On My Ownsome
Tom and I are trying our hardest to use up all the email juice we have left, so we have written to each other quite a few times each day since I arrived in Cape Town. So I get a final one at about 6.45am to say that he hopes to be arriving in the next couple of hours. It takes a lot lot longer than that in the end and the three of us spend hours and hours waiting at the waterfront. Breakfast is not quite as exciting as we’d hoped either, so we wander further along the waterfront to watch WTC wallowing around in wind holes. We hang around a stacking yard, getting thrown out and then being allowed back when we see the boat finally coming in. We wave and wave and shout, but Tom continues to look pretty bored, propping the mast up! Eventually he sees that it is us and finally gets excited! We race around, back to the waterfront and pontoons where the boat is coming in. A band is playing and everyone is smiling and happy!
Time on my ownsome has come to an end!
On My Ownsome
After a great night’s sleep, I eat breakfast in the flat and then head off out to explore. I already know roughly what I want to do. I am beginning to realise that my precious time alone is finite! Hmm I thought I knew which direction to walk but find I’m heading the wrong way and when I check my phone for directions a police car pulls us and a female voice screeches at me to put my phone away! So eventually I head downtown and wander for a while and then head for Koopman de Wet House. It is an 18th Century merchant’s house. The house was cool and silent – and I spent a perfect couple of hours wandering around. Then off out to find the Company’s Garden and Cathedral. The Garden is really pretty with lots of exotic trees and plants as well as newly created raised beds for vegetables. This is why the garden was first created, in order to grow vegetables for the ships crews arriving into Cape Town.
I stop for lunch in the shady café and then hear from Franki and Naomi who have just landed. I take a long windy walk back to my flat and start to get sorted as Tom will be arriving early in the morning.
I meet F and N at the Chef’s Warehouse on Bree Street for dinner. We manage to get a table – apparently unusual for a Friday evening. Lovely food and two great bottles of wine. They insist on walking me back to my flat and then come up for a glass of wine. We make plans for the morning when the boat will be arriving.
On My Ownsome
We landed at 7.30am and all was very easy. I saw various supporters sorting out taxis but decided that I’d like to catch the bus! I was in no hurry at all and it was fun listening to all the conversations going on around me. I got out at the Civic Centre and made my way to the flat on foot. I got a bit lost, but the walk in all probably took 25 minutes including detour! I wasn’t allowed in the flat as it was being cleaned, so I was taken by car to the ‘office’! It seems that there are many levels of agents all managing each other. I was give a lift as it was pouring with rain and the lady helping me didn’t want to get wet. I now know we drove just one block away! But it seemed so much further. So to while away the time, I went to have breakfast- wow everyone is super friendly … then went to Spar! To get milk.. then finally I got into the flat about 11.30. Wacked out. Showered, I felt much better and later tried to find my way to the V and A Waterfront. I must find an easier route – yes it may be the quickest but you dice with death! Some of the drivers just keep driving and if you wait for a ‘green man’ then by the time you’ve put your foot off the pavement he’s already turned red again. After wandering a bit at the waterfront, I bumped into Ruth who was on her way to the Supporters Rendezvous! – in the cafe of the book shop! Good to see people, but really a load of drivel spoken – me included. I slope off after a decent time making conversation about Clipper and return via the ice cream shop to the flat. Next a supermarket run needed to be done but I forgot the washing powder! As I left the reception chaps asked me to get a 2 litre bottle of coke! Ha ha. I gave it to them and was going to say they didn’t need to pay for it, but quite clearly they had no intention to pay!
After lots of faffing, I decided to ‘brave it’ and go to a special event in Bo Kaap area, where loads of galleries, shops and bars stay open late on the first Thursday in the month. The men at Reception were horrified and said no way could I go alone! So I took an Uber – fine- but by then I’d lost the desire to nose around. It was so lively but also not much fun. It seemed to be a trendy thing to do and the galleries were heaving with people who didn’t really look interested, but were just happy to hang out to be seen. So I walked back – thinking that at any minute someone would jump out and slit my throat! Ha Ha!! The men were pleased to see me!!
On My Ownsome
A pottering morning – I take the material samples back to Graham and decide to stick with the first one I chose. Then I do last bits of washing and tidy house before Caro comes to collect Rogie. The taxi arrives at 2pm and I get to Terminal 3 by 3.30 – really easy. ‘Sir Robin’ is in the bag drop queue. I say hello and that I’m happy to see him as I now know I’m in the right place at the right time. He replies that I probably shouldn’t take that for granted. A couple of days later a WhatsApp from one of the CPT supporters says that he’s the best!!! Not sure I’d go quite that far!!
The flight was fine – nothing exciting – Chocca in the back. I saw a few of the others who’d been geeing themselves up for the flight in one of the bars. But had emails etc to catch up with … plenty of time for chat later. Slept a bit and watched two films Elizabeth and the documentary about Leonard Cohen and his muse, Norwegian Marianne. Very intersting and also so sad. I must have slept for a couple of hours as the next thing, it was 5am Cape Town time.
On My Ownsome
Today I need to keep on top of things …. off to yoga at 9.20am. Great class as always – a new person joined today so there are four of us. Katie is pretty intense and I’m not sure how well that suits the others. Quick whizz home and then straight down for my haircut. I’m a bit ambivalent about how it has turned out. Too long on top and too short on the sides, but that’s probably what I asked Ryan to do!
Then I needed to start collecting bits together and visit Vivien before I go out for tea with Shelagh and Jan. I’d hoped to be able to take Rogie with me but CFT said no! They think I am disappointed that Tom will be coming home with me! In some ways I am – but really I have already shown that I am more than capable on my own and have loads of friends to enjoy my life with. So I don’t have anything to prove. It’s so exciting…
It’s a quick turnaround until I go down the the Minerva to see the Butterfly Lion by Michael Morpurgo. It’s brilliant – the puppetry is wonderful. The white lion cub is stunning – in fact all the animals are so realistic. I get home about 9.30 and get most of my packing done. I have hardly anything with me this time.
On My Ownsome
I wake up to a very wet Monday – though the sun is trying to shine. There is proper cleaning to be done – it has been left since the end of August but now that I won’t home alone I’d better make an effort. Also something I’ve realised in the last couple of months is that I like the house to be in order. I love having books and papers around but I don’t want any more clutter. It has been really cathartic getting rid of so much – but that reminds me that there is still much to be cleared away.
Caro comes for coffee and we finalise details for Wednesday. My hands are very sore and swollen today – I wonder what is the trigger. Then off to the Cathedral for the initial meeting as a mentor to new guides starting their training in January. On the home I drop into see Graham and pick up some more samples. Home in the pouring rain. Plumber, Adam drops by to assess taking out the radiator etc.
I have another lovely email from TT – how will it be when it is the real person and not my imaginary one. I am getting slightly anxious – we’ve been living in this little bubble, divorced from the reality of mundane married life for well over two months – writing loving emails to each other. and the previous nine months was hardly what could be described as a normal life together. He’s says how much he has changed and no doubt I have too – but will he like the new me? And how have I changed? I’m very much my own boss now and feel confident and self assured – but to do what? I have in essence frittered the last two months away, sitting for hours thinking about what Tom’s doing and hoping all is well. But I have not spent any time thinking about what I want to get out of life in the future – it all seems a blur. I wonder what I’ll be doing and thinking in a year’s time. Should I go away to find myself ha ha…
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