Writer's Blog

I’ve been trying to sit down now for over a week to write this. I’ve done everything to avoid it. Not because I haven’t had anything to write (so much has happened in last ten days!) but because I’ve lost my narrative train of thought. That’s the problem with writing a blog which is basically a journal. You miss a few days entries and it becomes increasingly hard to pick up from where you left off. Anyway, I will try.

Just to recap, Elle and I had to leave Bulawayo for Cape Town earlier than scheduled because her step-father Brian had a heart attack two weeks ago. (Just out of interest, Brian’s family comes originally from Sligo, so the Irish already have a flag planted in Elle’s family!) Fortunately, Brian, 72, has since made a full recovery and now describes himself as ‘embarrassingly well’. He is a very interesting and cultured man, what we Irish would call a true ‘gentlemen and a scholar’ and the dash to Cape Town was worth it, just to make his acquaintance. Elle’s Mum is lovely too and it’s great to meet an older, happy couple who seem to complement each other so well.

Elle and I are staying with friends in a place called Hout Bay on the western seaboard of Cape Town. It’s a stunningly beautiful part of Cape Town, a valley surrounded by ragged, high mountains, leading down to a pristine, aquamarine bay and harbour. It’s really picture postcard stuff and trying to describe it in words doesn’t do it justice.

It’s strange being back in a modern city again with nice restaurants, traffic lights that work and ATMs that give you cash. I have to say that my first cappucino in months was an 'Ice Cold in Alex' moment.