kind of person you feel like you've known forever & you're completely comfortable being around them... We didn't stay at the house for long, as we were off to IHOP for lunch. We were meeting Krystle's sister, Mikita, & her niece, Camilah, there. Mikita is due two months after Krystle & she is also having a boy! They will be like brothers! I couldn't believe how much Camilah has grown! She has the cutest little smile & listening to her talk made me smile... Her high pitched little 'Hey!' Melt my heart!


We strolled through the mall close to Krystle & Ross' place & visited Krystle's aunt for a moment. We headed back to Margarita's house & we enjoyed a cup of tea & cookies, while having some chats about this & that. Before we knew it, it was 5 o'clock! Krystle & I headed to Metrotown for a little shopping - Krystle knows all of my weaknesses! But she also finds me the BEST deals! I found a necklace with an old family seal on it. It's a dagger with French writing around it. Translated it means, 'Courage without fear'. I figured that was definitive of my months to come. It will be the first necklace I will wear regularly in over 2 years! I can't wait to have a 'normal' neck again!


We headed home to their new condo. Ross came down & met us at the car. Oooooh! So excited to see the Proud Papa!!! Their new pad is gorgeous!!! I'm so excited for them! They showed me the baby's room, the BBQ patio, Krystle's ever-creative decorating touches, and WOW! The stunning canvas from their PERFECT wedding day! Krystle, again, creative, put together a beautiful wedding album of all their favourite moments from the day. She did an amazing job! I wish you could see a digital copy of it! You can check out her photography here: http://www.krystleimages.com 


We watched an episode of GLEE & the Big Bang Theory. I think I'm a closet nerd, because I really loved the Big Bang Theory! I laughed out loud! I was very impressed with Ross' setup. He had the TV connected to the computer so Krystle & I watched GLEE while he monitored his other downloads! Nice! Oh & we enjoyed a loaded baked potato during our feature presentation! :o)


Pretty soon it was bed time... They made the couch into the craziest sofa bed ever! I was so tired from a full day of adventure! It didn't take long before I was out for the count. 


Lekker slaap!
Maria & Valentina
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Light packing!

Eyebrow threading

What a gorgeous little girl!

She's a heart breaker!

Chillin' at the Pad!

Krystle's crazy talents!

Day 217 - Running Around In The Snow

Okay, so last night I fell asleep to the sound of rain. I love to hear the rain & have a nice cool room while I'm snuggled deep under the covers. I have a window right next to the bed, so I opened it up a little bit & listened to the drops come splashing down. 


I woke up to the sound of rain & admired at how green everything looked. I love the miracle of Spring & how quickly things transform. Sadly, my admiration turned to disbelief as I looked out the window a few hours later & saw the rain transforming to SNOW! Ugh! Seriously? Yup.


It snowed all afternoon & through the night. Blah. So not excited about that! Mom & I went to town for the late afternoon & luckily it was only raining in the city. I managed to tick all the things off my list (on my handy iPod!). I picked up my engagement ring, as the stone was loose & luckily it was just a prong & not a chipped stone! Gasp! They polished it up & it looks brand spankin' new! Feels like I'm newly engaged again!! :o) 


I stopped at the bank & the teller was so sweet! We visited about wigs & weaves & she's going to include me in her prayers. How thoughtful! I told her I'm going to come back & show off some of my wigs... :o) I haven't been banking at the TD very long, but they are so friendly! I have yet to have a negative experience there! And they're open late & on Saturdays!!! Is there any question I've found a good bank? Especially after the CIBC omitted a digit on my cheque! Ha ha... That will keep my chuckling for a long time!


Next stop - Chinook. (For those of you reading from overseas, it's actually pronounced 'Shin-ook' (ook as in hook)) (It's a warm dry wind that blows down the east side of the Rocky Mountains during winter months.) If you're lucky, it melts MOST of the snow & then refreezes as slippery ice & then it snows again, leaving parking lots & streets a disaster to navigate! One of Calgary's bigger malls is called Chinook Centre. I popped into SportChek to see what kind of stuff they had for the World Cup. It's in South Africa this year & I thought I could find Jaco something with the South African flag on it. All they had was a t-shirt in a hideous shade of yellow. Never mind. Their flag is really pretty...

I was returning a luggage weigh scale that I used once in Mexico & then it broke. The lady wouldn't give me a refund & offered me a credit. I told her I had great luggage & enough handbags & wallets to last a lifetime. (Don't tell Jaco the handbag thing - a gal can NEVER have too many!) :o)  Mom had went to a restaurant to order some supper to go. I left the shop without my refund or credit & also forgot my keys there! I found Mom sitting at Starbucks. The restaurant was closed for renovations! Doh! I realized the keys were missing about now. We walked all the way to the other end of the mall & sure enough, there they were. As we left the shop, Mom pointed out the kiosk outside. They sold wigs. I told Mom, 'Nah, they're not my style & they are fake & they are expensive.' She said, 'No, come here. Look.' She pointed to the name of the kiosk - Oceana. Hah! Imagine that! We made our way back to the car & left the city.


We headed towards Longview. Tonight was Fawna's evening with some spiritual speakers from Australia. Of course we arrived late. I wasn't sure where exactly it was & I phoned Fawna's house to see if her husband was home & could tell us where to go. Her daughter answered the phone & I nearly bust a gut from laughing. Here's a recap of the conversation:
'Hello?'
'Hi, Fawna?'
'No, she's not here.'
'Oh, is your Dad there?'
'No, he's with my Mom.'
'Oh. We're supposed to be going to the event your Mom has arranged this evening, but I'm not sure of the location. Do you know where it is?'
Okay, this is the one that got me. In a totally posh British accent, she says:
'I'm not sure of the specific location of the exact event you are referring to.'
Are you kidding me?? I'm sure she's only about 8 or 10 years old!!! Too funny!


