Walking and gardening.

Sunday 28 June.

 

Being Sunday Moira was up first and made our 'full English' breakfast. Once I had cleaned up in the kitchen we got ready and set out for a walk. It was a lovely morning, warm with a clear blue sky. We went down Old Faiths Rd and had lovely views of the coast and the surf breaking on the sandy beach. Lots of monkeys were running backwards and forwards across the road and in the trees, also we saw more of the 'hardeedar' birds flying about. There didn't seem to be many fishermen out, the sardine run is

The Hibiscus Coast

either over or there is a break in the shoals moving north. When we reached Marine Drive the Durban road, we turned in the direction of Port Shepstone and walked on the hard shoulder until we got to the turning into the Country Club. We walked along the lane and into the club grounds. There were a few people out playing golf and the course was looking in great condition, the grass a beautiful emerald green. We made our way over to the bowling greens, there was usually social bowls here on a Sunday. When we got there the players had obviously gone for tea; their bowls were at the end of the green waiting their return to complete the games. We found a bench in the shade, it had become very warm and we waited until they finished their break and returned. We got a 'good morning' from everyone as they came past and we sat and watched for about 15 minutes. As I remarked to Moira, bowls is enjoyable to play but not much of a spectator sport.

Port Shepstone Country Club

When we left it was back along the lane to the main road. Instead of going along the hard shoulder back we crossed and took the path above the beach. There were some fishermen at the parking area near the start of the path having a break. They had a braai going and the smell of sizzling wors frying made our mouths water. The path came to a dead end after a short distance and we had to walk along the railway line to where the branch line splits and goes up by the side of the river, I think to the sugar mill at the top. After the branch we picked up a wide track that eventually came out at the junction at Abingdon Rd and the Spar. It was now the tough walk up the hill and home. It had been another pleasant walk, I felt fine but Moira still isn't fit and was beginning to struggle at the end.

 

It was lunch time when we got back and after our meal we did some work in the front garden. The creeper that Moira had planted when we first moved into the house to grow up and cover the awning to give some shade had gon wild and hadn't been maintained by the gardener. Moira had got him to trim it back last Monday but he hadn't taken much off. He was using a pair of shears that I think were blunt, they don't supply him with decent tools. I got the ladders out and using the secateurs we borrowed from Pat; I got stuck in and was vicious with my pruning. Moira put the cuttings in bags as I worked my way round trying to even out where I was trimming. It was looking not bad when I gave up but we will get the gardener to climb up to the high bits to finish it off tomorrow.

 

After the gardening we got our camp chairs out on the stoop and read our books. I continued with the Ann Cleeves novel, I want to finish it and return it to the library tomorrow. It is due to be returned while we are away. While we were reading Steve from the houses behind came over and chatted. He told us about the complex'sAGM that took place last week. The only thing that upset him was that his proposal to give the gardener a pay increase was turned down by Munro, Sheila, and Kubus. They said he didn't work hard enough to deserve an increase. We agreed with Steve that the wage must be kept in line with inflation and if he isn't doing his work properly then discipline him and give him a warning.

 

It began to get cold about 4 pm and we came inside to sit and continue reading. After dinner I broke off my book 'Vera' to watch the TV version. We had seen in it not that long ago but it was all right to watch again. When it finished I went back to my book before getting to bed.

 

 

 

 

 

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A bad defeat at bowls!

Saturday 27 June

 

I spent the morning after breakfast doing a few jobs around the house. We were worried about possible break-ins while we are away, with a lot of our stuff downstairs and not packed in boxes in the attic. Access to the house from the garage or back door was through another door into the lounge. Unfortunately there was something wrong with the lock on this door and Moira couldn't find a key to fit it. We had keys for the locks on the bedroom doors and bathroom. I swopped the lock from the small bedroom with the door into the lounge, now it locks perfectly.

 

Another job was to repair the support arm on the bureau desk. The screws had come out where the arm attaches to the desk. The wood was mostly chewed away and not enough left to secure the screws to. I got a knife and cut away the wood making a neat rectangular recess. I found a wooden cloths peg which was the correct width and cut it to length. It was a good fit. I fill the recess with contact adhesive and put some of the glue on the peg. I gave it 20 minutes to dry and then pressed it into position. Later when I checked it was set quite solid. I decided to leave it until tomorrow before trying to drill holes in it and screwing the arm in place, this would give it more time to really set and harden.

 

It was bowls in the afternoon; we decided that we weren't going to bother with 'Tweni club and just head for Southport where we were sure to get a game. It was an early lunch then we changed into our white and set off just before 1pm. It was trips again and I was playing with Tilly a woman who we made friends with when we were here before. She was the lead and the skip with Maurnie who played quite well the other week when she skipped the opponents when I played for Geoff, and we lost. This time she didn't play well and neither did the rest of us. I couldn't get my distance, I was either too long or short then when I tried to correct it went the other way. For some reason Maurnie wanted to drive at the head with nearly every shot and it was a disaster. Twice we lost ends by 7 shots because she wouldn't just draw into the head to try to limit our losses. At least we got into double figures, just, but lost 36-10.

 

At the interval it was another birthday or something because we got chocolate cake with our tea. At the end we stayed on for a drink. My opponent bought me a Castle and Moira whose side also had a shocking game was treated to a glass of wine. Moira enquired about the fees to join the club and it is a very reasonable R1000 for us both. There is an additional fee for the KBA, the district bowling association, but she didn't find out how much that was. We will probably join when we come out next year for a longer stay.

 

We got home at 5 pm and it was another evening without a power cut. Moira made a lovely spaghetti Bolognese then we settled down to read and listen to the radio, there wasn't anything on TV we wanted to watch. I started a new book, this was another detective mystery, this time one of the 'Vera' series by Ann Cleeves. It seems very good. It was bed at our normal time.

 

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Lots of walking today.

Friday 26 June.

 

We got up after our cup of tea and a read of the paper and went out for a walk at 7 am. The route today was the reverse of what we did the other morning, around firstly to Pope Rd then up to Bird Rd and home. It was nice cool day again with the sun just appearing above the horizon. We must have walked very briskly as it was just after 7:30 am when we returned, in plenty of time to catch the quiz questions on Classical FM.

 

After breakfast we read the 'Telegraph' and I managed the crossword while listening to the radio. At about 10 am we decided to go out for another walk. We went right along Ibis Rd then before reaching the main road at the end cut down through the suburbs to the bridge over the Durban road to the beach. The tide was in today and there was no hard packed sand to walk on just the loose stuff at the top of the beach which makes it hard going for walking. Instead we headed along the road to the crossing over the railway line and then up the hill after the Spar, home. On the way we saw some Hadeda Ibis at the road side pecking at the grass. These are a familiar and popular bird on the coast and are named for the cries they make, 'har-dee-dar', as they fly low overhead. It was a good two hour walk and we were quite tired with this in addition to our fast walk this morning.

 

 

It was lunch time when we got in and Moira fried up some wors which we had on French bread, very nice. The afternoon was sunny and warm and we sat outside on the stoop on our camping chairs reading. I managed to finish my Reginald Hill novel, it wasn't that good. After dinner we listened to the radio until the courtroom drama 'Silk' came on the TV. I think we had seen it a few years ago but it was all right for a second viewing.

 

 

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Fish & Chips by the river.

Thursday 25 June.

 

I was a bit late wakening up this morning so we didn't go for an early walk. We were going out for lunch today at the 'Fish on the River' restaurant and I suggested to Moira that we could walk there, but she didn't think the route there was very safe as we passed a township near where we crossed over the motorway. She suggested we wait until tomorrow and make sure we get up and out early instead of lying in our beds.

