Engineering thesis

My son Mark's final year Engineering thesis at Stellenbosch University involves the investigation of alternative methods to reduce the vibrations and noise from trains. Here we fool around with some material designed to go between the track and the sleepers with impact/dampening characteristics.

 

Cape Town with the kids

Who gets to have two 21st Birthday parties? Well Mark's home town in Durban had to be his big-bash "Summer Heat with a rooftop beat" official 21st while he was still with us before the big day and returning to Cape Town.

 

His birthday was 10 days later so Kate-Lynn, Jenn and I flew down to Stellenbosch to be with him and his Cape mates for the weekend and actual birthday. Jenn and I spent the 7th with him at Koel Bay, at "home" in Stellies and out for supper that night. Kate and Nicci joined us the next day for the rest of the weekend and we enjoyed wine-tasting, Saturday Market - wow, the best I have ever seen - and a good jol late into Sunday morning. That evening we were jetting our way back to Durban, leaving my boy to finish his 4th year Engineering in Stellies. What an event! My boy is 21!!

 

Cape Town

The view from the Devon Valley area towards the Stellenbosch mountains

Mark's mates enjoy a braai

Stunning Christmas tree in Cape Town Airport

A beer with my boy whose hair has become a mop.. and we're both sporting Movember moustaches. We watched the Boks beat England.

The view waiting for breakfast along the R44

End of 3rd year for Mark at Stellenbosch and I made a quick trip to Cape Town to check on my boy who has just had his wisdom teeth taken out. I met up with his mates and sorted medication for him and even managed to party till 4am with the students having their last jol before returning home for Christmas.