Froggy the Frog, Pretoria, South Africa

Tomi Posted Nov 11, 2011, 1:41 pm	Hey Today i got my Tag so i'm going to leav my Mentor Tomi today to visit Philliph O-Feld. I hope he does some nice photos with me and i'll see my Dad again about the middle of December Kind Regards, Froggy
Philliph O-Feld Posted Nov 17, 2011, 4:33 pm	Hi dad, I'm fine. I finally arrived yesterday. The trip was actually quite pleasant. My host has been pleased about your letter. Unfortunately, she was traveling yesterday. But I think we'll have fun together. See you soon. Froggy the Frog
Philliph O-Feld Posted Nov 19, 2011, 2:16 pm	Moin Moin, I am a dear little frog. My host is very happy with me. I helped her with a presentation. It was pretty difficult. But luckily Russ was there. He has helped us. I've also packed a pen in her Pencilcase so she would not forget him. I've seen the cat of my hosts. He is so cute! But also a bit dangerous. I like him.  Many greetings from Froggy the frog.
Philliph O-Feld Posted Nov 20, 2011, 3:44 pm	Hi there, today I was in the bog with Russ. It was so foggy. I could see nearly nothing. But we had fun. See you soon. Froggy
Philliph O-Feld Posted Nov 21, 2011, 6:47 pm	Russ has left us today. Now I'm the only TV of my hosts. Well, their little sisters still have other stuffed animals. Maybe I can play with them a little bit. See you soon Froggy the Frog
Philliph O-Feld Posted Nov 24, 2011, 5:17 pm	Hi, I have such a funny time here. Today Hannibal arrived. He´s so big, but very nice. Bye Froggy the Frog
Philliph O-Feld Posted Nov 27, 2011, 3:09 pm	Hello, I wish you a happy first advent. Hannibal and I have met Santa Claus. Have a nice day.
Philliph O-Feld Posted Nov 28, 2011, 4:31 pm	Hello again, Today I was at the Kiel Canal. Here it is called "Nord-Ostsee-Kanal". Here you can find some Informations about it. On the one pictures you can see the "Schwebefähre" and the Rendsburg High Bridge. Here you can find some informations about them. Bye, bye! Froggy the Frog ♥
Philliph O-Feld Posted Dec 3, 2011, 12:23 pm	Hi! Hannibal and I have baked cookies. We had so much fun! The weather is getting really bad. It rains all the time! But the weather report has said that it should snow in the next days. We´ll see.  Bye! Froggy
Philliph O-Feld Posted Dec 4, 2011, 3:42 pm	Hello! today you can see the pictures of cookie baking. First, we have done all the ingredients in a bowl. Then we have kneaded the dough. It was quite exhausting! As it says in the recipe, we have then placed the dough in the fridge to cool. After half an hour, the dough looked like on the one picture. Then we began to cut out. I would prefer to snack even when the cookies were still cool down. But I would have burned my mouth when I did it. The finished cookies are so colorful and tasty! I wish you a happy second advent! Have a nice day! Froggy ♥
Philliph O-Feld Posted Dec 8, 2011, 4:58 pm	Oh, look at me! I´m here with Santa Claus! Soon I will see you again. Since then. Froggy the frog
Philliph O-Feld Posted Dec 11, 2011, 8:20 pm	Hi, excuse me, I'm still here. The post office had already closed when I should be sent. : ( But I was in Hamburg today. I've seen so much: First, you see how I am driven by a train. By Rendsburg, Neumünster and then we arrived in Hamburg. In the train I was eating a sandwich. Yummy! In "Hamburg Hauptbahnhof" arrived, we saw cute little teddy bear. We bought two for a charitable purpose. In a shop window were a few characters from the "Seesamstraße" . Outside, we went on the Christmas market! There were sooooo many candy and carousels. I've decided to go for a delicious crab sandwiche. Then we passed the St. Peter's Church. After a short visit we went to City Hall. The Christmas market on the town square was really full. Here in the north Santa Claus does not seem to come with the sled, I thought at first, but then I saw him later with sled and reindeers fly away. Later we arrived at the Harbour. So much water! And so great ships! Even an old, with a rear wheel. Finally, we are driven a bus that shows us Hamburg. Sorry, that some images are so crooked and lopsided, the bus has so wobbled! I had a beautiful day in Hamburg and come straight home tomorrow. I promise! Froggy the Frog
Tomi Posted Dec 14, 2011, 5:31 pm	Hey, today i arrived at home. I was able to welcome all the new tv's at our place. At the weekend we will go to the forest so i hope you'll be okay with just this picture he made. Also he bought DJ Hero 1 today and we played it together. It's really fun See you Tommy the Bear p.s: I just wanted to thank my great host Philliph O-Feld for hosting me. Also i wanted to thank him for the great postcards.