 

Instead of going out we worked some more in the garden at the back after breakfast. I cut back the hedge while Moira stuffed the cuttings into the bin bags. Anna, Munro's wife, came across when she saw us working in the garden and asked if we could cut the top of a bush in our front garden. It was blocking their view of the front gate and they couldn't see if it was opening when they had guests arriving. We agreed to cut it back but I thought it was a bit of a cheek; I was under the impression that the phone at the gate was for guest to communicate with who they were visiting to open the gate, none of the other houses can see the gate anyway so why should they have the privilege. Obviously Munro had sent his wife over to complain because if he had come over I would have chased him the same way I did when he objected to some white paint that had been splashed on the green roof when we were having the house painted.

 

When we went out for lunch at 1:30 pm. It wasn't very busy today, the weather not being particularly South African, overcast and cold. We had on our trousers and fleeces. It didn't take long for our fish and chips to be prepared and we had it with a beer. On the way back we picked up the local paper at the Spar supermarket. I attempted the crosswords in that paper when we got in but didn't managed to complete them. I then spent some time writing a short history of our life in South Africa and what we did after I retired. I felt that what I had written justified our claim that we should be classified as resident in South Africa for tax purposes. I made it into a letter and emailed it to Suzy asking her to print it off and post it to Mr Muncaster at the tax office. These should be good discussion points when I phone him on we getting to the UK in August. Suzy emailed back a little while later that she had printed it off and it was in an envelope for posting on her way home from work.

 

I started a new book I got from the library after dinner, it was by Reginald Hill, the creator of Dalziel and Pascoe, 'The Low Road'. It was an old one written in the 1970's and must have been one of his first. Later we watched TV, there was the comedy 'Open all Hours' on BBC Entertainment and that was followed by a 'Call the Midwife' that we hadn't seen before. We got to bed at our usual time.

 

 

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A good game of bowls.

Wednesday 24 June.

 

I had a good night's sleep and felt quite refreshed when I got up and made our morning cup of tea. Later after breakfast while I washed up in the kitchen Moira tidied up around the house. The woman from Stutterford's, the removal company, was coming this morning to see what we wanted moving to Scotland. She arrived at 9:15 am and it didn't take her long to have a look at the small amount we now required shifting. She left us forms that we will have to complete if we accept her quotation. One was for insurance and the other for customs. We will get her estimate in a few days. Hopefully it wont be too much!

 

Once she left Moira saw Pat and borrowed lopers and secateurs from her. She wanted to cut back the hedges and bushes that have overgrown at the back yard. They have gone wild and reduced the space there considerably. I don't know what the gardener does but it isn't much around our house. I helped and then we had to cut up the pieces to fit them into the bin bags. I swept up the patio and yard afterwards, it is looking much better. There is still a large bush and hedging further round the side of the house that still needs trimming. That's for another day.

 

After an early lunch we got ready in our whites for a game of bowls. We were heading for the 'Tweni club today. When we got there it was only to find there was another competition on and though there was still social bowls to take place the president didn't know how many would be playing and couldn't guarantee us a game. We decided to head for Southport again instead. When we were leaving we saw Geoff who was just arriving and told him why we were going to Southport. He seemed annoyed and said that the social bowls took priority over competitions by club rules. I said it didn't matter but he probably went in and caused a fight about it. We were well out of the way.

We arrived at Southport in plenty of time to get our 'tabs in'. There seems to be a lot of people in the club that know us and remember us from when we played there before. It is a very friendly club. Today it was trips again but with a difference; after each 6 ends we changed position in order of play, so I started off playing skip, then I was lead and finishing off the final 6 ends as No 2. It was a good format and gave each player experience in different stages of the game. Moira was on another rink and playing pairs, she had a very good game and with her partner won easily. The game I was in was strange; at the break for tea we were leading 17-4. However, the tea must have refreshed our opponents as they fought back and it was touch and go at the final end, we won by one, 20-19. It was a very enjoyable match and I played well, the technique is coming back to me.

 

I had a beer in the club house afterwards. Moira was sitting with her partner from her pairs match, a Peter Anderson. He had run 6 Comrades Marathons. He had run for Germiston Callies and was one of the ones who started up Boksburg AC. We talked for a while about running and different races. Also we went through people we knew from running and there was a number from especially Boksburg that were common acquaintances, like Colin Bradley, Tommy Malone and Steve de Bod.

 

We got home at 5:30 pm and Moira quickly made the dinner before 6 pm in case there would be a power cut. Fortunately we didn't get one tonight. There wasn't anything on TV we wanted to watch so I had the radio on Classic FM while we both read. I just about finished my 'Rumpole' novel before getting to bed

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A friendly talk with the taxman.

Tuesday 23 June.

 

I was wide awake at 5 am and couldn't get back to sleep again. I lay for half an hour and found that Moira wasn't able to sleep either. I got up and made a cup of tea. We lay in bed and had our tea and read the paper after downloading it to our iPads. I wasn't able to just lie there and not able to concentrate on reading so decided I would have to do something energetic to keep my mind off the worries about my tax. I decided to go for a walk and Moira was happy to accompany me.

 

We briskly walked the route I was planning to run when I developed my calf injury last week. It was up Bird Rd and back round to Ibis at the end of the parallel street then Pope Rd round to Edinburgh Rd and home. It was a good walk in nice cool early morning weather with a bright red sun rising above the horizon. It took us about 45 minutes and we were back home in time to catch the quiz questions that are posed every morning on ClassicFM.

 

I made the breakfast and forced myself to have something to eat even though it made me feel queasy. After washing up I read the paper and attempted the crossword until it was time to phone the taxman. The letter said to phone between 8:30 am and 5:00 pm so we waited until after 9:30 am here before dialling the number on the iPad and through Skype. I thought we would have to go through a switch board then be put on hold for ages before getting connected to the right department, it was a surprise when the number went right through to the appropriate office. I gave the woman my name and the reference number from the letter and after she got the file the connection on Skype started to break up and she couldn't hear me. I said that I would phone back and tried again without any great confidence. This time I got through to a man Mr Muncaster, the one who had signed the letters. It all worked out quite well and he was fairly friendly. What the problem amounted to was that he wanted proof about the tax deducted for my pension in SA by SARS. I said that I could get proof, all he wanted was some evidence of tax deductions. One of the other questions he had asked on his letter was where I was resident. I told him that we had a house in SA and we spend some time here and also in Spain for the winter, and only about 4 months per year in the UK. He asked if I had details about this and I told him I had it all in my diaries. He said he would have to investigate if we would then be classified as non-resident of the UK therefore not liable for UK tax on foreign income. If I am UK resident he said that I would have to pay the full UK tax on my pension and claim back from SARS what I had paid in SA, I told him that would be quite a mission with SA bureaucracy. Another question was did I have an annual P60 equivalent issued by the pension provider as they do in the UK. I told him that used to be the case when tax returns were paper based but now it is electronically loaded directly on to your online tax form, he was amazed as this was more advanced than the UK system. At the end of a fairly pleasant exchange he was happy that I had contacted him with the information about tax deductions and to compile information of when and how long we were in the UK over the previous 5 years to supply to him when we return to the UK at the end of July. The conclusion was that I didn't seem to have a lot to worry about and it could turn out that if it was concluded that I wasn't resident in the UK over the period under review then I might end up getting a tax rebate!

 

I was now feeling so much better and it was a heavy load of my shoulders. To try to get some SARS tax information I had to get into their internet site and needed my laptop to do that. Unfortunately the battery was flat and I had taken the wrong charger with me from home. We drove into what used to be a computer shop in Port Shepstone but it was now a DVD rental shop. They directed us to a place at Shelley Beach and we drove there next. It turned out to be a computer training centre but they told us about a place in the Shelley Mall. This was the right place, a little computer workshop type of place and they had the correct charger. He checked it out first and it worked fine. Before leaving the Mall we did some shopping at the Pick-n-Pay supermarket then it was back home.

