Author Archives: mcharlottesmith

Christmas in Africa – After church, we had a lovely family lunch (Braai) with my aunt, uncle and cousin. It was lovely to see some family and for Marinus to meet them. We also received some Merry Christmas messages from the keepers of our pets back in the Netherlands. Be kind. Stay Safe. Merry Christmas

We wanted to take a picture in the beautiful tree to make a summer Christmas card. We asked a friendly stranger in the park to take a picture for us and only afterwards we noticed her grandchild peeking out through the tree! We did take a few fun Christmas pictures though!

Today we really put the Africa in the South African holiday. In the morning we stopped at Karoo Cafe for a stroll through the garden center and I wanted to show Marinus the beautiful furniture too. I have forgotten how different our life in NL is. Even the parking area with the thorn trees areContinue reading “Life in the time of Corona – Captain’s log: Day 647”

Theres something special about waking up in Africa. How lovely to spend the day with family, share an exquisite lunch of lamb chops, and enjoy the African sky blue…. Be kind. Stay safe.

After 645 days I am finally going home to South Africa. As we got to the airport it was white everywhere we looked, a thick layer of frost covering the grass next to the runway. I was wearing my handmade doggie sweater. I fell in love with the fabric in the shop while looking forContinue reading “Life in the time of Corona – Captain’s log: Day 645”

Another day of prep for our long awaited holiday. Today we had to go for our pre-trip pcr test. It was quite busy but after waiting for a few min we made it to the front of the queue and we’re helped by a friendly guy who put us at ease. Not only did heContinue reading “Life in the time of Corona – Captain’s log: Day 643”

I went shopping today to get the last few things on my list to bring to South Africa. I didn’t realize it would be so busy in town but I got my stuff done. I took my machines in for a service while we’re on holiday and get my goodies and I made my wayContinue reading “Life in the time of Corona – Captain’s log: Day 642”

Another Corona year is nearly done. As a society we were thinking it’s about time to end when a new variant was discovered in South Africa around the end of November. The moment it was announced the world went into a flat panic and blocked flights from South Africa with immediate effect. Some poor peopleContinue reading “Captain’s log – Life in the time of Corona: Day 620”

I didn’t think it would last this long, but here we are. In the Netherlands we’re back in a so-called soft lockdown. Shops and restaurants close at 8pm, and we’re back to wearing masks all the time, like we’re batman or something. At least it keeps my nose warm on the cooler days. On theContinue reading “Life in the time of Corona – Captain’s log: Day 615”

Day out in Utrecht