December 1 we headed to Cape Town for three months to visit my 8 yr old daughter Ally. My hard work was paying off and by then I was feeling much better! I really looked forward to a lot of kite-boarding, surfing and hiking this time around!

We were also very excited and having rented a fantastic three bedroom apartment right on the beach with magnificent views of Table Mountain and Table Bay. We could walk downstairs pick up our kiting gear and head right out the back to the beach, pretty ideal!

The previous year we had to move four times because it’s very hard to find a nice place that hasn’t already been booked out.

Well, I guess almost too good to be true… On the fourth day I was having a wonderful time out kiting and feeling great that I had no tightness or pain!

I was very relaxed, cruising out through the waves, when a freak accident struck - The top of a wave broke just before I cleared it and caught my board pushing it in with the wave, my left foot stuck in the binding splitting me in two and breaking 4 ½ ligaments in my left knee!

“The full house”, as my surgeon called it, usually only happening in rugby games. He operated a week later after some of the swelling of gone down. He said the operation went very well, but the recovery needed to kite again would take nine months! And close to year for complete recovery.

I cannot express how disappointed I felt at that moment, especially after all my hard work! It was hard work to turn my mind around, but rather than dwelling on my misfortune, I (at least most of the time ) was able to focus on how lucky I am in many other ways, and put all my energy into rehab, trying to speed up the process.

Enjoying fun times with Ally playing Monopoly, a favorite when I was a kid

Fortunately, our location and apartment was also great place to recover in, with amazing views (including Iris out kiting), my medical and rehab specialists just around the corner, and loving care attention and massages from my lovely nurse!

Picnic at beach concert in Clifton

After much paperwork and rigmarole, we received a visa extension, and were able to extend our lease for another two months. Even with super hard work at rehab, I needed more time to recover, and on the positive could spend more time to spend with Ally!

Mary took the opportunity to travel so we had Ally almost all of February and March.

Enjoying a windless day at 'our' beach

ß Fun Sports Day at Ally's school

Fun times at New Years, managed a little dancing with brace

Iris and friend Gina at Color Festival à

 Ally in Little Nippers competition

Iris really doing great even in the high wind and wave conditions of CT

going nuclear at times! She got lots of practice while I watched.