2024

2024 had some profoundly magical moments, and I'm wondering whether I can find one a month to remember here...

January 2024

Red tide had been spotted in False Bay for a few days, and one evening - past 9 o'clock - we heard there was phosphorescence down at the beach and headed down.

The night was warm, wind-free and moonless. The waves breaking in perfect rhythm, each one of them blue-capped and a-glow, the phosphorescence cracking and spreading down the breaking waves like glow-sticks coming alive. Around our feet in the wet sand, whorls of sparkles and galaxies of glitter.

The girls swam far out - in their pyjamas - we waded in thigh-high, the beach filled with people basking in the splendour. 

Also in January:

We proudly took Israel to the ICC for crimes against humanity. We celebrated my parents 50th wedding anniversary, and our youngest started high school, and the beginning of two years together at the same school.

February 2024

In February, as in most February's, it was Galentines.

Galentines is an annual tradition, this was our 4th year. I waxed lyrical about it in 2022 and it has not yet failed us as the most perfect, most magic day (maybe even of the YEAR?).

In February we also:

Appreciated art, kept protesting genocide, enjoyed the fruits of our renovation labour, and leaned in to the light.

March 2024

One weekend we packed up all our camping gear, prepped all the things, got dog-sitters, hitched up our camping trailer - and drove 30 minutes down the road to camp on the other side of the bay from where we live. It seemed slightly bonkers, but it was so lovely to be visitors at home so to speak. We snorkeled and swam and endured some big wind and flexed our camping skills for the first time that summer.

We also:

Celebrated our 14 yr old with cupcakes in her own image, walked 20km for Palestine, I spent an evening with my two oldest friends from high school celebrating a 50th, and the summer vibes persisted.

April 2024

The magic moment in April was taking the backing board off this old frame (found in my mother's garden shed) to repurpose it, and discovering this lovely watercolour obscured there. The peak looked so familiar... I lifted my eyes from the task (I was outside on the lawn - the frame was dusty) and realised it was the peak I look at every day.

Further research leads us to believe it was painted by a great aunt. The picture has been framed with the correct reverence and I look at, and love it, every day.

Also in April...

 

  

I really hit my stride with strength training - and how good it makes me feel, the weather started turning, I found a new artist to continue my leg tatt journey, and our doggo's got the sinking feeling we were packing for something...

May 2024

... we were packing for 5 days in the desert at Africa Burn. What a big family adventure.

Our friends got married there, and had a theme camp (more space, slightly better infrastructure) that we could chip in on. We went in a big gang of our camping buddies and had the BEST time. Minds blown, hearts opened, eyes and imaginations filled. As I said at the time, who knew the desert could be so refreshing?

More from the Burn, because it's too much to be limited to one pic...

And also in May, I turned 49. Yikes.

 

June 2024

In June our eldest turned 17 and as always for her mid-winter birthday we were blessed with the most beautiful sunny day. The girls and I went to the city to look at art and have a grown up ladies lunch in which real food was ordered and eaten, and real conversations were had. My mantra on repeat at the moment is that these teen years are the reward for all the hard work years of raising them 'til here - I mean, I loved those years too but this, this is a golden era of parenting for sure.

In June I also...

Lost the exhaust off my motorbike during a big ride out and received roadside assistance from a passing good Samaritan, photographed a garden gnome (my Dad) painting a mural on their garden wall, admired a particularly impressive year for aloes, and had a Homer-in-the-hedge moment in Joburg on a job.

Turns out June was quite green!

July 2024

One of my (many) posts in drafts here was entitled 'In Dust We Trust' and was supposed to be about our time at Africa Burn and then this, a 10 day holiday in Namibia. It was a year of dusty getaways...

The is Dead Vlei, or Verloren Pan, in central Namibia and is a magical place. These trees have been dead for hundreds of years, but are still standing due to the extreme dryness of the region and the pan in which they once grew, protected in a circle of these red, red dunes. Dead Vlei is one of those unofficial wonders of the world, despite how deserted this photo looks there were teems of tourists here - we heard so many languages spoken. It's a schlep to get to, it's literally in the middle of nowhere, you drive and then walk far to get into it, but when you're there it thrums with that feeling of being in an exceptional and sacred place. We loved it. Namibia was exceptional.

