From Merrivale 31.7.1995

From Merrivale

31.7.1995

Dear Alan, Lorna & Girls,

The year is already more than half way over – I can’t believe its August tomorrow – but as I hate the winter I am glad it will soon be over – we have had a very mild winter with temperature in the mid to high twenties all the time. Tomorrows expected temperature is 29 in P.M.Burg. We are in the grips of a drought, but should get our first rain in August. Durban had a terrific hail storm yesterday which did extensive damage the hail was up to the window sills in lots of houses.

We have just come back from Sheila it was so hot there at night that we had to have the fan on. We went to the Hayes at Southbroom for 5 days & thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, the Mosterts ex-Rhodesians & Debbie & family were down too.

We are home for a week then we will go & spend one night with jenny & family (they now live in the old hotel behind the new hotel 9 rooms) then we are off to Vereeniging & Sunday we go to Kruger National Park before they give it to the kaffirs for cattle farms. Aunty Myrtle’s Keith has a house on the outskirts of Kruger which he rents out for R120 a night 3 bedrooms & 8 beds so I think it is  a very good price & we are booked in for 3 nights then 1 night in Sabie & 1or 2 at Pilgrims Rest . We will go in the Hayes car as ours is so unreliable.

Eric came over yesterday & he , Elliot & myself spent the whole day , pruning, spraying 7 watering & fertilizing  all the fruit trees – we were all so exhausted last night.

Neal is hoping to move into his new place at the end of august. I am afraid he has made a big mistake buying it, but one can only advise & if the advice isn’t taken there is nothing we can do. He has paid nearly R200, 000 for a half finished house on top of a hill & hardly any arable land & 15 kms on a dirt road. He is getting a new Toyota Venture soon.

I’m busy making marmalade & have been freezing lots of peas otherwise everything else in the garden is half dead waiting for rain.

Run out of space. After 6 weeks Les is at long last coming right.

                Tons of love from, XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

                Dad, Mum & family, XXXXXXXXXXXXXX