Hartbeespoort Dam

It feels a little strange to be home in the Netherlands.
Three weeks raced past me.
Now it is back to reality... life goes on after all and we certainly have a busy life.
School starts today but more importantly Heidi starts swimming lessons this afternoon (and she's afraid of water so wish us luck!).

Here are a few photos of a lovely day we spent last week at the Hartbeespoort dam. We went up the mountain with a cable car and had the most spectacular views. Then we stopped at a little zoo near the water where we went on a lazy afternoon cruise on the dam. My parents certainly know all the good spots in this area and they made the day truly special. I miss them already.

I really love this photo of my father and Heidi.

Yes, these really are giant turtles!

A last view at the water...

African Dreams

My father took our family away for a weekend to Mabalingwe Nature Reserve.

We had a wonderful time. The kids loved being in nature, surrounded by the beautiful African landscape with the promise of wild animals around every corner.

And here they are:

And then a big log fire at night. 

Good times.

Thank you Dad for all the beautiful memories we will take home!

Wedding Stories - Cousins

The wedding gave us a chance to reunite with family and friends.

It seems only fitting to end my wedding posts with a few photos taken of the cousins, sitting in the wheat field at sunset.

They had a fantastic time playing, dancing, running, laughing and screaming.

These are memories which I hope will stay with them, even though they are still too young to appreciate the special event which they took part in.

Luckily I have these photos to share with them.

The photos were taken by our talented friend, Pierre.

Wedding Stories - The Reception

While the bride and groom were off on a photo shoot the guests enjoyed a lazy sunset with cold drinks and delicious snacks.

Typical South African treats like biltong and droë wors, chicken liver pate, hummus and delicious cheeses with all kinds of condiments.

The setting was beautiful with mountains in the distance and bunting waving around in a gentle breeze. The kids were already dancing around festively, while big bonn fires were about to be lit. Warm blankets were on standby for the chill the darkness would bring.

The happy couple entered and broke tradition by starting the reception with a dance.

Speeches, laughter, tears and toasts followed by a delicious buffet.

It was a party that could have gone on forever... but then the kids started getting tired and for me it was time to head to bed with a head full of happy memories.

Most of the photos were taken by our talented friend, Pierre.

Wedding Stories - The Menu

Of course a wedding won't be complete without fabulous food.
And as you should know by now, I am completely obsessed with food.

Here is my interpretation of the menu served at my brother's wedding.

Delicious.

Wedding Stories - The Ceremony

We went to South Africa for my brother's wedding.

It was wonderful.
So wonderful that I'll be sharing my memories with you all week.

The ceremony took place on a farm, surrounded by wheat fields in the warm afternoon sun.

Little kids were running around, white parasols kept the sun out of our eyes while we were seated on straw bales.

My brother, Marius, looked dashing and his beautiful bride, Jeani, was a vision.

Magical.

Most of the photos were taken by our talented friend, Pierre.