It’s a cliche which certainly rings true: that you don’t really appreciate what you have until it’s gone. It could be anything; a person, a home, a place. As the days ticked away and 2017 was drawing to a close I got a heightened sense of my surroundings. I started to really ‘look at’ rather than ‘see’ the amazing landscape whilst out trail running or mountain biking, or even just driving around. I’d stop, take a minute  and look  and appreciate our beautiful house rather than see things to add to the snag list. There wasn’t any regret in that fact we’d soon be leaving it all behind, as I think we’ve been ‘residential tourists’ and really explored Cape Town and grasped what it’s had to offer in our 10 years here.

During  the Christmas break / long  school summer holidays, we decided to stay put in Cape town and enjoy our home and further explore this lovely city. As I bellowed out the countdown  into the new year over the microphone in the bar I was Dj-ing,  and we stepped over the border from 2017 to 2018, it really hit me that it was now showtime and we had to up our game. 2018 was the year that would change all of our lives forever. In one year from now the four of us would be seeing in 2019 and we could be anywhere in the world; it was an exciting and liberating thought.

Living in Cape Town is akin to living in a village as you can’t help bumping into  people you know wherever you go; people met through sport, schools, toddlers groups, work. You can’t go anywhere without seeing a familiar face. That can have its upsides, but it can also get  tiresome. With the ‘village life’ comes the village gossip and constant judging. You are assessed by your wealth, what suburb you live in, what car you drive, where your children are at school.  I don’t really care for that superficial BS. It is impossible to have any anonymity here unlike in London, my hometown, where you are just a number, so both places really are either ends of the spectrum.

Regardless of that, we have made some amazing friends for life, here in this beautiful city. With a few months left it was imperative to nurture the good friendships, and let the leaches and dead wood fall away. The thought that we would soon be meeting new people with worldly and inspiring ideas that didn’t care about your net worth was refreshing, but we would also sorely miss our real friends from Cape Town. I  left London with a heavy heart 10 years ago, but all the people that really mattered stayed in contact or came out to visit. I think it’s important to split the wheat from the chaff every now and again and get rid of the people that just bring negative energy.

‘Set your life on fire and seek those that fan your flames’