Weekly Wrap-Up: Last Week of Holidays

The last week of holidays has been relaxing despite the fact that the older two have been rather sick. The weather has been really wintry and evenings have been spent around a cozy fire. Home cooked meals have been hearty and Keren has made us a few delicious puds. I am sure the kilos are piling on! I love the fact that she enjoys baking and cooking even when she is doing it for fun and not just for practicals that she has to do. 

Early in the week I enjoyed spending time at the church holiday club and observing all the fun going on there... I wished there was a holiday club for adults too! Keren had a slot where she had to teach the kids a bible verse. It was wonderful to see her enjoying teaching the little ones. 

She spent three days at a youth conference too so we saw very little of her this past week.

Zak and I had some fun with friends and enjoyed getting out to the botanical gardens to picnic and to see the dinosaur exhibition. 

Another day a friend treated us to lunch out at the seaside. Despite the cold, we enjoyed ice creams and a stroll along the beach front.

I sent all my recent knits to the Zoe project and have had fun knitting beanies for some of Keren's friends as well as this little beanie and booties for the newborn son of the the boy who was page boy at our wedding!

The holidays have been great and we are ready to face the third term...

Weekly Wrap-Up : Two Weeks into the Holidays

Holidays are in full swing and Keren and I have just returned from our mid week getaway. We had a wonderful time together and enjoyed and savored every moment. On Tuesday we headed out to Strand and had lunch at an old fashioned restaurant over looking the sea. They offered a three course meal at very reasonable prices and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Good old fashioned food!

The views out over the bay were magnificent. Just what we needed after all the pressure of exams and getting her file done for term 2.

We ambled along the beachfront before driving to my aunt and uncle just outside Stellenbosch.

 We were welcomed with tea and enjoyed catching up before taking a walk around the estate with my uncle and his dog.

The estate is beautiful and peaceful and their home like a home from home. Familiar objects, pieces of furniture from my grandparents, beautiful quilts made by my aunt and giant comfy beds and delicious home cooked food made our visit perfect. We enjoyed a log fire and long conversations reminiscing about days gone by. We slept in and didn't want to leave those comfy warm beds but eventually did to enjoy a hearty home cooked breakfast made by my uncle.

We stopped off in Stellenbosch to visit Oom Samie se Winkel , a place I have often passed by but never ventured in.

 Everything you can imagine is found in this shop from old fashioned sweets to spices, vintage clothing and dolls, memorabilia from days gone by, books, trinkets and curios. Well worth a visit even if you are not buying but just browsing. Apparently bus loads of tourists stop by on their way through the village.

We drove through the village and out the other side to climb the Helshoogte pass to our destination, Clouds Estate. With great excitement we entered the estate and made our way to reception. It deserves a post of its own so that is all for now!

Besides this wonderful getaway, holidays have been filled with friends, sleepovers, sleep ins and lots of fun. A few girlfriends joined me for a movie night. I had the wonderful privilege of joining 194 others at the prison for a prayer walk. An unforgettable experience and I cannot wait for next month's prayer walk.

 Zak has been to the movies a couple of times and to a magic show where he attempted learning to spin a plate!

 He volunteered time at church helping to prep for the holiday club for a few hours.

 We have enjoyed sunny afternoon walks.

Keren besides completing her exams, finished her oil painting and handed it in for marking.

 She cooked endless dishes for consumer studies and we all enjoyed eating them!

 Josh bought himself a car!

Tonight the youth are having a stay awake at church.

 Its been full and fun and I am thankful we have another week off!