Its almost 2009, so here are January birthdays

Funny, in all the places we live in the world, the sun comes up in Australia first and then spreads out a couple of hours later to the rest of us. Now, the new year sees three birthdays and you guessed it - the first one is in Australia.

Jessica	Stapelberg	6	January
Carol	Whitaker	12	January
Molly	Care	21	January

These figures next to the names are dates not ages, just in-case you were thinking Molly.


Happy birthday to you three, you have the privilege of starting 2009 off for the 8cowle blog

We have some special birtdays this year and some of the hi-lites are

Liam 1st birthday, Paul Stapelberg 20, Tania 30, Charnelle the big 50, Billy and Allan the big 60 and all the rest become 1 year older
lets not forget the bigest of the big ones
MITCH TURNS 64

SO ITS PARTY TIME

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL 8COWLES VISITORS

THIS IS A GLOBAL MESSAGE TO ALL THE BLOG VISITORS AND READERS
FROM: MONIQUE BECHARD - DOWN UNDER

THE LAUGHS - WITH CHRISTMAS MESSAGES

I find it very difficult to explain HOW MUCH I enjoyed putting all the Christmas messages together and bring each and everyone of us right into your homes and to share our Christmas with special people. Wow it was an adventure and hope you have many happy memories to share with your loved ones.

Now with all the skype & type messages, included with the photos and video's there is always the funny side - behind the scene shots and recordings - here is a few to add a lighter and brighter side to the festive season........................................ and then there was the different festive family gatherings and Christmas lunch

now you can enjoy the fun with me,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, here goes.

First up is Leon and Elizma, they are 110% ready to do their Christmas message to you all..........

and you thought I would edit it out - got you this time
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Then we have a quick tour around the world on Christmas Day with the family

Episode 1 - series 7
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Episode 2 - series 12 coming to you now

- hot of the press just for the fun of it. I sat and played with the christmas voice message recordings and did some editing and this was the result, I could of spent the whole day I was having soooooooooooooooooo much fun - just cut and paste and delete and add, this is when I stopped and said to hell with it - put it on the blog, originally I was just playing now it is a master piece. No video - just audio - my apologies to the owners of the voices but it was irresistible. ................................................................................

JUST FOR A LAUGH - NOT AT YOU - BUT WITH YOU

CHRISTMAS 2008 - WE HAVE A LIFT OFF

THE CHRISTMAS MESSAGES BEGIN........
from all over the World.............

1. Main message - 2. Mitch - 3. Tessy - 4. Franky - 5. Leon-Elizma & Liam - 6. Tricia
7. Oupa & LIAM - 8. Debbie - 9. Monica - 10. Speacial Grandie - 11. The SMARTIE MAN
12. Carol - 13. Billy
and then some fun stuff

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Well, because the son comes up in Australia first and being Christmas there 6 hours before anybody else in the family, here is Mitch and Tessy's message to us all
Take it away Mitch

IN FRENCH
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Now its Chatterbox's turn - Tessy

the SURFING QUEEN
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its "NIFTY - FRANK TURNED FIFTY" in 2008
From the Citizens of the US - THE COWLES


It was a very good year.
Big Birthdays and Anniversary
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LEOLIZMA.COM in the UK
say - Merry Christmas to THE 8COWLES +

with lots of love from
Leon-Elizma-Liam
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TIME FOR A TOAST @ 5PM IN THE U.A.E.
THE COOPERS RAISE THEIR GLASSES

TO EVERYBODY - CHEERS
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then Oupa and Liam said it all

to return someday soon

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Debbie says Ho-Ho-Ho to everybody

HO-HO-HO
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Monica is Building Bridges

A bridge for each one of us
allover the world.
Molly-Carol-Billy-Tessy-Tricia-Franky-Monica & Kevin
from the
" BAARTS "
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TO A SPECIAL GRANDIE - JESSICA FROM NANNA IN SOUTH AFRICA



TO SANDRA FROM MOM
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TO THE
"SMARTIE MAN"
FROM THE

"SMARTIE GANG"

MANY DAYS AGO - WILL BE AGAIN - ONE DAY ................WHO KNOWS
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To my dear Family, my brothers and sisters.

