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

— @HaggardHawks

Birthdays, anniversaries and all other occasions which are loaded with memories, no matter how beautiful – or rather, because they are beautiful – are never easy when the person you used to share them with is no longer there to celebrate them with you. Time passes and mends you, you carry on, build a new life for yourself, but loss lurks in unexpected corners and the past continues to shape your life. Today would have been André’s 86th birthday. I always feel unsettled on such days. There does not seem to be a right, comfortable, way to approach them. In that sense, I was grateful to have Jo-ann from Radio KC interview me to mark this year’s occasion, to remember, to share my memories: “Celebrating the life and times of André P. Brink”.

And it was good to have lovely things planned for the day that were not connected to the past, but firmly rooted in my new reality. I was mostly lazy, but did some work and finished reading a manuscript and began another (both amazing in their own right) for Karavan Press. I spent some time in a hot tub before the rain chased me indoors. We managed to walk twice between the rain showers, soaking in the astounding views of Franschhoek in her autumn finery. Before lunch, we visited La Cotte wine and cheese shop – my love buying wine and I indulging in buying some wine labels. The prices were amazing, all much lower in comparison to the shops in Cape Town.

THREE MEN IN A TUB WITH A RUBBER DUCK & Miss Molly’s IN MY BED – who could resist? I can see the following in my near future: a late morning in bed with Miss Molly red, a late afternoon in the tub with three men and a rubber duck, and an evening with dear friends and Miss Molly pink bubbles. Something to look forward to.

Franschhoek means great wine and great food: Ōku Eatery for lunch and Chef’s Warehouse for dinner (our first visit to the restaurant, recommended by a friend who joined us for the meal). And, of course, I had Eggs Benedict for breakfast, but I might be less predictable tomorrow morning.

Franschhoek is also the FLF, dormant for another year. But the dates for next year’s festival have been confirmed (13 to 15 May). There is hope.

The fire is still burning in our weekend cottage. There is a smooth brandy to enjoy, old and new memories to hold, dreams to dream.

Be kind. Wear a mask. Support local.

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

— NICD

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

— @HaggardHawks

Away for the weekend, and this delicious soup was a gift. We heated it up for dinner. And we ate in pyjamas, all ready for an early night. There was a fire and some lovely wine and just a slow unwinding. Sometimes it is enough to do the simple everyday things in a different place to gain a different perspective on life. And the tension I felt this morning, a feeling of desperate not-coping, is receding.

Be kind. Wear a mask. Support local.

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

— NICD

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

— @HaggardHawks

A day of two interviews.

In the morning, Harlan Cloete and Jo-ann Prinsloo invited me to the studios of Radio KC in Paarl to pre-record an interview about André’s life and writing for the occasion of his 86th birthday (29 May). It was wonderful to meet them and to be introduced to the amazing work they do at the community radio and to talk about books and stories with people who love both. And it all started with Harlan picking up The Fifth Mrs Brink at Bargain Books and writing to me about it. As a fan of André’s writing, he wanted to mark his birthday and to explore how André’s legacy could be remembered.

It was a pleasure to spend time with the inspiring team of Radio KC and to hear about their involvement in the community and plans for the future.

On my way back home, I decided to stop at Babylonstoren and just go for an autumn walk in their beautiful gardens. Balm for the soul.

In the evening, we gathered – yes, gathered! – at Exclusive Books Cavendish to talk about Death and the After Parties by Joanne Hichens. I had the honour of doing the interview and when I sat down in front of the live audience full of readers/writers, I felt as if I was waking up in a beautiful dream. I think we bookish people are starved for literary events: festivals, readings, launches – all those interactions that inspire us and allow us to grow and connect. We were a socially distanced but proper crowd tonight and it was lovely to see Melissa A. Volker and Cathy Park Kelly in the audience. Melissa is already published by Karavan Press and Cathy’s writing has always made me want to publish her. I hope to have the opportunity to work with her very, very soon …

Be kind. Wear a mask. Support local.

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

— NICD

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

— @HaggardHawks

We celebrated Polish Mother’s Day on Skype today. Mom said not to buy her anything, so Krystian went out and collected a bouquet of wild field flowers and I designed a special e-card for her – our beloved Miś.

The day was more stressful for a cat mother in Rosebank. After Salieri had completely refused to eat the special thyroid diet food (chicken mixed in or not), she and I returned to the vet and got her new thyroid medication. She was allowed to eat anything she wanted after the meds had been administered by the vet. I have three happy cats in the house again. We managed the evening dose without any complications. And there was a portion of lovely cooked chicken with carrot waiting for Salieri afterwards. Everyone is going to bed with a sigh of relief and a full tummy.

