THE KRAZI KIDS GROW UP PART I - SHIRLEY

A while back I Posted a series called KRAZI KIDS. I am going to move on from that and show you briefly what came next.

In Krazi Kids l - Shirley, she was in matric and planning to become a nurse. That did not happen but life has this strange way of not letting us decide our own fates, you will see now how her plans followed a very different path! Take a look.

We have jumped forward 4 years since Shirley left school. During that time  she worked as a Personal Assistant to a businessman in Johannesburg. It earned her a good living, but her heart was not in it, so she attended Legatts Academy of Design  with a view to becoming a clothing designer. 

With that under her belt, she wanted to raise some cash for herself while deciding in which direction to take her design carreer,  so worked in the food industry as a waitress at night where she not only saved some money, but fell in love with her boss, who was the manager of the restaurant she worked in. They spent 1 year together overseas, travelling through Scotland, England, and Canada. They arrived home and announced their engagement and were married not long afterwards.

They were married in a little chapel in the Drakensburg Mountains which was beautiful.

After the ceremony the pictures were taken outside with the view of the Magalisburg Mountains surrounding us. Here she is with her new husband and ex boss!  (He became a Manager to a well known 5 star hotel in Durban. And many other hotels over the following 13 years.)

 Months went by, and what do you know, look closely, a baby! This picture was taken In Durban at Mitchell's Park.

  Now wasn't she worth the wait!! Enter Victoria-Leigh Gail Vels. Who is at present 13 years old, but she still needs to get there!

 

  As time went by, when Vicky now 22 months old, she was listening for her baby sister's heart beat. She loved the coming baby until the baby was getting around, and then tried to shove her into the rose bushes whilst her new sister was in her walking ring. That would be the start of sibling rivalry?

However, we need to get to that point, so enter Jessica-Laine Vels. 

There were to be only 2 children for this little family.

Growing up with them has been an adventure. They have travelled but lived in Cape Town for many years. The picture above is one of my favourite, and was taken during their time in Cape Town.  

Arn't they gorgeous? Can you believe that two sisters can be so unlike one another. Victoria-Leigh on the left takes, after her fathers side of the family and is dark, while Jessica-Laine takes after her mother.

  Today they are living in England, and this picture was taken in December with the first snow man they made, clever girls!


Shirley home schools them which I think is a very brave venture, but they are all doing very well.


A very successful ending to KRAZI KIDS1 don't you think!?                                                                                                                                                                               

GOODBYE TO AN OLD FRIEND

Almost three weeks ago we lost another member of our pet family. This was a tough one and the little chap in the picture, Crunchie, had been with me for a little more than 20 years.

I have written a couple of posts which include him, the first was "He links my worlds" because I bought him for R20 from a friend of mine's son, for my 6 year old son, and Crunchie stayed long after my son left home and came with me into the second chapter of my life.

He lived indoors as the ants wouldn't leave him alone outside. We never got around to making an enclosure for him, and he was so small that he just mingled with the cats and dogs. He learned over the years what the fridge was for and that it kept FOOD.

When I used to watch him walk across the room, in the dark and almost forgotten recesses of my mind, I almost thought I could hear little children laughing, picking him up, feeding him and playing with him. The children then left home, but as tortoises live to a very ripe old age, he certainly outlived their childhoods and Crunchie stayed on to live with us.

He was a well seasoned traveller as he came with us everywhere. He even had a travel bag. He was a wonderfully low maintenance pet to have as he ate and drank about 3 times a week and hibernated for 6 months of every year.  

When he came out of hibernation  I wrote and posted a post which centred around Widget the parrot and his craziness and Crunchie crashing out of the cupboard in November after his winter hibernation.  

He loved the sun. We often found him lying stretched out, head on its side, eyes closed as he soaked up the sun. The very first time I came across this I though he was dead and picked him up so fast he shot back into his shell!

His death was a painful accident.  I tried to save him but failed.  We have buried him along side Bokkie, out Ring Necked Parakeet who died last year.

It is is hard losing pets, they give us much joy, and I always saw to it that I gave them the  best life that I could whilst they were with us.  So I will miss you my little friend, we were together for many years. You have taken memories to your grave, memories of  a very small, smart little tortoise, and the joy he brought to 4 young children.

Where ever you are, I hope there is an abundance of carrots and tomatoes, finely chopped of course!

There are many things in life that we just cannot change and have to accept. Loss is one of them. 

Arn't you glad that whatever the loss, we have a memory that can keep things very much alive for us.