This comes from my heart, with my nutcrackers
and two of my favourite slide shows

To each and every one of you...a special wish is sent with the Nutcrackers
to guard you from all harm. Thank you for being my family. You all in your
own ways have brought and left some part of you in my life. I have learnt
something from each of you perhaps without you knowing it. I am so fortunate
to have so many siblings, each of you a phone call away with technology
today. A special thank you to you Billy for the pleasure of bringing
everyone 'alive' right here in my home. Thank you with all my heart.

God Bless you and yours this festive season, keep you all safe and may His
guiding light shine upon you all the days of your lives.

Merry Christmas filled with peace, love and joy.
With my love,
Your sister, Carol


For my two WONDERFUL girls
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others still under compiling and uploading - catch a look A BIT LATER ON for them

Dedicated to the ones I LOVE

The video says it all, Luv you lots.......................

some of my favourite songs................reminds me of you.........

lets get skypeing and typing
BILLY
22h30 - 16/12/2008

HAPPY DAYS - Molly turns 60 ** 21-01-2005

This is one that I enjoyed immensely and sharing it brings back some very happy memories, not only Molly's birthday but the trip up north to Zambia. Wish I had a video camera those days.

If we all look back, it started in Newcastle Upon Tyne with Bill & Molly Cowle and then there was Molly and Carol born there. Then the Groot TREK to Africa, stopping over in South Africa - Germiston, Billy joined the club 1949, then off to Swaziland-Bremersdorp, along came Tessy, not long after that we were of to Southern Rhodesia - Bulawayo and Tricia arrived, then we had some more travels ahead of us, Kafue, Gwelo, Wankie, then off to Northern Rhodesia, Broken Hill where Franky was born, then Livingston, Bwana Makubwa and Ndola, Monica joined us here. Maybe I missed a few places, hopefully not any kids, then in 1966 we all, except Molly went back to South Africa, Germiston to 24 Virtop Rd, where Kevin was born.

This trip up north to Molly & Gordon's house in Lusaka- Zambia was a trip down memory lane for me, amazing the feeling was walking around on the soil you grew up on and actually where all of us spent our child hood days - Happy Days- all at once with whooping cough, travelling by train for 7 days to Gennozano on the Natal North coast , Molly and Carol, singing at night the Maro Lanza song DRINK with the university students from Rhodes varsity in the garages at gennozano. Stopping in JO'burg to ride on a Double Decker tram-line bus, WOW!, Walking down the banks of the Zambesi river past the Hippos, Crocs and Elephants in the wild ( no fences) down to the Vic Falls, playing cowbow and crooks in the stone walls of the Zimbabwe Ruins, going down to the movies on a Saturday afternoon with your pile of comics to swop-out and having to give 3 comic books for one Superman comic book was an injustice. Off to the Cafe to sit and sip a coke or a milkshake and put a half penny in the juke-box. Scratching Molly's hair with a needle because it was teased up and sprayed rock hard with hair spray. playing cards at night, the whole family gambling away our pocket money which the Old man won all back. In Bwana makubwa we couldn't wait for month end for the Railway MOVIE coach to arrive so we could watch Seven brides for Seven brothers on the train coach parked in the station for one night. The big party we had the night we blew out the paraffin lamps and switched on the electricity for the first time. What a party with Mr Knotze doing all the dishes after the party and all the LP records were in the kitchen zinc amongst the dishes. Remember it well when the OLD Man threw is own LITTLE PARTY and said if you want I bloody party I will give you one. The days of petrol rationing, Dad was with the St Johns Ambulance brigade and we used to syphon petrol out the ambulance to go for a drive. The day we had brush painted the OPEL CARAVAN station wagon dad had, and Tricia as a baby fell out of her cot and her head hit the wet paint and left half her hair on the side of the car. Polishing the red floors with red polish with the brushes under our feet and dancing to Elvis records while we worked. Sitting on the back step with the big bag of fresh peas, podding them, we had to whistle as not to eat them. Waiting for month end because the groceries were coming by train from the Co-op, and all the surprises of nummies would be in the boxes. Tessy falling under the trailer we were pulling by hand and rope with no breaks, to go on a picnic, she had no skin left. Living across the road of the world champ wrestler, Staying in the Evelyn Rd and having Molly's 21st birthday party. Selling mango's and tomatoes in the streets to make extra pocket money

Hey let shere of some of your stories from way back then..........................

dedicated to Molly's loyal staff house keeper and friend JOSEPH who passed away recently

CHRISTMAS MESSAGES

CHRISTMAS MESSAGES - FROM ANYBODY TO ANYBODY-

By now you would have received my email about your Xmas messages on the blog and I have received a few replies aswell.

