friends visiting - WorldWideWaftage

Our boy Norman has been stopping by frequently. He loves the sweet potatoes, apples, and carrots, but is less fond of the pellets. He looks healthy and well-fed.

Not only have we had dinner guests and been out two of the last three nights, but our days have also been busy preparing everything for our dear friends Karen and Rich’s arrival tomorrow afternoon. After all the years we have talked about them visiting us in Africa, it is finally coming to fruition.

Tuesday evening, we participated in Quiz Night at Giraffe Pub & Grill and had a fantastic time as usual. The questions were tough, and with Tom not feeling well, he couldn’t contribute as much as he usually did. (Thank goodness he is fully recovered now and has had plenty of sleep.)

Here is Nina, Norman’s partner. She either visits with the kids and grandkids or on her own. On occasion, she’ll visit with Norman and the entire family.

Thrilled I didn’t catch whatever he had, I am energized and ready for our upcoming guests. They are in the air now and will chat with us along the way. We expect them to arrive in Marloth Park around 4:00 pm tomorrow, Saturday.

On Wednesday evening, our dear friends who live in Marloth Park joined us for dinner and a delightful evening spent chatting outdoors, first at the bar and later at the table. Surprisingly, it wasn’t too cold in the evening, and we all stayed comfortable without hoodies or jackets.

Take a look at the tusks on this big warthog, Tusker. We no longer feed warthogs, which is disappointing, but they are very destructive, especially during this drought. We can’t possibly feed them enough.

Now that June 21st has passed, we are entirely into winter here, and cold mornings and evenings are to be expected. By the time we fly to Spain in September, it will start warming up again. In the meantime, the daytime weather is perfect, mild, not humid, and comfortable.

Last night, we joined Louise and Danie for dinner at Bos Restaurant in the Bush Centre, located across the parking lot from The Butchery. There were only a few options for me on their menu, so I ordered grilled calamari and a side salad, which was fine.

Hal, our favorite wildebeest, stops by now and then.

Today, we’re doing a pile of laundry that accumulated over the past week. It’s a sunny day, so it should dry quickly. We wanted to complete all our household tasks before our guests arrive. We still have a few more chores to complete around the house before their arrival.

By the end of today, we should be all set. Tomorrow, I’ll work on prepping for dinner. We are serving filet mignon steaks with sautéed mushrooms, baked potatoes, and Greek salad, accompanied by bread and muffins. Karen is gluten-free, which will be easy for us to ensure.

Giraffes are always welcome in the garden.

Tom just brought in the first big load of laundry, which I will now hang outside on the portable clothes rack. We should be done with laundry by noon. Afterward, I will head over to Louise’s office, the Marloth Park Info Centre, to help her set up her new laptop while she’s busy with tourists stopping by with lots of questions.

Tonight, we’ll return to Jabula for dinner, but we won’t be back for our usual Saturday night dinner, as Karen and Rich will be arriving and most likely will be too tired to go out.

Be well.

Photo from ten years ago today, June 27, 2015:

The view of Palm Cove beach, in Australia, from the pier. For more photos, please click here.

It always makes me laugh when I prepare the “Photo from ten years ago today…” and ask Tom, “Where were we ten years ago today?”

Ninety percent of the time, his answer is correct. That amazes me. It’s odd how he recalls dates and locations and always leaves me with a smile on my face. On the other hand, I remember the names of small towns, people, and expenses. We can remember many aspects of our almost 11 years of world travel.

Sure, at some point, as we age further, we may not be able to recall as well. But, when we forget, we’ll only need to bring up a post from the date((s) of our experiences, and everything will be there for us to read, peruse photos and instantly return to a series of memories from any specific date and time in our lives.

If that were the only reason we did this each day, it would be sufficient enough for us to be grateful for our efforts. But, add to that the joy of sharing it with readers, family, and friends worldwide. The love and support we’ve received from readers has been indescribable.

When I try to explain this in conversation, I always add how grateful we are that we don’t have haters writing to us with toxic vitriol. Then, of course, the fact that our readers are so tolerant of typos, spacing issues, and writing flaws that I am not exempt from making on a daily basis. All of this means the world to us.

If someone had asked me 12 years ago if I would be willing to write an essay with photos every day of my life, I would have laughed, saying it was impossible. Sure, reporters and business and entertainment writers write the equivalent of an essay(s) each day when they prepare stories. But that is a job, and although some may love their job, nonetheless, it’s a job.

For us, we don’t look at it as a job. We look at it as a labor of love. Our love for traveling the world and living a home-free life has only been enhanced by sharing stories and photos with all of you. No, it’s not perfect, nor will it ever be. We don’t strive for perfection. If we did so, preparing posts would be a source of stress. In part, we chose this life to avoid stress.

The countless golf courses in The Villages create a beautiful ambiance in the area.

The only times we feel stressed is when something happens beyond our control, and we’re helpless to change it. But, even if we can’t change a particular scenario, we certainly can and do come up with plans to adapt (and accept) the situation. We have been tested over and over again, and yet, somehow, we maintain a sense of commitment and dedication to our lifestyle.

There are many bonuses besides the enrichment and pleasure of seeing new places worldwide, which generally revolve around people and wildlife, as most of our readers know so well.

This weekend will illustrate how enjoyable being with friends is when tonight, Karen and Rich arrive, and on Sunday, Lea Ann and Chuck. We are grateful for all our friends, whether we knew them from our old lives, like Karen and Rich, or we met them in our travels, like Lea and Chuck.

This morning we’re busy cleaning the house. Tom does the floors and his bathroom while I do the kitchen, dust, and clean our ensuite bathroom in our bedroom. This morning after breakfast, I got busy with laundry and baking a dessert for both evenings that our friends will be here. In a matter of minutes, we will finish the cleaning and laundry, and the desserts will come out of the oven. I made two separate pans of gluten-free apple crisp, and we have plenty of vanilla ice cream to go with it.

Have a fantastic weekend. We’ll be back with you soon.

Be well.

Photo from ten years ago today, June 16, 2013:

Tag: friends visiting

We’re back…Busy days and nights…

Tom remembers everything…Guests arriving tonight…