21st of MC - the Event

It was my son Mark's 21st last night at our guesthouse, a few days early as he has to be back in Cape Town for the start of his 4th, final year engineering at Stellenbosh by his 7th Feb birthday.

 

The weather was playing up so the rooftop party had to be moved downstairs to the lounge/bar/dining area, which was probably good for the neighbours as the music would have ripped through the night from the rooftop.

 

 

The rooftop was incredible and the sky cleared as the night progressed. The jacuzzi was full and the party took to the pool as well. The last pic was taken about 4am with the sun rising.

 

New Year holiday and flights

I said I wanted to get away from home for New Year for a change and we had an awesome few days with friends in Margate and were able to fetch our planes and do some flying down the Wild Coast on the last day. So many drinks and Margaritas and some yummy meals out.

 

We found the skankiest pub amongst the many we visited

I had to jump in the foam during our New Years pub-crawl

Leopard Road, Oribi Gorge where we drove for breakfast

Margate Airport

Port St John's in the eastern Cape, Wild Coast. Incredible mountain-top runway

New Year's day lunch 1 Jan 2013 at La Mer where we stayed for a few days in Margate. In the photo from l to r are Marc, myself (Dave), Llewellyn, Jacqui and Lee.
 

Durban Christmas 2012

Durban produced a roasting hot day for our Christmas 2012 which we spent with family and friends. It was Llewellyn's sister and her husband Matt's first Christmas in their new home in Durban, having made the intelligent move from Johannesburg and we all brought something to the table for a fabulous feast.

 

My kids arrived in the afternoon so we had more present opening and joy with the brats before they woke us up again at 2.30am to pack the car for their trip with mates to Mocambique for New Year.

 

 

My kids Mark and Kate-Lynn with their Holmes Brothers' Durban shirts

The Christmas table with the Quinns

Father and son.. best!

Kate's new rad sunglasses



The brats



Me horizontal and stuffed after Christmas lunch

The kids are packed and ready for Mozam at 3am on Boxing Day

 

The Barrys visit from Ireland

It's crazy how your kids make friends at school, then the parents become mates too. So with the Barrys who then emigrated some 15 years ago and left for the shores of Ireland. We regularly see them when we visit Dublin and their village of Navan and they paid us a visit last night on their trip with their 2 girls Shannon and Kirsty to show them something of the land they had left.

 

There were 15 of us for a braai at the guesthouse. Although Mark's friend Steven did not join his sister's on the trip, it was a chance for the kids to catch up.

 

 

With Mark and Dain to Kloof Gorge

I grew up in the Kloof area and this spot was just around the corner from my school and a frequent cross-country route. My gran also lived around one of the flanges of the gorge and had a 2 acre property which went down to the river below. Mark and his friend Dain, whom we have know since they were pre-primary kids, took us on a tour of the part of the gorge near his home yesterday. Amazing rock formations and with the recent rains fast-flowing river.. perfect for sliding, river rafting just with our bodies and perfect weather.

 

12h12 on 12.12.12

I know it's pretty corny but we paused at work at 12h12 to consider the time and date. We missed the 12secs past 12h12 though. It only happens again in 2112 and I won't be around then.

I remember sitting in University in 1978 and waiting for my digital watch then to show me 12:34 4:5:78 - that was also pretty unique.. must have been 2nd year BA degree! Now we waited for the moment on my cellphone and computer clock.. and there was some argument as to whether Vodacom or MTN had the correct time. At New Year last there was a 5 minute time difference between the two... you could see which half of Durban was on MTN and which was Vodacom. I thought we were all on the atomic clock now so how come the difference?

Anyways, back in 1978 we didn't have computers either in South Africa or cellphones, and had only just got TV!

Galway clan

Audene, Tatham, Sandra, Gary, Stacey, Wally, Kate-Lynn, myself, Richard and Tammy (l to r)

Dean and Bryce

Tatham and Gary

We had a delightful gettogether today of the Galway clan.. 2nd, 3rd and 4th generations... my cousins Debbie, Dean and Gary with our kids and even grandchildren can you believe!!

 

I don't know why we havn't done this before but was super to see the cousins and nephews/neices and enjoy a catch up braai and drinks. Thanks Debbie and Wally (Fry) of the famous Fry's vegetarian foods for opening up your fabulous home and letting us all have a pre-Christmas chin-wag.

 

Kate-Lynn's 24th birthday

Kate-Lynn celebrated her 24th Birthday and brother Mark arrived home from Cape Town in time for the fun. We started with breakfast out in the uShaka area, followed by the I Heart Market, flapjacks with Nicci, collected Mark from the airport, lunch at home then New York for supper and drinks with friends... who then followed home for a late night swim in the pool and coffee and rusks!! Yeha!!