Europe...here we come!!!!

29 March 2017

It's the night before departure day. 
The excitement in the Theron home runs high. We are even packed and ready to go...we do not leave for the airport until 10am...so this is totally unheard of for this family!!!! It must say something about the expectation!!!!

This will be the first visit back to Europe since we relocated to South Africa form Scotland in 2014. The children has not been on a plane during the last 2.5 years. They have been planning for weeks next to which member of the family they will be sitting, what movies they will be watching...and contemplating if they would sleep or just watch the screen the whole night!!! Philippa(age 8) has even written down a list of must-see movies!! I find this hilarious...but coming back to leading our children into writing a vision for themselves...she's totally got that one cracked!!!

So travelling from South Africa to Europe with four kids in tow is not cheap. How do we do it...or hope to do it!! 

We decided more than year ago about the best time for Spring skiing, and bought our plane tickets the day they became available. Throughout the rest of 2016, we booked and paid for our accommodation, lift passes and gear hire. Yes, to go skiing is expensive, but good planning and constant Internet scanning for cheap deals, can turn a big adventure into a manageable experience!!

To fly to Europe form South Africa is the most expensive part of our trip, therefore we decided to maximise the time off school and do a bit more exploration. One thing lead to another, and we narrow our focus to the foreign culture of the Magyars, or more commonly referred to as the people of Hungary. So for the second week of our trip we will be visiting Budapest, Eger and the southern grasslands. We used cheap low cost airlines Wizz and Easyjet and fly from less popular airports. This is cutting the cost of internal air travelling with more than 50%. We plan on a set amount of luggage, which bring the cost down too, since you are paying separately for every bag you checked into the hull. We booked our own accommodation in youth hostels, airBnB's and camping cabin's...again saving a great deal in comparison to using a travel agent and booking into hotels.

Our last week will be spend in Scotland. We will be visiting friends and staying with them. We are so thankful for the love and expectation our friends are showing in hosting us. We are renting a car from a local dealership vs one of the mainline companies and dropping it off at the airport, before we are flying home. We are travelling in a group of 6, so we've found that most of the time you save yourselves a great deal of hassle if you book your own transfers or cars versus using public transport. Public transport does not always turns out to be the most effective or cheapest way of overland travel.

So hi HO hi HO and off we go.

My last secret bit of travel cheek is: I'm packing a great amount of food. Kids (and grown-ups) get hungry...every sent/penny adds up...so I'll be well stocked with travel snacks, energy bars for the slopes, we even take our own filter coffee with us (our AroPress is always with us).

Over the next few weeks I'll keep you up to date with our progress on the slopes, our experiences in Hungary and let you share in the joy of being re-united with friends from a different era.

Until we meet again!

Mar sin Leibh, Alba!

Tick tock….Tick tock…

Wow!!! This passed week Scotland has been giving us it’s best in blessing us with more sunshine than we have seen for a good long time!! A great farewell gift to us! It reminded us so much of the weekend in May 2000, when we arrived in Glasgow. It was wonderful, hot sunny weather. Everybody was in the Queens Park and we were out with them, enjoying our first Scottish pizza!!! (We were also introduced on that occasion to the well feared and well respected Scottish midgee.) Full circle. Scotland is greeting us in the same fashion than she has welcomed us all those years ago.

Since we moved out of number 18 Eday Crescent, we have had a quite a memorable Scottish adventure. 3 weeks of visiting long over-due landmarks and re-visiting family favorites. It started with a final return to Port Ban camping field, outside Kilberry. Port Ban is located on a small quiet road on the Mull of Kintyre. We visited Port Ban in September 2008 for the first time. Philippa was two weeks old. We were told of this little gem by friends and just had to go and check it out for ourselves. Our love affair with this Scottish holiday village started. Since then, we’ve made many returns, always camping on one of the front beachside pitches. Crabbing, smoky-marshmallow bonfires and swimming on the ‘white’-beach became our feeling-better-on-a-rainy-day favorite-thing Sound of Music equivalent!!! Arno joined us for a night and we were sharing old wisdom and good memories with one of our first Scottish friends, around a late night campfire. Absolutely idyllic!!! This was the McPhail family’s first visit to Port Ban and we are delighted to pass the baton onto them!!! Theron legacy at PB will continue in them!!!!!

