Life is good!

Hi to you all

Yes, I went shopping and I loved it!!! (doesn't matter if the basket is too small.. actually, correction!!! it will never be too small!!!!)

and I couldn't wait to do something, and this was so quick and easy...                

Before .....

And After..........

Tah-Dah !!!!!.......

I love the way yarn can transform something so simple and turn it into an eye-popping feature on your table.

Never will serviettes and condiments look the same......

(I loved my tah-dah moment)

Really LOOVED it!!!!  

Its been about 3 weeks since we had our first rain and really you cannot believe the difference it has made to our little world.  It almost feels like a new place and it even feels a little tropical (Ye, not really, after all, we do life on the fringes of the Kalahari Desert!) but we haven't had rain for so long, that we have forgotten what it use to be like.

A wonderful lazy summer day hide out to watch........

.....  dragonflies dance over the water.....

 ... the reflection of the clouds on the water....           

  ... new life starting .............

   ... tadpoles ...

 .... in various stages of life....

 ..... by the millions.....

 ....... weaver birds nesting .....

.....a gentle breeze blowing through the  leafy canopy...

and a promise of more ....

...wonderful,  wonderful, life creating juice...

  ... a strange sight in the desert, there aren't very many around...

..... a round stone washed open by the rain.....

and flowers popped up everywhere....

and lovely greenery every where....

even the not so real had a wash and looked clean and fresh??? really???  OK.. new!!!!

I love the gentle tinkle of a wind-chime....

A message to everyone....

A lovely cool, quiete place to ponder the wonders of nature...

 ....while a little nap is always in order...

And I am extremely happy to report that our newest edition to our donkey herd is doing much, much better...

   .....   Still very thin....

   .... but she'll get there... 

And so my friends, life is really really good and happy in my little corner of the world!!!!!!!!!!! and it's only 1 more day to Xmas.  

Still have a lot to do. tra-la-la-la-la...

Wishing you and your loved ones a very Merry Xmas and I will see you soon.

Love

Amarie

It's raining!!!

Hi every one!!!

It's a very happy blogger greeting you today.   We've had wonderful glorious RAIN!!!!!!! and everything is wonderfully WET.  All the dust has been washed away and everything looks fresh and green.  Today it is still completely cloudy and hopefully we'll get more rain.

I would like to congratulate all the winners from the 2012 World Card Making Day Competition. http://www.papercraftsconnection.com/blog/2012/11/world-card-making-day-card-contest-winners.  

Here's the cards I made and entered.  Can't wait for next years competition!!!!
Birthday category.....

Hi There Category....

Love Category...

Thank you Category....

Christmas Category....

The other thing we did this week was to save a poor abused donkey.  We saw her next to the road when we went to town the other day and a couple of hours later on our return she was still standing in the exact same place, so we stopped and on closer inspection we were absolutely horrified at her condition.  We went home and fetched our truck and simply loaded her and took her home to the farm.  

While we had her on the truck we treated all her wounds and gave her a couple of shots, long acting penicillin, cortisone, multi-vitamins and dusted her coat for mange. 
It's nearly a week later and she's looking much better - still walking slowly - but I am sure she's glad not to be working or pulling a cart!!!  Still, no one has come to claim her and we are just letting her walk the farm with our donkeys.  
We started our little donkey saving thing a couple of years ago when we bought a white mommy and baby.  Mommy (that is her name) was also a working and abused donkey and we just let them loose on the game farm.  Bro-dad grew up and had a very happy donkey-hood and has never worked a day in his life.  Mommy retired and healed completely from all her wounds.
Bro-dad then mated with his mother and she had another baby - Feta - also white and very, very curious as you can see from this photo.  



When one of our rhino's were poached and the whole happy herd was scattered and running scared, Bro-dad rounded them all up and united the whole herd again.  He walked with them for a couple of months and it was absolutely amazing to see this bond between rhino's and Bro-dad.  
But, one winter when food was scarce, Bro-dad got a little too cheeky with a big bull and the rhino poked Bro-dad in the side and pulled his ribs out.  
RIP Bro-dad.  

But Bro-dad made sure there would be another baby donkey!!  Abby-Blue was born - not white but grey.  Then about six months ago we rescued another 3 abused donkeys.  Treated all their wounds and about 4 days later they joined Mommy, Feta and Abby-Blue and now we have a very happy RETIRED  herd of donkeys.  We named them, Charming - a very young stallion, Clover and Penny.  When Cara heals and can walk a little better, I am sure she will join as well.  We actually haven't seen her today but I am sure she's OK.

WARNING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!WARNING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!These photo's are disturbing!!!!!!!!

Thank you for visiting with me and next time I will show you what I bought from the wool shop, they are having a sale and I can't wait to fill my basket!!!!!!

Till next time my lovelies

Love
Amarie

Halloween

Hi There

How are you all doing??!!  

Just a quick update on our little leopard.  In spite of all our  effort's, she died the next day.  Our hearts are broken but really there wasn't  anything more we could have done.  She had a intestinal bacterial infection and because she was soooo small, she went down quickly.  She kept us so busy for three weeks - feeding every 2 hours, day & night - that we really miss her!!!!

But now I would like to share some of our Halloween photo's with you.  Halloween has never been a big holiday here in South-Africa and is only now starting to take off here. Thank Goodness! because we have celebrated Halloween for the last 6 years and we just have soooo much fun that we really look forward to the next one.  At least now, less people think we're weird!!!!!!
Family and friends come from far and spend a Halloween week-end with us.

   A really handsome Fairy...

                               
The Vampire Blood Bank....

                                     
                          
The Graveyard - bon-fire pit.....                          
                                                   
     A Halloween Tree...

with hex-bags, ghosts, voodoo dolls .....                                                    

                                               
 A Pirate and Red Indian...                                           

                                               
  A shortsighted Vampire ....    

                                           
    Really fun and..... 

    beautiful....

                                                         
People?????? Yes! Happy Halloween People!!     

Spiders and.....

cobwebs set the scene.....

We had so much fun!!!!!!  AND for supper we had green spaghetti with blood red bolognaise and for dessert .., trifle - the jello was filled with ants and spiders and a graveyard chocolate cake with dirt and tombstones.  Yum-Yum!!!
After supper we danced and told scary Tall-Tales around a big bon-fire!!!!  Soooooooo much fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!
On my next visit I will show you what I am busy with at the moment.  It should be done by then, so until next time, it's good-bye for now!!

See you soon!!!

Love 
Amarie