Busy Day

We had a very busy day on Saturday.  We started off with the Interhouse Gala ("gala" is South African for  "swim meet") at Quince's school.  It started at 8:30 am and went until 11:00 am.  Check-out the video.  For the complete experience you need to sit on a hard bench in the blazing sun and eat a grilled cheese sandwich with bacon.

The swim meet was incredibly well-organized.  We were given programs at the start of the competition that listed the order of the races, the names of the swimmers, house affiliation, and the lanes that each girl would be swimming in.  The girls sat on benches organized by houses and teachers would gather them into a staging area to get ready for their heat.  From the staging area, the girls would then line-up behind the starting blocks waiting for their turn to race.  At the end of the heat, they would stay in the water until the judges had determined the order of finish.  When the judges were done they would blow a whistle and the girls would climb out of the pool and sit with their house again.

Quince swam in 7 races and 3 different strokes.  The competition is quite strong and many girls are involved in extracurricular swim teams and training.  Quince is practicing 2 times a week at school and she has learned the breast stroke and back stroke.

After the gala, we rushed off to visit the house that we will be moving into at the start of the new year (see previous post).  This was Alexander and Quince's first visit to the house and we were nervous about their reaction.  However, we did't need to worry as they were both very excited about their rooms and the house.  It is closer to both of the kid's schools and only 2 kilometers farther from my work.  There is a grocery store, wine shop, flower shop, and a fruit and veg just down the street.

Caroline at Wanderers

After looking at the house and taking some measurements, we were off to the "First Annual Caroline Hopkins Invitational Tennis Tournament" at the Wanderer's Club which was being held in order to belatedly celebrate her birthday.  It was the hottest day that we have yet experienced and we really sweated out on the courts.  Next years tournament will be scheduled earlier in the day.

The participants of the First Annual Caroline Hopkins Invitational Tennis Tournament

After tennis, we were joined by more friends at our house where we had a braai with ribs, chicken, and veggie sausage.  We also discovered an easy way to cook a butternut squash on the grill; just wrap it in tin-foil and place it directly on the grill.  I had scheduled the braai at 3:00 pm which in retrospect I realized had many of our guests wondering if it was a late lunch or an early dinner.  We have attended 2 braais recently which started at noon and ended around 6:00 pm combining lunch and dinner both!

Caroline with some of her admirers at the party