Home Sweet Home

Currently, I'm sitting back on my dad's lazy boy chair, with my feet up, a laptop in my lap and listening to the birds singing in the tree in my parents' backyard. To be honest, if I was any more relaxed, I wouldn't be breathing. 

Arriving at Cape Town International airport. I had to snap the beautiful Table Mountain as we were coming in for landing.

I arrived in South Africa on Friday morning, after a looong flight from Taiwan via Singapore. Ever since I set foot on South African soil, I've just been spoiled rotten here at home. "Liesl, what would you like to eat for breakfast/lunch/dinner?" and "Here, let me wash your clothes." "Do you want anything to drink?" "Can I draw you a bath?" I can get used to this.

My mom loves gardening and I love spending time in it. 

I love being at my parents' house. This is the house I grew up in and have only good memories of. I haven't been home for 2 years, but nothing has really changed. My mom's garden is bigger though, and as beautiful as ever, and she renovated the guest bathroom, which looks amazing, like in a 5-star hotel. And since the last time I was here, my beloved dog passed away and the other one is also really old now.

Mom's newly renovated bathroom is stunning. I want to spend as much time in there as possible.

My parents live in a small town at the southern tip of Africa, and it's nice how relaxed and slowed down everything is compared with Taipei, where I live. I've been spending my time going to our small town's gym, baking with my mom, working on my tan, reading, taking pictures, playing with the dog, eating and helping my mom with the last minute preparations for my brother's wedding on the 16th.

We baked cupcakes! And ate most of it, too...

I'm enjoying the calm before the storm now, before everyone starts arriving for the wedding. My brother and his fiance will arrive from Dubai tomorrow, and then we'll go to the airport on Sunday to pick up The Boyfriend, flying in from Taiwan, my sister, flying in from Dubai, and my soon-to-be-sister-in-law's parents, flying in from Ukraine. They'll all be staying at my parents' house, so we volunteered to go and stay in a guest house for the week leading up to the wedding.

I'm looking forward to having the rest of my family, and The Boyfriend, arrive in South Africa, and to seeing everyone at the wedding. I still want to meet up with so many of my friends as well.

I'm so relaxed, and happy to be home. Here we were enjoying iced coffees at a restaurant close to the beach.

So that's my little summer vacation update for you, but I have to go now because I smell something fantastic coming from the kitchen. I wonder what feast has been prepared for lunch today...