Oh dear. It is the 20th of January 2015. It has been more than 2 months since my last blog post. It is not that nothing happened in those two months, to the contrary, LOTS happened and the later the year got the more exhausted I got, the hotter the Swartland got and the less I wanted to stare at a computer screen…
So, I think I need to do a quick recap of the last parts of 2014, the holidays and the first 3 weeks (omg!) of 2015…
November:
After the very successful 5th Swartland Revolution I packed a pair of work clothes, a warm jacket and a sleeping bag and head to Tankwa with a few of my DPW crew members. Our mission was simple: to go sort out the storage mess we left in May (after 7 weeks in the desert no-one is too keen on packing things away neatly); to do a bit of an inventory (after 7 weeks in the desert no-one is too keen on inventories and spreadsheets); build a campsite where we can stay when heading up for missions like this and have lots of fun…
All missions were accomplished.
The Tankwa is hard man,
it refs you up then drops you down,
the highs are wide open sky high and the lows are deep and dry.
It tests your limits and pushes your boundaries.
We packed we loaded we drove we moved we unpacked we set up we made a new temporary home we organised we inventoried we drank we made fires we burned the remains of the wattle tower with fireworks! we drank we shot more fireworks out of the (pea)cock we drank we went off road we watched sunrises and sunsets we got dirty we moved 120 toilet boxes we screwed we pozzied we lid up subterrafuge we danced oh how we laughed…
but i also reflected, I wrote, I cried, I asked my self what the hell and why oh why…
Two important life lessons from Tankwa.
Always cut your nails before going to live in a semi desert
and always leave when you were supposed to go. Anything longer is too long.
Back in “civilisation” I completed the most bizarre job of my life, buying and fitting outfits for the winemakers at a major Stellenbosch wine estate…
we hosted two more weddings on Kalmoesfontein (I am now also the Wedding Coordinator for the farm, Adi called me that in an email so it must be official…)
we had an ‘end of year’ pool and pig party (Agnus the pig got smoked)
I assisted on the Woolworths Flavour Society’s end of year xmas party at Spier… wrapped everything in gold!
i flew to Gauteng / the North West for a week to visit old friends and attend the wedding (and last-night-a-batchelor) of one of my best mates from high school… 
while we were there another friend from high school and I decided to spend some time at Supersport Park in Centurion to watch the Proteas play (destroy) the West Indies… 
one night off the grid in Observatory, deep JHB,
and then it was time for me to farmsit – on Kalmoesfontein I entertained various groups of friends – firstly my girlfriends from high school and their partners for an early xmas lunch
my housemates from 2014, my homeless American friend and my brother for actual xmas lunch
we hosted an end of year ‘arty at Nansen street for our Afrikaburn crew and friends and family, 
where a water balloon fight soon turned into a paint fight… 
spent a day at the beach with the family (the real blood one)
I had many friends over for visits, wine and pool time
hosted the biggest NYE party the Partyberg had ever seen (featuring the biggest Bloody Mary I had ever seen on the 1st)
and then it was time, not for resolutions, but for reflections. I like to learn and grow from everything I do… 
this year is full steam ahead. I have a new Macbook, new iPhone, new clients, new outlook, new ventures and exciting things in the near future…
and I will try to blog more often, if only for myself.
Happy happy…
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