Grape Ape, Bruchsal, Germany

Michele_one_L Posted May 21, 2008, 6:54 pm	Hello, my name is Grape Ape! I was recently given to my owner by her sister. Jessica (my owner's sister) said that she didn't think I was cute and that she wanted me to have a new home. Thank goodness Michele said that I could come live with her.  I don't want to know what would have happened to me had Michele not agreed to take me.  I don't think my owner knew what she was in for when she adopted me. You see I have an addiction for all things Grape. Maybe this is why I have become a Toy Voyager...I don't think Michele can keep up with my grape addiction. With that being said I'm looking for hosts who can help me complete my grape missions. Please PM my mentor if you would like to host me.
Michele_one_L Posted May 27, 2008, 12:32 am	Not a whole lot has been going on here lately. The weather has been terrible! My mentor said she wanted to take us a couple of places but that she hasn't been able to because of the rain. We wanted to see for ourselves.  My mentor was right, it's raining outside. So to keep us busy we decided to watch some DVD's. We couldn't agree on one title so we were going to watch 3 different ones.
Michele_one_L Posted May 27, 2008, 1:03 am	To our surprise a new TV arrived today! We couldn't wait to see who it could be....It turned out to be Willy Wau! We all welcomed him and told him to make himself at home here. We all have!
Michele_one_L Posted May 27, 2008, 1:25 am	Today we said goodbye to Cliff. He was moving on to his next host on the USA TVT. Good Luck Cliff! Have a safe journey!
Michele_one_L Posted May 30, 2008, 2:39 pm	Today I decided that it was time for me to go on my Toy Voyaging journey. I'm heading to South Africa to visit with a host. I can't wait to see what South Africa has to offer. I said goodbye to my new friends here. Everyone told me to be careful and to have a safe trip. I told them that I'll be alright. South Africa here I come!
Vicki Posted Jun 7, 2008, 6:46 pm	Hello, I'm here, hooray! That was quite a journey and it is lovely to be back on terra firma! Vicki actually fetched me from the P O Box yesterday afternoon and her children Juanita and Nicholas were so excited to see me. I am the first TV to visit with them and I arrived together with Emil. They were arguing about who would look after which one of us first!! We also met Pearlz, she's Juanita's TV and is preparing for her journey to the USA! She's very excited. The children showed us their drawings and paintings, wow! This is quite a collection. There I am with Emil, sitting between all the artwork. We were introduced to Lulu, the little dog. She wanted to play but Juanita said she would look after us, thank goodness! This is a wooden carving in Vicki's dining room. They call him Mugabe because he comes from Zimbabwe. Juanita was holding us and showing us around their house, while proudly wearing her sash for winning the Miss Photogenic title at her school's pageant. It gets really chilly here,the temp drops to 4C through the night! I will climb into Nicholas' slipper, no, it is not smelly! It's brand new! All this excitement is exhausting, I think it is time for bed. We are cuddling up with Juanita tonight. Wow! This is a nice BIG bed! Nighty, night........sleep tight.....
Vicki Posted Jun 8, 2008, 5:49 pm	Ooooh! It was so nice and warm in Juanita's bean bag that she warmed up for us! Yay! Yummy grapes for breakfast! It is not really grape season here in South Africa but these are imported, I think. Vicki has to buy them for their parrot Percy, she said I can share with him. They are delicious Ruby seedles grapes. Vicki heard I loove everything grape! And now for some hot chocolate, slurp! They are making me work for my breakfast.  I had to help Juanita with her homework! Lucky I had done this stuff before so it was a breeze! Now when it comes to the art, weeellll, I'll watch what she does... When all the work was done, then came the fun! Nicholas was playing a cricket match at the club. It was Dads vs boys. What a game!! They had to explain the rules to me, a bit difficult to follow. There are two teams, one batting and one fielding. I offered to make some 'runs' for them.  I had to run from one wicket to the other. In the end the boys beat their Dads, Yaaay!! What a day, the game took the whole afternoon and now I am exhausted. Too much fresh air, I'm sure! Where's that slipper Nicholas.....
Vicki Posted Jun 8, 2008, 7:50 pm	Oooh! Juanita has cooked supper! Yum! It looks delicious, it is Special macaroni cheese! [ What! She asked if we could help with the washing up!! Vicki said she made the mess, she must tidy it!! Besides we're exhausted, it's been a mentally and physically exhausting day!
Vicki Posted Jun 11, 2008, 6:05 am	Wow! It sure has been chilly here and the children have kept me cuddled up and warm. Today we will be going to watch Nicholas play a soccer match at school!! Yay! Later! Lots of hugs... Grape Ape.
Vicki Posted Jun 14, 2008, 9:09 am	Hi there Mom! Vicki says she is sorry she hasn't updated more regularly but it has been a really hectic week and I have had a lot of fun! The children take good care of me, so here goes with what we have been up to! On Monday and Tuesday it was very chilly so we just stayed cuddled up at home, watching videos but on Wednesday I went to school with Nicholas. He kept me safe in his pocket with my head sticking out so I could see where we were going. In the afternoon he played a soccer match against another school! It was sooo exciting and Vicki and I were shouting for Nicholas' team. Nic's team won the match, with the score 3-1... but it was a nailbiting game. After the match we went home for lunch and Vicki made us tea (what NO grape juice?!), which we enjoyed with a traditional South African Koeksuster. They were delicious but so sweet! It is a plait or knot of dough that is fried and then plunged into cold syrup, yummy but Vicki says she can't eat more that one. After relaxing for  a bit, we popped in to visit Mrs C and all her teddies. Can you see Emil and I here in the front? I have never seen so many bears together! MrsC is helping Threadbear to achieve his mission of giving 500 bears to the Teddybear clinic here in Johannesburg. Here we are with Threadbear and his brother Buttons. We also got to meet Pinky bear and Fiona. It was lovely to sit and chat with the ladies!! (Blush!) We had a grape, I mean great time together!! What an exciting visit, Vicki took some more bears to Mrs C, to add to the collection. There are about 160 bears on this couch! Imagine 500?! I think you had better build on another room Mrs C!!
