New Year

Last week I had an episode of bipolar rage again. It's the first one for a year and a half. I need to go see my psychiatrist and see if the lower dose of lithium is a factor as it tied again with PMT - I didn't have issues on higher lithium levels. Thursday and Friday were not good days but was invited to spend new year with friends and it did me the world of good and am feeling much better. Ended up going out to Christon Bank yesterday with my family and everything was luscious green against inky thunder clouds. My brother in law was fascinated by ant lions and he likes dung beetles too. Dug out my entomology text book for him with bugs of southern Africa. At dinner last night though I was the one who had to remove a giant cockroach. Today we're heading out to Kiki's just now and maybe Patrick Mavros. My sister had wanted to go to Vic Falls but it's not going to work in the time they have left. They will just have to come back again. Possibly a day trip in a hired car to Great Zimbabwe or the Vumba is on the cards. I start teaching today though so might not join.

Went to an interesting art gallery with my friend Judi on new year's eve. It is called the First Floor Gallery (it originally was on the first floor but is now in Lyric Heights on the third floor - not great for my ankle, but any way). The artist is Zambian and had used photographs and collage to reflect on political changes in Zim in 2017. The gallery is basically a small flat apartment and is curated by an American lady called Valery. This coming Saturday there's a jazz concert from the 12 concert series that I hope to go to. My friend's little boy turns 2 on Sunday and I've offered to help prepare for his party. So life is getting busy again, which is good - I need structure.

We were sitting chatting after dinner last night when we heard the horrific news that a friend of ours had been attacked while kayaking on Mpopoma Dam near Matopos by a crocodile. She was pulled out the kayak and battled the croc for quite some time sustaining serious injuries. Sadly the other person with her died. Thinking of her and her family.

Tipping Point

White rage that flares and ignites.
It simmers then swells and goes out of control.
Blindly you hit out, lashing at those near you.
It crescendoes and the words tumble
before your world crumbles
and you feel like shit.
The anger turns inwards,
you detest your inner being
and the words of others reverberate
echoing, clawing.
You smash things, but still it gnaws
You cut with the shards.
This cycle, so familiar
leaves you bleeding
inside and out.

And so that was Christmas

The days between getting back from Cape Town and the lead up to Christmas have passed in a bit of a blur. Tomorrow I hand back where I have been house sitting. I have grown rather attached to the two dachshunds Lexi and Deeka and was relieved when the kitty in the cottage re-appeared. I had my last three lessons for the year with my Chinese five year old and have since had a welcome break. Am not sure yet when lessons resume. On Saturday we had a braai and the heavens opened as we laid things out outside. An amazing number of people were able to fit under the pool house roof and the braai masters managed to pull it off.

I had a bit of a down on Christmas Eve but Christmas Day was enjoyable. My Chinese student's family had tried to phone me at 7 am, I think to wish me happy Christmas but left a voice message in the end which was very sweet. (I wasn't awake at 7 am). In true family tradition, lunch was served at around 4 pm but was worth the wait. My sister made an amazing chocolate raspberry torte for pudding. Friends came round in the evening and we played one of the board games that had been given as presents - Dixit. (I was given the famous Munchkin as the other).

Finally watched the film Victoria and Abdul yesterday. My cousin helped sew some of the costumes in it. Today we watched the episode on Florence from the series Italy's Invisible Cities. It brought back memories from the month I spent in Italy, being based in Florence or Firenze and climbing up the inside of the Duomo. After watching it I'd love to go back again.

I have my first post-Christmas personal training tomorrow. My trainer is well aware of my injury and said we can do rehab exercises for my ankle. It is less swollen but if I move it in certain directions it still is a bit painful. My sister and brother-in-law went up Domboshawa today with friends. They really should go to Ngomakurira but I don't know that I can do it just yet.

The End of the Year

Leftovers for days, after Christmas feasts.

The buildup subsides and you reflect on what's ahead.

You look back on the year's highs and lows

and wonder what next year holds.

To what dreams, plans and schemes

will this year's foundations lead?

A new start or more of the same?

Will there really be the change?

The unexpected, the unplanned?

Will they also play their hand?

Hope for a brighter future in this land.

Bye for now Cape Town, hello again Harare

The last day in Cape Town flew by. Went for a drive along the coast from Hout Bay to Camps Bay with my cousins and sister and brother-in-law. We had ice creams from Addictions (previously Sinnfull) and had them on top of the windy car park roof. From there we went back, stopping at the look out by  Pietro Ferrero's, the Ferrero Rocher's heir's, memorial overlooking Llandudno. Risking the wind we popped down to Llandudno Beach for old times' sake as it is our family's favourite spot and we have many memories from there. It actually wasn't windy down there. We then had a family dinner at Massimo's.

It took pretty much the whole of Tuesday to reach home. I had asked my sister to book flights that left sufficient time but we had about 2 hours extra to play with. Once again we were on the teeny tiny Fastjet plane back to Harare and we touched down just after 6 pm. We mistakenly took the route through Mbare on the way home. Big mistake! The traffic lights were working but the police were doing a very bad job of directing traffic at Coke Corner. It turned into gridlock and mini bus taxis were trying to force their way through. We sat there feeling hemmed in on every side by big lorries. Eventually we saw a gap and managed to extricate ourselves. Could otherwise have seen ourselves sitting there all night.

