Road Tripping Joys ♥

There is just something about a road trip, especially a road trip on a grey rainy day...

 

It's not often we are able to explore a different part of our beautiful country, so whenever the opportunity arises, it is eagerly embraced.

This past Sunday saw us heading on a little roadtrip.  

It was the perfect kind of day for exploring new places and spending time huddled together in the car.

We started off driving over the Robinson Pass, but unfortunately it was shrouded in heavy fog, so we decided to drive further afield and stop in the little town of De Rust,where we had coffee and pancakes at a little coffee shop, and then drove on through the beautiful Meiringspoort Pass...

"I can't get enough of wandering. Or the earth. Some of us carry an inherent need to explore.

Textures. Fragrance. Sounds. Air. Shadows. Movement. Patterns. Light." 

- Victoria Erickson

 We stopped along the way to stretch our legs a bit and snap a few photographs.

 

"Happiness is a roadtrip."  - Unknown

^The dark clouds gave the majestic mountains a truly dramatic and somewhat ominous appearance.  

 “Road trips are the equivalent of human wings. Ask me to go on one, anywhere. We’ll stop in every small town and learn the history and stories, feel the ground, and capture the spirit. Then we’ll turn it into our own story that will live inside our history to carry with us, always. Because stories are more important than things.” 

– Victoria Erickson

 

 

At the top of the pass we decided to turn around and head back the way we came as it was getting quite late and we had been in the car for hours already...  

On the way down, we stopped at a waterfall...

 

"Wherever you go becomes a part of you somehow."  

- Anita Desai

 

   ^Can I just take a moment to mention that it was in actual fact, still raining...we felt more like adventurers because of this...  {{smiles}}

 After walking back to the car, we put the kettle on to boil - of course we took our gas burner along with us - and made coffee for the grown ups and hot chocolate for the younger ones, and ate crunchies in the beautiful great outdoors.  

I am still convinced that everything tastes so much better when one is in nature.

 And then it was time to wind our way down the pass and back to civilization...

Home and a hot supper awaited us - two of the girls opted to spend the day cosy at home - which was truly comforting after working up an appetite exploring new places all day.

"Always take the scenic route." - Unknown

I do hope you enjoyed this little glimpse into our Sunday's excursion and feel inspired to head out on a road trip sometime.  ♥

~

What have you been up to lately, friends? What are your plans for the rest of the week?

I am hoping to start a few new sewing projects...winter is fast approaching now and I am wanting to make cosy pajamas for my siblings.  I also have a couple things I want to do in the garden...

Have a blessed Tuesday further!

Kelly-Anne

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Take me to the sea...

It was the perfect evening for a quiet walk along the beach...

The air was still, and beautiful clouds touched with pink and orange filled the slowly darkening sky.

The beach was almost deserted and no sound, save the crash of the waves upon the shore, could be heard...

After visiting our dear friend in Tergniet on Sunday afternoon, we went for a walk along the beach till the sun started to go down...

 

"Live in the sunshine,

swim in the sea,

drink the wild air."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Thalassophile

(n.) a lover of the sea, someone who loves 

the sea, ocean

 

 ^Even Timmy, our rescue Jack Russel, came along for a walk...he loves the beach.

I am so glad I took my new camera along...the ocean is a wonderful place to capture beautiful moments.

There is something so deeply refreshing about being at the ocean...

"Forget not that the earth delights 

to feel your bare feet and the winds 

long to play with your hair."

- Kahil Gibran 

 

 ^Little Caleb always enjoys being at the beach, even if it is just for a walk.

 

"So be truly glad

there is wonderful joy ahead

even though you have to endure

many trials for a little while.

- 1 Peter 1:6

 ^Moments after this picture was taken and we had made our way back to the shore, this rock was completely covered in water! 

 ^Towards the end of our walk, one of the girls came across an octopus chasing a crab in one of the rock pools.  It was a incredible to witness what felt like a National Geographic moment...

 

I love making memories with my family and treasuring them for years to come.

Life goes by so fast that moments like these are precious indeed.

~

I hope that all is well in your corner of the world, dear readers!

My week is off to a fairly good start; I have an art project planned which I hope to do with the children tomorrow, and this evening little Mia is coming for a short visit.  Even though I au pair for another family now, I still keep up regular visits with Mia as the two of us have a special bond and I miss being with her each day.

And now I must be off as I want to sow pea seeds in the new patch I cleared in my garden, and I also have sweet potato runners which need to be planted.

What have you been up to lately?

Blessings,

Kelly-Anne

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September's Daybook

 A few snapshots of our September so far…

 

Outside my Window

All is quiet outside my window this pleasant Spring morning.

I am actually at the house of the couple whose baby I am watching during the week.

Little one is fast asleep after a morning of playtime, so I am soaking up the peace and enjoying a rest.

In my cup…

Rooibos tea for a change. 

Around the house…

It has now been four weeks since Dad flew back to China.

Life in our household is as busy as ever with little children doing home schooling and keeping up with the various projects we have on the go.

We are still trying to put systems in place and organise our lives, but I think this will be on-going in our big family!

Reading…

As I mentioned a couple weeks ago, I read more than one book at a time…

Currently I am busy with Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell. 

I am listening to an audiobook which allows me to “read” and get various tasks accomplished at the same time.

When I do feel like sitting down to read a book (usually while Baby is sleeping), Shirley by Charlotte Bronte is the novel I am currently enjoying. 

If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll know that I loved Jane Eyre and recently finished it.

I am also still busy with The Yearling…to be honest, I haven’t picked it up in a few weeks.

Listening to…

Celtic Woman recently released their new album, Ancient Land! 

