Day 539 - Nothing & Mom's Birthday!

I asked Jaco what we did today. 'Nothing' was the reply. I would beg to differ, but I don't have much to stand on.


Woke up late. Again. Got ready for what was left of the day & then went downtown to the bank. They are very friendly at the bank. I sat on the couch, waiting for Jaco & there must have been about 5 different people come & ask me if I needed help with anything. One of the Supervisors came & chatted with me for a bit. It was nice to see! 


The downtown core has changed a lot since I was last here. There is a new hotel & the souvenir stalls that once lined the parking lot have been given official & permanent stalls. The parking lot has changed & been redone in bricks vs. pavement. There is also a giant whale sculpture on the edge of the parking lot. One of Mom's favourite shops is no longer there. She had ordered a belt, well, just asked me to get one for her, but I'm afraid the lady is no longer there! Jaco & I were discussing how businesses survive in Hermanus, as it never appears to be busy, but then again, I'm only ever here in the winter, so who knows what high season is like!


We looked at wedding bands for Jaco, as his has disappeared. We've inquired about the cost of a new one & they are going to get back to us. We delivered a few baked goods for his Mom & then settled in for the night. We were making a big salad when the brine from the feta accidentally spilled all over the floor, counter & myself. Grr. I am grossed out by most cheeses at the best of times, so this wasn't a favourite moment of the day. Thankfully everything could be cleaned up & it didn't ruin the salad! 


I spent the rest of the evening cleaning up the room & reorganizing the space that we have. I was moving one of Jaco's envelope's when I noticed some letters inside. They were the Christmas cards for his family I had sent him home with last November. JACO! ARGH! That was the end of the tidying. I had seen enough. 


Okay. Enough is enough. I'm off to bed 'early' with the hopes that I will get up earlier tomorrow!


And... today is Mom's birthday! Happy Birthday Mom! I'm far away, but I hope your day was nothing short of extraordinary! I love you & miss you dearly!


xxxxMaria

 The Hermanus Whale

 Cute lil' cottage

 Shutters & vines

 I'm going back to take a photo of this place from the front. Straight outta Tuscany.

 Sunset from the Fisherman's Wharf

 Fishermen

 Just the two of us

 Jaco post-tidy

The roses on the table were in the room on the night of the 7th when we arrived. I've taken only 2 out that were wilted. Impressive! Thanks Petro!

Day 437 - Dad, April & Lulu

I slept late again. I'm feeling quite rubbish, actually. My legs are achy at night & I still feel REALLY tired. I phoned Dad & he was nearly in the city, so I went out to see if my car would start. Of course Contemplate started! I let her warm up for awhile & loaded 6 boxes in the car. I got myself ready & headed to town. I unloaded the boxes at M&D2's & said a quick hello. I motored over to Chili's & found the only cowboy hat in the joint.

We had a great visit. April is off to Mexico soon & just bought a MacBook Air. I'm only a slight shade of green! I offered advice on backing up her iBooks when she gets the new machine. I told Dad about the MagicJack. They are trying to remember the 'My Passport' suggestion & the MagicJack. April said it would end up MagicPort & PassJack! We had a good laugh!

We visited for a few hours before they had to go. It was already dark out & they wanted to get home before midnight. I went to Lulu to see if they had a running skirt in my size. I bought one the other day, but it was a little too small. I'm optimistic, but I've already had one miracle. Let's not get greedy! Luckily they had my size. I was trying to decide on a tank to match when I asked the clerk's opinion. She came over & helped me decide. While we were talking, she commented on my hair. She liked the colour. I was wearing the Gisele wig today. I proceeded to tell her about the chemo, the hair loss, when I was healthy, my future plans to get healthy, etc, etc. She suddenly disappeared & said she'd be right back. I wandered around a little, picked out a top to try on & when I walked over to her, she said, 'Pick a mat that you like. You can pick any of these colours. I'm giving you one. And you can have 5 yoga class passes.' I'm sure my jaw hit the floor! Really! Wow! She wanted to encourage me to get health & start doing some yoga again. Never in my life! I've always said, 'I'm the luckiest person I know.' And I think I just reinforced that belief! Wow! Thanks Lululemon! I can't wait to get started now!

I went back to M&D2's after that & shared my exciting news with them. I tried some of Mom2's fantastic soup, talked about cruising & then I had to boogie home. It was already 2100! Where did the time go? I was exhausted (still) & wanted to go to bed NOW!

When I got home, Mom had just arrived & was unloading her car. Thankfully she didn't go into cardiac arrest when she saw the state of the house. I'm making progress! Really I am! We're back in the city tomorrow for an eye appointment for her. She's having laser surgery & has her pupil dilation exam tomorrow. I'll drive her home afterwards.

Only a few more sleeps until Cuba! I can hardly wait! The only thing I've packed so far is my camera bag! Priorities! Ha ha!

Sleep well & see you tomorrow! Oh! I have 19 followers now! I'm pretty excited about that! I'm pretty excited about most things, but that really makes my day!

xxxx Maria, Valentina, Oceana & Adios