Also went back for holiday - Bettiesbaai is Tops!

[Sibella]

We returned last week after two heavenly weeks in Betties Bay which is a bit more than an hour from Cape Town. It was me and hubbie and my two girls aged 6 and 21 months - we went to visit my husband's parents who have this gorgeous house in Betties Bay with a view of the sea. It was absolutely wonderful - except for the long flight with a toddler who we did not book a seat for who did not sleep the whole night but that is another story - Virgin was great however compared to what I hear about SAA!

Anyway in the two weeks there I spoke only Afrikaans and everybody understood me and 99% spoke back to me in Afrikaans - it was just so nice to hear my language again (ek mis my taal). This was in Betties Bay, Kleinmond, Cape Town Waterfront, Somerset Mall and the Canal Walk Shopping Centre. Yes you can see where we spent much of our time - SHOPPING!!! I forgot how great the shops were, I walked in Mr Price Home in tears because I didn't I couldn't take everything back to the UK with me!!

We bought clothes and shoes and hats and scarves and toys for us and the kids. Real Crocs for R220 - that's sooo little in pounds. We bought a digital video camera with hard drive from Game for R3600 - really cheap and I always thought electronics in the UK were not expensive. Went to Woolies and Mr Price and Ackermans and Edgars and even Harbour Road Shopping Street in Kleinmond enchanted me! Wish I had more time for shopping.

And it was soooo Hot hot hot 31C!! To feel the sun on my skin was sooo nice (remember we are living in the UK now and I have barely seen the sun in the last few months). I tanned (and burned) and my kids walked barefoot with little summer dresses and it was bliss.

The people were so friendly and I did not feel that my children bothered anyone.

We swam in the sea and picked up shells and ate seafood and braaivleis and contemplated buying a little place there by the sea. We visited Vergelegen wine farm and had a picnic and drank wine and enjoyed the view of the mountains. My children climbed trees and ran around and loved it.

But alas, that was all it was, a holiday. And I know Betties Bay is off the beaten track so things are the way they were long ago. And if we switched on the news it would all be there and the fear would grip our hearts once again. But it gave me hope that maybe, just maybe one day we could go back and put our kids in Kleinmond Primer and our they could see their grandparents everyday and walk barefoot to school and everything would be all right. Just maybe...

Ok sorry I am being melodramatic. And the negatives were that I was quite scared driving past Khayelitsha (but kids were playing soccer and jogging up and down next to the highway - so the fear was my own), and South Africans drive much worse the people in the UK.

Other than that I can't think of one thing... We can dream can't we?

[Jill]

Hi Sibella,

Thanks for a lovely read. Love the photos. My brother moved to the UK in July last year and misses SA like crazy, has 3 little girls and battles with the indoor living lifestyle. He loves the beach, his beach buggie, and not wearing any shoes when he goes to the shop, so the UK has been a big change for him.

I told him to come to Oz but he said "its the arse end of the world" which I suppose is true.

Sounds like you had a fantastic holiday. We are going for a holiday in January 2010, then we will have been in Oz 2 1/2 years so we feel we can go back and hopefully look forward to coming back to Oz after the holiday.

bye for now Jill

[Bob]

Of course you can dream, Claudine.

We all dream, or we die.

In a perfect world your dreams could come true.

It saddens me to think that so many young White South Africans are feeling that their homeland can no longer offer them much of a future for themselves and their kids.

I just hope that in their wanderings, some may find Australia a place not unlike their own homeland, that they feel they can spend the rest of their days and put roots down and watch their children grow up and have the same opportunity in Life that we all want for our own kids.

Maybe you'll find your dream some place in Australia where the wind is warm, the sea clear and the air fresh, where you can put your kids into the local primary school and they can run home after school.

Maybe . . . . . .

I have to end this now because it saddens me too much.

[Sibella]

Of course you can dream, Claudine.

We all dream, or we die.

In a perfect world your dreams could come true.

It saddens me to think that so many young White South Africans are feeling that their homeland can no longer offer them much of a future for themselves and their kids.

I just hope that in their wanderings, some may find Australia a place not unlike their own homeland, that they feel they can spend the rest of their days and put roots down and watch their children grow up and have the same opportunity in Life that we all want for our own kids.

Maybe you'll find your dream some place in Australia where the wind is warm, the sea clear and the air fresh, where you can put your kids into the local primary school and they can run home after school.

Maybe . . . . . .

I have to end this now because it saddens me too much.

Hi Bob,

Thanks for all your advise and understanding and real interest of our situation - this is so rare.

Also thanks a lot for your advice on the Cleaning and Housework question - it reminded me of a parenting book I have (and should read again) that good parenting is all about teaching your kids responsibility by letting them face the consequences of their actions, i.e. if you don't hand in your lunchbox you don't get lunch the next day.

I am a bit of a softie but this reminded me to work at it more, as it is the only way to prevent chaos in my house!!

[bubbly]

Your pictures make me very homesick

[Bosluis]

Man, daai afrika berge is darem mooi.