This is for you all whoever you are, if you haven't got skype to skype call me, the skype type it, or even email your message- either way it will appear on the blog. Now this is for you all, send a message to your brother, sister, the whole group, send one to Mom and dad or Grand dad/mom, send one to your kids or grand kid - whoever from to whoever - that's what its all about, send a message of LOVE this Christmas via the blog for your special person, family member or even a whole family, aunt or uncle, brother or sister, just do it. On the last count we were 50, ranging from the eldest to the youngest, from the Wadeys, Care, Whitakers, Burnetts, Ritchies, Stapelburgs, Cowles and cowles, Bechards, Coopers, TheCowles, the Baarts, the Taylors and any bodyelse, just get skypeing or typing, And one more thing, if you have a recent photo of one or two or 3 or 8 of you then email that aswell. Ok the blog is waiting.

email to "8cowles@gmail.com"

here is a taste................................

get skypeing or typing, but do it- from Billy

Tania's moment of truth

Yip we have all had our moments on the BLOG, there was Mitch turning 64, Frank showing us how not to Braai, Tessy on her surf board, Carol as a construction manager, Molly stealing hats with Tori, Kevin(baart) singing Sound of Music, Monica turning 21, Paul jnr getting married, Shaun shooting Father Christmas, Tricia dreaming, Monique catch fish, to name just a few.
Hey, and Liam was born.
Now here is one of my favourites of a TANIA MOMENT.

Tania-first year student at Pretoria University-TUKKIES. Every year, it is tradition that all the residences-hostels- Koshuise 1st year students, must take part in a Drama/variety competition against one another and the winning house takes the floating trophy. Well, Katjieperring the res Tania was in, was due on stage for their turn/show, but they were not quite ready, so someone pushed Tania onto the front curtain stage and said- Keep the audience busy for a couple of minutes until we are ready.

So here she is THINKING ON HER FEET and what a ADLIB JOB she did. enjoy it with me and give plenty applause or if you so feel, a standing ovation - its worth it.


TROTS OP JOU - MY MADAMPIE - OUGROOTE

LETS HIT THE SURF THE HARD WAY

JUST SIT BACK AND CLOSE YOUR EYES FOR A MINUTE.......................AND

Imagine, all the hard work that these dedicated Guys and Dolls from the DSA in Australia put into this event AND EVERY OTHER EVENT THEY PUT ON -- patience and more patience, the unselfish time they give up and the smiles they put into peoples lives and happiness in their hearts.

Imagine, what it feels like riding a wave when you can't even walk on the beach, never mind swim in the sea.

Imagine, the build-up of excitement the weeks and days and hours before the big day for those taking part.

Imagine, TERESA taking the trip down to the beach from home, filled with overflowing expectations and thrills to be experienced, onto her 4X4 and into the see, with
"A LITTLE HELP FROM HER FRIENDS"

IMAGINE - THANKS TO THE DSA

Today 7th December 2008 I had my first wipe-out on the surfboard WOW what a dunking that was. I received a trophy for "THE WIPE-OUT OF THE DAY" As usual the DSA Team lead by Craig Castles, The President of the Gold Coast Branch, were fantastic and I often wonder now if it wasn't for them I may never have gone in the surf again.

Love

Tessy / Teresa (Queen of the Surf)

Member of Disabled Surfers Assoc. Gold Coast

Dreams - thats where EVERYTHING STARTS

Some pictures of our dream property in France - Pat & Allan

To have a vision is putting a dream into action it then leads to reality.

Bill Gates of Microsoft had a dream - the reality is a PC in every home ?????????
The American Dream - JFK and his man on the moon,
Barack has brought the American dream alive, once again.

None of this would happen if it were not for dreams.

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.

A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.

