Six months in Oz

As of the 18th December we have been in Australia for 6 months. Can you believe it? It feels like I have been here for years already. I have found my way around and settled in as a hot knife to butter would. It feels familiar to me. I can only reason it’s because of the similarities in climate and lifestyle to South Africa, especially Margate, where I grew up.

Where we live in Berowra, we are surrounded by bush. I cannot explain to you how noisy the bush is. The cicadas are bloody loud and they begin their symphony as soon as it starts to heat up. Their music is that of the summer. Here are some facts about them:
Cicadas are the only insects capable of producing such a unique and loud sound. Some larger species can produce a call in excess of 120 decibels at close range. This is approaching the pain threshold of the human ear! Smaller species sing in such a high pitch that it cannot be heard by humans, but may cause dogs and other animals to howl in pain.
Cicadas usually sing during the heat of the day. In addition to attracting a mate, the loud noise actually repels birds. The cicada's song is painful to the birds' ears and interferes with their communication, making it difficult for the birds to hunt in groups. Male cicadas in the same brood will stick together when calling in order to increase the total volume of noise. This reduces the chances of bird predation for the whole brood. Even cicadas must protect themselves from the volume of their own singing. This is similar to what it sounds like here, just add the cicadas. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gAjfARBOis

Add the squawking of the Cockatoos (or Cockies), the monkey-like laughing of the Kookaburras, the twittering of the Miner birds, the very powerful whip sound of the Whip bird and you can only imagine the variety of sounds we are gifted. I say gifted because to me their symphony is too beautiful and awe inspiring. I like to open my sliding door each morning and be blessed with my own orchestra.

Apparently, in the blaze of an extraordinarily scorching summer day, the Eucalyptus trees bleed their oil and so; one is encased with a heady Eucalyptus fragrance. How amazing! Such scorching days are a concern however, as Australia is known for its bushfires. A local told us about a bushfire that hit our village 9 years ago. They literally had to defend their homes for 4 days with fires approaching just meters away. Helicopters were taking water from the nearby Hawkesbury River as well as peoples’ pools. The trick with defending your home is to make sure all your gutters are clear of leaves, to constantly soak your house with water and to put out any burning embers that have blown onto your roof. Apparently, it is a scary situation to be in!

The start to our summer this year has been unusually mild to say the least. We have had days as low as 18 to highs of just 24 degrees. There has also been a lot of rain. I am told that this year is a remnant of the El Nina which hit last year and caused all the floods. This is not the norm! In a way I am pleased that we have been given the chance to slowly acclimatize to the heat. The rain has given my vegetables ‘super-veggie’ powers and they are looking quite impressive in size. I am just waiting for my tomatoes to ripen but my cucumbers are quite succulent.

I was planning on sending my twins to preschool next year as everyone tends to hold their kids back a year or even two before sending them to primary school. We have however been forced to send them to school a bit early as the Government announced that our ‘Living Away From Home Allowance’ (LAFHA) tax break is going to be discontinued next year. This extra money would have paid for their preschool fees. I contacted the school board and asked if we could get a discount for sending all 3 to primary school. I dealt with a fantastic, super helpful and friendly lady who exempt us from paying school fees for 2 years. This is terrific news as we were very concerned about the cost of paying school fees. It would have amounted to $13.5k per year. It was a real concern when we were considering coming over and almost put us off. I should have done my homework before coming to such conclusions. School fees are all income dependent. By the time that our 2 years are up we should hopefully be permanent residents.
I have been a bit up and down about this as it has all happened so fast. My babies are all grown up and I have been experiencing a bit of the ‘empty nest syndrome’. What will I do without them? They have been tied to me for 4 years! They of course, are super excited about going to big school and were very fastidious in choosing their new lunch boxes, pencil cases etc… Unfortunately, Genevieve is so little in the shoe department that we could not source a pair of genuine school shoes for her. She is a size 8 and school shoes only start from size 11! I have had to buy her a very shiny pair of sparkly black shoes instead. She was needless to say, very chuffed.

