Here's the Season to be Jolly........

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day was spent at Leon and Elizma's house. It really was a lovely 2 days, with way too much food, but great company, and great atmosphere (especially with their lovely little fireplace roaring....)

On Christmas Eve we over-ate ourselves on a finger buffet, followed by opening our presents. We were all there (and then some), for the first time in 7 years - Dad, Mom, Leon, Elizma, me, my little dog Murphy and 0.5 (Leon and Elizma's unborn child).

Johan and Celia, good friends of Leon, joined us on Christmas day and we all enjoyed the following:

Goat's Cheese and Caramelised Onion Filo Tartlets with Rocket and Balsamic Vinegar

ooOoo

Beef Wellington

Leg of Lamb (with Mint Sauce)

Rice

Goose Fat Roast Potatoes

Sweet Potatoes

Creamed Spinach

ooOoo

Apple Strudel with Butterscotch Sauce and Creme Fraiche

So as you can tell, we ate like Kings!!!!

Merry Christmas to all my friends and family out there! Hope you all experienced a peaceful festive season, and that your biggest gift for the next year will be peace and good health!!

Click here to see our Family Christmas Photos

Hyde Park WinterWonderland

On Sunday 9 December Willie and I drove to London to have a special pre-Christmas-lunch with Frieda and Johan. We took the opportunity to make the trip to Hyde park (in the freezing cold weather) to go to the Winter Wonderland that they created there. This included a large outdoor ice-rink, lots of stall selling interesting things and best of all - MULLED WINE!!! Yummmm!. Despite the weather, we had a lovely day, and enjoyed a very very tasty lunch!!! We'll do that again next year!!!

Rugby at Twickenham

Dad and I went to Twickenham on Saturday, 1 December. World Champions 2007 vs. Barbarians. What an amazing experience - and certainly a dream come true for both of us! There were so many Bok Supporters, if it were not for the freezing cold weather, we could easily have been at Newlands or Ellis Park. The game was absolutely shocking, and the boys lost badly, but a great day out for Dad and me! And for an added bonus, we bumped into an old friend from SA. Nice to have seen you Zeeb, we'll hook up soon! Twickenham - we'll be back! Click here for all the photos

"My house, in the Middle of my Street........."

Just thought I'd post some photo's of my house in Reading. Please note that not much has changed........"Friends" is still on the TV!!! Wish I could have you all around.........

Henley-on-Thames

This weekend Frieda and Johan came to visit. We spent Saturday night at home, just visiting. On Sunday we took a drive to Henley-on-Thames. A beautiful little town, with the Thames River at its best. This is where the annual Henley Regatta takes place - including the world famous rowing race between Oxford and Cambridge Universities. We had a late Sunday lunch at Zizzis in town, then drove back to Reading. Thanks for the visit guys, next time its the Cotswolds or Bath. What say you?

Cambridge

The past weekend we went up to Cambridge for a visit. I arranged accommodation at the Crowne Plaza Cambridge, which, apart from a few issues, was lovely. On Saturday, we went on the open-bus tour, taking in the sights and sounds of this historic, interesting University city. We saw famous sights such as the round church, the beautiful Kings College and the American war museum/cemetery. Some of which we visited again at our own leisure. Click here for some pics.

Seven Sisters

End of September we went to see the Seven Sisters. Very similar to the White Cliffs of Dover. The weather was typical, but the scenery was absolutely beautiful. A must see in England. Click here for some photos.