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Hows this property. Looked at it with the view of doing a B&B. Needs lots of work inside. Good place to retire to.
Pat and Allan Cooper

anybody for Bed and Breakfast - bacon and eggs at 06h30 then a walk down the park and coffee at 9am -
visa and american express welcome

Building the memories - the betamax machines

Hi to everyone, great to see you back and looking at the blog once again.

it has been quite an eventful year and I had such a fabulous time building up the memories and reading your comments and emails, we will just have to wait and see next year when Mitch turns "64", now that will be an event. Now all the time spent doing this has been more exciting for me than it has been for you reading and watching them, but below is a video that was extremely exciting and challenging for me. There is a web-site called www.ebay.com and it is basically an electronic auction site where you place a bid on an item, there are literally millions of items from a elephant to a half smoked cigarette. Well over the last year I have been bidding on Betamax video machines and have won quite a few but seem to have lost the good ones, but when I get them, Oh no, they don't work. One will have sound but no picture, and another no sound but picture, others eat up the video tape and so on............

Now I have had 6 of them but not one works, ranging from £10-00 to £60-00. So off with the covers and out with the tools, I test left right and center, this head, that motor, this loading mechanism, and realise that if I put all these parts into one machine it should work. WOW you have seen the results, IT WORKS. Then at the end of the video below, I have given you a peak of the 8COWLES VIDEO STUDIO and store of tapes, so enough waffling, I must get busy to transfer some more tapes from the old beta and VHS tapes to Digital media on my PC, just love it..... cheers

just hope that it works - WOW - YIPPIE

MEMORIES - JUST FOR THE FUN OF IT

The blog has brought laughter and joy, some tears but all happy ones.
and many sleepless nights.
thanks to all YOUR contributions you have sent in over time, now as 2008 draws to a close soon, we can look at some HI-LITES

Looking back over the past year or two since I really got stuck into producing the blog, it made me think, why I did not start it earlier, well one was TIME and the other is technology, In SA I had a dial up 56k modem and then a wireless modem on 3G, down loading cost a fortune and that was that, now fortunately I have fibre optic cable - full HI-speed open ended broadband, so the is no cost or time limit. The beauty of the blog is that we don't all have to send and receive to everybody & from everybody or upload and download - its all in one place.
www8cowles.blogspot.com

Having upgraded my PC to a Hi-end model with a few gadgets that open and shut, with my VHS and BETA video machines, Itunes down loadable music and the wonder of GOOGLE BLOGs and Picaso 3, the result is 8cowles blog and finally to make it all work - the input of pics and news you all send to me.

Here is a quick walk down the last couple of years in photo-movie style- 2008 - the way we were and looking back

sit back and enjoy it and we need all your Christmas photos and stories of the
family get togethers to make the blog even
MORE BEAUTIFUL

DECEMBER 2008 - BIRTHDAYS

As 2008 draws to a close we have two birthdays in the same family to celebrate this month.

James Stapelburg 4th December

and then there is
James and Sandra's Daughter- Sarah 9th December.

The year has had some special birthdays, although all birthdays are special in there own way for each one of us and our direct loved ones.

Here are a few of the high-lights of the year.

There were two guys who turned 50 - Franky and Daryll
Kathrine Baart became a teenager

Kirstyn turned 21
Kaitlyn had her 1st Birthday
Liam was born
Mitch is nearly 64

Happy Birthday to you all from the 8cowles blog

A piece of GOLD TREASURE - never seen before

GALWAY BAY - ACROSS THE SEAS TO IRELAND

This is ONE of the first ever videos I made, it was a hired video camera that I hired for Christmas 1983 @ R 75-00 per day for 3 days, Ria's brother in law -Tom, went halfies with me as I could not afford the whole 3days, it was also the time before video cameras were for sale as it was new technology and not ready for the home user.
Now I could capture the festive season on tape. One the best things I have done in my life

It has a clip in it of a video that none of you have seen, and it is the only piece of video I have of the MAIN STAR, this was shot at 24 Virtop Road, Gerdview, Germiston. Dated 26th December 1983. The Bechards were there, with Mitch's sister Patricia. Our Kevin is in the movie, with our 2 kids and the Bechard kids.

Then of course there was Still Beautiful " DAD" & ....................... get out the Kleenex and watch the movie.

After watching it, I would love to have a penny for your thoughts.


"And I will ask my LORD to lay me neath the heather,
in that dear land across the Irish sea."

One of the best things I have done - you may ask, well this Xmas of '83 I hired this camera, and captured the last Christmas of not only Mom but Ria's Dad as well , little knowing at the time, that they would both pass away during 1984, and we have this to treasure for generations to come.