The Fandamily and Cameron's Party Part of the Trip to Cape Town
The first thing we did when we arrived in Cape Town was PHONE THE SONS. During the course of the phone calls we bribed them with the promise of free food and drink. A few hours later we met up with them for supper at a delightful slightly seedy Mexican restaurant in Cameron's neighbourhood called The fat cactus. Lots of catching up jabbering and drinking and dinnering took place. SIGH. The mother in me was very pleased that both my boys were in the pink of good health. Although, my first born, Philip was looking a bit cold. His whole winter wardrobe and a lovingly crochet blanket ( made by me ) was in the Emirates Cargo Store waiting to be collected. Mind you, I do think that Philip may not feel the cold in the same way as the rest of us. He spent his first winter in Cape Town with a duvet cover on his bed. Please note that I did not say anything about a duvet inner.......
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| Reunited with offspring.
The next day a series of delightful coincidences occurred. We crawled out of
bed having had already consumed the complimentary “starter pack” that was available
in the cottage so had to head out for FOOD and something warm for me to wear, I
was freezing.
We went to Cavendish Square because it was nearby and we know it and we knew
that there would be Internet access at the Mugg & Bean. As we arrived at M & B who do
we see but Bryan's cousin wife Lorna with her daughter Kerryn. Now we knew that
they would be in Cape Town and had made semi arrangements to meet up. But here
they were, great minds obviously thinking alike etc. So we stopped with them
for a bit and caught up on lots of lovely family and general what you catch up on stuff. The Olivier’s
went off on their way so I left Bryan at the coffee shop catching up on his
work and went in search of warm clothes. After a semi successful shop getting
warm leggings and a scarf I went back to join Bryan to find him nattering away
merrily to his mother, Cecily, and her cousin Justine. Now, I assumed that Bryan had called his mum and
they had come and joined him. But no, they just happened to be passing by and
bumped into Bryan. Well, well. That was the 2nd random meeting in
half a day. So we had another lovely catch up. Cecily and Justine went off and I
left Bryan once more to go and do some provisions shopping at Woolies. When it
comes to grocery shopping there is the most amazing variety here in Dubai.
There really is and it is lovely but there is no Woolies Foods. It is a big
sadness in my little life. I have not come across a better store here. I have not
come across one that comes close. Anyway I am being side tracked. How unusual.
After a successful grocery shop ,which included me returning a great many
things to the shelves because “Really, really Penny do you HAVE to have every yummy thing you
see?” (that is me talking to myself), I returned to Bryan who was still
pounding his laptop and sipping endless cups of coffee. He was very smug. He had been beavering away
when a waiter drew his attention to the fact that there was a couple sitting
across the coffee shop from him trying to get his attention. Bryan had bumped
into friends from Zim (Nigel and Claire
Turner whose son, Daniel, was at school with our's) who were in Cape Town for a few days bla, bla, bla. And it did not end there, on another visit. The Mugg and Bean having become Bryan's Office for
the duration of shopping expeditions to cloth sons and stock up on Oma Rusks and other ESSENTIALS. We bumped into our eldest and then our Youngest - and got to buy them breakfast.
Obviously if you want to see the world go by, get down to Cavendish Shopping Centre in Cape Town and plonk yourself down at the Mugg and Bean for a few hours.
The next few days were a whirlwind of family arriving in the form of my Mum, my beloved Sis-In-Law , Bryan’s Niece
and Nephew, settling in’s and catching up. This was interspersed with me forcing
people to be tourists. All undertaken with much vehicle juggling as between us we
had three small cars and not everyone was in the same place at the same time,
all the time.
Cameron's girlfriend Samantha had her Graduation the same week we arrived and her parents were in town for the occasion. One of the drawbacks of being expats is that you don't get to meet most of your children's friends terribly often and you don't get to meet there parents and considering that Samantha has been in our lives for some time is is a crying shame that we had not met her family and not seen much of her. This was a perfect opportunity to get together. The only person missing was Sam's sister, Daniella. We had dinner in a delightful quirky Italian restaurant Bardelli's on Kloof Street. It is right in the old Rosenhof house estate. It was one of the original homes in Cape Town and goes back to the early 1700’s. It was used as a hire house in the 1800’s and the first appointed astronomer to the Cape lived in the house and observed from a hut in the garden. The atmosphere was warm and convivial and just right for a cosy evening out.
 Cameron had opted to hold his Birthday Celebration at a Student Pub hang out called Neighbourhood. 
This elicited groans from everyone over the age of twenty five. The braver souls of the older generation (Julie) and those that had no choice (Bryan and I) went to the party dragging our barely legal niece and too young nephew with us.
The party was lovely. Cameron’s friends are delightful. They scolded Bryan when they felt he had let
the bar tab go on too long.
 I behaved badly. Bryan has a party trick - more like a party dare. He encourages people to drink a Mexican Omelet. When Bryan does it, before you even start, you feel a bit ill because he goes on and on about the egg and were it has been before it got into your grubby paw. That would be in a chook's bottom, by the way. I did not do that. but I did hijack Bryan’s party stunt by I simply getting the more foolish of Cameron’s friends (and Cameron) to do the following. The “volunteers” were all given a whole (complete with shell) raw egg. They were given a shot glass of tequila. What I told them to do (and they did) with all that equipment is this- put the whole egg in the mouth. Crack the egg inside the mouth swallow and chase it with the tequila shooter. One has to be careful not to swallow the egg shell. Spit the left-over eggshell into the now empty shot glass. Slam the glass onto the bar counter and feel like a hero. So I got the party goers to do that. WHOOOO HOOOO and then because I had consumed a few drinks myself (by then) I showed them how a middle aged woman does it. 
No one has ever accused Bryan
and I of being stand up responsible Citizen’s with regard to the care of young
people. So it is just as well that Bryan’s Niece and Nephew are responsible and being
such Tarry was able to drive her inebriated two Aunties home. This is the reward parents and other close relatives get for years of teenage hood or so I am led to understand. It has to be said
that of the two Aunts I was the considerably more inebriated one. Julie was
supportive.
The following day we had a
birthday lunch at Harbour house in Kalk Bay for the geriatric contingency (no disrespect to you old codgers of course) which now easily included (in
post spirit anyway) every member of the family from the night before.
What we did not have at the
lunch (for some time) was the Birthday Boy who had received a message on the day of his party saying that he had to go to the University the next day to do some sort of presentation for
the Township Debating League. It is a not for profit community organisation,
that he is involved with on campus.
Elder son Philip looked like something
dreadful had befallen him. It turns out he was drinking many of Cameron’s
drinks. He said it was so that Cameron would not be a wreck the next day for is
his TDL thing - but I am not convinced.
The Birthday lunch was in a truly lovely
spot. The view of sea around Kalk Bay was delightful. We saw a whale! We spent a lovely day sitting for a great
many hours around the table just soaking up being with family and nattering.
Bryan gave a sweet speech we drank champagne and we gently rolled out into the
evening going our separate ways to recover from our various excesses.
   So People that was the reason for our holiday. We no longer have babies. We have adult children. BUGGER! Next installment will cover all the totally touristy things that we did. Hugs. |
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