 

Once back I got the laptop booted up and checked my files with SARS. I couldn't get my assessments as that required some updated version of the Adobe viewing programme but I could get the forms that I had completed and that might have to do. After that I went through my diaries and blogs and Moira wrote down the dates and countries we had stayed in over the last 5 years. It worked out that over this period we hadn't spent any more than 4 months in the UK in any one year. This seemed to indicate that we weren't offially resident in the UK during that period

We spent the afternoon just relaxing in the lounge, reading and me attempting the crossword. I was feeling a lot better and able to concentrate on my 'Rumpole' book. Also I was hungry but still didn't want to eat too much, we satisfied ourselves with a 'full English breakfast' for our dinner, it was just right.

 

In the evening there was the last game of cricket between England and NZ. It was a 'one off' 20/20 match. I was dead tired after not much sleep last night and only lasted a few overs before I fell asleep in the chair. Moira was going to bed early and gave me a shake. I was soon sleeping again in bed and had a very good night's sleep. I don't know how the cricket turned out?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Worries over tax problem!

Monday 22 June.

 

I had recovered a bit from my worry about the tax situation. Suzy had said it was concerning my last tax return and that was when Tongaat pushed the pension fund out to Old Mutual to handle. It resulted in all the pensioners getting a lump sum. I am assuming they want to know why there was a sudden jump in my income.

 

Moira went out early this morning, before even having breakfast. She had made an appointment on Friday with the doctor as the licensing people had said to get her eyesight test and certificate done by her doctor. When she had got the optician to do it on Saturday she had to get to the medical centre when it opened first thing to cancel her appointment. While she was out she decided to go with the certificate from the optician to the licensing office. Unfortunately the girl who she was to see hadn't arrived so she would have to go back later.

 

I had had my breakfast while she was out but had her muesli, yoghurt and banana all ready for her coming in. All I had to do then was make some fresh tea and prepare toast. Later in the morning I wanted to go in with Moira when she returned for her licence and go to the bank to transfer some money to the UK. I was going to transfer it to Suzy as a present but Moira hadn't got her new bank account details yet. She just went on her own while I worked and managed to complete today's crossword. She was successful with all the requirements; completed form, eye-test and photograph, now it takes them 2 months to produce the actual licence. We will be away by then and Moira said she will get Alison's husband to collect it for us. He's a policemen and is based near the licensing office.

 

After lunch we received the bank account numbers from Suzy so headed into Port Shepstone and the bank. We didn't have to wait long and there wasn't any problems just a long form to fill in. The teller did most of it then we went to a table and completed our personal details. The money should be transferred in about 3 days. On the way home we stopped at the library. Our books were due back and we picked up some new ones.

 

We still hadn't got the letter from the taxman emailed from Suzy. Moira texted her at work and eventually it came through. Suzy phoned just after to say she had tried to phone the taxman, to tell him we were in SA and couldn't deal with it, but he wasn't in this afternoon. She said she would try again in the morning but I said to hold on until I had read the letter. There was in a actually fact 2 letters from the same man and dated the same day. The first one wanted to look into at my last return and it sound quite friendly. The second letter was more worrying because of what he wanted and the tone. I was to give information going back 5 years. There were threats of penalties for underpayment and how well I cooperate and also mention of possible legal proceedings. I was to respond to this letter by June 16, so I was already late which added to my other concerns.

 

With all this worry my stomach was in a knot and I was shaking. I tried to eat some dinner but I just felt sick. I watched a couple of quiz programmes on the TV then a 'Mash' we hadn't seen, on the recorder. I couldn't be bothered watching anything else and started one of the books I got from the library. It was another Rumpole, 'The Penge bungalow Murders' but I found it difficult to concentrate. My eyes were heavy and I ended up falling asleep in the chair. I went to bed when I woke suddenly but then couldn't get to sleep again because of continually worrying. I had visions of the tax authorities with their tremendous powers they have taking all our money and me ending up in jail. When Moira came to bed she managed to calm me down and said she had set up Skype on the iPad and we would phone the man in the morning and sort things out, hopefully. I'm afraid she has more confidence then me.

 

I managed to get some sleep but whenever I did waken the whole business kept playing on my mind and it was difficult to get back over again.

 

 

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Problems with my UK tax!

Sunday 21 June.

 

It was Moira who got up this morning to make a cup of tea and then we lay in bed with it while reading the paper. It was a lazy morning and all we did was check through the boxes we planned to send to Scotland and take some stuff out that we have decided to leave here as we were now keeping the house. After that I worked on today's prize crossword in the 'Telegraph' but got stuck on one or two clues.

 

Suzy phoned from Port Glasgow, she had gone to check on the house there. The house was all right but she phoned to tell me about a letter from the Inland Revenue about my tax returns. They weren't happy with my claims for tax allowance on the tax I pay in SA on my pension. Suzy is going to copy the letter and email it to me.

 

The rest of the day wasn't very relaxing now, I was worried about this tax query. I checked up on my tax account and returns with SARS and there are two years figures on the iPad using their app. I will have something to show HMRC but I don't know how it corresponds with what I submitted to them. My UK returns are all in Port Glasgow.

 

At 5 pm Moira was just getting ready to make the dinner when there was another power cut. We thought it would be for 2 hours but luckily the lights came on after only an hour. This gave her time to make a chicken curry, then for me to wash up before sitting down to watch TV. We had an episode of the latest series of 'Vera' and we had seen it recently but it was all right for a second viewing. It finished at 9 pm then after that we sat for an hour reading before getting to bed.

 

I didn't sleep very well worrying about the Tax man. We will see tomorrow what he is after when Suzy sends the copy of the letter.

 

 

 

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A game of bowls today.

Saturday 20 June.

 

We were up at our usual time and I made the breakfast. Still no training, my leg is getting better but I don't want to risk damaging it again before it is fully healed. I spent the morning after I had completed the prize crossword in the 'Telegraph' working on the outside of our bedroom window. The varnish had dried in the harsh sunlight and was starting to flake. This window was really bad, the others appear to be all right for now. I rubbed the wooden frame down with sandpaper then gave it a good wash. Once it had dried I began to apply the varnish. There were old two tins with varnish in the garage, both were fluid and looking good even after lying there for a couple of years. One was a meranti varnish stain and I began with that but it was very thin and watery, also it didn't give a good finish. I tried the other one which was a clear varnish. It didn't add much colour but it did go on thickly snd should provide a better protection for the wood. I said to Moira that if we were staying here it would be better to look into changing to either aluminium window frames or plastic ones. We would just have to make sure we could get them in brown or the rest of the residents would complain. When I finished it was looking not bad but may be better with another coat. The garage door that I did yesterday is looking very smart indeed.

 

We had an early lunch and, dressed in our whites, set off for the social bowls at 'Tweni club. When we got there the car park was full and when we looked there were bowlers already out on the green. We couldn't understand why they would start so early then saw that they were playing across the green, the direction reserved for competitions. We assumed there was something on and headed for Southport instead. A lot of the people there remembered us from before and we got a warm welcome, they are a friendly bunch. We got our tabs in, it only cost R10 for visitors.

 

They were playing trips and I was down as No2 for my side with Geoff from 'Tweni as skip. He said that there was a KBA competition on at 'Tweni today and that was why he was here as well. I had a reasonable game considering I haven't played in 2 years. Once I played a few ends I gradually got a feel for the green and started to get in some good shots. But we were well beaten, Geoff didn't have a good game and the opposing skip, she played very well. Moira said she had played quite well and only lost there match on the final end. At the tea break we were officially welcomed by the club President and there was also cake to go with the tea, it was somebody's birthday. At the end the opposing No2 bought me a beer but when I wanted to return the favour he said to get him a drink the next time we were there. I had a good chat with Geoff afterwards and recalled the names of the people who played at 'Tweni years ago when we were members there. It was 5pm when we were heading up the road and home again. It had been an enjoyable afternoon and our games can only improve the more we play.