Vicki Posted Jun 14, 2008, 9:24 am	On Thursday, I went to school with Vicki. She teaches Art and English at the same school that her children attend. Emil and I had such a good time with the children. The Grade 4 classes were building 3D models of themselves, they were having so much fun and we were too. This one is by a boy named Kyle, he still has to finish it. All the boys love soccer! Whew! It was a crazy day. The children were very busy! Vicki took us home to relax with Juanita and Nicholas. Today we are going to do some shopping and see some sights around the neighbourhood. See you later!! Lotsa love Grape Ape.
Vicki Posted Jun 15, 2008, 7:47 pm	Hey there! We have had a very busy day and here comes the update! First we were off to the library to get some new books for Juanita, she's a real bookworm! Here is the 'library basket' with books to be returned. Juanita was choosing new books and I was helping! Then off to do some shopping at this awesome shopping centre called Cresta! There were so many people. Nicholas and Juanita were holing us up so we could see the sights! Everyone was wearing their Springbok rugby jerseys. That is the jersey of the national rugby team. There was a match against Wales in the afternoon. Here we are with Nicholas who was wearing his shirt too! Then off to a book store...not ANOTHER book Juanita!! Nicholas is a sports fanatic so he bought a cricket magazine! After a bit more shopping, we headed home and Ken (Vicki's husband) took us for a spin on the Harley!! Wooohooo!! What a ride!! This is a photo of Emil and I at the water feature in the front garden. And here is the back garden, pity the pool water is so cold! In the distance is Johannesburg city, we'll take a better photo in the midday sun. Had some bouncing fun on the trampoline!!! And here's another view of the back garden. Ken made a barbeque, better know as a 'braai' here in S Africa. It is quite a tradition here. Especially after a rugby match that the Springboks won!! Dinner is served and luckily there are lovely salads too. Coleslaw and Greek salad, yum! Off to bed now, another busy day planned for tomorrow... night, night! Love from ME.
Vicki Posted Jun 19, 2008, 4:55 pm	Hi there... Whew, things have been busy around here! And it is very chilly too!! On Sunday it was Father's Day here in SA and Vicki and the children treated Ken to lunch out in Pretoria or Tshwane as it is now known. First we went to the 'Voortrekker Monument'.... http://www.voortrekkermon.org.za/index2.html The children had never been to this monument commemorating the Voortrekkers, who were Dutch, French and German settlers. These settlers (or pilgrims) were not happy with the Cape government and from 1835 onwards decided to start trekking inland to get away from the British government. We took so many photos! There are beautiful bronze sculptures, can you see Emil and I?? This was a huge ox-wagon. This was a beautiful bronze statue of a Voortrekker mother and her children. We went to the top of the monument (about three stories high!!) and there is Pretoria in the background but it was a very hazy day. Wow! It sure is a long drop down there! Here are the marble wall murals, they all tell a story. This photo was taken from the very top looking down to where the cenotaph lies, way down. Luckily Vicki didn't need me to pose for this photo, whew! This is the flame of civilisation in South Africa. And this is a photo of the outside of the building. Here is the canon called 'Grietjie'. It was taken on the trek for protection. Thank goodness it doesn't work anymore!! Juanita sat us on top here! There are beautiful tapestries and paintings displayed in the museum. This one was a painting with embroidery over it. There is a huge wall surrounding the monument and there are 64 ox-wagons like this one all around the wall. The gardens are also very pretty. And we all posed for a photo in front of the monument. Vicki sure is crazy about taking photos. We went into the gift and curio shop and Juanita and Nicholas showed us some other little animals like the springbok and the crocodile. They tried to convince Vicki to buy some more to make into TV's to travel the world but Vicki said that the two TV's they have (Potjie and Pearlz) are enough for now. In between the beautifully decorated ostrich eggs..... ...and next to the miniature hand made Baobab trees, indigenous to Southern Africa. After all that sight seeing, we had worked up a thirst so off to the Blue Crane restaurant and here I am with a nice cool drink! What? No grape juice??? The Blue Crane is the national bird of South Africa, it is really looks so regal.http://www.sa-venues.com/wildlife/birds_blue_crane.htm Great Vicki! That's it, not too close now... On the road again.... After a delicious lunch, we were off to visit the Union Buildings which is the official seat of government and one of the state residences. Pretoria is the administrative capital of South Africa. What another canon? This one stands outside the Union Buildings and you can see Pretoria behind me. This photo could be made into a postcard. What do you think Mom? Pretoria city is in the background. We finally hit the road back home to Randburg. This is one of the squatter camps we passed on our way. It is called Nooitgedacht. There are so many immigrants (legal and illegal) streaming in from neighbouring countries. Some live in squatter camps like this one. This is a view of Cosmo City and the Dome in the distance. Cosmo City is the low cost housing that is being built for previously disadvantaged people. Here I am just outside the Dome. Overseas stars come here and hold concerts and exhibitions are held here too. Vicki said she would bring us back another day for a closer look. We are heading back home now after a busy day out. Bye mom, missing you but having fun!
Vicki Posted Jun 22, 2008, 6:16 pm	Hello again from me, way down south! It is always busy in this household but we are joining in the fun and getting along nicely. Today it is Friday and the children went to art lessons in the afternoon and Vicki got us McDonald's for supper, YUM! And we all shared a huge chocolate. Nicholas cuddled up with us in the blanket, it is really chilly here at night and in the early morning. It has been miserable and rainy too which according to Vicki is quite unusual. They don't have wet winters here in Gauteng. This is their video/dvd collection and Nicholas was proud to show us his Playstation games too. I was allowed to pick a movie. We watched Hairspray, since Nicholas is acting in the school production of Hairspray next week. We get to go and watch, yippeee! Oh, yes! I forgot to tell you about Percy! He is the parrot, who only likes Vicki. Anybody else will get a bite if they go near. He talks a lot and has a large vocabulary, only thing is he keeps singing 'It's raining, it's pouring...' even if the sun is shining outside! Silly bird! I have to share his grapes with him, he's crazy about grapes, like me! I wanted to show you Juanita's and Nicholas' art. Remember the photo I sent you in the beginning of the'gallery'? Well here are photos of what they are working on at the moment. Juanita is busy with a drawing of herslf and Nicholas together, she is making it for Vicki and Nicholas has a collage of cameleons. They are both so good! That's it for Friday, tomorrow's Saturday and another busy day ahead. Love Grape Ape.
