As Tom's last blog said we set off on Sunday afternoon in a chauffeur-driven Mercedes with our politician-parishioner Peggy to appear early at the Home Affairs office next day. We were dropped at the nice B&B we had used on our way here.It was even nicer for us because Sue and Richard Booys who had stayed here earlier in the week were now there and they gave us a simple 4 course supper on the veranda – no-one else was around and the owner kindly said they could use the kitchen.
The next day was highly frustrating and gave us an insight into the patience expected of S Africans with their bureaucracy. Without Peggy's influence we might still be there! We were told Tom needed written confirmation from the Bishop that his work was voluntary, and in that we were fortunate as he was in his office. Indeed it was good to have our first interview with him. The other requirement was for me to have a medical and chest X ray – previously we understood only Tom required this, but now it was different. Father Dan who is retired and living in Kimberley was soon on the scene and led us on a hunt for an Anglican doctor he knew. We waited outside theatre in both the state and private hospitals to try to catch her- most unorthodox but who were we to query! We were told she would see us in her surgery so after more waiting I then had to queue in a private clinic for an X ray.
Eventually after much waiting in the heat of the day both the necessary medical reports were in our hands, along with the Bishop's letter and we raced back to Home Affairs at 4pm only to be told that the clerk we needed had gone home. Peggy stepped in once again and mercifully the clerk was summoned back to the office where after another hour of form filling, having thumb prints taken, handing over yet more money, we emerged, the last to leave from the building, pretty confident that the paperwork would indeed be sent to Pretoria for approval. We should be sent a text in late February to say when we can go to Kimberley to present our passports for the relevant stamp!
The three hour journey back to De Aar was enlivened by fairly constant lightning displays to the west and a glorious sunset. The torrential rain hit us in the night thankfully not while we were on the road.
On Tuesday we had to set off again on a 3hour plus journey to Bloemfontein for Alastair to drop off his hire car. We took the opportunity of extending our hire car for the last 2 months as the cost seems good value (as well as benefitting from a/c, Alastair spotted that the red parish car had one bald tyre and the spare was in a worse condition, so we do feel a bit safer. The tyres will be replaced we are assured, and we should have spotted it for ourselves.)
We took advantage of time in this city to picnic at the Waterfront – a park with a concrete pond with waterlilies and plastic rubbish in about equal quantities- and to see the splendid National Museum with its excellent fossil displays. But the real highlight of the day came on our way home when we went to show Alastair the Vanderkloof dam which we knew was overflowing its barrier. The lake behind has got so full after heavier than usual summer rains in the upper reaches of the River Orange that for 2 weeks now it has been spilling over the 107 metre high wall. The plume of spray is often as high as the wall itself and to watch the flow over the lip and plunging down was just spectacular. Earlier in our blog ( Dec 19) we showed a photo of the dam, dry and calm at its base. This shows something of the fall yesterday!
More thunder and lightning last night and this evening have brought further torrential rain and localised flooding here in De Aar but nothing on the scale of Queensland which we have seen on TV to our horror. The soil on my veg patch was being washed away, a fine red silt colouring the rushing water. The french beans and squash are beginning to flower but I am only picking fresh rocket so far. Black cotton has had to be strung across the spinach to stop the birds feasting on the delicate leaves!
The picture shows the little veg patch and the fine sunflower display outside our bedroom window.
