Closing 2011 - HAPPY CHRISTMAS

A very warm and sunny greeting all of the way from Bandolierkop. I don’t know where you are when you read this, but it is our heartfelt prayer that you are happy, surrounded by those you love, and those who love you. We pray that Christmas this year will be special for you and unlike all of the others in a very good way. May you know and experience the inner peace - that passes all understanding – that is our gift from Jesus… fresh and new every day. JohnD has a friend visiting, and the table tennis table has yet again become the source of much hilarity and challenges. He also had the opportunity to play in his very first official SATA tennis tournament, in Pieterburg… it was a two day round robin, and in his age group he came 16th . It was very good experience for him, and while he was thoroughly whipped by many good players, he will go in more confident next time. They played “sudden death” after duce, and the best of 7 games - so the games and matches were over very quickly. (Not sure if this makes sense to any of you, but never mind!)

Most of the cattle have calved – just a few more babies expected for this year, so we have loads of very adorable little ones running around and enjoying the fresh green growth of summer. We have built a small crush and milking pen at Silverbank, and have started milking two of the new first time calvers. One of them is Vanilla, the foster mommy – and the other is a very sweet cow Micaela has named Dolly. We are all enjoying the lovely fresh full cream farm milk!!!

Micaela and JohnD are enjoying the summer break from school. At the beginning of December, Micaela went off to a camp in Pretoria for 13/14 year olds, (all heading off to high school next year). She had a lot of fun, and learnt a lot! She has her school clothes washed and ready, her hostel bedding also ready, and most of her supplies that she needs. She is very much looking forward to the adventure of it all next year! They start mid January. Kobie made this beautiful quilt for her, for her hostel bed.
Our beloved Champ took a tumble off Shrek last week Wednesday and the back wheel went over him. Talk about heart stopping. He has had no less than three trips to the vet, two lots of xrays, and several injections. He is healing up nicely and much to our relief – there is nothing broken or fractured. He has been LOVING all of the TLC, and the pampering, and is recovering very well.

Here at Shi-awela we have a house full for Christmas again this year, and I wouldn’t have it any other way! We have family coming from Zimbabwe (my sister Jenny and her family), the UK, Cape Town and Johannesburg (my Aunt, cousins and their family). We can’t wait!

In closing ... may our precious Heavenly Father, bless and keep you! We look forward to all that 2012 has in store, and we pray for HIS continued blessing over you all.

Very fondly,

Ken, Jo, Micaela, JohnD, Dennis & Carol xxx

Happy Thanksgiving.

For those of you who are not familiar with the bare necked chickens that JohnD is breeding... here is a picture of him with one of his little chicks. They are quite cute... and pretty smart too (as chickens go!) He has quite a flock of them now. His hens have figured out that if they lay their eggs in the chicken run... their eggs get nicked! ;) So - they have taken to laying their eggs in the bush where we can't find them!!!

We had the delightful joy of Kim Rieman's hunt this month! She got three lovely trophies in just four hunting days... and Champ quickly figured out that she was his buddy! It was pretty hot, and many a lunch time was spent inside away from the sun and heat. Kim, we just LOVED having you - thank you so much! Thanks for setting it all up Birgit! ;)

Just to make all of you who are not here in Africa, a little jealous....

One of our Nguni cows gave birth to twins!!! :) This little one we named Krieghoff. His "mom" abandoned him in favor of the the older and bigger twin (Rigby!). We have successfully adopted him to one of the new heifers who sadly lost her calf the same night that Krieghoff was born.

Micaela and her friend Bianca celebrated her "birthday" a little early this year with camping out with Ivan and JohnD. The four of them have done this three years in a row now... I guess with all of the changes ahead next year, we don't know if they will be able to do it again!

They went off in "Shrek" for a picnic and a swim.

We are finally getting some much needed rain - gentle, soaking, consistent and wonderfully refreshing. Thank you LORD! The veld is looking amazing, and you can just hear the grass growing!

Happy Thanksgiving. We have much to be thankful for. We have much to celebrate. We have our Father God, who is faithful. We are thinking of you all, and pray you will have a blessed holiday.

Hello hello hello!!!

