Weekly Winners : Birthdays and more ...

Gosh .. it's been a busy weekend and only now have the chance to put these up ... !!!! (Monday)

Reflecting on the past week ....

... which started with my birthday on Sunday .... was spoilt by my children .... hubby gave me this exquisite 'Carrol Boyes' candle holder .... isn't he gorgeous .. holding up the 'world' with those strong hands ...

... we then flew down to Cape Town ... (actually we flew SAA but couldn't resist taking a photo of this Kulula plane taxiing down the runway - all their planes have funky paintwork and advertising) ....

Soothing sounds of a harp wafted around the foyer of the hotel ....

.. which is not far from the V&A Waterfront ... our hotel is just off the photo to the right ..

... Victoria and Alfred Waterfront - named after Queen Victoria and her second son, Prince Alfred who started construction of the harbour in 1860 ...



.. and forms part of ... the tourist/shops/foodies part of the harbour ... with beautiful Table Mountain as it's backdrop ...

.. and where the statues of Nobel Peace Prize Winners ... from left to right ... Chief Albert Luthuli, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Mr F.W. de Klerk, and Mr Nelson Mandela .... stand proud ..

... anyone for ice cream ? .... quick .. it's melting in the heat !!!

... ooooh yesss .... a cool 'dude' seal ...

.. as the sun sets, the sunset cruises return to port ...

Whilst hubby was at the conference, I spent some family time in Somerset West ....

.. and while Kathy went to beading ... exquisite jewellery she makes too !! I am in awe !!! ...

.. anyway .. while she went to beading .. I spent some time with my Mum. She is looking well although very thin. She knew me. Always breaks my heart when I say goodbye ... she may not know me next time ..

Hubby joined us for a superb meal at 'Daniella's restaurant' (she is one of the manager's there) .... 96 Winery Road, in Stellenbosch .. Kathy, Ian, Daniella, me and hubby

... ooooh lookie here ... exciting stuff on their menu ... !!!! ...

... and an intriguing box on the mantel ... !!!

Not a moment to waste ... wine tasting at Asara ... mm .. mmm !!! all excellent wines !!

... and delicious Tapas with more family ... oh yummy .. yes .. very yummmm ..


... overlooking the lake and Stellenbosch Mountains ... (I've been there before with Ian and Kathy and taken photos .. so if it looks familiar to some bloggers .. it is !!!) But just had to share it with hubby, Cheryl and Bob (who had not been there yet) ..

Coffee with a view .... at the Twelve Apostles Hotel

.. and a seagull ..

Au revoir ... 'til we meet again ..

Back home ...

... on Saturday was Connor's 3rd birthday party .... and all our three children were there ... in the same spot .... at the same time .... we all live here .. but it's very rare that they are altogether at the same time .... photo opportunity !!!!

Happy Birthday Connor !!!!

Fun waterslide for all the littlies ... and some biggies!!! Jeanette has more photos ... check them out ... they are far nicer than mine could ever be ... !!!

More Weekly Winners are on Lotus' blog

Skywatch Friday :

Yesterday .... a hot, cloudless and hazy day in Cape Town .... from the top of Signal Hill ...

.... looking down across Table Bay to Robben Island ... seemed appropriate for yesterday as it was the 20th anniversary of the 'walk to freedom' of Nelson Mandela who had been imprisoned on Robben Island for many years ....

The foreground puts it into perspective with the new Greenpoint Soccer Stadium built for the 2010 world soccer which is taking place in all the major cities in South Africa ...

.... and looking back from where I was standing to take the photo above .... how could I not include Table Mountain embracing the part of the City of Cape Town ...

For more spectacular skies around the world visit Skywatch

This week's photos ...

Hi ...

... nothing nicer than starting off the week with a glass ... or two ... of ice cold bubbly ...

.. to celebrate Elaine's new car ...

Fresh eggs in an old ... very old ... really really old bowl ... it belonged to my Granny .. passed down to my Mum ... now I have it !!! I have inherited odd stuff .. a few family heirlooms here and there .... but mainly odd stuff like this !!!!

... and no .. says this Ibis ... the eggs are not mine !!! ....

... definitely NOT !!!!

Chuff ..... chufff .... chufffffff ...

.... wheeeeeee ....

... chuffer ... chufffer ... chufffff .....

... whooowhooooo ... a tunnel ahead ...

... boys and their toys ...... strewn everywhere ... this is a normal afternoon in my house !

"Wat you doin' .. Bwaderly ...?"

... sticking stickers on the train ... and the tunnel ..

... and on all the eyes !!!!

A glass of wine? ... I think we need it after all that ....

.. mm .. mmmm ... this is/was a good one!!! I had forgotten I had it in my basket of wines .. well, one of the baskets of wines .... discovered it right at the bottom, covered in dust ... we really need a proper wine rack, I think !!!

Avondale Bio-Logic and Organic Wines in Paarl, Western Cape ... I only picked it up off the shelf (obviously a long time ago!) because of the name .. as children, we used to live in a suburb called Avondale, Salisbury (now Harare) and my younger brother and I went to Avondale School .... way back when !!! All that was in Rhodesia/Zimbabwe and has absolutely nothing to do with Paarl, Western Cape, South Africa !!!!

Hubby and I are flying off to the Cape tomorrow (which happens to be my birthday!) for a few days !!! ... 'bye for now

Skywatch Friday : Cape Town

From the top of Table Mountain ... her 'table cloth' wafting over ...

... one can see, through wispy cloud, down to Lions Head, with the new Greenpoint Soccer Stadium at the base of Signal Hill and Robben Island in the distance ...

Hubby and I are winging our way down to Cape Town on Sunday, for a few days - be back on Thursday ...

For more spectacular skies from around the world visit Skywatch

Wordless Wednesday :

For more Wordless Wednesday contributions go here and here

30 years ago ....

... hubby and I bought a quarter acre plot in a suburb in Johannesburg, South Africa ...

... where foundations were marked out for our new house ... (that's hubby - young and slender!)

House built .. we moved in on 1st February, 1980 ...

.... and set to work laying the foundations of our garden ....

.... the ground was ploughed .. and lawn runners were planted ....

We worked, every weekend in the garden, with the help of a once-a-week gardener .... digging flower beds ....

... and planting shrubs ...

... lots of fertilizing, weeding, watering and praying for rain to get the lawn to grow so that Jeanette and Carl had a garden to play in ....

Trees and shrubs began to flourish .... those are my very first roses in the foreground (below)... and in the middle of this patch of lawn I planted a Kapok tree which grew large, and which got struck by lightening eventually and had to be removed to make way for the double garage in 2005 ...

Garden starts taking shape ....

... the single garage was eventually converted into a bedroom for Carl when Elaine was born, and now is the study/playroom for grandchildren/sewing room ...

Here 'she' is ... our new home ... 30 years ago !!!

Additions have been made to the house ... and garden ... I, personnally, me, myself .. have planted every single tree, shrub, plant and seedling ....