Preparing the garden in Dubai for Autumn with #HDYGG?

When we rented our villa we had 2 trees in the garden a palm tree and an unknown but almost dead tree that stood in the square with the pebbles in.

We asked the land lady to arrange to have it removed as we were concerned it may fall down and risk damaging the neighbours property, she declined to do so and we found out she owned the adjoining property anyway.

Within a week we had a storm and the tree blew down.

The neighbours also informed us that prior to us renting the villa there had been plants and trees in the garden, we can only assume the previous tenants took them when they moved.

I'm currently exploring what shrubs and climbers other than bouganvillea, will cope with the heat, will grow in sand and are drought resistant.

There are several small pebbled areas I'd like to use. 

While we're talking about previous tenants, apparently they built this outdoor shower for feet washing. I'd like to grow a climber in a pot in here to disguise it a little.

 The bougainvillaea needs cutting back now to reduce water consumption and I hope the cuttings take as I'd like to see more of these in the garden.

 I've been doing plenty of weeding, my weed killer natural alternatives having been working as quickly as I'd like. I've been told that sprinkling Bicarbonate of soda on the weeds and watering will kill the weeds as will pouring hot water on them, but I'm already watering the plants at 42c direct from the outside tap.

The vinegar, salt and dishwasher mix did work initially but the weeds came back. I found out this week why that was. They get a constant water supply from the broken air conditioning unit, which is now being fixed.

I did consider doing some composting, but in this heat the pile would need turning daily or I could purchase/make a rotating drum. At the moment I don't think I could cope with the smell and the effort required daily, so it'll be a project I can look at starting over the winter months.

My Nasturtium seed is growing well, as is the tomato seed. I think I'll pot them into bigger pots and keep them indoors as they need cooler temperatures to produce flowers once they've grown a bit more.

I also treated myself to a bunch of Iris's this week. Not cheap and already showing signs of wilting and they've yet to flower, so these will be moved into the conservatory (the room in the background) where I can control the temperature.

Education and poverty in Mpumalanga with Viva

I had the great privilege in June 2014 to travel with the Viva Foundation to meet Pastor Jonny in his home in Kildare.

Pastor Jonny is 2nd from the right in the black jacket.

Kildare is in Mpumalanga, South Africa near Kruger National Park.

It was a 2 hour drive from Pretoriuskop Camp mostly on dirt roads

Pastor Jonny with the support of the Viva Foundation is developing the local community, with the building of a church, a school and kitchen. He told me that the biggest problems the community face are poverty, alcoholism and HIV and AIDS.

The Pastor wants to address the issues of poverty by providing education at a young age and training for the youths of the community to learn new skills they can use to gain employment. The nearest Pre School for their community is 6km away and a cost of R100 per month for lessons and R150 for the transport. Not only does Pastor Jonny want to provide training in building, but he wishes to develop the communities farming skills and teach them to become self sufficient.

There is no employment in the area and as a result most families are grandparent led due to 2 reasons: the parents work away in Gauteng and return home at the end of the month or the parents have died from AIDS, there are also many orphans in the community and Jonny’s dream is to build an orphanage for these children. Most of the men work in the mines and many were been involved in the strikes at Marikana and were without work for 5 months without pay, striking for a living wage and safety improvements. There was little income in the community for those 5 months.

Families receive social grants for their children of R320 per month, this is often the only income and despite the intention for it to be used to provide their children with education, it is often the only income to feed the entire family, therefore the children don’t attend school.

Jonny set up a crèche 2-3 years ago and employs local teachers who do not receive a salary; they currently teach in a wooden, slatted building with a tin roof and even in the middle of winter the building is hot and humid. 

The children receive a cooked meal daily, which is often the only meal they eat during the day. It is cooked outside, there is no kitchen.

Uniforms supplied by Viva

There is no water in the community and men, women and children walk 2 kms each way to Ximhungwe to fetch water. There is no municipality water available and on occasions the pipes break and then it’s a 12 km trip to fetch water, which is the basis of sustaining life. A bore hole would make  a big difference to the community.

There is however a river that runs through the community and Jonny wishes to fence off the land to enable them to farm and become self sufficient. We discussed how he could start this project starting with a small vegetable garden that the children can be involved with seeing where their food comes from, planting, nurturing the seeds, harvesting and then cooking and tasting the food and understanding the process of the foods that they eat.

On Friday's a mobile clinic visits the area, they give flu jabs, inoculate babies and treat minor illnesses for free. For more serious conditions they give a letter to take to the local hospital some 30 kms away who charge R40 to open a file. For transport to the hospital Pastor Jonny has a vehicle and he is also the person called at 2am when someone goes into labour and needs a lift.

