Autumn is in the air – unmistakable and wonderful, my favourite time of the year. And this morning was so gorgeous that I decided to walk to my appointment with my counsellor, and my love accompanied me and then walked back home. It is always good to see my counsellor, and then walking back myself, I reflected on what we’d spoken about and felt hopeful for the future (despite everything that is going on).
A day of mostly work and household duties – some maintenance that has been waiting for a looooong time. I also had a good meeting with a writer, who brought fresh garlic from his garden, and then a lovely drink with my temporary neighbour (a dear friend is housesitting in my street). Dinner with my love.
Still no side-effects, so I think I am boosted and in the clear. A great feeling!
State of disaster has been extended, as has our lockdown, the oldest in the world. Soon it will be two years that I have been writing this diary. I cannot believe how much has happened in this time. No wonder that most of us feel permanently dazed.
Be kind. Wear a mask. Support local. Get vaccinated, please. Live.
“Physical distancing remains one of the key strategies to curb this pandemic.”
Has the state of disaster been extended? Are we still in lockdown? I think we are, at least judging from the Covid-19 protocols at the Baxter tonight, but I am not sure. I need to catch up on today’s news. Apart from a Zoom meeting with a future Karavan Press poet and a coffee with an amazing woman at the Vineyard, I spent the day trying to deal with my inbox and the admin backlog. I am almost up-to-date. Almost …
Got my Open Book Festival tickets today! :)
Apart from a sore arm, no side-effects after the booster. None! I just feel that I am safer from contracting a severe case of Covid-19 than ever before, and it feels great!
In the evening, we watched Lara Foot’s adaptation of J.M. Coetzee’s The Life and Times of Michael K. I found the puppets, the dance elements, the sound and light, the background cinematography and the set mesmerising, but I did wonder about the narrative bits performed by a few of the actors in-between and was not entirely convinced that they worked for me. I couldn’t help wondering whether the scene-linking content could have been somehow incorporated into dialogue and film. Still, this is my second-favourite Coetzee story (after Waiting for the Barbarians) and it was wonderful to return to it in this form. And to be in a theatre! Ah, always a treat!
The Life and Times of Michael K
Now: bed.
Good night.
Be kind. Wear a mask. Support local. Get vaccinated, please. Live.
“Physical distancing remains one of the key strategies to curb this pandemic.”
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.”
LitNet: You were a refugee, fleeing from an oppressive regime. Please share with us what those thousands of women and children who are now seeking refuge must feel like?
Karina Szczurek: I was a child when my parents decided to flee Poland in the 1980s. My brother was six and I was ten at the time. It was very difficult to comprehend what was happening to us, but at least we were secure in the knowledge that our parents were with us at all times and would take care of us, no matter what. Our lives were never in danger. Watching Ukrainian parents evacuate their children to safety while staying behind to fight for their future breaks my heart. I cannot imagine the levels of anxiety and distress this kind of separation causes for a family. These people will never fully recover from this, even if they survive.
LitNet: Do you know Ukraine at all?
Karina Szczurek: A little bit. I spent three weeks in the beautiful Lviv on a student exchange in 1997. We also travelled outside this historic city. It was a formative experience. During these three weeks, I experienced for the first time the real closeness of the two languages – Polish and Ukrainian – met Charlotte, who remains a very dear friend, and discovered my love for opera and ballet at the stunning Ivan Franko Lviv State Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet (renamed since then). I specifically remember how friendly and welcoming everyone I met there was, and I will never forget their delicious black bread (I couldn’t get enough of it).
Keith Gottschalk’s poem “As the sun sets” ends with the following lines: “as the sun sets/ the astronomers eat breakfast,/ set off, start work.” It is one of the first poems in his recent collection, Cosmonauts do it in heaven. The few simple phrases read like an invitation to follow not only the astronomers, but also the poet, into the night sky in order to accompany the author on his quest to honour the scientists who, throughout the ages, have observed and studied the stars above us, as well as to expose the challenges and prosecutions they have faced along their paths to understanding …
After two years of lockdown, computer screens and impossible longing, I finally got to see and hug my family – on Mahé, of all places! My love had to travel there for work and The Family Island Reunion became part of the trip. To have the three people I love most in the world in one place for almost two weeks – it was beyond-words-marvellous! (So I will allow the images to speak mostly for themselves.)
