long and winding road

I spent the long weekend with my parents, sister and her family up at a trout-farm near Dullstroom (famous trout area). Apart from spending some time with the family, it was a wasted weekend, because the only time I left the house was when we all went out for lunch on Saturday. I didn't fish, I didn't walk in the forests, I didn't go looking for the wild game on the farm. Basically, I slept. Got up to be sociable, for meals, then had my morning nap, lunch, afternoon nap, sit around a bit before supper in front of the fire, eat, bed. Very much what I would have done at home in JHB.

Only fun thing was that on the way home (I drove up by myself), I picked up a hitchhiker on the highway. Basically, because I don't like seeing pretty young women hitching on their own in the dark. Neither of us could really understand the other. I thought she wanted to go to the 'Formule 1' hotel in the next town - she meant the 'Formula 1' squatter camp about 30 kms off the highway. Once I'd dropped her off, I carried on forward, figuring I'd find the way to JHB sooner or later - I have a great dislike of turning around to drive back on the same road. So I found a little town, then another, then I phoned my brother-in-law, who knows the area well, to ask him which little town I should head for next, seeing as none of them seemed to have a handy 'JHB this way' sign. My mother hit the roof about me picking up hikers in the dark, and about leaving the highway to tour rural Mpumalanga. I loved it, driving through the dark, no real idea of where I was going except for knowing it was sort of south-westerly. Hoping desperately to find some exciting wildlife on the road that was mildly injured and could be rescued and taken back to JHB - not even a squashed birdie. But it was cool, anyway, other than doing about 200 kms more than I needed to, which made it quite a long journey.

Did first session of 'unpacking' with Sue the numerologist today. Was crying within about the first 5 minutes - don't want to really say much about the rest, except that if the results it brings are as much as the pain for now, it will be worth it.

Tomorrow is another public holiday here (so was Friday), so I expect most of it will be spent asleep. Must try to at least move some of the new furniture into place. And tidy clinic a bit. Feeding the ever-starving pigeons goes without saying....