Hanging out with the McPhail clan

A quick changeover, washing and drying of 3 loads between 10pm and 10am, unpacking, hanging out wet tent and repacking were setting us up for the next week in Aberdeen. Now at this point I must just tell you about the most generous, kind and selfless family McDonald. The 6 of us were invited to move in, even before we were officially without a house. They have made us feeling extremely welcome; sharing their whole house….basically their whole lives with us. They’ve made it clear that we can feel totally at home here and stick to their words like old glue hanging on the thin paper!!!

One last movie with Sarah and Sam

Cooking and cleaning for us…even babysitting!! Proverbs 17:17 has got a new meaning… A friend loves at ALL times, and a (spiritual) brother/sister is born to help in a time of need!!

First things first…we were taking Thandi, our 8 year old Labrador to her new owners Tasha, Andrew, Kyla and Shona (doggy sister:Cloe). On our way to Aberdeen we had to make the requested lavatory-detour, which took us to the TESCO in Dundee. Another full circle!! It was here that Arno came all those years ago to pick up our new Labrador puppy. She was born on a farm in Peterhead (just north of Aberdeen). Her owners (then) brought her to Dundee and Arno met them at this same TESCO!! She was now heading back in the direction of her birthplace. This doggy-friend did not only love us as an expanding family (Thomas was 18 months when we got her), but loving everybody who walked through our front door. The bestest family pet ever.

Never barking (only when we forgot her outside….ooops!!), loving river and sea swims, but absolutely hating it to being hosed down after she’s had a mud bath. We love her so much and therefore praise God for providing just the RIGHT new family for her. A camping, outdoorsy family. Just what we were praying for!!!

Thandi's new family

The goodbye was over too quick and we got settled at the house of Mandy and Bernard, Arno’s host family. (Arno has been a lodger with this young couple since start of May.) They’ve opened their house to all of us. The cottage is gorgeous and we all fell in love with it straight away. They kids begged me to get a house just like this for them to live in once we hit the African continent!!! We used this as base to visit our Aberdonian friends and to relax a bit!! We also stayed for a few nights with Donna and Graeme and their 3 sprogs. Again, children were giving up bedrooms and beds to accommodate us and we are so thankful for the generosity of our friends!!

Aberdeen is such a lovely city and we have explored only just a tiny bit. Duthie Park is the children’s favorite and we were so excited to locate 2 out of the 50 ‘artistic’ dolphins there. Wish we had more time to find some more. We will always host fond memories of this city and it’s lovely people…and of course…it’s Thandi’s new home. So who knows, we might visit again…soon…

After a brief visit to the Highland Game Park outside Aviemore we were re-united with our Killi-host family. This was leading us into our last Scottish week. Sunday kicked off with final farewells to our church family, Bridge Church. How awesome to have been blessed with life changing, future generating spiritual wisdom and leadership through Pastor Bernie and Nan Mclauchlin. Through your faithfulness in carrying the gospel to all people, we’ve grown in our spiritual walk with God during the last 4 years. Now we are prepared and ready to step out….where ever the Holy Spirit is leading us!!! We are excited to explore a bit more of the unattainable goodness of the God we serve and to be a blessing to those from every nation, tongue and tribe!!!

Our last week in Scotland started with a re-grouping, washing, finishing off work and last play-dates. I took Thomas and his friend to our local Ice-creamery: Catrine House. A working farm with barns, bouncy pillows, outdoor cars and tractors to be scooting down the grassy hills…and the Scottish sun started giving us her best!!!

