It has been done!

I can't believe it. we live in Fish Hoek, in the Cape, (in the wind), in a spaceous flat, feeling healthier and stronger, Tony feeling better here than in Jo'burg, near Cathy, awaiting our grandchild. Wow. I am showered with blessings and I open my arms wide and give thanks. Some very wise saying (The Bible??) informs us that there is a time for everything, a time to cry, a time to grieve, a time for sickness, a time to give, a time to receive, etc. etc. I feel that it is my time for receiving and I gratefully accept my gifts.

As I sit here at my desk, instead of looking at trees and birds (which I do miss a lot) I see a quiet street with houses and blocks of flats, then a mountain with houses, then an ever-changing sky from cloudy, to rainy, to bright blue, to downright black and foreboding. Now and then I see people walking, strolling, pushing prams, walking barefoot to the beach holding just a towel, old people with canes walking to the nearest shop, people really seem to 'live' here and are so much freer than we were in Jo'burg, less threatened, less violent crime, easier, friendlier. And the bonus...I can hear the sea from where I sit and from my bed at night.

Fish Hoek is in a valley and therefore I see mountains from all the windows in the flat, the clouds sometimes tumbling softly over them bringing a soft drizzle or being blown with incredible force across the sky, bringing days of incessant, gale-like wind.   We have just had a few days of beautiful weather, warm, no wind and last night the wind came up, fierce and cold and although today the sky is blue and the sun is hot, the wind is strong and cold. It's something to get used to but we both love it...thank heavens! otherwise we would really be in the wrong place as Fish Hoek and the far South Peninsula are renowned for wind.

The move went well but leaving was painful and sad. We spent our last night with Ig and Nina and made our way early the next morning with sobs and tears and hugs and promises to see each other soon. I kissed Oscar with sadness welling up inside me, as at that stage I was not sure if I would ever see him again.

For the first hour of our trip, we were sad and quiet, with me quietly sobbing but as we got further and further from the traffic and Jo'burg we forced ourselves to perk up and become aware of this huge adventure that we had begun, moving and starting a new life in a new place, in a new flat. Slowly we got more and more excited at the prospect and also at the prospect of stopping for breakfast, which we did, not too far down the track and after (for me) bacon and eggs and coffee, we felt better.

We stayed once again at Rooidam in the Karoo, a self catering cottage on a large sheep farm owned by lovely people. The moon was full and we went for a long walk accompanied by the farm dogs who recognised us from the last time in January and welcomed us and walked quietly with us under this glorious moon with the only noise breaking the deep silence being a few birds quietly finding their spot for the night.

We slept like logs and were off again next morning very early. There was snow on the mountains as we arrived closer to the Cape, what a beautiful sight. The drive was wonderful and it was wonderful to spend two days at Cath and Joel who made us feel welcome, wanted and loved. The movers brought everything two days later and it all went smoothly, nothing missing, nothing broken, just a lot of work and sore backs, unpacking 37 large boxes. But looking back, it was smooth and we are here and settled.