 

I put on the TV as soon as we got in from the bowls for the 5th and final ODI between England and NZ. The visitors had completed their innings and had only made 283 then the rain had come on. They were showing the highlights of the previous games until the weather brightened up. It did at 6:30 pm our time and they were now having blue skies in Durham where the match was being played. The game was now reduced because of the interruption and by the Duckworth Lewis calculation England had to make 192 in 26 overs to win. They made heavy weather of it and were reduce to 45/5 then Jonny Bairstow from Yorkshire, I think his father David was wicket keeper for the county and England when we lived there, steadied the ship and they won comfortably in the end. It was quite a good match and the series has been very exciting and enjoyable to watch.

 

We got to bed shortly after the cricket finished, there was nothing else worth watching on the TV tonight.

 

 

 

 

 

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Busy on work about the house

Friday 19 June.

 

My calf muscle was still very painful this morning so definitely no running or even walking. We lay in bed with a cup of tea and read the newspaper for an hour before getting up. Yesterday I had written a letter to the 'Telegraph' about the Governments new policy on pension funds and the fact you could take your money out and not need to purchase an annuity. I queried if this applied to the State Pension.

Sir,

Mr Osbourne stated during Prime Minister's Questions that it was ' a fundamental Conservative principle that people who have worked hard and saved all their lives should be trusted with their own money'. Many of us have worked hard all our lives and made compulsory contributions to the State Pension Fund. Can we collect this as a lump sum similar to the new rule for private pension providers or does the Principle that we can be trusted to use our money sensibly not apply to the Government.

This morning the letter was published. I was quite pleased.

 

After breakfast I helped Moira to sort out some of the boxes we were planning to send back, to make sure we still wanted everything that was in them. Then I stated to work on the garage door.

 

The door was dirty and needed linseed oil rubbed in to preserve it and bring out a bit of a shine. I ran out the hose from the back tap to the front through the garage. I cleaned all the panels with soapy water using a stiff scrubbing brush and a cloth. After the washing I hosed it down. While I was working on it and Moira bolding the ladder Mark who lives behind us came round and started gossiping. He was on about his usual topic the sewage removal. The last time we were here he proposed a system that would treat the effluent then we could drain it into the land. It was to cost R140K then but nobody would agree to the expense, now looking back the cost was peanuts but now they are still left with the expanse of regular removal of the sewage by a tanker from the septic tank. I ignored the conversation as I had heard it all,before and got on with my cleaning. He did say that when I got round to oiling the panels to dilute the linseed oil 50/50 with turps and dirt wouldn't stick to it.

 

When I finished the cleaning of the door I left it to dry in the warm sunshine and concentrated on the daily crossword in the 'Telegraph'. For lunch we had South African wors on French bread, these are the local spicy beef type sausages and are very nice. After our break Moira was going to go and see about her driving licence. She had completed the form and had the photograph that was taken yesterday. Before she left she held the ladder while I oiled the top two rows of panels on the garage door. While I was busy up the ladder Kubus we lives in one of the bottom houses stopped in his car on his way out for a natter. He said he was doing his door as well but didn't like using the linseed oil and was going to buy varnish instead. I continued with the linseed oil and turps mixture and did the four bottom rows of panels after Moira left for town. It took just over an hour to complete the job and it is looking very neat and smart now.

 

Moira didn't get back until nearly 5 pm and hadn't been very successful. She had failed the eye test, probably because one contact lens she has is for long distance while the other is for short distance reading. They said she could go to the doctor or optician for a professional test and if they issued a certificate she would get the licence. She plans to go to the optician tomorrow. It was disappointing after having to wait for over two hours in the queue. Fortunately when she goes back with an optician's certificate she gets to the front of the queue.

 

After dinner tonight we read until 8 pm when the courtroom drama 'Silk' came on BBC Entertainment. It wasn't particularly good and I think I had seen it before. When it finished I continued reading for another hour before getting to bed

 

 

 

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A running injury again!

Thursday 18 June.

 

I made a cup of tea and we read the paper in bed until about 7:15 am when I got up and prepared for another run. I did my usual stretching and got going. I planned to start off with the same route as yesterday then if I felt all right add another loop just before getting to the house. It did't go according to plan, I got to the top of Bird Rd hill going well, when I started the downhill section my achilles was giving me twinges but was still fine then suddenly it was my right calf muscle that became painful. I had had this calf problem before and the only solution was to stop and walk. I did that and cut down Palm Rd which joined Ibis Rd a short distance before the house. The muscle wasn't feeling too painful while I was walking so I decide to do the loop I had planned to run. I went down Pope Rd and round to Edinburgh Rd and back to Lourie Gardens. I had walked quite briskly and the pain wasn't severe. It had taken me running and walking 24:18 minutes, so the exercise was good, pity about the injury. My running come-back seems to have been short lived.

 

I stretched again as soon as I got in then made the breakfast. After washing up the dishes I had a shower running hot then cold water on my injured calf muscle. I spent the rest of the morning reading the 'Telegraph' and working on the crossword. Later when I got up from my chair there was a tremendous sharp pain in my calf muscle and it left me hobbling about. It seemed to be more serious than I originally thought.

 

After lunch we wanted to go into Port Shepstone to a) renew Moira's driving licence and b) get my new British Passport stamped with the Permanent Residence certification. Moira parked next to Checkers supermarket at the top end of the town and we went to the vehicle department first. There were the usual long queues, one with people waiting to have their forms checked and eyes tested, the other was to wait, after having your form and eyes OK'ed, to pay. One would have thought that there would have been a pile of blank renewal forms to just pick up, but no, Moira had to wait in another queue for one. Fortunately this was only a small line and she got it after 15 minutes. The form had to have a photograph attached and she planned to get it done later, fill in the form and come back tomorrow.

 

Next we walked over or in my case limped to the Department of Home Affairs. These places were all quite close to where we were parked and I didn't have to walk far. This place was another series of long queues, if you are doing anything that involves the Government or Civil Service in SA it is going involve a long wait. It was the same when the Afrikaners were in charge and the 'New South Africa' carried on in the same way; that was one part on the old bureaucratic system that was accepted and maintained. The first thing we had to determine was what queue to join. There was an information desk and only two people ahead of us. When I explained what I wanted I was directed to another office. The same two people who were in front at the info desk were waiting there as well. It was about 10 minutes while they were slowly dealt with then there was good news. The system for stamping Passports had stopped about a year ago and when I leave the country in future to take my PR document with me for showing at immigration when I return. Another couple who were behind us had come for the same reason and were also relieved not to have to wait in a long queue now and in the future.

 

Before heading back to the car we did some shopping in Checkers. We got candles and marches, the ones Pat gave us are nearly burnt down. Next it was a stop at the photo shop at the Oribi Plaza where Moira's picture was taken for her driving licence. I stayed in the car and read the South Coast Herald that we bought when shopping. After that it was home.

Moira made a nice chicken curry for dinner with naan bread. We then settled down to read and I had a go at the crosswords in the local paper. There were a couple of programmes on the BBC Entertainment channel that we watched. One was 'Revenge of an Egghead' which is a very similar quiz show to the 'Chase'. Later there was an old 'Open all Hours' with Ronnie Barker and David Jason. In between and before getting to bed I read another of the 'Rumpole' short stories.

 

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Back to running and a check up for my ear.

Wednesday 17 June.

 

I went out for a run this morning before breakfast. I was beginning to feel a lot better and needed to get some decent training done. This was going to be the first run I had done since we were in Tenerife earlier this year. As I wasn't very fit for running and just recovered from my op I didn't intend going mad and running a long distance. The route I had planned was to run to the top of Ibis Rd turn over Bird Rd to the back road that runs parallel with Ibis until it meets it at the bottom of the hill. Then it would be back up Ibis home. The weather was nice but not hot at 7:30 am when I got going after my normal stretching routine. It was a bit uphill until I got to the top of Bird Rd then downhill until the turn to go up Ibis home. I was puffing quite a bit on the climb but after that I ran comfortably. The only problem I had was a slight niggle at my left achilles tendon but I didn't run far enough to aggravate it too much. My running time was 13:18 minutes so it was only about 2 km. After doing some more stretching I made the breakfast.