Vicki Posted Jun 23, 2008, 2:51 pm	Hello again! Here is the photo of Juanita's drawing. We forgot to put it in yesterday's update. Vicki has smudged the photo a bit for safety's sake. They both enjoy art very much. Today we helped Vicki sew a costume for Nicholas. He is 'Edna' in the school play of 'Hairspray'. He really is very funny and has to wear a dress and a wig!! We have been rolling around with laughter! Oooooh! This fabric is a bit bright and glitzy but that is what is required apparently. Vicki made a matching outfit for 'Edna's' daughter 'Tracy'. We are going to school tomorrow to watch the Revue. Every grade has chosen a different musical. It sounds exciting. Here is Nic, cunningly disguised, in the dress we helped make! It has been a good laugh. Hopefully the weather is a bit better tomorrow. It has been rainy and miserable and cold. Will update again soon, see ya! Love Grape Ape.
Vicki Posted Jun 28, 2008, 11:24 am	We watched Nicholas' school play and we had a blast! It was so much fun and a real good laugh! We have had some lovely sunshine the past few days, the wind is still a bit chilly but it is very warm in the sunshine. These South Africans don't know what cold is!! No snow here! Here I am in the beautiful sunshine, the Camelias are lovely. We took some photos of Vicki's back garden..... Wish that water wasn't so cold! Can you see me hidden in the plant? Aaaah! It is lovely in the sunshine!! Here we are, poor Emil and I propped up on the slide!! Hey guys!! Please don't let us slide into this freeeezing water!! Here is the view of Johannesburg City from Vicki's back garden. We have been having delicious pudding treats too! We ate some Malva pudding which is traditional South African fare, a yummy sticky warm pudding with lots of fresh cream. We also had chocolate mousse cake and cheese cake. Juanita and Vicki are the chocoholics in this house. It has been another busy week, especially with the school play but now it is time for holiday!! We are getting ready for the trip to Durban! Bags are being packed, cameras, suntan cream, etc. It is so exciting. I will be able to sit and look out the airoplane window, instead of being stuck in an envelope! Yipee! Will be back next week, lot of love from ME!!
Vicki Posted Jul 9, 2008, 5:46 pm	Well finally some time to update on the lovely holiday we had in Durban, at the seaside! Packed and ready to go...... great excitement. Ken drove us to the airport. We went to the Mango check in counter and looked on their computer. Where to now guys??? Only joking.... Juanita and Nicholas always take good care of us. Let's go...what are we standing around for?? We bought a cool drink (and a chocolate) for the trip. While waiting to board, Nicholas showed us the Kruger Rand that he'd bought! It was a huge chocolate. It would be worth a penny if it were real. Real Kruger Rands are made from gold and are bought for investment. They are usually one ounce of gold. Some people wear 1/2 Kruger Rands and 1/4 Kruger Rands as jewelry. Yippeee, I get the window seat with Nicholas. Beats being posted in an envelope! When it was time for take off Juanita tucked us in to her safety belt, so we sould be safe. This was our plane.... a lovely orange go man-go!! Ha,ha! After a quick 50 minute flight, we arrived in Durban and Vicki's Mom came to fetch us. We were staying with them and this is the gorgeous view of the harbour from their patio. I could get used to this!!!
Vicki Posted Jul 9, 2008, 7:36 pm	We woke up to the smell of breakfast being prepared. Vicki's step dad, Grandpa Mike, was making a fritata. I was having GRAPE JUICE (yum) and Grape fruit?? What? Haven't had one of these before..... not bad but nothing like grapes!!! Gimme my grape juice any day!! Then we relaxed and enjoyed the view for a bit. We watched the ships coming in and the cranes moving up and down. There is a red light which lights up when ships are coming into the harbour. Vicki showed us around the garden and we saw the lovely hydroponics garden that Grandpa Mike has. Delicious fresh lettuce, celery, rocket. Vicki loves the idea of coming and picking fresh lettuce for the salad. Back to the patio and sniff, sniff.... ooooh, freshly roasted peanuts! Vicki's Mom, Granny Janette, went and bought them especially for us. They were yummy! The weather has been a bit miserable but was still warmer than Johannesburg. Vicki's step sister Lydia invited us for supper to her apartment in Umhlanga Rocks. We drove past the new Soccer Stadium being built for the World Cup Soccer in 2010. It is called the Senzangakhona Stadium after the father of the famous King Shaka Zulu and is costing R1.6bn to build. http://www.news24.com/News24/Sport/Soccer/0,,2-9-840_1952456,00.html. This is not the best photo but it was overcast and getting dark. Lydia and her family live on the third floor of the Longbeach apartment block. Another stunning view... We took a walk on the promenade and looked at the lighthouse and all the other fancy apartment blocks. This is the view back down the coast and the lights in the distance are Durban city lights. We even ventured down onto the beach! The sand was cold! Lydia was preparing dinner, whew, all that sea air has made us hungry!!! We offered to help, is that an avocado? No a watermelon, with an avo next to it. OK, we are ready... and some tasty wine... grape juice with a difference! And so we eat again....  I could get used to this life!!!
Vicki Posted Jul 10, 2008, 4:41 pm	We woke up to a bright sunny day and Granny Janette said we could go to the beach. We drove through the city and looked at some of the old buildings. This is the Central Post Office.... And the City Hall.....not so easy taking photos from the moving car. This street sign made Vicki laugh! Imagine having to warn people against doing this! The eThekwini (Durban) municipality has decided to change the road names to more traditional or ethnic names. The beach at last!! There are many beaches along the coast, this one is the South beach or Addington beach. It looks as though there was a sailing regatta going on, there were so many yachts out there. It was a beautiful day but the water was still chilly, so we walked along the promenade. We came to the Ushaka Marine World. Nicholas and Juanita loooove going to the Water World but with the water so cold we didn't go in and they have visited the Aquarium side a few times too, so we unfortunately missed out. We looked through the fence at the rides. Beautiful up-market apartments are being built here with waterways running between then. There is a huge plan to upgrade the whole harbour area and the entrance to the harbour. This old 'marooned boat' houses the aquarium and pubs and restaurants. http://www.ushakamarineworld.co.za/home.html Hey Nicholas....what's he up to? Oh, this is a pretty banister! Just don't forget us here!
