DOING LIFE

BIRDS of a FEATHER flock TOGETHER

24 to 26 October 2008

{This is a lengthy post with loads of pics, so sit back, relax and enjoy the ride!}

The past weekend was surely a seriously productive one. My dear friends Michelle and Shelley flew of up from Durban to come and visit their ‘Valie’ friend. And of course there were a few very important reasons for this visit. Firstly, as the Doing Life management assisting the CEO in finalizing arrangements for the upcoming 6 December 2008 Doing Life Scrapaganza at Makaranga Garden Lodge in Kloof, Durban. Secondly, to help me mosaic fifteen photo frames which I am planning to give as thank you pressies to the guests attending my in-laws’ golden anniversary on 13 December in Uitenhage.

After supper Friday evening {savoury tart and salad with strawberries and ice cream for desert}, the sleeves were rolled up and heads were put together deciding on how many and what kind of prizes needed to be wrapped for the Scrapaganza after which the DL team chatted until just before 3am on Saturday morning.

After a ‘few’ hours of sleep the team rose just before 9am and enjoyed an ‘eggs benedict’ brunch on the patio. After which the team sat down and got briefed on how to mosaic by yours truly, as neither Michelle nor Shelley have tried their hand at mosaicing. Shelley opted out and preferred doing the painting of the stands for the frames as well as the frame photo covers. And might I just say that she has done a brilliant paint job, so neat with not a tiny spot of paint in the wrong place. Thank you so much Shelley, I would not have been able to have done such a perfect job. Michelle did not wait for grass to grow under her feet, and set of straight away starting with her designs on the frames. Initially I had to break the tiles in bits in pieces for her, but it was not long before she was hogging the tile cutters and I had to beg for them. Michelle kept on saying how she was enjoying this new craft and I could see that she was right in her element. Once Shelley finished her paint job she also joined in with the mosaicing and saved a lot of time by sticking the designs down onto the frames.

I spent three full days this week completing the mosaic designs on the frames, grouting all fifteen frames and finishing off by painting the sides and the back of the frames. I will do a post soon with pics of each frame.

Saturday afternoon it was of course the big Currie Cup Final and fortunately the Fourie household was safe as there were only Sharkies present. Before the game, us girls took a quick drive to stock up on some more mosaic tiles, as the team were working as fast as lightning. So we went to the Seed Pod Studio in Broadacres and thereafter popped by Herbert Evens at the Fourways Crossing Centre. I am sure Shelley and Michelle were so glad that a thunder storm broke loose whilst we were here as they just could not get enough browsing done, naturally in the scrapbooking section. So while we waited for the storm to pass, they stocked up on some more scrapping goodies and I managed to get some more acrylic paint for the frames. We got home just before the game started and had some pineapple fridge tart I made with some juice after which we continued mosaicing and Conroy of course watched the game updating us on the score now and then. We were definitely on a roll.

I have to report on the SAGO SAGA. A while back Michelle told me that she totally dislikes sago pudding. When they were children she and her brother played with a tin of sago pudding and she got hit by the tin of sago on the ankle (I think it was) and this totally put her off sago, nearly for life. Now can you believe this, that one gets a dislike in a certain food source, without even tasting it … I ask you now! So Shelley and Rayna, her friends, thought they will trick her and secretly made sago pud for their last birthday get together. And surprise, surprise Michelle loved it. So, of course I was also curious how this delicious ‘Shelley’ sago speciality tasted like. I love sago pud, but haven’t made it for about 20 years. Shelley, the sweetest thing she is, offered to make us sago pud for desert on Saturday night. After lasagne and salad we all enjoyed Shelley’s signature sago pud dish. I will definitely make Shelley’s sago recipe again soon. After supper we sat and finished off a few more frames and turned in a bit earlier at 11pm.

On Sunday morning, we all slept a bit later. The Monte Casino Bird Gardens were on the program for the day. We left just after 9am and enjoyed some breakfast at the Flamingo Café overlooking the Flamingo pool and the Bird Gardens. Right next to to the Flamingo Café there was a very tame Macaw perching on in the open on his tree trunks. And was he a beautiful specimen. I just could not take enough photos of him as he was so docile and actually looked like he was very use to the paparazzi.

We attended the Flight of Fantasy bird show at 11am and thoroughly enjoyed the show. The birds were all in such healthy condition and the presenters kept us entertained with their humour as well. I could not believe the splendour of the cranes. I never knew that they were so tall. This was very noticeable when they were standing next to the presenters, nearly touching them shoulder height. After the show we visited the Frog Room where beautiful multi coloured frogs were on display. But the more vivid their colours the more poisonous they were. And then we wondered along the gardens where a collage of colour awaited us at the Parrot Gallery where Macaws and cockatoos roamed freely. We also took a stroll through huge enclosed Flight Aviary. Overall it was a very pleasant experience and I were very surprised at how neat, clean and organised everything were and one could see that the workers had pride in what they were doing.

We arrived home just before 2pm and after enjoying another piece of pineapple fridge tart we continued mosaicing and at 5pm we set off into the garden for some pics of another bird specie who were seriously complaining about perching on rocks and shrubs, thought this came naturally to them.

And so everything comes to an end (as mom-in-law always says) and at 6pm I could not believe that the weekend was over and we were off to drop Michelle and Shelley at the airport. Thank you once again Michelle and Shelley for your continued friendship and loyal support, no matter what I throw your way. The bottom guest bedroom was very quite Sunday evening.

Three Extinct Bird Species

{From left: Yours truly, Michelle and Shelley}

Extinct Bird Species transformed into Primates.

'Hear no Evil, See no Evil & Speak no Evil'

Above: Shelley putting on her disguise not to get forced labour!!

- Thankful for friends, signing off