My Year of Meaningful (2011)

FIVE YEARS!!!
Even after it actually happened (friday) I still can't believe I've been a Mrs. for FIVE YEARS!!!

(And I still don't know what the actual special-anniversary-gift-motif-thingy for 5 years is. No free Hallmark calendars here)

The big day was great. Started great (breakfast out on the stoop with REAL coffee made in our OWN coffee maker - FINALLY!!), proceeded great (sat 3ft away from each other at the office all day), and ended great (cards and bubbly out on the stoop -see photos-, followed by dinner at Portuguese restaurant).

The restaurant was divine, definitely the best eating-out experience we've had in Gabz-city yet with a really beautiful candle-lit outdoor seating garden... the breeze was blowing, the night was cool, it was lovely.

* * *

Saturday night was the full lunar eclipse. Petra gathered up a posse and we all headed up the local "mountain-ette" (Kgale Hill) to see it in full effect. I'd never been lucky enough to be in the right hemisphere, at the right time, under the right cloud cover (none) to see a full eclupse before, so this was gonna be great. We met at M&S's house around 10pm, walked to the base of the hill and then hiked up the hill.

The moon was so bright we didnt even need flashlights, which was amazing in itself, as we found out last time we climbed up it's a pretty rocky, stumbly-bumbly trip if you're not careful. We passed TWO full-on happy-clappy church services/gatherings on the way up!

Watched the whole eclipse process at the top, which started around midnight. Bottles of wine were consumed in little plastic cups and necks were craned. Vincent, amateur photographer extraordianaire, and his 10000000000 euro camera + tripod deluxe (actual price tag unknown) worked away and we left him alone until he'd finished his masterpiece. zzzzzzz.

Then the whole moon was blacked out (more like brown/red'ed out) by about 2am and we didn't quite watch it come ALL the way back, as around 3 am half of us were asleep in funky contorted positions in rather dangerous locations across the rock face, and the rest of us were shivering to death as the winds had picked up quite a bit within the 3 hours.

It was amazing, really. Once the moon was totally eclipsed the joint was so dark we had NO sight of anything except for the city lights (and Vincent's headlamp, shining on his precious camera). Whereas before it started, the moon was so bright we could see every detail of every rock we were sitting on. I'm really glad we went. Not to mention the good conversation, good wine, good exercise and good music (african church services sharing the mountain top with us) wafting up from a few metres below us.

Finally home at 4am.... BUSHED. But worth it.

Photos:

P. watching The Eclipse Show, while K. & L. watch the other side of town

M: bearer of little pink cups of sacred liquid refreshment - extremely necessary when you're required to stare up at the sky for over 3 hours.

The Mr. and the Reilly-monster (who thoroughly enjoyed her first mountain climb ever)

Snap-happy V. and his precious baby with the girls looking on... er, sleeping.

"How to sleep dangerously on top of a mountain", K. demonstrates. She was crashed out before 50% eclipse.

Oh yeah, the moon was there too.... nearly forgot.

...and so on.

Then it was dark... and then light again.

The End.