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

— @HaggardHawks

I woke up to the news of the terror attacks in Austria. I have dear friends living in Vienna. I cried looking at the news reports. These moments are always tragic, but of course it feels more threatening when it happens so close to one’s home, one’s heart.

Glinka was full of feline love this morning. She felt my distress, I am sure. And somehow the events of the rest of the day were balm for the soul. I visited the Book Lounge and picked up my copy of The Reacher Guy by Heather Martin (can’t wait!). On my way home, I picked up a bunch of gorgeous flowers. A friend came to visit to help with a project we are working on and we had a few hours of productive cooperation. I had to see my GP today and she was just wonderful. Afterwards, I treated myself to a late takeaway lunch from HARU. And then a delivery arrived – a thank you for some work I did for a dear friend and did not want to be paid for. A delicious surprise! Bubbly and red – someone knows me well :) Last, but not least, I saw that my hibiscus is flowering again. It always makes me smile. A lot of work has been done.

Yet work is not finished for the day – a Zoom board meeting awaits – but I am exhausted already. I doubt I will have much sleep tonight, although I can’t imagine the US elections delivering any concrete news before the early hours of our morning, but let’s see. I remember the last election night and morning and the horrors that brought into our lives across the globe. May the Tangerine Troll be voted out of all our memories.

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 at sea: it started with a walk along the sea with my love, it continued with a book cover that includes elements of the sea in its design, and ended in Muizenberg and Kalk Bay with two Karavan Press authors, discussing our respective projects. I returned home with a great sense of accomplishment.

In the early afternoon, Salieri and I worked together at the computer. She is again here, on top of all the papers, performing her evening cleaning ritual after all the hard work while I type. Glinka also decided to join us, but she is on top of the bookshelf next to my desk.

I managed to get proper cat food on my way home this evening, but had no energy left for proper human food and cooking. So …

Viennas from Peregrine. They remind me of the Viennas one could get in Poland and Austria during my childhood (and they do come from a German butcher in Grabouw).

And now it is time for bed. It has been another looooong day. One foot in front of the other, Karina. Deep breaths!

(Tomorrow is … a day of hope for sanity and empathy, or … another four years of tangerine psychopathy – may the gods and goddesses of all good things save us, she casts a spell and prays for a miracle!)

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 Sunday full of Sunday things.

We had a leisurely Sunday lunch with my love’s family at their holiday home. It felt so good to get together and catch up properly over delicious food and good wine. The last time was in the time ‘before’.

Sunday papers included an article by Melissa A. Volker. She wrote about the daughter-father relationship in relation to surfing and how it has transformed over the years from men wanting to exclude women and girls from the joy of surfing to becoming more and more inclusive and supportive, with many father specifically teaching their daughters to surf. A lovely, empowering read. Melissa always breaks down gender stereotypes in her novels, and her Shadow Flicker (proudly published by Karavan Press) features a very touching daughter-father surfing relationship.

One of the collection’s first readers, Christy Weyer of Liberty Books in Grabouw, has been praising Lester’s Let It Fall Where It Will on social media today. It is moving for me to see someone respond so wholeheartedly with joy to this special book.

The day ended with a Sunday sunset walk along the coast. It is impossible not to feel rejuvenated after a day like this, fading out with the sound of the sea soothing one’s soul.

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 beauty: natural, artistic, culinary and vinous. My love opened an art exhibition by the incredibly young and super-talented Alice Toich at the Wildekrans Country Lodge. Her work is my cup of tea, and I found out that we are almost neighbours. One of her paintings on show depicted the view I see every time I walk around the Rondebosch Common. I loved it, and the rest of the exhibition. I could imagine every single one of the artworks on my walls … Something lovely to dream about in the future …

It was the Elgin Open Gardens weekend, so we went exploring and found some remarkable treasures. I have been in love with Elgin for quite a while, but every visit to the area strengthens my adoration for this place and its people. There is so much to discover there. We will be returning soon for the launch of Lester’s short story collection and I can’t wait.

But today, we continued to Franschhoek, where treasures of a different kind awaited: a special dinner, but first, a bubbly tasting at Colmant, where my favourite bubblymaker, Paul Gerber, is based now.

What can I say? Pink is my favourite bubbly colour.

And the day of my love spoiling me rotten ended with a Halloween dinner at Foliage.

The only work I did today was manuscript reading in the early morning. I am now well into one that is RIVETING. It is waiting for me on the bedside table …

Good night and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

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

Lester Walbrugh with his debut short story collection, Let It Fall Where It Will.

A bad night, followed by a work-intense morning and early afternoon, but then the day began to brighten big time. I delivered copies of his first book to Lester. A very special moment for both of us. We met at Liberty Books in Grabouw, where Lester lives. Many moons ago, we first signed the publishing agreement at Liberty Books and now, finally, the book is ready to venture out into the world and find readers who will care for the powerful, moving stories it holds between its pages. We will be launching the book at Elgin Ridge Wine Estate on 21 November.

After the happy book delivery and hearing Christy Weyer’s exciting news for Liberty Books, my love and I journeyed on to the Wildekrans Country House with its beautiful garden. And then we met for an early dinner with friends from the area at the famous Manny’s Kitchen in Botrivier.

Finger-licking delicious! And the company was great. A place I will eagerly return to.

A little bit of manuscript reading in the bath. Bed readiness: 100%.

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

Just to show that I can do healthy, too. Although I must say that I gobbled up the salad over a very quick lunch conversation with Mom and Krystian – quick, because we got the time we were supposed to meet on Skype wrong: Austria turned back the clocks and is now an hour behind SA – and that is no way, meaning hurried, to eat either. Anyway …

A morning of mixed feelings.

