Fall Begins....

South Africans keep telling me winter is coming but I am not convinced.  I do see an odd tree around whose leaves are changing and we do sometimes need to turn on space heaters in the childrens' rooms at night.  On the other hand, the sun is shining, swim practice continues and my winter clothes are still tucked far away.  Paolo is in the USA this week so at least he is getting a chance to wear a coat for a few days. Some glimpses of early Autumn in Pretoria...

Yep, our dominant cat, 1/10 the weight of Enzo, shares most of Enzo's meals.  Our gentle giant knows better than to protest.

Two buddies hanging out on the golf course during a Friday afternoon playdate...

And then enjoying our favorite pizza at Alfie's.

Thumbs up!

Maria developed quite a crush on Nathan.  I see this might be happening quite often as she grows.  Yikes.

In early April we drove down to Soweto to take a bike tour.

First stop.  Our guides were terrific.  All have spent their entire lives in Soweto and shared they pride and love for the vibrant community.

Gio loved the 4 hour tour and stayed right up front with the guide the entire time.  I was far in the back (with Maria riding on the back of my bike I was not going at warp speed) but Paolo reports Gio kept up a nearly constant repertoire of questions and comments to keep the guide from getting bored. ha ha.

Visiting one of the "mansions" of Soweto.  This one is occupied by famed jazz musician Abigail Khubeka.

Taking a break in a Soweto beer hall.

A few days later Maria and I headed out to do a bit of shopping.  This particular store has many USA imports.  I have a love/hate relationship with the store's set of toddler-sized carts.  This is what Maria does when she gets her hands on one of them.  I must confess I distracted Maria and ditched her full cart.  Phew.  That would have been quite a sugar rush. 

I have begun a fun Wednesday morning ritual of going out with a group of fellow dog owners for a walk with our dogs in a park near Maria's school.

This sweet pup Walter is 5 months old.  Enzo is trying to share all of his wisdom with him.

Without central heating our house does get a bit nippy at night.  Bruno and Gio are fighting the chill with blankets and snuggling.

Last week I got to have Gio all to myself on Thursday thanks to student conferences.  We headed to our favorite pizzeria.

Gio got a full lesson in pizza making.

Paolo took a quick trip to Zambia and brought back a "BeeBah" t-shirt for Maria.

Time for Sunday brunch....

...and then a Sunday evening fishing lesson.
Big brothers are the best.

While the kids fished the furry Bellis (all 4 of them)
hung out nearby.

This week Gio began swim training at the University of Pretoria.  The other children are older and with more skills but Gio is determined and not intimidated.  He is hoping to make the AISJ swim team next year so he is motivated to try to keep up with the big kids here.  

This sweet boy next to Gio is a 4th grader at AISJ and did his best to help Gio get through his first practice.
 

Paolo returns from the USA next week.  He has one more small trip soon after (to Namibia, I think??) and then we head to the Drakensberg Mountains for a long weekend away April 27-May 2.  We found a resort that allows dogs so Enzo and Bruno are coming along.  Should be an interesting road trip!