3 Paws Saloon Attic

Fergie · Fergie

Back in the early 80s we fostered a young girl for about a year. Ginny (not her real name) was a petit blond, the same age as our eldest daughter Nicky. Both were pretty boisterous young teens and always up to some mischief or another; they were loads of fun! Ginny had ‘lost’ her father unexpectedly, leav...

Fergie · Fergie

It was the Saturday of the Easter long weekend back in 1966. I had no idea that it was the day that would change the rest of my life. It was a mild day for autumn when I set out on a long walk to visit my best friend at that time, Kate. I was living with my uncle, aunt and young cousin in a very new suburb, to the sout...

Fergie · Fergie

It was a beautiful summers day and a lazy Saturday afternoon to boot. Mother (I) had a dreadful sinus headache. I decided to take some medication and lie down for a while till it took effect. I closed the curtains in the bedroom to shut out the glare, hoping that passing traffic and my girls would give m...

Jadeite · Jadeite

My collection of teddy bears and various stuffed softy ones are legendary. Their stories are stuffing that legends are made of. Here is one of their beary tales: It was a quiet and sleepy afternoon when Mummy-bear decided to take out her big sewing box. The bear rabble, curious as always, crowded arou...

Fergie · Fergie

My earliest memory dates back to 18 April 1947, the date of the royal family visit to Kimberley, in the Union of South Africa. My family were all very pro-British, my ancestors on my paternal grandfather's side coming from Scotland, and my paternal grandmother's from England. There was quite the hub...

Fergie · Fergie

On 1 June 2017 Ray, my husband, and I were taken to the Pilanesberg Game Reserve by Ray's boss. I shall call him Al, as I don't have his permission to use his name. Al, besides having a December Santa business, is a professional South African tour guide and photographer. At 3:30am sharp, our front door-b...

Fergie · Fergie

My ancestors, on the paternal side of my family, came out to South Africa with the 1820 settlers from Scotland. According to my genealogy, Andrew Geddes Bain is my great great grandfather. He, with convict labour, built quite a few mountain passes here in South Africa. His entire road building skill...

Fergie · Fergie

The mid-summer day dawned cloudy and foreboding. Dark grey clouds hung heavily in the sky and the taste of rain was still in the air. "Oh no!" I thought, "please dear Lord, don't spoil this Sunday for me". It was the long anticipated day to celebrate my 70th birthday. Nicky, our e...

Fergie · Fergie

When I joined the family, Bruce was already part of the household. He was a rich brown in colour and not a young dog. I would say, by the look of him, he was a mixture of Rhodesian Ridgeback, Boxer and Boerbul. We liked the look of each other at first meeting. Bruce was one of the most special dogs that I was to...

lil-wolfie · lil-wolfie

Thanks For The Love ==================== It's not an easy task to find yourself heading into the holidays when there's little joy in your life. It had been a bad year. One that would be remembered for the loss of two loved ones. A year that saw financial despair and job loss. Then there were the health...

Fergie · Fergie

It was just before Christmas in the early to mid 1950s and De Beers Diamond Mines were holding their annual “Christmas Tree” for workers children. It was held at the Kimberley Stadium with lots of entertainment for the youngsters. Amongst these were rides in a horse drawn trap and donkey rides as well...

Fergie · Fergie

To me, the West End Cemetery in Kimberley has always been a place of quiet comfort, with its tall Cypress and Pine trees, doves cooing soothingly and its air of solemnness: a sense of peace, which was overpowering. I visited numerous times as a child, with my Gran. Every Sunday after a big lunch, my aunt...

Fergie · Fergie

At the time I met Olive, I was still staying in an old mine house. The house was built in the 1930’s we think, and from the outside it looked like a glorified shack. On the outside, the walls and roof were built of corrugated iron. I hated the house! Olive lived in a similar house across the railway tracks. B...

