Baboons

Only in Africa....

Driving home from school last week, we met a troop of baboons on the road.  Only about 1km from our front door - the Tokai troop.  Considering we live in Tokai it's to be expected, but it is still quite awesome to see!

One of the baboon watchers chasing them back into the forest.

BIG boy under a tree.

BIG boy IN the tree!

On the side of the road.

Fan Walk on the way to Germany Argentina

After our very packed train trip to Cape Town stadium, we then did the Fan Walk in FULL force!  I don't think I've ever seen so many people in one place with only one thing on their minds... GEES!

Walking out of the station and heading up the Fan Walk.

Now that's what you call a Vuvuzela!!!

Heading further up the fan walk, I was snapping pics aimlessly!  Only when Roland yelled at me did I realise my cousins Andrew and Alistair were right in front of us.  I took this pic before realising they were there - yet they were the focus of the shot!

Lots of people.

African drummers, just one of the "acts" we saw along the way.

Heading up one of the bridges.

And further up the bridge... just couldn't stop because the marshals were screaming at us to keep walking!

From the top of the bridge heading forward.

The last big group before hitting the stadium.

2010 Soccer World Cup - Germany v Argentina

The 2010 soccer world cup was one of the most amazing events I have ever experienced.  These pictures are from yet another amazing moment in that incredible month... heading off to Germany versus Argentina at the Cape Town stadium.


Everything throughout the tournament was FIFA regulated, including the hotels where the teams stayed.  They used only 2 hotels, with one team at each, through the month.  The first hotel is the Vineyard, in the suburb of Newlands, and the second, the Newlands Sun.


Roland's offices are in the building next to the Newlands Sun.  So after parking there and walking to the station to catch the train into town, we passed the German team getting onto the bus to the match.


I did try to take an earlier photo at the back gate, but the cops came running!  My dear husband in all his wisdom says to this female officer "She's like the paparazzi isn't she, maybe you should arrest her"!  Luckily the woman liked his charm and told me to go around the corner!!!

Cop car with the German team bus in the background.

 Players packing their bags into the bus.

I made the guys wait down the road so we could see the team bus drive off.

We did the train trip into town with thousands of others.  And believe me it was THOUSANDS!!!  This was getting off the train at Cape Town station. HECTIC!!! Like London tube rush hour!!!

My BEAUTIFUL Meg

Not only was I blessed with triplets, but 2 years before they came into my life I was given the blessing of a beautiful angel called Megan.  She is an amazing little girl and I cherish every day I get to spend with her.  Megan turned 8 on July 6th and I cannot believe that my baby isn't such a baby any more.  Megs I love you, you are such a blessing to me.

WOW I'm 8

Andrea (our fantastic au pair) organised a surprise "family" party for Megs.  Meg had her party in May - due to the soccer world cup and a long winter holiday.  But after Meg and I went shopping on the morning of her birthday, we came home to an allergy free party and a cake Megs could eat!

Oh so pleased with Andrea's cake that (for once) I could eat! 

We went to the Spur for supper and one of Meg's great friends Julia came with us.

They brought me a sparkler and everyone sang to me.

Cake at Home

After our divine lunch, we headed home to have (sorry to say but it was store bought) cake and let the family join us in celebrating 6 years of my 3 beautiful triplets.

Opening presents from grandpa before the cake lighting began!

Dad came home early, specially to light the 18 candles.

What a lot of fire!

Lights out!

And my beautiful Meg was there too.

Triplets Birthday Lunch at Cafe Roux

As I mentioned in a previous post, Andrea and I took the triplets (AKA Oliver Cameron and Hannah) to Cafe Roux for lunch on their birthday.  I'm posting this only a month too late, but it was such a lovely afternoon!

They all had on birthday badges so the staff obviously realised it was the big day and brought them the HUGEST piece of chocolate cake to share.  How the devoured it (in about 43 seconds) was quite embarrassing, but they LOVED it!!!

The cake... Once the sparklers were finished and before the cake devastation began!

No one can tell me the trips don't like cake!!!

Welcome to Holland

I have good days and bad days, as does every other parent.  What I struggle with the most is having a "special needs" child - that isn't really special needs.  When most people meet Hannah, they see a happy "normal" 6 year old little girl.  But in reality she is a special needs child.

Hannah is a childhood stroke survivor.  Yes, she had a stroke - on the day she was born. Nobody I know believes that kids can have strokes, but sadly it is a reality.  And something that I want everyone in the world to know about.  Kids have strokes, babies have strokes - and even unborn babies have strokes.

Hannah is one of the lucky ones.  She is a true stroke survivor.  But in my daily life, I didn't plan to have a special needs child.  I planned on visiting Italy, not going to Holland.  But being in Holland is the best gift that God has given me.

Welcome to Holland was written by Emily Perl Kingsley, and the passage below is her copyright.  She is the proud mum of Jason Kingsley, a beautiful boy that was born with Downs syndrome in 1974.

When you are going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation to Italy.  You buy a bunch of guide books and make all your wonderful plans: the Coliseum, Michelangelo's David, the gondolas in Venice.  You may even learn some handy phrases in Italian.  It's all very exciting.

After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives.  You pack your bags and off you go.  Several hours later, the plane lands.  The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."

"Holland ?!?"  you say.  "What do you mean Holland?  I signed up for Italy!  I'm supposed to be in Italy.  All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy"

But there has been a change in the flight plan.  They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.

The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease.  It's just a different place.

So you go out and buy new guide books.  And you learn a whole new language.  And you meet a whole group of people you would never have met.

