We haven given thanks so much this past week, our hearts overflow as we reflect back on all that was so good. 🧡
Dillon and Julie arrived with delightful baby Nellie on Monday afternoon and filled the house with love and happy baby noises and a perfect centerpiece for our table.
Les and Susan arrived on Monday night and filled the house with gifts of biltong and thoughtful house warmers from the family.
Christopher, Allison, Makenna and Carson arrived late Tuesday, after lengthy flight delays, straight to our house with Stephen, Candace, Lily and Keira and filled the house with delightful happy kid noises and lots of laughter and conversation as we gathered together around the table for dinner, only to be surprised with an announcement from Stephen and Candace that they are expecting our 9th grandbaby, the cake gender reveal that followed telling us all, to our delight, that it's a boy!!!
Nellie loved the heated swimming pool
Dill and Nev played a round and a half of golf
Us ladies explored Southlake's outdoor mall, shopped at Sugarboo and enjoyed a yummy lunch at Del Frisco Restaurant
We discovered Grapevine Lake which is beautiful and Mi Dia TexMex restaurant on Wednesday - both great finds which Nev and I reckon we'll be returning to often.
Thanksgiving was spent in Frisco hosted by Ste and Candace in their beautiful new dining room, each of us shedding a few tears over our delicious food and almond champagne as we reflected on what we were most thankful for this year
We received a happy call from the Majorca Hansen's celebrating Thanksgiving very differently!
Friday found the fifteen of us gathered together again to feast on scrumptious Texas barbecue at Hutchins BBQ in Frisco before visiting Grapevine's Main Street where they claim to be the Christmas capital of Texas! The kids had a blast.
And then they were gone and the house was empty and quiet on Saturday. 🧡🧡
We hope this might become a new tradition!
Christopher, Allison and family stayed thro Monday so we got to hang out on Sunday afternoon into the evening, so content just to be together...
did my best to convince this family Dallas would be a great move for them, I confess!
I love Nev regularly telling me how at peace he is here in this home,
and for that I give thanks too.

Memories were made here in Marseilles.
It's a beautiful city made up of 111 villages.
It's the oldest city in France,
second largest after Paris,
founded as a Greek colony in 600BC.
It has a large natural harbor
and boasts 2900 hours of sunshine a year.
It's famous for its soap production dating back to the Middle Ages
and for pastis, an alcoholic beverage consisting of anise, licorice and 48% alcohol.
It is a melting pot of cultures
A city of ports and steep hills
beaches and islands
old forts and beautiful cathedrals,
and it's where we watched South Africa win the World Rugby Cup championship for 2023 at the Lochness Pub with a bunch of Brits who made it all the more fun! 🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦
It's where I lit a candle for mum in the stunning Basilica Norte-Dame de La Garde which we had a beautiful view of from our hotel room on the harbor, and which we walked to yesterday, a steep climb rewarded with remarkable views of the sprawling city and ports below.
It's a city where we averaged 17,000 steps a day!
It's where we indulged in yummy food and wine, and discovered the deliciousness of pastis over ice with a dash of water!
And it's where we talked a lot about what lies ahead of us as we leave Europe behind today...

Today is my second birthday celebrated by my mum and dad: the day they received me after my umbilical cord had finally fallen off!
Today is the day my Nev has finally had the souvlaki he has been searching for for the past 50 plus years!!
Today is our last day in Greece after a special three nights with Matt at his beautiful home on the island of Evia, a quiet space for me to grieve and mourn mum amidst beaches and farmers markets and cats and expats and ouzo and walks and simple foods that grounded me.
Tonight was my sisters last night on the farm before returning to the States and work.
Tonight is almost full moon and it's windy and sprinkling with rain...
It's also the last night before the semi-finals are played tomorrow between England and Argentina
before the finals on Saturday to be played between South Africa and New Zealand!
I believe mum might be there in Heaven just in time to pull a few extra strings!!!
Go Bokke 🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦
Love you so much mum ♥️♥️

My words are a jumble and my heart broken today as slowly the reality of my sweet mama passing away sinks deeply in.
Thank you to Ed Sheeran and the words from your song "Supermarket flowers" that say it all for me:
"Hallelujah!
You were an angel in the shape of my mum. Spread your wings and I know that when God took you back He said:
Hallelujah you're home!!" ♥️♥️♥️
Thank you to every one of you who have been so very kind and gracious with your words and your prayers and to my precious Nev and kids and sister and family who cry alongside me.
I give thanks for this precious person who loved me so beautifully...
and has taught me so much...
It's hard to imagine a day in my life without her in it. 💔

Despite the heartache of mum, or maybe because of it, we have lived the past 48 hours in Athens fully present, soaking up as much of the life here as possible.
It's a busy city, tho our cab driver told us this is the quiet month in their calendar year!
It's a city of restaurants and ruins
Cabs and pedestrians
Evil eyes and traditional Greek clothing
Gyros and souvlakis
Yoghurt and ice cream
And lots of old stones we'd love to have touched but which are roped off now to protect them from the wear and tear of millions of tourists every year wanting just one touch of this amazing archaeological wonder.
We visited the Acropolis Museum where I learned how little I know of Greek Mythology but enjoyed the mystery of it all as well as the remnants of that time in history that are on display.
We spent a fabulous two hours walking through the ruins of the Parthenon, marveling at its architecture and the details in the marble that still stand strong and proud on its rocky base.
From there we could see the original Olympic stadium used nowadays for festivals, but from which the source of the flame of each Olympic Games around the world still originates.
We watched the sun set from a roof top bar with a beautiful view of the Acropolis.
We walked 17,000 steps in search of a restaurant recommended by our taxi driver for the best souvlaki in town. Sadly Nev was disappointed as it was completely different to what he remembered of his time in this city over 50 years ago!!
Every step
Every breath
Every taste and smell were for mum...
her presence with me felt so sweetly.

Never have I wanted to be in two places at once as I do tonight!
Nev and I have landed in Athens, Greece, and I have caught my first glimpse of the Acropolis from the rooftop of our little hotel, a dream 41 years in the making.
However, yesterday I received that dreaded call from mums caregivers to say her condition has deteriorated markedly, and my heart and soul long to be at her bedside more than any place else.
Hurricane Norma is barreling down on Cabo and the Baja Peninsula and our Casa Azul as I write this which means the airport has been closed so no flights are available back home at this time.
It seems all control has been lost and I am called to let it go...
such a coincidence that I bought a homemade card in Valledemossa a few days ago that said just that and I wondered who I should give it to!
FaceTime has allowed for some sweet moments with mum
Her caregivers send regular updates and love her tenderly
Family and friends cover us in prayer
A "cousins" group has been formed with our cousins around the world as our dear Auntie Myrna faces huge challenges of her own
Torn...
It's one of many words that describes how I feel tonight.
Please keep our family and my sweet mum and aunt in your prayers ♥️♥️♥️
as well as the thousands who will be impacted by Hurricane Norma in the Mexico that we love so much ♥️♥️♥️