Bonsai Bonanza!

No, it's not an Australian Public Holiday, although it certainly sounds like one!

I have always been fascinated by the art of bonsai. When I was little I planted an acorn in a very small flower pot, and it grew! When the root pushed through the hole at the bottom of the pot, my dad said that I should cut it off and keep cutting it if it grew again. After a while (not sure how long actually, it's all a tad hazy!!), I ended up with a tiny oak tree, in a very small pot. I loved it and watered it and kept cutting the root. And then it died!

So, now to the point of the story!

Yesterday we drove to Cape Town to do a transfer from the Kirstenbosch area to Riebeek Kasteel. And because we were a little early, we went to have a cup of coffee at the cafe in the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. I had never been there before, so Rob promised that we would go again and spend the day as there is so much to see.

The mountains were shrouded in mist.

Dark Clouds and Silver Linings!

You may have noticed a gap between my last writing and this one!

The reason?

I have been away! I went to Knysna and spent a wonderful few days with both my children and one amazing grandchild!

It was supposed to have been a few weeks ago, the end of July to be precise, but incompetency ruled the day.

So I guess I shouldn't mention the idiotic ruling about children travelling with one parent. I am not going to dwell on the fact that the Embassy in Madrid gave him the wrong information regarding the necessary documentation, or that the requirements changed between then and him boarding the plane. So, I shan't bore you with the fact that they were not allowed to fly when they should have flown, or that it cost a fair amount to change the tickets and the planes were full for the next two weeks, or even that Andrew missed his dad's birthday (the whole point of his visit actually!) And I shall be very quiet about my anger, frustration and sadness when I received the message from him at Madrid airport to say 'They won't let me on the plane and I'm not joking.' (And the words 'bungling inefficiency' will never cross my lips!)

Anyway, the Silver Linings................ He managed to re-book his holiday and he was able to spend two more days with us in Knysna! And I still had my holiday to look forward to when really it was supposed to have come and gone!

IBD!

No, the title has nothing to do with the Illicit Buying of Diamonds. Have a look at the picture below, it will give you a clue!!

Beer!!! (Pic thanks to Google)

Beers. Lots of them.

And with good reason, because Friday is International Beer Day!It was founded in 2007 in Santa Cruz, California (where else?) and until 2012 it was celebrated on the 5 August, regardless of what day of the week it fell on! Then, somebody with some sense decided that it was probably not a good idea to have it on a working day when there was another working day to follow! So, it is now celebrated on the first Friday in August, thereby having a weekend to recover before work on Monday!

Cheers! (Pic thanks to Google)

Having said all that, International Beer Day is celebrated in 207 cities in 50 countries on 6 continents and has three purposes (apart from having a good excuse to go out and get smashed!)

1. To gather with friends and enjoy the taste of beer.
2. To celebrate those responsible for brewing and serving beer.
3. To unite the world under the banner of beer by celebrating beers of all nations together on a single day.