Hello, this is Natalie. I haven’t written anything personal in a while, so I thought I’d do a little “diary entry” post.
I’ve been travelling quite a bit recently, which has been absolutely great. Actually, this whole year has been pretty great so far.
You might know that Keenan and I recently bought a tiny house (studio apartment) and have moved in. We’ve been enjoying doing a bit of DIY, spending nights in and making a little space of our own. It’s really small, so we have had to make a few sacrifices in the wardrobe department; I’ve had to get rid of seven (!!!) black bags worth of clothes, shoes and bags that I never wear, and Keenan has had to suffer the theft of his portion of the coat hangers. But we are loving having a place to call our own.
I’ve visited some amazing places this year, including Laborie, Zimbali Lodge, and Grootbos. I also spent a week traipsing around the country with South African Tourism and a weekend in Namibia with Keenan. There’s more travel in store for me and I’ll soon be heading into Stellenbosch for a week in May for this year’s #Stellenblog campaign with Destinate and Stellenbosch Wine Routes.
So it’s been a busy year and though it has been very fun and exciting, it’s also been exhausting and sometimes pretty stressful. Before we could take occupancy of our new place, we spent a month living my family in Hout Bay – which was very nice, but sometimes living in someone else’s space can be stressful. And all this travelling and the unsettled living situation has meant that I’ve been eating a lot of food and drinking a lot of wine and really not taking very good care of myself.
I haven’t been working out much at all and I’m really out of shape. Because of this, my confidence is down, I’m always tired and I don’t really feel like myself. I feel sluggish and heavy and I prefer to feel agile and alert. So I’ve joined a gym. It’s one of those “functional fitness” places and I promise you I nearly ran out after the first warm up. I kept looking around at the other people in my class during the whole thing, swearing under my breath and mouthing “how are you doing this?” to everyone around me. It.was.torture. Further proof that my fitness is in a very sorry state and more motivation for me to keep up the new routine I’ve signed up for.
Oh, and I’ve been trying to paint. I used to take art in school and I loved it, but when, in my final year of high school my art teacher said that she didn’t “like” my work, I gave up and threw my portfolio over the balcony. I haven’t really dabbled much in art since then, but I recently picked up a paintbrush again and it has been so good for me. I mean, I’m no good at it, but just having something to do that isn’t work is wonderful. Because mostly everything that I do is work. If I’m not at my computer working I’m travelling for work or attending something for work. Don’t get me wrong – my work is so much fun and I know that I am incredibly fortunate to get to do what I do, but having something to do that isn’t for any benefit other than relaxation has been a life saver.
So anyway, dear reader, that’s where I’m at right now. I can’t believe we’re at the end of summer and at the end of the firs quarter of the year and I’m almost 27.
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