Emily went back to school today for the new year, it was a miserable rainy day but she was so looking forward to seeing all her friends ....Monday, August 31, 2009
New Year at School
Emily went back to school today for the new year, it was a miserable rainy day but she was so looking forward to seeing all her friends ....Friday, August 28, 2009
South Africa, Final destination on the Round the world trip
Jozi
It’s apparently no longer referred to as Jo’burg by the youngsters, but now known as Jozi – well in actual fact I think I only went into Jozi once on this trip, but I will start at the beginning.
Richards Bay
Monday morning (10th August) and we were off to the sea, it was actually weird having to drive 7 hours to the sea as for the past 5 and a half weeks every country and city we had been to was on the coast. We left at 9 and finally arrived in RB at about 6 or 7 so the 7 hour drive had taken about 10, Gwen had flown down to RB but because of the wind they had diverted the flight to Durban and she was now having to drive up from there. We had the key to Gwen’s apartment with us, so did not have a problem getting into the apartment. Gwen went straight to the office so we did not see her until 6 a.m. the next morning, when she showered and changed and went back to the office.
The next day was Wednesday and the hottest day since we arrived, the temperature today went up to 31 degrees (in August which is winter), we had decided to do Hluhluwe, we had a nice day however it would have been better had we stayed over in the reserve. We managed to see a few animals and birds and Em even started making a list of all the animals she saw. After getting back to Richards Bay, Gwen had to work that evening so we decided to go to the “Dros” for dinner again, it was a really good choice as they had a kid’s area with TV games and a pizza parlor where they could make their own pizzas. We had a really enjoyable meal and we never saw Em once for the whole two hours we were there, except of course when I went to check up on her.
On Thursday morning we headed down to the beach, however the temperature had dropped almost 10 degrees and the wind had come up, making it very uncomfortable on the beach, even the surfers were standing around contemplating rather to go home. So we headed back to the townhouse and then spend the day at the local mall having lunch and shopping. That evening Gwen treated us all to dinner at the local Portuguese Restaurant down by the waterfront, which was absolutely divine.
We had thought about staying for the week-end, but decided that as Gwen was going home for the week-end and the folks were going to we would head back to Jo’burg. Once again Em was an absolute star in the car; we left at about 9 a.m. and then stopped in Newcastle for lunch and did the final stretch back to Jozi through Memel, and arriving back just before it got dark.
Back in Jozi 15/08 to 26/08
We were back in time for Emily’s cousin Melissa’s 6th birthday party. The kids had loads of fun, then later that evening D & I met Gwen & J at Monte Casino for dinner at John Dory. The next week we spent doing regular things like seeing the optician and also being a tourist in our own country, we went to Lory Park Zoo in Midrand which was fascinating. Went to the theatre at Monte, to see the UN Comedy show with some brilliant comedians; the best of course being a South African call Trevor Noah. Emily spent the night at her cousin and managed to break their glass coffee table that they have had for over 20 years. We went to the flea market at Hartebeespoort dam, the Oriental plaza in Jo’burg, the Organic market at the Waldorf School in Bryanston and as luck would have it, I stopped writing notes on the Sunday the 23/08 and for the life of me can not remember what happened the next 3 days.
I do however remember that we organized to meet up with some old friends, new friends and some family members at “Cobblestones pub” at Monte Casino. When we arrived Mario and Paula had already been there for 2 hours, Paul and Denise were there, I had not booked anywhere but Denise managed to get hold of the manager who gave us an area upstairs, albeit a smoking area. Slowly the rest of the crew arrived, Trevor & Kirsten, Charlie, Shemila who is my old friend from Barclays bank, Len & Lisa who we had only met last December in Ireland. My niece Samantha and Michiel her husband and of course Paul and Elliot who I met about 3 years ago on Skype and it’s a long story so I am not going to tell you here. I was so ecstatic to hear that Paul & Elliot are getting married in October, and recently heard that my niece is now expecting her 2nd baby.
It was so nice catching up with old friends but all too soon it was time to leave, even though Charlie kept us talking near the garage till 2:30 in the morning.
Wednesday Morning 26/08 arrived and it was time to pack, take the car back and catch our flight back to Ireland. Derrick was ready to go home and had said so a week earlier when we had an altercation with a mini bus taxi in Fourways, I however could have stayed another month, but it was time to be heading home and get back to our normal lives, after an unforgettable wonderful holiday that I will remember forever!!!
Emily already talks about going to visit her friend in Australia and her cousins in Africa, so I guess the travel bug has already bitten her and she doesn’t mind travelling 12000 miles to visit friends and cousins in the Southern Hemisphere, however she did mention wanting to go back to Disneyland, to which her father has already agreed.