Anyhow, we found the place & of course, we were only 40 minutes late. The couple that were speaking were most talking about the Course In Miracles & how it had changed their life. The wife had just wrote a book & the husband did most of the talking. He was quite entertaining! We finished up about 2230 (!) & then headed home.


Before we left, we let the dogs out for a wee. While they were sniffing around, I hear this REALLY LOUD 'CRACK'! behind me. I turn around to see that someone has just SMASHED into my car!!! Oh no!!!! Poor Contemplate!!! I go over to inspect the damage & sure enough there is a big dent in the back bumper & there were bits of shattered plastic lying on top of the bumper from the license plate area. The trunk was also open. I tried to close it. Nope. Again. Nope. Again. Repeat 60 times. Nope. Oh dear. I know it gives me hassle from time to time, but NEVER this much!!! Finally it closes. The lady gives me her address & phone number & I am to call her with the cost of repairing the damages.


We drive home. It's a freaking blizzard. The slush is lying on the road & splashes up over the car, pulling it all over the road & making visibility zero. Add in the falling snow & the visibility is less than zero. (Negative visibility?) We drove about 60km/h the whole way home. I chatted with Jaco for a large chunk of it.


I just don't think he gets it. I tell him it's snowing (on the 27th of May) & he says, 'Oh, cool. That must be beautiful. You must enjoy it!' Are you kidding me? Does he have any idea how stressful driving in this 'stuff' is?!? Pretty? It's dark out & you can't see a bloody thing!!! And this is why I don't want to live in Canada!!!! I'll take an Australian dust storm any day!!!! And the debate goes on...


We arrived home about midnight, with a fair bit of organizing to do before the 0530 wake up call for tomorrow... Wish me luck, it's going to be a short sleep! xxxxx


Maria & Valentina

Oh so pretty.

Blah.

Not cool for the end of May!

Day 217 - Post Hiatus

I'm happy to report that today was a much better day & even though it was snowing most of the day, there were still plenty of sunny patches, if only in my mind! :o) I'm away for another week... I'll do my best to stay caught up, but seeing as this is a really short night for sleep...


Tttttttttthat's all folks!


xxxxx
Maria & Valentina

Day 216 - Grumpy Pants

Today will be another short post. Clearly I woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Everything I touched or did, fell apart. 


I attempted editing Mom's day planner layout. I changed all the little corner calendars (52 of them) & when I finished, I realized I'd changed the dates to 2012, not 2011. Grr. Then I had to change the fold-out calendar at the back. Thinking I would save time, I copied 2011 to take the place of 2010 & then I would only have to change 2010 to 2012. I was halfway through 2011 when all the text disappeared. I could NOT get it back. Then the shortcut for pasting an object into place quit working - half way through my re-editing edit. 


My pills gave me a nice flush, followed by some nausea, then some heat in my face, followed by EXTREME itching on my neck. Seriously, I wanted a straight jacket & the fetal position.


I have so much to do to get ready to leave on Friday & tomorrow is a late night. I wanted to get to town, but by the time I finished the edits, it was too late. Now tomorrow will be a rat race to get it all done. 


I tried to pack most of my things, but as usual, I have too much stuff. You'd think it would be easy to take one bag for 7 days. Ha! I'll revisit it sometime tomorrow? Hopefully?


Oh yeah, Jaco called & his procrastination caught up with him & it's a hefty price to pay. Then I found out that I overpaid on my Westjet flights, as they have a seat sale on right now. They won't price match, but instead wanted to charge me the $50 change fee, which ends up costing me more. Then I discovered that the companies I ordered my wigs from has double charged me! One company I couldn't even finish the order because of shipping/billing address complications & they still charged me! CHEEKY!!!


Lastly, the straw that broke the camel's back... It really urks me when people call & ask how I am. Okay, I get that people are concerned about my health & if I've kicked cancer's butt. BUT(T), sometimes the people doing the asking aren't really concerned. They just go through the motions, to be polite. It really bothers me that they don't even ask to talk to me or email me or leave me a comment on the blog... They ask my mother. Call me crazy, but it just REALLY TICKS ME OFF. Yeah, it's a bad day & maybe tomorrow I won't mind so much. I asked Mom to be vague. Be nonspecific. They don't need to know the details. Just tell them I'm fine. If I'm on my deathbed, then we'll let them know I'm not so good. In the meantime, read the stinkin' blog & send some prayers or white light this way. (Perhaps prayers for patience?) :o) I started the blog so I wouldn't have to send 40 emails a day & tell everyone the exact same thing. It's the same for Mom. She's got a million & one things to do... Next time you call, ask her about her 'nitty-gritty's' & see how vague & non-specific she becomes! Okay, last comment & then I'll stop... It's very RUDE to talk about someone when they are in the same room or within earshot, even if you're concerned about their wellbeing. FULL STOP.


Alas, the blog has now evolved into an 'online journal' of sorts. It's a way for me to de-stress, unwind & express what's been happening. I know some of you read it faithfully & I am grateful for that!


On that horribly not-so-positive note, I'm going to get some shut eye & wake up on the sunnier side of the bed tomorrow! Lekker slaap,


Maria & Valentina
xoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Okay, so fair enough, I broke the handle on the frying pan at the back of the image. It was still attached up until a few days ago. I replaced the broken one with the pan in the foreground. I'm beginning to think my Mother has a hard time letting go...

Here lies the handle from the old frying pan. I replaced the frying pan in March. I'm just sayin'...