I came close to running straight back to Scotland, where it was green, and the white sheep were grazing away on the nutritious grass, instead of here, where there were only stubs and dry shrubs left. My heart went out to the animals I saw on my way home from Cape Town, looking forlorn and depressed amongst all the dry growths. The farmers were feeding them hay and pellets, but the supplies were running out after this long drought, and if the rain did not come soon, they would have heavy losses that they could ill afford.
The apple farmers also needed the rain badly, as the trees were also struggling, and if they had no apple yield, there would be a lot of people without an income, as a lot of the villagers were seasonal workers that only worked during the picking, and again during the pruning.
My place was a shambles, with a lot of my young trees dead, and everything else looking like dying any moment.
The spiders, frogs and other beasties had again enjoyed their annual peaceful living during my absence, and the spiders were very upset when I tried to shoo them back to their homes in the thatch, just sitting on the rafters, trembling with fury and outrage, trying to outstare me!
I again cleaned only my bedroom as it was  late afternoon when I got home, and left the cobwebs that were hanging like fine silk curtains from the roof, and the heaps of dead insects for the morning, as the 600km drive from Cape Town always tired me out!
I slept well, that is after I shoo-ed away a couple of huge spiders that were intent on watching me from where they had found a spot to sit on my drapes that I had of course hung from the rafters to keep them from falling on me, and which made my bedroom looked like it belonged to some sheik for the use of his many wives! I felt rested when I woke up, and took my coffee down to my wee shaded spot that Charmaine and self had erected, and savour the beauty of the different birds that sat on the fence, some chirping, some singing.I thought about Skramunkel, who definitely by now would have made a push to slurp up my coffee, and felt a great sadness for gone-by days, and people and animals that had disappeared from my life altogether.
Then I saw a movement behind the bramble bush, and after a while a grey half ferral cat came stalking very slowly and carefully through the dry grass, making straight for the birds, and immediately my blood boiled, as I just hated people who insisted on bringing cats to a place that is known for its birdlife. I jumped up to get a stone to drive the cat away, and this cat had the fright of his life, not being used to somebody out there, and when he saw me he gave a hiss and a spit, and disappeared helter skelter between the dead brush, and the last I saw of him was a grey streak making for the river.
The cat belonged to my kids, and I was sommer very cross with them, as they should have known better than to get another cat after the old tabby they brought with from Denmark died, and when Nina told me proudly that this cat called Schiffo was a master at catching the mole snakes, my temper erupted, as this small, harmless snakes were the only thing that could get rid of the creeper moles!