A Collector by any other Name!

I like to think of myself as a Collector.

A serious collector of Memorabilia, or as my children would say, 'a hoarder of junk!' I love 'olde worlde' things and our kitchen is a showcase of days gone by!! (Except the things that really matter, like a stove, fridge, freezer, hot water, microwave, washing machine...............)

My favourite things are coffee or tea pots and old enamel jugs and bowls and various kitchen gadgets. Rob collects old wireless sets, so between us we never leave an Antique (aka junk) Shop empty-handed.

And we both love tins!

Tins above and an old radio below.

A Snake got in the Way!

Do you ever get those days where you plan to do something and then something else happens and things change? We had one of those days today! We decided to pull Gemsquash out for a bit of a wash and brush-up as we are heading off next week for a few days to give Alfie a bit of a break.

So, as we were busy outside (well Rob was busy, I was faffing about), a Traffic Police car slowly drove by and we waved and he stopped for a chat. Interestingly, it was the same officer that I spoke to yesterday in town, begging him to come and trap on our road! Anyway, as we were talking, he suddenly said 'Haai, daar's a slang in die pad!' ('Hey, there's a snake in the road') and said a hasty goodbye. And there was. A long yellow/green Cape Cobra was quietly making its way across the road and along the bottom of our neighbour's wall! Towards our house!

It saw me and I stamped my feet a few times, don't ask me why, to let it know that I was there and not happy about the direction he was moving, I think. Anyway, to cut a long story a little shorter, the snake finally wove its way into their garden and ended up behind a large bush next to the wall.

The bush where it ended up!

Dumb Drivers Driving Dangerously!

I have a question. Well, several actually!

Why is it that perfectly normal, sensible, well behaved people become utter imbeciles when they go on holiday? Why do manners get left at home along with the 9 to 5 business suits and collars and ties? Why do dads who never let their children into a car without a seatbelt, suddenly allow a 12 year old to drive? Or allow a 6 year old to perch on their lap, steering, while they work the pedals? Why do our dirt roads bring out the racing driver in someone who would never dream of driving over the speed limit in town? Why do they skid and slide round corners leaving clouds of dust in their wake to billow and drift into our homes, when they would be furious if someone did that to them?

We couldn't believe our eyes.

Stick Family Robinson!

I have a confession to make.

I bought those little cartoon stick-family stickers to put on our caravan! I first saw them when I was in Dubai last year. A friend of my daughter had her family ranged along the rear window and I thought 'how cute'. Then I forgot all about them.

There's a whole range of them!

So, when Rob (jokingly) said that we should have two old toppies and a dog on the back of Gemsquash, I thought 'why not?' So yesterday I tracked them down at the Mall on my way to work at the Hospice Shop. And guess what? Grandparents have just been added to the range! Just as well because none of the other slim, computer holding or fishing rod clutching figures would have worked for us! I bought a trousered gran wearing a hat (I don't, but the other choice was a skirted, handbag-toting gran and that's really not me), and a grandpa holding a cup of coffee. They even have wrinkles, spectacles and a saggy midriff!

Wrinkles, spectacles and a 'boep'!

Choosing an ‘Alfie’ was the most difficult! I was hoping for a dog with a tennis ball, but the choice was plain standing dog, plain sitting dog, dog with a frisbee, dog with a bone, or a fluffy poodle-type dog. So I chose the sitting dog. I debated getting cat stickers and a tortoise one too, but the cats never travel with us and I have no idea where the tortoise is right now!

Now the debate is this: should Alfie be placed between us, or should it be Rob, me and then Alfie?

'Him, Her and Me' says Alfie!

Decisions, decisions!