I have their tunes playing on repeat while cooking and cleaning up after supper.

My current favourite is Moorlough Shore which you’ll just have to go listen to over here.

Thankful for…

My heart is filled with thankfulness for the way the Lord provided part time work for me. 

I absolutely love looking after this sweet baby girl during the day, and find myself refreshed and better able to cope with the noise and activity of our busy household when I come home.

I am also thankful for our new home and being able to plant a garden this spring.

From the kitchen…

I spend a lot of time in the kitchen now.

As time is quite limited, I am not always able to be all that creative or experiment with new recipes.

However, I always try to make each meal taste amazing and like to spend a few extra moments prettying up a serving.

Over the weekend we made use of our new braai area.   

For those of you who don’t know, a braai is very much a South African thing. 

I love being able to make a good fire and cook our meal over the hot coals!

Creating…

Well, despite my good intentions, I have done very little sewing or creating lately.

Each day is so full that finding time to be creative is not so simple.

There are other things to be enjoyed right now, so I am focusing on being fully appreciative of those things.

I did, however, set up my table and sewing things in a corner of the house, so now I can be creative whenever I get the chance without having to first gather my things or pack everything away afterwards

Out and about…

I haven’t been doing any exploring lately, instead I have been able to take the little ones to the library and to the local botanical gardens for a picnic.

I love being able to go out with them!

We also usually go to the Saturday morning farmer’s market for fresh veg and maybe a couple bags of compost for the garden.

Watching…

Most evenings I prefer to read or listen to my audiobook, but sometimes it is fun to sit down with a homemade rooibos cappuccino (which of my readers have had one of these?) and watch something light before heading off to bed.

I have been catching up on a few episodes of Bringing up Bates as well as some figure skating from this year’s world championship.

One of my favourite things…

Getting up early and enjoying a cup of coffee outside on the porch. 

At this time of the day, all is still (we live in a busy, noisy neighbourhood now), except for the cheerful tune of the birds as they awaken.

Dreaming of…

Sowing more seeds and planting out seedlings…and hoping the birds (and our cat) won’t destroy that which I have already planted. 

I am eagerly anticipating being able to harvest more regularly from our humble little garden. 

Already we are enjoying home-grown radish after only a month of being in our new home. 

I am hoping…

To somehow find time to start some sewing for the upcoming gift market Heartmade will be exhibiting at. 

I have added gorgeous little girl aprons and skirts, as well as gift tags and one or two other things to our product list, so now I need to sit down and make the stock!

Quiet moments…

It is a sweet joy digging in the garden; feeling the warmth of the spring sunshine on my skin, and allowing my mind to wander while pulling up weeds and planting out seedlings.

Gardening is one of my greatest joys, and now I have the added blessing of being able to share this passion with my younger sister, Gabrielle, who has lately discovered that she too has a natural affinity for tending the earth.

Well, lovely readers, I do hope all is well in your corner of the world.

What have you been up to this September?

Blessings,

Kelly-Anne

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Finding Strength...

Hello dear friends…

It may be raining this Sunday morning and the sky dark and grey, but the warm, pressing humidity reminds me that it is summertime in China and feeling sticky and frazzled this early in the day is completely normal.

I have already had my first coffee of the day and am now partly typing, partly staring out at the rain-soaked building through my bedroom window and allowing my mind to drift back over the last two years of my life.

Never in a thousand years would I have guessed that I would be living in China for four months, or that I would be wearing a moonboot and tottering around on crutches just a few weeks before flying back to South Africa.

Almost two weeks ago I went ice skating with my sisters.  We had an absolutely wonderful time but just as I set out on a last (and obviously fateful) lap around the rink before calling it a day, I tripped and the tip of my blade got stuck in the ice and down I went.

Straight away I knew that I had seriously injured my ankle, plus the level of pain that hit, almost instantaneously, was insane.

I’ll fast forward past being carried off the ice (much to my mortification), my sister frantically calling my parents to come to the ice rink and landing up at the hospital.

It always amazes me how the Lord looks after us in ways we couldn’t even imagine.

One of the coaches at the ice rink just happened to be there that day and amazingly, he spoke almost perfect English.

He went with my dad and I to the hospital and acted as our guide and interpreter.

The whole process of seeing the doctor, getting an X-ray, seeing the doctor again and having my foot put in a cast and then getting a C.T. scan done took hours, but this kind young man stayed with us the whole time.

I don’t know what we would have done had we had the added stress of having to try and explain our situation through Google translate or find our way around the hospital by ourselves.

I was told that I had fractured my fibula and advised to have surgery, but I opted out of it for several reasons.

Instead, my dad bought me a moonboot and a good pair of crutches and I was ordered to rest as much as possible so as to give the bone the best chance of healing in the shortest amount of time.

I actually couldn’t get up for the first week and am only now able to be a bit more mobile.

To say that it has been a rough two weeks would be an understatement.

It has been extremely frustrating to have to lie flat on my back and know that any hopes for any more exploring or walking is completely out of the question now and that I probably will be off my feet for about three months.

But I am slowly learning to accept it and rather focus on what I can do.

It has been wonderful to catch up on some reading as well as sort and edit photographs that have been sitting in an unmarked folder for much too long.

Now that I am feeling stronger, I am able to help the younger children with their schoolwork and read stories to little Caleb.

I find that if I think too far ahead in time, even to tomorrow, I start stressing.

I have to take this day by day and sometimes moment by moment.

And I need to be thankful that this happened at the best time it possibly could…almost three months into our visit and a month out from going home.

The Lord is good and faithful even when I feel completely unable to trust Him.

And His grace is sufficient always.

Wishing each of you a wonderful week ahead!

Blessings,

Kelly-Anne

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