The Forwards

 

I had to take Matthew back to Pretoria because he starts Uni in a weeks time but tonight Matthew and his mates have organised a D&D all nighter so I had to drive him up to Pretoria and drop him off at my sister Theresa and her husband Hans, hence the pack of forwards photo for today.

I really appreciate all that Theresa and Hans have done for Matthew, it has become Matthew's second home since his mother crossed over a year and a half ago.

After the long drive back hone, alone in the car, I had a lot to think about. You see I worry a lot about Matthew. By the time I got home I had over thought every outcome and still I had this deep hole inside of me. Already I miss him.

Opening with a Bang

It is exactly a year since the last Opening Ceremony at Belgium Campus when my Ford pickup caught on fire on the way there and this evening another traumatic incident happened this time on the way home afterwards.

It was great being with Matthew and friends at the Belgium Campus' Opening Ceremony 2019 and we enjoyed the company of Hans, Theresa, Jaen-Jurie, Anika, Gary, and Brendan. But it was the drive home that was the problem.

A huge storm was threatening as we bundled into Lynda's car and squeezed out of the parking. We headed on the most direct route out towards the N14 as possible and as we stopped at a traffic light still in Pretoria, there was a large BANG. My first thought a gunshot and a hijacking was in progress. Our hijacking, as I turned towards Lynda, I saw a man hitting the window for the 2nd and then 3rd time trying to smash the passenger window where Lynda was sitting. I had put the car in 1st gear as a man dived through the window, pushing the side window which was protected by smash and grab film onto Lynda's lap pinning her handbag and cellphone. 

With this person half through the window, grouping for the phone but battling to get through the side glass window pane on a screaming Lynda's lap, I was accelerating forward through the red traffic lights. This person was eventually dragged back out of the gaping window with complete piece of side window pane in his hands.

It happened so fast. Next I knew we were racing home. It was pouring with rain. Adrenalin was pumping and we were just so thankful that we weren't seriously hurt other than some cuts on Lynda's forearm from the glass pane pining her down and that nothing was taken other than the side window.

I am worried what next year is going to be like. First the car on fire, now a smash and attempted grab but God is in control and we are in His hands.

Its Time

At first I wasn't sure if I should answer Angus Buchan's call for a National Prayer gathering in Pretoria. I am not a big crowds person and hate queuing or walking for hours and hours. But as the time got closer, I thought I felt Spirit of God nudging to go. I am not a prayer warrior, and corporate prayer is just not my thing. I like to find a quiet place and spend time close to God.

I heard from my sister Theresa that my son Matthew agreed to go with them to Its Time Pretoria, well that was the last nudge, I don't get to spend much time with Matthew and thought it would be an awesome experience to pray to God with my son beside me.

My sister, her husband Hans, and Matthew arrived very early and I organised a location pin from them without Matthew's knowledge. I got onto my trusty Vespa and headed East. There were crowds and crowds people who answered Angus' call to pray for our nation South Africa. But having the bike I got to park nice and close, and it wasn't a long walk into the vast crowds when I managed to find my family, much to Matthew surprise.

So here I found myself on my knees before God with Matthew at my side praying for the country.

Spending Time with Mom

Matthew, mom, and me

In South Africa today is Human Rights Day, a day off for the family. Lynda had to get a new dress for a wedding that is coming up and since I already have a suit that hopefully should still fit me, so I thought that that today would be a good day to drive or ride up to Pretoria, pick up Matthew and visit my mom whom I never saw since her operation last month. My mom is staying at my sister and her husband's place, recovering albeit very slowly.

Theresa, mom, and I

I arrived at Matthew's dorm at about 11:30am and found him still fast asleep after an all-nighter watching movies. After a shower, Matthew jumped into the driver's position as he has his driver's learner licence and he drove us to Theresa and Han's home where my mom was staying. Of course we came baring gifts of cake, cooldrinks, hotcross buns, and shortbread briskets in time for lunch.  

Hans, mom, and me

Matthew and I, had a lovely visit of my sister and her family, and a recovering my mom. Her wound is slowly healing and hopefully God willing will be allowed to return home in Sabie. Just before we left, we just had to have a impromptu family photoshoot. Oh course that is how we roll. 

Matthew, mom, Jaen-Jurie (Hans and Theresa's son or Matthew's cousin)

Farewell Brunch

The Rootman family have to leave for home today so that they can start packing for their move from the Lowveld to the Highveld at the end of this month. Before the long drive back Lynda and I had a brunch with them at the Silverbirch Restaurant at Lifestyle. From left to right are Theresa, Jaen-Jurie, Hans, and Lynda.

