getting into the christmas spirit

last night we went to an old cape town favourite – carols by candlelight in the kirstenbosch gardens. what a magical experience – the full moon looking down on a field of candles-in-white-bags. they changed the format a little this year, but it is still pretty much the only thing that gets me into the festive spirit here in warm southern africa.
well worth it – just get there early, especially over the next 2 days!

on changes and anticipation

so i have 2 working days left in my current position, which means that i have been frantically sorting out my desk and e-mail to get rid of unnecessary papers… and it is quite remarkable how much one does amass! and how good it feels to get rid of it… aahh!

i’m also at the point where i am doing something and find myself realising that ”this is the last time i’m doing this…” this is often followed a very loud insied-the-head “yay!”…

i realised on the weekend that i wasn’t really that excited for my trip… i was looking forward to it, sure, on a basic level. but i wasn’t excited!. and it finally struck me that while i am still trying to work out what to do for christmas presents, and don’t have clarity on that, i cannot get excited about that.

weird, hey? now that i have most of them sorted, and my first few days in canada seem sorted out, so now that i have a plan ( ) i can start getting excited!

wa(l)king the lion

can you believe it is the end of  september already? next month the christmas decorations will probably come out… aaaghhh! it doesn’t even bear thinking about…

 

anyway, i had such a lekker evening. i resumed an old tradition again, of walking up lion’s head once a week. l.r. joined me, and thanks to him, i made it to the top. i know that if i had been on my own, i would not have gone that far.

 

going up lion’s head on a week night between work and home is so therapeutic. not only because we connect with good conversation, and listening to each other.

 

but also because you summit a mountain. you reach a goal. you’re outdoors. you watch a sunset. you watch the city lights come on. you see the lights of the sky go off. you’re making a shift in your mind.

 

you’re not just work-eat-sleep-work-ing.

 

it is the most wonderful way to transition from work to home. and it makes me feel great.

 

combined with left-overs that are ready & waiting when i get home and a long overdue catch-up-call from london with a.k. it becomes an example of an ultimate evening.

 

i love living in cape town J

 

what bugged me today: you know, nothing.

 

what i learnt today: that mozambique has more than 400 species of endemic birds

 

what i am grateful for: nature on my doorstep

i can’t wait now…

i am soooooooooooo excited… in 5 months i am going to be in canada… with my parents, visiting my cousins, uncle & aunt, and friends. and deborah i haven’t seen in eleven years… finally we will see each other again…

i booked my flights this week, and i cannot wait for a white christmas, birthday and new year…

living in africa one misses that you know

i really am soooooooooooooooooo looking forward to this