It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy.  But after you've been there awhile and you catch your breath, you look around and begin to notice Holland has windmills- and Holland has tulips.  Holland even has Rembrandts.

But everyone one you know is busy coming and going from Italy...and they are all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there.  And for the rest of your life, you will say, "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go.  That's what I had planned."

And the pain of that will never, ever go away, because the loss of that dream is a very significant loss.

But if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, and very lovely things about Holland.

Elvis Blue Idols Audition

My previous post was just a link, I've now found the full audition for this awesome musician.

Elvis Blue

Yesterday was the start of South African Idols. I was nearly in tears watching this amazing musician. He has an Afrikaans name, but chose a stage name from an amazing child he met. His name is Jan Hoodendyk. He teaches music and guitar to under privileged children in the communities around George (South Africa) where he lives. And chose the name Elvis Blue from an amazing 11 year old boy who died from HIV / AIDS.

Jan, you are phenomenal. You will have my support through idols. What you do is amazing, but who you are is even more incredible. You are a true talent.

I have not been able to find a video to include but PLEASE click on the link below:

Elvis Blue, idols first audition.

Jan / Elvis Blue - you are AWESOME.

Happy Birthday Oliver, Cameron and Hannah

The triplets celebrated their SIXTH birthday on June 28th.  I honestly cannot believe where the time has gone.  It seems only yesterday we were bringing 3 tiny babies home from the hospital.  Now we are just a few months away from grade 1.  Because of their birthday being in the middle of the winter school holiday as well as the world cup, I didn't organise their party on their birthday, but will do so now that things are getting back to normal.

They had a great day with presents being unwrapped before dad left for work.  Poor Meg was feeling a bit sad, so she went off to my dad for the day.  It must be SO hard to be the only one of 4 kids not having a birthday on the same day.  But she and grandpa have a very special bond, so she had a great day - and came home in time for cake in the afternoon.

Most of the morning was spent in "new stuff chaos" - opening and playing with all their new goodies.  Cameron is a Lego junkie and his request was Star Wars Lego.  Oliver is "into" Bakugan and Hannah wants to cook!

Andrea and I took the kids to Cafe Roux for birthday lunch - that I'll put into a separate post.  We came home at 4pm for cake and candles and had a great Spur birthday supper.  All in all a fantastic day all around!

Triplets

I love this picture - thanks Andrea.

Wow, I can't believe my "babies" are 6!

Winter Beach Triplets

You would never believe that it's winter in Cape Town looking at the pictures below!  We had a gorgeous winter day last week, so Andrea decided to take the triplets to Fish Hoek beach.  I was thinking more along the lines of jeans and jerseys and playing in the sand.  They obviously had other ideas!

Cape Town FIFA Fan Fest

Everything about the 2010 Soccer World Cup was FANTASTIC and I have to say I am truly proud to be South African. Fan Fest Venues were set up in cities all around South Africa (as well as in Paris, Rome, Rio, Mexico City, Berlin and Sydney). There was no entry fee, allowing everyone to experience the World Cup. The Cape Town venue was amazing (as were all the others). Andrea and I took the kids to see it the day of the South Africa - France match, though we did decide it would be better to go before the match started while the other entertainment was taking place

The "GEES" was incredible, the people AMAZING and the organisation great. I'm so glad we were able to experience it and for the kids to see it too.

The main screen at the Cape "Town fest".  There were a number of other screens in places around the venue.

Gum boot dancers on the stage.

Vuvuzela band!  They were actually pretty good (though they did have a couple of "proper" instruments!)

Andrea giving Hannah a "lift"! 

In the crowd... Andrea with Hannah, Oliver and Megan.  You can just see Cameron on the left - he was DONE for the day with anything soccer related!

Public Transport Take Two

We never use public transport, so it was a real treat for the kids when we got to go on both a train and a bus - all in one day. We had originally thought of doing the fan walk back from the Waterfront, but realised very quickly that was not in any of the kids plan of action.

Waiting excitedly for our bus to come.

Three very excited faces as we drove out of the Waterfront.

Diski Dance

After our lunch on our "Soccer Day Out" we walked up to the open auditorium at the Waterfront. The Sky Sports television crew were busy setting up to do a live segment. They were asking for volunteers to go up onto the stage and learn the Diski (South African township lingo for soccer) Dance. Of course Megan was up on that stage in a flash. She looked so tiny among all the "bigger" people, but she danced her heart out like a true star!

Watching the instructor as she started to teach.

Meg, dancing her little heart out.

How tiny does Meg look?

Simon Thomas, Sky Sports presenter, doing his thing for Sky viewers to see.

Lunch at Quay Four

After our long walk along the fan walk we had 4 very hungry children. So once we got from the stadium into the Waterfront we headed straight to Quay Four for lunch.

Andrea and Megan - sometimes I think those two could actually be related!

Judy and Kids

The Fan Walk

The "FAN WALK" has been a major part of the world cup in Cape Town. It is basically the "walk" from the Cape Town station to the soccer stadium - the Cape Town stadium. It is a fantastic walk, with food and entertainment set up along the way, but it is a decent walk - about 2.5km.

Andrea and I decided that it would be great to do the whole match scenario with the kids, but on a day when there was not a match in Cape Town, but matches elsewhere so that everything would still be operating.

It was fantastic and the kids loved it!

A patriotic shop - and yes, Cape Town has welcomed everyone!

The start of the fan walk, it was SO amazing. This is the view up from the station.

The view from one of the bridges built to ensure a pedestrian safety zone.

Kids on top of the Buitengracht Road bridge.

Flags above the bridge.

A cool sculpture tree along the fan walk.

The very trendy Cape Quarter with a very large soccer ball decoration!