How long is a piece of string?

The answer is: as long as it takes for almost everything to change, in a wink.

It is about a year ago that I got home from work one day, when my husband suggested we stop talking about making a change and do something about it. His idea was to book flights down (in the next 2-3 weeks, he said) so we could come down to the Western Cape and meet up with some of the estate agents he had been talking to. And so, on 9 April 2021, we came down, and by now, the rest is history.

It is now just over 3 months since we packed up our lives and made the big leap. And so much has happened in this time.

Gauteng climate is very predictable. There are essentially 2 seasons. Summer and Winter. They go from one straight into the other without bothering much with Spring and Autumn. The difference between sunrise and sunset in these 2 seasons differ by maybe 40 minutes. Nothing too drastic. But apart from moving not only our life, but also Domino’s cheese, we are also having to adapt to what now seems to be…..AUTUMN!

When first arriving in Botrivier, we often lost track of time. The sun would be up and shining brightly shortly after 5am and would only set at around 9pm. I would wake up with sun in the morning and sit outside and wait for the sun to set at night. Our normal dinner time of 6pm, gradually moved to 8pm, because at 6pm, I would be kicking up dust at Beaumont farm, or Vanderstel Pass, or Botrivier Main Street. But, just suddenly, in the last 3 weeks, it has shifted. The sun now rises at around 6am, and come 8pm, it is completely dark outside.

Our scenery from our balcony is also changing. What was once rows of bright green-in-the- sun vineyards, are starting to show signs of autumn rust, with some leaves already falling off. The grapes, that started out as tiny little tight green promises, had grown into too-big-for-their-husks teenagers, turned colour in adulthood and has now all but been picked. The mystery pods that we could not identify, is now bags of almonds on the shelve of some little shop. Even the pears and apples have grown up and is leaving town on the back of a very big truck. Fat pig has not been around for some time, probably all saturated with slugs and snails. Our green hills across the road and the brown hills in the distance are swapping colours. Green hills will soon be brown, and the far of hills are already showing signs of the Canola that has been planted. I have been told that once the Canola starts to flower, the hills will turn yellow as far as the eye can see.

My son & Wifey popped over for a visit the past weekend, their first since we are here. Having written so much about Beaumont, they were keen to see the place for themselves. Beaumont did not disappoint, and his Mother (it turns out) did not exaggerate. Almost all the fruit has now been picked and there were just the odd pear or apple around. My son was like a little boy, picking up one pear, only to drop it 2 steps later, because he spotted a bigger one. He ate almonds, picked straight from the tree and shelled by hand, and was amazed at how different it tastes, compared to an almond from a packet. He walked past the beehives (and had a good chuckle about the time his Granny was tired from walking, and thought the hive was a conveniently placed wooden box for her to sit down on!). Sundays in Botrivier are quiet affairs, nothing is open. Not even the 2 restaurants (Manny’s with his cult following, and Shunting Shed, with it’s local following). He was most disappointed that he could buy neither honey, almonds nor fruit from Beaumont to take home. I have since gone shopping for him, he will get his nuts and honey. As for the fruit, he left with what he could stuff into his pockets.

So, apart from the seasons, scenery and harvest that has changed, there has been some personal changes for us, as well. Having batted curve balls for what seems like 3 years, and not only 3 months, having second guessed our decisions and had wide eyed moments, we have finally taken the big step. Town Planner is doing his bit to get our property “rezoned”, Structural Engineer has poked his nose around the soil and rocks on our piece of mountain-declaring it good to build on, and after much designing and redesigning, and a bit more designing every time I changed my mind around a fire place or a wall, the house plans went in to local municipality, where once again we were just so completely impressed with how friendly and efficient the friendly lady was that helped us. Our piece of mountain did come with some very steep challenges, but what a lovely moment it was when Structural Engineer asked how we found the specific piece of land. Not many of these available on this stretch of coast anymore, he said. How did you manage to find it? And as always, the answer is: We did not find it, it found us. But comments such as those, just reaffirms to us, that we have made the right decision and we look forward to the promise of a better life. Just as with the seasons, we can also feel the changes in ourselves.

And so, with Easter around the corner, we are making travel plans again. Last year, our family decided that instead of Christmas and Birthday gifts to each other, we would rather once a year have a family experience. Last year we had a long weekend in the Drakensberg (where I surprised my sons by finishing the 15km hike through the mountains! Of course, they were not nearly as surprised as they were the day on the beach a few years ago when they realised their mother could run!) This year we are planning a trip in our new province, hoping to discover more dorpies and yet more farm stalls. This time round, however, we have to make sure our accommodation is pet friendly, as Truffle will be traveling with us. Truffle doesn’t mind her doggy car seat and being on a leash. Domino hates a leash (we tried!) and the moment his cat box makes an appearance, he runs for the mountains, so unfortunately, he can’t travel with us. He will spend the weekend at that dreadful flee invested cat hotel again, having nothing to eat than moldy bread and cold water. Truly, his family does not deserve his affection.

And me? Well. I think that somewhere, without me noticing, my seasons also changed, and instead of hoping to be happy here, I woke up one morning – a little later than a month ago and realised that I am happy. Soon I will not have time for all the things I have been doing these past 3 months, as I will have to don my tinker/tailor/candlestick maker hat, as I get more involved (poke your nose in, Colin corrected me) in building our new happy place. I must make sure that not only there are enough spots for all my dangles, but also that it is baboon friendly. In Betty’s Bay you do not get to choose your neighbours. They were there before man arrived.