And so it comes to an end. Our first year in the Lowveld. At times it has felt like being in a tumble drier, and not because of the heat! Tossed from one emotion to another, mastering one, in time for the next to hit in the face. Feeling like I am getting the hand of a situation, only for another challenge to come our way. Without the support structures of family and friends who know you well, it has been hard to debrief and process the emotions at times. But the age-old “time heals” applies. The passage of time allows new perspectives to form and space to heal. You learn the new rhythms and adapt, things get easier as they become more familiar and new friendships begin to feel more like old jeans – they’ve seen you in good times, some bad times, give you confidence and are just downright comfortable.
We are mid-way through our first full summer. Survived our first heatwave, with the assistance of our solar panels that justified the non-stop air-conditioning. It feels as though Mother Nature is fluffing the skirts of her ballgown like a queen emerging from her carriage, and as she does so, life oozes out of the seams. The nightly arrival of the flying ant plague does nothing to elevate my questionable house-keeping but does supplement the dogs diets. The birds have built nests everywhere and the fig tree fruits have the Samango Monkeys visiting multiple times a day. I remain resolute in my belief that if you don’t look for snakes, you don’t see them, and if you don’t see them, they don’t exist…but rumour has it that Andrew will be getting a Snake Handling course for his birthday. Just in case 😉
I look back on our year and I feel such a sense of gratitude. To our ramshackle little home, that is a safe haven and surrounded by beauty. For the courage of our boys toughing out the initial hard bits. For the lessons and closeness that we gained as a family during those hard bits! That our pets have (mostly) adapted and (sometimes) don’t lose their minds in the presence of wildlife, so evening walks are now calm(ish). For new opportunities on the horizon and adventures around every corner.
For the change in lifestyle, that has given our family our weekends back. And to Andrew for his courage and vision to make this leap.
We look forward to the New Year. I can’t get my head around how different the first day of school will be for Ben & Charlie in 2024, now confidently barefoot and tweetaalig. New business growing, exciting new projects and renewed focus on older ones.
Will it be plain sailing? No. But do we now how to ride the Tumble Drier? Also no 😂 but we can adapt and find the fun along the way!