I'm not even going to try and apologise for the long time since my last post! Ha ha - It just does not seem to make any difference anyway! :) For those who still read this - it's worth waiting for - I PROMISE!

Yes, the long awaited trip back to Dr de Jager gave us yet another ALL CLEAR! His x-rays and his blood work all could not have been more positive, so we truly thank and praise our Heavenly Father for his faithful hand over us all. The photo above was taken just before we left.

Young Cruiser had his little "snip" operation a few weeks ago - poor chap! He was amazing, and a star patient!!! His recovery has been fantastic, but it was quite funny to watch him under the effects of the drugs... he went down like a little dog!

My Dad and Mom came to visit from Australia - and I actually had the privilege and pleasure of their company - ALL TO MYSELF. "Mommy" was with us for a week, and then headed to Cape Town to see her family there, and after "Daddy" finished in the Sudan and Zimbabwe, he came to us for ten days. It really was the first time in I can't even remember how long, that we had good quality time together, without the pressure of any thing else on the go. It was very lovely!

We had great excitement tonight, Micaela's cow has calved, and produced a beautiful little heifer. She is very pretty - and of course Micaela is in her element... Long may her farming passion continue!

She had a really great time at the All Africa Students Convention in Bloemfontein at the beginning of the month. We had enrolled her for table tennis, 200m dash, checkers and she also exhibited a painting. She came 3rd with her sprint, and actually got a nomination for the International Students Convention in the USA for next year. :) We were all delighted, but none more surprised than Micaela herself. I don't think she knows how fast she really is! Of course I've known for years, as it's me that has to try and catch her whenever she runs off!!!

I also managed to snap her on Rocky - she knows how to get him to rear on demand.... golly doesn't this make a pretty picture? !

JohnD has a very successful little crop of bare necked chickens - which he is enjoying and diligently looking after!

He has done so very well with his tennis this year, and he won the last 'round robbin' for under 12's. He was so proud of himself, and exhibited tremendous maturity under pressure. He is at the bottom left in this picture.

We have had 34mls of rain so far, and the veldt is already greening up and looking magical. Summer is finally here! :D

Big hugs to you all from Bandolierkop.

Sizzling September :D

I think I'm still too skeptical to actually pack away all of the winter woolies, but if this lovely warm weather continues, I just might be tempted!

We were blessed with a successful buffalo hunt with the return of David Jackson and his hunting buddie Joe Trapanese - much laughter and lots of fun... and LOTS of hunting too. It was very special to have Nicol, Karia and Jean back with us for this hunt too! Just like old times.

Blair & Lisa closed our season, and my what a special way to close... he brought with him a very unique and antique H&H Double: 35 WCF. We seldom see such pieces actually working, so it was a rare moment for us all.

Champ has continued true to his name, and is consistantly the hero at the end of each day.

On the home front, we are preparing to enroll Micaela into a local high school from next year, so there has been much energy spent in researching schools, and the different options open to us. We have selected Merensky High School, which was where Ken spent four very happy years. Needless to say, much will be changing for us next year.

Warming up :) "SPRING"