 

After tidying up the breakfast things and showering I relaxed for the rest of the morning until 11 am when we went out. I had my appointment with Dr Viljoen at 1:30 pm but we wanted to go to the hardware shop at the South Coast Mall near Shelley Beach first. There we looked at high pressure water cleaners and made a note of all the makes and reference numbers. I would check later on the internet about what the differences were and what they can do. I think for cleaning the patio, walls and the car the cheapest one would do and costs just over R1000. They also had nice compact generators at R9000 which we may have to invest in if we are going to spend more time here and the power outages continue. Moira is also talking about knocking the wall down at the back of the house to give more space to sit out there. This would mean a different type of folding drying line and we costed them as well. We now have the prices of all we think we shall need to get the house up to scratch and we can consider it over the next few months and do it next year when we come out again.

 

We were still early for my doctor's appointment so had a walk around the Mall then when we reached Port Shepstone went to the car park on the beach to watch the waves. There was a couple of guys fishing but in the half hour we were there I don't think they got a hint of a bite. I don't know why we always get to doctors early as they are never on time. We had 45 minutes to wait as others were taken before me. When it was my turn she said that she had given the people different times but they all turned up together. If people come early then they should wait until their appointed time not taken before others. Anyway when I got in it was only for about 10 minutes. She was happy enough with the condition of my ear, then cleaned it, smeared ointment on it and repacked it. I've to go back in 2 weeks for another check up.

 

Our next plan was to go to the restaurant 'Fish on the River' on the river bank just outside the town. We had been there many times before and it was as good as ever. We both had hake and chips with a beer. The helping of fish was just right and it was delicious, we will be back again before we leave. Moira drove up the river and crossed it just after going under the toll road. It was up the hill and round to pick up Old Faith Road and home.

 

It was the 4th ODI between England and NZ today. When I turned it on NZ were batting and doing well heading for a score in the region of 400 then our power went off. Fortunately we had something to eat before the cut; Moira had bought a small French loaf when we were out and it was lovely with cheese, far better than the rolls. I put the candles on and we sat and read from our iPads, luckily you don't need any light for them.

 

When the power returned England were batting and from the first 10 overs had bludgeoned 100 runs. This was well ahead of their target as NZ had had a bit of a collapse at the end of their innings and only made 349. England were knocking the rest of the runs off easily and at 10:15 pm they had 45 to get so I gave up and went to bed. Moira hadn't been feeling very good and was tired, she went to bed a lot earlier.

 

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Another beach walk.

Tuesday 16 June.

 

We went out for another walk this morning after breakfast. It was a beautiful day again and very warm in the sun, we tried to keep in the shade where we could. We took a few different streets to get down to the Spar supermarket and passed down where Carol and Ray used to stay before moving to Cape Town last year. At the Spar we took Link Road along to the bridge over the main road, this was

 

the reverse of the way we walked on Sunday. Once over the bridge we headed by the bowling green, there was a pairs inter-club contest on and we spoke to one of the bowlers who was out front having a smoke. The beach today was easier to walk on, the tide was out and there was plenty of hard packed sand to stride out on. It took less time to reach the path up to the road at the Village Hall with the better conditions underfoot. Once on the road it was along to the junction at the main road then up the hill home. One interesting thing on the horizon as we climbed the hill was something that closely resembled a palm tree but was in actual fact a mobile phone mast. It was well camouflaged and in no way obtrusive.

 

 

 

Once we got in I had to fix one of the down-lights. I had put in the new bulbs when we got back yesterday but one couldn't have been secured properly by the clip and had dropped out. Fortunately it was still hanging by the attached electrical cable. This time I made sure it was in securely. It was now lunchtime and we had cheese rolls with another type of roll that Moira bought at Pick-n-Pay yesterday. It was much better and not so doughy.

 

Moira spent the afternoon working on the net curtains. I had to hold one end while she cut along the pinned crease with the scissors. She got the set up on the front window in the lounge and it is looking much better. I read my 'Rumpole' and worked on a crossword. I turned on the TV thinking there would be the next in the ODI series between England and NZ but it wasn't on, probably tomorrow. Instead after dinner I put the recorder on and first watched a good programme about ships built on the Clyde; 'Clydebuilt'; this was about the battle cruiser HMS Hood that was the pride of the navy between the wars but was eventually sunk by the Bismarck. Its decks weren't sufficiently protected by armoured plating and a shell went straight through to the ammunition store. It sank in a matter of minutes. After that I put on a 'Foyle's War' that we didn't remember seeing before, it was very good.

 

The packing had come out of my ear this morning. It was a soggy mass and I didn't fancy putting it in again. Instead Moira cleaned round the inside of the ear and I stuffed in some fresh cotton wool. I have to go to Dr Viljoen tomorrow so she can repack it if necessary. It feels fine anyway, but I took a couple of painkillers again before getting to bed just in case it got sore.

 

 

 

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Fixing up the house.

Monday 15 June.

 

We went out for another walk this morning after breakfast. I had a very good night's sleep last night and only had to get up once during the night for the loo. It was another lovely day as we set out just before 10 am. We walked to the left as we left Lourie Gardens and made our way over to the main road that runs up from the Bowling Club. We turned up that busy road which fortunately had a hard shoulder and a grass verge to keep us away from the traffic. At the first junction, joining the top part of Old Faith Road, we turned there and it led us back to our house. It wasn't as long a walk as yesterday but it is pleasant, lovely strolling along the tree lined lanes. We didn't see many other people out walking but anyone we did see, black or white, were very friendly and responded cheerfully to our 'good mornings'. We hadn't seen many monkeys about since our return to SA but a lot came scampering across the road at one point and when we go home there was a big one sitting on our fence.

A friendly visitor

 

 

When we got in Moira came across some of the bulbs in a cupboard for the down-lights in the lounge. She only found two but four had gone. I replaced the two and we decided to go into Port Shepstone after lunch to do some shopping and pick up more while we were there. We had hamburgers on rolls for lunch but neither the meat or the rolls were very good; we can't seem to get nice crispy rolls here, they have about half a dozen different varieties but so far the ones we have tried are soft and doughy.

 

We went to Pick-n-Pay first and did the weekly shop. There wasn't much to get as Moira had stocked up well last week. We couldn't see the type of bulbs we needed in the supermarket so went to an old style electrician's shop in town. Before going there we filled up with petrol, well I didn't fill up as they still have attendants in. SA to do it for you. The petrol is R13/litre, quite cheap, that's about £0.70. It cost R420 to fill the tank, about £23. Next at the electrician's we got the bulbs plus a spot light bulb for the hall that had gone. The three bulbs cost only R70, say £4.

 

Moira had parked in the car park that was for the customers of the large butchers and the fabric shop next door. It was quite legitimate to park as Moira wanted net material for the windows, the old ones were either worn or faded. She got enough to do all the windows and again it was a bargain at under £1 per metre. Before going I checked at the butchers to see if they had any ostrich meat but he said they don't supply ostrich.

 

Our next stop was the large tile centre on the outskirts at the top of the town. After coming here to sell the house and clear it out we are now replacing net curtains and looking at retiling the whole place. A lot of the tiles are cracked and loose. Most of the residents in the complex have had the same problem, it was a fault with the original laying of them. I would have thought that it should have been covered by the builder's insurance but Pat had tried to claim and was told it wasn't a building fault or some other excuse. We looked at the tiles and the ones we liked were between R80 and R100 per sq metre. We asked a woman at the desk about names of people who lay tiles and what they were likely to charge. She was very knowledgeable, she had names of people available, how much they would charge; between R40 and R60 per sq metre. We explained what was happening to our tiles and she went into a lengthy explanation of what could have been the fault, from wrong adhesive or not enough of it to the floor not being level or dried out sufficiently. She knew so much about the job I wondered if she did tiling herself on the side. The floor space of the house is about 100 sq metres so at the top end it would cost; R100 for tiles, R60 for laying, times 100 sq metres; R16000. That's under £1000, not bad at all.

