This time last year, I was on a Xeloda holiday. I was basking at home…just not taking the tablets.

It seems like another life time in many ways. For a start, home was Hout Bay. Now it is in Hemel en Aarde in the Overberg. And yes, we still have the dreaded virus stalking us, even in this rural paradise.

I do still have numb soles – an after affect of the drug, but I don’t have daily headaches or a fuzzy head. Okay, so that’s debatable I hear you say. Let me rephrase that. I don’t feel as if my head is dodgy.

Archie has adapted to his new territory and I was hoping there would be no more cat fights. Of course I was wrong. The local pitch black tom has already come to challenge our ginger. In fact he was prepared to climb through the window, despite the standoff from Archie and Xena in the early hours of the morning. It’s now a full year later and I am pleased to report that the hunter has continued his cuddling sessions.

Autumn is settling in once more and the gentle sunshine is delightful. Gratitude is still pretty high on my list of priorities and saying thank you has become a morning ritual, lest I forget. I no longer have a fireplace and I haven’t pulled out my knitting yet. But I will soon. Archie would be disappointed if I didn’t.

Life is even slower here than in the valley of Hout Bay and I am enjoying the pace. I have taken to growing herbs again and learning the secrets of each one. I’m keen to pass this knowledge on too, once I’ve absorbed enough of it. I still haven’t painted my galloping wild horses but have commissioned an artist friend to do so! The move precipitated a massive decluttering session and now there is space for what I do want to bring into my life.

Our masked lives have become the norm and caution is always a factor. Unexpected deaths leave us reeling with shock and grief. Surely it’s time for this pandemic to end? We need it to for so many reasons…