Spring Flowers...

Candace has been busy in the garden recently - planting both flowers and vegetables. Here are some of the flowers that have sprung forth this new planting season. Some of them were not planted, but they sure are pretty and add some colour to the garden! :) The photo here is of her tulips lining the front path.

Lovely red tulip.

Daffodil.

Dandelion.

Common blue (although it looks purple) violet.

Columbine.

Ragwort - not indigenous but very common in ditches and fields here.

Daisy fleabane.

Coreopsis.

Dianthus.

Hot Cross Buns...

Hot cross buns!
Hot cross buns!
One a penny, two a penny,
Hot cross buns!

Hot Cross Buns are an Easter tradition throughout many parts of the world, and I was surprised that this part of America does not really know about them, and so we had hot cross buns for a nice picnic after Easter had come and gone. It's lovely to be an international family! :)

Lovely cups of tea with our hot cross buns.

Family fun picnic...

... with Rusty Roo in attendance, of course! :)

Rusty's New Cut...

I took Rusty for his first trim in over three years earlier this month. It's quite a change from how he normally looks -as seen in the previous Easter post. He is now all ready for the Indiana summer heat! 

Short fur for the summer!

Easter 2021...

We had a pretty low-key Easter this year - celebrating Jesus' resurrection at home. We enjoyed a roast for lunch and an Easter egg hunt for the kiddos, and ended the day with a lovely bonfire. It was a very laid back, relaxing day!

Lovely roast chicken. Yum!

Easter egg hunt!

We had another hunt later in the week, too!

Riaan with his eggs.

Eliza enjoying a marshmallow egg from South Africa.

 Rusty poses for a photo in front of the bonfire.

Easter bonfire. :)

Seder Meal 2021...

We celebrated a Seder meal together with friends on Good Friday, to celebrate Jesus and what he has done for us. I love how the focus is on the Jewish Passover and how all the little intricacies of this meal - and indeed, the whole Old Testament - point to the Saviour! It had been two years since we last shared this meal together - after the pandemic lock-downs cancelled it last year - and so it was a very special time.

Our table. :)

Windy Southern Cycle...

I went cycling on one of my favourite rides here on a blustery day recently. I went south where there are beautiful rolling hills - not flat fields of endless corn - and lovely farmland. There are some lovely country scenes in this part of southern Indiana. :)

Picturesque church on a little hill. :)

Rising Moon...

An almost-full moon rose slowly but steadily above the trees on Saturday, 27th of March. We all enjoyed marvelling at the beauty of God's creation. It was quite breathtaking!

Haunting beauty through the trees.

A closer view of the moon.

Judah and Dan at the Cherry Ghost...

Friday nights are music nights at the Cherry Ghost. Coming up next Friday (16th April), Judah and Dan will be playing and all tips given to these talented musicians will be donated to the Lebanon Crisis Fund, providing vital food and medical supplies to families impacted by the Beirut port explosion and Lebanon's economic collapse. We plan to support this worthy cause! For more on the Lebanon Crisis, click here.

My Cycle Tour Charity Challenge...

As mentioned previously, I entered the Cycle Tour Charity Challenge to raise funds for the Cape Town Cycle Tour Trust last month. My family in Cape Town - my Dad, Mom, brother and nephews - also entered, and it was wonderful to take part in this iconic event together - albeit on separate continents!

I completed my Charity Challenge on Sunday, 21st March, on a beautiful day in southern Indiana. I cycled many scenic roads around Daviess County and finished my 109 kms (or 68 miles) in 5 hrs 35 mins. I even made a "109" pattern with my route - a screenshot of which I attach here. Everything was logged through the Strava tracking app and the Cycle Tour office had access to it in order to log official finishers. 

I have decided to continue cycling throughout the year, as I have lost some weight and feel far healthier now that I am being more active!

 

My route map. :)

A fast downhill on my route. Happy not to climb up this!

A pretty farm scene - complete with a barn quilt. :)

Cycling along the highway - another pretty barn and barn quilt are to the left.

Lonely tree.

Inquisitive groundhog on the road.

Bike safety is important here.

Daviess County Airport.

Little garter snake catching some sun.

Pretty farm windmill.

Enjoying a Crawford post-cycle tradition, a brown cow - Coca-Cola and milk - after my long ride!

Washington Fire Department...

We had some excitement in our road recently. A large fire was burning uncontained in a neighbour's back garden, and a big fire engine arrived and extinguished the blaze. We are thankful for the emergency resources available in our small town!

Putting out the fire.