June 26, 2022 

I have to record this before it goes out of my head.

 

Yesterday I had visitors from Pretoria….a couple I married 12 yrs. ago (the glue is not only still sticking but it is getting more solidified) and the mothers of the then bride and groom (two old gogos---grannies, roughly my age) still in pretty good shape, from what I could see) and the first son, now 11 yrs. old.

It was a delightful afternoon When the wife asked what time they should come, and after gauging the time from where they were staying, I said “How about 10am?/   She said, they are gogos, they don’t get up till 10. Ok, I said, make it 2 or 2:30 pm.  Better.

They brought some coffee, tea and coffee along and left some irresistible chocolate sweets.

We reminisced about the old times and mentioned the names of people who touched our lives then. I mentioned that I had to give up driving because I nolonger had total control of my left foot, but I would be able to drive an automatic car because I could do that with just the right foot. ( I am dreaming of someone who wants to get rid of his/her automatic or would be willing to trade my beautiful 2005 Hyundai Atos with their automatic. I can dream, can’t I

The time went so fast,     too fast. Next you kknow it was almost 5pm, time for supper. I was soooooo happy.

Can’t wait for the next visit.

But I Realized that I have been institutionalized……I would have trouble organizing a cup of tea or coffee, sugar and milk ( I could easily do that in my own house, if I had one,    and I get up at 5am now, because mass is at 7:30 and breakfast at 8am, after mass. We have a timetable and a schedule which is necessary in our situation. In the old days, at my mission, I could re-adjust the schedule and organize things as I liked. Of course, there are also advantages,   we re cooked for, rooms cleaned, laundry done , etc. so I am not complaining just remarking. Anyone who would like to make me a gift of a small automatic car, I wouolf be glad to indulge you and you could be sure of many, many prayers.

 

I slept happily through the whole night, getting up to pee only once. Very unusual.

 

Baneli changed my sheets for me, and I have put on an extra blanket as it is getting winter cold here now.

I am going to bed earlier and earlier these days but lately, it has been between 8 and 8:30pm. It is getting harder and harder to get up in the morning to a cold room  (it was 14C in my bedroom this morning and 9 C outside on our veranda. Remember this is Durban, supposedly semi-tropical,    Ha, long gone, climate change has arrived with force. This will be a busy week. I will explain later. As John Lennon once said, “life is what happens while you are busy making other plans. Peace and love till we meet again.