Saturday 26 April 2008

The Best of England ...

























We went to Leeds Castle again a few weeks ago. It's nice because if you pay once you can go as many times as you want in a year.

The grounds are beautiful with lakes, birds, aviary, huge playground, dog collar museum?, gardens - and that's not even the castle itself.






The pictures of the ugly castle is Corfe Castle in Dorset (where we went last weekend), its used to be a huge castle on a hill destroyed in some battle. Gorgeous scenery, especially the cows on the way!



The glass window and the building the hotel we stayed at, the Durley Hall Hotel, built in 1891 (which is quite young here). The kids also enjoyed swimming and at night we locked them in the room and tried to have romantic dinners in the hotel. This was just slightly disturbed by Mieke phoning me at reception the whole time (Silke is playing with glasses (only my sunglasses) )and then by the old people next door telling us our kids were running around on the landing (why do we always end up with old snooty neighbours wherever we go?). But we still had lovely three course meals with wine which were great!!




We also visited Monkey World, a monkey sanctuary, which the kids enjoyed very much.



Today (weekend at home) was a really beautiful day, we went for a walk and a picnic at the river, then just came home and sat outside in our garden with the children running around and playing while its still light at 7pm.

No fear. No what ifs. Just the beautiful light and the birds singing and freedom and safety.

Which at the end of the day is most important - isn't it?

Sunday 20 April 2008

Silke's 2nd Birthday


http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/claudinenel/SilkeS2ndBirthday?
authkey=rsB7e91FCp8



Silke had a wonderful day at her party. She loved seeing all her other two year old friends and was probably wondering why they were there. She only realized it was for her when we brough her In the Night Garden Cake and started singing Happy Birthday!!

She is such a happy brave lovable and active baby who adores her sister.

Sy sing happy birthday en scooby doo en row your boat en Barney. Sy praat nie baie duidelik nie maar sy praat baie. Veral engels - haar favourites is: 'Go away' en 'Stoppit' en 'Sweetie, Sweetie'. As dit nie werk nie try sy: 'Syntjie' (rosyntjie). Sy is baie beleefd en se altyd 'thank you' en 'see you later!' (sien wat ek bedoel met die engels!!) As ek haar vra hoe oud sy is se sy 'twee' en sy hou vyf vingers uit. Sy begin nou uitfigure om een vinger van elke hand te wys!!

Kyk hierbo is die fotos van haar birthday!!

Wednesday 9 April 2008

Daar is 'n land by die see... / There is a land by the sea...








'Daar is 'n land by die see wat jou alles kan gee,




Ja dit is 'n land wat jou vreugde bring,




Bo van die berge tot in die vallei,




Dis die land vir my...'




We went to Betties Bay to visit our family and to enjoy being back in South Africa. And we did. It was amazing. My children walked barefoot and wore little sundresses. We drank too much wine and ate too much of everything nice and spoke Afrikaans to everyone for the two weeks we were there. But the photos say it all.