The Country Life - Week 1

So we have moved and are attempting to settle into the country-side life. Moving from a big city, housing millions of people to a village with a few thousand is a real mind shift. I have to say though we are loving it!

We had snow on the mountains this weekend and it was beautiful, there is just something you cant beat about snow caped mountains, a great [real] fire and a bottle of good red being surrounded by vines. So this is life for me now…I feel privileged.
I think I could even [at a stretch] handle the small town gossip- by ignoring it..[not my best I must say]…I may have to give people something to talk about!

So a quick overview of my first few days:

•The view…unbelievable, from every angle…snow capped mountains with clear crisp air…
•Sleepy countryside speckled with the odd farm house, cow or sheep [complete with smokey chimney – just love that]
•Getting caught behind a tractor on the way to school…
•School here starts later, feels weird only getting up at 7 to get to take my daughter to school by 8. School is very farmy…very different but she settled on the first day.
•Spend my mornings sipping coffee in the sun on the tiny main road through the village. [where I am currently typing this!]
•No Woolies [Woolworths] to be found… [still deciding if that is a good or bad thing]
•Hey! I could wear one of my hats that I have been collecting for the last few years… very cool! Gum boots and hats are the norm here!
•Going to a champagne farm this weekend for a launch and lunch… and last weekend spent time at the wine farms next to fires sipping red…
•Everyone knows each other here and people go out of their way to say hi and have a 15 min conversation…trying to get used to that…. [and the Afrikaans…I nearly failed that at school!]

So far not missing JHB at all. Not even a little…I may at some stage I am sure…this is all still new for me and I love the energy that JHB has. There is petty crime here but NOTHING like the violence of Jozi…I can cope with that. I cannot begin to explain how much this place feels like I live in another country but has a familiarity about it that is SA. It is really weird.

Have a few consulting appointments set up…doesn’t feel like work though…every day here feels like the weekend!