Rootman

My sister and her family, the Rootmans are planning to relocate up from Nelspruit to Pretoria in a month’s time and this weekend they came up to look at rental property in the Pretoria North area.

It is a big decision for them to sell their family home and relocate but their son is starting college next month up here and it made financial sense to move closer. Here is a group photo of Hans, Jaen-Jurie, Matthew, and my Theresa.

Pitstop Braai

My cellphone does not do low light photos but I needed to take a photo of Hans and Theresa who stopped for a pitstop and refuel their batteries on their way back home from Bloemfontein to Nelspruit.

And what better way to enjoy an evening than with a braai on our patio. Marko and Robynne joined us because what is a braai without friends and family.

The Day After

It may be the first day of Day of our Lord 2016, it was surely the day after the party on auld lang syne.

We had a late start to the morning, sleeping in after our wonderful drive around the southern parts of Kruger National Park. We arrived at our family in Steiltes, Nespruit just before mid day, for a family lunch since we missed the Christmas day one. And this is what we found; everyone must have partied hard the night before.

Looking back 2015 has been a hard year and we are all glad to see the tail end of it, don’t let the door hit you on the way out. Anyway 2016 is going to be a blessed year even if I don’t know what God has in store for me, all I pray is for God to give me wisdom so that I can make the correct choices. Here's to 2016!

Youth has No Age

This morning the weather was once again beautiful and we decided to have a hike and picnic lunch at Kaapsehoop up against the escarpment overlooking the Barberton crater.

Matthew and I were last here about two years ago taking our Italian Greyhounds for a walk. his time we were joined by my sister Theresa, her husband Hans, and their two children Daniellê and Jaen. Well you know Matthew and I by now so Theresa is the one in the Youth has No Age t-shirt, Hans the Zombie through the hole, Daniellê with the dog called Fudge and Jaen in the green, grey and white striped t-shirt.

My only gripe of the day, is while on our hike we saw signs of litter, cigarette stompies, chip packets, and sweet wrappers littered around this beautiful place. Normally it is so peaceful here amongst the rock formations but we could hear dogs barking all the way from the Kaapsehoop village. Not cool peoples, not cool.

 

The wild flowers and stunning rock formations were still a draw card for Kaapsehoop, along with the views and wild horses. By the end of our hike, all we needed to do was to put our feet up and relax while the picnic lunch was served.

Sunday Family Lunch

One thing which you can’t miss up when in the area is Sunday lunch at the folks. It is times like these that whatever family is around joins around a table for a mother’s home cooked meal.

Around the table from left clockwise are Danielle, Matthew, Jaen-Jurie, Hans, Theresa, Lynda, dad, and mom. Okay photos done, prayer, and now bring up the scrumptious grub.

She Speaks

After work, I went around to the Donald Gordon Hospital to visit my sister, Theresa, after her operation yesterday evening. Before I went I was brushing up on understanding sign language as I was not sure if Theresa would be able to speak. The surgeons had removed her entire diseased thyroid and close by are the vocal cords which can easily be damaged.

On arriving, I was so relieved that Theresa could speak and boy didn't she stop talking. They have moved her from High Care to the General Wards which is a good sign or maybe it was because she was talking too much. I enjoyed my conversation with her as we continued chatting on and on until her supper arrive.

Next came the bonus, Theresa is starting to eat solid food after many months on a liquid diet. The starter was vegetable soup which she sipped half of the bowl before nibbling on the cottage pie and cauliflower. After a mouthful of each item except the potatoes, she was full. After some more talking, she then proceeded to polished off the jelly and custard. Although only a little bit of solid food was eaten, the good news is that she is now able to swallow even though with a bit of pain. Not only does she speaks but she eats too!

The doctors say that if her swelling goes down she can be discharged tomorrow and Theresa is looking forward to that.

The Elevator

My sister, Theresa has just come out of a three hour surgery where they removed her entire thyroid. She is in a lot of pain which is to be expected and the doctors have her on morphine. Today's photo is of my sister being wheeled into the elevator (the lift as we call it here) to take her down to theatre on the first floor. I told her as they were wheeling her down the passage that when she walks back out she must carry her head under her arm to scare the living daylights out of everyone.

We want to thank everyone for their continued prayers and thoughts for Theresa and her family.

