Summer Christmas?

We have had a very unusual Christmas to say the least! Firstly it was only us four for Christmas eve and it just felt weird to not have any family around! Secondly it has been so cold that in sunny South Africa we had thick jerseys on and drank HOT CHOCOLATE! I still can not believe that the wind in Cape Town has been so cold! It has been icy!

Today we had someone from our church over who has not got any family and would have been alone in his little flat for Christmas. It was quite enjoyable and peaceful. Better than just the four of us!

Here are photos from last night. It was not planned that the girls were wearing green and red!

More photos

More photos from yesterday.

Suzelle 8

Well, we had a wonderful day yesterday! It was Suzelle's 8th birthday and she asked that we go picnic at the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens. We left at 09h00 and only came back at 20hoo. It was one of those perfect Cape Town days that can not be beaten by being anywhere else in the world! My friend Liezel and her family, husband Danie, Mieke and Daniel and my friend Elnari and her daughter Janneke joined us. The gardens were beautiful and full of small birds including Egiptian goslings, guneafowl chicks and we also saw some turtles! On the one photo Suzelle is looking into the pond where they were!

We left the botanical gardens at 15h30, but then decided to come home via Hout Bay. Once there we stopped and went for a walk on the beach and then Elnari offered to buy us 'slap chips' for supper. We had it at Fish on the Rocks in Hout Bay's harbour area! Washing it down with ice cream of course!

After this we took the beach road home passing Llundudno, Camps Bay, Sea Point and then past the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront before getting on to the N1. After passing the waterfront, Luzaan (very sleepily) asked where we were going next and on my answer that we are going home, said that she did not want to go home! Proof of a really lovely day!

Sun and Sea

We had the pleasure of going to Onrusrivier near Hermanus with our church's youth. It was an overnight camp and we enjoyed it tremendously!

It was especially nice for the children as they were spoiled by the young adults. They loved the camping, eating ice cream and being at the sea! They especially enjoyed playing in the lagoon!

On Saturday we had lunch at Spur in Hermanus and went to Grotto Beach on the other side of Hermanus for a swim. The children had their first experience of being rolled by the sea there and Luzaan's cough was washed away by all the salt water! Needless to say, they have a new found respect for the sea!

The photo's are on the way there (we have a beautiful country), the children with Wessel and Aileen (two wonderful young people, zealous for the Lord) and playing by the lagoon.

Picnic

On Sunday we had a picnic at church for a missionary family we support. It was quite a windy day, but the wind took the bite out of the sun's heat. Our family love picnics and this one was great (as get togethers with our church family usually are).

In the end the missionary family was represented in the service, but could not stay for the picnic. The mother picked up some children that morning for Sunday school and stopped at a store on the way back to buy something. A motorist reversed his car into her and hit her on the hip. We are unsure what her condition is, but please pray for her as she was limping that morning. She was asked to be the speaker at our women's year end function and we are not sure whether she would still be able to do it.

Eventually Ballet

At last I can show you the photo's from Luzaan's last ballet class I have been trying to show you for days! Thanks to my technology savvy husband loading a different browser, the photo's seem to load better. Still not perfect, but better than nothing!

I love the way she looks at her teacher on the first photo! The teacher is in her 70's by the way and get up from and down on the floor just as quickly as the little girls she teaches!