Thursday 14th October - Sunday 31st October (Our time in South Africa)

It has taken me a while to post this entry as to be honest I just didn't really know where to start and what I wanted to say, we had the MOST AWESOME, INCREDIBLE, SPECIAL, MEMORABLE holiday ever and I simply haven't been able to decide whether to blog it day by day or just to touch on some of our thoughts and experiences and how they have left us feeling about England, Africa and the journey that we are on.

What comes below is a rambling of thoughts I think, punctuated by some of the photographs I took, I hope that one day they will serve to jog our memory about one of the best family holidays we have ever had.

Only hours after arriving in South Africa Simon looked at me and said that no matter how wonderful it felt to be amongst family and how good and familiar everything was he was glad we lived in England and that it was now his home.....in saying this my ever wonderful husband unwittingly released me to embrace our experience and live each moment without the fear that he was going to tell me he wanted to return.

I LOVE South Africa and saw so many improvements since my last visit, I was blown away by the development of RDP housing and how there seemed to be a dramatic reduction in squatter camps lining the freeways. The World cup certainly seems to have had the impact everyone talked about and I witnessed with my own eyes some of the dramatic improvements in infrastructure especially along Durban beachfront. We ate in restaurant and experience world class service, friendly and efficient and it was so much improved from the same experience a year ago that at times I was simply stunned.

Time spent with family and friends was like gold, precious and sadly now for us a great rarity.....Our first night in the country was celebrated by the ENTIRE Robertson family, a mere 28 of us in total and we were so touched that EVERY single member made the effort to be there to be with us. I watched my husband flourish in his family love and I think that those couple of hours meant more to him than even he had thought they would.

Once in Durban being with my dad again was like water to my thirsty soul, I have been blessed to spend a total 20 weeks with my mom since leaving SA but apart from 7 short days in November last year I have had to settle for skype and telephone conversations with my dad and it was wonderful to sit and watch him do the normal things, hang washing and feed his dogs, tinker with his aeroplanes and play cards on his computer - these are the little things one really misses when separated from family for long periods of time.

My parents blessed us with 3 glorious days down the South coast and although the weather was not perfect the setting was and I think we all benefited from the alone time away from the pressures two short weeks in a country puts you under. I watched my mom interact with Nick and the older children and my heart swelled as my littlest got to know his Nanna again - separating the children from their grandparents is my only sadness in this whole adventure we are on....I was raised in a family where grandparent where very much a part of my day to day life and I saw the benefits that Megan and Phillip had for the first 10 and 7 years of their lives respectively and it hurts me to know that because of our decision Nick and the baby will miss out on this amazing privilege.

Our children thrived under the hot African sun and were reunited with friends so special that no matter the years the connection was as strong as it was the day we left the country. Watching Nick Nick love our dogs, Skye and Tara as Megs and Phil once had and lying with them in their kennels was a gift hard to describe....this time with my parents in their home was one of the most special of my life and one I found hard to articulate at the time. Their grace in giving us the trip and doing everything in their power to welcome us was not unnoticed and I will be forever grateful of the 14 days we spend together.

During this period we were also able to reunite with special friend, people who have been in our lives for a long time, and who I hope will continue to be a part of our story even though we now live so far apart. With them time melted away and it was as though we had never left.....both the Stemps and the Dolloways welcomed us into their home and reminded us of a time of much laughter and fellowship. Coffee with my girls at the Beat was an obvious highlight of the trip and one I don't know if we will ever be lucky enough to repeat - my connection to these girls and the time we spent as the "bratz" is one I will never forget and I don't think will ever replace and it was wonderful to be together again if ever for just a little while.

Overall as I have said before the holiday of a LIFETIME filled with love, happiness and friendship beyond compare but it was with an easy heart that we said goodbye and returned to our home...to the new friendships and people who have made our lives here undeniably better....to the calm, gentle island that has given us security and freedom before only dreamt of.

I think that I can now officially say that we have emigrated and that South Africa is in our past, a very beautiful, very passionate, very wild and vibrant past, but all 4 of us are ready to turn and face our future here and it is with such gratitude that we thank the people who we have left behind for wishing us only joy and keeping us in their hearts and prayers, this holiday showed us that no matter where you live their are some ties that will bind you together forever.