So what happened in August? We had the tail end of the Parker's visit, the Kwast family, Jim & Terry Beach, and the arrival of David Jackson, & Joe Trapenese... shew. That's a lot of hunting! David and Joe are with us now, and we are so enjoying all of the laughter! David hunted with us last year with his son Jeremy, and has come back this year to bag a Cape Buffalo. They had a successful hunt, and are now after all of the critters who eluded him last year! They had the unbelievable fortune of having a Cheetah make a kill right inside their camp down in Hoedspruit, during their buffalo hunt... WOW!
Michael, Quincy, Jacob and Julia from Michigan were such a pleasure to have, and the kids just HAD A BALL! Jacob enjoyed HUNTING with his folks - every waking moment and many 'sleepy' moments too! ;^) Both of the kids made excellent shots, and were a pleasure to hunt with!
Jim & Terry had a full bag hunt, and have fallen in love with Africa too - what a privilege to introduce hunters to Africa. Terry bagged her very first animal ever, making a perfect shot on an impala. Jim shot really well too, making one shot kills on all nine of his trophies!
:D Champ has been unbelievable - and has arisen as the real Champion. There is just nothing to say, other than he LOVES to hunt / LIVES to hunt. What a pleasure. He has now started getting more actively involved in the hunt... and when he feels that there is not too much success on the part of the hunters, he has on several occassions gone off and rounded up the desired quarry, and brought them into shooting range!!!!!!!
On the home front, it's warmed up a lot, and despite our experience of many years, we are all hanging back on the temptation to pack up the winter woolies, and unpack the summer cozzies.... what a pleasure to charge up on our vitamin D again, and enjoy the warmth and heat of the sun... The veld is really dry now, and dusty in many places... by about 11am - it's pretty warm out!
We are nearing the last quarter of Micaela's grade 7 year, and she would dearly like to attend a regular high school for her high school career. We are in the process of researching / looking / visiting & deciding on the various options available to us, and looking to many changes ahead in 2012. There are many factors to weigh up and consider.
I have finally managed to transfer all of my pictures on to a 2Terabite external hard drive, so my computer is a little less 'loaded', and hopefully many of my functions will be restored!!!!!
Big hugs to you all from this dry, warm and very happy place in the bush!

Fun and Games!

Well Sir, (to use the Southern term) I don't know how much more challenging of my PH we could all take! Yes, my Professional Hunter / Personal Hero / Perfect Husband was severly challenged by Will Parker. I know he and his Dad came here to hunt, but during some of the quieter moments - the table tennis table on the verhandah here in front of the office, was the scene of some serious battles. Needless to say, Ken naturally (because he has always been so accommodating) allowed our young guest to taste the joy of victory "occasionally", just to keep him coming back for more. ;)
We all had a lot of fun, both hunting and with all of the games. JohnD & Micaela's table tennis improved in leaps and bounds.
The Parkers were followed by the Kwast family from Michigan - and the fun and games just continued. With Jacob and Julia closer in age to Micaela and JohnD, there was much hilarity and giggles around every meal time. The Kwast children both bagged lovely trophies, as did Mike and Quincy. Some of the hunting challenges were faced head on, and despite many hours put in... the score remained Caracal:6 - Hunting party:0! At least there will always be another reason to return as long as the elusive smaller critters keep winning!!
With Jim and Terry's arrival - some cold / wet / windy weather moved in for a few days, but it has not dampened the successes or the fun.
C'mon Summer c'mon!!!
We have had another three lovely little calves - and another is due any day now. Our "Champion" has been tremendous this season, and seems to get better and more amazing with each safari. He's earned himself some serious hunting credits, and for a "rescue dog" - we couldn't be more chuffed with him! Well done CHAMP!
Big hugs to you all, from this dry and dusty part of chilly South Africa xxx

Team work makes the Dream work...

Oh - YES ... You guessed it! :) The kids have moved up to the starting blocks. We had a slight overlap with guests, and the last hunting day for the Brantley sons had DUIKER AND JACKAL high on their list. Kiffin had shot a Duiker already, but James had not, so the heat was on. With FW and Will Parker having arrived, Ken started hunting with them and we allocated the jobs of driving and guiding to Micaela and JohnD respectively...
How I wish with all my heart I had a picture of all of them up on the Cruiser, heading out in the early morning. Their smiles were bigger than the vehicle they were piled onto. JohnD had borrowed my Binoculars (or should I say yours Rick!!!). Micaela was armed with her book and lucky feather. The morning hunt left them completely frustrated, as they saw every female duiker on the property, but the males just eluded them... So at lunch a new game plan was hatched. James was going to hunt himself a female Duiker, and then between the brothers, they would have a His / Her matching pair. I guess word got out, as by night fall - their mission was successful, and James was the proud owner of a Duiker RAM!!! Who says that psychology does not work in the bush? I know that both Micaela and JohnD worked hard for their trophy, and they will never forget the experience. The sunburnt faces, smiles, laughter and excitement of recounting the story, will long be remembered and retold! So the Brantley family have returned home, and our children have grown up overnight, and made us so proud of them! Well done dream team! ;)

Falling Star?

