15November1995

Johannesburg 15th November 1995
My dear family,

Another baking day! It's muggy this evening, so much so that I have hauled the fan out of the storeroom & set it to work in the lounge. What a contrast with last night when we were saturated by a genuine Highveld storm. It started blowing in late afternoon, the first spots of rain spattering down as Trish & I finished our swim. The wind howled, a huge black cloud sat over our heads & the thunder & lightning did their thing. One clap exploded right over our heads, making us all jump. It sozzled down for an hour before settling to a steady rain. So welcome! We hoped for more today; the morning started out grey. But the clouds soon vanished & we baked under a hot blue sky.

Supper's over. Bill & Bernie are seated in the lounge with half an eye on the telly. Betty & Louise are in with Mum, packing. I hauled two big suitcases & a small one out of the storeroom for Mum, on top of the one I brought down for her. She'll be able to take over an ample wardrobe for the months ahead. She's been agonising over some small things, photos & statues. There's one particular display of cut-out photos, set in a large hardboard & glass frame, of which she's particularly fond. So we wrapped the whole thing in cardboard & finished off with some quality brown paper. It looks good - saving only the Air Canada straps we're using to carry it. I'm sure Kevin is above political correctness.

I work early this morning & having left my radio in the cottage, wandered down fro the main house to listen to the early morning current affairs programmes - a mixed bag. Trish & Iris came down for breakfast a couple of hours later. Bernie then took Mum (& Iris) along to the chiropractor while I finished off faxes & phone-calls. Mid-morning I took Mum up to the Bank to add an envelope to the safe deposit box & on to the post office to pay the TV licence. The cheque she'd sent to the SABC two months earlier had failed to arrive. Post around here is bad news, as I've said.

The girls had gins & tonics before lunch (I might have had one too) & a crisp bottle of white wine over the remains of the leg of the lamb Iris had brought down. Quite delicious! I then rushed off to the locksmith to replace a lock whose key was missing & get a couple of spares made. Back just in time to say goodbye to Iris & Trish whom Paul Botes (old protégé of Dad's) was taking to the airport. Aunt flew back to Pietersberg; Trish was catching a later KLM flight to Amsterdam & Birmingham.

More faxes & phone-calls & a swim before Louise arrived to help Mum pack, followed closely by her parents. We made a second feast of the meal Katie had provided us yesterday - and that more or less brings me up to where I started. Mum did pretty well, but as usual is suffering this evening. Mornings are good, evenings are bad.

Thank you Cathy & Jonesy for your faxes. They are appreciated......a break there to see the Bensons off & to take Mum for a gentle trot outside....her first since my arrival. I was very pleased. There's a breeze up now, with the rumble of thunder - much lightning in the distance. We may have more rain yet. Blessings for now. (By the way Kev, if it's necessary to confirm Mum's onward flight from London to Calgary [as seems to be the case] will you please do it your side.