A brief outline of a busy month ...

Nearly the end of January and the Stanford program is into it's fourth week now. Our days are full. Weekends we try and hike both days, one with Nan and family if possible. Regrettably there is no time in the week for roaming the mountain trails before work. Well, I guess if we didn't read for so long in bed when we wake we could hike. But lazy sloths we are, and reading is compulsive for both of us.

Tim is just finishing off Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell, a book I also read. Fascinating, science-fictiony, marvelous story-telling. And I turned the last page today of The Fear by Peter Godwin. If you haven't already read Mukiwa and When the Crocodile Eats the Sun do so asap. And then read The Fear. The three books take you from an idyllic, peaceful, wealthy, although not a democracy, nation through the transition to democracy and then to bankruptcy and unimaginable violence.

I hadn't realised how much The Fear would tie in with the genocide class I take on Thursdays, almost the same course I took last year. I liked it so much I'm doing it again! Not exactly. I was drawn to the gap in my knowledge of the history of Southern Africa and am so lucky to have the opportunity to study with the students again.

Alternate Fridays see Tim and me with all the students in the Sites of Memory Class. So far we've only had one class and that began in the crypt at St Georges Cathedral with a chance meeting with Bishop Tutu much to the delight of all as Bishop Tutu insisted on shaking hands with each and every one of our group of 29!

After tea and a talk by John Parkington we walked up Government Avenue to the South African Museum to see three exhibitions there, first one on the people of South Africa, next the rock art of the San and lastly a marvelous exhibition curated by Pippa Skotnes and Petro Keene displaying the art of Leo Frobenius and his team who came to South Africa from Germany in 1928 and painted some huge canvases of the rock art he saw in Zimbabwe and Lesotho, some of which were bought by the SA Museum in 1931 and kept in storage for years and years.

This coming Friday we'll hold the second class, visiting the Prestwich Memorial and the Slave Lodge, learning about the early days of Cape Town.

With all this work there is little time to devote to a social life outside of work, although I have started playing bridge with my old group from the 1990's who still meet each Tuesday evening. So far, two weeks in a row, I (and my partner) have been consistent in coming 2nd from the bottom both evenings!

Each Wednesday we take four students to dinner to our favourite restaurant around the corner from us in Newlands, The Wijnhuis. Our first evening was last Wednesday and we'll keep it up until the end of February. It's a really nice way to get to know the students in smaller groups. Here we are with Ariana, Danielle, Leslie and Natie, all looking very satiated! Thanks to Ritesh for taking the photo with Leslie's camera! Ritesh is the reason we keep going back to the Wijnhuis. He is by far the best waiter I have ever met. He knows what wine we like and has it chilled to just the right temperature for our arrival. He can even predict what we'll order which isn't very difficult because we always order the same dish! Well, almost always...

Goodbye 2010, Hello 2011!

We said farewell to 2010 on the lawns of Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens enjoying a concert with Johnny Clegg and his group. Long picnic first, a leading act, and then finally Johnny Clegg was onstage to much joy and dancing as all 6,000 at the concert stood and rocked to the truly South African rhythms.

Our friend Kay was visiting from Inverness and she joined us, as well as my daughter, Nan & Daniel. We sat next to our good Cape Town friend, Lucille, owner of Ivydene Guest House, who took the photo on the left. Kay took the photo of the concert, right.

It's nearly 7pm on January 6th as I write, sitting outside on a chilli-hot breathless day, the third in a row of scorching temperatures.



On Monday Jan 3rd, we spent a blissful evening with Kay on Table Mountain, first hiking around the top, admiring the views, and then watching the sunset from the summit bar sipping a cool glass of Sauvignon Blanc enjoying the stunning view from the top of the mountain, see photo. Thank goodness Kay took her camera - here we are in the gale before sunset on the front side of the mountain - that's the city you can just see on my right. Monday was the last of the windy days - we were lucky to get up - the cable car was closed most of the day because of "gale force winds". We ended the evening with dinner at the Africa Cafe - such a fun restaurant, it's worth checking the link.


The Stanford program began on Tuesday with Orientation and a lunch and I was there to enjoy the food and the course outlines by faculty, and to take photos, of course (with a little  help from Kathleen Levitt so there is even a photo of me!)

It feels exciting to be starting another quarter with 23 fresh faces and a number of new courses on offer, together with some of the same from last year. This week is all Orientation, ending with a dinner for staff and students on Friday at Solms-Delta in Franschhoek.

Two new staff have joined the Stanford Centre this year. Jen van Heerden will be assisting Janice McMillan with the Service-Learning placements, and Jessica Lothman has settled into Freeland Lodge with the students as their Resident Assistant.

Last year Claire Gibson, who was a student with us in 2008, filled both those roles. She was an important part of the Stanford family last year and we miss her enthusiasm, her bright face and happy smiles, and wish her luck at Mills, on her medicine track.

Another year begins ...

2011 has arrived - here's hoping for peace, health,  happiness, fun and adventure!

Tim and I were in Johannesburg for Christmas, with my sister and her husband, Gill (with me on the left) & Michael and their large extended family. Great gatherings and lots of fun.


As well as enjoying good wine and the best of Christmas fare, Tim and I squeezed in a few hours of exercise with Will and Jen, hiking in the Walter Sisulu Botanical Gardens. Someone had to take the photo - thanks Jen!

Here's another photo of the typical merriment around the dinner table - from left, Sherry, Tim, Polly, Michael, Gill, Jen (peeking in the gap), Will, and Michael's nephew, Michael Collins.

Back home to Cape Town and five days of extreme winds. Very unpleasant. And then the weather turned strangely tropical in this Mediterranean climate zone. Yesterday, New Year's day, we woke to thunder and lightning and heavy rain pounding our tin roof.

Thankfully the clouds cleared up by lunch time leaving in their wake a gorgeous afternoon and a warm, windless evening. For the first time since our arrival in Cape Town, we were able to eat under the stars on our veranda. So all was looking good. But this morning we woke to more rain which didn't really clear up, so we pretended it was winter and went to a movie (You will meet a Tall Dark Stranger - not as funny as I'd read it would be.)

Stanford students began arriving today with more to follow tomorrow. Orientation occupies the rest of the week. I left my camera in the SAA lounge in Johannesburg so I won't be able to take photos. Boo hoo. I've been trying to get it picked up by someone passing by the domestic terminal but so far, no luck.