DAY +4 Coming home

The past nearly six months have been an incredibly difficult time - I hope I’ve had my share for a good while to come! That said, it doesn’t just stop now either, but when I think about other similar situations that I have read or heard about, there is also a lot to be thankful for.

The arrest of Zola Mdyogolo happened on the day he murdered my mother - it can take months or even years for an arrest, sometimes it never happens. The case came to trial within six months - often it can take 18 months or more. The trial resulted in a guilty verdict without any protracted legal proceedings or the need for family and friends to give difficult evidence. They may seem small things, but I’m grateful for them all.

I am heading back into my everyday routine in the next few days, but the breathing space I have had this week has been good for me, as has this blog. When I started it a couple of weeks ago I wasn’t really sure whether I would get what I wanted from it, but it has been great. Certainly the amount of support I have received from people all over the world has been astonishing and all I can say is that I appreciate it very much - thank you.

Something that I have done each day during the past week is visit the spot on the beach from where the photo on today’s posting was taken. It is where we scattered my mother’s ashes early one morning last October, a favourite spot of rock pools and chasing sticks for the dogs. Where you’re almost sure to find nice big sea-urchin shells and sometimes a cowrie shell. Where the African Oystercatchers, Pied Kingfishers and Whimbrel probe and dive for food and the water is always just a bit warmer than on the main beach. I’m off there now one last time before I leave.