Next year when I have all the time in the world I will be looking to expand my writing and getting more paying published work. Thanks to the editing skills of my beloved super talented friend Tina, I had my first article published in ‘Dogs Life’ magazine. I have been taking the liberty of interviewing experts that I have access to. I interviewed Alison who is a vet and wife to Adrian’s boss. When I went to see my dentist for a filling, I asked him for an impromptu interview. He was so pleased that he offered me a 10% discount for my crown. So, I need to get my ass in gear and just get interviewing, writing and pitching. No more excuses! If I can get a writing career working from home it would be so convenient. I have looked into getting a full time job; however, I would need to earn enough due to the costs of paying for holiday and after school care for 3 children. Ideally, I would love to find a term time only job. I will keep my eyes peeled!

I also plan to do some ethics volunteering at my local school. Initially I was appointed as the ethics coordinator; however upon speaking to my friend Jess, she thought it best that she be the coordinator and me the teacher. She is due to have another baby and would not be able to come into school to teach. I have to get a police check done and then go on a training course. Ethics classes are relatively new and run completely by volunteers. They are offered in place of scripture classes. Scripture classes are also run by volunteers from churches who teach the children Christianity. I would not have a problem if they also taught other religions, however, they do not. Hence, I reckon, the ethics classes are a wonderful alternative. Some questions we would pose to the children: “If you bought something in a shop and were given back too much change, would keeping it be classed as stealing”? OR “Should animals be kept in cages”? As ethics teachers we encourage children to think for themselves and debate questions. We are simply there to facilitate.

Otherwise, I have been enjoying going to the gym most days. I do Zumba, Body pump, Pilates and Body attack. My favourite class is Pilates. I feel so refreshed after, as if I have been meditating. My gym is really good value as it only costs $15 per week and there is free childcare included. They are so easy going. No lengthy forms, rules or penalties that I experienced at my previous gym in Fareham. I have to say that I really relish the fact that kids can be kids here. They seem to have more freedom here from the dreaded ‘health and safety’ malarkey imposed in the UK. Kids are actually allowed to climb trees and the little ones are allowed to play on the school play equipment while we wait for the big kids to come out of school! I also enjoy the fact that people don’t seem to be so materialistic. It’s the week before Christmas and I can actually get a parking space at the mall and move ‘un-sardine-like’ in the shops. I remember one Christmas in the UK when I went shopping for food at 1am in Tesco and had to wait a full hour in a queue to checkout. Madness! I most certainly won’t have this problem here.

Our wonderful neighbours across the road, The Darcy’s, have invited us round for Christmas day lunch. They are one of many English/Irish families who have moved to this area. Elly often plays with their daughter, Niamh (pronounced Neve – The Irish and their wacky spellings!). We are contributing a prawn cocktail starter, roast garlic lamb with mint sauce and a Pavlova pudding. They will be making pate starters, roast turkey with all the trimmings and veggies, roast potatoes and a traditional Xmas pudding. Steve Darcy will be dressing up as Santa and hand out small gifts to the kids and us adults will be playing a ‘secret Santa gift game’. It’s set to be 25 degrees on Sunday so I am sure we will be utilizing their pool too! We also recently discovered a wonderful bushwalk close to home. It leads us to a waterfall with a shallow swimming hole. It’s only a 25 min walk from our door!

Elly has settled into Aussie school life wonderfully. In fact, she has renounced her ‘Britishness’ and considers herself an Aussie already. She has told me that she never wants to return to England and that she much prefers living here. She does however often mention Jemma, Amelie and Lola. She wishes you were here! The twins always harp on about Sienna and often draw her pictures which I never get time to post!

As an aside, I am currently reading this book: http://www.michaelshermer.com/the-believing-brain/ It is wonderful and I thoroughly recommend it. ‘Solent book club’ members – I suggest this book. We are going to have to get our ‘reject book club’ up and running soon. I can’t wait! I am getting anxious without my book club fix. If not, then I will have to start one up here. I have to keep up my reputation of causing controversies and feuds! Lol!

