Yesterday we visited a hospice just on the outskirts of the Cape Flats. This is notoriously the dangerous part of the Cape area where over 95% of all the homicides take place. It is also the area in which over 80% of the vegetables are grown in the Cape. The hospice itself was in a compound filled with many different buildings each having its' own purpose. This time Harry and I did not go and explore the community, but stayed inside. Harry watched the Backyardagans (sp?) that he got for his birthday. We saw some people admitted while we were there, and we also heard singing. That was quite amazing; traditional African songs, albeit someone somber, being sung by the patients.

Today Katy has a grandparents chapel. Her choir is singing and I'll try to record it for the respective gp's to see when they come visit. Henry has a Big Swim. They are raising money like a skateathon…doing laps for cash. The grade one's can do a maximum of 15 laps. Next time we will appeal to everyone for donations, this time we forgot.

A big thanks to Nancy Neufeld's sister Ingrid from Steinbach! She and her husband and friends were on a trip to Cape Town and brought some Spitz and Cheerios to our household yesterday. That was well received. They were staying in Hermanus, about 1.5 hours from the city and touring touring and golfing. We didn't get much time to chat, next time perhaps.

2007-03-02 Parks Cricket

Henry enjoyed parks cricket this afternoon, learning some of the basics of cricket like fielding, hitting and throwing. He did quite well seeing as he has had practice in the backyard of 63 Leeds. He definitely would make the team if we were to stay until high school. Katy is at a birthday party for the daughter of one Carla's co-workers.

From 2007-02-28 Ha...

The day started off with a bang, Harrison had his special cereal "Oaties" for breakfast, he opened his gifts from mom and dad, and his aunts and uncles, cousins and grandparents. He was very happy! He immediately tried on his Cars branded bikini underwear…they are a little small in the bum, but gives him that European look. He also got a Cars shirt and a blue VW bug. He is enamored by the bug ever since we watched the Herbie movies. The videos he got were also well received. After dropping the kids off at school, we took a swim, ran a few errands and had lunch in our favourite park near Henry's school. Harrison had picked out a special drink (spiderman chocolate milk) and we watched the birds and the squirrels. Carla's assistant Kate had baked a truck shaped cake and brought it over before nap time.

In the afternoon after a short nap we picked up Katy and then drove to the McDonalds in Kenilworth where we had heard there was a playland. The kids gobbled their happy meals and found other kids to play with in the large playzone. We got home and the neighbour kids all came over to eat cake and doughnuts. The day was lots of fun!

2007-02-27 Big Tree

I was reading in the Tattler (like the Lance or the Winkler Times) yesterday that Cape Town was home to one of the biggest trees in all of Africa. Better yet it was supposed to be just down the street from us in Claremont. Harry and I were excited about this proposed outing so we packed a lunch and headed out. Finding the park was quite easy, it was across from St. Luke's Hospital where we had dropped Carla off last week. Entering the park we saw some ducks and a few big trees, but after rounding the corner we saw this massive Spanish Rubber Tree (ficus) that was definitely the one. The roots stuck out at least in a forty foot diameter and the trunk was probably about twenty feet around. I cannot say how high it was but I couldn't see the top. Just kidding. I took a picture of Harrison at the base in one of the folds of the trunk. The guard told me that all the Cape Town brides want their pictures taken in this garden. There were some other large trees in the park too, among them California redwoods and others, but none as grand as this one.

We've planned a little party for Harrison with the "flat" kids here for cake and candy tomorrow. No clowns or elephants.

Recent activity

I've been a tardy boy with this post, I apologize. Apart from a field trip with Katy's class on Thursday, a trip to Milnerton on Saturday morning to see the unique table view and play on the sand dunes, eat lunch in the Company's Garden downtown we haven't been too terribly adventurous. Katy's class along with the drivers/chaperones went to the Planetarium for the morning on Thursday. Sort of like Winnipeg the planetarium is inside the museum, in this case the South African Museum which in itself would be a good visit. Not to mention the gardens, the parliament and other museums are within walking distances. The kids loved it and also enjoyed eating their lunches in the gardens and feeding the squirrels and pigeons. On Friday, Katy had her pool party at her school, I think sponsored by a Christian organization since when we picked her up they were singing "camp" songs.

Saturday morning we drove north to Milnerton a coastal town to find a nature reserve and sand dunes. The kids loved to ski down the slopes and get full of sand in Harry's case. The view of the mountain from this side of the bay was majestic. Cheaper by the Dozen with Steve Martin was the highlight of Saturday evening.

We had church on Sunday AM and in the afternoon we swam in the pool and headed to Kirstenbosch for a concert of jazz guitar and faspa. We met Marian and Ricardo there.

This morning we headed to Stellenbosch the heart of wine country for Carla's interview at the hospice there. Every half kilometer there was another vineyard. So much wine and so little time.

Check the picture blog for a few new pictures. http://picasaweb.google.com/steveyens