Katara Posted Mar 7, 2012, 3:17 pm	Hi Tomi, Today I arrived in Pretoria, South Africa. Bubblegum, a visiting ToyVoyager from Germany, helped me out of the stuffy enveloped and welcomed me with a hearty 'Guten Tag!'  He is very excited to have a comrade! I shared the chocolates I brought with, with Bubblegum. For dinner I had some tasty 'red lentil and coconut soup' with some herb dumplings.  I am looking forward to my stay in South Africa! Lots of love, Froggy
Katara Posted Mar 9, 2012, 7:41 pm	Hi Tomi, Today Katara taught me and Bubblegum how to make a traditional South African dish called 'Melkkos'. Directly translated it means 'milk food'. It can be eaten for breakfast or a light lunch. First we heated three cups of milk in a pot on the stove. In a separate bowl we rubbed one cup of flour and 20ml of butter/margarine using our fingers. We also added a pinch of salt. As soon as the milk lightly started boiling, we added the butter and flour mixture. The mixture was lumpy, but Katara said that it was supposed to be that way. We let the mixture simmer for about 15 mins, and we stirred it often. After 15 mins, it was ready to be served. All it needed was a generous sprinkling of cinnamon sugar. YUMMY!
Katara Posted Mar 12, 2012, 7:22 pm	Hi Tomi, Today we attended a birthday party of one of Katara's friends and we had a great time!  We drank some shooters called 'Melktertjies' (A half a bottle of Vodka, 1 tin of Ideal milk and 1 tin of condensed milk all mixed together and served chilled in shooter glasses with a sprinkling of cinnamon on top). It tastes like Melktert (Milk Tart) which is a traditional tart of Dutch origin and very popular in South Africa. In the evening we ate some "Potjiekos" made in a Dutch Oven over a coal fire. It was like a stew/casserole with meat and vegetables. We ate it together with some rice. I really enjoyed it! Greetings from South Africa, Froggy
Katara Posted Mar 13, 2012, 11:46 am	Hi Tomi! Today Bubblegum and I helped Katara prepare a "koekstruif" (trifle). Katara bought a Swiss roll. We cut it into slices and we lined the glass bowl with the cake Katara then poured some Old Brown Sherry over the cake, and allowed it to draw into the cake. Next we added a layer of custard, jelly and cream We added another layer of cake and custard. Katara added some strawberry jelly which she prepared with strawberry pieces the night before Katara topped off the 'koekstruif' with a layer of cream We ate the 'koekstruif' for dessert - It was delicious!
Katara Posted Mar 16, 2012, 5:57 pm	Hi Tomi, Yesterday and today it has been raining... So we decided to surf the Internet. We found a site that we really liked! It's full of crafts and tutorials  We saw a tutorial on how to make an Easter Bunny and we asked Katara if we could make it. We chose some material from Katara's stash We pinned the pattern pieces to the material and sewed them together with the sewing machine Our creation! A big Easter Bunny and a small one! Afterwards for a snack we shared a grenadilla. It was yum!
Katara Posted Mar 17, 2012, 6:52 pm	Hi Tomi, Today the weather cleared, so we had sunshine!  In the morning we went to the community library Then we went to the shops I met some chocolate Easter Bunnies!  Can you spot me?? And of course we spent some time at the sweet isle! It was a fun outing! Greetings from South Africa, Froggy xxx
Katara Posted Mar 18, 2012, 6:51 pm	PART 1 Hi Tomi Today we went to the Irene Dairy. The Irene Dairy Farm is a picturesque gem that nestles between the sprawling cities of Pretoria and Johannesburg. A visit to this old-style, storybook dairy farm is a must. Started in 1895, the Irene Farm has been run the whole time by the van der Byl family who are now on to five generations and has become an iconic landmark in the Gauteng countryside. To read more you can click on THIS LINK This is the Dairy Farm Shop Outside there is a lovely fountain. You can toss coins into it - all the coins are donated to the SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) Some old farm equipment Bubblegum and I tried to tell the time on the sun-dial, but it was a little cloudy...