My current favourite music is by ‘Gotye’ and ‘City and Colour’. There are many amazing Aussie bands which I am loving. I listen to a radio station called Triple J and they tend to play the latest in eclectic and alternative music. I was very shocked the first time I heard swearing on their radio station. They do warn you before playing a song with explicit language; however, I turned on the radio in the middle of one such song. Very entertaining!

Well, I will end off this very long letter with a ‘SEASONS GREETINGS’ and a ‘PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR’ to you all. As my much loved Aunty Swannie pointed out: “We are all going to church to celebrate the birth of Christ as that is what Christmas is all about and we like to instil that in our little ones”. Indeed, she is correct, and as a humanist I should not be celebrating Christmas. However, I see this time of year as a cultural inheritance. I would not want to deprive my kids of the joy of gift sharing due to my own beliefs. My children know the Christian story of Christmas and that it was selected to coincide on the pagan winter solstice festival. I don’t believe in indoctrinating my children with a particular religion or belief. I always give them the facts and they choose for themselves. If I had my way, every family would donate their Christmas money to a charity and only buy one small gift each. Christmas is far too materialistic! The other side of the Christmas coin, however, is that it generates the most income for businesses. I guess this is important too.

Although I may come across as hard-assed, self-absorbed and most definitely opinionated, I really am a BIG emotional softie. I love you all and I miss you soo much. Although I live in paradise, it is definitely not so without your treasured company. I was very lucky to see my friend Caroline appear in an episode of ‘Sherlock’ this past week. It made me yearn for my Friday coffee mornings. Co-incidentally, her lovely husband, Edward appeared in ‘Upstairs Downstairs’ in the very same week. Wonderful! I do enjoy watching a few UK programmes as it makes me feel closer to you lot.

Please keep in touch with me – I would wilt without you. I am always available on Skype. Please sms me if you fancy a chat at any time. I am however not a fan of this ‘time difference’ nonsense. When it’s your evening, it’s my morning and we are on very different wave lengths! Just not on!

LOVE ALWAYS,
Mel
xxx

Life so far in the Land of Oz

“Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree
Merry, merry king of the bush is he
Laugh, Kookaburra! Laugh, Kookaburra!
Gay your life must be”

This is the song that insists on playing inside my head each morning. The reason being is that on most days we see up to three Kookaburras sitting on our washing line in the garden. It is such a delight to behold when one has been starved of such amazing wildlife for so long.
I would have to say that the Rainbow Lorikeets are probably my favourite due to their exotic colouring and cheeky nature. I have tried to photograph all the birds but the qualities of my photographs are not the best. Another crazy bunch of hooligans are the Cockatoos who fly around screeching to their hearts delight as well as the mischievous Possums who love to run around peoples roofs and eat dog/cat food left outside.


Apparently the first three months of being in a new country is called the honeymoon period. Euphoria, novelty, fascination. The next 6 months or so one experiences a culture shock where one feels out of sorts. This follows onto a culture learning adjustment and increased networking, which should end in full adjustment: stability, acceptance, enjoyment and immersion. They say that if one had to return to ones home country you would still go through all the above and even on a greater level.

I have to say that with all the above and more my surroundings are at this moment very surreal. We live in a beautiful village like area called Berowra which has been divided into Berowra, Berowra Waters and Berowra Heights. Surrounded by bush on a hill we wake to such lovely views. We are within walking distance of 3 parks, school, train station, the community centre, library, petrol station, post office, liquor store (supermarkets do not sell alcohol), doctor, Chinese and Thai restaurant, Subway, etc…however, when I say walking distance I have to mention the very steep hills we have to trudge ourselves up. The upside or should I say downside ;) is that we get to run all the way downhill on the way back home.