We took tables, chairs, educational supplies, stationery, clothing, toys and food. Everything was donated collected from businesses, neighbours, colleagues and friends. 

If you want to make a donation to this project and other educational projects in South Africa please click here. Paypal address is thechickendoesjoburg@gmail.com

I will be returning to South Africa in October and November this year and hope to visit Pastor Jonny and update with all the good works that have gone on over the past year with the help and support of Viva.

Home made healthy dog treats with #AnimalTales

I made frozen yogurt and peanut butter cup cakes and parsley, oat and peanut butter biscuits for Bob on Sunday, all low fat.

For the cupcakes I used 1 pot of natural yogurt and half the amount of peanut butter, mixed, put in paper cake cases and put in the freezer over night.

For biscuits I used 2 cups of flour, 1 cup of peanut butter, 1 cup of oats, 1 tbs baking powder, 1 egg, splash of milk, handful of chopped fresh parsley. Mixed in blender, rolled out, cut and baked at 200c for 12 mins.

The parsley helps as a breath freshener, but you could use bacon bits as an alternative.

Make sure you wash the blender/bowl asap, as trying to remove peanut butter after an hour was hard work.

I'll bring bringing them to the lakes on friday am for a doggie tasting session. I've tried one, they're edible.

And of course I let Bob lick the bowl.

Bob loves his biscuits

And frozen yogurt treats

Update on the stray kittens

It would appear Mum has finished weaning the kittens, I saw her on saturday on her own further a field than normal. My son only spotted 2 of the kittens on Sunday, so armed with a torch and a tin of biscuits I went looking for them, 2 were playing in the garden, climbing trees and running around. Our cat was happy with them in the garden and stayed curled up on the sun lounger with one eye on them. I gave them some food and thankfully the 3rd kitten turned up. 

They are less timid without their mum around and let me get quite close to them.

My Period and Dignity Dreams

I spent most of last week in bed with the flu, I also had my period.

I blogged about Dignity Dreams last week to share with you the good work they are doing in raising awareness and funds to support young girls remaining in Education by providing as many reusable and washable sanitary wear packs as possible.

I realised if I was to advertise and fundraise for Dignity Dreams, I should at least try out their packs.

As I've been house bound anyway, I thought it a good week to review this product. I'm at home so I don't have to worry about any leakage or carry used blood stained pads around with me in my hand bag. I did go out on Friday and used 2 pads while I was out. i was conscious of the used one in my bag and didn't feel too comfortable carrying it around with me, but it's the first time I've used them so I guess I'll get used to it.

Why would I worry about that anyway?

Well it's not very hygienic for starters in my opinion, it's summer and the pads might smell a little, I'd really not walk around with blood stained clothing if they did leak, I'd feel uncomfortable and self conscious all the time I was out. I didn't leak, but I did make more visits to the toilets than I would normally do.

Why would I feel that way? Is it because it's the way society has brought me up, or due to the way I have been brought up/ Is it because having your period is still a taboo subject?

No, for me it's about being clean and feeling clean. I wouldn't go out the house in a top that I spilt my breakfast on, I'd put a clean one on before leaving the house and if I did spill food down my top while I was out, I'd sponge it off.

I never wear light clothing when I am on my period and I always wear darker clothing and carry a pad with me a few days leading up to my period, just in case.

I'm fortunate, my periods arrive between every 25-28 days, so I know when I am due on, they only last for 4-5 days at the most, but they are very heavy and I do prefer to use sanitary pads rather than tampons.

Have I had any embarrassing moments? No not really, on occasions I've worn my jumper round my waist, as I've leaked a little, and I did have a funny moment in a supermarket in South Africa which you can read about here and still makes me chuckle.

But what would I do if I didn't have sanitary pads, if the choice was food for my daughter or sanitary pads for myself and my daughter?

Well I could use toilet paper? But if I lived in a township or an informal settlement, I probably wouldn't have running water, let alone a toilet. I could use some rag or material/old clothing. But I probably wouldn't have old clothing. I could use saw dust, newspaper, an old rag, grass. But I'm likely to get an infection and I couldn't really walk round like that could I. How would I manage a day at work, or a food shop, or sit in a classroom all day and concentrate on my education? I'd stay at home for a week every month, like I've done this week, but I've been at home because I have the flu, not because of my period.

Eventually women lose their job, young girls fall behind with their education and just give up attending school. THAT IS THE REALITY. Without an education the next generation don't change, don't get better jobs, earn more money, be able to afford sanitary pads and the cycle of poverty continues.