 

When we left the tile centre we walked across the road to a builders merchants. I wanted to price high pressure water cleaners. The back brick patio is very dirty and needs the high pressure water to move the dirt. If I got one I could use it to clean the outside walls as well, the paint work is still good but there are a few marks and stains. Unfortunately they didn't have them though a couple of assistants searched everywhere for them. After that we had had enough for the day and made our way home. There is a large hardware shop at the South Coast Mall where we can try later for the cleaner.

 

Tonight we had pork stir fry for dinner. I was able to eat a bit more, my appetite is improving. There wasn't anything on TV that was worth watching and I couldn't be bothered with the recorder, most of the stuff on it we have seen before. I did the main crossword in the 'Sunday Times' then settled down to read another of the short stories from 'Rumpole of the Bailey'. I finished reading just after 10 pm and then got to bed. My ear is feeling much better but I took a couple of painkillers anyway and they also helped me to have a good night's sleep.

 

 

 

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A lovely day for a walk on the beach.

Sunday 14 June.

 

We decided we had to get out today for some fresh air and exercise. We had our 'English breakfast' as usual for a Sunday, but it wasn't as full as normal, we cut down and it was just one egg, a slice of bacon and one Escort sausage. After clearing up we got our takkies on and set off for our walk.

 

The weather was lovely, and after a cloudy start when we got up the sky had cleared to beautiful blue. We made our way over to Old Faith's Road and followed it down to the Spar and the main road. We got a lovely view of the coast from high up on the road. There were lots of people out on the beach below fishing. The sardines had started to run last week, a bit early this year though they said last year there hadn't been any at all. The fishermen get out now as the large shoals of sardines attract lots of other larger fish. There was a good surf running as well and far out a speed boat towing a water skier was skimming over the waves.

 

 

 

After crossing over the main road we carried straight until the path over the railway that led to a track down to the beach. Where it was flat the sand was loose and difficult going underfoot but near the sea where it was firmly packed it shelved steeply into the water. There were a lot of fishermen along this stretch as well and I actual saw somebody catch a fish from the shore but it wasn't particularly big. There were lots of rocks along the coast causing the breakers to spray high in the sky. We examined the rock pools as we passed but there was no sign of any sea life. As we got near the main Umtentweni access to the beach it was busier with people sunbathing and some were even in swimming.

 

We cut up there to the road and walked up past the bowling green to the road on the other side of the railway line. Half way along we cut up and crossed the bridge over the main road. On the other side it was then a turn to the left towards the Spar. We bought some bread and the South African 'Sunday Times'. From there it was up the hill and home. We had been out for 2 hours and I had taken off my t-shirt going along the beach it was so warm, hopefully it will build up my tan again.

 

It was lunchtime when we got in then I settled down with the newspaper. It isn't much of a newspaper but it does have a good puzzle page with 3 crosswords, a brain teaser and a few other puzzles. I did one of the crosswords then turned the TV on to check on the sport. The 3rd ODI between England and NZ had just begun and England was batting. I watched it on and off all afternoon while reading and doing crosswords. England were going quite well and should have reached about 350 but messed up near the end and were bowled out for 302 with 6 overs remaining. NZ took it steadily and didn't try anything stupid, they won easily.

 

We had curry for dinner tonight. I didn't have a lot, but managed to finish what I had. My appetite still hasn't returned. There was an episode of 'Vera' on BBC Entertainment tonight but I got the time wrong. I thought it was 7:30 pm and continued watching the cricket to the finish. When I turned over I found it had begun at 7 pm and we had missed half an hour. It turned out that it was one from the latest series and we saw it a month or so ago. Instead I put the Freeview Recorder on and watched a 'Dalziel and Pascoe'. We had seen that before as well but a long time ago and I couldn't remember the end.

 

We got to bed at our normal time and this time I had a great night's sleep. It must have been the walk and the fresh air, I will go out again tomorrow.

 

 

 

 

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Finished emptying the loft.

Saturday 13 June.

 

I was feeling quite good after breakfast, I had had not a bad night's sleep. My ear was beginning to get better and was only got painful occasionally then I took a couple of pain-killers. Feeling a bit energetic I decided to go up into the loft and finish off there. There was only a few odds and ends scattered about that I had to pick up then I got the vacuum cleaner up. I hoovered up all the little bits of plastic bags and rat droppings. Once I finished it was looking quite tidy. When I was vacuuming I came across a little dead mouse and the remains of a large rat. To prevent any further rodents nesting up there I put a packet of rat killer down in the middle. Moira went out and bought another couple of packets of warfarin and I put these at either side. So the whole of the attic should be covered. I took the ladder down and replaced the trap door, that should be all the work finished up there now.

 

I spent the rest of the day reading, doing the 'Telegraph' prize crossword and listening to ClassicFM on the radio. Moira had finished emptying boxes and bags and was now putting away things she had washed and wanted to keep. She washed a lot of the bedding, sheets and duvet covers, and when they were dry I help her to fold them up neatly. We haven't decided yet how much we are going to send back and how much we need to leave here now we have decided to keep the house. Stutterford's the removals company should be contacting us next week and when we find out what they charge then we will see how much to send to Scotland.

 

For dinner Moira made avocado with tomato and mayonnaise as a starter which was very nice but when it came to the main course, pork chop potatoes and veg I didn't feel so good and couldn't eat any. I just had an apple that was all I could manage. There wasn't anything to watch on the TV, no sport tonight. I put on the Freeview recorder and watched a few programmes from that. There was an old 'Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads', the north country detective 'Inspector George Gently', and we finished off with an episode of 'Mash' that we didn't remember having seen before.

 

It was 10 pm when we got to bed. I had trouble getting to sleep again. At first there was somebody playing loud music somewhere but fortunately it only lasted for about 15 minutes. After that I lay for about 2 hours then I must have got to sleep but wakened a few times to visit the loo.

 

 

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Slowly recovering.

Friday 12 June.

 

Moira made me my cup of tea in bed then prepared the breakfast. I got up and showered making sure the Press Stick was firmly in my ear to keep it dry. After breakfast I spent the rest of the morning reading and managing to complete the crosswords in the 'Telegraph'. Moira was going into the bank to get the new Gold bank card that we will be able to use overseas. I filled in the form for Moira to tale with her to Sanlam to withdraw the money from the Unit Trusts. There was a few gaps left in the form, like account number which I didn't have, I was hoping Moira could get it from them. She was lucky with that and they completed the form and the money should be paid into the bank next week. She wasn't so fortunate at the bank and they would only issue the bank card to me.

 

The next thing that had to be arranged was to cash in the Government Retail Bonds we have. Moira couldn't find any way to do it online so she went to the post office but they didn't have a form there and said to phone. She phoned and they sent an Early Withdrawal Form by email, now we had to get it printed out. We decided to go into Port Shepstone after lunch and print out the form at the internet cafe in the Mall and at the same time pick up the Gold card at the bank. First at the internet cafe we ran into problems with Yahoo, it wouldn't let us into our email as it didn't recognise the place where we were connecting from. We left and went to the bank and while there Moira said we could go into the Government web site and print the form from there. But first the Gold card and that took about a quarter of an hour, she had to put lots of information into the computer, examine my ID book, take my fingerprints then get me to enter a pin number. Eventually we were headed back to the internet cafe and were successful in printing off the form this time.

 

When we got back to the house Moira filled out the form for the redemption of the bonds and I photographed it onto my iPad. She then emailed it to the Government department. Not long afterwards she got confirmation that they had received it. That was all our finances arranged and once all the money is in the bank we can see about transferring it to Scotland.