We live in what I am told is the safest suburb of Sydney and as a result our insurance is apparently lower here. Having met a couple of grannies at the park who look after their grandchildren they all say that Berowra is the place their kids always come back to, to start a family and have their children grow up here. I heard the same thing said about Stubbington in the UK. I guess it’s a worldwide system of going back to ones roots.

I am loving the weather. It’s the height of winter and the average temperature is 16 degrees Celsius and the average minimum is 8. Although we do have heaters in the house for the evenings, the days are very comfortable and we generally don’t wear jumpers. Most days we walk to our local park and the kids play outside for many hours. There are ovals attached to each park and I tend to do about six laps of running while the kids play; a cheap way of keeping fit.

I love the fact that in almost every park or picnic spot there tends to be a free gas BBQ available to anyone. It saves on having to lug around all the usual kit and is best for preventing bush fires. The fabulous weather means that they are put to good use. We have used them with friends on two occasions now. Its good fun to have dinner outdoors while the kids play at the park.

We have a local ferry at Berowra waters, which transports cars and foot passengers for free 24hrs a day. It takes one across to the Hills Districts where we often go to a wonderful place called Fagan Park which has beautiful world gardens, play area, museum etc..

Our local large Westfield Shopping Mall is located in Hornsby and I love going there for lunch. I almost always have fresh sushi, which is very tasty and so affordable. I absolutely love the Asian influence everywhere and enjoy the exoticness of it all. It is so weird but also wonderful that they offer cheap massage and mani/pedicures in the mall. These shops are a dime a dozen. I have yet to try them out but I look forward to doing so. I have however decided that with the instant availability of such quality massage and also because of babysitting issues, I won’t be continuing my massage business in Sydney. I hope to perhaps forge a career in writing instead.

Our family have been exploring the sights of Sydney with cheap train fare. It costs us $2.50 per person to use any train, ferry, bus or light rail all day on Sunday. What a bargain! Going on the ferry ride to Manly beach is in itself an exhilarating experience. Speaking of trains, it only costs Adrian $37 per week for his hour-long train journey to work. He used to have to pay up to £60 per day for travel to London. Makes you realise how the train companies can rip you off.

We took advantage of a brilliant annual pass called The Merlin Pass, which entitles us to unlimited entry to the Sydney Aquarium, Sydney Tower, Sydney Wildlife World, OceanWorld Manly, Kelly Tarltons Underwater World in Auckland and Hamilton Island Wildlife Park in Queensland. All the above for a family of 5 cost us only $270. Children under 4 go free. A family of 4 costs $220. If you think that it costs £205 for an annual pass to Marwell Zoo alone then you can realise what brilliant value it is. It seems that Sydney is very tourist orientated and price their tickets accordingly.

Many of my friends have been interested to know about the spiders. Well, so far apart from the usual daddy long legs I have only seen one creepy spider. It was called a Whitetail and can cause minor problems if bitten. It was however nowhere nearly as large as I had imagined it would be. I had in my mind visions of hand sized spiders lurking in every corner. Not so. The main problem so far for me has been the ants that insist on coming indoors to feast. Adrian however discovered a brilliant product called ‘Antrid’ which as worked a treat.
I will note that as we have arrived mid winter we have not yet been subjected to the summer flies, spiders and snakes. So, we have all that yet to discover. Nice!
I have been told that snakes are common around our parts due to the bushiness of the area. The Diamond Python is often seen as well as the Red Bellied Black Snake and on rare occasion the Eastern Brown snake. The trick with snakes is to announce your arrival and they will soon scatter off. Keeping ones garden clear is also a hindrance as they will not be able to hide in long grasses. As far as the infamous Funnel Web Spider is concerned, the same applies. Keep the garden clear and always wear gloves when gardening. I have met a few Sydneysiders who say they have not in all the years of living here ever seen any of the above. It is however good to be prepared and knowledgeable about all the creepy crawlies. I am actually quite excited about all the ‘dangerous’ wildlife. Its exhilarating being part of real nature again. It never impinged on my life in South Africa and I doubt that it will do so here.

