Wow it's December

It is hard to imagine that we have been here now for more than a month. We are so thankful for every day that we wake up and look out of our doors to see the amazing Table Mountain which is so green this year because of the particularly wet winter. It is quite simply spectacular! Summer has truly arrived and the deep blue skies and brilliant sun are welcome.

So far it has been a time of rediscovery, learning, reconnecting and getting used to living here full time. It is kind of weird because we keep reminding ourselves that we are not on vacation - at least not in the true sense.  In addition to trying to arrange normal things like health insurance and buying a car we are redoing this large garden, and hoping to make connections to find some freelance work.

Currently there is a debate going on about the type of vehicle we should buy - one of us wants a small vehicle, big enough for trips but not for tough off-road safari stuff and the other is leaning towards the bigger engine 4x4 type vehicle. See if you can guess which one holds which opinion. But the good news is that I am really getting used to driving on the other side of the road.  I actually get more confused when walking to look in the correct direction to avoid traffic running Emma and me over. 

Our Thanksgiving celebration last Sunday was a hit - 19 people and a big, well cooked turkey - which ultimately did come from Minnesota. The Brazilian bird is still in the freezer! I went to the ever reliable Epicurious site and found a recipe for an apple cider brined turkey that worked out beautifully.  We had lots of cooks helping and the meal was very yummy - actually this week felt more aimless without needing to plan for a big feast. Of course we forgot to photograph the turkey but I've included a few pics of a friend who brought soup and one of the tables of guests.

But what has been most fun lately are the discoveries of wildlife and gardening. We have had marvelous walks on the beach finding loads of shells, seeing a pair of oyster catchers, the bird below, and a number of visitors to our garden. 

The hadeda bird is a kind of ibis and they like to hang around to find bugs in the lawn. Emma likes to chase them out of the garden but this guy was not about to leave so easily so he simply took up a spot on the top of the little cottage.   I also found the most incredibly beautiful ladybug on the lawn yesterday - a soft rose color with big black spots some of which were shaped like little hearts - an amazing little creature. We finally managed to get some good photos of the bullfrog who lives in our pond and a spider that Michael disturbed from her nest in the shrubs ( I am happy to report that she did return to the nest the next day - I checked) 

Our next challenge is to get a photo of the orange breasted sunbird who comes to feed regularly at the large hibiscus just next to the patio - stay tuned!

PS - just like at home, the holiday shopping season has started here. We are enjoying seeing how the decorations are since it is a summer holiday here- quite fun to observe.