Wednesday 17 July 2013

Arrival


It's been two and a half weeks since we arrived (this time for good) at our little farm near Swellendam, in the Western Cape, South Africa (Swellendam is on the N2, roughly halfway between George and Cape Town).

In the meantime, Wayne has been up and down to Johannesburg to meet the removals company and send off our furniture (stripped of all major appliances - fridge, washing machine, dishwasher *sob*, etc - running off a solar energy installation means not only that we're not reliant on the national grid, but also that we need to run an energy efficient household).

Our ten year old son Michael has also kicked off the term at his new farm school, located approximately 25km away, and while still out of his depth with regards to the language obstacle (Afrikaans as a first language, which will take some getting used to), he has already made some friends and started playing rugby. During break, he feeds the resident goats, which are milked by the children who go on to produce goat's cheese. This cheese is then sold by the kids as an additional source of income for the school. There are 121 other children, from all manner of backgrounds, and we firmly believe that this will be an enriching and invaluable experience for Michael, as he completes the last 2.5 years of primary school.

We are currently staying with my parents (thanks again, guys!), literally 'down the road', while we await the arrival of our things, which is when we plan to move across to our little cabin and effectively camp while we build our raised timber frame house. We are waiting on final approval of our building plans, at which point we can place the order for the timber and call in the assistance of my brother to help Wayne with the self-build.

On arrival, during one of our 'perimeter walks', we discovered that in our absence our olive trees had produced a second batch of olives - the first having been harvested by my parents a few weeks ago.

It was a nice welcome home surprise.


12 comments:

  1. Welcome, finally, to our part of the world :)

    It's so wonderful to have you all so very close - just over the field LOL

    We believe that the move that the three of you have made is going to be of immense benefit to you as a family.

    Very exciting times ahead :)

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    1. Thanks Mum, it means a lot to us that we have your support. It's great to be together again :-)

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  2. Congratulations on your new blog and your new life off-grid.

    You have wonderful parents who are close by to answer questions and help guide you in this new chapter in your life.

    Look forward to following you and your family in your journey.

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    1. Hi MsBelinda, thanks for your wishes and visiting!

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  3. Congratulations on your move to new adventures for all! And what a lovely banner image :)

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    1. Appreciate it, thanks Quinn. We're doing a series of photos of the sign over the seasons... plan to update soon. Thanks for checking us out!

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  4. you have done one of the best moves in your life....and take each day as a new and wonderful day.

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    1. Thanks African Bliss, so true, we already can't wait to wake up in the morning and start "building" our new lives out here.

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  5. Congrats on the move and your new blog. Your journey is exactly what I want to do one day in the future, but for now I am stuck in the city.
    Good luck with all you future developments, I will definitely be here following you along the way.

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    1. Thank you Crystal! We found the toughest challenge was finding the courage to make the decision, after that it's just a matter of planning and logistics. Once we decided it was the life we wanted for our family, things seemed to almost fall into place, paving the way. We were so aware of time just rushing past us, every day a little faster, and we wanted to make the most of it while we could. Thanks for your encouragement!

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  6. Sounds like a wonderful and welcome move. And welcome to the wonderful world of blogging! It's a great way to make new acquaintances and share your life with others.

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    1. Hi Leigh, thanks! Trying my best to keep up and keep it as current as possible, for our friends and family (and new friends too!) to follow along with our progress. Thanks again!

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