A day of rest, in the wilderness

Alaena’s last day. The film is still to be captured - put onto hard drive where it is safer than on little cassettes, and can be edited. One more desperate purchases of a guaranteed Mac-compatible had drive - the last of a few. It turns out not to be, yet again, and Danielle decides that she must stay at home and juggle laptops and available memory and the sole working hard drive… With the film captured on Danielle’s laptop, and Danielle travelling back slowly bus up to Malawi, then through Malawi before flying home, we want as much duplicated as possible. A loss would be very sad. Clive too, is working through his huge list of contacts, telling people what he has been doing, continually answering the question “How are you? How are you REALLY?“

So Michaela, Alaena and I take a day off. I need it. I am not going to work today. We want to go to a game park, but all the real parks are too far away for the time we have left, so we make our way to a small reserve on the outskirts of Durban. It is hard to find the way there. Road signs are bad, often missing or deficient. People are helpful, but often misguided. I have learnt that they can be very adamant, insist on a particular route, go out of their way, draw maps etc, and be completely and utterly hopelessly wrong. Such is the case this time. A lovely group of men informs us. And send us in the opposite direction to that we need, having firmly and inaccurately justified their instructions. At long last, we reach our park. Pay the princely sun of 15 Rand (£1.30) entrance each, then leave immediately. We have realised that we are very hungry, and have to eat NOW. Another long search for a shop, and then we are back, expecting the monkeys to raid our picnic. But they don‘t and we have a lovely meal out in the sun, under a kaffir tree. This park does not have lions, or anything very fierce. Snakes, yes, but that in all we need to look out for Impala greet us - such elegant creatures , delicate beauty. And there are lots of buck. 

We see a dead impala its leg in the air, improbably. I guess hit by a car, though how seems difficult to imagine. We walk, and it is truly a pleasure. So good to be out in untamed nature. I have missed this. The trees are stunning, and the glanced zebra (imported) and various deer the icing on the cake. There is a beautiful river. A bold soul might walk across the top of the fall, but I am not brave and I make the others return the way that we came. This is a recharging afternoon, and I would like to do it again. I want wildness.

Michaela, Aleana and myself enjoying our surroundings 

Alaena plays her flute in the forest, and although it is a South American flute, it fits beautifully, and seems to strengthen our connection with the land.

Tonight is Alaena’s last night, and we party. All of us, including Cameron. We have worked hard, and it has also been quite emotionally exhausting, wondering whether the treatment would work, and then excitement and pain, of seeing it work. Pain because of those who are not being treated, and pain because of the stories we hear of those who could have helped, and didn’t. We all let go, and several bottles of wine are drunk. I think it did us good.

Danielle, Aleana & Cameron