Thanksgiving in Cape Town

Happy Black Friday! May none of you be trampled to death today and may you all enjoy many leftover-turkey-and-stuffing sandwiches!

Protea flowers, Cape Town

Al and I are in Cape Town. We came down yesterday morning and are staying at the beautiful home of Al’s former boss, Hillary, her husband, Alfred, their two sons, Boden (7) and Asher (16 months), and their two gentle Rhodesian Ridgebacks.  They live in a lovely, leafy Cape Town neighborhood full of flowering trees and narrow, quiet streets.

A nearby street

We spent the early afternoon yesterday hanging out with Hilary and Alfred and their kids and dogs, which was really fun.  Al gets along well with dogs and kids of all descriptions, which is one of the reasons I love him.

He’s a natural
Dexter

Yesterday afternoon, we also took a walk around the neighborhood and gaped at how gorgeous Cape Town is.  The weather is perfect – sunny, warm, and breezy during the day and crisp at night – and the vegetation is lush and green.  It actually really reminds me a lot of Northern California: the plants, the weather, the smell of the air (eucalyptus and flowering trees), the brown and green hills and clear blue skies — it all feels very familiar to me.  This morning, we went for a run in Kirstenbosch, a nearby National Botanical Garden that reminded me strongly of Golden Gate Park (except minus the creepy drifters living in the bushes).  I really love how green it is here.

View from a parking deck – looks like San Francisco (with a mountain)

Last night, Hillary and Alfred were kind enough to host Thanksgiving at their home for a large number of people, including many adorable kids.

Kidsgiving

Dinner was potluck style, and our contribution was the aforementioned labor-of-love/just-plain-labor pumpkin pie, plus two store-bought pies from Wooly’s, a few bottles of wine, and some salads.

La mesa

Others brought veggie dishes, bread, mashed potatoes, more wine, and, of course, TURKEY.  Everything was delicious.

My plate

We went around the table and said what we were thankful for.  This is my sixth Thanksgiving of being thankful for Alastair.  I’m also thankful for great friends and family, good health, and the opportunity to live in a new place and pursue my dreams.  Life is good, you know?

Thankful for this guy

The moment of truth of the night came for me at dessert, when my pie was served.  Luckily, it was a hit.  In order to verify that it was, in fact, delicious, I had to test several slices.  I approved.

Hillary and Alfred were wonderful hosts and it was fun meeting their group of friends here in Cape Town.  The only disadvantage is that now I don’t want to ever go back to Joburg. Sigh.

Tomorrow, the plan is to go wine tasting.  I’m feeling a little sick (sore throat, headache, etc.) but my disgusting boils are subsiding, so I’m optimistic.  I’ll report back soon.  Enjoy the rest of your long weekends!

3 Comments

  • so nice meeting you and Alastair (alasdair?). I like a girl who drinks red wine deep into the night.

    But baby marrows. you don’t like em?

    hope you made it back to Joburg safely.

  • Lovely to meet you and Allison (Alison?) as well – thanks so much for having us over to your beautiful home!

    And I do like baby marrows – it’s Al who dislikes them. No idea why – I think they’re delicious.

    We made it back to Joburg in one piece and are plotting our next escape to Cape Town!

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