Our little villa was in rough shape when we bought it two years ago. The roofing iron had 1000 tiny rust holes, the hot water cylinder and electrical wiring had been stolen for the copper and every room was full of rubbish.
As bad as all that may sound, the lounge was even worse. The windows had been smashed, the studs in the exterior wall were rotten, someone had broken a large hole in the floor - and that someone was sleeping in the corner.
This week, at 3:30am on Wednesday, my wife, Dani, gave birth in that very lounge.
Home birth is a test of willpower, stamina and determination. Dani did an amazing job with the help of our midwives, Cyd and Jemma. This particular home birth was also a test of our insulation, hot water and old-time Shacklock 501.
You may or may not recall that Tuesday was sunny but cold, with a southwesterly blowing just enough to make my afternoon surf choppier than I was hoping for. Nonetheless, when I got home at 3 o'clock, it was over 20C inside our kitchen and we had 240 litres of solar-heated water on our roof at 85C. We also had a large cheesy cauliflower and potato casserole on the solar cooker. Everything was normal at the Lebo household ... for the moment.