Vicki Posted Jul 13, 2008, 6:27 am	This morning Vicki woke up early to watch the sunset. She decided that she shouldn't wake me, good idea that! It did look very pretty though.   After breakfast we were off to the beach, woohooo! Granny Janette decided it was her turn to hold us! The water was 23C and the weather had warmed up. This beach is close to the harbour entrance. I was watching the life guards and making sure they were doing their duties! It was good to feel the sand between my toes. Juanita took us into the water with her..... not so sure about this.... Then Vicki decided she would hold us so we could watch, she didn't want us getting all salty. Some chidren from a nursery school came for a swim. They has so much fun, it was lovely to watch. We stood for a while watching them enjoy themselves and watching Juanita and Nicholas. Vicki keeps an eye on Nicholas especially because he has no fear of the sea and the waves. Having fun on the beach?? Hey! What's Granny Janette up to here? Time for a rest? Those waves are hard work. Watching the ships come in..... this one was a motor vehicle transporter. It was huge! Ice cream time, apparently a family tradition! Can't come to the beach without having an ice cream!! Good for me! Another unusual ship, couldn't figure this one out? It had tall chimneys and cranes on it... This is the traditional 'Rickshaw Boy'. He takes tourists for a ride (literally and figuratively!!) up and down the beach front but they are soooo expensive. The Ethekwini municipality is changing a lot of the road names to more traditional or ethnic ones. The Postman is battling to keep up though. When we got home, Vicki and Nicholas made sushi. It was delicious and everyone enjoyed it.
Vicki Posted Jul 13, 2008, 6:48 am	Our last day here in Durban.... we have had a lovely time, it is sad to be leaving... Granny Janette took us to a wonderful delicatessen. Vicki wanted to take some treats home with her. It smelt so good in the shop, they smoke the meats on the premises. Here is Emil with all the salami and traditional dried meat, called 'Biltong'. Biltong is very popular here as a snack served with drinks especially. It is salted and then dried and once ready, sliced up into pieces. They do the same with sausage which is called 'dried wors'. (Vicki says my photo was blurred, sorry!) Lunch was a really tasty 'Boerewors Roll'. Another very traditional type of sausage. It is usually cooked on a 'braai' or barbecue and here it was served in a bread roll. The day was spent packing and relaxing a bit more, before getting ready to go to the airport. We were due to fly out at 5.30pm and Granny Janette dropped us at the airport and we said our farewells. Once inside we discovered that our flight had been delayed until 10.00pm!! Vicki was mad and she phoned Granny Janette who very kindly came back to fetch us! They don't live too far away, thank goodness. I was very happy not to have to wait in the airport. Vicki managed to take this last photo of the beautiful scenery, the harbour by night. It will stay in my mind as a reminder of Durban.
Vicki Posted Jul 13, 2008, 8:14 am	Catching up at last! Vicki went to the Post Office when we returned and guess who she found there?? Another two TV's arrived! Here we are cuddled up (Whew! It is cold here! Can we go back to Durban please??) together with Purple Bun and Gilbert, on Juanita's bed having a chat and introducing ourselves...
Vicki Posted Jul 13, 2008, 8:19 am	Juanita wanted to introduce the newcomers to her friends and show them her school and we got to go along for the ride! Here we are in the Afrikaans class reading a book called 'Blinde Sambok' by Riaana Scheepers, which is their setwork for Afrikaans. This is one of the National languages and students at Juanita's school are allowed to choose between Afrikaans and Zulu and take it as an additional subject to Gr 12. Look here! Another security gate! Only in South Africa do you see so many security gates!! Here we are at break, soaking up the sun, chatting and making new friends! Ooooh! It is lovely and warm here... Juanita dropped us back at Vicki's art class and we helped the Gr 6 students to finish off their carnival masks, great fun! Er, guys.... please mind out for that glue gun!! As Vicki said... another busy day at the office!!
Vicki Posted Jul 19, 2008, 4:47 pm	Mmmmmm....my favourite! Vicki bought us a grape soda to share, which I shared with Juanita. Mommy! Vicki also bought me grapes and Hanepoort (from the Cape) grape juice!! Yummy!
Vicki Posted Jul 19, 2008, 5:16 pm	Morning sunshine!!! Today we had to get up bright and early as Vicki had quite an eventful day planned ahead... She strapped us into the car... First stop MrsC for a surprise farewell party for Emil... SURPRISE!!! We had a lovely tea party and met up with other toyvoyagers as well! We all made friends very quickly! Emil was quite a bit scared of cassiopeia as she is a lot bigger than him! But after talking with her for a bit he realised he had nothing to be scared of! We are really going to miss you Emil. So after the tea party we said our goodbyes and climbed back into the car to go to the next stop. 'Footprints' was our next destination. 'Footprints' is a childens home that Vicki's family visit and help out with the necessities ie. Toiletries, clothing, shoes etc. Juanita's school is currently supporting them as one of their charity drives and will hopefully keep supporting them, as they need all the help they can get! SO here I am with all the babies' toys can you see me mom? These are the ladies that help feed and care for the children... Hi girls!!! These are some of the children having fun out in the garden... Don't you love how the simplest things can give people the most joy? These are some more of the munchkins... Vicki look where Juanita has put me again...Ag TEENAGERS!!
Vicki Posted Jul 19, 2008, 6:07 pm	They even have their very own mini farmyard! Clyde the goat, is very cheeky and headbutts everyone and the two cute pigs are 'Crispy' and 'Bacon'. We kept the children company as they ate lunch... This is the back garden where all the children love to jump on the trampolines and run around, but it was so cold that no one was interested in being outside. Look where Juanita put us mom! Haha love the loin cloth, very in these days... After the visit with the children we jumped back in the car and drove past the Zandspruit squatter camp on the way home. We crawled through the front door, with icicles hanging from our noses, to find that Ken had a gorgeous fire going! It was toasty warm. We all gathered closely around the fire to keep warm and spent the rest of the evening chatting and watching tv.
Vicki Posted Jul 19, 2008, 6:09 pm	Sunday turned out to be even more gloomy than Saturday!! Vicki had to catch up with marking test papers, so we hung around and watched. And then moved on to sit with Nicholas cuddled up watching tv. Just a relaxing day.