 

I checked out the sport on the TV and there was the second ODI cricket match between England and NZ from the Oval. NZ were halfway through their innings and doing well. They finished with 398. During the break we had our dinner, I finished off what I had left last night and an apple, my appetite hasn't been very good since the op. There was the quiz show the 'Chase' on BBC Entertainment. When it finished I turned back to the cricket and England were just beginning their innings. Cricket has certainly changed since we last watched a game, there is no messing about getting settled they go after the runs right away. It was a tall order to get 399 to win but they were having a good go when it rained and the umpires took them off. England were 345/7 at the time about 6 overs to go and had a food chance of getting there. They were about 10 runs behind the Duckworth Lewis target for a rain abandoned game. It was nearly 10 pm by this time and it didn't look like the rain would stop soon so I gave up and went to bed.

 

I wasn't feeling particularly tired even with little sleep last night but I managed to get to sleep after about half an hour. I had to get up a few times to the loo but got back over to sleep again quite quickly. My ear wasn't as annoying as last night.

 

 

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Home from the Hospital.

Thursday 11 June.

 

The lights went on just after 4 am and they came round to take blood pressure and temperature measurements. Even though they had given me a sleeping pill last night I was now wide awake. I got my book and sat up in the bed and read. They gave me a cup of tea about 6 am and I continued reading my book. I was feeling quite good and there wasn't any real pain in my ear just an annoyance from the packing that the doctor must have stuffed in to stop any bleeding.

 

Moira arrived at 8 am and shortly after that Dr Viljoen did her rounds. She was happy enough with my condition and said that I could go home after breakfast. I am to see her again next Wednesday when she would take the packing out of my ear, in the meantime I was to keep it dry and use a Press Stick plug when i showered, like we used to do when swimming to stop water getting into our ears. She made out a prescription for an antibiotic snd some pain killers, also ear drops for use later when the wound has healed. The nurse then came and removed the drip then at last breakfast arrived. It was muesli which was OK but the hamburger and egg were overcooked. Moira collected the medicines from the pharmacy at the hospital and we were then on our way home.

I was feeling not too bad when I got home but in no way ready to do anything energetic. I sat in the chair most of the day reading, doing the crossword and listening to the radio. I had to go outside a couple of times to empty some bags that Moira was going through and thought might have rats. One did have three little mice that were reluctant to leave the comfort of the warm clothing where they had built their nest but I chased them away.

 

I managed to eat a sandwich for lunch but for dinner Moira had made a chicken and mushroom pasta that I only managed a couple of mouthfuls. I wasn't feeling very good and decided to go to bed. I read for about half an hour then tried to go to sleep but couldn't. I sat up again and read for a couple of hours. Moira had come to bed early, she still wasn't feeling very well; she had managed to get an appointment with the doctor in the afternoon and he gave her more antibiotics. About 9 pm I put out the light and tried to get to sleep again but just lay quietly without dropping off. I struggled until about mid-night without getting over and then decided to get up snd sit through in the lounge to read my book. I was there until about 3 am when I finished the book and returned to bed. I didn't sleep very soundly but I think I did manage to get a couple of hours shut eye

 

 

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In for my ear op.

Wednesday 10 June.

 

The receptionist phoned yesterday afternoon as we were getting home to tell me that although the Medical Aid covered most of the operation and hospital bill there would still be R5600 to pay. That was about £280, so I agreed - still cheap at the price. Later the Medical Aid sent the authorisation number and confirmation of the R5600 that was payable to the hospital and to arrive at 8 am.

 

The last bit about the time was overdoing it somewhat as I didn't get wheeled into the theatre until late in the afternoon. I was up at about 7 am after reading the newspaper in bed unfortunately without a cup of tea this morning, no eating or drinking until after my op. I showered and dressed and then we set off. At the hospital we were told to sit in a queue until I was called up to register. Luckily they had most of my details on the computer from a previous op and it was just the telephone number to update. She then told us that the bed was being prepared and to take a seat again. I don't know bow long it takes to make a bed but we were sat on hard benches for another 2 hours. I read for a while then worked on today's crossword but I had to get up and walk about a number of times when my bottom got sore on the hard seat.

 

When at last it was into the ward where they weighed me and measured my height. Then there was lots of forms to complete about allergies and previous operations before I was allowed into the bed and could stretch out. Then there was the machine that was attached to my chest arms and legs by cables and suckers. This was followed by blood pressure, temperature, blood and urine tests.

 

I now had about another 4 hours to wait until the op. In that time Moira went out to the Spar to do some shopping and get her lunch - curry and a beer- lucky her. I just had to lie on the bed, read and doze off now and again. Dr Viljoen came round mid-afternoon and apologised for the delay and that she had one more patient to do before me. The anaesthetist paid a visit and he sound worse than Moira with his coughing. He asked the same question as I had answered earlier for the form filling and sounded me out with his stethoscope. He left happy enough but I don't know what he was be likely to find that the complicated machine I was subjected to earlier couldn't? A nurse then give me two pre-op pills to take then went for some water to wash them down. I thought I was going to get a decent drink at last but she came back with a thimble full.

 

At last they came and wheeled me through to the theatre. They transferred me onto the operating table then the last thing I remember was somebody putting the mask on my mouth. Next when I came to they said they were taking me back to the ward. Moira was there sitting beside the bed, she said I had been away for an hour and a half. Most of the time was probably in recovery form the anaesthetic before they took me back to the ward. It was now after 6 pm and getting dark outside and Moira was wanting to get home. She left shortly afterwards as I was still not quite with it yet anyway. She said she had filled in a form for my breakfast and ticked all the boxes but there was no sign of anything to eat now and I was starving. They did at least give me a drink of water.

 

I had a drip with the tubes attached to back of my hand by a needle. The nurse said that one was a pain killer and the other a fluid to re-hydrate me. The pain killer must have been working as I didn't feel any pain in my ear at all. Every couple of hours I had my blood pressure and temperature checked then somebody remembered that I hadn't eaten. I got a chicken curry sort of thing with potatoes. It was all right but I was so hungry I would have eaten anything. By this time I was feeling much recovered and sat up and read for a about an hour or so before getting the nurse to lower the bed and put out the light. I didn't need to bother about having to get up to the loo, they supplied a bottle to use and anyway I had hardly drunk anything all day!

 

I don't know whether there is a great deal of difference between here and the NHS once you are actually admitted to the hospital. But I was in and seen to within a week not the six month target set for the NHS !

 

 

 

 

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Got the satellite TV going.

Tuesday 9 June.

 

I went to the loft when I got up and handed down another load of boxes and bags to Moira. One was eaten into and I told her to be careful and that there might be a rat in it. There was and it scurried into our bedroom. When I had completely cleared everything from the loft I came down to see if the rat was still about. Moira closed all the doors in the house and only the back door was left open. I began stripping our bed and putting everything that was lying about into the toilet. Moira then spotted the rat behind the bed. We pulled out the bed and it ran out and hid under the dressing table. I poked around with a broom and it eventually came out, darted through the hall and out the back door. Hopefully that's the last of the rats. We will get some rat poison to make sure.

 

I had a shower and shaved then made the breakfast. As I was washing up afterwards the guy to repair the satellite dish phoned he was at the gate and Moira buzzed him through. A new dish would cost R500, about £25, which seemed very reasonable, so. We told him to go ahead. By the time I had finished washing the dishes and tidying up he was finished and started to tune in the TV. That operation took a while but eventually we were watching Sky News. Moira didn't have enough money to pay him but he said just to call into his shop later with the money, very trusting!

 

I wanted to get the TV on to the radio channels but it took me a while to figure out how to do it. At last I got there and tuned into Classic FM. We couldn't get this station on the normal radio as it is based in the Jo'burg area and can only be picked up digitally here at the coast. We listened to the lovely music until after lunchtime while Moira opened more boxes and I read my book.

