Short holiday after Argus in Cape Town and Jongensfontein

Monday 12 March
We spent a day in Cape Town and we did some touristy things. The walk in the Botanical Gardens was a little tiring because of the previous days’ cycling. After a few ups and downs Helgard bought lunch – cheese, bread and 2 Heinekens. While feeding the birds and ducks pieces of bread, we enjoyed the Heinekens. The beers made us tied and we both had a nap in the sun.



We wanted to go up Table Mountain with the cable car, but I was too nervous. Helgard drove to Llundudno where we watched some surfers.



The evening we had dinner at Campsbay and the walk at Cliffton was very refreshing after dinner.

Tuesday 13 March
After breakfast and chatting to Ester from Astrocats (the B&B where we stayed during our stay in the Cape) it was time to leave for Jongensfontein. We took the scenic route and stopped at a couple of paces along. In Robertson we bought very tasty fish and chips at a local shop. Along the way we also stopped at Bon Courage for a wine tasting session,….highly recommended!



Mavis, the wine tasting sales lady was filling up our glasses very generously. We met a friendly tourist from England that enjoyed the Bon Courage White Muscadel 2005, but the rose champagne (Cap Classique, we may not call it Champagne in South Africa) was my favorite, Helgard enjoyed everything.

We also stopped at Parmalat in Bonnievale to buy some cheese.

Just before sunset we stopped at Jongensfontein, what a beautiful seaside village.
We stayed at FRI-MA-KIN, a friend’s wooden holiday house. Almost every room in the house has a sea few.



Thursday-Sunday 14-17 March
For 2 days our daily activity was breakfast, reading, sleeping, drinking wine, sleeping, eating and sleeping
I think it is the fresh air, relaxing atmosphere of the little village and the sound of the waves that made us relax and sleepy.



While we were walking on the beach the rocky shorelines and rock pools created photo opportunities for Helgard.



The sun and the sea made this a special holiday for me, the road back to Pretoria was very long….

more photos here

Cape Argus Cycle Race 2007

Sunday, March 11th 2007, yes we are late with this post! and Ursula wrote it.

This day is highlighted in my dairy, the 30th Cape Argus cycle race. More than 35 000 cyclist took part in the thrilling event. It was the first time I experienced a race like this, the whole 109km was filled with warm and friendly supporters on the side of the road, and the exceptional natural beauty of the Cape made the race shorter.



Helgard and I are enthusiastic amateurs’ cyclists. We had to get fit and since January friends and family saw us a little bit less, because social time was training or recovery time.

The day before the race all cyclists had to collect there “goodie bags” and race number at the exhibition hall. The exhibition hall was filled with various cycling shops that were selling cycling goods. Helgard thought that good equipment will make the 109km shorter, so he bought a few things; I like his Argus sweater the most. I had a good laugh when he got nervous about the 109km and bought some “energy givers”, he even went back to get some more of the “good stuff”.



The day of the race I was a little nervous, couldn’t even eat my oats that Ester at Aristocats B&B in Bellville specially prepared for us.
We cycled in the OH group and when the sign “OH Loading” appeared I was nervous but very excited, I think the smile on our face is telling a better story.



The two of us cycled together and this made the race even more special because enjoyable moments were shared. When cycling the Argus the natural beauty gets better around every corner. Two thirds of the route runs through the National Park and a World Heritage Site.
The race was not just about the natural beauty; supporters were part of the race, even when they were not cycling. A family put the plastic plash pool on the side of the road, the kids were doing the “braai” and the parents were having a good time while drinking and supporting out of the pool.

Suikerbossie or “Psychobossie” is a though uphill battle. One of the locals sprayed the passing cyclists with a hose pipe, what a cool relief.



One of the race highlights was when I pedaled up Chapman's Peak Drive (or like the signboards on the side of the road “Champions Peak”), it was a long crooked up-hill, but there is no better view than the scenery that greets you for the entire length of Chapman's Peak Drive.

The road to victory was a gentle down ride through Camps Bay and Clifton. We were enjoying the festive atmosphere of the Cape-tonians on the side of the roads.

The race ended in Sea point (or like the signboards was saying “Seerpunt”). For Helgard it was definitely “Seerpoint” because just after the finish line his first words were “where is my Disprins”. I didn’t know that he had the Disprins in his saddlebag, so he took two Disprins to prevent his muscles from solidifying.

Both of us received a medal, one that I’m really proud of. The medal is not big or fantasy it is just a reminders of a good time. I have no doubt that I will back next year!



More photos here

Dilbert The Knack

Ever wondered what is wrong with you?

Friends Chrismas Party

It is the season to visit friends and enjoy each other for the last time this year. We spent a relaxing Saturday afternoon at Roy and Janine's house. The two children rules the roost at the moment and we were running after them must of the time.

We had a wonderful lunch and some good wine. The lunch was again a collective effort and it came together very well I must say. Although we did not plan to take a dip in the pool we just had to swim to escape the heat. Thanks guys it was a good one.

More photos

Our Chrismas Party

The house is decorated with lights, the Christmas tree is up - it is Christmas time, a wonderful time of the year.
Christmas is a time to spend with friends and family, a time to say thank you to friends and family for loving and caring during the year.
This weekend we invited some friends and family over for dinner. Our Christmas party took the form of a cook-out. where everyone had to bring a food dish to contribute to a delicious meal.