Tuesday was the day we hoped for, planned for and longed for….for many years!!! Arno and I planned childcare and decided that this time…regardless of weather…we will be going to the top of Ben Nevis!! This is the highest mountain on the British Isles. We’ve tried to achieve this so many times over the last few years, but was stopped every time by unforeseen circumstances. So this was it!!!! And what a day it was!!!!!! Beautiful sunshine with vistas as far as the eye can see. (I’ll tell you in a separate post more about this mini-adventure.)

The rest of our last week got filled up with good laughs, way too much food while saying goodbyes to all our lovely friends and Scottish family, many late nights and wee mini-trips dowan memory lane. We had an amazing evening with the folk of the Salvation Army church in Kilmarnock, as we celebrated the countries of the Commonwealth by watching the Opening Ceremony on a big screen and devouring tasty treats from around the world.

And the Scottish sun was shining……..

We were privilege to share in the highs and lows of the rhythmical gymnasts in the Hydro. Great representation of South Africa!!a (Alana started practicing cartwheels with a hoop around her foot the moment we got home!!) We shared in the victory of the South African men’s hockey team over Scotland and in the South African netball teams success over Trinidad and Tobago.

And the sun was giving us her best…..

I was really surprised to hear our Scottish born children, by own choice, starting to support South Africa. (We’ve got two flags, Scotland and SA…but they loved waving the SA flag around!!!!!) Might have something to do with the fact that the winning teams were South African……

Super woman was at work most of our last day in Scotland!! I managed to get ALL our camping, cooking, clothing and entertainment in the travel bags. Arno was sorting out the admin…BIG job!!

A wonderful last evening spend with the Lannie’s, who also drove us to Glasgow Airport this morning. Another family we expect to see soon again!! A big thank you also to Catherine and baby Joel who come to greet us at the airport. BIG DREAMS!!

So now we are in the air. Our first flight is with IcelandAir and we are stunned by the improvement in onboard tech…I-pads were handed out to all who wanted one, shortly after we took off!!! This is also the first time that Nina is sitting in her own seat. She was sooooo excited!!!

OOOO we are nearly there..landing gear out. Will try to post an update at least once a week. Untill then…

Mar sin Leibh, Alba!

Farewell Scotland!

2-9 July Homeless....... with a smile

Homeless...with a smile!!!
9th of July 2014

 Yesterday the well-looked-forward-to-event has officialy happened! We are blessed to have a warm comfy bed with neighbours and children well looked after, so Monday was spend focussing on cleaning the house to new standards!!!

Alana opening the front door in December 2005

I took the kids round for a final farewell  on Tuesday morning,

Locking the front door one last time...Full circle - 8.5 years

last pic infront of the red door and we delivered the house keys to the new owners( 5 doors up our street). Their moving van was nearly loaded. With delight we could witness them moving into their new home by 10:30am. The most stressfree move I have ever heard of!! Praise God!! 
























This house move were very well premediated!!!! When we heard that the Tour de France will make a grand depart on Brittish soil, we had the diaries out!! In order to attend this bucket-list event, we had to plan our international removal company to do their business nearly a week prior to our actual moving date. We were as ready as you can be for their arrival last week Wednesday (2nd and 3rd of July) What an amazing occurance: there were even space for the car roof-top box in the container and a few of the bigger children's toys.

The 3 gentlemen did such an awesome job packing. So all our personal and household effects wil be in storage till early December. Together with the Cruiser, it'll be shipped then to arrive in Cape Town at the start of January 2015. Well, we could not provided them with a delivery address just yet, but that also will be sorted out in due time!!!