Fergie · Fergie

I will be making an attempt to narrate a story on a rather delicate subject. I am apologising in advance, in case I offend anybody. In the 1960s, I lived in Kimberley in a house that was about 100 yards away from a home for mentally disabled children. I won’t mention the name, just in case it still exists. T...

Fergie · Fergie

Irish Olive and I had been bosom buddies for a while. Being an immigrant, she had found it difficult to make friends in our predominantly Afrikaans speaking community. I, on the other hand, was just ‘picky’ with the friends I chose. Olive and I ‘clicked’ immediately when we met. Her four boys and my thr...

Fergie · Fergie

The first thing that struck me that day, as we entered the abandoned premises' of Robinson Married Quarters (mining community in South Africa), was the number of newly-dead ducklings. Pathetic little bundles of yellow fluff dotted all over the back yard. I was at once, dismayed to see this dismal...

valkricry · valkricry

Daycare at my house may have been viewed as work by some, but for myself it was... more kids to love. Everyday along with my own two there was at least 10 others to teach and play with. As anyone who deals with kids can tell you, you can't help it, these kids become 'yours' by extension. It was Christmas...

Fergie · Fergie

Towards the beginning of ’81 Ray (my hubby) bought a Honda 400, which I learned to ride. I got my licence at the end of September that same year. We started going on breakfast runs on Sundays with a group of bikers, me riding pillion. We soon found out that our bike was not powerful enough to keep up with th...

Fergie · Fergie

Post high school, I wasted my father’s money by attending Johannesburg School of Art to study Commercial Art for two years. In fact, I was biding my time till I turned 21 and could legally leave home. I was boarding at the Wi****ersrand Women’s Residence and having a ‘ball’. It was wonderful to get awa...

valkricry · valkricry

I remember the day I died. There was nothing spectacular about it, nothing that flagged it out from any other day. Just another typical summer day , my dad had been drinking again and I was doing my best to stay out of his way. I'd been down this path many times, and knew the pattern well. It would start o...

lil-wolfie · lil-wolfie

i got this in a email today.... The Choice ==========EVERY moment in life, we are faced with a choice. Which should command our preference--the demands of our job orthe duties to our family? If there is a board meeting today at the same hours that our songraduates from school, where should we go -- t...

Fergie · Fergie

This is actually an experience, told to me by my father, many years ago. I shall start by telling you some of the circumstances, which led up to the events. My dad, after completing Standard 6 at school, (grade 8) was forced to leave and seek employment, due to the “Great Depression” which had hit the Wes...

Fergie · Fergie

In my country, (South Africa) we have a little wild flower that blooms every autumn. Not all over the country, but in what used to be the Transvaal - now known as Gauteng. This flower blooms in white; cerece and all the hues in between. There is a legend attatched to this flower, but it seems that few peo...

Fergie · Fergie

Back in the early ‘60s my Dad was still working for De Beers Diamond Mines in Kimberley. I was in my last years of high school at the prestigious Kimberley Girls High. We had just been awarded a brand new mine house to rent in a brand new suburb. The whole suburb consisted of mine houses, so it was in effect,...

Fergie · Fergie

It must have been late 1970 or early ’71 when this occurred; we were still living in our old ‘mine house’ at the time. Night had fallen and the children were all asleep. I was tidying up odds and ends before retiring, when there was an unexpected knock at our back door. To my surprise, I found my father-in...

Fergie · Fergie

I would like to share with you, another account from my Uncle Norman. This must have taken place in 1950/1, as Norm had bought a ‘new’ car, a grey Vanguard. He was delighted to have ‘wheels’ for the first time in his life; eager to try it out on a road trip. Norm and a friend (I honestly can’t remember his nam...

Fergie · Fergie

A good few years ago, somewhere in the mid 90’s I think, I was befriended by a chap at work. His name was John, (not his real name) he worked in the work-shop, while I worked in despatch. On Fridays, we both ‘knocked off’ work at the same time. One Friday, I was without transport, and started to walk home (i...

