Welcome Home Mom

Absence does make the heart grow fonder, as I realised again when Brig returned from another international trade trip. This time she was in Lisbon for 2 weeks, and we really missed her.

The kids and I picked her up at King Shaka airport, and couldn't wait to welcome her home!

The Joy of Sports

Watching my children enjoy their sport has brought back wonderful memories of the shear enjoyment I got from sport as a child. Not so much the exhilaration of competition or the satisfaction of winning, but the deep joy of free movement and knowing your own body. Like when you watch a puppy frolic in the grass or see children chase each other around the playground.

Its probably why some people continue to play sports into their senior years, and why I keep persevering through my ongoing road running injuries (I was built for speed and not endurance).

Here are pictures of Daniel in flow at the Mini-comrades (which he won again), and Hannah with her best friend Sarah at a recent tennis tournament

at the Westridge Stadium.

I really hope they are able to enjoy the fun and joy of movement through sports and recreational activities for many years to come.

A visit from Shona and Martin

Shona and Martin made time to stay with us in Pmb and to join us in the berg during their annual visit from the UK.

It was action-packed, with runs at home and in the berg, putt-putt competitions and swims in the river. Winter was fast approaching, so the water was starting to get really fresh.

Here are some pictures from the visit:

Bazley Break

Bazley Beach is not-so-well-known.

It doesn't boast a fancy golf course or eco-estate, or offer the holiday maker a selection of restaurants or shopping centres. In fact if doesn't have any of these things.

'What does it have?', you might ask.
Its small and quaint, with wide open beaches and probably the best run caravan park in the country. Bazley is its own place - its not on the road to somewhere else - the road to Bazley only goes to Bazley - when you get there, you are there and don't need to go anywhere else.

Staying over in a caravan and tents with the Sorour's and du Preez's over a long weekend is my idea of fun.

No timetables and formal plans, but rather the opportunity to chat and relax. There was lots of time for fun and action on the beach, or around the pool or on our bicycles through the cane fields.

Some of us (Greg) even woke up super early to go fishing and then did the same again later in the day. We also took a leisurely walk along the beach to the tidal pool at Ifafa. Its about a 20min walk, which is almost quicker than the long drive back to the main road to get there!

Enjoy the pics of some of us in the tidal pool, and the mandatory 'sand-dog'. That's Hannah and Daniel absolutely loving the idea of burying poor Dale alive!

Bless this Home

Our home was blessed in a very special way by Peter Gunning and his wife Alison.

The blessing of each room was led by a family member or friend, as they shared their love and blessing with us.

Thanks also to Craig for taking on the official photographer duties and leaving us with so many beautiful pictures. Some are here for your enjoyment and memory.

Hannah's Midmar Mile

Our brave and dearest Hannah swam her first Midmar Mile this year. After two successful CapitalK swims she felt up to completing this swim classic - the biggest open water event in the world.
She posted a fantastic time of 41min, and says she enjoyed every minute of of it.

The months of hard training paid off! Here are some memories from the day including the pre-race wishes from her adoring family and final pep talk from Daisy.

Halloween Shark Attack

Justin and I were at the Shark Tank to see the sharks win the 2010 Currie Cup. To witness and share in this great victory over an out-gunned Stormers side was out of this world. Here’s a picture of us at the game – pity the Witness decided to crop Justin out of the picture when they included my pic and quote in their coverage of the win on their Monday front page. They may have sensed he was supporting the Stormers!

At the same time our kids were having a fun day at uShaka Marine World with Brigitte and Caroline. I think those uShaka sharks were very scared that day. Check out these disturbed kids!

We shared a lazy day on the beach the next day to round off a wonderful weekend.

First day of school from our new home 2011

We were happy to see the start of 2011 in our new home. Finally!

Daniel and Hannah were up bright and early at the start of the new academic year, excited to get back to school and see all their friends.














Daniel was very nervous about meeting his new teacher, Mrs Sorour. But after he met her, he knew they would get along just fine!

Home Geography Studies

Brigitte and Hannah had lots of fun doing some extra Geography today, in our new home office.

Copyright Joshua Turner

SLOgold (C) is developed and owned by Joshua Turner, grandson of dear old friends of ours, Marline and Gordon Turner.

Hannah and Daniel were very proud to be able to model the first garments!

Bird of Prey Party for Daniel

Pamper Party for Hannah

Hannah's cousins hosted a delightful Pamper Party for Hannah and a few friends.

Massages, manicues, pedicures were the order of the day!

BASA Finalists Enjoy Night Out

We had a wonderful night out at the 2010 Business & Arts South Africa Awards, hosted at the Herbert Baker designed Villa Arcadia in Houghton.

The Johannesburg and Sandton lights set a twinkling backdrop for an giant-sized puppet show on the sweeping lawns, and a night of celebrating South Africa's talented artists and recognising businesses for their support of the Arts.

Better still was the fact that our dear friends, James and Cathy [Omnicor (www.omnicor.co.za)] had been nominated in the small business category for sponsoring an exhibition at their offices for Sareal Design (www.sareal.co.za).

10kmPB@42

Have you worked it out yet? PB stands for Personal Best, and I'm 42 years old...

I'm really chuffed about running my fastest 10km in probably 20 years at the Forest Hills race in Kloof on the weekend. My time of 48:15 is almost a minute better than my previous best of 49:10 at the Blue IQ 10km race in Johannesburg in 2003.

A special thanks needs to go out to my running mate, Alan Kockott, for not only pacing and motivating me through the race, but also for the numerous training runs over the past months. Thanks Alan. The course was also fast as flat and well organised. So thanks to the organisers too.

And better still, I feel I can still go a lot faster - so watch this space.

World Cup Fever in Joburg

We have just returned from an exciting trip to Joburg.

Spending the time with dear old friends and taking in the wonders of the Gautrain and the World Cup was a great privilege.

We enjoyed an uplifting and delightful dinner with James and Cathy, and shared laughs and memories with the Fynns and Matutoanes.

Driving to Rhodesfield (a stone throw from OR Tambo airport) and catching the Gautrain to Sandton made us feel like tourists in our own country. The trip took all of 12 minutes and cost R20!

In Sandton we were greeted by interesting displays and installations. And who are we to ignore wonderful photo (and posing) opportunities?

We even braved the cold weather to catch the Cameroon - Denmark game at Loftus. Our cheering and Vuvuzela blowing kept us warm but didn't do much to help Cameroon overcome the Danes!

Early Mornings Pay Off!

My two dedicated children have been braving the cold to attend early morning cross country training. I did think their resolve might wane as the mornings got darker and colder, but instead it strengthened probably because of the camaraderie of the training and the fun of the races.

The first pictures are of Daniel following the hare to win the St Charles Grade 1 Race:



These photos are of Hannah and Daniel doing very well at an inter-schools race (notice the proud Dad cheering in the background):