Another very loud, bright wet storm last night that woke me up. I love it – pours at night and then today was beautiful. It was a busy day. Mick has decided he is going to do car restorations again and so bought three Renault 10’s – one that runs and the other are parts cars.
So we were up early to go and pick up a car trailer and headed out to Thornville, about twenty minutes from his factory. On the way, we stopped to pick up Vincent, an Indian employee of his who would help with the onloading and offloading.
The house was down an extremely rutted, dirt road and the trailer bounced all over the place. It was a typical block house, with a lot of trash around – and two undernourished dogs, a mongrel and a Jack Russell. A young Indian man came out and I had to fend off the mongrel that wanted to jump on me and then when I pushed him away, he started to growl. Finally, the kid got the message and put him in the house. The poor little Jack Russell’s front foot looked like it had been broken and never taken to a doctor and was all twisted under. I don’t understand why people have dogs they don’t care for.
Anyway, we loaded up the cars on the car carrier – two trips – back and forth to the factory where they are being stored. Debbie was not thrilled about having them at the house – and I don’t blame her. So they will be parted out, the best body parts sent for sandblasting. As Biff is in the classic car restoration biz, he has all the contacts for the bits and pieces Mick will need.Next it was pick up furniture and take it down to Zoze and Bryan in their new place. It’s a cute little place, but still needs work that should have been done before they moved in but they didn’t want to wait. It has a wonderful view across the valley and lots of windows and light, and small enough to easily take care of. Zoze will probably have Nesta come one day a week to clean and iron. How I miss that luxury – what is common place here. Mick and Debbie have Sibongele who comes to them four times a week, and a gardener one day a week. So you NEVER have to do housework. I can get used to that in one day – or less. I know you want to know how much she gets paid – R110 a day = about $10 a day.
Tonight, I cooked dinner and all the dishes are left for Sibongele tomorrow. I almost feel guilty – almost! She is happy to have the job, she gets paid well by South African standards, and Mick and Debbie live comfortably without having to deal with the boring, humdrum, tedious house work. That in itself is almost enough to make me stay here.
These evening thunderstorms are wonderful. The weather forecast said sixty percent chance of rain today. The sun was out all day and it stormed and rained and thundered on our way home late this afternoon. I was glad I had unplugged my computer.
As we drive around, I don’t see a whole lot of change – but I sense an easing of the fear that was really prevalent last time I was here. Whether it’s for real or my imagination I don’t know.
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.
It was wonderful to finally get to Durban and feel the warm air as I got off the plane. It was nine in the evening and about 70, warm by Port Townsend standards. The plane was parked out on the tarmac and as I walked towards the terminal, I looked up to the observation deck - and there Mick and Debbie!Got my bags as quickly as possible and headed out of the baggage claim area - there they all were - Mick, Biff and Zoze and Debbie. I had hoped they would all come but wasn't sure if they would - or could! I really didn't give them much notice.A quick cup of coffee and Zoze and Biff left - Zoze and Bryan are at Biff's until they move into a cottage next week, and Mick and Debbie and I headed home.I thought I would sleep like a log, but I hardly slept at all. I think it must have been the coffee so late in the day. My mind was churning and I ended up getting up around 6:30 local time.
It's mid- afternoon now and I am trying to make it to bed time without napping.Tomorrow we are going down to Biff's for lunch. Should be fun.
I became rather concerned with all the news about swine flu that the media is picking up on. I've been so busy I have hardly looked at the news but it filtered into the conversation last night when "the girls" gave me a little send off at Janet's.The air on planes is bad enough, recycled as it is, so I was pleasantly surprise when I ran into the this article that really debunks the hype. I thought you all might be interested in reading it. I will certainly take precautions, anti-bacterial wipes for the plane etc, neosporin in the nostrils, all that, but I feel relieved now and continue my packing.I looked at the 10-day forecast for Durban/Pietermaritzburg and it is around 75F! Whoo hoo, bare feet time. So now I can fine tune what clothes I am taking.
