This Timely Adventure

Its a regular Tuesday evening for us. Kev knocks a whopper 14 hour day and I knock to do lists. I should put my feet up and get lost in a book, but I never do. This particular Tuesday, I have snowflake shaped gingerbread cookies in the oven for a Christmas craft I am running at Sierra's class Christmas party this week. I have Rattie running furiously back and forth along the couch beside me, or more honestly, all over this keyboard. Any typos, I blame her. Before me, the Hong Kong skyline twinkles. Spotify provides the background playlist, intermittently drowned out by an aeroplane on its flight path overhead. And I wonder where to start.  This night a year ago, we were at 'The Last Supper' with parents, siblings and cousins in Cape Town. I distinctly remember that hard to swallow, lump in my throat, throughout the evening. Savouring the last hugs, laughs, sharing of food, conversation. The next morning we would give the final hug, smile and goodbye and I would leav...

Last weekend, we began the journey of Advent in our home. Not only was our home filled with much excitement and preparation but so was my Instagram feed full of green foliage and sparkling gold baubles. It seems we weren't the only ones in full Christmas swing. As we prepare for another ‘first’ in Hong Kong, we have been thoughtful about what we want this season to look like for our family. Although we were here for Christmas last year, it felt very different. Having landed on Hong Kong soil just less than 2 weeks before, we were still navigating the most basic necessities in life such as food, transport and a place to live and make home. Christmas's prior to that, were very stripped down for us. We chose to start marriage and family life with as little of the Christmas commercial fanfare as possible. We are not great fans of santa, kitch Christmas decor and an overload of gifts.  A favourite tradition which we introduced for Sierra's second Christmas wa...