After a week using Dignity Dream sanitary wear I felt comfortable to go out for short times wearing one of their pads. I took spares with me and several zip lock bags to put soiled ones in. I also carried several pairs of disposable gloves with me. As I flushed the toilet, I rinsed the pad under the water. I rung it out, I popped it in the zip lock bag and put it in my handbag. I carried anti bacterial soap with me to clean my hands before leaving the toilet cubicle. I then washed my hands in hot soapy water.

When I got home I rubbed sunlight soap on the pads and hung them in the sun to dry, the sunlight and soap help to kill the bacteria, I then washed them by hand and hung them out to dry again. At the end of the week, even though I'd washed the pads by hand I put them through the washing machine, before storing them in the bathroom ready for next month.

I had the advantage of disposable gloves, hand sanitiser and a washing machine to use, which most women and young girls in South Africa don't have access to. I also hung the pads outside after the gardener had been in the mornings, but I didn't worry about hubby or my teenage son seeing them.

Periods are a way of life for nearly every woman on the planet, I've blogged about it, I don't keep sanitary pads out of sight in the bathroom, and I do keep a small supply in the guest toilet and bathroom as not everyone is keen to discuss their periods.

On a weekend away with hubby a few months after we got together I sent him out to purchase sanitary pads for me, he never made it to the local shop, as he asked the man on reception in the hotel for some instead.

If you would like to support this initiative please make a donation. PAYPAL Each pack costs R150 or £7.50, or you can make a donation of any amount towards a pack. Please mark your donation DD as I'm also fundraising for other projects.

If you'd like to review the product yourself I have some packs available that I'd be happy to post out to you, if you're based in the UK.

Week 33 - My Sunday Photo

When you live as an expat there are many tears.

Tears of joy for hello.

Tears of sadness for goodbye.

There is also lots of coffee as you sit and wait for your family and friends to arrive.

Expats don't need to programme the airport into their GPS/Sat Nav.

Their car takes them there, like your car does the school run or the journey to work.

Expats know the best parking.

Expats always have the right change for the fees.

Expats spend so much time at the airport that their phones and laptops automatically connect to the wifi, just like it does when they walk through their front door at at home.

This morning at 5am I've dropped hubby at T1 Dubai Airports, he's off to Turkey with work for the week.

We never drop and run, we always park up and say a proper goodbye.

I have 2 hours on my ticket, I wait at the airport until he's at the gate, I sit and have a coffee, he calls me, I go home. Track his flight, he messages when he arrives at the airport and again at the hotel.

Then we both get on with the week and we do the same in reverse on Friday when he comes home.

Week 33 - Project 365

Well it appears my week has started with the flu, a cough and cold over the weekend, but I was well enough to go for a massage for #MySundayPhoto. I had a paddle in the sea, the sand was too hot to walk on and the sea was as hot as a bath. By the time I returned home on foot, tram, train, bus and foot again, I was drenched through from the heat and spent the remainder of the day in bed.

Day 221 ‪#‎onedailypositive‬ ‪#‎perfect‬ ‪#‎fmsphotoaday‬ ‪#‎souvenir‬‪#‎snaphappybritmums‬ ‪#‎project365‬ ‪#‎50DaysOfSummer‬

On Monday I got up at 6am to clean the windows outside, we can hardly see out as they're covered in sand. Hubby was back in work and I almost melted with the heat. I prepared some beef for the slow cooker for dinner. I did shower, dress and walk to Starbucks, late afternoon and hubby collected me on his way home and back to bed while the rest of the dinner cooked, another early night.

Day 222 ‪#‎onedailypositive‬ ‪#‎InMyHand‬ ‪#‎fmsphotoaday‬ ‪#‎children‬ ‪#‎snaphappybritmums‬ ‪#‎project365‬ ‪#‎50DaysOfSummer‬ which prompted Mondays' Blog post Where have our children gone?

Tuesday I was shattered, hardly slept the night before due to coughing and the heat, the air con units have been temperamental, apparently we're using them too much. Mmmm with temps average between 36c and 44c EVERY day, they're going to be on most of the day. The weather forecast in 2 weeks times looks like it's going to be pleasant with highs of 35c meaning I will be able to get out and about a bit more. I spent most of the day in bed, blogging and catching up with letter writing, in between a lot of sleeping and coughing. I have a lot of blogging I need to do prior to my trip to South Africa in October, starting with My Santa Shoebox Journey.

