Africa

Today Bea, Mila and I had our first ever surf lesson at Muizenberg Beach. We loved it and were all standing up in no time, with Ralph zipping around us in his sea kayak filming. Spitting saltwater, we went afterwards for icecreams – Flake ’99s – at the Majestic Cafe. I ate Flake ’99s there as a child (1980’s), as did Ralph’s mom Carol (1960’s).

The girls are wearing the beautiful new kikois we bought yesterday at Greenmarket square, which will I am sure become our uniform for the next 2 months. Bea and Mila are playing crazily well together, all day every day. They have a squadron of invisible friends (over 2000 each, honest engine) who keep them company whilst Ralph and I dash around endlessly preparing for the big trip. There are at least 10 invisible friends eating Flake ’99s in this photo (you can only see them if you believe in them).

After a picnic supper on Camps Bay Beach with first Dani and Saul, then the Kaplans and Aliza + family from Melbourne, we grabbed some abandoned candles that were still burning in sand-filled paper bags and encircled ourselves in the dark.

Afterwards we walked back to Mpandangare the Great, and everyone scrambled onto the roof and chanted a cricketer’s war cry to 2 year old Judah on the ground, to his equally passionate replies. The cry goes something like this:
“We are here… Where are you?” Response:
“We are here… Where are you?” Response:
“We are here… Where are you?”…

We were on the beach at 7.30, I went for a swim Ralph played with the girls and his new Gopro camera.

My family always rented the same changing ‘box’ on Muizenberg – Y77. Life revolved around box Y77 for the first 14 summers of my life. The colours of the boxes have changed, but the smells are the same and running into the sea made me feel ten again.

Photo taken with the Gopro’s Ancient Forehead filter – amazing what technology can do these days. hm.

Ralph took a video with his Gopro camera at the Kaplan’s pool, can you see Bea’s smile? (it’s a still, so stop clicking play, Mom!)

Surfer’s Corner (Muizenberg) is always jam-packed on 01 Jan, busiest day of the year by miles for this lovely stretch of golden sand and lovely warm water (ook Tweede Nuwe Jaar – 02 Jan). North-West wind means offshore so super-flat water.

Further south, black shark flags flying at Glencairn beach. Spotters sit high on the hills with binoculars. If the water or light makes it too hard to spot sharks, the black flags fly. Green means no sharks spotted. If they see a shark, the spotter radios the lifeguards on the beach who raise the white flag and clear the water.

“I can see why you never became a teacher!” First attempt at home schooling ended in tears. Mine!
Let’s go to the beach girls!

Wake up 2am, catch 2.30am taxi for flight at 6am. Must be time for hot chocolate.

London: Our waking hours are currently 3am to 2pm.
Bea, Mila and I are all going quite happily mad, hanging out, eating homemade bread and drawing in Emma’s kitchen, Bea singing the Green Song, me trying to write a poem about it:
“Green, green, green,
Green, green…
Green, green, green, green…
…….
Green GREEN!”
Bea sings the green song
All evening long
Such a lovely tune
In this small room
My girls and me,
We fly on jetlag’s wing
We have all night to sing.

5 seconds later…

Woo-hoo, we’re on the road. Leaving Marin County – back in April…