When you are attached to stuff as I am, it is never easy to part with it, but a while ago I decided to attempt to liquidate an asset in order to improve my dire cash-flow situation. The attempt was unsuccessful and I had to make my peace with it today. I had other promising news in this department, so I am breathing a bit more lightly, but it was all a bit draining.

And then I met a friend I haven’t seen for a long time for coffee. She has had a rough time in the last few months (and I mean ROUGH!), but has somehow managed to navigate an extremely difficult situation with grace and hope, and listening to her, I was simply in awe of her resilience.

Otherwise, the day was devoted to going over printer’s proofs with two authors, one a debut author (I edited the book for her) and the other one experienced (we have worked together before, but this is the first time I am her publisher), but the jitters are always the same. Both books turned out beautifully, even if I say so myself. But the feeling of utter disbelief that one has somehow brought a book into the world persists, and it doesn’t matter whether one is the writer, editor or publisher.

It is not my place yet to share the cover of the book I edited, but here is the beauty I will be publishing:

Joanne took a picture of me holding the proofs :)

And I was able to show the proofs to our fantastic editor, Helen Moffett, today, too. We are all extremely excited about this joint project. When you read the book, you will know how we have been connected through this story in the most magical ways for many, many years. And now, the book: Joanne Hichens’s Death and the After Parties. And we soldier on! Together!

We have all had our share of loss and grief in life, and more recently, in lockdown, but one always needs to remember that no matter how hard it gets, as long as we have one another and can share the kindness and love we have for one another and the things we do – writing, editing, publishing, reading – we can create spaces for one another that will keep us safe, no matter what. And there is a kind of calm in the thought that, one day, when Joanne, Helen and I are old, or even no longer alive, someone might pick up a dusty copy of Jo’s beautiful memoir and find solace in its pages. And the kindness and sharing will continue as long as readers are opening the books we so lovingly put into the world …

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

Yes, I did. Right after I sent a book I have edited for someone off to the printers and after my first errand of the day – dropping off author’s copies for Stephen: his poetry collection, FOR EVERYTHING THAT IS POINTLESS AND PERFECT, is ready for distribution and we are both happy with the way it turned out – perfect!

By the time I got to the post office and was told that their system was offline again, I was so hungry that I decided to simply do it: a Big Mac. Quick, cheap, satisfying junk food. On my way back to the car with the unposted parcel, I was spotted by one of the post office ladies, who said that the system was back on and I could ship off my parcel after all. Yay!

Then some housework (laundry, cleaning, etc.) and a meeting with a lawyer and accountant to discuss a possible, promising business proposition.

The rest of the day was spent editing and proofreading. But I did visit my love’s Cat again and go to Kalk Bay Books, bringing back this beauty:

Today, we also finalised the planning for the first Karavan Press lockdown book launch – socially distanced, of course. Invitation to follow shortly. It is going to be sooooo special, and we have three fairy godmothers to thank for it: the venue owner, the bookseller and the author who will interview Lester at the event. Quite fitting that our debut lockdown launch will be of a debut book for the author!

A hectic day. I am having a bath and going to bed early. I endured another long gap in my sleep last night, and I hope I can do better tonight.

Someone who reads my blog regularly sent me a lovely message full of care and empathy after yesterday’s post. Thank you, C.! For reading, and writing to me.

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 miracle! That is how this feels. After more than a decade of refusing to bloom, my amaryllis has decided to showcase its glory again!

It is fitting. This is a time of hardship and miracles. Most days, I sit down at my computer and am overwhelmed by the amount of work that needs to be done and the sense of it all being somehow futile when there are so many more important things than books to consider for survival. (Although, obviously, some of us cannot imagine survival without books …)

A week ago, I was in despair. Today I think: we will somehow make it, Karavan Press and I. And we have been saved by not one, but several miracles. And the kindness of friends, loved ones and strangers.

Last weekend, someone offered to make something nearly impossible possible – just like that! And two days later, almost everything is in place to fulfill a dream for an author I am publishing.

I also met a woman who had read my own books and spoke kindly about them. Her comments made me realise once again how crucial sharing of feelings and insights can be, even when it is done unconsciously and between complete strangers: a writer and her readers.

We stumble on, do not give up believing. Two Karavan Press books are ready for distribution – I picked up a few boxes from the printer today. I will be delivering author’s copies later this week – always a pleasure.

Tonight, I go to bed with renewed hope in my heart.

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

It is Austria’s Nationalfeiertag today. We celebrate the moment when Austria was declared “frei” (free) in 1955.

And my dearest Norwegian friends are celebrating their thirteenth wedding anniversary on the same day. Happy Anniversary!

My love and I were also celebrating today: we were celebrating that we made it through the last few weeks. We are both exhausted because of work – rewarding and wonderful work – but work that has pushed us near the limits of our endurance. But we made it! And tonight, we had a beautiful dinner at an amazing place and will have an early night and return to work – hopefully energised – tomorrow again.

Until then, I wish everyone sweet dreams.

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 slept. And had a morning in bed with Cats, coffee and leisure reading. It felt like an ordinary Sunday. I did a little bit of work, but, after the tensions and pressures of last week, I was tired and the creative juices refused to flow.

Friends invited us to a late Sunday lunch that ended after dinner and was glorious in all respects. Great company, delicious food, ridiculously divine wines, including a Cognac that was to die for, and vinyl music (with the host taking requests in the course of the meal). I ended up dancing with our friends’ cats (please don’t tell Mozart, Glinka and Salieri – my only excuse is that we did not play any classical stuff ….).

I cannot claim that I go to bed a sober woman, but I am definitely a happy one.

Good night.

Be kind. Wear a mask. Support local.

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

— NICD