Vicki Posted Aug 5, 2008, 8:44 pm	Hi there Mom! Sorry it has been so long. Have really been doing so much and so many newies coming to visit. I am the oldy around here now, so I get to show the newies around. Have shared more grape soda, this one is delicious, it's called Grapetiser! I shared with Juanita and Nicholas, yum! Said farewell to Emil.... Will miss him, maybe we will meet up again sometime... Met Abeeku..... Chatted in the garden with Gilbert, gotta get him away from his lady friend! Went to Sports Day at the school and watched all the children run, it was a very exciting day. Vicki and Nicholas' house (Aldrin) won the 'spirit' cup and we had fun shouting war cries. Welcomed some more new comers.... Holiday Harry and Sputnik are going to keep Vicki on her toes!! Vicki took us up to Northcliff Ridge and the water tower from where we saw the most beautiful views of the Northern suburbs of Johannesburg. We'll get to some more updating tomorrow...watch this space!!
Vicki Posted Aug 10, 2008, 3:41 pm	This is the view of 'downtown' Johannesburg, the city. This used to be the CBD but most business has now moved to Sandton. Here is the whole gang and in the distance you can see Sandton (the tall buildings). Purple Bun, Sputnik and myself were admiring the view of the Northern suburbs.... Vicki's house is out there somewhere... Here is the whole crowd of us again. We chatted and walked around admiring all the views, Vicki has to keep her eyes on Holiday Harry and Sputnik as they are always ready for mischief. We had a lovely time up here. We drove around the area looking at the big fancy houses.... ...and also saw the famous 'mine dumps', created from the left over, waste soil brought up from underground, after removing the gold. These are being recycled and more gold is being found in them. We headed back home and this is the view of the same water tower we had just visited from Vicki's back garden. Here is the same view with the night lights. Vicki says she likes being able to look out on the view from the patio.
Vicki Posted Aug 10, 2008, 4:31 pm	Today we all went to Gold Reef City for the day! http://www.goldreefcity.co.za/home/index.asp It is a theme park built around the old gold mine and with rides such as miner's revenge, the golden eye, runaway train, etc. It is a small version of any theme park found in America or anywhere else in the world. We all had a great time, the children went on every ride but we were only allowed on the 'safer' ones, Vicki was scared we would get lost or wet! This dreamboat was the worst! Nicholas' face was a picture!!! Here we are, all relaxing in the shade... whew! They say it's winter! And here we are with all the other fluffy toys gathered along the way, won in ball games, etc. We decided since we weren't allowed on the ride, we might as well sit on the sign!! Vicki was scared we would fall out a pocket or something! We did enjoy our day!!
Vicki Posted Sep 3, 2008, 5:35 pm	Today we visited the Origins Centre at the University of Witwatersrand. We went together with Mrs C and her children. Origins Centre Vicki took a photo of us all sitting on the map of Africa. It was a wonderful place to visit, with lots of information about the origin of the human being ( the name of the place gives it away a bit!!) and then stories of the different people of Southern Africa, concentrating on the San People or the Bushmen as they are otherwise known. There was a hand made 'map' of Africa and of other continents of the world all made from wire at the entrance. Here I am amongst replicas of skulls of the famous 'Mrs Ples' and the 'Taung baby' (with it's full set of milk teeth) that were discovered and used to help with the dating back of mankind. Sitting with the Eland, which was considered to have great symbolic significance in the San beliefs. We went into a hall that had wall hangings all around telling different stories. The various rooms have examples of rock art from different tribes and there is also a lot of rock carving. Some of the concrete flooring has copies of the art engraved into it. This is an example of Khoe art, which is different (more geometrical) to the San art which includes animals and humans. Here are some Shroda figurines found towards the north of South Africa in the Limpopo valley. This was a site found which dates back to the Early Iron Age!! Whew!! This was a very interesting story about the intitiation crocodile! The stories, tales and poems are written on bones and displayed in books and are very sad. Holiday Harry was up to his tricks again!! Well that was a bit of a depressing ending but I feel I have had an information overload!! That was sooo interesting but I am exhausted!
Vicki Posted Sep 5, 2008, 3:37 pm	Today we visited Mrs C to fetch Jubilee Bunny. We were going on holiday and she was coming with us. We all posed for a group photo! Sooo many toyvoyagers visiting in South Africa at the same time, it's great! We all chat and compare notes, talk about hosts and places we've visited.
Vicki Posted Sep 12, 2008, 7:33 am	We packed our bags, there was great excitement, everyone talking together.... we got on the plane (my second plane ride while visiting in South Africa!)and almost two hours later we were in a town called George, situated on the beautiful Garden Route in the Western Cape. Our first stop was the Wilderness Beach. It was beautiful but unfortunately the water was very cold! This is also the Indian Ocean like Durban. Nicholas and Juanita took us to feel the water which was freezing! We decided to sit on the car bonnet and admire the scenery rather. Holiday Harry and Sputnik were hiding from the rest!! Hopefully Vicki spotted them... This is the view from the top of the hill. Just hold on tight Juanita please! It is a looong way down! A really pretty place though. Here the Keurbooms River meets the sea and the railway bridge crosses the river. Sitting by the toasty fire at Vicki's step sister, Melinda's, house. It's quite chilly outside. Aaah! Another lovely day in Africa...
Vicki Posted Sep 12, 2008, 7:38 am	Woke up to this beautiful view of the mountains. Watched some of the Olympics on this huge television. We were off to Oudtshoorn for some sightseeing. First stop the swing bridge. Nicholas was shaking the bridge as we walked across and making it swing and Juanita was shouting at him, we were all laughing. Jump Nicholas,jump!! Went to buy ostrich biltong for Vicki's stepfather. Biltong is a dried meat that is eaten all over South Africa as a snack and here it is made from ostrich meat. This meat has become very popular as it is cholesterol free. It tastes very nice too. Oudtshoorn is full of beautiful old buildings built during the ostrich feather boom. The weather in Oudtshoorn was glorious and we drove through the Outeniqua mountains to get back to George, through the clouds. We stopped at a viewing point but it was so cold nobody wanted to venture out of the bag. We were all cuddled up and warm! Abeeku, the teeniest of us all, couldn't see a thing out the top of the bag, so he volunteered to come out and see the view. And what a stunning view! Whew! Pity is was so misty and cloudy, you couldn't really see George in the distance. The dirt road is the old Montague Pass road which was the first road made to cross over the mountains. I decided I should brave the cold and get out and see too.