It is really a joy to have David, Janell, James and Kiffen here - never a dull moment. ;) We had supper at Mucha last night, and there was a falling star that absolutely lit the night sky like nothing I have ever seen before. We ALL saw it, and the trail remained visible for ages! Did anyone else see it?

The young hunters have certainly been successful, with yesterday in particular, being a busy day. Big smiles on everyone's face around the fire.


The kids only have a week left of holidays, and then it's back to the normal routine. I must say, the child in me will never be 'happy' with the return of the school days... ;) JohnD had the joy of camping out on the Limpopo with some friends of his for two nights. He came home exhausted, but full of stories. Micaela also had the joy of visiting a friend for a few days (also along the Limpopo too !!) The house is quite a different place when there is only one child home!

Midwinterchills brrrr

Overcast, windy and a tad damp... even our very mild winter sun has gone indoors to keep warm. Thank you LORD for my coat!!! ;)
The children are on holiday from school for three weeks... oh boy do I love the joy of waking up WITHOUT the alarm. Don't you?
The table tennis table has been repaired and put on my front stoep, and I have a birds eye view of the continuing sibling rivalry that plays out. JohnD whips Micaela's but quite consistantly, which is great for him as with her so tall, she usually gets the better of him in most of their other combats!
With a few days break, I'm slowly catching up on my Admin, bookwork, and other office arrears!
Hope all of our USA family and friends had a great 4th of July weekend.
Big hugs to you all, and we are so looking forward to the return of David and Janell Brantley next week, with their sons!

Sunny days and blue skies

This month of June has flown by so fast, and has had the most typical winter weather we have seen in a long time. Crisp and fresh early mornings and evenings... cloudless blue skies and the coldest temperatures yet! Don't think that because we are in Africa, that it's only ever hot here.

We have had the joy of David Harrell's company from Texas, and his 10 day hunt has been quite unusual. All of his desired trophies were harvested within about five days, so he has just been 'having fun'... Talk about no pressure! Ken, David and Micaela also took a three day trip to Kruger National Park, and were blessed out of their socks with spotting ALL of the big five.

Micaela took him for her very last ride on Chloe. On Tuesday I delivered Chloe to the same man who purchased Jasmine from us. Both horses are now settled in their new home, and it is a relief. Our original intention to have "a horse for Micaela" somehow turned into SIX horses ... so our two "starter ponies" have now moved on to someone who has just started. No doubt he will also learn how quickly 1 + 1 = 15 "when it comes to horses!"

JohnD has got to play in two cricket matches this month, and both times his team won. He is really enjoying it. The kids are both looking forward to their winter school holidays, and will finish up with their tests tomorrow.

Ken has his birthday on Sunday. We have a few days break before the Brantley Family join us from Charleston next month. Hugs to you all. Keep warm and remember to enjoy every single day.

April, May & June all rolled into one...