Fergie · Fergie

Way back in the 1940s, before our double highways were built, the way to the Cape lay down narrow, winding roads. Often, the roads were badly sign posted, so it was very easy to get lost. During this time, my uncle Norm and his friend took a trip to Cape Town to visit his aunt (my Gran’s sister.) The journey...

Fergie · Fergie

My youngest uncle Norman, my dad's brother, who was 17 years older than me (he didn't let me call him uncle, he said it made him feel old) was still living at home with his mom, (my Granny) when I arrived. He was the "black sheep" in the family because he drank alcohol, smoked and dabbled in the o...

Fergie · Fergie

From the canyons of my mind, I have managed to dredge up one last story about Jaap du Toit. My Father always told me, that this older man always painted himself as an intrepid explorer; fearless hunter and unparalleled marksman. I will relate to you, one of the most confounding tales ever to come out of t...

Topic		Started By	Replies	Views	Last Post
	A Walk On The Wild Side. (Preview) Back in the early 80s we fostered a young girl for about a year. Ginny (not her real name) was a petit blond, the same age as our eldest daughter Nicky. Both were pretty boisterous young teens and always up to some mischief or another; they were loads of fun! Ginny had ‘lost’ her father unexpectedly, leav...	Fergie	4	1707	Feb 14, 2018 by T-Rex
	Dial "M" For .... Marriage (Preview) It was the Saturday of the Easter long weekend back in 1966. I had no idea that it was the day that would change the rest of my life. It was a mild day for autumn when I set out on a long walk to visit my best friend at that time, Kate. I was living with my uncle, aunt and young cousin in a very new suburb, to the sout...	Fergie	4	1675	Feb 13, 2018 by Fergie
	Overcoming Difficulties (Preview) It was a beautiful summers day and a lazy Saturday afternoon to boot. Mother (I) had a dreadful sinus headache. I decided to take some medication and lie down for a while till it took effect. I closed the curtains in the bedroom to shut out the glare, hoping that passing traffic and my girls would give m...	Fergie	3	1253	Feb 13, 2018 by Fergie
	Beary Tales - Sewing Circus (Preview) My collection of teddy bears and various stuffed softy ones are legendary. Their stories are stuffing that legends are made of. Here is one of their beary tales: It was a quiet and sleepy afternoon when Mummy-bear decided to take out her big sewing box. The bear rabble, curious as always, crowded arou...	Jadeite	3	705	Feb 13, 2018 by Fergie
	A Royal Visit (Preview) My earliest memory dates back to 18 April 1947, the date of the royal family visit to Kimberley, in the Union of South Africa. My family were all very pro-British, my ancestors on my paternal grandfather's side coming from Scotland, and my paternal grandmother's from England. There was quite the hub...	Fergie	3	623	Jan 31, 2018 by Fergie
	Our Day At Pilanesberg Game Reserve (Preview) On 1 June 2017 Ray, my husband, and I were taken to the Pilanesberg Game Reserve by Ray's boss. I shall call him Al, as I don't have his permission to use his name. Al, besides having a December Santa business, is a professional South African tour guide and photographer. At 3:30am sharp, our front door-b...	Fergie	0	683	Jun 6, 2017 by Fergie
	Do They Still Make Men like These? (Preview) My ancestors, on the paternal side of my family, came out to South Africa with the 1820 settlers from Scotland. According to my genealogy, Andrew Geddes Bain is my great great grandfather. He, with convict labour, built quite a few mountain passes here in South Africa. His entire road building skill...	Fergie	1	974	Feb 3, 2016 by valkricry
	Heia Safari Ranch (Preview) The mid-summer day dawned cloudy and foreboding. Dark grey clouds hung heavily in the sky and the taste of rain was still in the air. "Oh no!" I thought, "please dear Lord, don't spoil this Sunday for me". It was the long anticipated day to celebrate my 70th birthday. Nicky, our e...	Fergie	1	989	Jul 2, 2015 by valkricry