We were lucky to be offered half a day’s cultural framework workshop by Adrian works. A lovely man came to our house and informed us about all things Australian. The history, their values, how to deal with them. We both learnt a few interesting things. Ozzie family members please let me know if you concur with the following:
1) Australians are among the worlds most direct of people. South Africans are apparently even more so. I reckon I will get along just fine here. What do you think? ;)
2) They value their private time and weekends are family orientated. They don’t like to bring work into their home lives.
3) They have low level of fatalism in their thinking. i.e.: they see a direct link between their own actions and their good or bad fortune. I can see that I am going to get on with them just fine in this regard.
4) They value rules and regulations and organise their lives by them. I have to agree. I have not seen a single person speed here. They stick to the rules like glue. I have to say it is very refreshing to drive at the speed limit. In the UK and especially SA one always felt compelled to speed due to other people driving up your ass.
5) Despite differences in wealth, Australia sees itself as a classless society. One does not have to keep up with the Jones here. They couldn’t care less if you drive an old banger. In fact, in my meetings with people at the park, not one person asked me what I did for a living or what my husband did. They just don’t seem to be bothered. It’s so refreshing.
6) Australians do not like people who brag or show off. They call such people tall poppies and they like to ‘cut’ them down to size. As a result the boss is someone who will sit anywhere at the boardroom table and leads mainly by suggestion, friendly encouragement and never by ordering.
7) They believe in a ‘Fair Go for All’.

The above were refreshing things that I did not know about the Aussies. I feel that I think in the same way too and hope that my transition to Aussie living will be easier than my transition into UK living. I am a very easy going people orientated person and I believe it wont take me long to discover a few friends. Luckily I am not too reliant on others for my happiness.

Although we live in such a beautiful area with so many benefits it doesn’t really feel any different to living in the UK or SA. At the end of the day we all live in a house, eat the same meals, go shopping, watch the same TV programs, go swimming at the local leisure centre etc… Its our routines that define us. We can make it as exciting or boring as we want to.
In my new life here I plan to make use of the good weather by being outdoors plenty. I want to relearn the guitar with Adrian as a hobby and explore a different area each weekend. I want to be an exciting mother for my children and as a result I have limited my time on the computer to an hour in the evening when they are in bed. The computer was such an addictive compulsion for me in the UK. It was so refreshing to be disconnected for so long and in return I connected. Limiting television is always a bonus. I have however joined the Lovefilm equivalent here called Quickflix as I really enjoy a good film.
Adrian has sorted out our office room and will be putting up our dartboard shortly. I look forward to beating him at Killer. I practised heaps in SA and my folks even bought me a set of professional darts.

I believe that Australia is a land of opportunity. A friend of mine who lives in Canberra was the only applicant for a job at Air Traffic Services. They almost had to beg her to take the position which was very well paid. There are just not enough educated and experience people in certain parts of the country. I recently decided to enter a competition in our local newspaper. I had to write a short poem about my love of jazz. To my surprise, I won. In the post I received two tickets to a day festival in the Hunter Valley wine region. The name is Jazz in the Vines. Now, I wonder if all people who entered 'won' two tickets or if I was one of a very few who entered the competition or perhaps my poem was the best? Who knows. I doubt very much that I would have won this in the UK. There are soo many people one has to vie against to win anything. Another fantastic thing about Oz is the fact that you can go to the most beautiful nature spot and you will be one of a few people (if any) there. In the UK one has to grab a sun filled day, queue in horrendous traffic to get to a beautiful nature spot and then fight with the crowds that are already there for a parking space. I think having space is a major plus. Australia is home to only about 22 million people. Compare this to 62 million who live on a tiny island in Europe. Madness!

Well, I reckon that is enough of what I have been up to for now. I will keep you posted with more news. Elly starts her new school tomorrow. She is super excited and will no doubt be up really early tomorrow.

