Lauren 18

It's birthday time and Lauren turns 18!! My how she's grown since I met her at 8! Awesome rooftop party tonight at the Guesthouse as Mark, Calvin and I cooked the burger patties..

Mc, Dave and dad Llewellyn

The birthday girl with her huge card with everyone's messages inside

A birthday cake deluxe!! Well done Liesl

Birthdays wouldn't be the same without cousins

Hell and brimfire in these thar coals

Mc and Calvin sizzling

Ian 21

 We have a few pilots in our family and cousin Ian turned 21 today. He has his commercial Pilot's Licence and Instructor's rating, seen here at my Flight School scholars Open Day with Mark

Ian 21 (left) with Mark

Granny Bernice, myself and Ian's mom (my cousin) Leanne. In the background are Arthur (left) and Leanne's husband Mark, and in the far background Ian.

Mark visits

Mc chilling on Kate's bed whilst she is in Korea

New jersey for the cold of Cape Town

Mc posing in Hub with a model-pic of mate Kyle Jeacocks

Darn it's cold in Cape Town and I left this jacket in Durban last visit

Taking to the skies with dad in my plane

We ended our Sunday evening with a Skype chat with Kate-Lynn in Korea, although it was nearing midnight there - they are 7 hours ahead of us. Great to hear your voice. Love you lots precious.

Homecoming

My son Mark (Mc) back in town from Stellies and a time to celebrate. First stop is always a lunch burger at Billy's, our favourite, followed by good home cooking and my famous margaritas.. also a chance to catch up with another good savage, mate Dain. (he's a girl but we love him!).

Cheers at Billy's

Kate sent some gifts and Mark was trying them out for our trip to Korea to visit her

Dave, Dain and Mark

ReStarting Kates car after it's park in the garage for 4 months

Dain fooling around

Visiting Agulhas

Mark and Lisa were on the same spot last week that Llew and I stood on 2 years ago.

Kids having a jol

My kids far and near.. Kate in Korea, where she is teaching English for the year, and my son Mark who is in Stellenbosch (5th year now) and who comes home today for his winter break.. not really sure what is "home" any more as he has grown roots in Cape Town.

Kate-Lynn after her hike in the rain and mountains with her friend Chido

Great pic of Lisa and Mark

Kate planting vegetables in Busan

World Cup remembered - Fire Engine drives to Durban from Germany

This time in 2010 South Africa and Durban was in the grips of Word Cup fever. The opening game in Durban was Germany vs Australia and we had 7 Germans and 7 Australians in the guesthouse - including some guys who drove here from Bieleveld Germany in a landrover and a Fire Engine to get here in time for their team's first game which they won.

And yesterday Germany beat Portugal 4-0 in their Group G game in Brasil.

Here's a link to all of the fixtures and results.

In fact I started this blog to capture the spirit of the World Cup, then after the event decided to keep it on as my personal blog about life here in Durban. Here's a glimpse of what I posted about the previous World Cup Germany games, as well as the story of the fire engine through Africa.

2014 World Cup Brasil - Germany 4 Portugal 0

Doing what we do best

I couldn't wait for the cement to dry on our new patio area and try out the new braai - it's a gas braai on top of a charcoal braai so I can choose depending on the mood a quick braai or the traditional charcoal fire. Still have to sort the cover for the area though as the last braai "machine" we had out there rusted to pieces in our Durban sea air.

Fathers' Day

I think this was the first ever Fathers' Day that both of my kids are on opposite sides of the world, Kate in Korea and Mark in Stellenbosch.

I had a busy morning getting my new braai area sorted and en route to shopping had a Wimpy breakfast. Great to see so many dads out with their kids and really made me think how meaningless life would be without my precious savages. Some people choose not to have kids but I cannot imagine life without them. Love you so much Mark and Kate. xx

It was great to be with another Dad and his kids this day and we all enjoyed my famous roast lunch with Calvin making us a yorkshire pudding (normally eaten with beef, but we wanted lamb today).

Happy Fathers' Day to all the Dads out there and to my Dad who is no longer with us.

Lauren, Llewellyn, Catie and Calvin

Full Moon and Sunsets

I did a flight at sunset to Pietermaritzburg then a night flight back to Durban, keeping my night rating current

Fri 13th was also full moon and Kate took this shot over the harbour bridge in Busan, Korea

I took this photo from Durban the same night. Unfortunately my iphone cannot do justice to the crisp clear yellow moon we saw rising up out of the Indian Ocean. It was truly spectacular.