4-5July King of the Mountain festival, Muker, North Yorkshire                                                    Tour de Fance(Grand depart weekend) - Arno has been a relentless Tour supporter for years. Over the last few years I got quite hooked onto the drama myself. So when we realise we will be so close to the action, we just had to be part of it. What a beautiful drive into the North Yourshire hills and valleys. We arrived at the festival ground, but found the organisation a bit iffy. Eventually got sorted out with a place to park and to pitch our tent, but needed to drag our gear through the main street of Muker....we were not the onely ones..... It seemed like that was normal!! Included in our weekend camping ticket was main stage events and a BIG screen to keep the action alive...if not cycling, football world cup qualifiers!! The girlies were etertained in the craft and arts tent or in the children's play area and Thomas was glued to the screen...following all the happenings. The rain stayed away till be were bedded down for the night. We woke up on Saturday to glorious sunshine. Expectation in the air. Arno was aching for a bike to join the multitudes...he had to join us mortals walking up the Buttertubs Pass.

Waiting it out on the Buttertubs Pass

The kids did amazing...walking quite a distance and bracing a freezing mountain breeze (mummy did not anticipate this, so not so well prepared for the cold) Then eventually the fun cars and vans and support crew caravan came through. We were all waving and jumping about the collect the freebeez. Then the riders followed!!!

Here they come!!!!

What an sight!!!! Thy were spread out a bit and we had time to sook( Scots for 'souk') it all up. The best bit for me was the cameradery amongst all the spectators; walking to the various viewing point and walking back to the festival grounds.

Everybody just flopped down infront of the BIG screen to witness the final few kilometers....and our hero's and promising winner's almighty crash out- within spitting distance of the finnishing line!! For that matter Mark Cavendish (alias Cave) crashed so well...he could not continue with the tour any further. Dissappointment!!!!

Breaking up camp at the King of The Mountain festival, Muker.

The whole experience was just awesome...and to think that it is just the start of many more adventures to come over the next 6 months.

I'll leave you with a wee saying by Chareles Swain: 

             Home is not merely four squeare walls,                                                                                                  
             Though with pictures hung and gilded;                                                                                 
             Home is where affection calls-                                                                                               
             Filled with shrines the heart hath builded.

Moving Week...Saddle up your horses.......

Moving week

We are here......

No turning back...things are moving at an unstoppable speed....and it feels like I am just standing on the side line observing it all. Well, it feels like it, although I am smack BAM right in the centre of this self inflicted organised chaos!!

Two days before the removal company arrives

One week and one day to our official moving date

One month till D-day

So close we can touch it..... Our dream IS UNFOLDING INTO REALITY!!!!!!!!

So we are starting to say our goodbyes. School finished on Friday, for the summer holidays.

Ready for last day of school in Scotland

We celebrated that with having a leaving party for Thomas, Alana, and Philippa in the Onthank Community Centre. Nina had her's last week with a bouncy-castle garden party. We are just overwhelmed by the generosity of the friends of our children. They were blessed with wonderful gifts, cards and the sweetest messages.

Thank you, Travis and Jay!!

Nina was even given her first bouquet by two sweet little brothers!! There were round about 50 guests at the disco party on Friday. We played games with the children, Simon was fantastic with the selection of songs he DJ'ed and we squeezed in a geography lesson based on our route referring to the world-map, which found its way into the hall!!

Bridge building...marshmallows and spaghetti...

We had to say some goodbyes. What was so special, is that nobody was too emotional. I figure this might be because everybody is so excited for us chasing our dream. We are casting our vision and encouraging everybody to take part in our journey by following our blog.

Alana's wee girl friends are just too excited to have a real Face-Time/Skype friend. They were exchanging e-mails and phone numbers.....how far has this tech brought us??!!! When we moved to Scotland in 2000, not many of our family knew much about e-mails. It was a novel way of communicating with us. I remember just checking e-mails once/twice per week...Heee heee!!

We were blessed to befriended an Chinese family. Steward will actually beat us to China, since he and his family is departing tomorrow for the summer. His daddy is helping us to secure overnight train tickets between Suzhou and Xi'an. We hope to meet up with some of Ying and Yao's friends, since they studied in Xi'an. Praise God for setting us up with awesome connections!

