16November1995

Johannesburg: 16th November 1995
My dear family,

This would have arrived on your faxes at least an hour ago if I had not made the most elementary mistake on my most critical file and spent the intervening time trying to unmake it - in vain. Thanks be that I had copied an earlier version of the file on to a floppy disc and will be able to repair the damage. Don't say anything. I've said it all myself already. What a pain!

This is the worst news of the day, which is saying something rather good about the rest of it. There's no doubt in my mind that it's been Mum's best day so far. She started out with an early morning hair appointment while I went off to 4-Ways to find some more paper for my printer. The parish priest came around a little later to give her communion. The morning is always her best time and she spent it, as usual, doing the thousand things she wants to get done before her departure. Not an "I" is to be left undotted nor a "T" uncrossed. She is quite relentless in her determination.

After lunch, I took her for another session with the chiropractor and then on to an appointment with the doctor. Whatever the problem with her back, her blood pressure proved as regular as a body-builder's. The doctor gave her some morphine tablets to begin accustoming herself to them and a small bottle of morphine syrup to act as a back-up. She also prescribed a great many other things but I shall spare you the details. Bernie and I went down to the chemist later to try to sort out the account. But he seems to have undercharged us and, as I type, Bernie is sorting through scores of papers on the dining room table. It is not just prescriptions but endless medical aid forms of several varieties and much correspondence.

We had the most terrific rain storm mid-afternoon. The drops were so big that they were visible and each one spattered up from the road in a miniature fountain. Real Highveld weather! There were streams running down the sides of the Merrowdown roads on our return. And when we lowered the garage door, a waterfall cascaded down from it. I loved it. When one needs rain the way we need rain here, it's music to the ears. What's more, it helped to ease another torrid day. Johburg was bad but temps of up to 39 degrees were being recorded in Pietermaritzburg. There was a real storm over Pietersburg last night. It tore off the roof of the police station and totally disrupted communications. We gathered from Iris that it had not extended to the farm.

Paul and Dalene Botha dropped in to say hello in the late afternoon. He has been a great boon to Mum over the years. He ran Trish and Iris out to the airport on Wed and offered to do the same for us. I thanked him and said we were well served. Bill, Louise and Bren will all be helping. (The flight leaves 2130 local Cathy). Louise came around for supper again this evening and finished most of Mum's packing. You should have seen the three dears clucking around the suitcases, decided what shoes and handbags would go with which clothes, what to ski down the mountain in and what to climb up it. I swear Ma positively enjoyed it, although she will no doubt deny it. And although she says the morphine tablet (1/2) has had no effect, it's the first night she's been up this late and not moaning in distress. So it really is good news.