clog blog: A surprise visit to SA =)

Long Haul flight to JHB via Dubai

Two weeks off work

Arranging a lift from the airport

Look on Dad’s face when upon arriving at front door unannounced: priceless!

My Dad turned 70 this past Saturday and I thought a surprise trip home would be a good gift for him. I was a bit early for his birthday but I think he enjoyed it all the same ‘~)

It was really awesome to be in SA after just more than a year of being away. I forgot how much I miss the sunshine, the hot summer days and the impossibly blue sky. It was great enjoying all the things we miss from home, I munched many hot cross buns and drank a lot of sterie stumpie milkshakes! I was stoked when the shops finally brought out marshmallow Easter eggs just before I left! Legend.

But I also forgot how slow African time can be, how security conscious one has to be in SA and especially JHB, how frustrating the banks, rika and fica are, how you can’t go anywhere unless you have a car but also how friendly the people are. It was really hard to say goodbye and leave my family again but it is also nice to be back with Justin. I think it was good to wait a full year before coming home. I don’t really miss Jo’burg that much, only my family who live there. I think it would be much harder to be in Cape Town for a holiday and then leave again. We really loved living there and miss the CT lifestyle very much.

I took it really easy in Jo’Burg and mostly spent time with my family. I was blessed to spend a lot of time with my Dad, my Mom, my brothers and their wives, my 15 month old niece Micaela, my uncle Hilton and a good friend from school Monet. I enjoyed the sunny days and swam and sat in the garden as much as possible. On the Sunday my uncle Hilton and I arranged a surprise birthday lunch for my Dad with family and some friends Dad hasn’t seen in ages. Was really good. I also spent a day at the Misty Hills day spa with Monet which was great fun. My Mom flew up from St Francis Bay and stayed with my brother Darrell for 4 nights. Thanks for coming up Mom! Was really awesome that you came and we could hang out.

And then it was time to go back again =( But first some shopping to take back some things we miss and other things we can’t get in the Netherlands! Thank goodness for the 30 kg luggage limit when flying with Emirates! (The long haul via Dubai is almost worth it.)

Highlights from the holiday:

- The look on Dad’s face when I arrived

- Spending lots of time with my Dad, my brothers Craig and Darrell and their wives Vanessa and Liz, my 15 month old niece Micaela and my uncle Hilton

- My mom flying up to JHB for 4 nights and spending lots of time with her

- A flying half hour visit from Justin’s brother Brenainn who was in town for one night for work

- Seeing Justin’s cousins Mike & Nicola and baby Aidan

- Dinner and a spa day with Monet, a good friend from school

- Surprise birthday lunch for my Dad with some of his friends too

- LOTS of sunshine and 30ºC days

- Summer thunderstorms

- Swimming almost everyday

- Having a braai in the rain with my Dad

- Spending quality time with my cats

- Fish and chips at Ocean Basket with my Dad x2

- Milkshakes at the Boomhuisie with my Dad

- Breakfast at the Boomhuisie with my Mom

- Shopping with my Mom

Things I brought back:

- Beacon marshmallow Easter eggs!!

- Woolies winter sheets

- Woolies duvet covers

- Woolies long sleeve vests

- Kway fleece jackets

- Perforated clingwrap

- Ina Paarman’s chicken and vegetable stock

- Sweet basil

- Viral choice C

- Germolene

- Flu caps

- Savlon

- Cocoa butter lip ice

- Cricket bat tape

Back in the Netherlands the temperature had dropped from a manageable 8ºC to ‑10ºC in the day. I didn’t take a coat or even a hat and gloves with me to save some space. A real problem when it is below zero outside! I was trying to find a nice kway 3in1 jacket all holiday and finally found one airside at the airport, thank goodness! It has warmed up now and is back to about 10ºC in the day, although today we had a snow shower again. But with the ‘warm’ temperatures and the rain all the snow and ice has melted. No more clear freezing days, back to rainy and windy days. I’m not quite sure which is worse! But the days are slowly getting longer; in December it was completely dark by 5pm and now it is still light till about 6:30 pm or so. And it is also lighter earlier in the morning. So that is at least positive.

In other news we have booked tickets to see Bryan Adams and Cirque de Soleil in March. We may still book tickets for Snow Patrol also in March. And yesterday we were online when ticket sales opened and were fortunate enough to get tickets for Madonna in July! Super excited! Slowly catching up for the slow year for concerts we had last year.

Hope you are all well and had a good weekend! Have a good week!

Some pics from my SA holiday: