January 2010 looking across the lake to the boat club and Golf Course.


Looking across the Lake to the Boat Club


The bridge crossing over the creek. Mud on the road shows where the flood waters peaked.


This creek peaked at over 2 meters above the road!


Flooding

A tricky chicken recipe

While I was reading a recipe book I came across this tricky chicken recipe from the 15th century French cookery manuscript Vivendier. Maybe not one to try for the next dinner party!:


To make a chicken to be served roasted

Get a chicken, or any other bird you want and pluck it cleanly in hot water. Then get yolks of 2 or 3 eggs; they should be beaten with powdered saffron or wheat flour and distempered with fat broth or with the grease that drips under a roast into a dripping pan. By means of a feather glaze and paint your pullett carefully with this mixture so that its colour looks like roast meat.
With this done, and when it is about to be served to the table, put the chicken's head under it's wing and turn it in your hands, rotating until the bird is fast asleep! Then set it down on your platter with the other roast meat. When it is about to be carved, it will wake up and make off down the table upsetting jugs goblets and whatnot.



Oh My Goodness! Can you imagine...

Christmas Concert 2009

On a hot summer evening a chorus of small voices filled the Australian sky.....

Eight crocs a snoozing,
seven emus laying
six sharks a surfing
five kaaaangarooooos
four lyre birds
three red galahs
two snakes on skis
and a cookaburrah in a gum tree.....


Santa was warned not to wake the children by lots of animals


and then they "We wish you a merry Christmas" in song and sign language....

and we heard about six white boomas, snow white boomas racing santa clause through the blazing sun, on his Australian run.


and with that Santa arrived and our baby boys last pre-school concert was over!

GIngerbread House Making 2009

Once a year we assemble Gingerbread houses at church. It is designed as a fun activity that people, who are members of our church, can invite friends to. There is a brief talk about something gingerbready and Christmasy and then....
the lollies come out, the icing bags loaded and we are ready!

These are some of the wonderful creations that were made.
Great job everyone!!!!


J and L





Melissa

Monkey

Hi, Well I am alive and frantically busy. I have photographed a sixtieth birthday party and have done a talk on the trip to South Africa. Saturday I am leading a Gingerbread house making workshop for church and next weekend I am doing the games for a combined baby shower! Somewhere between that I need to update the blog and edit photos, go to a final pre-school concert and OH, yes, there is Christmas shopping!!

Someone should really send out warning notifications in June....

South Africa 2009

Hi

September and October have seen us exploring the magical corners of South Africa. We have driven from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth and back via Addo Elephant Park, Knysna Elephant Park (arguably the best tourist destination on the drive!), Oudtshoorn, the Wilderness, Hermanus and back to Cape Town.

We have also had two weeks in Johannesburg exploring what the highveld has to offer.

If you are reading this, STOP, call a travel agent and book NOW!!
Come back and look at the photos later :)

So now, in no particular order: the photographic highlights

Groot Constantia wine estate. Jonkerhuis Restaurant on the estate do a fantastic Cape Taster platter if you want to try some great Cape Malay food.



View from Botlierskop private game reserve



At Cape Point



When you look at the a map of Africa there is that Pensula on the bottom left. Well this is us on the tip of that Peninsula.



Krugersdorp National Park, Near Johannesburg


The early Hoepoe catches the worm

Riding elephant at Knysna Elephant Park

Storms River

Party time

Spring

Crazy Hair Day

Dr Steve Andrews

This weekend the world lost one of its unsung hero's and a brilliant man, Dr Steve Andrews MBChb(UCT) MCFP(SA) MPhil (Bioethics).

Steve was vocal in the discussion about HIV / Aids, in fact he was passionate about it.
He was once described by Sue Valentine as "the kind of doctor any sick person would like to have: his patients' well-being is paramount, he's committed to the principles of family medicine and he's prepared to take on the world for a cause he believes in."

He was a leading Southern African HIV clinician with extensive experience in the research, design and implementation of the linical, industrial and policy aspects of HIV management. He was an elected member of the Southern African HIV Clinicians Executive committee and a senior medical advisor to various AIDS interventions, including the AID for AIDS Program, The Open Society Foundation, the Road Freight Association Roadside Clinic Programme, Médecins sans Frontières Khayelitsha Antiretroviral Programme and many others.

More than all of this he was a wonderful husband, father and loyal friend. His absence leaves a gaping hole in our lives but
We are blessed to have known him and counted him amongst our closest friends.