Travels with Susan - Sunday

I slept like a log last night - went to bed at 8:30 and woke at 9:40 - and I feel sooooo much better. Amazing how important sleep is.

Our plan for the day is lunch with Biff. So it was hurry up and run into town - Pietermaritzburg - and get fresh bread and rolls from the bakery, load up the bakkie (pickup truck) and head down to Hillcrest, about half an hour away.

Driving into town, nothing much has changed. It is still a pretty little city with lovely old homes. but there was a lot of trash alongside the roads, and Mick says the city center is awful. But we didn't go all the way into town. I checked out prices in the store and it is still considerably - make that a lot- less expensive than the U.S. And there is a large variety of goods available, more than when I was here four years ago.

Driving south, the hills stretch for miles and lots of open space dotted with the typical flat topped trees and an occasional house. The hills are still a summer green but you can tell it is turning to winter, with areas of tawny grass. Again, nothing much has changed. More traffic though, and a lot of heavies - big rigs - making the drive between Durban, the port, and Johannesburg.

Right near Biff is a railway line, and when we were living here, we went on the steam train which is used for tourist runs. As we got near the line, the puffer went by. Brought back a lot of memories.

At Biff's, where Zoze and Bryan are staying until they move into their little place, we were greeted by the two dogs and Biff, Zoze and Bryan. The house and garden look wonderful, orchids blooming in the trees, roses all trimmed back, waterfall and pond looking beautiful. Lunch was a braai (bbq) with a leg of lamb done on the grill, wine and shandies (beer and 7-up) and lots of laughs. It seems not five minutes can go by without the conversation turning raunchy! I didn't know my brothers' minds were in the gutter! And the teasing and kidding didn't stop.

It's good to be home - and "in the arms of" the family. Just to able to sit back and just be. Not have to worry about what they think of me, or what I am doing, or anything else. No judgement. I think this is what family is all about.

Life Changes

These are more musings than anything else.

I'm in a place I never thought I would be: almost 60, unemployed, divorce on the horizon.

Whatever happened to the happily ever after, kick back when I get older, travel, enjoy life with a partner?

I suppose I should have seen it coming - in fact I did, but chose to ignore all the stuff that was glaring in my face.

So now it's soul searching time, doing what I did at 18, but with many years of experience to either temper or enhance my choice.
What I have found in my search for employment is that experience doesn't seem to hold much weight in the employer's decision making. I've also discovered that print media is pretty much on its way out. There will always be books and magazines, but the majority of the media is becoming digital, which means my skills as an editor are becoming obsolete. Unless I go back to school for a degree in journalism. Or if I want to stay in publishing, then I must get retrained as a 'web editor" which is a whole new set of skills. And I think, do I want to spend the rest of my life behind a computer?

So I need to thing "out of the box" as they say and think about what it is I like to do and where I want to live.
I want to live where it is warm. I don't think I can handle another gray, miserable winter in the northwest. Summers, when we actually get some sunny days, are wonderful but they are so few and far between, they don't make up for the nine months of drabness. So my next resting place is unknown.

What do I like? I love growing stuff; I am intrigued with the locavore movement; I want to find out more and get involved in SLOW food; I want to travel; I love technology and photography; I want to be around people of all ages; I want to "give back" in some way; i'm not a treehugger but I love the environment and am very concerned about what the future holds for our grandchildren; I love animals and have more compassion for them than for people. Oh, and of course, I write. I like being independent, too.

So that's a pretty wide range I think.

What I must do is get the house ready to sell. I don't think it will stay on the market that long as it is so unique - on the water with a dock, timberframe and all. The garden is going to take some tidying up and my vege garden is going to have to go - that's sad. But the rest of the stuff won't take long and I have a feeling that out there in a real estate agent's pocket is a buyer when just has to have our house. Once that is done, then I won't be so strapped and can make decisions at my leisure.

btw, the pix has nothing to do with any of this - it is a shot I took of Martha at the schooner race in Port Townsend last week