On Sunday, I’m finally heading out to Cape Town and will be there with my mom and Aunt at a bungalow on the beach in Fish Hoek for two weeks, if anyone wants to stop by. I’ll make you tea and scones!

I’ve just arranged a hire car, and will be picking it up the morning after we arrive. My mom and I are staying in an airport hotel the first night, and the hire car will be delivered there. We’ll take it on to Auntie S’s residence, which has several names, one of which is, charmingly, “Cape Provincial Home for Elderly Ladies”. Auntie Syl has had some strokes, and while she seems perfectly alright, she no longer has a good short term memory. She has always been a bit of an eccentric, and I think her eccentricities have intensified partly because of the strokes, but also, I think this happens with old age. She seems to be almost entirely free of what little social inhibition she may have had. Mind you, she’s pretty sweet, so it should be okay. My mom is also getting on. Her walking, talking…everything, just seems so slow. She’s pretty sharp (she still can do the New York Times crossword in pen!), but she takes a long time to make any decisions. Also, she’s pretty hard of hearing.

So, there I’ll be, ladies maid/companion to my mom and Aunt. I’ve been almost dreading this. I feel so stressed and tired as it is by my own life, and haven’t been anywhere for years - no holidays, ever. I’m imagining the day-to-day, and I’m coming up with….it’s going to be very tiring. I’ve been allowing myself to feel sorry for myself, and don’t I always say - that’s fatal! Meanwhile, my mom has been saying she just wants to have a nice holiday, and she wants me to have a nice one too. That’s so sweet. Really, I must try to reframe how I’ve been thinking about this. I may not get a chance to be on a holiday with my mom again, nor my Aunt, and I do love them both very much.

So, today I am trying to pull myself together a little bit. Don’t they say your attitude influences your mood? I hope it works.

I’ve been doing pretty badly with my eating and exercising.

I will try to pull that back together too. I’m taking my laptop with me, and I’m hoping to get a chance to blog.

I want to catch up on my old blog friends’ news. I hope you are all doing okay. I’ve missed you.