A great part of this trip has been catching up with our many old, dear friends scattered around the world (the ‘upside’ of the South African diaspora)! We have already mentioned Mike’s schoolmate, Sean, whom we spent time with in Italy and Germany, and the Reids. We then spent a great day/evening with another of Mike’s school friends, Colin Makin (top left). Mike and Col were in the same boarding house at Kearsney (1981-1985). Colin and Kieran (Tom’s godfather - who will no doubt feature heavily in future blogs) also shared a flat in Durban during their undergraduate days (in a block where Chris and Ann Beath once lived). We then enjoyed a wonderful evening in Wimbledon with one of Lee-Ann’s oldest childhood friends, Cath Michell, her husband Charl and their two boys, Dan and Joe (top right). Lee-Ann and Cath spent many (if not most) school holidays together at Palm Beach on the Natal South Coast (where Lee's parents now live).
Finally, we had a lovely lunch (at Epson Race course) with Luke Jackson, his delightful wife, Suzanne, and their children, Erin and Rory (above). Luke and Mike began their working careers together as graduate trainees at Ford Motor Company in Pretoria almost 20 years ago. Luke also drove the bridesmaids at our wedding and spent a few months with us in Perth before Tom was born. It's been amazing seeing our boys playing with all our friends children and hearing (i.e. being bored by) many stories from their parents ‘good ol days’. Of course, it also makes us forty-something-year-olds fell old! On a less cheerful note, the only disappointment in the UK was not being able to see Mike’s cousin Gavin, who, along with his son Alex, had chicken pox! 
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