Well I guess this is the end of our Round the World trip, maybe one day when we win the lotto we may be able to do it all over again!!!
It’s apparently no longer referred to as Jo’burg by the youngsters, but now known as Jozi – well in actual fact I think I only went into Jozi once on this trip, but I will start at the beginning.
So we boarded the plane from Perth and I was not feeling well at all, I spent the whole 12 hour flight sniffing and sneezing and I couldn’t breathe, and of course with the swine flue epidemic going around people were looking at me as if I was a leper. We arrived in Johannesburg ahead of schedule and for once we did not have to wait to long for our bags, hence our chauffeur (Derrick’s dad) only arrived about half an hour after we landed. Now I could go into depth about the rudeness of the custom officials at passport control, but I don’t want to spoil my memories.
It was great to see D’s folks after more than a year and of course Emily was ecstatic, the ride back to their place did not take too long. Derrick’s brothers and family popped in to say hello to us which was nice but by Thursday morning, all three of us were down with some kind of virus, Em was so bad she could not get out of bed, so off to the doctor with us before we picked up the hired car.
No sign of swine flue, however we all had something different which seemed weird, but then he is the doctor and not me. Thursday and Friday we spent trying to nurse ourselves back to health.Saturday my dear friend Gwen came round, she was up from Richards Bay, so we went shopping together, the great thing about a best friend is that it doesn’t matter how many thousands of miles are between you and how seldom you see one another, they are a part of you every day and it’s as if nothing has really happened since the last time you saw one another. After shopping we picked up some dinner, then fetched D and Em and went off to see Gwen’s beautiful new home.
Sunday was a family braai at D’s brother’s house and all the family turned out, aunties, cousins, nieces, nephews etc. We had promised Gwen that we would come and visit her down in Richards’s bay, so the previous week the plan was that D’s folks would come with and stay in a B&B while we stayed with Gwen, so after the braai we went home to pack for our journey down to Richards Bay the next day!
Richards Bay
Monday morning (10th August) and we were off to the sea, it was actually weird having to drive 7 hours to the sea as for the past 5 and a half weeks every country and city we had been to was on the coast. We left at 9 and finally arrived in RB at about 6 or 7 so the 7 hour drive had taken about 10, Gwen had flown down to RB but because of the wind they had diverted the flight to Durban and she was now having to drive up from there. We had the key to Gwen’s apartment with us, so did not have a problem getting into the apartment. Gwen went straight to the office so we did not see her until 6 a.m. the next morning, when she showered and changed and went back to the office.
We decided after all the hours in the car yesterday, to which I must add that Emily was an absolute star, (she definitely has become accustomed to travelling and is the best travelled child in the world), we decided to treat her to a morning at the beach, the weather was good about 25 or so degrees and hardly any wind, so off we went to the local strand near the harbor. Emily had loads of fun playing in the waves and made a friend, by then we were all hungry and headed to the “Dros” at the waterfront for lunch. Later we did some shopping as I decided to make Gwen her favorite Macaroni and cheese for dinner and what was left over we froze for meals for her.
The next day was Wednesday and the hottest day since we arrived, the temperature today went up to 31 degrees (in August which is winter), we had decided to do Hluhluwe, we had a nice day however it would have been better had we stayed over in the reserve. We managed to see a few animals and birds and Em even started making a list of all the animals she saw. After getting back to Richards Bay, Gwen had to work that evening so we decided to go to the “Dros” for dinner again, it was a really good choice as they had a kid’s area with TV games and a pizza parlor where they could make their own pizzas. We had a really enjoyable meal and we never saw Em once for the whole two hours we were there, except of course when I went to check up on her.
On Thursday morning we headed down to the beach, however the temperature had dropped almost 10 degrees and the wind had come up, making it very uncomfortable on the beach, even the surfers were standing around contemplating rather to go home. So we headed back to the townhouse and then spend the day at the local mall having lunch and shopping. That evening Gwen treated us all to dinner at the local Portuguese Restaurant down by the waterfront, which was absolutely divine. 
