My office this morning is the veranda that looks out onto the very green grass and the fever trees with their weaver bird nests, where the birds are very busy finishing off their new homes. Their chattering and chirping can get quite noisy! As can the frogs in the pond at night. I had to close the window the other night, as their croaking was so loud, I couldn’t go to sleep. Oh, the trials of living in Africa!

When I left KZN to go down to the Cape at the beginning of the month, the landscape was parched and dry. There had literally been just a sprinkle of rain that evaporated before it had a chance to do any good.

Flying in to Durban 10 days later, the landscape had changed drastically! The emerald green hills told of the rain that had soaked the ground pretty much since I left, had transformed the countryside. And as I drove back to Ashburton, the hills were coming alive, looking like rolling mounds of green velvet.

At home, at Mick’s, the grass had miraculously reappeared - and now needs mowing! The swallows that nest on the veranda, that had put off their nesting preparations until food was available, are very busy preparing for the babies.

Now it feels more like the springs and summers I remember. When I walk outside in the early morning, the grass is wet and warm on my bare feet, which is one of my favorite childhood memories.

But the changes didn’t come in gently! Storms that produced tornadoes damaged areas not far from here and roads and rivers flooded. From now on, we’ll be treated to afternoon summer thunder and lighting storms and rains that inundated the countryside for a few minutes - and then clear out! This is not a gentle country!

The Meet Up

I met up with my high school friends and acquaintances on Monday and what a fun morning that was! The existence of this group was one of the things that influenced my move back here.

Not really knowing what to expect, I was pleasantly surprised that I actually recognized some of the girls - and they recognized me! Some, I have to admit, I don’t remember at all!

We met at Col’Tempo, a very cool cafe in Durban, just off Florida Road, which is the foodie part of town. There were nine of us and apparently the numbers fluctuate depending on who is available. Of course, there were lots of “Do you remembers?” And what was the name of ….fill in the blanks …biology teacher/maths teacher etc.

Besides my dear friend Rosemary, I feel like I really connected with a couple of the girls and really look forward to seeing them again. With the holidays upon us, it probably won’t be until next year, but we made a date for another group get together in February.

Work

I’ve been pretty busy. Finished up the Indlovu Gin article which is on the front page of the ADI news website. And atlasobscura has used one of the photos which is always a moral booster! And am working on the woodturning article for South African Country Life, the magazine I did a lot of work for years ago! It’s about Debbie and her friend Heidi, who are woodturner hobbyists. As soon as I redo a couple of the pix, it will be submitted. And hopefully will have the opportunity to do more for the magazine.

And of course, there’s Black Friday coming up, so Ryan and I have been - and still are - prepping the site. And I expect to be very busy for a few days when the sale gets going!

My granny flat is going to be ready a little later than anticipated, which actually works to my advantage for a couple of reasons.

One is that I will be in the middle of the Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale, and Two, Mick is having hip surgery around that time. So I will be here to help out as needed, while Debbie is at work.

The Transportation Dilemma

After trying to find an inexpensive way around getting around, I decided to bite the bullet and rent a car for three months. Basically, I wouldn’t be able to get any kind of loan as I have no checking account here, no credit here, haven’t been here long enough to have an address - and….I’m apparently too old! At least I don’t have to worry about insurance or anything with the rental. So I trade out the one I have now for whatever they give me at the end of the month.

I figure that by the end of the 5 months I will have been here, I will know if this is where I will be for the duration and whether living here permanently is going to work for me.