It's just three more sleeps til I am off!
The time is whizzing by and though I am checking things off my lists, it seems that for every one thing I check, there are two more to be handled. But I can do it, I know I can.
The magazine will be put to bed before I leave, and then I will have a few days before I must start working again. And I am trying my darnedest to get things planned ahead so it's not so frantic.
Of course, the weather has turned gorgeous - still cold and windy - but blue skies and if you can find a corner to tuck into, without the breeze, the sun is gorgeous. In some ways it is going to be hard to leave; my tulips are blooming, the irises are in bud, my veges are growing - as are the weeds! So it's sad to be leaving when everything is starting to be alive again. But I need to leave so I can come alive again.
I think I have just about everything handled. And if I haven't thought of it by now, it can't be that important.
Susan is taking me to the airport on Wednesday and we will spend the night so she doesn't have to make the long trek home at night. I booked a room at La Quinta and have to be up way early to be at the airport by 4:45 am on Thursday. I suspect Susan might sleep in, and make her way home in daylight - although daylight is happening around 5 now.
The "book club girls" are getting together tomorrow night for a quick celebration at Janet's. Early so I can drive home in daylight - and be home in time to continue packing and preparing. The kitties have not started to freak out even though the suitcases are in the bedroom. I know they will be perfectly fine with Sandy and Larry - after all, they are just CATS!
It's been months since I blogged on this site. My life has been in such turmoil that I haven't written anything, haven't used my camera much. All signs that things are not clicking in my world.But last week, my dear friend Janet talked some sense into me, urging me to get away from the stress and turbulence that has surrounded me for the last year. Things like losing my job, the market crashing so no new jobs around, divorce in January, a house to sell in a down market, the man who has been in my life for 24 years gone. And to top it all I turned 60 and got audited! And as Chris is gone, this last one fell on me. So it has not been fun.
Tuesday evening, I sat with Janet in her little recycled house in the woods, and when I realized there is nothing keeping me here but myself and my over inflated sense of responsibility, I thought, what the hell, I'm out of here. The credit cards are almost maxed out, what's a bit more on them?
My biggest issue was my kitties, Hinckley and Buddy. They are so used to having me or someone around all the time, I couldn't just leave them to be fed by a neighbor for almost two months. So I put out the word for a house sitter. And boom, Larry and Sandy who live in Poulsbo across the Hood Canal Bridge, are going to stay here. The Bridge is closed for repairs from May 1 - June 16 and they were dreading the commute with water shuttles and buses. So that worked perfectly. Then I booked my flight and made the decision to leave next Thursday as the flight went up $500 May 1. The house will remain on the market - any calls will be forwarded to my magicjack phone number that I take with me and Susan and Janet will handle any unrepresented buyers.
As I sat here looking at the flight and all my info and 
credit card number typed in, waiting for me to click on the submit button, I had doubts and second thoughts and wondered what I was doing being so irresponsible. But then I noticed how sore my shoulders and neck were and how tightly I was wound up and went - Click, Submit.So it is done. I have so much still to do, not the least is finishing up on the Dockside stuff I do have (just a small part time job that I can do from anywhere) and sorting out the house, buying enough kitty food, packing up my personal stuff, planting out my seedlings so I will have a growing garden when I get back. Sandy loves to garden so she will water and keep things going for me. What is amazing is how all the bits have come together. Right down to me picking up the final papers required for the tax audit and finding a St Joseph statue in the MLS office. I took him home and buried him at my front door under the blooming hyacinths, said a prayer and asked him to bring me a qualified buyer for the house. And I will continue to ask for that. I know it is weird but people swear by this. And there have been so many coincidences recently around me leaving.And I don't believe in coincidences!I am planning to keep this updated and will link to Facebook. I will also post a link to pictures - so here I come South Africa. Just five more sleeps.
Today we leave for New Zealand for five weeks.I decided to do a separate blog for the trip - it's here So enjoy the trip with us, blogs and lotsa photos to come.
