Granny DeBee's

My most special darling grandchild August, (Gus) who was 7 months old at the time this new home venture began, was my inspiration for the name ‘Granny DeBee’s’ that began in May 2020. During Lockdown (there will be many stories to tell… ‘before lockdown’ and ‘after lockdown’ - one thing is for sure is that our lives will never be ‘back to normal” we have all felt such a shift in our lives, whether it was welcome or not. Never ever, has there been or perhaps will ever be such a true understanding of the phrase “the only thing in life that is constant; is change’)

Well... back to the point of why I started this venture... my current business Ingwe Adventures has not been able to operate as we do teambuilding and all sort of fun adventure and outdoor stuff in groups for schools, families and tourists, so will be a while yet until we can open and function at full capacity. Of course, no income is always an issue and I am not really the type that just can sit around idle for long periods! So, Gus being my inspiration and of course being a GRAN (whooo hooo!! Best thing in the world!!) - I had to make stuff for her of course. Under guidance of her other wonderful granny, who was the one who really got me going on the knitting part (thanks Cath!) Her instruction, generosity of wool, needles, and patience (a lot) I finally got the swing of it. I started to make some toys for Gus and they just abounded from my knitting needles - bees (of course!) elephant, monkey, penguin, tortoise and more, are just a few of the range that I am going to continue with. It seems I have a knack for knitting and a bit of crocheting and weirdly, I enjoy it too. My Gran on my dad’s side used to knit 100’s of toys for charity and my aunt dug out all her patterns for me. It seems that perhaps (it took a long time) the apple rolled my way coming to knitting toys ... who would have thought!? This part of Granny DeBee’s is forming into a community project that is very exciting too. To give myself a bit of balance, as I get easily bored... I also started baking and baking and baking. At this stage, I am trying to keep the range to a few products, so I do not get completely frazzled in the kitchen. Biscotti, preserves, and pickles are on the list for now. Keep eyes on our social media pages, as I will be adding some more items as the need demands. Even when Ingwe opens fully again, Granny DeBee’s shall keep going! Will be interesting to see where this little venture leads, but for now I am loving it and it fits in with keeping part of my days free to work in my garden and grow food, plant trees and other beautiful indigenous plants. Stay safe out there, be kind to one another and find something to smile about every day.