Vicki Posted Sep 12, 2008, 7:41 am	We loaded up the car and together with Vicki's mom and Juanita and Nicholas (the men had to stay behind and work!), Vicki drove us along the Garden Route to the Sunshine Coast and Port Alfred. We drove over many rivers with beautifully designed bridges. The Storms River Bridge is one of the famous ones with it's deep gorge below. The story goes that the Italian architect who designed the bridge commited suicide by jumping off it because when the two sides were lowered they didn't meet exactly in the middle, there was a gap of a few centimetres!! We finally arrived (500km later...) at this most beautiful hotel. It was called the Fish River Sun Here we are getting some fresh air and admiring the fish pond at the entrance of the hotel. This is where we were staying for the next week, yay!! I could manage this luxury, I was sure!! There were lots of monkeys around but I was a bit nervous to talk to any of them, they are wild!
Vicki Posted Sep 12, 2008, 7:44 am	The Fish River Sun is actually 27km away from Port Alfred, so we took the little drive (after yesterday's 500km, it was little!!), and went to Port Alfred to do some sight seeing. The whole area is very picturesque! And Vicki took lots of photos... We drove down the East Bank and the West Bank of the Kowie River, which the town is built around. Hey! The beach!! Stop! We want to get out! I bet this water is freezing too...   Vicki did some fancy photo stitching. This is the beautiful marina. There are five islands with stunning homes on them and people get around by boat. Vicki said she could get used to this life, she wishes she could win the Lotto. Being a toyvoyager is the answer, we get to travel and enjoy all these highlights!
Vicki Posted Sep 12, 2008, 7:50 am	What many people don't know about Vicki, is that she is CRAZY about lighthouses! (And windmills but that's another story...). So here we are visiting the Great Fish Point lighthouse. I remember visiting the lighthouse in Umhlanga Rocks near Durban with Vicki too!South African Lighthouses. Lighthouse Adventures. Once again, we held on tight (what is it with these people and heights!?) and went up the 58 stairs to the top. This is the shortest lighthouse in South Africa. The guided tour was very interesting, the lighthouse keeper even showed us the original clockwork mechanism that was wound up every four hours. Now everything is automatic and generator driven.   The view from the top. Wow! On the way back to the hotel we stopped at a little town called Bathhurst, which was established by the 1820 settlers who came from Britain to settle in the Cape. Here is the church that was built by them. The whole area has been declared a national monument. Enough for one day.... 'Home James'!
Vicki Posted Sep 12, 2008, 7:53 am	Aaaah! A beautiful sunshine day and we get to sit on the beach and feel the sand between our toes / hooves / paws/alien limbs, etc. Holiday Harry pulled out the towel and sunglasses and caught quite a tan! We walked down to the water and looked in the rock pools. The beaches are pristine, white, clean and untouched. Lots of shells around too. Wonder if I could take one with me?? It was lovely to be able to run across the white sand and enjoy the wide open spaces.   The hotel estate had its own nature reserve and a guide took us for a ride around on a tuc-tuc to see the animals, etc. Once again, plenty of monkeys...     Vicki's Mom couldn't help but feed this poor Vervet monkey. It didn't have any hands, poor thing.   After the beach, we came to relax at the pool. The pool was heated, wooohoo!! We all had a lovely swim (and rinsed off the salt and sand!), even Vicki!!
Vicki Posted Sep 12, 2008, 7:57 am	Time to say farewell to Fish River Sun and Port Alfred and move on.... we will miss you, what a lovely stay. Vicki told us all to stop moaning about the driving in the car. 'South Africa is a big country guys, if you want to see the places, you have to travel the distances!' That's what she said, and it seems her children know the drill, they said nothing! Anyway today's travelling wasn't too bad, only about 250kms! We stopped along the way and bought pineapples, they were huge! Twelve pineapples for R15! Now that's a bargain! Everyone knows I love grapes but pineapple isn't too bad either! Yum!   Another stop in Port Elizabeth to visit the small oceanarium they have there. A bit disappointing but the dolphins were very friendly, they wanted to play with the ball all the time. Ushaka, in Durban, looked better even thought we didn't get to go in. And pengiuns... Back on the road again, not far to Cape St Francis. Hooray! The end of the road for today....
Vicki Posted Sep 12, 2008, 3:41 pm	Off to Jeffreys Bay, one of the famous surfing sights of the world!! Only the weather is a bit miserable and there don't seem to be too many waves to talk of. Not a surfer in sight! We had coffee and walked around the shops and then came back to our house which was called Anchorage. St Francis Bay, Port St Francis and Cape St Francis all make up the greater St Francis area. We are staying at Port St Francis, it's real pretty! Vicki s talking about going whale watching, I think I will stay at home for that trip. You should see the waves here!
Vicki Posted Sep 12, 2008, 3:46 pm	Another day, another lighthouse! This one is the Cape St Francis Seal Point lighthouse! This time there were 157 stairs and Vicki made it almost half way and turned back. The stairs were too narrow and too steep. She gave the camera to Juanita who carried on up to the top but we came back with Vicki. Here's the view from the top though. The lighthouse is the highest concrete structure in the area. And the narrow stairs... We walked on the rocks beneath the lighthouse and collected some shells. There is a penguin rehabilitation centre next to the lighthouse but it was locked up and we couldn't go in, we saw the penguins through glass windows and a fence. This was the view from our room at our apartment in Port St Francis. Anchorage is made up of various apartments and has a mediterranean look. This was the view from the balcony with the sea and the beach behind us, we could watch the boats come into the harbour. Vicki's stepfather (he met us in Port St Francis) went and bought calamari (chokka) from the fishermen and cooked it for us. Not too sure about the seafood... Here's the harbour which was a short walk away from our apartment. Vicki's stepfather collected mussels off the beach too (yes, you have to have a licence and for collecting shells too!) and they cooked and ate them too. Not too bad but still not crazy about this seafood.
Vicki Posted Sep 12, 2008, 3:49 pm	Our last day at St Francis, aaaaahhh! We were having a fantastic time. Relaxing on the beach (they had a pool here too but it was not heated, brrr!), taking walks, taking afternoon naps (yeah!), playing cards, games, etc. Vicki's stepfather taught us how to play 'Cucu', an Italian card game, and we had a lot of fun. With Vicki around, we had to get some sight seeing done too! She found out that we missed visiting a lighthouse in Port Elizabeth (when we went to the oceanarium), and was most upset! SO we decided to visit the Seal Point lighthouse one more time, at night time to see what it looked like in the dark!! Really beautiful! The beam of light can be seen 50km out to sea.
