The pictures must tell the story this week. Barbara is in Cape Town for a family wedding and catch-up. I dropped her at Faro airport at 04.30 on Wednesday. TAP flew her to Lisbon. BA took her on to London and then flew her south overnight.
At Cape Town airport a Jones welcoming committee awaited her. That's (her brother) Robbie and Carol top of frame and (her nephew) Chris bottom right.
A wine farm was the venue for a champagne lunch with nephews Martin and Chris.
Jane, Chris and family were her hosts on Thursday evening. This morning, Chris ran Barbara inland to the farm at Natte Valleij where the wedding of her great niece,
Julie, pictured above, takes place tomorrow. (http://www.nattevalleij.co.za/) I have taken the liberty of lifting the picture of Julie and fiancé Stefan from their online picture album.
At this point I'm going back in time to last weekend when we met friends at Faro beach for lunch. During a stroll afterwards, we peered through the fence at the major renovations taking place at the caravan park before it reopens in the summer.
Shellfish diggers were busy on the estuary side of the beach.
Mid week the weather turned wet - at times very wet. A terrified Barri joined me in bed one night as a storm dumped two inches of rain on the area. In all, we've had nearly 6 inches - 150mms if you're metric. In three days that's a third of all the rain we've had this year. While we haven't always welcomed the delivery methods, the rain itself is precious.
I've tried to get in at least one decent walk with the dogs in the hills each day. That's another way of saying slogging up and down steep, soaked, stony paths, trying to stay upright with a walking stick in either hand. It's not fun but it helps to settle the hounds and I return with that positive feeling, however soaked.
When it's too wet or nasty to get out, we take a couple of turns around the park. My concrete paths have proved their worth more often than I can count.
Much of the rest of the time, the beasts (cats and dogs) simply camp out around the living room fire. What a boon it is! I'm still treating my back with the greatest consideration. It seems to be on the mend, if somewhat erratically, with Jodi's regular ministrations.
After the wedding, Barbara flies to Johannesburg with Robbie and Carol, with whom she spends a couple of days. She flies back north overnight on Christmas Day, returning home on Thursday.
In her absence I have been delegated to feed her several waifs, which sometimes means being kidnapped by neighbours, Joaquim and Maria, for conversation over almond nuts and a dram of the local liquor.
I haven't sent out any Christmas cards. May I beg the kind people who send them to us to accept a Christmas blog in lieu. Although I will spend the day in the company of our (mainly) four-legged brood, my thoughts will range to far flung family and friends as I wish you a Happy Christmas from a damp, misty Valapena.
FRIDAY MORNING IN THE DRIZZLE
(I'm not sure about a blog next week.)
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