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!

Kids on their very first Train!

As part of the soccer world cup, the public transport system in Cape Town was set up to be A-OK! Our rail system was part of the official transport plan so Andrea and I decided to take the kids (on a no Cape Town match day) on the train to do the whole FIFA fan fest / fan walk "thing". The kids had a ball, first time EVER on a train. Just a pity we took one of the really old ones, not the trendy new carriages. But we still had a blast. And it was awesome to see the kids faces.

We decided to drive from home to Newlands station as Roland's office is there and we had "official" parking. Some of the signs on the station platform are in Afrikaans, so this one above the kids says "Nuweland". Standing on the station platform, we were 100 meters from both the Newlands rugby and cricket grounds.

My four cherubs waiting patiently on the platform at Newlands station.

Triplets in AWE... sitting on the big seats in the old type carriage. On a train for the first time ever!

Meg in a badly graffiti covered section of the train.

Fathers Day Lunch at Simons

Fathers Day was the most glorious day in Cape Town, one of those perfect sunny days. We decided to go off to Simons on the Groot Constantia wine farm for lunch. It was a fabulous day, and one of those lunches that only ended at 5pm.

Perfect table layout - kids at one end, adults at the other.

Oliver and Steven

Desiree and Ingor

Roland, Grandpa and Megan

Roland and Judy

Grandpa (Judy's dad)

Oliver

Megan and Hannah - look at the face, do you think she enjoyed her spaghetti bolognaise?

Soccer match on the lawn

Baboons come to Lunch!

We went off to Simons for lunch on fathers day and had some unexpected company - a troop of Baboons. Simons is on a wine farm called Groot Constantia and the Tokai troop roam the area.

Quite difficult to spot them all, but there were a lot of them roaming this vineyard.

Having a picnic on a large rock

Zakumi

Zakumi is the mascot for the FIFA Soccer World Cup 2010. He is a leopard with a mop of very green hair! His name was derived from 2 things - ZA, the international abbreviation for South Africa and KUMI which means ten. Zakumi has been appearing more and more and now you fall over him wherever you go. The kids have been begging for a Zakumi, so when I saw an advert for them at Build-A-Bear I thought it would be a great activity for the school holidays. So one morning, off we went to the Build-A-Bear shop at the Waterfront.

The kids and 4 "bears" lined up at the wash station once they had chosen their hearts and voices, stuffed and sewed up

Hannah

Meg

Cameron

Four happy kids with 4 Zakumis - boxed up and heading out.

One of the many Zakumis floating around Cape Town at the moment.

This big soccer ball is at the V an A Waterfront, next to the amphitheater. After every match in Cape Town, the date and time of the next match here would be changed at the bottom in the center and the 2 teams put either side.

Lunch Time at Col'Cacchio

After lots of walking around the town, four pairs of small tired legs and empty tummies later, we headed off to Col'Cacchio for lunch.

Mum and the boys - Oliver, Judy and Cameron.

Family portrait - oh wait, that's Steven not Roland. And Hannah wasn't "in the mood" as she put it.

Judy and Megan - note the stitches on the side of her head. An accident with a volcano she made at pottery - don't ask LOL!!!

Roland and Hannah - she decided she would only have her picture taken with dad. A daddy's girl perhaps?