I am back to house sitting the dachshunds with my friend Bronwyn. I forgot that the dogs like chocolate and stupidly left my suitcase open. To my horror I came back to a trail of paper which was all that was left of several items of Lindt chocolate - they have expensive taste. They had not only opened my suitcase but dug around in it to find it. It doesn't seem to have had a negative effect on them luckily.

My brother-in-law has so far been introduced to the Maasdorp Market, Arundel Village, the International School and briefly Queen of Hearts. He said he has never felt like such a foreigner. He attributes it to the lack of other tourists and is finding Zim culture a bit of a shock. He is also reeling at the prices we pay for food here.

I started teaching my Chinese five year old again from yesterday. I was caught off guard by his questions. He wanted to know what is inside jellyfish that makes them jelly-like, why clown fish like Nemo don't get stung by sea anemones and then when I showed him pictures of South Africa, why Nelson Mandela didn't have a table in his cell.

All things touristique and beautiful Elgin

The last few days have passed by super quickly but have been really good. On Thursday my sister, brother-in-law, aunt and I went on a day trip around the Cape peninsular. We started at Silvermine and then headed to Simon's Town and Boulders Beach (yay for jackass penguins) before going to Cape Point and ending with a drive through Kommetjie and along Chapman's Peak to Hout Bay and back to Constantia. The weather was perfect and we had great views.

On Friday we booked to go to Robben Island. I have been twice before but it is a good reminder of South Africa's recent past and our guide, a former political prisoner gave his own stories of his detention there. Had hoped to get to the new contemporary art gallery at the Waterfront but I needed to get shoes for the wedding and ran out of time. It was pretty busy with some people having just ended work for the year. My cousin Jaimie picked us up and we headed to the Hout Bay market in the old fishing warehouses. There was a great live band and a great selection of cuisine to choose from for dinner.

Yesterday I headed off to the very pretty region of Elgin, which is just over Sir Lowry's Pass in an apple growing area. A friend from Fuller/Smuts days kindly gave me a lift and we caught up on the drive. Dropped my stuff off at Inn on Highlands where I spent the night and got ready. We were picked up by a shuttle going between farms on Highlands Road and taken to the wedding venue at Auldearn Farm. A tractor with apple carts on the back took us up to the farm house and we were served organic cloudy apple juice (the best I've ever had), lavender biscuits and tea before descending down the slope to the spectacular setting for the ceremony. The couple specifically requested us not to take photos (although we were allowed to take of the garden and of each other as long as it wasn't the bridal party). I did find myself itching to take photos but restrained myself. The ceremony was very intimate and beautiful. Drinks were then served further up and amazing canapés. The reception was in an old apple barn which was very tastefully decorated and transformed. I think the speeches were the most entertaining I've ever heard and we then danced the night away. Well I lasted till 1.30 before deciding to hop on the shuttle back. Others went on all night and there were some amazing dance moves - two attempts at the Dirty Dancing lift.

Woke up feeling a teensy bit hungover this morning but there was a delicious brunch (raspberry fruit salad - yummy. Had a raspberry mojito at the Hout Bay market on Friday which was also really good). Was nice to chat to the other wedding people again. Last night I was with a lot of the Francophones which was fun. There were about 20 different nationalities represented which was awesome. Then headed back to Cape Town and met up with some more Smuts/Fuller people at Kirstenbosch. It feels like a time warp seeing them as it is and isn't a long time ago since UCT.

Now back at my aunt and uncle's and we're putting up their Christmas tree and eating mince pies. It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas.

Sliding down Table Mountain :P

So the big climb happened yesterday up Table Mountain. It was a bit wet and cloudy, so not the best weather but climb we did. Well I got up the first set of stairs and was happy to turn back at that point but my brother-in-law wouldn't have it. I think he would make a good personal trainer - definitely pushed me harder than mine back home. So I carried on climbing. My friend getting married and two of her friends from Venezuela walked with us. Some parallels between Zim and Venezuela but I think I will stop complaining about Zim as Venezuela sounds crazier. I made it to the ladders at the top of Skeleton Gorge and then dug my heels in and waited there for the others. It had a beautiful mini waterfall and I noticed lots of sphagnum moss - should have collected some for the testate amoeba group in Neuchatel. Whilst sitting waiting I did have minor heart failure when I heard male voices approaching rapidly from down the mountain. People do get mugged on Table Mountain and I suddenly felt vulnerable. Luckily they were a bunch of school boys running up the mounting - yes running - mad!

Coming back down (I am much happier going down that up, although my legs are telling me it was heavy going today) I was doing well until I slipped on a foot bridge. I skidded down on my shin and seem to have botched my ankle - it's not broken but maybe strained. Bit of a cripple today. Hopefully will be able to potentially swing dance again tomorrow and dance at the wedding. Met with a friend from Fuller days at the Kirstenbosch tea room and then saw my old home group leader Rebecca and had a pancake dinner at my friend Jason's with another friend Dean who is a magician, who did some cool card tricks. It is good being back in Cape Town and I do miss my friends from here. It is nice being able to pick up again after about two years or longer.

Today I will be hobbling round Boulders Beach and Cape Point with family and my cousin will come round this evening. Time is beginning to fly. I head out to Elgin on Saturday for the wedding and then we fly to Zim on Tuesday.