Hashimoto's Syndrome

It seems that my sister, Theresa, is battling with Hashimoto's Syndrome down in Nelspruit because all the doctors down there just want to wait until the thyroid dies before they will do anything. After some good old fashioned internet search, my mom found a doctor up here that was willing to do the surgery now and save my sister’s life.

So Theresa and her husband came up to see the doctor at the Donald Gordon Medical Centre and tomorrow they are seeing the surgeon to find out if they need the operation now or wait till everyone is back from summer leave.

I wanted to ask Theresa that I wanted to be on her diet but I am sure Hashimoto is not a trifle thing after seeing Theresa wasting away. So having so many siblings in one place was a photo opportunity that could not be missed. So next to me is Anthony, then Theresa and George.

Vegetable soup

With her last day in hospital, the doctors have one more blood test result still outstanding, and then Theresa is out of hospital but only as sort of a day patient. I posted on Friday that Saturday would be her last day, but it looks like Dr House can change his mind.

I visited Theresa at lunch time and while there her lunch arrived so she was tempted to try the soup of the day. She managed to get a few spoons down and found out that it was vegetable soup. As usual I was my impatient self and wanted to shovel the soup down but good things come to those who wait and it seems for those who eat soup at 3 spoons per hour. Theresa has had cortisone which has numbed the reflex muscles but by the third spoon, Theresa said she could feel her throat muscles trying to react and stop the soup passing. And they still can't find the cause.

Anyway tomorrow Theresa will be staying in Pretoria with my brother because this week's appointment is with Dr House 2 who is based in Pretoria. The following week it is back in Johannesburg so we will see what happens then. In the meanwhile here is another spoon, open wide.

Theresa

Dr House, not his real name, and his team still hasn't found what is causing my sister not to be able to eat. The specialists and doctors can see all the swelling in the throat walls but nothing indicating what is causing it. With another battery of tests completed today and nothing to show for it, just another likely cause to cross off the list of possibles. They even x-rayed her hands, now I am not sure how her hands are linked to her throat, go figure.

Oh, one good thing was that Theresa managed to eat some soup today without gagging. It is the first bit of food pass her throat in over three weeks. But I suppose it isn't funny but I had to laugh when Theresa went on to tell me that after lunch when examined by the ENT (Ear Nose and Throat) specialist she threw the soup all up. Luckily it was on the floor and not on the ENT's lap. The ENT was surprised that even with local anesthetic Theresa's gag reflexes still managed to work so well.

What is a bit concerning is that in the scans they can see possible evidence of a slight hernia near the celiac plexus. Tomorrow they are going in with an endoscope to check the back of the throat, the throat muscles and down to the stomach, stopping to see if it is a hernia that is showing on the CAT scans. If it is then they may have to operate. Along the way biopsies will be taken and tested.

So even though all the wise men are still in the dark, Theresa is still managing to smile and is praying for a break through soon.

Linksfield Hospital

It is day two of the working year and my sister, Theresa was driven up by her husband Hans and their two kids from Nelspruit to see the specialists at Linksfield Hospital after being hospitalised because she could not eat. See my earlier post Skinny Malinky for more information.

After work I went round to visit her and also to lead her family to where I stay so they could crash for the night. Now I am not easily impressed but Linksfield Hospital sure impressed me with their efficiency of how they treated and dealt with Theresa and her family. By the time I had got to Ward C at Linksfield, she had already gone through a barrage of exploratory tests and investigative scans with the specialist doctor at every test and scan viewing the results as they came available. I should call him "House" from the TV series about an eccentric investigative doctor called House. The preliminary results show that there may be a growth in her throat but a closer look is needed.

Please pray for my sister and her family, the specialists, the doctors and all the other medical staff involved.

Skinny Malinky

Theresa, my sister, has a health problem that has crept in recently. She hasn't been able to eat solid food for over a week now. And this has resulted in the weight melting off her body. The doctors diagnosed Sjogren Syndrome, it is when the immune system starts to attack the salivary glands, tear ducts, and mucous membranes, but now she can't swallow at all so she sits all day sipping liquids battling to get it down. She is waiting for the specialist in Johannesburg to come back from his Christmas holidays so she can undergo an investigatory operation to find the cause.

I spent the last few days with her, although we had fun, I can see that she is suffering and she is getting thinner and thinner and soon there will be not much left of skinnymalinks. Let's pray that the specialist can see Theresa soon. be able to correctly diagnose her problem and that she can get better soon.