We had thought about staying for the week-end, but decided that as Gwen was going home for the week-end and the folks were going to we would head back to Jo’burg. Once again Em was an absolute star in the car; we left at about 9 a.m. and then stopped in Newcastle for lunch and did the final stretch back to Jozi through Memel, and arriving back just before it got dark.Back in Jozi 15/08 to 26/08
We were back in time for Emily’s cousin Melissa’s 6th birthday party. The kids had loads of fun, then later that evening D & I met Gwen & J at Monte Casino for dinner at John Dory. The next week we spent doing regular things like seeing the optician and also being a tourist in our own country, we went to Lory Park Zoo in Midrand which was fascinating. Went to the theatre at Monte, to see the UN Comedy show with some brilliant comedians; the best of course being a South African call Trevor Noah. Emily spent the night at her cousin and managed to break their glass coffee table that they have had for over 20 years. We went to the flea market at Hartebeespoort dam, the Oriental plaza in Jo’burg, the Organic market at the Waldorf School in Bryanston and as luck would have it, I stopped writing notes on the Sunday the 23/08 and for the life of me can not remember what happened the next 3 days.
Old Friends
I do however remember that we organized to meet up with some old friends, new friends and some family members at “Cobblestones pub” at Monte Casino. When we arrived Mario and Paula had already been there for 2 hours, Paul and Denise were there, I had not booked anywhere but Denise managed to get hold of the manager who gave us an area upstairs, albeit a smoking area. Slowly the rest of the crew arrived, Trevor & Kirsten, Charlie, Shemila who is my old friend from Barclays bank, Len & Lisa who we had only met last December in Ireland. My niece Samantha and Michiel her husband and of course Paul and Elliot who I met about 3 years ago on Skype and it’s a long story so I am not going to tell you here. I was so ecstatic to hear that Paul & Elliot are getting married in October, and recently heard that my niece is now expecting her 2nd baby.It was so nice catching up with old friends but all too soon it was time to leave, even though Charlie kept us talking near the garage till 2:30 in the morning.
Wednesday Morning 26/08 arrived and it was time to pack, take the car back and catch our flight back to Ireland. Derrick was ready to go home and had said so a week earlier when we had an altercation with a mini bus taxi in Fourways, I however could have stayed another month, but it was time to be heading home and get back to our normal lives, after an unforgettable wonderful holiday that I will remember forever!!!
Emily already talks about going to visit her friend in Australia and her cousins in Africa, so I guess the travel bug has already bitten her and she doesn’t mind travelling 12000 miles to visit friends and cousins in the Southern Hemisphere, however she did mention wanting to go back to Disneyland, to which her father has already agreed.
Well I guess this is the end of our Round the World trip, maybe one day when we win the lotto we may be able to do it all over again!!!
Friday, August 21, 2009
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Bunbury & Perth, Western Australia
Date: 26th July to 4th August 2009
Accommodation: The Botha's Residence in Bunbury and The Stone cottage Fremantle W.A.
Weather: 20 degrees and above most days
Rain: Hardly
Season: Winter
Agenda: Visit friends and see the Bon Scott Statue in Fremantle for Derrick
The flight from Sydney to Perth seemed long, but eventually we were flying over Perth, looking out the window it just seemed so different from my first trip to Perth. I had visited Perth in the February / March of 1998 and as Perth have a winter rainfall, it was hot and dry reminded me of Bloemfontein in winter, flat and dry. So this time it was quite beautiful seeing it all green and lush.
It was overcast when we arrived and we had been told that there had been a week of rain the previous week, but we were there to visit friends and it did not really matter what the weather was going to be like.
Dave was at the airport to meet us; we had not seen Dave since September 2003 at Liesl and Jay’s wedding. It was good to take up where we had left off, and I really think you can only do that with real friends. Now for the 2 hour journey down to Bunbury, it was a long day what with the early rise, flight and then journey and also time difference, after flying back in time all the way to Tahiti, we were not having the opposite experience of flying forward in time.
We arrived down in Bunbury and Wendy & Dave’s new home, they had moved a couple of times after settling in Perth and decided that Bunbury was the place to live. I should back track a few years though, in 2001 Dave and Wendy came to visit us in Ireland and when they left had said that it was now our turn to visit them in Australia, and then every time that Wendy phoned she would ask me “so when are you coming to visit”, we initially promised 5 years but it took almost 8 years to get us there.
After dinner we were soon all in bed, the plan was to spend Monday to Friday in Bunbury and then go up to Perth on Saturday and stay in a rental house in Fremantle. So Monday arrived and Wendy who was almost 8 months pregnant at that stage took us all over Bunbury, on the way back from town we stopped next to a field of kangeroo's, Em had not seen them in the wild before and neither had Derrick. 
