Bastards!

I can't believe it.

While away on Sunday, we returned to the house to find that thieves had stolen the three metal drain covers just outside our front door.
They're about 10cm by 10 cm and the roof gutters run water down to them.

I presume they've been taken away for scrap metal.

To think that the thieves came up to our door in the middle of the day and just took them.
Makes me so mad. Now i have to find sturdy plastic replacements.

Cath's distant fam

Went for a walk somewhere or other and little one needed to be warmer than usual.

So we dressed her up in Granny H's knitted wear.

This photo is of some distant family - cousins twice removed or something or other. They came to visit us for a cup of tea while they're here on holiday. I think they're from Chicago.

It was cool having em over... Cath's parents are still in Dubai and Cath's dad hasn't been home in a long time so obviously they couldn't do the hosting, so we had Emma (left before this photo) and Dave chatting away with them.

More World Cup gees - family style

Cath, Emma, David and I caught the train to Town to go and enjoy the fanpark and the fanwalk again.. this time with the Heanys and friends.

We were happily in the fanpark with a great view of the stage when our friends arrived and we left to join them. Alas, they were quite late so getting a seat somewhere did not happen, and we ended up watching the match, standing up in the corner of a pizza hut, on their tiny TV.

We were supporting the Dutch - hence the orange.

View from the Grand Parade.

Fanpark massive stage and screen.

In the fanpark.

Along the route.

The hordes of people.

On the bridge going over the main road.

A work of Bart we found in town.

More artwork.

Eating again

Emma is so keen on bathing these days, she even tries to climb in.

One of these days she's going to be able to.

It's so cute when she lifts her leg like this. She has no comprehension of height so she'll stand next to a wall and if something is interesting on top of the wall, she lifts her leg like this as if to say..."I'm gonna get myself up this wall..."

More eating... and when picking things up gets too much.

Mess? Me? Nooooo.

I love meal times!!!!!!!!

Some pics to leave you with.

The big Bday party

Emma's birthday... better make sure we're in our nicest clothes.

What a pretty dress.

Acting coy. The quiet...



... before the storm. The Valkenburg house became a MADHOUSE!

There were children everywhere!

And Emma got VERY spoilt with all the cool prezzies.

She was a very happy camper!

And so were mommy and daddy.

Big Uncle Dave holds a happy niece.

Later that day, Emma enjoyed her shell and balls.

And her rings and duck (the duck goes on the very top).

But when it came to cleaning up, she seemed a little scared of the noisy vacuum cleaner.

The mast se...

Yes. The mast se... pretty much describes how you feel after you've cycled up to it. I should really take a pic from my house, to really explain how high the bloody thing is. You start on a gravel road but it eventually gets too steep so they had to tar the top part or the road would probably have just washed away.

Emma, Stevie Smith and I made the trip up on a Saturday morning. I'd been told it gets really cold at the top so I had gloves, scarf, warm top - the works.

But it was quite sunny at first. We admired the view. I would like to stress that we stopped for a photo, not beacause we were tired.

The guys were giving me a bit of a hard time beause of my lycra man pants.

I took these cos Stevie finally started walking. But the bastard got back on as soon as he saw my camera coming out. FAKER! LIAR! You'll notice Emma is too embarrassed to be seen.

As we came to a crest, having cycled through the clouds, the clouds swarmed below. Was quite pretty.

The proof we made it to the top.

I thought I was organised - Stevie brought Tempos for everyone.

Then going down - pretty huh?

And we saw this view of the other side of the mountain. This was on the way down - we saw NOTHING from the top... a mist came in.

Stevie on the way down.

I ended up hitting about 60kph on the way down and as I was doing so, hit a massive rock

(didn't see it, felt it)

Bike shook from there on and turns out I've put a nasty buckle in my front wheel.

A miracle I didn't fall.

Buckle aside, a bloody great way to start the day and another

thing to tick off the Valkenburg list of to do's before I die.