N2, N6, N2, N2, N2

On Ricardo’s side, and as a family, network had been slowly improving albeit unpredictable. We found ourselves managing to spend perhaps 4 days a week together, and 3 days apart - an answer to prayer - however disrupting and stressful for Ricardo as he constantly had to up and travel the 1.5 hour drive over the mountain pass to Maclear whenever the network dropped. Never-the-less the Lord was good and we cherished the time we could spend together, and the phone calls that were now holding majority of the time.

And with regards to the catching of that vision for the future beyond 2025? Upon leaving Joburg we had always been open to the possibility of extending our time in the Eastern Cape - the move had been extensive, and expensive. Additionally, we had known for some time that our vision was to raise our kids out of the city, in a quieter way of life - which required moving away from Joburg at some point in time. The question however was whether now was the right time, and if not now, then when? However a move back to Joburg would likely end up being a long-term commitment simply due to expense, and the imminent arrival of Baby B. Somewhere along the road, with the road always leading either to or away from East London, we realized that the Lord may indeed be opening doors, or at least allowing, the possibility of a relocation to the East Coast (albeit East London itself is just another city, the surrounding areas are much more serene).

This decision became more pressing as we realized the need to find a place to settle with reliable health care and support come August, for the arrival of our little one. For a mixture of reasons including lifestyle, financial, and circumstantial reasons we decided to explore our options along the East Coast. This certainly has not been a straight forward journey. Initially we considered renting, we thought to trial out the area for a period of time before committing. However, each time we set our mind on a place, it drifted from our fingertips the moment we thought we had it. Property after property this occurred. When it seemed that we had exhausted all our viable options for rental in the area we began an innocent mental exercise exploring properties for sale. What started as a “what if we?” Turned quickly into a serious consideration - and then eventually became a non-negotiable. We realized we needed to settle, and the next move we made as a family needed to come with a deep sense of commitment and stability. The road did not become clear overnight however. Initially we had our hearts set on a property in Gonubi, a neighboring town to East London - unfortunately/fortunately by the time we were ready to place down a fair offer, the property had been placed on auction. The Lord closed that door firmly however, more than once - and looking back, we are grateful for this. Although by this time we were tired, and honestly a fair bit discouraged, we kept looking (we even considered some Joburg properties). In what felt like a last attempt (while Ricardo was alone down in EL waiting to hear news on Miss Landy) we decided he should view a property down in Cintsa we had found a few days prior on widening our search. He went, and watsapp called me in on the viewing albeit the network kept cutting. He was completely besotted with the place, and convinced I’d love it - and from what I could see I believed him. We felt convinced on the property - and put down an offer. As we awaited outcome on our offer we became progressively more sure on our decision and excited for the future. When the offer was accepted we were overjoyed and travelled down to EL so I could view the place as well (which is beyond our prayers). We are so relieved and thankful to have a place we will call home and our own, to know where we are going come August and to be able to start building our home - Kuyambamizuyo (to send down roots). We are still working with the attorneys and the agents however everything thus far has progressed smoothly and we are assured all will be well in place by the 1st of August in preparation for our move with 3 dogs, 3 cats and a baby soon to come.

Yes, 3 dogs. Miss Cleo-belle Hazel joined the family in February - a little Boxer puppy (and Theo’s new best friend) who is growing fast and nearing 6 months old now. And 3 cats? Well that’s a funny story probably for the next blog post!