Sunday, January 2, 2011

"...AND BEAUTY SURROUNDS ME..."

GREETINGS FROM SOUTH AFRICA!
MAXMOM here...
Hello there to all my friends across the world!

 
I'm in a rather reflective mood ...
(it's my daughter: "Miss R"s  21st birthday today!),

...so I grabbed my camera, ventured outside and let my view finder 'do the talking' for today's post....
 I can't help but sit back and simply...
BE THANKFUL!
(A dove in our water feature)

(New growth on the Pin Oak on our pavement)

(Beautiful colour contrasts: Shades of green against a South African sky backdrop)

(A Hadedah Ibis on the neighbour's roof)


(A pair of "Dikkop"s trying to nest on our pavement)

I look around me and notice that EVERYTHING has been equipped to...
LIVE LIFE TO THE MAX!
(Aunt Tam' enjoying the cool ground...she's earned her retirement!)
Finally:
A birthday cake "gift " made by one sister for another...
IT'S A CAKE... 'FIT FOR A prospective VET'!

My heart warms when I see the evidence of my own daughters' sibling fondness!
I am truly blessed!

Look around!....You are too!

Sending lotsaluv,


23 comments:

rottrover said...

The true blessing is that you recognize all the beauty that surrounds you and are able to draw strength from it. So many people aren't!

Please stop by our new blog. Mom couldn't observe Blogville from the sidelines any longer!

http://rottrover.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

It is glorious to have natures beauty right at your door step!

Such beautiful pictures too! I am quite taken with Ibis! The Dikkop is very long legged and such a pretty pattern of feathers.

We really are blessed!

Happy Birthday to Miss "R"! Ah, to be 21 again and know what I know now! Oh well. Enjoy your life Miss "R" and live your life to the fullest! Congrats on the road to being a Vet!

We hope that this year is a Great Year for all of us!

woo woos and hugs, Tess and Mom Blu

Fi from Four Paws and Whiskers said...

Been a lurker but had to get out of google reader and come to comment.
Congratulations to your daughter for her 21st and getting into vet school. Momentous!
I wish her all the best in her future career.

Loving the photos. Beautiful country! Seeing gorgeous Goldies is still hard for me after losing Saffy, but we are loving our new addition to the family, Poppy.

Happy New Year
:)

♥I am Holly♥ said...

Beautiful photos!! Happy Birthday to Miss R!!! Congratulations on vet school..that is just so exciting!! Lots of love, Debbie and Holly

sprinkles said...

Beautiful pictures!

I love that cake! It must've taken some time to decorate like that. It's almost too pretty to eat.

Your daughter is very creative and talented. I could dream up something like that but actually trying to put it together, I'd probably just make one big mess.

Suka said...

What a lovely post! The photo of the dove is beautiful, with the gorgeous blue tint on the feathers.

Congratulations to your daughter! Twenty-one is a great age, and I wish her the best! That birthday cake is awesome! I bet it was tasty!

Wishing you and yours an amazing New Year 2011 full of much love, happiness, health, joy, and fun! I look forward to continued reading of your life and adventures in 2011.

Peace,

KrisAnne and Suka

Kate said...

MMM nommy scrummy cake! Bet it went down a treat!

KB said...

I enjoyed reading your retrospective on 2010, despite the terrible sadness that it contained, you found glimmers of hope and then a bright shining star in the form of Toby!

I think that you and I are similar people - we need to have a "heart dog" by our sides to be happy. I feel so blessed that I first had Acadia and now K. Just like you, Max, and Toby.

I love your photos today. By reading your blog, I realize that our days of darkness and cold are someone else's long and warm days. Enjoy them! I can tell that you are enjoying them and living life to the Max!

Kasha The Dainty Great Dane said...

Beautiful pictures! Happy Birthday to Ms. R!! What a great cake as well.

AARF Kasha the Dainty Great Dane

KT and Easton said...

What a nice post. We sure enjoy the SA touch. Dogs are looking good and congrats to your daughter. A noble ambition for sure. Best of luck.

Happy New Year

Molly the Airedale said...

What a beautiful birthday cake! Mom says she would have a hard time cutting into that!

Love ya lots
Maggie and Mitch

Two French Bulldogs said...

Happee Birthday Ms. R. We love that farm cake
Benny & Lily

~Kim at Golden Pines~ said...

How thoughtful of your daughter!! The relationship that they share as sisters is a tribute to their upbringing!

Caryl, as we are engulfed in winter, it brings me warmth to see the circle of life continuing in your corner of the world.

NAK and The Residents of The Khottage Now With KhattleDog! said...

The khake is just perfekht!

Hugz&Khysses,
Khyra

Maureen said...

Gosh but they grow so fast -- both dogs and daughters!!

Big slurps, HoneyBuzz

houndstooth said...

We had a similar sentiment as we ventured out on our first hike of the New Year, but we didn't see sights as colorful as yours! I hope your daughter enjoyed a wonderful birthday. The cake is awesome!

Tweedles -- that's me said...

Such a beautiful, beautiful post.
We also wish Miss R a wonderful birthday, and we are soooo happy for her.
I got to thinking about something,, and that is this,,,
i have seen where friendship seeds have been planted through the past months, and now I see those seeds sprouting into blooming flowers.
Little bees are transporing the love from each of us to another, and our family is growing,, that is how it is seen "through the eyes of tweedles"
love
tweedles

Cocorue said...

happy happy new year dear Caryl and gang!

and a happy 21st to msR.....yummy cake too

may the new year bring you all the happiness, joy, laughter, health and peace that you deserve

chikisses
coco, tiffy and lilian

WFT Nobby said...

That cake photo makes me smile over and over again. Happy Birthday Miss 'R'.
Cheers, Gail.

Milo and Alfie Marshall said...

How lovely that you enjoy everthing around you ~ it is so important for the soul.
Happy birthday to Miss R!

MySpecialDoggies said...

Happy Belated New Year Toby & family - also belated birthday wishes to Miss R. We didn't get a chance to read blogs over the weekend and are attempting to catch up while working with tax year end stuff...

Your pictures, as always, are breathtaking. And Toby - you are just too cute. Neeli says she wasn't scared of the fireworks on New Year's Eve -but she did miss comforting Apples.

Here's to a wonderful 2011.

Woofs
Nadine & Neeli
Angel doggie Apples (1994-2010)

Scout and Freyja said...

Not only were your photos absolutely breathtaking - it is so wonderful to see the l♥ve between siblings. I know that my boys are 'tight' when push comes to shove - it warms a mother's ♥.

♫Happy Belated Birthday♫ wishes to a young woman who is going to make her mark in this world leaving goodness beneath her every step.

Mrs. JP said...

What wonderful pictures. We are so blessed and even more so when we stop, as you did, to look around at all God created.
What a cute, cute cake for our future Vet.