Where both my partner and I were born and grew up. What a wonderful childhood in this dorpcity by the sea. It will be Leja’s third visit to this amazing authentic place, and I just can’t wait to experience it through her eyes. Her first visit was at 3 months old (sleepy, sleepy baby), second visit was when she was 9 months old (hungry baby, hungry, hungry, just being bothered by food, not really caring about what goes on around her).

But this time – ooooh, this time will be different. Now she has turned into a very inquisitive toddler, looking at every little thing around her, learning their names, and showing them to me. Oh, to take her to my favourite beach in South Africa (King’s Beach)!

My own childhood memories of my mum taking me to King’s Beach will come rushing through me, bringing some tears with it, I am sure. Seeing as we as a family have been going through a really difficult and trying time these last few months, this break to the place where we can breathe is just what the doctor ordered. And in light of this, I am planning on making the most of it. The most of every moment, showing her all my old haunts (well, surely not Barney’s Pub by the sea, but maybe in a few years or so, grin).

So, out comes the very satisfying activity of making lists, yeah, to-do lists!

My plan for PE with our little girl includes:

SOME EXPLORING TO DO:

• Walk around the beautiful St. George’s Park
• Exploring the huge dunes down by Maitlands
• Waddling in the vlakwater of Van Stadens River
• Searching for the beautiful peacocks shooting the breeze in Settler’s Park
• Meet all the farm animals at Homeleigh Farm!
• Fly a kite on the hill there by the Donkin Reserve (note: buy a kite)
• Look for the tiny fish in the rock pools there by Something Good
• Enjoy the most awesome of ice creams from Something Good at said rock pools
• Collect shells at Pollok Beach PLAYTIME!
• Going to my favourite childhood parkie, and just running on the grass, swinging on the swing-set, going down the slide, joy
• Pretending to be lions – hear us roooooaaaar as we go down the slide
• Playing in the sand at the beach. Building sandcastles. And jumping on it! Do some mining for treasures as well
• Walking around Richmond Hill (where we are staying with Leja’s godfather) with a watering can and water all the flowers we come across. Richmond Hill is the old part of the town, so there are cottages with flowerboxes on the pavement everywhere, yay! FABULOUS VISITING TO BE DONE
• See all the amazing things in the Children’s museum
• Visit the merry-go-round at the Boardwalk (unfortunately the big Playland is only coming in December)
• The tropical house at the PE museum.
• My girl LOVES plants and trees and flowers and will find the place totally fascinating. Just like I did, and still do.
• Visit my favourite library in the world ever, the Main Library with the statue of Queen Victoria in front, looming in front of this fabulously gothic building of yore. Leja might still be a bit too small to enjoy it as much – but this bederfie is all for mum! Plus it is really beautiful and magical on the inside, so she’ll be intrigued and quite entertained.

Rules to abide by: We will and SHALL make a mess. We will and SHALL get really dirty. We will and SHALL have great fun and laugh a lot and run around!