Then we also need to make a special mention of our carry-in chefs/ packing-helpers who arrived on Saturday morning. Christelle and Robbie bought all the ingredients for a South African sheep-shank potjie (unstirred stew cooked over an open fire in a black flat-bottom cast-iron pot) Beside cooking, they also helped with boxing up books and dismantling furniture! Wow!! We are so blessed to have these people in our lives.

Not to mention my support crew who joined us today at church to celebrate me receiving a Bachelor Degree in Practical Ministry. Thank you Campbell family, Lannie-family, Katryn and Luc and our new Polish friends Jedrusiak-family for cheering me on today.

CELEBRATION TIME!!!!

Rebecca Tompson, chief babysitter...I missed you so much today. You made it possible for me to achieve what I set out to do 3 years ago. I can not tell you in proper words how much we appreciate you. You have stored up a HUMUNGOUS award in heaven, where no moth and rust will destroy it!!

Katrena and Robin Macdonald, I need to mention you too. Thank you so much for your support and generosity. Since Arno started working away in Aberdeen, now more than a year ago, you were the bearers of the KEY, the dog walker and back-up support system! We love you and appreciate you.

All of yoos(yep...Scottsh pluaral for 'you'...) have made Scotland home to us. Your friendship and love secured us to feel connected to you and to value you as friends and adopted family.

Proverbs 17:17 has become reality in you, to us: A friend loves at ALL TIMES!!

We had so much fun today celebrating perseverance, hard work and successful achievement. God has given us not a spirit of fear, but of POWER and or LOVE and of a SOUND MIND. We can only operate in His fullness for our lives when we step out of our comfort zone, and explore the possibilities, dreams and desires He has placed in our hearts/spirit man or woman. I was created for a specific purpose...you were created for a specific mission. Do you know what it is???

For us as a family, as we are taking a BIG LEAP of faith towards our destiny, our mission is to bring a message of FAITH, HOPE and LOVE to all people. We want to REACH out to them, IMPACT their lives with vision-setting, we want to EMPOWER people to accomplish their dreams and we want to BUILD up and restore marriages, families and generations!! We are on the move!!!!!

"Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes.” Isaiah 54:2

We are strengthening our stakes by investing time in studying to show ourselves approved.

We are lengthening our cords, by stepping out of our comfort zone into a new level of faith-based living.

We are not holding back....we are investing time and energy and resources into the quest of achieving our dreams and goals.

Our curtains are being stretched wider and wider as we reach out to more and more people.

We are trusting God to provide us with a very very BIG and LARGE 'tent' with many rooms to host all of you when you come to visit us in South Africa!!

Now I need my 40 winks before I can tackle the Marine Transit Insurance Inventory......May the FORCE be with me..

….and also with you!!

Celebrating BIG time!!!

Serious count down business now!!!

Dream to live BIGGER.

This is our family vision!! We have have allowed ourselves to start dreaming big dreams and look where we are today! Less than 3 weeks before the removal company (we've decided to go with Anglo Pacific...yay!!!) will be arriving to box our earthly possessions up. These will be kept in storage here in Glasgow, till the start of December, when it'll be shipped out to Cape Town. We've decided to included the Land Cruiser in the 40 cubic feet container and sent the Honda with ro-ro(roll on/roll off) in January 2015. Some sweet friends will be looking after our vehicles until shipment. Now for the details of what to bring on a 5 month adventure around the world; what to ship to South Africa; what to give away, to sell to throw away.....my days are laid out for me!!!

Let me tell about the happening of last weekend...

I've decided to give Arno a well and true surprise party for his 40^th birthday. Well, since it is not until August, it would have been a surprise in itself anyway!!! I thought very LONG and very HARD about what he really would like...and whalla.... an extra – ordinary idea popped into my head!!

