Christmas day

Christmas day.

Last night we all got together here at Ankies for a yummy roast dinner followed by ambrosia for dessert.
The 4 older ones then went off to church to save us some seats at 8.30 for a 10pm start!
The first 40 min was carols and then the following was mass. The priest actually had a really good message, plus he had a good sense of humor.
I noticed he also wore a kippur except it disappeared while he gave communion then reappeared after...?
The insense and some of the 'chanting' brought back memories of when we used to go to the old Anglican services, I even remembered some of the 'chants'!
Just before midnight we headed back to Ankies and enjoyed a cuppa and a fruit mince pie before heading to bed.
8.30 this morning everyone was back here again and as custom of the family we all sat round eating something like homemade bedrolls with pork meat inside cooked and hot,
while Paul played santa claus handing out presents one by one. That took over an hour as we watched each one being opened before the next one was passed out.
Lunch was a yummy selection of cold meats and salads outside by the pool under the shade. It was clear blue skies and hot, but never muggy, which is nice.
We all lazed in the pool while the 2 boys took off to see their girlfriends. its now nearly 5pm and the men are playing pool,
the ladies are out looking at Ankies photos, and I am missing my boy and family.
This time next week we will be on our way home and then its all straight into a full house and lots to do! I will make the most of the holiday left :)
Tomorrow Ankie and I go for some retail therapy, Johan goes to paint Opa's house, he was going to paint the house yesterday and shock horror
(well actually they were really happy), we woke up to drizzle and it lasted half the day.
The rest of our time here has been planned out so we don't miss anything!
Celebrations for the 50th wedding anniversary are going to include a champange breakfast here, followed by a double decker bus trip around the cape and then a meal out
 at an authentic SA outdoor restaurant.
yesterday Ankie dropped Johan and me off at a mall - it was huge! like 5 times St Lukes, easy. It was great.
Some things are so cheap. I got myself a new hand bag for R160 NZ23, and kids t shirts go for R23 so NZ4.
Not everything is so cheap, and some of it is Chinese. There is a whole mall somewhere that is called China world, the whole mall is chinese shops.
We got some nice family photos last night. When we walked into the church one of the lay guys came upo to Johan and shook his hand and said
'you must be a van Nieuwburg' and Johan asked how he knew, the guy said you
look just like your father. So many people say that, and its so true.
Ok, time to go back and be socialble again.