October 

Dear Boet

Well the summer was lekker but now it seems to be klaar. Now we start with the sweeping – starts off with sweeping leaves and ends up with sweeping snow – usually in the dark, you know, Boet. This place has really short days in the winter. Sun up around 10.30, sunset at 3…… Ag no, man. Darleen says I am exaggerating again (always reading over my shoulder, sticky beak!!) Anyway, there’s one good thing about the cold weather – sure put paid to those blerrie mosquitoes. – Worse than vultures, man.

Anyway, I took Darlene to Vancouver for our anniversary. The kids stayed over with the neighbours and I got a special with air and hotel. Man, we were just so excited about getting away, just the two of us – getting down to the sea. I hired a car! Boet – you should just see this traffic in Vancouver – maybe I’ve been living in Fort McMurray too long. We stayed in this lekker hotel on Robson Street (that’s a bit like Hillbrow used to be – before it got drek) – its quite close to this big park called Stanley Park. Darlene and I go for a little stroll on the Saturday in the park and found a cricket game going on. ‘Strues. I couldn’t believe my eyes. You could have been in Cape Town. Boet – you are not going to understand this but let me tell you – just seeing that cricket game made me feel so blerrie homesick!

Well Vancouver is a lekker place – just add some white sand, waves and Table Mountain and it would be almost perfect. Hey, and you know Boet – there’s a helluva lot of South Africans living in Vancouver! You can’t just skinner about anyone in the lift in Afrikaans you know – they can probably understand you.

So now we are back home (well Fort McMurray anyway) and back into the old routine.

Cheers!