Chicken livers with a creamy sauce were served as a starter. On the main menu were grilled chicken, cold meat, noodle salad, Greek salad and a sweet potatoes dish.
Ice cream, malva pudding and jelly with coffee and tea was served as dessert.

Thank you to everyone who made this evening special. more pictures

Gert's birthday weekend

Gert wanted a real special 40th birthday party, so he invited friends and family for a long weekend at a guest house at Zinkwazi on the South coast of KwaZulu- Natal.

On November 15th Helgard and myself picked Gert up just after 5o’clock the morning. Gert started the holiday by teaching me the refrain of “General de la Rey”, he also made an unwritten rule – when the song is playing we have to sing along, soon “General de la Rey” became the holiday song.
The first day we were like real travelers, we stop at tourist spots and we did the tourist things.
Our first stop was at Estcourt at the Wagendrift dam. Helgard and Gert saw the photo opportunities and there for it was play time with the cameras. (Please visit the site for nice photos)


Estcourt


For lunch we stop at a place called Old Halliwell close to Howick on the Natal Midlands. The food that we order looked and tasted delicious.

We planned to spend the first night in Howick at my friend’s house. Kath could only meet up with us after 5 the afternoon, so we went to the Howick Falls. It is an easy hike but the humidity made it so much harder to walk up the hill. More photos can be seen here

Howick

On the 16th we met up at the beach house in Zinkwazi with Rudi, Charmaine, RJ and Gert’s family. The house is built in an “L shape”, all the rooms have an on suite bathroom and all the rooms have sliding doors which lead to the stoep and swimming pool. Book the place and go see for yourselves.

The first day was a sunny hot day, the next two days were cloudy and rainy, even on a cloudy day a day was filled with laughter, friendliness, food, good company and so-so-so much more.



Gert’s birthday was on the 19th. The morning after we woke up we had coffee and some rusks on the sunset-veranda. While drinking coffee we decided to go for a swim. We had breakfast and the rest of the day we “chilled” at the swimming pool while Gert was making a “potjie”



Thank you Gert, we had a wonderful time!

More photos can be seen here

Under attack

It is pleasant to talk about the positive things in life, but life isn’t always a bed of roses, sometimes one-experience unpleasant things but one has to carry on living with a positive attitude.

During October I was visiting friends, like friends do we were sitting on the porch looking at the rain and drinking wine. A pleasant, friendly, lighthearted atmosphere suddenly changed when 3-armed robbers came around the corner of the porch.
For 50 minutes our hands were tied to our backs, our mouths were gagged with towels and the robbers were saying, “shhhhhh, I’ll shout”. A pistol and knives gave them power, we were forced to lie on the porch as they were robbing us from our valuable belongings. In an armed robbery things like a laptop, cell phone, gold chain, money, car has no value, you just value your life and body. A woman is more of a target in such a situation, there were moments that I was very scared but a hand from heaven protected me.

My experience and emotions were much more than the few lines I wrote, I struggled to cope and I had to call a psychologist to explain how my body and mind would react; a book by Yvonne Retief also gave more insight.

When I’m scared and having flashbacks I find comfort in people around me that care.

Bakwena Super Classic

It was a Sunday morning and I really had to kick Helgard out of bed. He is not a morning person and to make matters worse we had a party at a friend’s house the night before, so the shouters were still in his system.

I was very excited because it was my first cycling race. All the sport reports were saying “South Africa’s fastest road race”. The race was on the Bakwena highway that was closed for the morning. The highway is flat with a smooth surface and for the first 25km the wind was behind us. We turned around at the Ga-Rankuwa off ramp. Cycling against the wind on mountain bike is hard work. We tried in vine to catch up with racers that were passing us in large bunches. The last 10km we were cycling with a small bunch that helped against the wind.

I’m very proud of my first cycling metal. The refreshing sports drink at the finish line was what we needed after the 43km at 26km/h average speed.

Sylvia's “P” party

Theme Parties are a new thing for Helgard, and me but we are getting into it.

We went to Sylvia’s birthday party and we had to dress up according to the letter “P”.

Helgard when as a Photographer (just to show every one his nice camera), I had dressed up as Pippie-Longstocking. It took me sometime to get dress because I had to convince Helgard to Push the wire through my hair and not my ears; Helgard isn’t really a hairdresser so it was Painful.

Sylvia went trough a lot of effort with the Party; she decorated the house with a tribal theme. The people were Playing along, and were dresses as Prisoners, Princesses, Priest and a Policewomen. Others were more subtle with theme they were dressed as the Perfect Pair (cards).

The Party turned nasty when we were forced to drink shouters, we left early the next morning knowing that we had to cycle.

Kiddies concerts

Small things are important to small people, and for little Lerinda it was important that uncle Helgard come to her school concert – “Wild William around the world”.

“Wild William around the world” was about a young man William who traveled around the world to find the right women. The kids were singing as he was traveling from country to country. The innocence and enthusiasm of the kids were spilled over to the audience, the audience was also clapping and singing along, in the end it was difficult to say who enjoyed the concert the most.
Lerinda was dressed up as a Chinese girl and danced with her chopsticks.

After the concert there was a karate show. The instructor (shen-sen) taught the small the children to kick and scream, some of them can kick but not really scream.

After the entertainment we went to Leonard and Munda’s house for a lovely dinner. The excitement of the evening took its toll on Lerinda, when we left she was sleeping on the couch.