"Vellies"

Growing up in Zimbabwe and South Africa, we were used to most of our dads, uncles, brothers etc., wearing these:



Here's the description from Wikipedia: Veldskoens (or veldskoene, pronounced "FELL-skoons") are South African shoes made from untanned leather or soft rawhide uppers attached to a soft sole. Their name comes from Afrikaans vel ("hide") and skoen ("shoe"), and their design is believed to be based on the traditional Hottentot footwear observed by the first Dutch settlers in South Africa[1]. Veldskoens are familiarly referred to as "vellies" in South African slang.

I love these shoes, as they are such a 'blast from the past' and a reminder of my childhood in Africa. So imagine my delight when I found these for Jack:




They are from Babies R Us of all places and I got them in two sizes as they were on clearance for $2 a pair! Now he's a real South African boytjie!