I love you all heaps and I do actually think of you and miss you. Sometimes I will be listening to a piece of music or eating a memorable something and I will suddenly think of you and feel a pang in my heart. Just know that you are loved, always.
p.s) I tasted Kangaroo meat and its soo yummy! Very soft and tastes a bit like lamb. Also, its very healthy and organic!

Heaven at Hangklip

We were honoured to be granted the keys by two close family friends to a most surprising treasure of a holiday home.
I sit here at the table, red vino in hand as Leonard Cohen sings sweet poetry to me. The wind howls eerily as the waves become more discontent.
Despite not having any paper or pen, the urge to write overcame me so strongly that I went on a desperate search of both. Eventually I spied two empty pieces of paper and a lonely little pencil devoid of any sharpness hiding in a retro drawer. I had to beg Adrian to sharpen the pencil with a kitchen knife. Adrian kindly relented and now my keyboard addicted fingers are exercising unused muscles as I write to you.

So, back to the holiday home treasure where we now abode for the next two days. It is aptly named 'Hoogwaterhuis' (that is High Water House to you pommies). It was lovingly created rock by rock over a period of 4 years in the 1970's by a noted engineer, Ruben Stander and his artist wife Cornelia (Neli) Stander.

The house is literally infused with and part of the natural rocky beach landscape. Each rock was carefully chosen and placed accordingly in suitable natural symmetry.
The upstairs living area shouts 70's retro vintage design with original furniture, old record/tape player and hundreds of decaying books sighing from previous occupants relaxed page fingering. One can almost see a paint-flecked Neli Stander, paintbrush in hand lovingly creating her beautiful wall painting that now silently dominates the living room.

The bedrooms below are intertwined with the rocks and plants. Bookcases and shelves have been crafted around the crevices. One feels as if you are in a seaside cave, which really you are. Can you smell the dank, musty earthy scent of ages long since departed? Can you hear the clicking sounds of the native 'Strand lopers' (Khoi Khoi tribe) who once dwelt in this area and inhabited this very house when it was a natural shelter?

One almost feels slightly eery and a sense of being watched. There are three distinct layers in the house. The first being a kind of dominant mystical earth force that saturates the house with a presence. I liken it to living over an ancient burial site.
The second layer consists of Ruben and Neli Stander. Now passed on, one feels like an intruder in their home. This house was a literal blood, sweat and tears project for them both and you cannot deny the passion that resonates from every room.
As Hoogwaterhuis virgins, the shock of being surrounded by such intense natural beauty lays claim to the third energy layer which consists of all the hundreds of content holiday makers such as myself who were fortunate enough to rent this home.

Nose-ing through the drawers I discovered a laminated leaflet about the dangers of baboons and how to deal with them. Apparently the wildlife is a part of and way of life here. As I write armies of little ants are marching around the grooves in the rock walls. During dinner we experienced squeals of delight from my girls as we spied a wild Civet Cat perching on the kitchen window sill cheekily peeking inside to see if he could score some food. He looked to me a cross between a Meerkat and a miniature Leopard. It was for our own selfish benefit that we gave him some biltong, ham and grapes, however a phone call later from a knowledgeable friend put us in our place. Right, time for bed - more tomorrow.

The time now is 15:35 and I am sitting at the outside table writing, drinking a bottle of cold Miller genuine draft and experiencing a sensory massage of salty sea air, seaweed lapping waves, sun soaked stillness and ageless majestic mountains. Today the children have been exploring the rock pools, playing endlessly in the sand and shrieking at the sand-hoppers that infest the beach. Such curious little creatures. One could scoop up some sand, hold it closed and then open your hands and a multitude of sand-hoppers explode forth. Soo much fun for adults and children alike.
I have had the ultimate luxury of being completely naked and free the whole day. Despite slapping on factor 15 on two occasions, Adrian is informing me now that my skin is a shade of lobster. Oh! dear - I guess I was too eager to become a local again.