Ohmygoodnessme... does anyone out there still even check our blog? I wonder.... I certainly have been really pushed for time, and my computer has been a little cranky on me... too little free memory.
After John Knowles from Boise left us, we had the privilege of having Terry and Jo here from Michigan, for their 6th Safari here. Terry, as usual, didn't waste any time with his package. We had the joy of Derek & Jen visiting us from Zim, with Michael and Kyra. The cousins had fun catching up; having not see each other since August last year. We were also glad to see Nicol, Karia and young Jean for a few days too! He is growing up so fast, and really is cute!
Great excitement while they were all here - Ken finally traded in his very old blue broken tractor for a shiny little RED MASSEY. No more pull starting every morning. No more "boer-maak-a-plan" repairs. No more worries!!! (This is actually a very long story, but I won't bore you all with the details.)
We have had a steady stream of simply BEAUTIFUL little Nguni calves being born, and while Steve & Tina Deierlein (from Charleston) were with us, they had the fun of meeting CbarC - a little bull who was given their brand name. :) He was born while they were on safari with us.
JohnD asked to be baptized in May, so he along with a group of family and friends from Johannesburg, all got baptized in our Mucha Dam. :)
We also had the pleasure of Dave Sebright and Denny Sprick, also from Michigan. They hunted with us 1x1, so we enlisted the help of Ron Sparrow for this hunt. :) Thanks Ron. Two calves were born while they were here. Dad & Mom celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary! Dad celebrated his birthday too.
Just a week ago, Brian & Dannette Reed arrived with us from Charleston. We have them with us now! Boy oh boy - they have been blessed. The weather has been really great and we were all wowed last night with the total eclipse of the moon. I gave us all dinner in the boma, and we had our own private show. By about 10:30pm we were all pooped though, and went to bed... just as it was really red!
We also have the joy of a new arrival - Prince Rocky. A tall, handsome, 11yr old Gelding Thoroughbread horse. Boy oh boy does he make Jasmine and Chloe look like little ponies. Sir Prize has now been weaned from his Momma (Jasmine). He and the two young quarter horses are at Silverbank (Dad and Mom's place), until such time we can arrange for Cruising Pleasure to be gelded... We don't want any more horses!!! In fact, we really should find good homes for Jasmine and Chloe. Anyone needing a good child's pony? Six horses is really too many for us!!! You try talk to Micaela about selling Sir Prize. Well, she just about comes undone.
Ken and I now have the BlackBerry phone ... :) I finally got it right. I'm constantly amazed by how many of my emails just do not get through. I really should have done it years ago. PLEASE everyone - if you don't hear back from me fairly promplty regarding anything - chances are the emails are not getting through. Ken is still getting his driver's licence for it, but we will get there! Anyone who has a blackberry... we'd love to be able to add you to our bbm!! It's just the BEST!
Carol is doing really well, and is pretty moblie. Well done Ma!!! She lost her skype again, so anyone who was in skype contact with her, please add her as your contact again! ;)
Since the end of last year, I have only had three domestic ladies full time, so I have been pretty stretched. We all miss Esther, but she was very unwell, and needed some R&R.
The winter is really cold this year, and I wear my coat EVERY SINGLE NIGHT! I thank my Heavenly Father for it every single time I put it on!!! I had another kiss from my Heavely Father in Australia when my Claire blessed me with another 'dream' - some tall leather boots. Boy do they also keep me warm - and they fit !!! (another long story!)
Well, I really have rambled on long enough. I must get this posted. Will try work on some photos, but no promises!!! Big hugs to you all, and hope this makes up for all of the silence.
Love Ken, Jo & Kids xxx

John Knowles

John Knowles from Boise joined us on our first management hunt for the year, and it didn't take long for him to find himself a beautiful Gemsbuck!

The same afternoon he shot this big bodied Blue Wildebeest - whose body dressed out at 143kilos!

This young Impala ram is feeding a needy family. Thanks John!

The joys and sorrows go hand in hand

How is it possible that the human heart can be so completely captivated with one tiny little fur covered, creature? Our Creator alone knows! We are so grateful to Him for the really amazing two months we had with our little Goosley. She saturated our lives with laughter and such joy. She taught us so much about the beauty and miracle of life, and how fragile it is. We will forever remember her little peeps, her tickles, her chasing her tail, her games of hide and seek with the dogs, her unsatisfiable appetite for grasshoppers and cheese, her purring cuddles, and most of all her soft sweet face. She is buried in our little pet graveyard out front, overlooking the bush. While she had become such fast friends and a favorite with Lady and Champ, sadly the kittens did not share in affection for her. The Mommy cat had a very great respect for her, running away at each meeting. The young kittens considered her to look too much like a mouse.... and sadly our Goosley was not much more than a large mouse in size. Champ & Lady had gone with me for my usual morning walk, but Champ somehow got tangled with a mother warthog, and required some urgent attention from the vet. I rushed him into town for stitches. While away, our little Goosley snuck out of the house through the doggy door.... she was killed by one of the 8 week old kittens, and my lady who works in my home just could not get to her in time.

At little catching up to do. ! :)

Trevor & Rhyanne, Welcome to South Africa! We have full moon over the bush veldt, and lots of memories to make! What a joy to open the season with our 11 year old "South Carolina Huntress".

New friendships and new challenges. So who is going to shoot the most birds??? :)

The three children have clicked and there is much laughter and fun filling each day. "It truly is a blessing to hear the laughter of children"! (to quote Bill Snow)

We have had a little (much needed) rain, but otherwise our days are warm, sunny, clear, and beautiful!