Also in July...

A much cooler, and more water-based, girls birthday weekend on a houseboat... in which we learned once again that regardless of the obstacles (and there were some pretty big ones), good food, bubbly and the company of one's besties can turn any experience into the most fun ever.

August 2024

My magic moment in August was one in retrospect. A very cold, little bit rainy, walk around the dam in the Cederberg with my Dad. Just 3 weeks later he went to the doctor for a fairly routine check-up and started a currently-at-three-month journey of surgeries and treatments. 

My parents spend 2-3 months in the Cederberg every winter, and we've had some wonderful weekends up there with them. As we packed for this one I got a bit of  foreshadowing that there might not be many more of these ahead. He's in a good place at the moment, but a walk like this seems very far from our reality right now.

September 2024

September was a rough one. Concern for my Dad and our own heartbreak - we had to very suddenly say goodbye to our lovely, lovely dog Orca the month before. We were bereaved. And sought solace on motorbikes.

We went to the annual Canola Run out in the farm lands. A dusty ride through the early spring flowering canola fields, the girls taking turns behind their Dad with me riding shotgun with snacks and Nacho.

Also in September:

The motorbike bug bit deep and lessons continued at home. The cats snuggled into their deep winter floof (Spring is an illusion here, as the days turn towards the sun the weather gets fouler and fouler). And I had a fun quiz night out pretending to be literary whizzes and learning that we really aren't at all.

October 2024

My Dad still in hospital, still grieving the loss of our big baby boy + working crazy hours on a massive contract, October is a bit of a blur - but we celebrated 21 years of marriage and went for an amazing bike ride around the Cape Peninsula with our youngest as pillion and head photographer.

21 years married, 33 years together. Wild.

In October I also...

...continued advocating for Palestine whenever I could, producing cute creative snack platters as I have nearly 18 years... did a small nod to Halloween with eyeball ice, and enjoyed the burgeoning friendship (friendship? more like friendly situationship) between Nacho and the cats.

November 2024

In November I had the great privilege of working on a second in-country meeting for this international group of philanthropy Fellows. The last one in Johannesburg provided the material for my last post here. This one was not as eventful but still a massive amount of logistical planning, long hours and creative thinking went into it. 

It was emotional too. The Americans arrived fresh off their elections, reeling in disbelief. The Middle Easterns arrived reeling from their horrors, our Palestinian-in-exile colleagues, and one brave Lebanese chap who had had to time his departure between Israeli strikes - he arrived, said hello and we all burst into tears.

Some more of the week...

   

Dinner under the whale skeletons at the Museum, the very non-conference set-up, walking through the Company Gardens at dusk to the farewell event, Table Mountain showing off for our guests.

The rest of the month was recovery. Of course I got Covid, and was exhausted. My Dad was in and out of ICU after another round of surgeries, our girls were writing exams... it was a another blur but...

  

...there was also pets and art.

December 2024

It's the 27th, but I'm calling it - magic moment of the month was yesterday, Boxing Day, best day of the year. It was a hot, still day in which we did nothing, but loll (and lol) on the deck, by the pool, drinking wine and eating leftovers and chilling hard.

But also in December...

... Christmas, and cats, a magical dinner in a beautiful house in our neighbourhood, a nerdy gaming festival with the girls...

...new art, festive vibes, a playgroup reunion full of giant teens, and a great big 17 and half yr old daughter who requested a sword for Christmas and is maybe the happiest child on the planet right now.

2024 was a mixed bag. We end it with my Dad home, but a still very much in recovery, my lovely parents reeling from 4 months of stress and worry, all of us wearing big girl (and boy) pants more regularly than we'd like to. But through that, and beyond that, it was a year of big family love and care, bonding and fun. It was a good year.

With just one last, most special mention:

Orca 2014 - 2024

RIP big guy