The island
We toured Mahé with the most amazing guide – George – who took us to touristy and less touristy spots and told us about everyday life in the Seychelles. Meeting him and listening to his stories truly enriched our experience.
The beaches
I snorkelled for the first time in my life – not without difficulties, as I have a fear of deep (deep starts at two metres) waters, but it was amazing to do it, even if I chickened out of a few places where I did feel anxiety overwhelm me.
The blue
Sailing with Basil, our great skipper
Spent two nights sleeping on deck – loved it, especially the waking up with the first light in the middle of a calm bay.
The deck was also the perfect ‘home’ office. Fortunately, I could relax most of the time, but a little bit of work had to be done.
My love has sea legs of note, and he and the Skipper had the best of times, but I got horribly seasick (not unexpectedly). It turned out that all three Szczureks, despite being water rats, turned out not to be sea rats. We suffered. But! It was so worth it.
The tastes and scents
Local cuisine is divine! The local red snapper was a hit. Loved the mango salad, too – Basil taught me how to make it myself during the trip. Together, under his guidance, we also prepared a feast from a fresh bonito (bought in the middle of the ocean from passing fishermen) on board the boat. Probably the best fish meal I ever had.
Family
Mom brought a wine from Italy with her that has her name on it – Roma – so we had Roma with Roma :) We also celebrated all the big birthdays which we missed celebrating together during lockdown with a ship-shaped cake and all the candles. To have coffee with my Mom on a beach in paradise is a memory I will never forget. She loves coffee as much as I do.
The light
Ukraine. The day Putin invaded Ukraine, we were at Hindu temple in Victoria, Mahé, and I couldn’t stop staring at the candle lights in the temple as a darkness was descending on the world that none of us could grasp or comprehend …
The books
A taste of local literature I am looking forward to exploring.
Going home
We flew with Ethiopian Airlines (excellent!) and on the way back during the day, mesmerised, I watched Kilimanjaro from the sky – the closest I will probably get to the majestic mountain.
There is not enough of me. A week of coming and going. I have been trying to squeeze the work of three weeks into one (not very successfully) in order to co-organise a trip of a lifetime (much more successfully). And while this was all going on, important visitors kept arriving in South Africa and there was no way I was going to miss seeing them while they were here. I have a Lovely Houseguest and it is wonderful to share my home with her. And I have reconnected with dear Norwegian friends who used to be regulars in the Cape, but have been prevented from coming for over two years (you know why). Now, they are here, and their beautiful daughter, who was born in Cape Town and whom I first held in my arms when she was six hours old, is now as tall as I am and simply wonderful. It was amazing to see them. Writing has continued and by tomorrow I will have a quarter of a first draft of my next book ready – if I continue at this pace, there will be a book by the end of the year. Easily! Finally! We had a Karavan Press book launch, some great reviews, a new Karavan Press title is nearly ready for printing, and another Karavan Press author finished her next novel. Other work has been done. I am packed and ready for my PCR test. On Wednesday, I will be having dinner with the three most important people in my life: Mom, Krystian and My Love. And that’s enough for me. Guess who is the Happiest Woman In The Universe?
Be kind. Wear a mask. Support local. Get vaccinated, please. Live.
“Physical distancing remains one of the key strategies to curb this pandemic.”
Elgin Valley, my happy place. We spent the weekend in Elgin, indulging in the beauty of the valley, where the grapes and apples and pears are ripening at a different speed to other parts of the Cape because of the cooler climate of the area. Time feels different in the valley for people, too. It slows down. Everything is calmer and better when we are there. It’s the place and the locals, a closely-knit community that always makes us feel welcome. We stayed in one of the cosy Cheverells Farm cottages and dined nearly exclusively at the newly established Cheverells Farm Shed, the home of the Country Café & Gift Shop, a Wellness Studio and a gorgeous Glass Greenhouse nursery, which made me wish for green fingers.
We attended a food and wine pairing at the Shed on Friday evening. Everything was so tempting and delicious that I overindulged in white wine and paid the price the following morning. I have always known that I need to be careful with white wine and the evening reminded me exactly why (but it was all worth the next-day-suffering).
