A Weekend of Planes, Parties and Play-Dates in Joburg

This last weekend, was one of the first times that I've looked forward to going to Joburg - probably because I no longer live there and it was for a special occasion and Frosty was coming with me! But still, it was lovely to actually look forward to flying to Joburg.

My cousin, having recently celebrated a milestone birthday, managed to organise a weekend to have a family party that allowed not only most of the South African contingent to get together to celebrate, but we also had my aunt and uncle out from Australia who were also able to partake in the celebrations! 

It was such a treat to stay with a different cousin and her adorable son (who, for a two and a half year old, has a vocabulary that almost rivals mine), along with my folks, and then to spend a day catching up with all of the different family members, extended family members and family members who aren't blood-relatives, but who looked after me so well while I was in Benoni. 

Since most of my cousins are older than me, there were kids galore at the party. I was battling to remember all the names (and I'm related), but I got there in the end. At the next family gathering, Frosty (and probably my dad) are getting tested on all the cousin-kids, I think if they start swotting now they might pass! 

On Sunday we spent the day with a dear friend of both Frosty and myself. Tea at her house, lunch at a market and then, a few hours before we flew back to Cape Town, we spent some time at the Walter Sisulu Botanical Gardens which was absolutely stunning! There were people with a telescope pointed at the nest of a breeding pair of Verreaux's Eagles (Black Eagles) that is situated alongside the waterfall. We took a peek through the telescope before following the geological path which took us on a lovely walk.

All in all it was a great weekend away and such a treat to be able to catch up with family and friends from afar.

Waterfall at the Walter Sisulu Botanical Gardens.
Who would have thought that we would find a waterfall
in the middle of Joburg? It's definitely worth a visit if you
haven't been before!

Balloch Wedding

Balloch

I'll hie me away to Balloch, 

The sweet and lovely glen - 

Deep hidden in the mountains grand,

Far from the haunts of men.

There's healing there for wounded hearts - 

A balm for every pain;

And if you've been to Balloch once, 

You'll sure go back again

It's lovely in the summer time

Beneath the sun's warm glow - 

It has a "happy fireside climb,"

When hills are white with snow.

For friendship true and real is there,

And love and peace do reign -

And those who've been to Balloch once, 

Are welcome back again.

The hills that compass it around

Raise rugged peaks on high,

And towering crags where eagles next

Stand out against the sky; And

Through the glen the mountain steam

Sings such a sweet refrain - 

How could you come to Balloch once, 

And not come back again?

How silently the evening falls

And stars begin to peep;

The only sounds - the river's song

And bleat the mountain sheep.

Such peace and rest in cities great,

You'll look for that in vain;

Then come with me to Balloch glen

Again, and yet again

This lovely poem decorated the tables of the guests who came to the first Frost cousin wedding at the farm; hidden away in the mountains of Barkly East in the Eastern Cape. I'm not sure of the author (does anyone know?), but I know it was written by a guest to Balloch farm and sums up the farm that is so beloved to family, friends and visitors.

As it was over Easter weekend, many families missioned to the farm to celebrate this wedding. Most made a long weekend out of it to maximise family time. What a celebration it was! Whoever thought that farms were boring have definitely never spent a New Years party (or wedding) in Barkly! True to form, the dance floor stayed packed from the time it opened until the early late hours of the following morning; the most active participants were the beautiful bride and grinning groom!

I don't think my words could do this weekend justice, so here are some pics instead.

The bridal getaway car

The whole family pitched in to help!

It was given a thorough cleaning...

... Before decorations started getting added 

Taking a break from the hard work

Exercising our lungs

Doesn't the car look grand? (And slightly tiny against
the beautiful backdrop)

Lindi and Linzi
Along with another Linzi (an actual Frost cousin) things sometimes got a bit confusing.
But scroll down to find out what was even more confusing!

A long body poplar (according to My Frost)

The groom

How cute is this little guy?

The lovely bride

These guys were just too adorable

Drinks and snacks under the cave

Wedding cake - mmm, delish!

Frosty and I.
Pretty much everyone is called Frosty in this family! It gets very
confusing when you hear all the girlfriends/wives talking about Frosty,
but you get used to it pretty quickly.

Frost Cousins
Marion, Frosty, Thelma, Frosty, Frosty, Rich, Frosty (Linz), Kev, Kirst, Frosty, Frosty
(See what I mean - and these are only the cousins!!!!!)

Balancing Rocks

Scotty and Lindi

Frosty and I

Our smart servers - love the bow-ties!

Keeping the party going!

Workplace Heros

I started writing this ages ago and found it when I was scrolling through drafts of posts - enjoy!