(I might be in need of tranqualisers after the past few weeks, but that’s another story.)

My love was here after work for a simple evening braai. The world seems an easier place to face than it had seemed only twelve hours ago.

Good night.

Be kind. Wear a mask. Support local.

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

— NICD

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

— @HaggardHawks

Ants. That’s why the alarm sensor has been misbehaving. It has to be replaced. What a nuisance. It feels like revenge for all the ant genocides I have been responsible for last summer. They were everywhere. Even in places I had no idea they could be … No wonder the sensor was going crazy with all those little ant feet running across it and building a nest inside the contraption around it. Ah ja.

Good news: another friend got her vaccine today. Yay! Facing the impending third wave will be so much easier knowing that at least a few of my friends will be less vulnerable to this horrible virus.

And a friend who is as much of a crazy cat lady as I am advised on a possible treatment for Salieri, something that her vet has prescribed for a family cat and it has worked wonders. I will investigate the possibility, because the diet thing is not really working for us, chicken mixed in or not. There has to be another way. My poor baby has to get healthy.

A day of sore cheeks again although work went well. I just feel strangely unsettled. I walk around dazed, pretending to cope.

Be kind. Wear a mask. Support local.

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

— NICD

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

— @HaggardHawks

A typical Monday, i.e. headless chicken kind of day. But most of the stuff that needed to be done, got done. I just couldn’t help wanting to return to Oudrif all day long …

I really did not mean to prophecy the volcano eruption. It was uncanny to read about it in detail today. What else could possibly go wrong? How about something – many things – going extremely well now? Most of us need a break from the relentlessness of the times, especially the third wave …

And I do have fantastic news: my love returned to work and is feeling cautiously optimistic about it. And my Mom had the first dose of her vaccine on Friday and is feeling great. No side-effects whatsoever. Also, she had some unexpected but pretty awesome financial news. I am relieved and super-happy for her.

Here, the disaster zone is being attended to. Front gate fixed, ADT technician booked, the number of a reliable contractor found. I phoned the vet to ask about Salieri’s diet. We are trying out a compromise involving some chicken (Salieri’s favourite), and I am feeding the other cats their favourite treats on the sly. Not sure how far we will get with this solution, but I will do whatever I can to keep them healthy and safe.

My love and I had the first batch of my home-grown oyster mushrooms for dinner tonight (they were absolutely delicious). If you never hear from me again, you know what happened …

Be kind. Wear a mask. Support local.

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

— NICD

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

— @HaggardHawks

After a few traumatic hours at the vet’s today, Salieri and I got our diagnosis: feline hyperthyroidism. We have to go on a new diet to see whether the condition can be treated this way. The whole family, human and feline, will have to work on this together. The first steps look promising. Otherwise it’s going to be lots of medication or an op, and it would be great if we could avoid both. She was very brave today and I am so proud of her. She is purring as I type.

It was a crazy day. I got going at eight-thirty and sat down just before six p.m. when I arrived at my love’s house for a delicious dinner.

My garage door has been broken for the past week and I had to open it manually every time I wanted to go somewhere, but the electricians sorted it out today – finally.

We are all feeling frail, and everything around is feelings so terribly heavy.

A few thousand vaccines have been administered since yesterday – only forty millions to go …

Be kind. Wear a mask. Support local.

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

— NICD

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

— @HaggardHawks

I have been suspecting for a while that something is not right with Salieri. She started losing weight despite increased appetite. At first I could explain the signs in all kinds of ways – so much has changed in our routines since the beginning of the lockdown – but on Saturday, I really started worrying. Today, we went to the vet, and tomorrow we have to go again for more tests. It is probably her thyroid, but the doc needs to make sure. She is purring gently next to me as I type. Glinka is on the other side of the bed, also fast asleep. Mozart joined us earlier on the stoep when we were waiting for the food to cook on the braai. My love was here for dinner. His area was experiencing loadshedding. Next to the fire, we could all forget about the madness of the world.

Otherwise a full day of work, and endless waiting. A courier company was supposed to pick up a parcel from me between 9am and 5pm. They arrived at 5.30pm when I was at the vet’s. Luckily, my love was here to give them the parcel on my behalf. Ah ja.

Some lovely poetry news today. And I loved chatting to my friend Charlotte on Skype this evening.

Leah and Desmond Tutu have been vaccinated today. The news made me smile from ear to ear.

Be kind. Wear a mask. Support local.

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

— NICD