I love how my skin feels after I’ve showered following a day of swimming and sunbathing, my skin tight and just slightly sunburnt. Slipping on something cool and cotton is heavenly. I love that I can have that feeling at my own home without it being limited to going away once a year to a holiday location. I feel very grateful and lucky. Due to the fact that I live by both the sea and mountains, live on a wine route and have a pool I have not been out of South Africa since I moved back here in 2007. I just think that as I live in one of the worlds top tourist destinations why leave? This is the view from my sunbed.

This last 2 weeks I’ve done many hours in that sunbed or the one opposite, popping in and out the pool, moving from sun to shade. I’ve read and played games on my iPad. It’s been fabulous. I really needed a time to unwind before I start my new project in January.

We have had a fabulous Christmas and NY. My girls came back from George for Christmas. We all cooked together so it wasn’t too bad, we cooked the gammon, the desserts and cornbread first, trying to cook as much as we could on Christmas Eve and the turkey, stuffing and veg on the actual day. Norm woke with man flu and spent the day in bed sleeping. The girls and I went for swims throughout the day to keep cool . The girls dined in pajamas and I in a swimming costume and sarong. Not very formal. But it’s only family.

Our New Years was very special as it was officially announced on the New Years Honours List that my handsome, sexy Scottish hubby Norman was to receive an MBE. We had known for a month or so but been sworn to secrecy. The letter from the consulate makes it clear it is top secret. I am terrible at secrets, so that part was a bit stressful!

This means a UK visit for this year. I’d love to get to see all my friends in the UK. hopefully we can have a mini reunion of sorts. I’ll be spending Rands (I.e. broke) so can’t afford travel so hope my friends can all come to where we have to be.

I am just so proud of Norm. I thought for sure I had ruined any chances of the recognition due to him for all of his Olympic, Athletics and Triathlon work by dragging him off to Africa, so to see him receive this honour off only his merit in SA is amazing. Proof that destiny cannot be averted.