Monday 29 June.
I had an appointment with Dr Viljoen this morning for a check-up on my ear. It was at 8:15 am so it was an early start to get showered and have breakfast before setting off. We arrived at the medical centre at 8 am and there was a number of people there already. I thought it was going to be long wait again with people getting there well ahead of their appointed time and being taken first. I don't know why I rush to get to doctors as they are always late. I had taken my book along to read and pass the time if I had a long wait. Dr Viljoen came out and took somebody at 8:10 am and I thought 'here we go' but when she had finished with him, after about 10 minutes, it was my turn - more or less on time. She was very happy with the condition of my ear and pleased that I had kept it dry. She cleaned away a scab that had formed and took out a stitch that hadn't dissolved away on its own. Finally she smeared ointment over the inside of my ear and told me to come back again in 2 weeks. She reckoned that the rate it was healing that my next appointment would be the last.
After leaving the medical centre we went to the Oribi Plaza to do some shopping. First we went to a small hardware shop and asked the owner about epoxy resin that the internet had advised for filling the hole in the bureau desk. He suggested Pratley Putty which we had used before and decided it was worth a try; the write up on the box said that it set hard and was 'drillable'. While we were there Moira bought a large padlock for the gate on the French windows and some proper putty for the windows. I also got some long nuts and bolts to secure a block of wood on either side of the garage doors to jam the runners and prevent anyone opening it when we are away. Our next stop was Vodaphone where Moira bought another 10 GB of data for the WiFi, that will do us until we return to the UK at the end of July. The 10GB we got when we arrived has about run out, in just under a month. Our last stop was at Pick-n-Pay for muesli and some rusks.
On the way home we stopped at the library to return our books. I was just going to renew the one I was reading. We were under the impression that everybody in SA started work early, at the latest 8:30 am, but the library didn't start functioning until 10 am, still another hour. We went straight home then. The gardener was busy taking everybody's rubbish and all our gardening refuse to the gate for collection by the Municipality today. When he was finished that job Moira got him up the ladder and doing more work on the growth round the awning. At the same time I was mixing the Pratley Putty and filling in the hole in the desk. I smoothed it out as well as I could then left it until we return from the Highveldt next week. By that time it should be really set and hard, then I will sand it down and hopefully be able to drill some holes for the screws. Moira had tried putting the padlock she had bought on the security gate. It had a long loop that she wanted to go round the inside uprights of both gates but it wouldn't fit, she decided to go back to the hardware shop and get a replacement.
When Moira was out I made the stops for the garage door. I cut two pieces of wood that conveniently fitted into the slot for the door runners. There were also holes in the back plate of the slot conveniently spaced. It was only a matter of drilling holes in the pieces of wood and bolting it in place. It was an easy job and I was finished by the time Moira returned. She couldn't get a padlock with a bigger loop and had to settle for a length of chain and large padlock to secure the gate. It did what she wanted but wasn't so tidy. We are a bit worried about security as Mark and Sharon behind us had been burgled recent when they cut a hole in the wood surrounds of their French window and opened the doors. They didn't have a security gate fitted on these windows. The last job I had to do was move the toilet seat in the bathroom, it wouldn't stay up when it was lifted. I unscrewed the seat and adjusted the supports further forward. This did the job and it is staying up when required.
I sat inside and read my book after that while the gardener was still working on trimming around the awning. When he was finished it was now looking respectable. I then moved outside into the warm sunshine and continued to read my book there. Moira returned the loppers and secateurs to Pat forgot the time while gossiping. It was after 1 pm when she got back to make the lunch. It was wors on French bread the smell and flavour reminded us of the fishermen cooking theirs at the beach yesterday. I carried on reading after lunch and finished my book, I was now able to return it to the library.
The library had now been open for a few hours. Instead of just returning our books we got more out to take with us to Alec's for something to read there. While we were in the library a woman came in looking for somebody to go with her while she opened her PO box that were next to the library. I went with her and she told me she was worried about a black guy who was sitting next to the boxes, she had had trouble with him before demanding money. We went over and she opened her box, the guy was sitting having his lunch and didn't seem interested in us at all. She was happy and went on her way and I returned to continue selecting books. The white South Africans still appear to have a mistrust of the blacks, I suppose it will take a few generations for it to disappear. I got a couple of books that will do me while we are up at Alec's, one was another by Ann Cleeves the other was an Ian Rankin but not a Rebus mystery.
When got home again it was getting too cold to sit outside so we came into the lounge. I worked, not very successfully, on the 'Telegraph' crossword until dinner time. This evening I managed to find a few things in the TV to watch, there were a few of the UK quiz programmes, 'Eggheads', 'The Chase' and 'Pointless' then there was a programme with Paul O'Grady about dogs and the Battersea dogs home which was quite enjoyable. Later I found an old film 'The Dirty Dozen', a war film. It had already started but a watched the rest. It was OK, then time for bed.
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