A singer from Pop Star.

This singer came to Cartagena for the opening of a bar and we went to the concert. He was very friendly and wrote an authograph for Juan's children in the school. We were there with Juan's colleagues. All of them are very friendly and we meet them quite often. Javi and Deli came as well.

Eurovision in a friend's house.

Eurovision is a musical festival that takes place every year in a different country in Europe. The night of the festival all friends meet to watch it together. Spain got very bad points, as usual...

Here is a description of what Eurovision is that I found on the internet: "The Eurovision Song Contest is one of the longest running television shows in the world. It was on the 24th of May, 1956, that Europe saw the first ever Eurovision Song Contest. After 52 runnings, the contest is one of the most typical European traditions".

Anyway, we met at Deli and Javi's house, had dinner there and watched the festival. But before it started we made a bet, every person there left two euros in a box and wrote the name of the country that he or she thought that could be the winner. Russia won, and I won the bet, more than 30 euros (R300)! Lucky me!


















Look at the doll's face. One of Deli and Javi's children painted it. Isn't it scary? ha,ha,ha.........

A party at home.

We planned a surprise party for one of our friends. He thought that we were going to go to a restaurant for dinner, but first he had to pass by our house. All the friends were there waiting in the darkness to give him the big surprise.

Rural Tourism

A few months ago we went to a small village in the north of Murcia region called Caravaca. Caravaca is a funny name for a village, if we translate it it could sound something like "cow face", haha. We went there with three other couples, Silvia and Blas , Susana and Álvaro and Victoria and Pedro. We spent a nice weekend together... and we had a BRAAI! The three girls and Juan used to work in the same school. Nowadays all four of them work in different places but we are still in contact. This week we will go to the theatre with them. They are very nice people.






Here are some of us. The boy and the girl on the sofa are getting married very soon. The other two are already married.









Starting the fire.









Mmmmmmmmmm!









Using Anton's technique.









Playing "Parras Parras" as Annetjie used to say.

Football Eurocup

As I told you by phone, we have been following the football competition. It was the Eurocup, it is celebrated every 4 years. We always support the Spanish team! It was the perfect excuse to meet the friends, have dinner together, etc. On these photos you can see different meetings in different friends' houses.

The last time that Spain won the Eurocup was in 1964, but this time they were playing really well. In fact, our team beat Italy, Germany and many other strong teams and after 43 years of loosing they won the cup. Big celebrations all over the country. Spain is having a period of lots of luck, not only with football.This season Spain is doing very very well in basketball, motorcycling, tennis, Formula 1, etc.

Here I am with some friends, The guys in blue and white are teachers from the same school as Juan.









Here we are in Belen and Santiago's house, two of our best friens, they have the baby whose craddle we decorated with the flag.









This was the night of "the final", celebrating the victory with cava (that is the name of the Spanish champagne)

This summer.

Do you like my new swimming trunks?

As you know I have got few days of my holidays left that I can take.Lucky Juan, is on his long summer holidays. I have changed my timetable (I work the same amount of hours, but I have the "freedom" to choose the time I start and finish). I start a little bit earlier and that way I finish earlier and we have more free time together in the afternoons / evenings. We have a lot of sunlight hours to go to the beach, to visit friends...... Juan tries to have all the homework done by the time I arrive and that way we can do whatever we want. Some days we go to a beautiful beach called Calblanque and we spend a few hours there. First we drive on the highway from our house for about 15 minutes and then another 10 minutes on a dirt road through the mountains to get to this beach. It is beautiful. Just look at the pictures!


Calblanque beach from the sky (internet photo).




Here is where we like to swim.




Juan took this picture. I promisse you it wasn't me.



Juan says: Look at this huge metal buoy that the sea brought to the shore. I love to take funny pictures. Actually Werner's trying to push it along the beach and over the mountains to the car, to send it to you for you to decorate your garden... but sorry, he couldn't even move it. Not even a centimetre... If only Riaan and his strength were here!

Soon we will post pictures of other beaches that we like to go to.

Talk to you soon!

Hi Everybody

I was thinking of doing something special to celebrate my MUM's birthday and I have decided... to open this "blog"!!!

On this page Juan and I will tell you everything that is happening in our lives. We will upload pictures, etc. We will tell you our plans, things that we are doing, have done or would like to do.

This blog is private, I mean, nobody but you can access it. I would like all the family members to open it and read it every now and then. We will try to update it quite often. At the end of every text you can read "comentarios" You can click there and write whatever you want and we will be very happy to read it.

Everytime we write something new it will appear at the top of the page, if you want to read old posts just click "entradas antiguas" at the end of the page and it will take you to the older letters. If you have any questions about the way the blog works, just ask. It's very easy, and unless you want to watch a video I think your internet connexion can be off. The videos I'm talking about won't be ours, they will be from another web called Youtube.

And there's no better way to start with it than dedicating a few words to Mum.

Juan and I can't be there for your birthday, but at least we would like you to spend a few nice minutes reading this!

Werner writes:

Hello my liefste Moeder!!

We were planning to send you a letter / birthday card or something, but with post getting lost, etc. Juan came up with this brilliant idea of starting this blog, dedicated to you.

Can't believe you are turning sixty and you are so full of energy, working full time in your house, and doing all the wonderful things you do everyday for all your children (including dad, hahaha).

I wish we could be there to celebrate it with you, but we will be thinking of you (as we always do) and we will phone you to wish you another sixty years!!

I hope you enjoy the present which dad bought for you on our behalf.

Anyway, you know that you and the rest of our Kriel family means the world to us and that we only wish all of you the best.

Muchos besos!!!

Werner / Jonny

Juan writes:

Hi South African family! We are going to miss the celebration but promise me that we will celebrate the birthday againg once we are there. We don't know yet when we will be able to travel there but it will happen, and that time it will be both of us who go together to visit you.

I want to say sorry (in advance) because of my poor English. I am a little bit confused. Werner told me something about Annetjie's bithday but I did't understand well... Did he say that you are turning sixty o sixteen? Those two numbers sound so similar to me that sometimes I get confused... And then... did he explain to me that you are planning your sixtieth birthday party or your sexiest birthday party? (maybe Chantelle could teach you to do the catwalk and do a sexy modeling show) haha. Anyway, ENJOY whatever you plan, we will go for a special dinner thinking of you.

We hope as well that you'll have piece of... With a glass of...