Dankie Ouma!

Just to say a very big thank you to our granny Lizette who knitted these beautiful jerseys for us with love!

Photos

Another first, this time a school day!

Luzaan had her first day of 'big school' today. She was so excited, that she told me last night that she is going to wake up early this morning, before us, and dance for joy in front of the fan. (I'm assuming that is because it has been so hot here lately!) Well, she did not, but was wide awake as soon as I woke her and dressed before you could say get dressed! Fortunately at their school this time of year it is only a dress they have to put on since they go to school barefoot.

She was so excited that she forgot to eat while speculating about all the things they were going to do today! So like her! She was excited and calm at the same time. In no particular hurry or worried that we might be late. No drama! She was her sunny smiley self this morning!

On the photos they are holding beaded floral decorations I helped them make this holiday. When I asked them what they were going to do with it, they said they wanted to give them to their teachers.

Sorry, photos will have to follow later, since I am having trouble uploading them again.

Our first!

David has been working hard in the garden the last year or so and yesterday he picked our first grapes off the vines he planted about 2 years ago! They are so sweet and fresh of course! Here is Luzaan holding the bunch he picked last night! Thank you David for all your hard work and the pleasure it brings us all! We appreciate you!

Correction

I have had a bit of time to look for the snake I found in our garden and found that it was not a Cape Cobra. I will try to attach links to the sites I found it on.

Turns out it is a juvenile yellow house snake called Lamprophis Aurora. Well, at least it is not deadly and I do not want to discourage the dog from killing snakes because there's always a possibility that it can be a Cape Cobra since we have found one on our porch before. It is just not a chance I am willing to take with two little girls playing outside!

http://www.capesnakes.org.za/index.php?set_albumName=album02&id=adj&option=com_gallery&Itemid=3&include=view_photo.php

http://images.google.co.za/imgres?imgurl=http://www.kingsnake.com/housesnake/aurora1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.kingsnake.com/housesnake/gallery.html&usg=__rzQqBHSMkOBNa35IeMOCSeFad4M=&h=300&w=400&sz=35&hl=en&start=4&um=1&tbnid=CDkOtQAEiRyOlM:&tbnh=93&tbnw=124&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dlamprophis%2Baurora%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN

Summer Officially Here

Well, not exactly what you expected, hey? Here in our neighbourhood a Cape Cobra as visitor is a reality! This one must have been killed by our dog between seven and nine o'clock when I found it dead in our garden! David was out there this morning watering and did not see it!

It is about 75cm long and 15mm in diameter. I took photo's of it next to a 1 meter, 20mm pvc pipe for proportions. It is a beautiful yellow copper colour with an orange maybe even red copper stripe down it's back and the belly is like a pearl.

Thank goodness for dogs even though they can sometimes be a nuisance!

Mad Hatter's Tea Party

The children were invited to a Mad Hatter's Tea Party yesterday. They went as the white rabbit and Tweedle Dee. Luzaan came up with the idea to be late so that she can say the white rabbit's famous line: "I'm late, I'm late, I'm very, very late for an important date!" But when we actually arrived late she was to shy to say that in front of all the people there! It was a very qute idea and a wonderful girls' party! Suzelle was stuffed with a pillow to have the roundness of Tweedle Dee and Luzaan's clock/watch was very popular especially with the birthday girl's dog. David used a dog's choke chain to put on the watch and everytime it made a noise their laborador thought that it was going for a walk! It was quite funny to watch! (No Pun Intended!!!)

The others are just some photos of them playing today.

Birthdays and Holidays

We have been very busy during the past few weeks and that is partly why I have not updated my blog.

We had a lovely time on David's birthday! We went to play put-put (mini-gholf) as a family and it was such fun! We did not keep score though because after Suzelle played about 12 shots on the first hole we realised that it would take us ages if we had to count them all. David and I had lots of laughs watching them try to get the ball in the hole using clubs, hands and feet! They enjoyed it very much though.

In the evening we had 3 families over for a braai (barbeque) and it was so nice and relaxing.

On the 2nd of January we went wine tasting with our friends Conrad and Riette and their little one, Isabel. We went to 2 vinyards and then for icecream in Bloubergstrand. On the way home we got chinese takeouts from Jackies and had it at home. This restaurant is highly recomended!

Saturday we had fish and chips for breakfast in the harbour in Houtbay, drove around the peninsula (almost, since Chapman's Peak road was closed), stopped at Groot Constantia wine estate for a bit of South African history and the view, had tea and cake in Simon's Town and then headed home for some chinese leftovers! It seems we have just been eating since Conrad and Riette came to visit us.

I am including some photos of the peninsula. It was a perfect day in Cape Town as you will be able to see from the photos. The photos are in order from the top Hout Bay, Scarborough, Simons Town harbour and having tea at the Quarterdeck. The photos are not perfect, since most of them were taken out of the car, but you can get a very good idea.