	Bruce (Preview) When I joined the family, Bruce was already part of the household. He was a rich brown in colour and not a young dog. I would say, by the look of him, he was a mixture of Rhodesian Ridgeback, Boxer and Boerbul. We liked the look of each other at first meeting. Bruce was one of the most special dogs that I was to...	Fergie	2	1165	Dec 4, 2014 by lil-wolfie
	Thanks For The Love (Preview) Thanks For The Love ==================== It's not an easy task to find yourself heading into the holidays when there's little joy in your life. It had been a bad year. One that would be remembered for the loss of two loved ones. A year that saw financial despair and job loss. Then there were the health...	lil-wolfie	2	996	Nov 27, 2014 by lil-wolfie
	My First & Last Donkey Ride (Preview) It was just before Christmas in the early to mid 1950s and De Beers Diamond Mines were holding their annual “Christmas Tree” for workers children. It was held at the Kimberley Stadium with lots of entertainment for the youngsters. Amongst these were rides in a horse drawn trap and donkey rides as well...	Fergie	1	899	Sep 14, 2014 by valkricry
	So, Where Is The Ghost? (Preview) To me, the West End Cemetery in Kimberley has always been a place of quiet comfort, with its tall Cypress and Pine trees, doves cooing soothingly and its air of solemnness: a sense of peace, which was overpowering. I visited numerous times as a child, with my Gran. Every Sunday after a big lunch, my aunt...	Fergie	1	1171	Jul 25, 2014 by valkricry
	Olive (Preview) At the time I met Olive, I was still staying in an old mine house. The house was built in the 1930’s we think, and from the outside it looked like a glorified shack. On the outside, the walls and roof were built of corrugated iron. I hated the house! Olive lived in a similar house across the railway tracks. B...	Fergie	1	1222	Apr 30, 2014 by valkricry
	Garden Party (Preview) I will be making an attempt to narrate a story on a rather delicate subject. I am apologising in advance, in case I offend anybody. In the 1960s, I lived in Kimberley in a house that was about 100 yards away from a home for mentally disabled children. I won’t mention the name, just in case it still exists. T...	Fergie	1	1239	Apr 22, 2014 by valkricry
	Monkey Business (Preview) Irish Olive and I had been bosom buddies for a while. Being an immigrant, she had found it difficult to make friends in our predominantly Afrikaans speaking community. I, on the other hand, was just ‘picky’ with the friends I chose. Olive and I ‘clicked’ immediately when we met. Her four boys and my thr...	Fergie	1	1300	Feb 13, 2014 by valkricry
	An African Curse (Preview) The first thing that struck me that day, as we entered the abandoned premises' of Robinson Married Quarters (mining community in South Africa), was the number of newly-dead ducklings. Pathetic little bundles of yellow fluff dotted all over the back yard. I was at once, dismayed to see this dismal...	Fergie	1	1067	Dec 12, 2013 by valkricry
	Santa, and the Elf who Babysat (Preview) Daycare at my house may have been viewed as work by some, but for myself it was... more kids to love. Everyday along with my own two there was at least 10 others to teach and play with. As anyone who deals with kids can tell you, you can't help it, these kids become 'yours' by extension. It was Christmas...	valkricry	1	1786	Nov 27, 2013 by Fergie
	Riding Into History (Preview) Towards the beginning of ’81 Ray (my hubby) bought a Honda 400, which I learned to ride. I got my licence at the end of September that same year. We started going on breakfast runs on Sundays with a group of bikers, me riding pillion. We soon found out that our bike was not powerful enough to keep up with th...	Fergie	1	1091	Nov 20, 2013 by valkricry
	Double Take (Preview) Post high school, I wasted my father’s money by attending Johannesburg School of Art to study Commercial Art for two years. In fact, I was biding my time till I turned 21 and could legally leave home. I was boarding at the Wi****ersrand Women’s Residence and having a ‘ball’. It was wonderful to get awa...	Fergie	1	1037	Oct 23, 2013 by valkricry
