Bleary eyed and very stiff we finally touched down in good old London town! Flying in over the city I felt the familiar nostalgia that overwhelms me every time I visit this wonderful place. 💕
I was blessed with an incredibly happy and love filled childhood and all those memories are attached to one part of London or another. I've been "moving back" for the last 5 years but am so torn every time I get back to Cape Town and have to face really leaving that thus far it hasn't happened. There's more to it than that, at least since I got sick, I want to live my life not just survive it and London is a tough place to achieve that. It doesn't have the gentleness that can be found in Cape Town, you don't get away with taking the odd day for yourself or to visit the mountain, it's survival of the fittest over here and I'm not sure I'm tough enough for it anymore.
But that doesn't mean a very large part of me wouldn't be extremely happy here. And I suppose if I found the right work, that I truly enjoyed, it wouldn't feel like I was just surviving.
We found our taxi and made our way to the flat we're staying at. My parents have recently made a wonderful and unbelievably generous friend called Canny who has the most beautiful flat right next to Hyde Park. They got to know her through another friend of theirs who organised for them to stay in it for the first time before they'd even met Canny. You really don't find that kind of generosity often anymore and we are extremely grateful. It makes coming to London even more enjoyable and certainly a lot more affordable. It's also really lovely to have the comforts of a home to return to at the end of a long day in the city.
Canny was waiting to meet us and we had a cup of coffee and a quick catch up before she left to return to her main home in the country and we unpacked.
Once settled in and now thoroughly starving we ventured down Kensington High Street to find lunch and a few basics for the flat. We decided on a lovely restaurant offering little tapas options and ordered a few things to share. Asparagus risotto, quinoa health bowl, parmesan and rocket salad and a side of tomato and onion that we smothered in chilli - naturally!
Life has been so hectic recently that I didn't really have time to get excited for this holiday. But sitting with my mama, watching the streets of London go by, it began to sink in.
Since dad got sick mum has been his care giver and as a result we've had very little time just the two of us. We had an incredible time together in India last year and I realised sitting there that this was going to be our next little adventure. My mum is my best friend and nothing makes me happier than seeing her get what she deserves and a break with her favourite people is certainly something she deserves to have far more often than she does.
Refusing to fall into the dreaded trap of converting pounds to rands we paid and made our way to Waitrose to get some groceries.
The only thing that is cheaper in London than in Cape Town is groceries. There's more competition I guess and as a result filling your fridge is less expensive. I love English supermarkets, honestly they're just ahead of ours. The specials are better as are the ready made items and there's far more choice.
Number one on our shopping list - ingredients for my chilli!
We called an Uber to get us home with all our bags and I wasted no time whisking together our favourite staple!
Chilli, onion, garlic, ginger, soya, balsamic, lemon juice, honey, salt and pepper and voila - the accompaniment to every dish! By now it was late afternoon and we were exhausted. We made a big salad and flopped on the sofa with it to watch a little telly before bed. Falling asleep I was reminded of how at home I feel here and just how torn I am over where I'd rather live. I know it's easy to fall in love with London when you're here on holiday and perhaps that's why I'm content in Cape Town even though a part of my heart will always be here. But there's no doubt that, under the right circumstances, I could be happy here too.
My dream would be to have what my parents used to have, the best of both worlds. But that's a big dream so for now all I can do is enjoy every moment and be open to the endless opportunities the universe provides.
Love,
Daisy xx
🌸 If you enjoyed this post please vote, comment & resteem - it is much appreciated, as always. For more, follow me @daisyd 🌸
Thanks for turning this into a blog post. I remember this course really helped me out when you realised it a while back!
That's so special @ghorardim - I'm so grateful to have been of any help and thank you so much for reading! <3