Special friends

Friends Who Blog

• Russel
• Nicola
  
• Andreas
• Hamish & Gabrielle (UK)
• Carleen and Glenn photos
• Carleen
• Eva
• Trish and Mike's trip
• Craig's photos
• Louisa

Special Friends and Special Memories

Brendan and Eva

• Brendan coming over to stay at Mc Mahon's Point - looking for houses
• Their lovely place in Mosman
• Swimming off the rocks
• Babecues on the balcony
• Meeting Susanne and Neil
• Manly Walk
• Surfing with Brendan at Manly
• Wonderful meals - including Eva's Mango Icecream (yummy!)
• Watching the 2007 Rugby World Cup
• Ally and Eva go beading
• Swimming with Ella

Doug and Claudia

• Meeting in Chile on the ferry
• Staying over when we first arrived in Sydney - and their amazing hospitality
• Cocktails overlooking Opera House and Bridge - our first site
• Amazing meals including Mud Crab and peppercorn steak (family recipe!)
• Sailing with the family
• Weekend at Hunters Valley
• House boating on the Hawkesbury River
• Fishing on Darling Harbour
• Yum Chow at the Chineese Club
• Tring out their new Tinnie
• News Years Eve 2006
• Xmas 2006
• Breakfast on Mother's Day
• Meeting little Lucas for the first time - and Ally's homemade gift
• Doug's mum's passing and her very moving funeral

Russel Packet and the Boet

Special memories

• Singing "What the World Needs Now Is Love Sweet Love" at Bain´s Kloof
• Russelisms
• Camping at Bain´s Kloof (climbing over the unlocked gate!) and Palmiet
• Geocaching expeditions to Stellenbosch and Silvermine (Mc Cavity the Cat)
• Being enticed to interesting restaurants (Cuban, African, Thai, Currey)
• The Willow Road housemate days leaping over the sofa and dueling with bamboo canes
• Smuggling Sally into Paarl Rock Nature reserve
• Leaping for the camera
• His varied passions (Irish dancing, capolyera, kung fu, geocaching, collecting perfume bottles and masks)
• Watching many videos and movies together
• Great jokes and perfect recall of all the funny TV shows
• Taking glass out of his toe
• Hiking trips to Steenbras, the scary route up Table Mountain, Betties Bay, caving expeditions in Kalk Bay, Paarl Rock, Seal Island, Wit Els)
• His myriad lesbian friends
• Boet jumping off Palmiet Bridge
• Pushing boet in the pool (remember what boet said!)
• Nigeria outfits and sporty tops
• Press ups on his knuckles
• Our Jameson Steps meeting
• Beautiful fridge poetry (and some sordid ones too)
• Black bitch, shit head and uno
• Canooing down the Breede
• Excellent performances in sex (and music!) pub quizzes
• Kuali Juice bar in Cape Town
• ten pin bowling and air hockey at the Atrium
• Learning mental tricks with coins and cards
• TV starring in Who Wants to Be A Millionaire" and "Top Billing"
• Our amazing trip through Bolivia and Peru
• Lunches and picnics (Franschoek, Boschedal, Bloue Berg)
• Braais and Willow Road
• Paintball
• Clifton
• "The Cracks" at Table Mountain
• Skinny dipping in Sandy Bay
• Jumping off the roof in Constantia (leading me astray)
• Italian Ice Cream at Hout Bay
• Tennis matches at UCT
• Irish dancing at the KFC
• "Waar is Jou Hoed"
• Getting beaten by the waves at Cape Point
• Waiting for Ally after her cooking lessons at the door with knife and fork
• Russell, the Hollywood star
  

Rosemarie, Nick, Sally, Graeme and Richard

Special Memories

• Housesitting the kids when Rosemarie went away
• Teaching Sally
• Family meals at Newlands Road
• Sally´s birthday parties as a kid
• Flying to Paarl on a helicopter on new years day (year 2000)
• Rosemaries 50th
• Nick´s 50th at the waterfront
• Sally´s 21st at Llandadno
• Cherry picking
• Family weekend away on the coast (saunas and tennis)
• Xmas eve at Willow Road
• Le Perla
• Lunch at Caprice in London
• Turner Whistler Monet exhibition in London
• Cooking week in France
• Weekend at their house in France
• Weekends in Guersy and Jersey
• Our amazing wedding cake
• Rosemarie doing delicious eats for my Old Mutual broker function
• Our time in Pringle Bay in Dec 2005
• Weekend in the Lake District
• Sally coming to stay in Cambridge (what a rollerblading champion!)
• Staying over with us at Chateau Hammersmith and dinner at The Grove
• Prawns at Jacks in the Waterfront
• Movie marathon
• Frozen yoghurt with Sally and the boys at Marcels
• Sally´s sports day
• Watching Nick´s musical performaces on video (classic!)
• Waitressing at many great functions
• Wonderful cards and poems shared
• Many heart to hearts
• Visit to Tate Gallery
• Weekend in Paris
• Last night at the Prom´s in Hyde Park and tour of Buckingham Palace
• Giving Ally her wedding ring at Newland Road
• Rosemaries positivity and warmth
• Nick´s wonderful sense of humour
• Sitting by the fireside at Newlands Road chatting with Granny Jones
• Lunch at Constantia Uitsig with Rea
• Walks at Kirstenbosch
• Xmas eve in Putney Road
• New Years eve in the UK with Harold and family
• Watching the wedding of Charles and Camilla
• Weekend in Langebaan

