Safe landings in the land of my birth.

Hi there, from beautiful West Sussex in one of the most beautiful parts of the English countryside.

We had a really enjoyable flight over, if one can ever describe eleven hours overnight on a plane, as “enjoyable.” 🙂 The food and service on SAA business class is always great, and the beds, whilst not exactly pillow-top, do afford a few hours sleep at least. Our South African pilots have to be the best in the world, and always give a very smooth landing; I hardly felt the plane touch down on the tarmac.

We arrived early at 6-45 am, and were out of the airport and off to the car rental, in record time, just the time it took to walk through. There was no queue at passport control, our bags were waiting for us at the carousel, and the Alamo bus, was standing outside the door. What a pleasure! The sun was just getting itself into gear as we chose our hire car, and although it was only 8C, there was not a breath of wind, so it felt quite mild.

Then it was off on the back route, through the lovely country lanes.

It was far too early to go straight to my mom-in-law’s, as she was only expecting us about 11am, so we decided to stop off for a cappuccino, and chai latte, at a TESCO’s cafe en route. The cappuccino was MEGA, but hubby wasn’t complaining. 🙂

We sat for a while reading the morning paper,

and then, after buying a pretty orchid and some Ferrero Rochas, we carried on with our journey through the narrow, winding country lanes. Mom-in-law was all smiles and hugs, and so delighted to see us. She’s an absolute marvel for a lady of 99-years-old, living alone in her double story house, and very sprightly indeed. Her autumn garden was looking really pretty from my bedroom window early this morning.

There are black cats, fairies, and even a toadstool.

A family of Meerkats stand guard next to the pond, to frighten away the birds who come to feed on the goldfish.

Today the weather is dull and rainy, so I’ve had to stop congratulating myself on bringing the South African sunshine with me. My sister-in-law has just visited and brought delicious pastries to have with coffee for ‘elevenses’, so it’s a good job we hadn’t eaten breakfast. This afternoon, we’ll brave the rain, and go into town to see what we can find. Chat again soon, when I get the chance.