Thursday, February 01, 2007

Upside Down

Bouleverse, in a whirl, head over heels, is my state of mind at the moment. My previous posts telling of changes in my life seem pedestrian compared with the broad brush of change that swept us up yesterday.

News just reached us of huge development proposals for our area. We live on the lower skirts of a hill with views of the mountains, a rural area of farms and lots of smallholdings like ours. It is a commutable distance to Cape Town but far enough out to be country. Over the last seven years on our property we’ve established the infrastructure of road, water and electricity, we’ve built our houses, planted trees, cleared alien vegetation and created a beautiful place to live and bring up our children. With two of my husband’s sisters, his brother in law and his mother we have made a wonderful family community.

Now developers are buying up land around us at inflated prices, as some proposed rezoning seems about to allow us to turn into a ‘garden city’ suburb of Cape Town. There doesn’t seem to have been any public announcement of this so it came completely out of the blue. Now we have to decide: do we stay and find ourselves surrounded by an enormous construction zone fof close packed starter homes, for several years, even though our property presumably would increase in value dramatically once it had settled down again, or see if they are paying out enough to make it worthwhile for us to buy land elsewhere and go through the whole building a home process from scratch. There is also the dreaded word expropriation being bandied around, to frighten everyone into playing their game.

I love our house, our view, the special place here where we hold our festivals. When I was learning about numerology, the numbers showed change. Then I couldn’t envisage it, still now I can’t imagine anywhere as nice as this. As I drive the kids to school along a straight country road past a line of hills and small farms, the thought of it all becoming a concrete suburb appals. In a water-scarce country where will they get that from for all those new homes.

I just have to find faith from somewhere, that we will make the right decision for our future, if our destiny lies elsewhere please let us find another home as lovely as this one – if only I could take our straw-bale house with us! Please send a prayer or some positive energy our way.

8 comments:

  1. I am sending you positive energy and although it is easier said than done sometimes one just needs to sit back and enjoy the journey and see where it takes you rather than letting it get to you. You love your home and your family community, and that is it... for now...one baby footstep at a time.

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  2. Thanks Charlotte and Tanya for the thoughts and energy. We're in wait and see mode here - getting over the initial shock, trying to envisage alternative futures elsewhere, looking for a positive slant on it all.

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  3. Definitely count me in on the energy party... praying that the best avenue makes its path known.
    My thoughts are with you.

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  4. Starting over isn't easy but not impossible either. Here's some pensées positives for your decision :)

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  5. I feel for you! It is hard to see houses sprout up around the sacred place you have created and come to love.
    Though I trust you will know what is good for you and your family. My thoughts are with you as you make choices that will benefit that which you hold dear.

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  6. Thank you all. it definitely helps having all those good thoughts coming our way.

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  7. Oh I'm so bummed for you! How horrible to think of your lovely home, where you've worked so hard, being turned into a sub-development. Ugh.
    But, I am sure you will be able to make good choices, and even look back sometime and see that good has come of this. Best wishes.

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  8. Kit...sorry so late on this but just want you to know my heart goes out to you dear...and sending good and strong vibes for your peace of mind about it all. I feel this in my soul too ( and can feel your pain here)...it has happened where we are at over the last 20 some years. We were alone in our country place after building our dream home and now there are houses and subdivisions everywhere. Moving away has come up many times in my mind...but what when the same houses are built again in a new place? You and your husband and extended family are logical and intelligent people..and it will take much soul searching and the practicality of pulling up the roots you establihed and planting again elsewhere...I can't advise you...just follow the heart where it leads. So much goodness has come from your planting and building in this place you are..you will find it again if you decide to do so. My love to you my friend...

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Thanks for your comments - I appreciate every one!