Julian and the Rusconis

Special memories

• Studying together for exams with lots of snacks
• My 21st birthday and the "drink young" wine
• Great trips (Gramhams Town festival, Storms River, Natures Valley, Port Elizabeth)
• The pier in PE with Natalie!!
• Lifts to school with times table practice
• Julian´s special relationship with dad
• Playing lima trainds
• Camping at Palmiet and Kleinmond (where we met Ally)
• Family holidays at Pringle Bay
• Outings in Sylvia, the car
• Those Choir days
• Joking around with Kaffin at school
• Rayburn
• Scamp and Holga, their dogs
• Family Xmases
• Playing cricket at Keurboom Road and breaking the window
• Picnic at Silvermine with Juliet
• Swimming at Midway Road and Keurboom Road
• Going to the beach (many times)
• Tennis with Robert
• Roberts amazing solo for the Xmas TV show
• Julian´s 21st

Caroline

Special memories

• Driving in the snow in Asheville and getting lost s few times (US)
• Our similar Libran ways
• Playing with Carla and visiting Helen and Martin in Asheville
• Visits to Cambrige
• Visits to Gothenberg
• Many heart to heart chats putting life to rights
• Our mutual love of Granchester (and the whole of Cambridge)
• Working together in Duxford - ah those were the best of days
• Volvo.com and Web council meetings
• Punting in Cambridge
• Trip to Stockholm
• Smaka restaurant in Gothenberg
• Her lovely poem

Jo and Steve

Special memories

• Meeting Jo thanks to Peter (my housemate
• Waterfront outings and dancing when Ally was in UK for a year
• Nandos dinners in London
• Steve´s best strawberry juice in the world
• Jo and Steve´s wedding
• Reunion in London when Jo and Steve came back for a wedding
• Dinner at Hammersmith Road and Putney
• Visiting Jo´s uncle
• The Gourmet Burger restaurant in Putney
• Dinner at their lovely new place in Cape Town

Amanda and Johnathon

Special memories

• Walks in Cambridge and surrounds with Geena for the weekend
• Meals at their house in Cambridge (including barbecues in the garden with James Wynne)
• Playing tennis
• Our first ever visit to Cambridge to visit them (setting the seeds for our movong there in 2004)
• Serok in Cape Town (and Cambridge!)
• Hiking Club weekends in Cape Town
• Johnathons jokes and mimics
• Great heart to hearts, interspersed with tremendous joviality
• Their great hospitality when I started work at Volvo
• Meals at their house in Cape Town
• Our outing to Suffolk
• Celebrating my 35th birthday at the Thai restaurant in Cambridge

Rory "I am reaching my peak!"

Special memories

• Amazing hikes (Tsitsikama, Fish River, Otter)
• Maths 102 lessons
• Rory "reaching his peak" on the trail
• The housemate years at Willow Road
• Many heart to hearts about love, the Christian faith and life
• Our presentation about merchandising at UCT when our slides popped out (and Rory not getting phased by it)
• Marketing classes at UCT
• Visits to Pinelands (his folks and sister)
• The Viennese Ball with Sarah
• His victorious SRC campaign
• His great Toastmasters motivational speeches

Ivor and Janice

Special memories

• Two little waves becoming a tidal wave
• Citrusdahl hot springs and Ivor losing (and thankfully finding) his wedding ring
• Palmiet camping, meeting Ally and a certain leopard suit
• Cedarberg camping weekend
• Many heart to hearts - putting the world to rights
• The Youth Group Fridays and camps
• His amazing support after dad dies
• Watching Shawshank Redemption together (a top three movie for me)
• Tring to find his socks in the dark with the torch during our the Palmiet skinny dip
• Picnics at Jonkershoek
• Moving jobs to Nedbank
• Wooing Janice and their lovely wedding
• Dinners at their Kenilworth flat
• I & J Squared (beautiful little Jessica)
• Their ginger cat

