At home in South Africa

Tuesday 6th April

It was indeed like coming home to see Table Mountain again on the first morning of this visit. It was part of my psyche in my growing up years, always there sheltering the school which was my home. It was there when we went for our early morning runs round the Oranjezicht reservoir; it was there to be seen as we walked between classrooms past the four quadrangles; it was all around us as we played hockey, lacrosse, tennis and rounders: Signal Hill, Lion's Head, Table Mountain and Devil's Peak. They were all there in the background as we walked, in crocodile, to chapel or down Government Avenue to the Cathedral on Sundays. There they were when I went up the road for weekends and holidays to the Hemensley's house (my guardians), they were there to welcome me home from Ali's farm near Beaufort West in the Karoo or from Mossie' s home in the then Rhodesia: Ngomohuru near Gwelo and QueQue, when we visited the Great Zimbabwe ruins. Or from Jean Van Schoor's mother's farm at Ceres where we swam in the ice cold mountain streams or again with Ali and her family in Simonstown when she and I swam out to a rock which disappeared, the sea too deep to reach it one day and we had to turn round and swim back to shore withot resting, the tide had come in fast! Or on that holiday with Enid Eckhardt at the Strand where we could see Table Bay and Cape Town in the distance and her very Afrikaans grandfather teased me mercilessly about my la-di-da British acent! Whenever I return to Cape Town I am swamped with memories. Through them all stands Table Mountain....no wonder I feel as though I am coming home to this most familiar of landscapes and one that never changes.

We docked as last year right at the V&A Waterfront and next to the luxurious Table Bay Hotel....and again we have e breathtaking view of the mountains from our balcony on the port side and the city is spread before us. I am so excited I can hardly breathe! We all hang out on deck watching the tricky manoevering of this ship through the very narrow entrance to the inner harbour. Table Mountain is clear, no table cloth today. i am to meet Jeannie from Kenya on the dock and Jo and Chris will be arriving with their tour tonight.

The ship is finally cleared at about 10 am and I meet Jeannie a little later walking from the entrance to the waterfront. I can't express the excitement and joy I felt on seeing her again, so much has happened since we last met in Naivasha in 2006. Ian has died and she is alone: we have never met without him being there since John and I left Africa (Accra, Ghana) in 1964!

I bring her on board and we hibernate in our cabin, sitting on the balcony, all day. George has gone on his FDP to Stellenbosch (Afrikaans language museum and monument and wine tasting at Boschendal between Stellenbosch and Franschhoek). Jeannie and I talk and talk and try to catch up on all the years.

I have seats for the new Athol Fugard play The Train Driver at the new Athol Fugard Theatre in District 6. I have let Chris and Jo know and given them the phone number to get tickets and Chris emails that they will be there. I have ordered Rikkis Taxi to take us there, take us afterwards to Mama Africa on long Street and return us to the ship. There will be 12 of us altogether.