Wednesday
Dear Elsie
I don’t know if there will be an actual storm tomorrow, but we are expecting rain. Early today was very still with hardly a breath of wind and plenty of sunshine. The autumn sunrise did not disappoint.
While it may not be a massive rain storm that blows across the Cape, the winds will are going to be significant. Gusts of up to 80km/hour for two days from Friday.
The guests who are currently in the Seaview Apartment (although they went to Wellington for a few nights and are back tomorrow), were really happy the weather had been so good. They particularly mentioned the wind. Welllll, about that wind…they will experience the full force of it over the weekend. I think they are planning on going up Table Mountain on Monday at which point they should encounter a lovely day. This guest is particularly brave because he isn’t all that steady on his feet. The stairs did not deter him. We leant him a walking stick to be sure. When Julian bought his bounty of walking sticks, I thought they were characterful, but wouldn’t necessarily ever be used. 
How wrong I was. There are 5 here. There were 8. One hiking stick with Hogsback on it has gone missing. David has one and the guest has the other. Whenever we go mountain walking we take sticks.
Talking of walking, after work, I walked to Fish Hoek to buy milk. I stopped on the cat walk to talk to the locals. Anita said the sea water was 17 this morning. I will swim again, but only really once David is on the mend. For now, we breakfast with him every morning and with it being winter, that means no early swim. The other local asked how I felt about the reshaping of the dunes. I said I was ambivalent. She spoke of others dismay. They think the privacy of the caravan park and little red-roof housing estate will be impacted. We’ll wait to see.
Then it was onto Fish Hoek Main Rd where I stopped to speak to a local estate agent. She told me her husband had passed away suddenly about a month ago. That was sobering. Life is fragile and we need to make the most of each day.
After shopping, I decided to go home the long way. That meant up all Ravine steps – I counted 261.
I went up onto the mountain and cut across to Contour Rd. This is the view from that path. I had come from Pick n Pay which is by the red X.
And this the view of the beach from this spot.
After all that, I took longer than expected and Mike was soon phoning to find out where I was. I trekked across the mountain behind our house and he came out to meet me.
A lovely walk.
Isaiah 41:13
For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.
It’s not about now – we are only passing through.
Keep the smile going.
God bless you.
In His Grip,
Gran xx