Then the next day was a trip down Margaret River which is a bit like the Midlands Meander where you can stop at various places where they make things, wine farms, chocolate farms, ice cream, coffee, liqueurs etc. The rest of the week we just took things as they came, shopping, beach – we saw the most amazing sunset on our ride home. Dave & Derrick built a camp fire on the beach with Danielle and Em and they loved it. Friday, Wendy and I relaxed while D&D took the girls swimming, to the park and then fishing.
Before I go any further I must tell you about the house in Fremantle which was originally built in 1880 as the police station quarters and is call “The Stone Cottage”, it was a lovely house which I wish we had more time to enjoy, with 3 large bedrooms and wooden floors that were probably the original floors. They creaked every time you tried to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. It had a lovely back garden, which we never got to enjoy.
The only complaint was the kitchen was minute and the bathroom was the old bath tub with the feet that had an overhanging shower, which trickled out water very slowly. Also the toilet was separate, however it was attached to the bathroom so if someone was showering there was no way you could use the toilet, but we managed somehow. It really was lovely though.
Monday arrived and we had decided to take the ferry into Perth, I had done the Ferry ride before but it is always good, it takes about an hour from Fremantle into Perth along the Swan River and you pass all the affluent houses owned by millionaires. After arriving in Perth we split up and Wendy went to meet a friend, and we met Graham for lunch and then just did some shopping – we all met up then and took the train back to Freemantle which took no time at all. The train passes through Subiaco where the Rugby stadium is.
Tuesday and our last day in Perth, Wendy had to make her way back to Bunbury and so Zelda so kindly offered to fetch us and take us back to her place as our flight was only at 23:00 that night. We first went down to the wharf again, we had coffee and Derrick took his photos of Bon Scott, and we said our good-byes to Wendy and Danielle, who knows when we will see them again. 
This is a photo of the sunset taken at the beach in Bunbury! There are just so many beautiful photos I want to add to this post, but it just takes too long, so if you want to see them they are all on facebook.
I don't think I will forget Sticky Date pudding for a long time, it seems to be an Australian tradition!
Accommodation: The Botha's Residence in Bunbury and The Stone cottage Fremantle W.A.
Weather: 20 degrees and above most days
Rain: Hardly
Season: Winter
Agenda: Visit friends and see the Bon Scott Statue in Fremantle for Derrick
The flight from Sydney to Perth seemed long, but eventually we were flying over Perth, looking out the window it just seemed so different from my first trip to Perth. I had visited Perth in the February / March of 1998 and as Perth have a winter rainfall, it was hot and dry reminded me of Bloemfontein in winter, flat and dry. So this time it was quite beautiful seeing it all green and lush.
It was overcast when we arrived and we had been told that there had been a week of rain the previous week, but we were there to visit friends and it did not really matter what the weather was going to be like.
Dave was at the airport to meet us; we had not seen Dave since September 2003 at Liesl and Jay’s wedding. It was good to take up where we had left off, and I really think you can only do that with real friends. Now for the 2 hour journey down to Bunbury, it was a long day what with the early rise, flight and then journey and also time difference, after flying back in time all the way to Tahiti, we were not having the opposite experience of flying forward in time.
We arrived down in Bunbury and Wendy & Dave’s new home, they had moved a couple of times after settling in Perth and decided that Bunbury was the place to live. I should back track a few years though, in 2001 Dave and Wendy came to visit us in Ireland and when they left had said that it was now our turn to visit them in Australia, and then every time that Wendy phoned she would ask me “so when are you coming to visit”, we initially promised 5 years but it took almost 8 years to get us there.Anyway back to the story, we arrived in Bunbury to find Wendy, bump and Danielle who is the cutest little girl ever! Wendy had made us a welcome dinner, but little did I know that from then on I would be doing the cooking, not that I minded in the least, having not had to cook for over 3 weeks, it was a welcome change to get into the kitchen and enjoy some home made cooking.
After dinner we were soon all in bed, the plan was to spend Monday to Friday in Bunbury and then go up to Perth on Saturday and stay in a rental house in Fremantle. So Monday arrived and Wendy who was almost 8 months pregnant at that stage took us all over Bunbury, on the way back from town we stopped next to a field of kangeroo's, Em had not seen them in the wild before and neither had Derrick. 
Then the next day was a trip down Margaret River which is a bit like the Midlands Meander where you can stop at various places where they make things, wine farms, chocolate farms, ice cream, coffee, liqueurs etc. The rest of the week we just took things as they came, shopping, beach – we saw the most amazing sunset on our ride home. Dave & Derrick built a camp fire on the beach with Danielle and Em and they loved it. Friday, Wendy and I relaxed while D&D took the girls swimming, to the park and then fishing.
