Getting Better in Buffalo River

The birds are increasingly happy with us here. The terns preen themselves on our handrails, a wagtail tries to come in and say ‘hi’, and this morning a goose was standing on the cockpit coaming wondering when I was going to get up! A pair of mystery birds we cannot find in our books or on my South Africa bird app are confusing us. ‘Pied plovers’ is the only way I can describe them. Nothing like a little mystery to add to the mix.

I have had it brought to my attention that having told you about our Covid it has been a worrying length of time since I have brought you up to date. My apologies for that. Rob was still in decline after my last blog. His oxygen level struggled to maintain 91% for a few days and anything below 90% would require hospitalisation. For a couple of nights I watched him carefully to make sure he didn’t slip away as so many victims seem to, after all we need his winch muscles for the voyage home!!

His profuse sweating, soaking towels, T-shirts and bed sheets brought me plenty of washing to do. Unfortunately it coincided with a few days of wet weather, drizzly rain and grey skies, so getting the towels dry posed a challenge. To prevent them from taking on a musty smell I hung six of them up in the saloon as they weren’t going to dry outside.

But then all things pass and the towels finally flew in sunshine and warmth in the cockpit.

We relished the food bag that Conrad brought along and the juicy Queen Pineapples were delicious. It isn’t hard in South Africa to maintain Vitamin C levels with their delicious Pineapples, plums, nectarines, peaches, blueberries and bananas. We had them all and when the cat called Cinders arrived Cindy asked if there was anything we wanted at the shops as they were going there anyway. A while later they motored alongside with three bags bulging with goodies for which they would take no payment. As well as what I have mentioned there were baby plum tomatoes, washed butter lettuce, bottles of health drink, home-made cup cakes and three Get Well Soon cards created by the children. Not only was the food welcome but the cards, cup cakes and thought really lifted our spirits. And they wore their masks when they dropped the bags off. I just hope they don’t catch the virus.

Rob opened the fridge and exclaimed “Its like a market stall in here” and he was right, so colourful I wish I had taken a photo.

Well today is day 1 of Biden’s Presidency and day 12 of our quarantine. Rob is much better, yesterday he topped up the tank from the yellow cans and as soon as we can go ashore he will start on replenishing the fresh water supply. One tank is now empty and we are using water-maker water tank, so we need to at least partially fill the empty tank so Zoons doesn’t take on a list as we sail around to Cape Town or wherever our next stop will be.

It has been lovely receiving get well messages from friends and family and as we start to feel more normal we feel we are in the advantageous position, having been fortunate enough to survive the virus, that we are much less likely to catch it again. But it was an uncomfortable kind of vaccination!

Here’s another excellent read for you, in fact Isabella Tree’s ‘Wilding’ is a seminal study of how she and her husband Charles Burrell of Knepp Castle in West Sussex, stepped back from intensive dairy farming and worked with nature to re-install natural processes on their estate in 2001 and have watched the incredible results since. They offer a way ahead for farming to work with nature in helping Britain recover from the ravages of ‘progressive farming’ with its destruction of nature and use of chemicals to a future where nature can thrive alongside the essential production of high quality food. Can’t wait to get home and start planting trees!

The book is an inspiring read and one thing that struck me is that the kind of country that is in balance in Britain, that is what my parents knew and our ancestors before them, is exactly the kind of savanna/woodland mix we drove through on our safari in Zululand. Countryside largely maintained by nature itself. Knepp now also does safaris and there is a campsite, walking tours etc. so the new generation can learn about country and the revival of nature.

Our quarantine ends this weekend so Des and we will be looking for a window to get us at least to Mossel Bay if not right around to Cape Town. St Helena is still open just for 24 hours refuel and restock but they are very concerned about the new SA variant entering their island so we might be skirting that little island too. But we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it, hopefully we’ll have a favourable wind anyway and not use the engine much and I wouldn’t want to buy anything much in the way of supplies from them, except perhaps for bread, because most of what they have is imported and we’d be taking their supplies.

Along with this blog comes the hope that you are all well and maybe in line for a vaccination. Rob’s mum has had hers which pleases us as she has been stoical despite the extreme restriction the virus has placed on her and can now look forward to a little more freedom. Each day that passes takes us a day nearer the end of this global ordeal.