Colleen & Steve

Special memories

• The great housemate years at Willow Road
• Dinners in Fulhum
• Doing hikes (Hoar Hut, Otter Trail)
• Hogs Head and Buckaneers Backpackers
• That idyllic summer when Clifton was warm
• Outings in London (Kew Garden, Mama Mia)
• Camping at Palmiet and Kleinmond
• Our weekend outing to Beachie Head
• My farewell evening in London
• Their visits to Cambridge
• Our visits to London from Cambridge
• Playing tennis
• Dinners at the Grove
• My shared passion with Steve for movies
• Steve´s great "Woman in White" recommendation
• Our triathlon weekend
• Colleens 21st party
• Stating over in Ealing Broadway in 1997
• Colleens amazing sense of adventure and shared love of travel and the outdoors
• The Kitch party in 1993
• Concerts at Kirstenbosch
• The Hoar Hut hike
• Walks on commons and parks in London
• Braais in London
• Skinny dips (like at the Houenort)

Adam

Special memories

• Rollerblading
• Xmas Hoar reunion 2005
• Throwing water at Hammershith Grove (never got Adam!)
• Lounge football at Hammersmith
• Twickenham 7 Asides
• Wit Els hike where we coined the phrase "Matt Damon´s Younger Brother"
• Taking the mick out of Michael
  

Mike "Errr howdi Mike"

Special memories

• "Errr, howdi Mike!"
• Doing the Otter Trail in 2000 and going "natural"
• Vaulting over that stone in Hogs Head in Ally´s car
• Buckaneers Backpackers in Cintza
• Playing tennis (Ah, what a serve!)
• The Wit Els hike 2005
• Jessies wedding
• Playing touch rugby at Hydes Park
• The Willow Road days and that idyllic summer when Clifton was warm
• Hikes up Table Mountain
• Braais in London
• Sharing the rugby world cup experience in 1994
• Commiserating over the "Run Donald Run!" incident in the world cup cricket
• Staying over at Ealing Broadway in London during 1997
• Walks in parks and commons in London
• The Hoar Hut hike in 1998
• Concerts in Kirstenbosch
• Skinny dip at the Houenort
• Jessie and "pee stain"

Nicky and Shirly



Special memories

• Getting systematically sloshed on Tequila with Nicky and Wayne
• Our "debaunched" buttlers pizza evening
• Llandadno beach 2005
• Camping with Shirly at Citrusdahl and in Greyton
• Youth Group Fridays and outings
• Sharing Old Mutual lunches with Nicky
• Clifton picnics
• Meals and visits in Pinelands and Milnerton
• Ball room dancing lessons and parties
• Seroc lessons and parties
• Many New Years eves

Mr Wynne




Marianne



Dirk and Bronwyn



Special memories

• Hiking Club weekends
• Dirk and Bronwyns wedding
• Get togethers when Dirk visited London from the US
• Dirk and Bronwyn´s wedding in Hout Bay

Sanjay

Special moments

• Sharing amazing experiences in Nepal doing the Annapurna Circuit
• Watching Sanjay and Grania running down the mountain paths
• Climbing 1000 metres to Telich Lake and crossing the Thorang La
• His great photos in Nepal which I promptly stole
• The great meals we shared in Nepal (steak in Pochera, pizzas and Lassagne, Thal Baht)
• Providing advice on Sanjays trip to South Africa where he proposed
• Meeting in London for walks along the Thames
• His wonderful sense of humour and positive outlook
• house warming party in London
• Farewell in evening

Una

Mr Synders and Claudia

Our childhood friends, Jane and Wendy









Special memories

• Our family Xmas get togethers - the best of memories
• Trips to the beacj
• Family camping trips to the sea
• Kloofing trips - once you jumped, you couldn´t go back
• Asking Jane to do the Argus on a condom
• Asking Jane to marry me behind the sofa when I was 6 (she said she would think about it)
• Crochet in the garden
• Their Constantia house and lovely pool
• Sted 9 matric dance with Jane
• Std 10 matric dance with Wendy
• Janes matric dance
• Jane introducing me to Phil Collins and Super Tramp (who I still love)
• Fun games in the pool (Marco Polo)
• Gramps entertaining us all

Adam

Special memories

• Staying over at Constantia
• Mutual passion for stamps
• Playing race cars
• Those St Georges Days

School friends

Standing from left: Tony, Leon, Carl, Pierre, Paul, Sean, me, Colin, Fish, David
Seated from left: Liakat, Nicky
On roof: Bonny