Katara Posted Mar 19, 2012, 10:36 am	PART 2: We continued to explore Irene Dairy Farm There are troughs all around the farm which provides drinking water for the animals There are also several ponds at the farm We met some calves - This one tried to kiss us! And this one was quite curious! Here is the building were all the calves are kept
Katara Posted Mar 21, 2012, 6:06 pm	PART 3: We had some lunch at "The Barn" at the Dairy. I had a great day!!  Lots of hugs, Froggy
Katara Posted Mar 24, 2012, 3:15 pm	Hi Tomi, Today we went to the Centurion Mall It's an open-air shopping centre. There were some Easter decorations hanging from the trees. It looked so pretty! I'm not sure that the photos do it justice. For lunch we went to the "Milky Lane"- It's an ice-cream bar, and we ordered some waffles. It was delicious!!  The waitress brought some syrups to our table, but as the waffles we ordered were already very sweet we didn't use the syrups. I had a great day! Greetings from Pretoria, Froggy xx
Katara Posted Mar 27, 2012, 9:06 pm	Hi Tomi  Today we went to visit Katara's in-laws. On our way there we drove underneath a restaurant that is built over the highway. Katara's in-laws live on a plot about 60km from Katara's home. I also met their 2 Boxer dogs, Penny and Sylvester - they are so lively! They also have some geese I was a bit afraid that the geese might try to eat me, but Katara held me tight! I had a nice day! Lots of love, Froggie
Katara Posted Apr 2, 2012, 9:15 pm	Hi Tomi, Today I went for a ride on the Gautrain with Katara's husband. The Gautrain is a rapid transportation system between the two city hubs of Johannesburg and Pretoria. Generally South Africa has got a very poor public transportation system. The Gautrain was built because of the FIFA World Cup 2010 that South Africa hosted. Arriving at the station Inside the train Travelling by bus to our destination Yours, Froggy
Katara Posted Apr 5, 2012, 4:50 pm	Hi Tomi, Today we went to visit Katara's sister in Greenstone. We went for a stroll in the residential estate that they reside in. We saw some big newly-built houses. Seeing that I spent a lot of time in peoples' mailboxes - being a ToyVoyager, I quite liked the look of this particular one! It isn't old at all although it looks quite old Bubblegum and I spotted a play park, and of course begged Katara to take us there to have a little bit of fun! From the play park we had a beautiful view of Modderfontein.  Home of the Dynamite Factory. (You can see Kelvin power station in the background). "Modderfontein Dynamite Factory was established in 1894 on a site in the rolling hills northeast of Johannesburg, covering several thousand acres.Today it is the biggest dynamite factory in the world. It was established principally to supply the emerging gold mines of the Witwatersrand with much needed explosives which were required to reach the newly discovered main reef at ever deeper levels." You can read more about it here Just scroll down to "A brief history of Modderfontein" Bubblegum and I tried to make friends with the birds, but unfortunately no one was home. Perhaps next time! After the looooong walk we were very tired, so we stopped to rest I had a great day!!!
Katara Posted Apr 6, 2012, 5:45 pm	Hi Tomi, Yesterday another ToyVoyager from Germany arrived. His name is Phog. This is his first adventure as a TV.  We helped him out of the dark envelope and he was very happy to meet 2 fellow German TV's! Today we had a nice relaxing day at home. For lunch we made a 'braai' (bbq) First I got to taste a South African beer and an alcoholic cooler We got everything ready. Katara made us some garlic buns and placed them in foil. Katara also bought some "Boerewors". It is very popular in South Africa, and no one makes a "braai" without some "Boerewors" I helped braai the meat And then the feast was ready!! And for dessert we braaied some marshmallows! Yummy!!
Katara Posted Apr 11, 2012, 5:35 pm	HAPPY EASTER!! Today the Easter Bunny brought us some Easter Eggs!
Katara Posted Apr 17, 2012, 5:50 pm	Hi Tomi, Today I greeted Bubblegum. He is off to America today to continue on his travels!  Phog and I helped him into the envelope and wished him a safe journey! Bon Voyage Bubblegum!!
Katara Posted Apr 17, 2012, 6:09 pm	Hi Tomi! Tonight I helped Katara set the table for a nice candlelit dinner  Katara prepared some polenta and saucy meatballs. It was very tasty! And for dessert we had some delicious chocolate cake which Katara had prepared earlier the day. It was very yummy!!
Katara Posted Apr 19, 2012, 1:40 pm	Hi Tomi, I'm very excited! Phog invited me to his birthday party on 21 April!  I can't wait!! I will ask Katara if she will take me to buy Phog a small gift for his birthday
Katara Posted Apr 21, 2012, 8:14 am	Hi Tomi! In the evening Phog and I helped Katara prepare dinner. We made a chickpea curry and ate it with a wrap. It was very tasty! First we diced and fried the onions Then we added some curry paste We chopped up a tomato and added it to the pan Next followed the chickpeas and a little coconut cream Dinner is ready! I'm missing you but I'm having a great time!  Froggy
Katara Posted Apr 23, 2012, 5:58 pm	Hi Tomi Today is Phog's birthday party!! I'm really looking forward to it! Bloomer and I helped Phog with the party preparations. The time flew past and before we knew it, it was 14:00! As Phog is a fellow German I wished him in German: "Herzlichen Glückwunsch zum Geburtstag!" Soon after the other guests arrived. We all sang "Happy Birthday!" in Afrikaans. This is the words to the song: "Veels geluk liewe Phog  omdat jy verjaar! Mag die Here jou seen en nog baie jare spaar!" Then we played some games. First up was "Pin-the-clown-nose". The guests started off by spinning me around until I was dizzy, and then I tried to pin the nose onto the clown. The guests laughed a lot!! I came quite close to pinning the clown nose in the correct position. Tee hee!! Next we played "Twister". It was a lot of fun!! Then we were all feeling hungry, so Phog presented the 'snacks' and Birthday cake. Afterwards we all played some 'Badmington'.  Phog got many presents! The party was great! I had a lot of FUN!!
