Busy times -- week 89

 Lots of random stuff this week.

Driving to work, the rainy season is starting, so much clearer skies.  Smog gets washed away.

Coming home from work one evening.  Rainbow in the east. View from our front door.

Followed by beautiful sunset in the west.

Monkey photo for the week.  Mamma and a tiny new baby hanging out on the retaining wall facing our door.  We were talking to Hubrichs with the door open, and the monkeys noticed and came calling.  They don't like our new screen door.

Monday night this was what we saw as we turned the corner home from work.  Original opening date was supposed to be last June!

So we found the Hubrichs and walked back for dinner.  

Standard McDonalds fare.  Now when we get home we can go to any McDonalds and pretend we are back on the corner of Lincoln and Mottramdale in Westville, South Africa.

However, the Drive-thru is still not operating.  The cracks in the retaining walls are getting worse, not better. 

Wednesday morning we woke up to this wonderful photo in our email.  That's our son, Keith, in the middle with Richard and Diane Taylor.  They are going to be our replacements next January.  They live in Orem, Utah, and went to see Keith in the production of Hunchback.  They said it was really good!  We got to watch the dress rehearsal on zoom a few weeks ago, but not as good as really being there.  

Wednesday morning we also ran out to the airport to pick up the Van Heerdens.  They are another senior couple in the Mission.  They went home for a week to see a brand new grandchild.  But, they are from East London, South Africa.  When a new grandbaby is only a 1-hour plane flight away, the visit is easily done.

We stopped by the temple to pick up their bakkie they had stored there while they were gone for a week.  There was a short visit with Temple President Leon Holmes.  He and the Van Heerdens have been friends for years.  We caught him with golf clubs in hand, just coming back from the local driving range.  Durban Temple is closed on Wednesdays.  The best news is that COVID restrictions are being eased.  They now can have up to 22 people in one temple session.  That's up from 14.  It means that we now can take the eastern-side missionaries in four trips instead of six.

We got more new cars this week, too.  Here are two Hundai Venues.  All the new cars and swapping cars is keeping Ken busy.

Sue got a fun package from Takealot this week.  Sister Lines wanted Santa hats for the zone conferences in December, so Sue ordered 100 of them!  About 75cents each.  Then we decided that wasn't enough.  We will be 112 young missionaries and 14 seniors by Christmas!  So Sue tried to order 30 more, but could only get 20.  It's only mid-October and she's bought them out of Santa Hats already.  

Friday night we went out for a quiet dinner with the Hubrichs to the Cape House Cafe.  It's a small place over by the Mission home, with good food!

Here is Sue's great accomplishment for the week.  She hit 100 consecutive days of finishing the NY Times crossword puzzle.  She doesn't always do it without looking something up -- especially on Friday and Saturday when the puzzles are harder.  But she does always finish.  She had a scare on Saturday morning because she woke up and realized she hadn't finished the Friday puzzle the night before.  But the counting is forgiving.  You don't have to do it on the day -- just finish it before doing the one for the next day.  [Don't believe the "Best" times.  One time on a Saturday a long time ago, she accidently hit the "reveal puzzle" which filled it all in and counted it done in 5 minutes!]  Previous consecutive streak was 92.  It's a daily ritual.  

Sunday we were a few minutes late for church, because our usual route was closed due to a big bicycle race.  We knew that, and left home early, and thought we had the alternate route planned.  But part-way there we realized we had to cross the closed route -- also not allowed.  So, another detour.

It was a special day because Brandon Vezi (R) was baptized in Molweni Branch by Elder Tom (L).  Brandon is a great young man who was introduced to the Church by his good friends from school, Alma and Mosiah.  Those are both good Book of Mormon names!  Brandon is 17 years old and in 11th grade.  He's making good choices in his life!