First squeak

For as long as I have know him, he has told me about him paying a trumpet in a brass marching band at school. I also dug up some memories of him dreaming of playing the saxophone...there you go!!! Logistically I had to really use some brain power how to buy the instrument (without him noticing it on the bank statements!!) and also the fact that I had to give it to him before the removal men decent on our house!!! Result of all this thinking – big birthday surprise party on Friday after school with kids ( I decorated the house while he was out on the school run, had the cake and presents ready). Then I've booked a restaurant for Saturday eve and got a babysitter lined up! He was blown away!!! We had such a great evening with special friends and Arno was still speechless when we got home later that night!!! I am feeling chuffed!!! I think he felt loved and valued and that is where every woman should want her man!! Hee hee!!!

They just loved his playing....

Also a big and bussy week for the children: Alana and Philippa had theory yearly dance show, Margaret Bunten Dance school. We were still covered in glitter at the end of the weekend.... We enjoyed the concert on Friday eve, with Thomas refusing to leave early!! He was more interested in the various pieces of music that were chosen for the different dances...or so he said....

Beautifull girls!!

Dean Thistle Football Club had their yearly presentation ceremony on Saturday afternoon. The girls were not too keen on going, but Arno reminded them gently that Thomas had to sit through a dance show the previous eve...so there was no way they were going to get out of this one!!! We were all surprised by a special presentation that was made to Thomas: he received a framed match strip of the team he was playing for over the last two years. This was to say thank you and cheerio!!

Gifted and talented football star

If that was not enough to squeeze into one weekend....we had tickets for the World Cup Down Hill Mountain bike Championship in Fort William. This was one of our dreams to attend this event, so we were really excited to be part of the atmosphere and crowds cheering on these extreme competitors.

Out of all the 150+ competitors we saw in the final run on Sunday (this include juniors, ladies and elite men), we only witness one fall and one flat tyre. The course was so challenging; steep rocky sections, switchbacks, technical dodge-the-trees parts and then the awesome arial jumps...all against the clock! Greg Minnaar did South Africa proud. He is currently the World Champion. Unfortunately he was pushed off the podium by some of the last riders.

Crowds galorr.... noisy with everybody clanking old bike parts together, blowing whistles and donging small cow bells as the riders came past. They started on one minute intervals so there was action the whole afternoon.

So proud of my kiddo's. We took the Nevis Range cable cart up the mountain(in the summer the ski runs turns into downhill tracks, so the carts are also transform to hook bikes on to the outside, instead of the ski's). we found the starting point at the cable station. So all the spectators just made their way down the mountain, cheering on the riders as they pass. Luckily we picked up a program before we went up the mountain, so we could keep track with who was flying past us.

Thomas, our statistician, was in his element!! Philippa had a slight misunderstanding with a slippery bog and shortly after Arno (and Nina on his hip) follow suit. Well, 2 out of 6 caked in mud, I'll still say we were very successful walking down the mountain!! We were well prepared with midgee spray, suncream, an umbrella, picnic mat, food and loads of energy 'tablets' (Maltezers were used on this occasion). Praise God the rain stayed away. Arno used the golf umbrella as walking stick and we actually used the suncream!!!

If you live in Scotland, this event defo need to go on your bucket list.

Rider zooming past us

(There is another event which you can make a note of too: The annual Husky sledge racing in Aviemore at the end of January.)

So to-do list for this week:

• getting invitations to kid's leaving parties out
• Arno is completing the online application for visa's – China, Mongolia, India
• Marilie is clearing out fills, paperwork, cupboards, and everything els....
• Thomas and Philippa – summer school trip (Newmilns Ski Slope)
• Nina – summer trip to Calder Glen Park
• Thomas - Anandale football tournament
• Alana – Gymnastic Summer Display
• Marilie – travel vacs (MMR)

I was reminded of the last lines of this poem by Robert Frost.....so many roads, so many choices - We are taking the road less traveled by!!

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both


And be one traveler, long I stood


And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth; 


Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim


Because it was grassy and wanted wear,

Though as for that the passing there


Had worn them really about the same,



And both that morning equally lay


In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way


I doubted if I should ever come back.


I shall be telling this with a sigh


Somewhere ages and ages hence:


Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,


I took the one less traveled by,


And that has made all the difference.

Robert Frost