Vicki Posted Sep 12, 2008, 3:55 pm	We packed our bags and back into the car (argh! Oops hope Vicki didn't hear that!), we drove back along the Garden Route to George. Luckily we stopped along the way to stretch our legs and see the sights! First stop was the famous Bloukrans Bridge, apparently the world's highest Bungy Jump!! Wow! Holiday Harry and Sputnik were keen. Vicki said that there was an age restriction, you have to be over 18. What a disappointment, Juanita was also dying to go and Vicki's Mom said if she was 20 years younger she would have done it too!! Poor Vicki!! We watched a few people jump and my stomach jumped too!! Wooohoo! It was exciting to watch. We drove through the Tsitsikamma Forest (any apes in there? Nope only some elephants) and the next stop was Plettenberg Bay. Vicki drove us to Robberg Beach, (she knows the area well because her family used to come to the Beacon Isle Hotel for holidays when she was young), and there we saw a whale!! In the shallow waters rolling around and playing. Not easy to get a photo of though! In the car for the last stretch, remembered not to grumble!! We drove past George onto Mosselbay. I was confused, weren't we going to George?? Another very picturesque town. Vicki decided since it was only 40kms from George, we should get to see it too! And then we discovered why Vicki thought it was a good idea to see Mosselbay..... ANOTHER LIGHTHOUSE!!! That makes it three in one holiday!! And Vicki reminded us it could have been four if we hadn't missed Cape Recife in Port Elizabeth! Juanita said she wasn't getting out the car!! I agreed, before we were volunteered to climb to the top and take photos! Unfortunately (or fortunately!?) we arrived too late and the lighthouse keeper had already locked up. We did get out and walk around a bit, more beautiful vistas... There were Rock dassies everywhere. They lived in the rocks around the lighthouse. Back home in George, we had supper and prepared for the journey back to Johannesburg on Saturday. Vicki was not keen to go back to the 'rat race', she was happy to keep on driving, looking for more lighthouses.... nobody commented!
Vicki Posted Sep 12, 2008, 4:02 pm	MrsC was coming to fetch Gilbert so that he could spend some time with her before leaving South Africa. We hid in the Brunsfelsia that grows outside Vicki's front door. It sure smells pretty... can you find all eight of us? This was  a photo we posed for to welcome Barnardo and to say farewell to Gilbert. I have been here the longest but the time is coming nearer for me to pack my bags too. Vicki says she will miss me very much... anyway I won't be leaving for a little while still.
Vicki Posted Sep 12, 2008, 4:08 pm	Today we visited Museum Africa which is housed in the old fresh produce market. There was a whole section on the prisoners who were tried for treason during the apartheid era. Newspaper cuttings with headlines from days gone by... There was a scene of a shebeen (the old illegal drinking houses) in Sofiatown, an old 'black' suburb from which the blacks were evicted to make way for 'whites'. Luckily all the bottles were empty!! There were also replicas of shanties or 'jondolos' (as they are commonly known). This is how some of the squatters live in the squatter camps. A lot of the people living like this are illegal immigrants coming from neighbouring countries to try and make a living. Signing the register... Vicki went to the tourist information office and there we met Mr Mandela, or Madiba, as he is affectionately known here in SA, standing next to the South African flag!
Vicki Posted Sep 12, 2008, 4:11 pm	Here we are, all three "monkeys" sitting in a row. It has been really hot here lately. We were wondering where we would visit next...
Vicki Posted Sep 12, 2008, 4:14 pm	We were all very excited about the special invitation we had received! Threadbear and Eloise were getting married and we had all been invited to the wedding as honoured guests! What we didn't realise was how many guests there would be!! Eloise looked beautiful.... and Threadbear looked so smart too. All the bears waiting to go to the Teddy Bear clinic were there too! We all watched as Eloise came down the isle. You could hear some 'aaahs' coming from the gathered guests. We listened to them say their "I do's" and then Threadbear kissed his bride. They walked back up the isle as man and wife. The bride and groom cut the cake and it was time to PARTY!! We eventually waved them goodbye... MrsC's house was a mess but the party continued into the early hours...
Vicki Posted Sep 14, 2008, 10:16 am	Today we said farewell to Purple Bun and Sputnik. I knew the time was coming for me to leave too. I have had a lovely time here in South Africa and will miss all the friends I have made, but Vicki said I could stay the weekend and enjoy one more outing with them before I left.
Vicki Posted Sep 19, 2008, 8:54 am	We woke up all excited because we were visiting a place called Goblin's Cove. It was quite a drive out to Magaliesburg, this is a mountain range to the north west of Johannesburg. We finally arrived at this most enchanting place. The restaurant was full of little nooks and crannies with little fairies, goblins and elves everywhere. The gardens were also very pretty with all the Spring flowers in full bloom! Vicki had never been to Goblin'sCove before and thought it was such a great place to drive out and have a light lunch at, away for the city bustle. Holiday Harry and I decided to try out this old cage for size... I wasn't going to hang around too long though, in case a mischievous gnome got some funny ideas... The whole place was full of mythical creatures and we had a great time playing 'hide-and-go-seek' with them. Another lovely day out in the country...
Vicki Posted Sep 19, 2008, 9:14 am	Well the time has come to say goodbye! I have been here since 7 June and we have had a wonderful visit together but the time has come to move on to my next adventure. Farewell friends....
