Sixteen or so years ago I accompanied my father on a visit to the undertakers. He wanted to finalise what he wanted done after he died.

I have been having a very happy reading time. I am fortunate in having a nice library just down the hill.

There is slight confusion, eating, all sorts of different happy and summer is coming!

Now I am a bit embarrassed to admit that it was Queen Elizabeth’s death that made me think about this...

I stepped out on the tarmac and felt this little burst of happiness. That should have surprised me because I really didn’t want to be there.

I have been so fortunate in having family and friends that have been in my life a long time, that have stayed close, became closer, became teachers and guides.

I have been cooking and reading and thinking and trying to make sense of what is happening in the world. Cooking and reading are the happy bits, the creative bits, the thinking is on a loop.

Why did we all love it so much? I think that for me being there simplified everything. All the complications of life fell away...

I have been out and about in the arid heart of my country in a vast area known as the Great Karoo. I was surprised, taken aback by the sense of isolation in the park...

Winter is making itself felt. The mornings are downright cold, leaves are falling, and the clouds are putting on more dramatic displays.