Monday, December 24, 2012

Holidays!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

I know it's been a reeeeaaalllyy long time since I've written, and I apologise most profusely! I couldn't load any pictures for nearly two weeks and then we had our Surfski Festival the last 2 weeks!

Soooo....news from Cape Town:
My eldest gannet - Caitlin- did us so proud at her Grade 7 Prizegiving at the end of the school term. She received 5 certificates ranging from Excellence in English, to commitment and dedication in Netball, Cross country, Athletics and Drama. She then also received 2 trophies: Swimming Victrix Ludorum and the Best Girl All-Rounder in Sport! An awesome way to end her Primary school career!

At a friendly athletics meeting held in the last week of school, the youngest gannet - Michaela-came first in the U10 Long Jump, 2nd in the 100m sprint, 2nd in the 1200m and her relay team came first. Caitlin came first in the U13 high jump with a height of 1.40m!

Long jump star with a distance of  3.50m


Finishing straight in the 1200m

My high jump star!


The last 2 weeks have been HECTIC too! We had the inaugural Fish Hoek Surfski Festival! It started on 9 December with the Peter Creese Lighthouse race(Peter was a Springbok lifesaver and member of the lifesaving club and died in an accident quite young). Then on 16 and 17 December, we had the World Series and SA Champs singles and doubles races organised and ending at Fish Hoek Lifesaving Club. Paddlers from around the world came down to our town and the weather man didn't disappoint! The crowning race was the Cape POint Challenge - a 50km paddle around Cape Point! It's the longest and richest surfski race in the world! I had the most amazing treat this year too...I was offered a trip on one of the boats following the paddlers! We were at the slipway at 4:30am and waited for an hour until all the commercial fishermen had launched before we could go! We met up with the paddlers on the Atlantic side of the point and then followed them home to Fish Hoek. THe slowest paddlers start first (group H) and the top paddlers start last (group B). The top 7 guys paddled together the whole way and they ended up having a sprint to the finish line...after 50km!! (the reason why this is so amazing this year is that there was a NW wind blowing, which means the paddlers were going with the wind for the first 20km and then into the wind for the last 30km! The SE usually howls which the paddlers all love!)
Sunrise in the morning
The middle group of paddlers approaching Cape Point

The lighthouse at the very front of Cape POint catching the early mornign light
If you look carefully, you can see the two sets of paddlers
Fish Hoek Lifesaving Club and the finish of the Cape POint Challenge
The final 3 in the sprint to the finish!
 
 Apologies to the Diva and all my zentangle friends for not having a tangle ready, but Congratulations to the DIva for her 100th Challenge and having a tangle named after her...it's very well deserved!

My best news I'm leaving for last........we"re going on a 2 week family holiday to Kissemee, Orlando, USA leaving on Friday 28th!! I'm sooooo excited! I'm saving space in my suitcase for a few art supplies that I'm desperate to buy there because they're made in the US! 
Shopping list includes: Dual tip markers with a brush on one side and fibre tip on the other and maybe soem more zentangle supplies from a CZT in the area! Can I buy Suzanne McNeills Zentangle 1-7 somewhere? 

4 days and counting!
Merry Christmas everyone!
PennyB