ChristinaB Posted Sep 30, 2008, 4:11 pm	After a long but silent flight I safely arrived in Vienna/Austria today. I had a warm welcome from my host family and the other toyvoyagers living here (there were Smokehouse, Curly and Robinson who welcomed me and Froggie who just arrived today, too). My host told me that we would have a rest after the exhausting journey for a few days but we will start sightseeing on the weekend - how exciting, isn't it?
fam-united Posted Jun 26, 2011, 6:16 pm	Surprise! I'm not sure, if you still know me. I had been offline for about three years, but I'm back again. I saw, that Vienna is a really beautiful city and I hope to see more someday. Now I hope to hear from you again. I'm not sure, what I should do next. At first, I think, I will play with all the other toyvoyagers, who traveled with me and those, who were here already. Maybe we will have a big toyvoyager party too. Petra just told me, that there are still some more in this house than the ones you can see with me on the photos. Bye, Froggie
fam-united Posted Aug 6, 2011, 12:02 pm	Petra's camera had been at the shop to get rid of the amount of sand in it. So we had no chance to take photos in the meantime. Today it was warm and now there are heavy clouds at the sky. We wait for more rain.
fam-united Posted Aug 19, 2011, 7:38 pm	Today we took a photo of nearly all tvs, which stay here right now. There are several tvs of our host: Aaron, Robinson, Schnuffi, Scotty, Cassiopeia and Simba Leon. Then there are the regular guests: BarryO, Bubo, Henry, Sanji, Tuffy, NiliHH, Jack, Chuckle, WillyW. All the others are tvs, which stayed with hosts, who had some problems and no chance to send them on to their owners or the next host, including me. It is the biggest amount of toyvoyagers I ever had around me
fam-united Posted Sep 9, 2011, 10:09 am	A thunderstorm is coming.
fam-united Posted Jan 28, 2012, 10:16 am	I like this Christmas decoration on the window. It's on the same place each year. If you like it too and want the originals to cut them out for yourself, please send a note to Petra. It's a nice place for us toyvoyagers, too. It is warm and you can see everything that's going on on the street The first photo is without flash, just to show you, how dark it is outside although it is early midday. If Petra hasn't done a mistake, then there are 26 toyvoyagers sitting together. Some are her toyvoyagers, some her daughters and some are rescued toyvoyagers, which still are at her place and of course some are guests, who will move on again.
fam-united Posted Jan 28, 2012, 11:00 am	After the big group photo session the guests finished the stars. Of course we other toyvoyagers were really curious and came to take a look at the beautiful stars. Later a group of starsingers visited our house, but we just had been too slow, so we aren't on this photo. Nevertheless we thougth, that it is a good idea to show you, how starsingers can look like. They don't carry one of our stars, though. They belong to the church region, were our hosts live, but our hosts go to another church, where they lived before. It's a bit complicated In the afternoon we all helped our Petra to bake two cakes. She told us, that tomorrow isn't only Epiphany, but also her husbands 50th birthday and that we will go to the parish hall and carry cakes with us. At first we baked a Hermann cake. It is a cake like a round robin, that's how it seems for me. Petra told us, that she received a part of the cake a few days ago and that she had to stir it and to feed it and that now it is ready to get baken. Of course we added some more stuff like flour, sugar, almonds, cinnamon, chocolate pieces. We read the recipe. Then we had to get some more dishes for the "kids" of this cake. We had been really busy. We also added some apple pieces. We wondered, if this dish would be big enough and decided, that it wasn't. So we took a star for the dough of Hermann.
German Rescue Posted Mar 25, 2012, 10:42 am	Petra has created the German Rescue, so she keeps an overview over all the toyvoyagers at her place. The German Rescue is for toys, who were stuck at a place and then send on to fam-united. I'm sure, I will travel home as soon as you write to my host.
fam-united Posted Apr 29, 2012, 3:58 pm	Finally I found time to read these two pages of two different newspapers of the week. The one is about Bruchsal asparagus. Bruchsal is famous for its asparagus fields and auctions. The other newspaper page is about the baroque palace of Bruchsal. I think, you have a good view to many different parts of the main building with the church tower, but still many houses are missing.
fam-united Posted Apr 30, 2012, 6:30 pm	We have typical April weather in Bruchsal. There is sunshine and the next moment there is hail and thunder and rain.
fam-united Posted Jun 2, 2013, 2:43 pm	Wow! We have another sunny day! I really had no chance to see the flowers in the garden behind the house until now, because the weather was that bad. I can't remember, that we had springweather like this before. All flowers are blooming at the same time and the trees got leaves within minutes it seems.
fam-united Posted Jul 21, 2013, 9:08 pm	Today we decided to bake a rhubarb cake. Our host allowed us to do it all alone without her help. So please take a look at the recipe. We explain it step by step: At first we had to find a place - we are quite a few Of course we aren't all traveling. Some of us are here as active toyvoyagers, but many of us are guests, who decided to stay here as long as the owners don't find time to get in contact with our host. And of course some of us live here, but we all have one thing in common - we are toyvoyagers. At next we had to get the eggs. We need six eggs for the cake. It was Sausi Karl's job to beat the eggs. Then one of us - don't know who - added 50g sugar for each egg, so it was 300 g sugar. It's quite a lot, we know. Madam Miff added one packet of vanilla sugar to the dough. Of course we had to beat the dough again, but we couldn't handle the camera while beating the dough. Matcha and Ted added 300g flour and one packet of baking powder. Then we had to stir the dough again until it was fluffy. Melek helped and Nathalie Then Matcha prepared the dish for the dough. We baked without bottom on a foil. Nathalie was still busy stiring the dough. And the she filled it in the dish. Then we all were sitting there and waiting for the cake to get baken in the oven. Man it was boring at first. But we didn't expect, that half an hour can be such a short time, when so many tvs are together. After this break we had to prepare the rhubarb, because we wanted to fill the cake with rhubarb cream. Little Dragon helped to skin it. And Matcha helped to cut it in pieces. Billy helped Matcha to stay on the pot during cutting the rhubarb pieces. Then we had to prepare some ingrediences for the cream. We needed two packets of vanilly pudding powder, one egg white and one yolk. We had to stir the egg white. Before adding the stirred egg white, we had to add the pudding powder. We had added a little bit of water to it and shook it until it was smooth. Then we added the pudding powder to the cooked rhubarb. We also added the yolk. Then Louis the Rat added the stirred egg white and gently folded it in. Finally we cut the cake in two layers and filled the cream on the first and then on the second layer and put the last layer on top of it.
fam-united Posted Feb 20, 2015, 6:32 pm	There will be a big event in this family this year: the wedding of one of the sons. Petra is happy, that she is allowed to bake the wedding cake. It will be a cake with strawberries and maybe some marzipan. She still doesn't know the other ingredients, so she has to try some cakes and find out the best version. And of course we are part of this. Here's the first cake - I can't remember the ingredients anymore, I'm sorry.

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