Writing this while watching my first bake in the first-ever use of a gas oven! I am baking Oopsies…. Cream cheese and egg type muffins… The thing that I can’t work out is there is no light to say when the temperature set has been achieved! But they are rising and slowly going brown. 10 more minutes and I will let you know if I was successful.

Today was also snake day! Yes, a Karoo Sand snake (Whip Snake) struck and ate an unsuspecting gecko – almost under my foot. It is harmless and skinny, and it could have been its first meal after hibernating for winter! About 800mm long it was interesting to watch the head of the unsuspecting gecko disappear and then the bolus progress along the snake’s body. This small town has a resident snake catcher, who’s name I had been given, together with the plumber and electrician in case of such an event and being that I had totally no idea at that stage what kind of snake it was I called Athol, he arrived within minutes and in spite of us “knowing” where it went, we could not find it! So, for now, he lives somewhere adjacent to my garage, or he escaped while he could! Since then I have had a few more Karoo Sand snakes in the garden, they move so fast, are harmless and I just let them be:)

It seems like summer is arriving early there have been some hot days already.
I always wondered what it would feel like not to go to work…. something I have done since I was seventeen, everyday like clockwork. There have of course been some holidays, but work has taken up most of my life and mostly I loved it.
I have slipped into this new life with such ease. No alarm clock, just early morning light or an unfamiliar bird call wakes me from a restful uninterrupted sleep. Ready to face another new day with no expectation. When you are doing something new each day there is a sense of achievement, even if it is just unpacking boxes and sorting. Every time I venture out into the veld, I am assured of something new, something never seen before. There is no rush, no drama, no stress, just new opportunities and new views.
So, these first three months are good. I’m finding my way around and finding me:)