Sunday

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Greetings from the team on our last day at Ekukhanyeni--or, as Izzy would say, 'Sup famalam!' We have really enjoyed our 'rest' day here before the ride back to Joburg tomorrow. This morning, after a ridiculously long lie-in till 7.30 and a relaxed breakfast, we finally got the children off the lawn, where they were practising long jumps over each others' prone bodies, to go and visit the nearby Sudwala Caves, which were (Tom) 'All right--really cool and big--amazing!' and (Izzy) 'Dark, humid and scary!' Funny how the boys enjoyed them more... The girls did, however, sing 'Amazing Grace' in the cavernous 'Amphitheatre' there as the guide wanted a singer to demonstrate the perfect acoustics; and we all liked shopping for relatively cheap precious stones in the shop, and sitting down with ice creams afterwards.

We then drove down (and it was a long way down) into Nelspruit, or Mbombela as the locals call it, past the football stadium built for the 2010 World Cup. A lot of this city, the provincial capital of Mpumalanga, is very modern and we found a new and large shopping mall, twice the size of the Oracle I dare say, to eat lunch outdoors, simultaneously deploring and transfixed by a pageant going on near us--children from the age of about three upwards strutting their stuff in public competition. Izzy says it should be banned as it was 'wrong, a disgrace to the parents, and disgusting!' but she watched in fascination and repulsion by turns. The boys tried to persuade me to buy them all Kaiser Chief shirts and charge you on our return, but as they were about forty pounds each, I thought most of you would not appreciate that... (BTW they are the SA soccer champions, not the rock band, and everyone in this province seems to support them.)

We came back here early enough to enjoy the grounds in the sunshine. The girls were seen in swimsuits sunning themselves and reading by the pool, but they didn't actually venture into the unheated water. The boys made use of the spacious games room. And as I write they are all outside playing happily together again in what can only be described as an idyllic setting.

They don't want to leave, but they do want to see their families again, so can you come out and join us? The Barkers are doing just that and we hand Will over to them tomorrow afternoon. For the rest, if you don't tell us you are coming, your potentially disappointed offspring will greet you (hopefully with a hug) at Heathrow on Tuesday--sometime after 7.30 we anticipate, but please do track the flight in case of delays. (In 2009 there was a five-hour delay when we were just about to take off!) Seriously, they will be pleased to see you again, and so will Mrs Reeves and I, but we can honestly say they have been a GREAT team.

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Photos

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Sports Day, SA style

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In Sudwala caves

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Archie didn't have to crawl as much as the others, so he didn't need the ice cream!

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In 'Detroit' Riverside Mall, Nelspruit

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Ekukhanyeni Chapel

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The pool was slightly too cold to swim in today...

Comments

[Tom\]

We are extremely envious and wish we could come and meet you too. Looking forward to seeing you all on Tuesday. Safe journey x

[Julie Sweeting]

Really looking forward to seeing you!
Enjoy your last hours - it sounds like you have had such an amazing time - we only wish we were coming out to join you too.. but instead we'll meet you at Heathrow! Really looking forward to hearing your amazing stories. M, D & Fergus xx