At my factory our jobs are hard. We're the factory that the whole business has been complaining about, week after week, for months. They 
forget that we've just completed major project, and have more projects coming, that will require us to somehow keep the factory running at full production even though we're changing major aspects of the factory.

Among the people in my team, there are those who stand out to me as workplace heroes. They are the guys who get called in at all times of the day and night to fix something that isn't theirs to fix. The guys who are in the top 10 of my favourite dialled list, just because I know that if I call them, they will be able to give me advice and help me out. The guys who have smiles on their faces whether it's 2am or 2pm. 

They somehow manage to still be interested and crack jokes with you after a frustrating session of problem solving and they're the guys who never stop learning and asking questions.

These guys are the ones who keep our factories running under hugely stressful work conditions. They're the ones who get by on minimal sleep because everyone else calls them when they have an issue. The ones who get called when people don't know what to do next. The guys who somehow still manage to be patient when explaining something they've explained a thousand times before, to a fresh-faced university graduate with no idea what's potting.

They're the guys you want on your team when you're faced with a problem that you have no idea how to fix.

I've now left this team behind and saying goodbye to these guys was something that I was not looking forward to. At the start I wasn't sure how I would fit into the team. When I left - one of them told me that when you work in this team, you become like family. This post is for those guys in my factory maintenance family - I learnt so much from all of you and am honoured to have worked side by side with you!

A Thought on Friendship

We all have those friends. The ones who you don't see for months, or even years. The ones who leave you feeling energised and excited about life. The ones where you can spend hours chatting and never run out of things to say. 

Often, we don't see those friends as much as we would like. But, perhaps, that's part of the mechanisms of that particular friendship. These are the friends that did their growing up with you. They went through the whole "awkward teenage" stage with you and stuck around to make sure you were staying true to yourself. People who you feel comfortable enough admitting your quirks to and who will then tease you mercilessly for those aforementioned quirks whenever they appear. You are honest with each other even when you know that the other person may not necessarily approve, but they'll love you anyway. They've become your "stand-in" siblings and though not related by blood, you consider them family.

These friends know your secrets, they know the essence of who you are. You are incredibly different, yet remarkably similar. They challenge you, bring you down to earth and encourage you to spread your wings. They introduce you to new topics and ideas that you have never heard of before.

It's friends like these that keep life interesting and varied. Without them our lives would be incredibly one-dimensional and our outlooks would stagnate. But with them in our lives are enriched, made more colourful and we continually grow and learn from each other. 

I have quite a few friends like this and in the past month I have been lucky enough to see two of them. They were the inspiration for this particular post. However, this post is dedicated not only to these two friends, but to all my friends out there that I don't see or talk to very often but who enrich my life just by being a part of it. Xxx

Dinner with my non-blood related twin in Joburg a few weeks ago

Visiting my DDS (dearest darlingest sister) in Tzaneen over New Year

Faerie Wookies and Ticklish Toenails

Here's a summary in minimal words and photographs of my time in KZN, Mpumalanga and Limpopo. Words will be added at a later stage after I've recovered from my holiday!

Left Joburg for Hilton. Chill time at home. Swimming. Tanning. Christmas tree. Presents. Family time. Food for ages. Puddings. Christmas present stealing. Catching up with friends. Chilling with the folks. Movie night. Wine and supper on the veranda.

Left Hilton, collected Karen, night in Mtunzini and said hello to Cheesecake.

Left for Baberton and arrived. Driving. Awesome sunset - it just kept getting better. 

Hike to tallest peak in Swaziland. Planking. Faerie Wookies, PJ parties and painted, ticklish toenails. Blurry vision (resulting in blurry photos). Dancing. Singing along in squeaky voices. Champagne popping. 360 degree turns with a halfway stop.

Driving. Kaapsche Hoop. Windy roads and queezy stomachs. Pancakes for breakfast, lunch and pudding! Walks that were "just a little bit further" to see magnificent views.

Tzaneen. Tropical. Baobab Tree.Not desert-like at all! Catch ups with friends. Walks looking at cool birds. Finding strange fruits. 

Driving. Blyde River Canyon. Drie Rondawels. Bourke's Luck Potholes. Graskop. Berlyn Peacock Tavern. Louis our host. Ria the African Grey. Victorian era decor. Yummy meals.

Driving. Pilgrims Rest. Harries Pancakes. Berlyn falls. Lisbon Falls. (Girls like Waterfalls). Mac-Mac Falls. God's Window. Tropical walks. Baby bird with broken foot. 

Dullstroom. Elandsfontein Trout Farm. Camping. Dams. Donkeys braying in the middle of the night. Biggest Clock Shop in SA.