Proud parents at Dewald and Sune's big day.

The 31st January 2009 was a wonderful day for all of us,
especially for Sune and Dewald. Also for proud Mom and Dad.

Our grandsons at Sune and Dewald's wedding etc

Left: Darren, spreading rose petals for Sune's entrance.

Right: Joshua, the ring bearer, with proud Mom and Erik in the background.

More photos

This soccer stadium, stretching into the water, was taken from the Singapore Flyer. It looks like a floating soccer field.

Visit to Seoul and church news

The second weekend back, we went to Seoul to try and find a warm jacket for Pieter. Usually around here they say: "No size" when he walks into a shop. This time we were determined to find a shop with larger sizes. After our legs were tired and we were on our way back to the hotel, we stopped a man in the street and asked him about a large size jacket. He took us into a shop where Pieter could pick and choose between four jackets. So after mission accomplished, we were satisfied. The next day we went to the Seoul Tower where we could see Seoul from a very "dizzy height". It was an awesome view.

This year we are planning more visits to an English fellowship in Cheonan. They meet on a Sunday morning and have good Bible Studies and worship. Pastor Oh from the Presbyterian Church in Hongseong has asked Pieter to preach at the 2pm service once a month, in Hongseong. This is where we visisted every Sunday last year. We are glad for more ministry opportunities.

Via Singapore to Hongseong

We stayed over in Singapore for two days. This gave us time to do a bit of sight seeing e.g. go on the Singapore Flyer. It is the largest and highest "big wheel" in the world, with a view over the city.

Back to Hongseong was O K, until we missed the first bus to Cheonan. This meant that we also missed the last bus from Cheonan to Hongseong. We had to drag our many heavy bags up and down stairs and into a taxi to do the last part of the trip by train. Many Koreans were friendly enough to help us drag the load. We arrived back at our apartment at 11pm. The geyser malfunctioned and we did not have heat for the first two days, but we could have it replaced after that. The temperatures in Hongseong were still below freezing.

We had snow the first week we were back, but now Spring has come. Slowly we see higher temperatures e.g. 9 degrees C, but the mornings are still 0 degrees C. We don't mind, because we remember the very hot weather in Summer.

Leaving Ladismith via Port Elizabeth to Cape Town

When we wanted to leave the farm at Ladismith, the clutch of the Peugeot was non existent. Pieter and Marlize Van der Merwe (owners of Spera), offered the Tel No of a very good diesel mechanic. It would take a few days for the spare parts to come from Cape Town, so we hired a car at Oudtshoorn to do our trip to Port Elizabeth. We had a lovely visit with Dick and Anne Forster and on the way back, visited our sister-in-law and husband, in Jeffereys Bay. Rienie is doing O K, but chemo therapy takes its toll. Pray for her health and restoration.

We took a rest for two days at the Tsitsikamma Lodge on the Garden Route. We also visited our family beach home, Loeloeraai, at Glentana near George. Via Ladismith again, we collected our Peugeot and headed back to Cape Town. We enjoyed the last few days with our children and grandchildren. We so appreciate their love and commitment. This time went flying past and too soon we had to do last minute preparations to come back.

Erik and Marguerite's wedding

The second wedding was on the 7th February (1 week later) in Ladismith, Cape. We enjoyed the luxury and hospitality of the Van der Merwes at Spera Guest Farm, in the beautiful Hoeko Valley. It was a hustle and bustle of activity as the family and friends of Smiley and Charlotte Swart prepared for their daughter's wedding to Erik.

It stayed very hot during the week, but the afternoon of the wedding, a thunderstorm hit the area and cooled everything (I mean, everything)down. By 6pm when the wedding was scheduled, it was nice and cool. The drizzle now and again was just enough to keep us happy and dry. The garden looked amazing with all the lanterns, candles and everything ready for a big celebration. Marguerite looked stunning and Erik could not keep his eyes off his beautiful bride. He decided to go for a more casual, but still smart outfit and really looked very handsome too.

The band with many of Erik's friends added a festive atmosphere.