"Maricha! Where have you been?"

It’s Monday, the 8th of July 2019, and it will be the very first time I open my laptop to scroll down to Word to take up my keyboard once again and write. It’s been a while. I hope my words don’t let me down after all these months. I opened this scribbling, written while in Canada, and thought it a good place to start.

In May 2019, I wrote the following after many followers asked me where I'd been.

Not a difficult riddle to decipher, I’m sure. I am rather out there with my comings and goings, aren’t I? I’m in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. Yes! It rhymes with many things I know. Apparently, it is the land of living skies too. It certainly is the land with no landmarks; it is flat. My mission? To witness the birth of my granddaughter. Isla.  To visit with my children and their spouses and to play with my grandsons. I want to share this special journey with you, so you feel part of my family’s moments.

My father says, “Family and fish go off after four days”, which does come to mind every time I am a house guest. It is a revolving mantra, and my nerves are shot whenever I move into someone’s guest bedroom. No matter how welcoming or hospitable people are. I would hate to overstay my welcome.

Fortunately, I have four children, so I reckon if I stay with them for the four days, I can do sixteen days quite comfortably. This time I must do my reckoning differently, so I’ve figured in the grandboys and grandbaby too, which gives me another 12 days. I’m here for 6 weeks though. I am not an additionist, so I have left all the planning to my daughter. She’s responsible for me. It’s far too confusing.

While it’s autumn in South Africa, it’s spring here. The temperatures vary slightly; our (South Africa) coldest temperatures are on a par with Regina’s warmest days, which is confusing. It’s cold. When I chat to Butch and ask about the weather, he’s quick to tell me how cold it is, how he’s swaddled in flannel and knitted blankets, while I, on the other hand, must brave my “spring” wardrobe. I was instructed to pack “what you’d wear for Autumn Mum!” Hilarious. I hope sharing these weather quirks makes you feel connected to my experience.

Regina at this time of year looks bleak; the last snow has melted, revealing a brown landscape with dead wood and no green in sight. The muddy earth, which becomes quite marshy, splashes against walls as it dries and cracks, highlighting the prairie’s porous nature.

Spring cleaning originated in places like this; I only realise that now. Much spring cleaning must take place now. Gardens are replanted, lawns are aerated, and wooden balustrades, staircases, shingles, and siding must be renovated, oiled, and painted. When the earth is covered in its beautiful blanket of snow, one is inclined to forget to pick up many things that make an unwelcome and unpleasant sight when the snow melts. We must deal with these unpleasantries. If any renovations are needed, this is the time to do them.

When summer arrives, Canada will have green lawns, and trees will sprout new lime-green leaves. Canada Day next weekend is the official opening to Spring, they say! I hope the weather obeys orders. This is when everyone opens their holiday homes dotted around the many lakes. Those large motorhomes with extensions are revved up and taken out of mothballs to be positioned for the summer. Deck chairs are put out, and a gas barbecue is lit for hamburger patties. Colourful scarves and new-season wardrobes are tested on nice days.

On a lovely sunny day, the children run outside to play with sprinklers and ride their skateboards. I can't blame them; after months cooped up indoors, they need to stretch their limbs, get a tan, and feel the fresh air on their skin. The littlies never waste a second, braving it, trousers rolled up, and diving into the icy-cold lake, which is still turning their little bare feet blood red and, I'm sure, very painful.

A few keen golfers have braved the conditions (I forgot it’s never inclement on a golf course) and taken out their clubs for a few holes; cricket bats are oiled, and pads have been strapped up for practice. The first games are scheduled. I hope these teams, mostly composed of Pakistani players, will put leather to willow and secure more wins than our boys did at the Cricket World Cup in England.

With warm boots, padded jackets and beanies, I admire and contemplate this landscape that my children call home.

The weeks pass quickly, and soon I’m back in Worcester. My journey was far too emotional to jot down in a few minutes, so I’ll continue my story in a series of blogs. Today, in 1978, I got married. So many memories come flooding back. Although I wonder where the time has gone, I do know that much water has flowed under the bridge. I have thousands of photographs to click through, edit, and store. This makes me look forward to reliving and sharing more memories with you in future posts.

I include some photographs to illustrate the weather conditions; not all were taken in Regina, but in places where I'd been.