Sneak peak!

We went to take some photos of our new house last weekend... It still gives us a great feel and we can't wait to move in now. Check out the photos below. The TV and furniture is not ours; do I have to point that out?! :-)

New house - Madison

It has been a hectic but good week: Had my yellow fever vaccination done on Monday so that I will be let back in to the country after our holiday to Zanzibar.
I played squash for the first time in 2-3 years (sore? oh, yes!) and we had our new neighbours over for dinner on Tuesday. Very nice and too much wine.
Wednesday night is now wine tasting night - it use to be hill running night - guess which is more fun? ;-)
Thursday we went running with Pinelands AC as usual.
Friday we relaxed with a movie, A Very Long Engagement.
Up 5:30 Saturday morning to do a 15km run in Ravensmead. Last night our friends Martin and Kelly had a great engagement party! I have a hangover but it is better now! Great party! I had some sushi and and vodka, so it is not only at Swedish parties you mix raw fish and vodka, but there was no singing when drinking! ;-)
We have also started to watch season 4 of 24 on DVD. This is not good since it is very addictive and you can't just watch one episode at the time and nothing else gets done!
Rene have also been working this weekend, with typing reports, to clear her desk before our holiday.

One more week, then Zanzibar!

Oh, I almost forgot: Congratulations to Monette and Tom who got engaged this weekend!

Congratulations!

Pappa,
Ett STORT GRATTIS på 60årsdagen!

It is my dads 60th birthday today and we are thinking about you!
We wish we could be in Sweden and celebrate with you.
Everyone here in SA sends their love.

Booked!

We have now finally booked our holiday in August. We are going to Zanzibar! Should be fantastic! Can't wait. Moving to SA has been an adventure and exiting BUT it has not been a holiday. Looking for jobs, a places to stay, a house, cars etc IS stressfully and you don't think that you can relax. So before our next BIG move we are flying away for a few days of sunshine and relaxation. Can't motivate a holiday like this if you got a new house but since we are doing it before we move...
The trip is booked with a company called African Encounters. It was a proper "African Encounter". It took 3 weeks to achieve but it is now confirmed! Well I am not 100% sure until I see the tickets! Wouldn't recommend them to book anything in the future, but since we were so close to time of our holiday we felt "forced" to use them. 15 emails and 10 phone calls... Done! I need a holiday! ;-)

It was Wayne Birds birthday yesterday, but we are celebrating him today!
Happy birthday, Wayne!

Knysna run and more...

I did it! I ran my first half marathon in Knysna last weekend! 21km!
It was OK and my least problem was the distance. (I am not trying to boast, or perhaps just a little bit ;-) But let me explain; on the plus side is that the run starts in the forest and is situated quite high up so you have a fantastic view when you come out of the forest, after about 10 - 11km. The race is also well organized with transport and a big tent at the start which serves fruit, muesli-bars, coffee, hot chocolate, tea etc. You don't need to eat breakfast beforehand! There are also gas heaters at the start since it normally quite chilly in the morning. The atmosphere is also good.
On the negative side is that you have to be there a long time in advance, 2 hours according to the organizers. I would try to arrive later... It is not chilly; it is freezing cold, -1C someone said. -1 for 2 hours, standing still, not being properly dressed, i.e. not wearing a polar Gore-Tex and fleece suit, is no fun. Running stuff and a tracksuit doesn't cut it. The gas heaters are a good idea, but there are thousands of runners and about 10 heaters... So, you are lekker stiff when it is time to start running! Thankfully all walkers had gathered at the starting line so you couldn't run anyway until after 1km. Worst was that I had to do 2 "pit stops" during the run. This is best to avoid. Luckily most of the run is done in the forest, if you get my drift! (Were do you go if you have to stop in central Göteborg?) I don't know how to blame the organizers for this... wait perhaps the long wait at the start... ;-) Seriously; it is a very good run and I did enjoy it (except for the cold). It was also Rene's 3rd and fastest half marathon so far.
That local beer Mitchells after the run was also GREAT!

The BIG reward after the run was that we had a braai to look forward to. (Note: braai is SA talk for barbecue)
So later, at Janet and Pete's place we had a food and drinks. Bridget and Dewalt who also lives in Knysna was there. It was great to see every one!

I also played golf at Simola. Had a lie in, with a tee off time at 7.50. It is an absolutely stunning golf course. And it is a very playable course for the normal golfer, but it not easy.

Thank you Janet and Pete for letting us stay with you!
Check out the photos from Knysna. It is Jan and Pete's little daughter Erin, 6 months, who is on most of them.

Weekend in Knysna

Running shoes and golf clubs

Running shoes and golf clubs needs to be packed in.
We are going to Knysna this weekend to run the Knysna half marathon and I am going to squeeze in some golf at Simola too!
This is my first half marathon so it is a bit exiting. I hope I will make it. No time pressure, just make it! That is my goal.
We are taking the BIG car to fit everything in (i.e. golf clubs and wine bottles... BIG car = the Silver WV Polo classic got a boot :-)
What I am really looking forward to is seeing our friends from London who also have "moved back" to South Africa; Jan & Pete and Bee & Dee + all the new babies! (I am sying "moved back" even if I have moved here for the first time being from Sweden!)
The biggest challenge will be to not pop any of the wine bottles on Friday night when we arrive, since that might have an effect on my ability to finish my run.
So I hope to stay off the wine to Saturday. Sleep is not on the schedule but golf is so I will have to get up early (again) on Sunday. It is not every day you get to play a course like Simola so it should not be a problem.

And there is an Oyster festival on in Knysna too so I might try an Oyster or two too.

Where time stood still

McGregor is a quiet, quiet place. The town's website even has a subtitle that says: "where time stood still".

However it is perfect if you just want to go away and relax, which suited us fine. You can go for walks and do wine tasting in the area and visit one of the local cafés or the gallery. That is about it. We decided on the wine tasting and just made it to McGregor Winery before they closed. I think the Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve and the new (2005) Shiraz was the top picks. Luckily they were also having a sale on some of their other wines, to make room for the new harvest. R14.50 per bottle for a 2003 Pinotage! That's about a £1. So we splashed out on a box of 6! The Pinotage might not be a 5 or 4 star in the Platter Wine guide but it is OK!

We stayed and had dinner at the Old Mill Lodge, which is now run by John from Liverpool.
We had a very good stay!

I also decided to get the camera out and take some photos in and around McGregor

McGregor - Weekend away

Happy Birthday to you!

Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday to me!?

It was my birthday last weekend and I had a great time going out for dinner with a few friends: Rene, Fraser, Nicole, Clinton, Chandre, Kelly and Martin. We went to the Fat Cactus in Mowbray, Cape Town. It is a Tex-Mex place and we had a few Margaritas and Tequilas too, as one should.

[Photos]

Thank you guys!

And thank you to everyone who phoned and sent sms/text messages!

It was also my uncle Dan's birthday last week: Happy birthday to you!!

And it was my granny's birthday on Monday: Happy birthday mormor!!!

It is Barbara's (Rene's mom) birthday today: Happy birthday ma!!!!

It is our good friend Janet's birthday tomorrow: Happy birthday!!!!!

Anyone else?

Oh, I almost forgot: A BIG congratulations to Martin and Kelly who got engaged on my birthday! We wish you all the best in the future and with the planning of your wedding!