 

In the afternoon I had an appointment with Dr de Bruin the urologist. It was at 2 pm but we got into Port Shepstone at 1:30 pm. Moira drove to the Nedbank branch in the town centre and got some money from the ATM. The television-man's shop was next door to the bank and we paid him for the dish. We were still early for my appointment but asked the receptionist for the ENT doctor about the operation on my ear as she hadn't phoned yesterday. She said she phoned but there was no reply; she still had our 'ancient' number. The doctor had said she couldn't remember any major problem that required an operation but the receptionist would get her to talk to me when she finished with the patient that was with her. Dr Viljoen came out a few minutes later and said to come through and she would have a quick look at my ears. I told Dr Bruin's receptionist where I was going and off I went. Once she had a look in my ears she said to come through and lie on the couch and she would clear out the wax. I told Moira to go outside in case the other doctor was looking for me while Dr Viljoen got to work on the wax. A big chunk came out of my right ear easily enough but the left with the narrow canal took a bit longer and more pain. The piece that came out of that ear was huge. The doctor said that it wasn't imperative to get the operation but it was up to me. I said that i had problems with the hearing aid because of the narrow canal and it caused irritation, so I wanted it done. She accepted that and told her receptionist to make the arrangements. I go into Hibiscus Hospital in the morning, fast service. When we came out of her rooms Dr de Bruin still hadn't finished with the patient who was with him and I sat for 5 more minutes to wait.

 

Eventually I got in to see him. We were in for about half an hour but most of it was spent talking about our travels, running and walking. He has run 5 Comrades but didn't take part this year due to a calf muscle injury. My examination consisted of an ultra sound scan where there wasn't anything untoward found. I told him that I was getting up a number of times during the night to the loo. He said I had three options; do nothing, take medication or have the operation, I had, again. I opted initially for the pills and would decided about another operation if that didn't work. He gave me a prescription for the pills and a form to take to the labs behind the hospital for a blood test.

 

When we left it was just a short walk around the corner to the labs. They had most of our info on the computer, just the new phone number to enter. It was only a few minutes to wait and the sample was taken from my arm. Before going back to collect the car at the doctor's we went to the Sanlam office just down the hill from the hospital. I couldn't get into my Unit Trust account with them on the computer, it wouldn't accept my password for some reason. Unfortunately this office didn't deal with the public and we were re-directed to Sheppie Mall which was in the dip before the town centre. We collected the car and drove there, they were very helpful and got into my account with only having to hand over my ID book. There is now R66K accrued but they couldn't help me with my access to the account online. This required a few phone calls to get to the right department to deal with the problem. After some security questions the woman said she was emailing me an access code to get into my account and reset my password.

 

We headed home now but stopped on the way at the shopping centre in 'Tweni. I got my pills from the pharmacy then into Spar for a roasted chicken for dinner. We had the chicken with an avocado salad, we had bought the avos at the side of the motorway when we were coming from the airport last week. The weren't very ripe then, very hard, so Moira put them in a bag with a banana to speed up the ripening. Now they were soft snd delicious and went well with then chicken. I tried to get into my Sanlam account with the access code as soon as I for in but it had timed out. It was only valid for an hour. I will have to try again, the next time I'll have the iPad handed so that I can enter in straight away.

 

After dinner we listened to the radio for a while then I scrolled through the TV channels. I couldn't find anything on the entertainment side so tried the sport's channels. I found the one day cricket match between England and NZ from Birmingham. NZ were just starting their innings in reply to an amazing 409 scored by England. I watched the match at the same time as reading my book until about 9 pm then Moira went to bed, she was coughing and not feeling well. By that time NZ were 190 for 8 and it wasn't going to last much longer so I went to bed as well and read for half an hour before getting to sleep.

 

I hadn't had anything to eat or drink after 9 pm and now I wouldn't have anything until after my operation tomorrow.

 

 

 

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Our first power cut!

Monday 8 June.

 

I made a cup of tea first thing and we had it in bed while we read the newspaper we had downloaded. The internet connection is fine and the 'Telegraph' is on the iPad in seconds. When we got up I went up into the loft and handed down another load of boxes to Moira. There were also a lot of clothes wrapped in sheets of polythene that came down, I think most were my t-shirts from races I had run over the years.

 

When I had finished, there is about a third more stuff to bring down, I had a shower before making the breakfast. The gardener arrived about then and Moira gave him instructions for cutting and trimming the growth around the awning at the front. Once he had cleared around the satellite dish I got the DSTV control box to check it out but discovered that the power cable was missing. We decided to take it down to the TV shop in the village, get a new cable and have them check if it is still operable.

 

We waited until about 11 am them the gardener was finished at our house, it is looking a lot tidier. Our first stop was the library where we donated the books we didn't want, the woman wanted to examine them first before accepting them? We selected from books for reading then checked them out. The woman now seemed happy with our gift and we had a chat with her. She has been in charge of the library as long as we have been in 'Tweni and she is very friendly. She has the new style VW Beetle, a red one that sparkles. She had a similar one when we were here before and I asked if she had got a new one the same colour. She said 'No' and that it was the same one that she has had for 15 years, it looks like it has just come out of the show room. She said before that she had a Ford Escort for 25 years and was sorry to part with it!

 

We went to the TV shop next and the DSTV box checked out OK. I got a new power cable and booked a month on the satellite company's top package. It cost R700 for a month but Moira still had over R100 in the account from before and that reduced what we had to pay. On the way back we stopped at the Spar supermarket and got bread, rolls and milk.

 

I checked out the DSTV box when I got in but although it was now working it wasn't getting a signal. I went out and the gardeners ladder was still there, I used it to climb up and examine the dish. The arm that holds the LNB receiver was corroded and only hanging on by a thread of metal, it looks like we require a new dish. Moira phoned the shop to get somebody out to get us going. They didn't have anyone available until Wednesday so we will have to wait.

 

After lunch, we had hamburgers - very nice, Moira began opening the wrapping covering the clothes I had brought down. It was mostly my t-shirts, there was hundreds of them. Some were on the small side, they may have shrunk. I put them in a bin bag and gave them to the gardener, he seemed pleased with the gift. Midway through the afternoon Alison came up to see us. She said she had a client interested in coming to see the house with an view of buying. We told her that we had changed our mind and decided to keep the house. The amount of money we would get felt like we were giving it away; we don't need the money anyway. She told us that Sheila opposite was selling her house, she was very pleased and doesn't like the woman either. I asked if she was selling through her office, she said I must be joking! When Moira said about not getting the TV dish sorted out until Wednesday Alison said she would get an Indian guy from Port Shepstone to ring. He did call later and will come tomorrow morning.

 

Before dinner Moira discovered that we were out of wine and went to the supermarket for more. While she was out I began to make a cup of coffee when the power went off. They had told us that this power shedding was still a regular occurrence but there hadn't been any last week. I settled down to do the crossword on the iPad, I don't need any light for that and it was fully charged. As I was beginning on the first clue Pat arrived at the door. She had a handful of candles and a box of matches for me. She said the power normally went out for 2 hours, not too bad, we can live with that. I lit the candles before Moira arrived back. She said that the dinner was ready, she had miscalculated the time and had it finished before going out for the wine. It was lasagne and in the microwave. We sat down right away at the candlelit table and had an early dinner. The lasagne was still hot and very nice. We finished off with ice cream.

 

After washing up in the dark I got back to my crossword and soon had it finished. I then tackled the quick crossword and it was soon complete as well - I'm getting good. The lights came on again at 6 pm, the power was only down for an hour. I was able then to read another 'Rumbole' short story before changing to one of the books from the library. It was ' Bleeding Hearts' by Jack Harvey who is actually Ian Rankin. It is all right so far.

Moira had been a lot better today but as she got tired had another coughing fit. She decided to go to bed and I went as well, about 9 pm. I read for a while before turning in myself.

 

 

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