We moved into our new place in Pirates Creek, East London, on Friday 16 December. After cleaning it for two days it now feels more like home. We are resigned to the fact that we are going to share it with ants, geckos and probably lots of other little creepy crawly things. We keep finding a mysterious insect poo, but as yet have to find the culprit.

Home for the next two years

Our volunteer organisation VSA provide us with our accommodation and basic furniture and we are really pleased with what we have got.

Number 9 Pirates Creek is a really cute two-up-two-down end of terrace house in a stunning location overlooking the Quenera River flowing into Bonza Bay, a beach which is a five minute walk away! Our garden leads right down to the river and the complex has a small swimming pool at the opposite end of the terrace. Having already had one burglary in East London, security is one of our main concerns. The complex has a security gate which is one deterrent and of course our windows have burglar bars on. There is also a car port for Chico and a spare space for our VSA car. We are a 2 car family for the first time, not bad for volunteers, eh!

Although VSA provide the basic furnishings (double bed, 2 bedside cabinets, chest of drawers, fridge/freezer, cooker, dining table and chairs, sofa) we have had to buy all the other stuff we need to be comfortable for the next 2 years – toaster, kettle, crockery, cutlery, saucepans, etc. And the novelty of cooking with real kitchen stuff as opposed to camping equipment has not worn off yet! However the novelty of going shopping is wearing off thick and fast as the shops are manic with pre-Christmas panic. The house is without curtains, but we are in the process of getting those sorted. We have a very small spare bedroom which we will get a bed for as soon as we get a confirmed reservation – we are now open for bookings!

Our postal address for all those Christmas cards (we don’t mind them being late) is:
9 Pirates Creek
Bonza Bay Road
Beacon Bay
East London 5241
South Africa

We are still only contactable by mobile, but we have applied for a home telephone line so will advise our number when we get it. We have yet to find a working phone box close by so we can at least make calls slightly cheaper than the mobile rates.