	The Day I Died (Preview) I remember the day I died. There was nothing spectacular about it, nothing that flagged it out from any other day. Just another typical summer day , my dad had been drinking again and I was doing my best to stay out of his way. I'd been down this path many times, and knew the pattern well. It would start o...	valkricry	1	1269	Oct 21, 2013 by Fergie
	The Choice (Preview) i got this in a email today.... The Choice ==========EVERY moment in life, we are faced with a choice. Which should command our preference--the demands of our job orthe duties to our family? If there is a board meeting today at the same hours that our songraduates from school, where should we go -- t...	lil-wolfie	1	996	Sep 27, 2013 by valkricry
	The Last Laugh (Preview) This is actually an experience, told to me by my father, many years ago. I shall start by telling you some of the circumstances, which led up to the events. My dad, after completing Standard 6 at school, (grade 8) was forced to leave and seek employment, due to the “Great Depression” which had hit the Wes...	Fergie	2	1392	Sep 10, 2013 by Fergie
	The Legend of the Cosmos (Preview) In my country, (South Africa) we have a little wild flower that blooms every autumn. Not all over the country, but in what used to be the Transvaal - now known as Gauteng. This flower blooms in white; cerece and all the hues in between. There is a legend attatched to this flower, but it seems that few peo...	Fergie	7	1229	Sep 1, 2013 by Fergie
	My Big Scare (Preview) Back in the early ‘60s my Dad was still working for De Beers Diamond Mines in Kimberley. I was in my last years of high school at the prestigious Kimberley Girls High. We had just been awarded a brand new mine house to rent in a brand new suburb. The whole suburb consisted of mine houses, so it was in effect,...	Fergie	2	1003	Sep 1, 2013 by Fergie
	Miracle In The Night. (Preview) It must have been late 1970 or early ’71 when this occurred; we were still living in our old ‘mine house’ at the time. Night had fallen and the children were all asleep. I was tidying up odds and ends before retiring, when there was an unexpected knock at our back door. To my surprise, I found my father-in...	Fergie	1	1030	Aug 2, 2013 by valkricry
	Restless Night In The Karoo (Preview) I would like to share with you, another account from my Uncle Norman. This must have taken place in 1950/1, as Norm had bought a ‘new’ car, a grey Vanguard. He was delighted to have ‘wheels’ for the first time in his life; eager to try it out on a road trip. Norm and a friend (I honestly can’t remember his nam...	Fergie	1	1141	Jul 16, 2013 by valkricry
	"Dikhololo" (Game Reserve) Encounter (Preview) A good few years ago, somewhere in the mid 90’s I think, I was befriended by a chap at work. His name was John, (not his real name) he worked in the work-shop, while I worked in despatch. On Fridays, we both ‘knocked off’ work at the same time. One Friday, I was without transport, and started to walk home (i...	Fergie	2	1623	Jun 30, 2013 by Fergie
	There Came A Dark Horse (Preview) Way back in the 1940s, before our double highways were built, the way to the Cape lay down narrow, winding roads. Often, the roads were badly sign posted, so it was very easy to get lost. During this time, my uncle Norm and his friend took a trip to Cape Town to visit his aunt (my Gran’s sister.) The journey...	Fergie	1	1103	Jun 26, 2013 by valkricry
	My "Magic" Man (Preview) My youngest uncle Norman, my dad's brother, who was 17 years older than me (he didn't let me call him uncle, he said it made him feel old) was still living at home with his mom, (my Granny) when I arrived. He was the "black sheep" in the family because he drank alcohol, smoked and dabbled in the o...	Fergie	1	1164	Jun 21, 2013 by valkricry
	African Secret ('Wild' Tales 2) (Preview) From the canyons of my mind, I have managed to dredge up one last story about Jaap du Toit. My Father always told me, that this older man always painted himself as an intrepid explorer; fearless hunter and unparalleled marksman. I will relate to you, one of the most confounding tales ever to come out of t...	Fergie	1	1123	Jun 19, 2013 by valkricry
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