Irma and Karel had decided to get married, and shortly after I came back from Scotland, she arrived with some beautiful material, and asked if I would please make her a dress for her wedding. The dress had to be kind of old Celtic like, and we went to Cape Town to look for a pattern, or even just for ideas, as the two of us are quite okay with designing, me of course having made hippy clothes for a long time, and going to the markets. We just could not find one single pattern that Irma liked, and after scouring just about every material place from the one side of the big city to the other side, and my feet bally sore and my corns crying out to be freed from the narrowness of the shoes, my feet having swelled from the heat, my temper became just a bitty thin, and I declared that I will go and wait in the car, and she could do her searching.
We spent just about the whole day in the shops, and me, being of course extremely prone to hayfever, specially from fine dust and the starch from the material, I ended up with swolen eyes and a red nose, and sneezing uncontrolably!
But, Irma informed me casually, she had decided from looking at different patterns, that Mum could easily design and make something, if she drew it exactly as she wanted it. Sela!
We were still in Cape Town fora few days, as she and Rico, the pianist who acompanny her on the piano, had a concert the Saturday night.The two of them have such a fantastic rapport between them, and as Rico is also a wonderful comedian, and Irma herself also a natural when it came to bringing in a bit of fun, their concerts were always very popular.
That Monday morning Rico and self took the long road home, as Irma needed some more stuff, and I happilly conceded my place as attendant to the bride to be on a shopping spree to Karel the sufferer! He is just the calmest person I have ever met, and kept Irma well in line!
Lelie was so glad to see me, as she stayed alone at the house, with Jan and Nina feeding her. She couldn't wait to get out of the yard and down to the river for her daily playtime, and I must say, I felt a bit guilty for having left her.
The next few days were spent weeding, fighting off peacocks, snails, chickens and of course my darling little doggy, who on getting bored, amused herself by chasing the chickens around, or play  with her friend the cocky wee cock, whose vicious attacks on her were taken by the silly girl as playfulness,and when tired of that, she chewed up my garden! She also loved the strawberries, and would lie happily in the sun, chewing contentedly on a strawberry that she had expertly removed from my calico covers.
I am still in Belgium, and yesterday I had again taken to the small cobbled roads on Irma's bicycle, while she took Karel's. Oh my good heavens, it was again a hair raising experience, with me finding myself on the wrong side of the road, and Irma constantly looking back, waving me to the other side, and the terrified me  jumping off every time a car came at me, but most of all I hate a car coming from the back.