Saturday eventually arrived and we had to say goodbye to our lovely home in Bunbury, I forgot to mention that their house was in the sticks, so the stars in the sky were so beautiful. Off we started on our journey to Perth, stopping in Mandurah for coffee and cake on the way. You know I don’t know what it is with pregnant ladies but if they feel like cake, then everyone has to have cake … spread the guilt is it?
We got up to Fremantle at about 12:00 and could only check into the accommodation at 14:00 so last minute, we parked in Fremantle near the market, Dave took the girls to the park and Wendy, Derrick and I went to the market. We then met up with Peta for lunch on the wharf, it was so cool as I had not seen Peta since she left Ireland in December 2002, long story but when I heard Peta was moving to Perth I put her in touch with Wendy and they have been friends ever since, I worked with Peta at the Building Society for a few months and we all went to Brussels for an amazing week-end back in ’02, after catching a quick bite, we headed over to our accommodation which was just up the road.
We had plans to go to Zelda and Rawden for Dinner who I had also not seen for years, her son is already 9 and I have never met him. So after a quick drop off of the suitcases we made our way over to Z. When we go there Rawden was busy preparing the brain and we all sat around and chatted. A wonderful evening and food was had and we promised we would see Zelda and Rawden on Tuesday before we left.
Sunday morning we had planned to meet some of our other friends at Zephyr in East Fremantle, Carol who also worked with me at the Building Society but in 2005 or 2006 can’t remember now, Carol was originally from S.A. as well. Peta also joined us and so did Graham & Colleen whom we last saw in SA when Emily was a baby. It was so good catching up, however the time was just too short as Dave wanted to take Derrick to the wildlife park and he also had to drive back to Bunbury for work the next day.
So hasty goodbyes were said, however Wendy and I had decided we were going shopping instead of the Wildlife Park and Carol and Peta decided to join us. We had lots of fun going in and out the shops and then went and had a coffee, we soon said goodbye to Peta and Carol and headed back to the house in Fremantle. We had said to Graham and Colleen that we would go up to their place on the train in the evening, but by the time D and Emily got home, Emily was exhausted.
Before I go any further I must tell you about the house in Fremantle which was originally built in 1880 as the police station quarters and is call “The Stone Cottage”, it was a lovely house which I wish we had more time to enjoy, with 3 large bedrooms and wooden floors that were probably the original floors. They creaked every time you tried to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. It had a lovely back garden, which we never got to enjoy. The only complaint was the kitchen was minute and the bathroom was the old bath tub with the feet that had an overhanging shower, which trickled out water very slowly. Also the toilet was separate, however it was attached to the bathroom so if someone was showering there was no way you could use the toilet, but we managed somehow. It really was lovely though.
Sunday night and Wendy offered to have the girls while her and Peta caught up on some girl time and Peta dropped Derrick and I down by the wharf, so we ended up going on a date, in the first time in who knows how many years, we originally started dinner at one restaurant and ended up walking out and then went to a fancy restaurant called the Mussel Bar, it really was very nice. I taxi “Peta” then picked us up later.
Monday arrived and we had decided to take the ferry into Perth, I had done the Ferry ride before but it is always good, it takes about an hour from Fremantle into Perth along the Swan River and you pass all the affluent houses owned by millionaires. After arriving in Perth we split up and Wendy went to meet a friend, and we met Graham for lunch and then just did some shopping – we all met up then and took the train back to Freemantle which took no time at all. The train passes through Subiaco where the Rugby stadium is.We were then invited to Peta for supper which turned out to be a wonderful evening with lots of yummy food again.
Tuesday and our last day in Perth, Wendy had to make her way back to Bunbury and so Zelda so kindly offered to fetch us and take us back to her place as our flight was only at 23:00 that night. We first went down to the wharf again, we had coffee and Derrick took his photos of Bon Scott, and we said our good-byes to Wendy and Danielle, who knows when we will see them again. Zelda took us to Kings Park to see the view of Perth and then to Hillary’s beach where se treated us to lunch at the Dome, from there we went back to their house and just chilled out, it was so nice to catch up with Zelda and Rawden and we promised we would stay with them the next time we came to Perth. Zelda then went and got dinner, a stop and Nando’s and the Pizza parlor and after dinner took us to the airport. By the time I got to the airport I was feeling very bunged up and sneezy, I think I was getting sick.
This is a photo of the sunset taken at the beach in Bunbury! There are just so many beautiful photos I want to add to this post, but it just takes too long, so if you want to see them they are all on facebook.I don't think I will forget Sticky Date pudding for a long time, it seems to be an Australian tradition!