spend my days the way I want to spend my life

started at 5h30 when my sisters (who leave for the UK today after a month here) woke Raph and I up, made a flask of excellent coffee and we all headed to the cloudy but warm beach for sunrise. the water today was silvery blue with enormous waves and a gunmetal sky following last night’s thunderstorms.

then i left the girls at the beach, took Raph to school and headed to the x-x’s place where i crawled into his warm bed in my wet bikini and wished him Happy Valentine’s Day in a fairly traditional way (the bikin didn’t stay on long) before getting back to the beach for a final swim.

we’re all going for final tea and cake (well, Raph and I, the sisters, and mom and dad) before heading for the airport. i’m not looking fwd to this goodbye.

then when we get back the x-x is taking me for dinner and we’ll no doubt end the day the way we started it.

peaceful.

And discovered a gorgeous produce market in the same area where we had pancakes under Oak trees.

in the arboretum the boys made bark boats and dammed up the stream and fell IN the stream (sort of on purpose) and i lay in the pine needles reading and took photos. later friends met us for coffee there.

the sun was shining for a change, the air was still and hot and the scent of heated pine was heady.

it was a great way to spend my life, for that day.

a Roald Dahl’s Revolting Rhymes childen’s theatre production on at the Kalk Bay Theatre this morning. As it’s going to be a rainy cold day, and is a Public Holiday here in SA (Heritage Day) I might take Raph along.

and had coffee before i had to start work at nine, and after dropping Raph at school.

tonight i’m lying in bed, about to watch a dvd (i love that i still have these nights to myself – been single too long to have company EVERY night) and remembering how beautiful the light was this morning.

holding thumbs that the bossman says we can go for a highspeed boat ride this afternoon (another freebie / educational linked to our tourism website).

it happens to be a simply stunning day (following devastating floods last week in Cape Town while i was away) so i think this could be fabulous.

pleaseohpleaseohpleaseohplease….

i think it is one of the most beautiful beaches i’ve ever seen.

will be going with the Ex on 25 July for three nights of pampering here and the marketing manager just confirmed she is giving us one night comp plus a free game drive.

i am so so excited, never been anywhere like this before with all the big kitty cats and elephants etc.

i’ve made the Ex promise no heavy conversations, no arguing and no silent treatment or i will throw him to the lions from the Land Rover.

most of all i can’t wait to try out the bath, and the bush swing, and the hot outdoor shower and and and….

place i want the most to go to in July if i do the safari thing.

IF they give me a free stay or good rate, i have to call and request.

they have deep baths with views, outdoor showers, tented accommodation with private piers to the river, 4-poster beds with mosquito nets, private decks, fireplaces (it is mid winter here) and game drives, horse riding, quad biking, plus a restaurant called The Fireplace.

i want to go i want to go so badly.

after a bad night trying to sleep (just one or two things on my mind right now…) i was just dozing off at 5 am when Raph woke up from a nightmare. he crawled into bed and we chatted a while in the dark. suddenly i had the idea of getting up, making hot chocolate and heading for the beach to watch the sunrise. i would far rather have gone back to sleep but this goal popped into my head and it gave me the impetus to do it.