Rhyanne made such a fantastic shot on her Gemsbuck! He dropped on the spot, and she has every reason to be very proud of her self!!! I think the hogs and impala need to beware. ;)

On a family note - Mom is doing very well. She is pretty mobile now with her crutches, and she is back into the teaching mode with the children. They will break for school holidays at the end of March. It has been a long first term!
Young Goosley has made the adventureous journey outdoors several times now, and has befriended the dogs! They play endless games of tag and hide & seek! The cats are pretty weary of her (giving her a wide bearth), and she has the run of the office! She is extremely playful, purrs like a kitten, and is very affectionate.

Mom is home!

We are so thankful... After a successful hip replacement operation last Monday (21st Feb), Mom and Dad arrived home yesterday afternoon. We missed them so much, and are so grateful that it all went well. It was a very tough time for them both, particularly Mom. We value your continued prayers for them both, and thank you for all of the calls and smses!

Here are a few pictures of little Gustav.... Or should I say Goosley.... (We are beginning to think that 'he' may in actual fact be a 'she', but we are not 100% sure!) We are slowly introducing Champ and Lady to her. The speed with which she moves has them quite uncertain about her, but "so far so good"!
Curled up asleep on my lap. Playing 'hide & seek' first thing in the morning while Micaela is trying to do her school work!

Great Anticipation!

Great excitement in anticipation of Dad's return. Micaela spent the afternoon in the kitchen, and look what she cooked up! It doesn't only look good, but believe me - it tastes heavenly! We got to sample some of the 'regular' cookies / biscuits from the rest of the batch.
Here is our little Gustav with a monster size grasshopper... he took about ten minutes to tackle this snack! "CRUNCH CRUNCH" ... My stomach struggles to cope with it, but his doesn't!!! :)

New Baby Buffalo!

Oh what a stunning day! Sunny, warm, refreshed after the rains yesterday. And what a blessing to see the herd of buffalo this morning - three babies in total now! :)
Ken'll be home Wednesday. YAY
Carol is in for her Op today. YAY. We are all very glad that all is in place for that!
Happy Monday to you all!!!

Mongoose CPR

Yup - you read right! On Friday during his usual feeding (he still drinks from the syringe with a small rubber teat fitted to the end - about 4 mls at a time) he somehow managed to choke! I got such a fright, and really thought I was going to loose him. He was very evidently not able to breathe, and his little body was completely stretched out and clawing for air. I prayed like crazy for him, pumped his little chest several times, and blew into his mouth three times before he started to breathe again, and move normally. I was so sure that he wasn't going to make it. What a fright! For the rest of the day, he didn't eat at all, and didn't want to play either. I felt so terrible! Thank goodness the next day he was fine, and eating like normal.
He is extremely playful, and moves at lightening speed. I don't think that he even has a 'walking' speed really! He is now eating grasshoppers, and the odd other insect. He is not that familiar yet at catching them for himself, unless their jumping legs have been removed, but it won't be long and he will have that figured out! He is very clever, and has figured out how to climb out of his little 'home'. His range of sounds and noises is growing every day, and we already know his happy, hungry, tired, thirsty, playful and 'need to wee!' sounds. It's quite crazy to think that someone so small can have such a huge impact on our lives. :)

Fishing friends and fun!!!

This little Gustav is really starting to play! It's too cute for words!!!

What a secial day JohnD's fishing trip was - despite all of the rain... it cleared up so beautifully. The kids just had toooo much fun. They ALL CAUGHT a fish and JohnD proved his passion with ease by out catching us all! It was special to visit with Wighard, Saar, Mica and Sume again, those little girls are growing up so fast! The girls decided on a mud bath!

This beautiful chappie surprised us on our way out... much to all of our delight. He enjoyed the left over bread!

Ya! Even I caught a fish! But JohnD caught the most....

GUSTAV the MonGOOSE

He can now see. :)

JohnD's 11th Birthday

What a faithful God we have. What a privilege to be part of His Family. JohnD celebrated his 11th birthday yesterday, and what a day it was! What a joy to be able to celebrate. Cake at school, lots of attention at cricket, and then a surprise birthday party thrown in his honor by the Malan family... we had popped in there for 'coffee', and UNBEKNOWNS to any of us, the table was set and ready for a little party in his honor. What a precious gift!
The day before his birthday, he was just too excited for words, and made a concerted effort to do absolutely everything possible AGAIN quickly, as it's "MY LAST CHANCE TO DO IT WHILE I'M TEN MOM"... This was said of requiring chips for supper, needing to go hunting for a GNU (which he was incredibly lucky to get - Ken took him out at last light, to satisfy his urgency!), needing to watch yet another dvd, play another electronic game, hold the mongoose (who now is officially called "GUSTAV"!). . . you name it, he thought of it and did it! It was quite funny, but remarkably fulfilling for us to see and enjoy.

We plan to take him and his friends fishing on Saturday, with a picnic lunch. ;)

Filling experience

touchy subject i know, but i'm new to this. i chipped my back molar and had to have the tooth filled. oh man oh man oh man... there is NO FEELING LIKE a dead mouth. i eventually decided to just not talk, and keep my teeth together. (very hard for me you know!) for all of you folks out there who have had injections in your gums for various reasons - you have my sympathy. :( that was my very first time, and i hope to never have that experience again. it sucks.


yes my beautiful, amazing, strong, noisy, and very cute little friend is still alive. the longer he / she remains nameless, the harder it is to all agree on the best name! his feedings now stretch to about one and a half hours, and sometimes at night he will even go two hours between feeds! ;)happy me!

'He' is still alive!

.... oh the joys of getting 1ml of milk successfully down, every hour.... followed by a successful potty.... followed by a successful nap.

VICTORY in such small doses is what makes "life " alive. ;)

We certainly think he is going to qualify for a really spectacular name. ????
And me? Well, my name is sleepyhead.

hAPPY monDAY!!!

Dwarf Mongoose

Ken & Micaela went out yesterday evening to try and find the new calf born yesterday... no luck on that one, but they came home with a newborn baby dwarf mongoose. It's Mommy was nowhere to be found, and this tiny, black, VERY noisy, stinky, squirming baby is smaller than my thumb... With feeding it hourly (using the smallest syringe I have) my brain feels like putty! Poor little thing is sleeping in my hand, so this typing job has gotten a whole lot harder!

"Swinging Along"

Back into the swing of things - 2011 is hear already. I'm so proud of myself - I FINALLY got our news letter out, and emailed. If you didn't receive it (and want it), PLEASE let me know. We have had such difficulties with power cuts and internet disconnections - it has been a real challenge. BUT - it's always that way this time of the year. Rain and thunderstorms constantly challenge our communications. Never mind the spam blockages on many email accounts - I've had about 70 messages bounce back undeliverable. :( shiawela@mweb.co.za is the best address to use for contacting us. The .com one is a little unreliable.

The planning for Ken's trip this year to the USA is ticking along nicely. LOTS of work to do for me, but I'm getting there. He will be travelling alone this year and will spend time in Gerogia, Grand Rapids and South Carolina Lord Willing. Carol will have her hip replacement op in February, and with our recent trip to Australia, I'm staying home. Yes, I am quite happy and at peace about it - but I will so MISS seeing you all!

School started again this morning, and my dearest darling daughter snuck her CAT AND ALL FIVE KITTENS into the car!!!!!! When I popped by there just now - she was as 'tickled pink' as she could be! She told me to my face (with a twinkle in her eyes) that she didn't ask as she knew I'd say no!!! Fortunately for her (and me) I did know that this morning was more about sorting / planning / preparations and refocusing, so it was not of any major consequence! All five horses are visiting Grandma and Grandpa's home - helping to mow all of their nyummy long grass... so she is like a little pig in mud there!

I'm also a bit like a 'piggie in mud' this morning, as our Nguni herd have come back to the house today, and are all lazing around in the field in front of our home. I just love watching them all, especially all of the little calves. This little lady is "Bella" ;) named after my niece in Australia!
Here's to a very happy new year to you all! Blessings, favor, success and heart peace in all you do!!!