Katara Posted Apr 30, 2012, 5:57 pm	Hi Tomi! Today we drove past the Voortrekker Monument The Voortrekker Monument 'is situated in the northern part of South Africa in the Pretoria (Tshwane) region in a nature reserve. It is a unique Monument which commemorates the Pioneer history of Southern Africa and the history of the Afrikaner and is situated in a beautiful setting. Today it is the most visited heritage site of its kind in Gauteng and one of the top ten cultural historical visitor attractions in the country'.
Katara Posted May 2, 2012, 7:34 pm	Hi Tomi  PART ONE: Today we took a drive to Hartbeespoort. "Hartbeespoort, informally also known as "Harties", is a small resort town in the North West Province of South Africa, situated on slopes of the Magaliesberg mountain and the banks of the Hartbeespoort Dam. The name of the town means "gateway of the hartbees" (a species of antelope) in Afrikaans. It was previously known as Schoemansville, named after General Hendrik Schoeman, a Boer General in the Anglo-Boer War, who owned the farm that the Hartbeespoort Dam was built on.[2] The town consists mainly of holiday homes around the dam as it is popular with visitors from nearby Gauteng Province. It is home to the Om Die Dam (English:  Around the dam) ultra marathon of 50 km, which takes place annually in the first half of the year" (Information from wikipedia) We stopped at the Welwitchia Country Market.
Katara Posted May 7, 2012, 4:59 pm	PART TWO: We walked past the entrance of a snake part. I begged Katara not to take me inside - because I was fearing for my life!! Fortunately we didn't enter and I just posed for a picture outside. This shop had very nicely made buck lampshades - from wire and paper. On they way back we passed some fruit vendors that have stalls next to the road. They were selling citrus and avocados. We drove over the Hartbeespoort dam wall... Then we entered a short tunnel that cuts through the mountain right next to the wall. And coming out the other side! We stopped next to the road to admire the Dam, and we saw a few houses that have their own garages for speed boats! I had a great day! Hugs, Froggy xxx
Katara Posted May 10, 2012, 10:03 am	Hi Tomi, Today me, together with Phog and Bloomer helped Katara prepare a "Koelkasvla-en-kondensmelktert" (Custard and condensed milk tart) for her mother-in-law's birthday. First we read through the recipe Then we got all the ingredients together We prepared the custard Next we chopped up some cherries and added it to the condensed milk and lemon juice We lined a dish with some biscuits and then spooned the condensed milk mixture over it We then packed another layer of biscuits on top of the mixture Next we added a layer of cooled down custard We decorated the tart with a layer of cream and some cherries We placed the tart in the fridge to set. Later on we each had a slice  Delicious!
Katara Posted May 26, 2012, 2:41 pm	Hi Tomi  Last night Phog and I helped Katara in the kitchen. We made some Lasagne  First we gathered all the ingredients Then we fried the chopped onion and grated carrot together with a little butter and some mixed herbs We added the mince and browned it. Next we added a little bit of red wine, some brown onion soup, tomato and onion mix and some tomato paste and we let the mixture simmer. In the meantime, Katara prepared the Bechamel sauce. We then layered the mince, Bechamel Sauce and Lasagne sheets and topped it with some grated Cheddar and Mozzarella cheese We prepared two extra trays of Lasagne to go into the freezer We baked the Lasagne in the oven and ate it with some soft bread. It was delicious!
Katara Posted Jun 1, 2012, 2:46 pm	Hi Tomi Today I spent some time outside  Katara also showed me the view they have from their front door  Later on I helped Katara weave a scarf
Katara Posted Jun 1, 2012, 3:01 pm	Hi Tomi, To celebrate my last day in South Africa, Katara took me out to dinner to "Spur". We ordered some hamburgers  Phog and I shared a Peppamelt Burger (Cheese burger with pepper sauce) And for dessert we had some "Melktert" (Milk tart) at home. It was very nice! I had a great evening!!

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