RNYC do

My mom and us kids spent many a weekend of our youth waiting at the Royal Natal Yacht Club for Gordon to arrive back from sailing. The Commodore of the Yacht Club treated the lady members to a hats and gloves do which saw my mom digging into the mothballs to find a suitable hat. She was joined by Bernice for the ladies' function and then Arthur and I were allowed to join in. Gordon was the Commodore of the Yacht Club for a number of years in 60s and 70s.

My mom and I at the RNYC earlier this evening

Mom, brother Arthur and his wife (my aunt) Bernice Galway looking smart!

The yacht club overlooks the Durban harbour 

Beautiful view of the club and harbour

Kate wow!

I had to interrupt my blog posts to repost this stunning photo of my daughter Kate-Lynn I just lifted off her Facebook page. Gorgeous!

Kate poses with what looks like poppies in South Korea.

Catching up with Mark in Stellies

A weekend trip to Cape Town was an opportunity to catch up with my son who is doing his Master's in Engineering at Stellenbosch University. Dinner out with Mark and Lisa was a treat and on Friday I took delivery of our Sling aircraft for the Flight  School which I will fly back today and Sunday to Durban. So not much time in the Cape but a productive quick trip.

My son Mark and Lisa - aren't they a gorgeous couple!

Dinner out in Stellies

Breakfast

Sling owner Jandre' congratulates Dave on the handover of FYA for Durban Skyye Flight School

The rolling hills off the coast to Stellenbosch and Somerset West

Sling FYA at Stellenbosch ready for the trip to Durban

More flying pics and the Sling on my aviation blog here.

Bringing back some voting memories

We voted on Wednesday on our return from our trip to the States and the votes are all but counted, bringing the DA for the first time to nearly 25% of the vote with the ANC Govermnent having dipped a few percentage points. The ANC's vote diminished shedding voters to the DA and the new Economic Freedom Fighters. This unfortunately gives the buffoon Malema a significant voice in Parliament despite his poor record already.

Dave chooses from a long list of political parties registered for both the National Parliament and the Provincial Parliament.

Candidate for Parliament

I have some precious memories of elections, having stood as the youngest candidate for parliament at 22 in 1981, my first election. I contested the Port Natal Constituency for the New Republic Party, a forerunner of the present DA and my opponent was Pierre Cronje, a Deputy Cabinet Minister for the governing National Party. That election whet my appetite for politics as it was one of the closest election results of the time, the NP Deputy Minister beating me by only 600 votes of the thousands cast that day. I went on to become the National Youth President of the Party and stood for Parliament again in 1983, 1985 and 1994 - the 85 election as an Independent after my Party's fiasco in the Referendum and the last election 3rd on the party list for the African Democratic Movement - the political party of Brigadier Quoza of the Ciskie as South African went to the polls for the tri-cameral parliament on the newly created party list system. Needless to say my quest for a seat in Parliament was never realised as party politics had taken a hold on South Africa and I was essentially an independent at heart.

City Councillor

After the 1985 poll I turned my attention to local city politics and on the 26th April 1988, a day I will always remember, I was elected as the City Councillor for the Fynnland Ward on the Bluff. The strong group of incredible friends who banded together to help me that day was very moving and we were a sight to remember decked out in our yellow and green shirts on voting day. This was a Durban Bluff ward which was part of the Port Natal constituency I had originally contested for Parliament. The Bluff was now in my veins and I had moved there, integrated with a number of community organisations and new friends and I moved my office there in 1984. I was later elected Deputy Mayor of the City and served in that capacity during 1993/1994 until the City Council was disbanded with the change of government and I served as a Metropolitan Transitional Councillor until the 1996 elections when I bowed out of politics.

Law Office 

My legal firm I opened in 1984 after completing my articles, Mc Naught and Company Attorneys was the first legal office to move to and open on the Bluff later during 1984 and I think I can count about 6 other firms who over the years followed my lead.

What interesting times and so many great people I have met through my involvement in politics, including the Queen of England and Prince Philip who attended a tea party at the Durban City Hall at the invitation of the Mayor and us City Councillors.

Dave accompanies his mom to the voting station on the Bluff where she is registered in this week's elections

Dave's 1996 Election Manifesto - do the political parties and candidates these days even bother to let you know who they are before you vote for their "unseen" list of polukas and even criminals?

And an advert from my first election campaign..