OYSTERHOOD is reclusiveness or solitude, or an overwhelming desire to stay at home.

— @HaggardHawks

To say that the week after our return home had been busy would be a bit of an understatement. Despite an overwhelming inbox (still not sorted), impossible deadlines, loadshedding, a book that needed to be sent to the printers and a funding application, I somehow managed to survive.

On Saturday, I even managed to finish reading a book, visit a dear friend for lunch and enjoy the magnificent ‘Meditative Guided Evening with Site-specific Readings, Dance and Music’ at the Dylan Lewis Sculpture Garden (a marvel in itself). Kirstin Wilson, John Maytham, Walter van Dyk and Anthony Marwood performed in the garden and it was soul-restoring, all the arts – nature, landscaping, sculpture, dance, literature and music – coming together to enchant the audience. Simply wonderful!

Sunday was household day: I continued with the excavations and cleaned parts of the house that needed it urgently. I am now sharing my home with two people (my lovely house guest and my love) until the end of March/beginning of April, so we need to keep some order to make sure that everyone is comfortable and happy. In the evening, I braaied for my love and a friend.

Today, I continued with the writing. Our writing group has multiplied. We started with two and now we are four. It’s fantastic. My manuscript is growing and every week I feel more and more confident about it, although it is not without its challenges – the ancient question of whose story is it and which parts of it am I allowed to tell … I don’t have answers, but I have enough experience to know what to do in order to safeguard myself against the pitfalls of writing such a story. I hope.

I was allowed my booster after the 23rd of February, when we were already travelling, so I could only attend to it after our return, i.e. today effectively, because last week had been insanely packed with commitments of all sorts. But this afternoon, I went to a pharmacy nearby and they were great about the whole thing. Did not see the needle, nor feel any pain, and now, a few hours afterwards, I feel perfectly normal. No side-effects whatsoever. Yet? Let’s see.

I am happy to be home. Super-happy to have had the booster shot of Pfizer.

Be kind. Wear a mask. Support local. Get vaccinated, please. Live.

“Physical distancing remains one of the key strategies to curb this pandemic.”

— NICD