Nature has for the moment allowed us clumsy humans access to her sacred world. Not too long in the future our lease with nature will expire. The house is losing a battle with the sea and her elements. The iron rods that hold the concrete together are slowly being eroded by the salty air. There are signs of disrepair and ageing quirkiness everywhere. They say nothing lasts forever, at least not in full 'working' order. So I guess I will bow my head in gratitude and steal a piece of this perfect paradise to store forever in my memory.

If you wish to experience the above, book a few days at Hoogwaterhuis. Its an experience not to be missed. http://www.hoogwaterhuis.com/

A Tornado ride home to Kansas

Our journey started last December when Adrian was contacted by an ex colleague of his in Australia informing him of a job opportunity. Ever since the interview at the beginning of January we have been on a rollercoaster ride of exciting highs to devastatingly hollow lows.

After the chaos, stress and emotional intensity of last week I can finally say we are on the path to a new beginning. My last week in the UK consisted of numerous sobbing episodes saying goodbye to my special clients, friends and family. My sorrow was comforted by one of the packing men; a lovely tall Irish geezer with large wraparound arms and hands who whispered sweet words of kindness in my ear. Not only did their services include expertly wrapping each and every item in our home; their expertise included entertaining jokes,throwing over-excited children over their shoulders and 'madam' comforting. What a lovely bunch of geezers. If I believed in Heaven I would say they were sent to ease our burden at a time of such emotional chaos.

The flight was as expected. Long, very uncomfortable, ear popping and exhausting. Upon arrival in Cape Town after queuing in the 'foreign' passport control line (I am actually no longer a South African citizen. Apparently when I became a UK citizen I was supposed to have signed a form to keep my SA citizenship. Few ex pats knew of this unfair change in the law when it was introduced. Seems like we have been penalised for wanting a better life abroad?)and collecting our luggage I met my folks with tears of joy and exhaustion. The sun was soo shockingly bright I had to reach with squinting eyes for my sunglasses. The UK sun seems more yellow and hazy whereas the sun in South Africa is a bright white all-encompassing presence that quenches you whole. We all seemed to have come down with a nasty bad-ass virus and on the first evening Elly was puking through the night. I caught an awful head flu which is still affecting me with an irritating cough and underwater hazy ear feeling.

Coming home has been an utterly surreal experience for me. I can only describe it as living in a memory. I cant quite fathom that I am actually here. It has been 8 years since I came on holiday here for 2 weeks and 12 years since I lived here.
The memories I had were of me as a young care-free woman living life to the maximum with no fear. I now return as a responsible adult with 3 young children eager to let them experience the natural lifestyle I was blessed with as a child.

The first day I arrived we took the kids and my folks two dogs (a beautiful big black faithful Doberman called Nicholas and a loving pavement special hybrid Border Collie/Jack Russell called Dolly)to our local nature reserve.
The kids who were not used to the native flora of the Western Cape; pranced and hopped about as if on hot coals; moaning about the long grasses and sand in their shoes. It seems that the UK tamed my kids to the point of becoming little wooses. If you dont know what a woos is, check out this link. http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=woos I can assure you it is not the second definition.

The following day mom drove us over Sir Lowry's Pass (the mountain pass to the towns below). In all the numerous times I have driven over the pass I have never once failed to be anything but in awe of the sheer picturesque view. The majestic mountains have me bowing in spirit to their greatness. No photos I have taken could ever capture the uniqueness of the pass and the excitment of driving over the mountain. That day we went to a place called Monkey Town which is a sanctuary for monkeys (its all in the name). It also has a great childrens play park and swimming pool. Thereafter we went to my old beach haunt called 'The Strand'. Nothing much seemed to have changed over the years and I still recognised most of the buildings. Most of my memories of this beach include me as a naughty 16 year old in a bikini, flaunting off my body as only a teenage girl can do. Now 16 years later I cringe at the thought of exposing my white flab rolls to the world. Ageing is a humbling experience that slapped all traces of vanity from me. What a pity! I still feel 16 inside. I do have to admit that I am not the same person. I had the opportunity to dig through two dusty old boxes in the garage, each of which contained: trinkets, letters, diaries and photos from my teenage years. Talk about cringe factor! Reading through some of my diaries had me in fits of tear steaming laughter. I really was a typical teenager with irrational, selfish hormonal thoughts. I always thought that I was so cool and unique as a teenager and now I have actual proof that I was no different from the average zit infested brat that runs the streets today. As a lesson in humility and understanding I will keep my diaries in honour of my children. When I am pulling my hair out and taking strong narcotics to cope, I can always refer back to the diaries in hope of trying to understand them.

