From Merrivale February 1999

From Merrivale

February 1999

We arrived safely in St Francis Bay on the 2^nd February & had a lovely trip down we stayed overnight at Hogsback, but were very disappointed as they had recently had a tornado through the town & there were huge trees down everywhere & most of the tourist attractions were closed & the roads atrocious so instead of spending 2 nights there we packed up after breakfast & arrived at Sheila’s at lunch time.

Sheila is now in her own home, so she is keeping Daddy busy getting her house the way she wants it & making things for her. I am having a marvelous rest I spend my whole morning either swimming in the canals or paddle skiing or fishing in the Kromme river, in the afternoon I sleep then read, then go down to the canals (which are salt & tidal) & either swim or fish. I caught a small grunter yesterday. The other day I was standing on the edge of the canal digging for bait & I must have disturbed a sole , which came up & slithered over y feet, well I screamed so loudly 7 kicked the sole in the air & Daddy just stood & laughed & laughed. this morning Gerald Phillips (he went to Fynnlands school with his brother Bruce & he was sweet on Sheila ) is coming to take me to get bait in the Kromme river – he is a skipper on the chokka boats , so always brings calamari, fish & crabs for us while we are here.

Sheila is busy sewing, has lots of orders & is now doing upholstery. She is going to go to Port Elizabeth once a week to go to a course, but she’s doing very well without it. Ronald is doing very well employed by Bruce & based in Humansdorp about 20kms from here, he repairs the chokka boats, sometimes he has to go out to sea to them in a rubber dingy & repair them, he has been in for 5 days now doing a big repair job. Taryn has a job in a nursery school & loving it she has about 12 under 4 year old children & she is so good with them & doing educational things with them I’m really proud of the work she’s ding & hope she will take a course so  she can have something behind her.

Donovan is doing as little as possible, but I have never had a problem with Donovan, we get on very well, but the least I say about Jenna the better, I can see us going home early because of her behaviour & cheek, which I can’t stand. I hear from the rest of the family & all seem to be weelll. Tam-lyn writes all the time, but I have not heard from Jenny. Tam-lyn always sends love to all of you & wants to know your news. I’m just off to swim. We just have walk through the house in front of us & we are on the canal.

Love to everyone,

Tons of love, Dad, Mum & family