Card Making wORKSHOP

This afternoon we had our first get together with our new craft group. The aim is to expose our girls to different crafts, using professionals,to teach them their skills. I love making cards and one of the girls had dropped out so I got special permission to join the group.

I was delighted to find a huge bag full of goodies at my place at the table! Cynthia from "Noo-Can-Do!" taught us how to make the most delightful cards. Each girls blank cards had been printed with a label on the back saying "handmade by ........" with their own names filled in.

I loved the pink handbag card, perfect to slip a gift voucher or some cash inside!

Please visit Cynthia's site www.noocando.com.

Monet study continued

"We aim at putting the children in touch with the great artist minds of all ages. We try to unlock for their delectation the wonderful garden of Art, in which grow most lovely flowers, most wholesome fruits. We want to open their eyes and minds to appreciate the masterpieces of pictorial art, to lead them from mere fondness for a pretty picture which pleases the senses up to honest love and discriminating admiration for what is truly beautiful - a love and admiration which are the response of heart and intellect to the appeal addressed to them through the senses by all great works of art." Charlotte Mason

Today we did a picture study on a fragment of Monet's painting , "The Picnic", painted in 1856. We learned that his main interests were outdoor scenes and he appreciated the effects of sunlight. This particular picture is a picnic scene, full of sunlight and dappled shadow. He did not complete the painting as he had run out of money and had to abandon it.

After spending some time studying the painting, the children narrated to each other what they recalled of the painting. It was interesting to note how each of them had seen it in a different way and K told us exactly which parts were unfinished. She has a good eye and I did not pick that up when studying the painting.

We learned how artists give their work a sense of depth by using perspective and we headed outdoors to to experiment with perspective.

Z did a scene with houses on one side and trees lining the other side.

K chose to paint. She used a house to draw the eye into a tree lined avenue, creating depth.

Hotel outing

On Monday the older two children and I were treated to a visit to one of our city's hotels. This was part of the career days that we have been organising for the teens. I feel it is important to expose them to many as many careers as possible.A family friend is resident manager in this particular hotel and he made this a memorable outing for all the teens and the few moms that were privileged to go to.

Upon arrival, we were treated to coffee and freshly baked croissants, drizzled with chocolate. We watched a short DVD on their involvement in the recent Soccer World Cup and learned more about what the hotel industry involves. We then were taken on a tour of the hotel, front and back office. I know I have never thought about what it must take to run such a large establishment efficiently! We certainly learned a lot!

The hotel boasts 546 rooms. Some have magnificent views of the Waterfront or Table Mountain. The suites are luxurious!

We toured the offices of the various departments and the laundry rooms too. I don't think I have ever seen that many white towels and linen ever!

We saw their refuse area and were amazed! It was spic and span and fresh. Not what one would imagine in a huge hotel. They have their own worm farms and the worm tea is used in the hotels gardens and given to staff for their private gardens at home. Recycling of glass, paper and plastics is done too. There are coloured bins into which all recyclables are sorted and then taken away. They donate left over soaps and shampoos etc by giving them to shelters for homeless or street children. The same is done with linen and towels that are no longer suitable for use in the hotel. The gentleman managing this aspect of the hotel has managed to reduce their waste by about 60 % since he started this programme in the hotel last December. Very impressive!

In the kitchen, the chefs were ever so friendly and chatted to the teens and made us very welcome, informing us they had just prepared a delicious lunch for us to enjoy. J particularly enjoyed walking into the freezer. K enjoyed seeing a room service order being processed.

We enjoyed a wonderful finger lunch back in the boardroom and had the chance to chat to some of the executives working in the hotel. As we left, each of us was given the gift of a bag of chocolate covered nougat. What a memorable outing!

A labour of love

K put in many long hours of work on a special gift for Z on his tenth birthday. She decided she would make him a really special cake. She worked on the characters while I read aloud to the two of them and she spent many hours after school at Aunty T. He did not realise the cake was for him as they had told him it was for a little boy.

She designed the cake and made each little character herself. Aunty T guided her but made her learn as she went along and do the work herself. The result was magnificent! Z was so blessed by his sisters gift! It was delicious too!

The Old Ladies

My husband sent me these amazing photos of the two Old Ladies coming down yesterday. Thought you would enjoy them too!

We were there!

Today, despite wind and rain, thousands of Capetonians watched from almost every available spot as the two towers in Athlone were demolished. These have been a Cape landmark for 50 years.They have been nicknamed the "two old ladies". I remember calling them the salt and peeper pots as kids and my children have called them the stinky towers as there is usually a bad smell in the area due to a nearby sewerage works.

The best story relating to the towers comes from my student days. A good friend and I were on the balcony of our new residence at Mowbray Maternity. She was thrilled that she could see the "yachts in the harbour at the Waterfront" from her balcony! I laughed so much as it was none other than the towers that were lit up at night. She was sad to hear of "her harbour and yachts" being demolished today, some 20 plus years later!

We had braved the traffic and arrived at the perfect view point , some 400m from the towers. There was an announcement that the demolition would take place in four minutes. I thought I had better get my camera ready and all of a sudden there were shrieks of excitement and delight as Capetonians bid the two old ladies a sentimental farewell. It happened so fast!

Apparently the Mayor had pressed the button too soon. In just 30 seconds, the two 88 metre tall structures and 21 600 tons of concrete came down. It was not nearly as loud as I had thought it would be.

Like a house of cards, they came tumbling down to the earth.The one imploded faster than the other and there was a spectacular explosion of dust and debris. I sure was glad that I didn't live nearby as I cannot imagine trying to clean up afterwards!

Where once there were two massive concrete structures which for decades formed part of Cape Town’s skyline, there was nothing but massive piles of rubble.

Gold Medal!

On Saturday morning we took J to an inter dojo competition in Camps Bay. He was aiming for a gold medal. The tension mounted as the morning went on . It was such fun to watch the competition. J fought against two 16 year old boys, one being almost a foot taller than him! He won both his fights, scoring one nil and five two. We were so proud of him for coming first! The little guy he had been coaching also won a bronze medal in his division.