The Shed is one of the places in the area where you can buy Lester Walbrugh’s bread. It is absolutely delicious and I brought two of them home for myself and bought one for my lovely neighbours.
The Baker of Grabouw
On Saturday morning, Lester and I watched the film he co-produced and starred in, 2 Thirds of a Man. It is the coming-of-age story of Justin, a talented but guarded teenager who leaves his home in Beaufort West and returns to Cape Town where he was born to navigate the challenges of being a first-year student at Rocklands University. He moves in with his mom’s brother and meets G and Bronwyn who both change his life in remarkable ways. Together they explore the ups and downs of friendship, what it means to trust and to love someone.
I was moved by how a story that has been told many times became unique by confronting and escaping the pitfalls of stereotypes throughout the film. The mundane became special, the ordinary worth telling, and all of it was filled with a gentleness and tenderness that touched me.
The music – all original – was stunning. Towards the end, Justin goes on stage and sings – it is a powerful sequence and Mario Ogle shines in his role here. It felt as if the actor and the character were simultaneously coming into their own in that moment.
No visit to the Elgin Valley can go without a stop – or a few stops – at Liberty Books. On Saturday evening, the bookshop hosted another remarkable event: John Maytham performing Finuala Dowling’s script, ‘Valentine’, an early Valentine’s Day treat that had us thinking about love in its many manifestations, tearing up and laughing, and going home feeling nourished by Finuala’s and John’s love of words.
On Sunday, my love and I returned to Cape Town to have lunch with dear friends at Blanko. Even though, I have been to the other restaurants at the Alphen Hotel many times, this was my first visit at Blanko and I cannot wait to return. Beautiful food, great service and the outside tables under the trees perfect for a summer’s day afternoon. We were celebrating a birthday and had the loveliest of times.
Be kind. Wear a mask. Support local. Get vaccinated, please. Live.
“Physical distancing remains one of the key strategies to curb this pandemic.”
Excavations at home continue. I have a lot of stuff. My house needs urgent TLC. In the last two days, I have carried so many books from one place to another (rearranging bookshelves etc.) that my body is broken. I feel worse than after climbing Table Mountain without any preparations. But: the results are great. And I am finding the most fascinating things – long forgotten or never remembered – among my belongings. It all feels good. The house is sighing with relief. I am getting rid of things that need to go. This is the year of dealing with the past, and of renewal.
Yesterday, my counsellor and I had another breakthrough. The excavations are not only physical.
After the session, a dear friend took me out to a birthday lunch at the Hoghouse. I am still smiling.
I have so much literary work to plough through, I don’t know which way to turn first, but this too shall pass, this chaos. Bird by bird …
Be kind. Wear a mask. Support local. Get vaccinated, please. Live.
“Physical distancing remains one of the key strategies to curb this pandemic.”
Too much to do, not enough Karina. The last few days, I was drowning in emails, admin, board and other meetings, discussions, decisions and announcements. All of it with wonderful results, but not enough time to sit still and relax properly for long enough to think and write daily.
Apart from the work on my latest manuscript – that is continuing with strong determination, even on a Sunday.
We announced the 2022 Philida Literary Award: Mary Watson. She was interviewed by AJ Opperman about the award and commented later: “I told AJ about how André Brink and I used to meet in garden cafes and talk about stories and writing, with cake. How a piece of advice that lingers is how writing also happens away from the desk, how stories grow when we’re not looking.” This is exactly the legacy that the award is celebrating and I know that André would have been thrilled with the choice.
The 6th of February is never an easy day for me, but having the award announcement on this day keeps me focused on all the memories that make me smile.
The 7th was my Mom’s birthday. And the greatest news of this year is that I am going to HUG MY MOM – !!! – before this month is over. Despite the distance between us, we have always managed to see each other at least two times a year, and the last two years and a bit have been the longest we have ever been apart. But now, finally, we will be in the same space at the same time and will be able to hold each other. And: my brother will be there too!!! To say that I am happy would be the understatement of the century.
And today, by the way, is the 18th anniversary of my first visit to South Africa.
It is J. M. Coetzee’s 82nd birthday, too.
Lots to remember, to contemplate and celebrate.
What else?
My love and I discovered a great new restaurant in Muizenberg.
Karina Magdalena 