First and foremost, I would like to apologise for my absence in the last month. I had great expectations of being able to blog while I was in SA, but when you’re surrounded by your best people in the whole world, stuff just gets sidelined. That being said, I did manage to see most of you- my favourite-favourites, and I loved every single minute I could squeeze out of you. THANK YOU!!
Secondly, my apologies for the absence of Christmas messages, be it in the shape of a photo-card, gift, phone-call, e-mail, sms or whichever method you prefer these days. I have a vision stuck in my memory of Christmas cards hung on the fire place at Netherby- more than 50 at one stage. Later on, I remember sending out, and receiving streams of sms’s on our mobile phones. These are no longer! These days you have to consider how personal the Facebook messages are, and for this reason, I limited mine to a bunch of photos of our family dinner.
Somehow my intention to do a photo card and post my wishes fell by the way side- will you hold me to it for Christmas 2015? In the mean time, I do hope that you all had a really special Christmas, filled with loads of happy family time, to keep close to your heart for as long as you need to. I know I did. (And here I am going to put a quick shout-out to Anton’s family for a lovely time in the bush, and to my parents, my brother and sister, their partners and the kids for everything.)
Thirdly, I am hoping to write about our trip- a lot of the time we were home, my mind would wander to scribbling about my times spent in Boston KZN- so many memories and thoughts came through, which I am hoping to get in soon. But for now, I am going to keep this short (ish) and sweet, and upload this before out midnight hour!
2014 has been a good year for us du Plessis. We haven’t ended with our bank account in its’ overdraft. We have found a place in our new lives, and we are thankful for the beautiful people we find in this life now. We’ve discovered things that we hadn’t expected to, we made mistakes we learnt from. We might not have travelled to new places like I had hoped, and I’m holding out that a trip to Italy this summer is going to be exciting. (That being said, our trip to Paris in April was a first for the girls and I, so that’s one place that’s been ticked off the ‘to visit’ list!)
So far I have one resolution, and that is to buy and drink French wine this year. In 2014 we drank more cheap SA wine than I am proud to admit to, and that’s got to change. Aside from that, health is on the cards- again I guess- so anyone in Strasbourg who needs a running partner, just call. (VJ, I hope you think of me sweating it out on a frosty morning as you sit in your air-conned office. I will spare a thought for you sweating it out in the humidity of Cairns.) And if I have to admit to resolve a flaw, I am going to try to stop over-analyzing and over thinking everything that falls across my path.
To you all, my 2015 be a year of exciting challenges, that you are given opportunities to teach, and learn in some way or form. I pray that your hearts are happy, that your health is good, and that life is good.
My thoughts to each and everyone of you.
Cheers to all things that need to be celebrated- prawns and Champagne- and love in our hearts.
From Anton, Gaenor, Alex and Beth.
Xxx
Pinot, Bretzels, and Cathedrals 