Thursday
Dear Elsie
Today begins a bit of a countdown for us. Three weeks today we fly to Italy and 1 month today we fly from Italy to Denmark. I got an email from Easyjet saying we could check-in. The one thing that has come to light for our upcoming trip is how easy it will be to pack. There’s really only one rule – pack for a cold Cape Town winter. It’s going to be cold and possibly rainy – both for Italy and Denmark. What the weather is like on the ship remains to be seen, but it’s still going to be cold. Overall, shorts, t-shirts and summer dresses are not required. I will take my swimming costume though – I hope to swim in Lake Maggiore and maybe, if I’m very brave, Ofelia beach is 750m from our hotel in Copenhagen. The temperature of the water probably won’t be higher than 10C, so my dip will probably be very brief and quite possibly more of a paddle than a swim. But, I may never have another opportunity to get into the Baltic Sea so paddling will be a must. But having said that, look at the weather for the day we are in Copenhagen! I think I may have to forgo the treat of a Baltic swim.
Speaking of the weather, today was a lull before the storm – really a calm day before the wind picks up and blows frenetically for 4 days straight. It’s very peaceful now. No howling wind whistling past, blowing doors and rattling windows. Everything is serene.
We swam this morning. No daily shark exclusion net now that the season has ended. I swam to the blue barrel and back twice. There have not been great white sharks spotted anywhere in False Bay since late November and then they were miles away. Now the water is cooling, the chance of them frequenting our little bay is even lower, but caution is called for and if there is any sighting at any time, I will be the first to call a halt to my barrel swims. For the next few days, with the wind expectation looking like this, I don’t think I’ll be going to Fish Hoek Beach
I may venture out to one of the tidal pools. If the tide is medium, even Skellies on the cat walk might be a stopping point. Sunday and Monday are getting the brunt of what looks like a black (thunderous) South-Easter. Yes, summer has been given full notice – winter is waiting in the wings.
Today, Gail came to visit. Gail last visited in about 2016, not long after we had bought the cottage. I had tea with her there. She was instrumental in advising us not to touch the cottage but to build a separate house. It was largely on that advice that we chose not to do anything with the cottage and to build a new house behind. And so here we sit! It was Gail’s first visit up the 85 steps. We went slowly but she was not out of breath by the time she got to the top. For someone who has had a hip replacement and is almost 76, it was beyond admirable. She’s a lovely person.
Luke 11:9-10
So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
It’s not about now – we are only passing through.
Keep the smile going.
God bless you.
In His Grip,
Gran xx 🙂