We are all still adjusting to the intensity of the heat. 12 years of perpetual miserable grey bleakness has taken its toll on our psyche and physical ability to bear the heat. On the very first day of arriving, little Genevieve got sunburnt on her arms. Thereafter we were much more vigilant applying suncream. One week later I can slowly start to see a healthy colour appearing on our white bleached UK skins. Its a lovely wholesome summer feeling being rosy and a healthier shade of pale, so to speak.

Mom and dad have been doing their best to make me feel at home and have been eager for me to re-establish a solid connection with my home country. We have socialised on a few occassions with their local friends. Lovely genuine special people who really know how to party. Being a boring mother of 3 always confined to the house I never quite had the chance to practice my 'partying' skills, however with my folks in the picture one can always count on a 'lekker jol'. For my UK friends here is a great site for all our South African words: http://www.southafrica.info/travel/advice/saenglish.htm.
I am afraid I learnt just how much of a woos I was on Friday evening when I consumed roughly two bottles of white wine at a wonderful local blues evening at Peregrine farm. I spent most of the night being violently sick and the next day a zombie. I vowed never to touch wine again and even the look of apple juice made me want to hurl. One day on from that and I was drinking my trusty red wine again. Considering my bodys inability to handle the demon drink, I may have to stick with my folks mellow home grown instead. May as well stick to what I am known for, a drugged up hippie ;)

During the week I was lucky enough to see two very special friends. The first was Gwen Hannay who introduced me to her most gorgeous baby girl of 3 months called Lily. The second was my most special soul connected friend Lisa and her darling little Layla Rose. What I have discovered with true soul friends, even after many years of separation, the chord still pulls and our minds follow the same rolling rivers to the sea of life; not once diverting into stale shallow pools.

I can finally say one week on that the dream memory state is starting to feel more real to me. I can pinch myself and discover that I truly am home in Kansas. Even my children are becoming little 'African children'. They no longer complain about the rough grass, stones or dirt. They run around naked with the dogs, dirt ingrained in their grubby nails. Their fascination with the gardener had me chuckling. They were never exposed to people of colour in our sleepy little seaside village. I am soo pleased that Eleanor has made such friends in her new temporary school. I am so proud of her for diving straight in to South African life. She is already thriving in a different cultural environment. This I feel will fully prepare her for the next change in Australia.

Living in the UK without the means to return home forced me to bury my deepest raw feelings of passion, love and excitement about South Africa putting me in a kind of comatose state of being. It feels as if I have been gently woken from a long coma and finally realise where I am and where I truly belong. I could never quite get the UK mould or perhaps I should say the mould was not suited to me. I did however find a small group of like minded people who did 'get me' and loved me with true understanding. I so wish I could fit you all in my pockets of life and walk you giantess-like through my culture and land of beauty. If only you could smell the fynbos. If only you could capture the mountain views. If only you could feel the hot baking sand between your toes. If only you could...
By no means am I slating the UK. The UK has been so good to me in a multitude of ways and I am soo very very grateful for being an honoured and valued guest for the past 12 years. This blog is merely a scribble pad for my thoughts to deal with the emotional highs and lows of returning to my source. This year is so exciting for us all and I have decided to fully absorb each countries experience and receive it as universal gift. Australia will be the next amazing adventure for me but as long as I have my shiny red shoes(aka: my pioneering spirit) and my little dog Toto (aka: my darling family), I am all ready and set for lifes big experience.