Day 223 #onedailypositive #technology #fmsphotoaday #morning #snaphappybritmums #project365 #50DaysOfSummer

Wednesday was another at home day, feeling slightly better and having had some sleep. I spent the morning booking hubbies flight as he is now joining me in the UK next month, for child 4 of 5 passing out parade in Catterick. I also managed to restart the sewing I left half way through last week. Today's blog post was for Animal Tales with an update on the stray cat who has had kittens. I was wondering why I hadn't seen her around for a while.

I'm also involved with an organisation in South Africa called Dignity Dreams who provide reusable and washable Sanitary products to young girls to help them stay in education.

Day 224 #onedailypositive #centre #fmsphotoaday #sparkle #snaphappybritmums #project365 #50DaysOfSummer due to a migraine and the flu this is all I can manage

Thursday hubby dropped me at Starbucks early so I had could have my coffee fix and only had one way to walk, I spent most of the day in bed but I did manage to do some more sewing and made more scarves to sell to raise funds for South Africa, busy day on Friday, so an early night all round, after a pizza take away and a movie at home. Apart from watering the garden to keep the sand from blowing the only gardening I've been doing for How Does Your Garden Grow? is to experiment with growing seeds in different conditions, ready for planting in the Autumn.

Day 225 #onedailypositive #SomethingBeautiful #fmsphotoaday #aeroplane #snaphappybritmums #project365 #50DaysOfSummer 
I have 4 airport trips over the next 4 weeks. 2 are to say goodbye to hubby as he flys to turkey for work and to the #teen who returns to school in the UK. I trip to collect hubby and trip no 4 is for me. I shall be flying to the UK to visit my children and family for 2 weeks and that is something beautiful for me as an expat especially as hubby is joining me and it'll only be the 2nd time in 5 years we've made the trip together.

Friday hubby and I were up early and out in the desert with Bob. Went to Abu Dhabi in the afternoon to see Adam Savage on tour with Mythbusters show. It was the one and only request from the teen of things he wanted to do when he visited for the summer. Inspired by my upcoming trip to South Africa I wrote up yet another old post showcasing some of the 3000+ cup cakes I made for vulnerable and disadvantage children in South Africa over a 2 year period.

    Day 226 #onedailypositive #8oClock #fmsphotoaday #market #snaphappybritmums 
                                                       #project365 #50DaysOfSummer 
                          At our local shopping centre at 8pm, using my shopping bag from 
                                                       Hamilton Market in Canada

Saturday, after a busy day yesterday and a late night, we had a relatively quiet day, popped to the beach for a swim air temp 42c, water temp 32c, didn't stay long. The teen stayed in bed most of the day (again) and while I caught up with the ironing, hubby and the teen went to the cinema, in the evening watching the football, movies and eating junk food.

I had a good look at next weeks 2 photo prompts, one from FMSPhotoADay and SnapHappyBritMums to see how I can incorporate the 2 prompts into one photo, which also helps me plan my week in terms of where to go to take the pictures.

           Day 227 #onedailypositive #news #fmsphotoaday #SweetTreat #snaphappybritmums 
                                                       #project365 #50DaysOfSummer 

News just in. No sweets were harmed during the staging of this photograph, however many have gone missing since.

Charity Cup Cakes - Making a difference to lives in South Africa

How can a cup cake make a difference to a child's life in Africa?

Very easily. 

If you visit a child in a township or informal settlement in South Africa you'd be surprised that not only do the majority of children not know they have a surname, they can't tell you how old they are either?

Very few have ever had a birthday celebrated, let alone a cake or a party and gifts.

The Viva Foundation in The Alaskan Informal Settlement in Mamelodi are changing this by sponsoring every child who attends there Early Learning Centres to have a birthday, to feel special and to feel valued.

Here is one of many cakes I baked for a child's birthday.

This little girl was so excited to have a cake she dived into head first.

Over a two year period I baked over 3000 cupcakes, I handed them out over christmas, easter, at family days, to orphanages, random people on the streets. I've baked cup cakes for several families as a donation towards a child's funeral as requested. I turned up at nearly every facility I visited with cup cakes.

I received many donations from family for ingredients, or friends baked for me to help me out with larger events.

I designed individual cakes, made red velvet and chocolate cakes. I had help from the kids and hubby with loading the car and delivering.

So can I tempt you with a cup cake? or maybe a small donation for when I return to South Africa in October for 5 weeks to help out with collecting and distributing 10,000 christmas gifts to disadvantaged children in Pretoria. To work with Dignity Dreams to fundraise for sanitary pads to enable young girls to remain in education.

If you would like to donate please click here.