A week and two days

I've been traveling this barmy coastline for a week and two days. Durban's been the fulcrum, Hibberdene the most southern point, and Zinkwazi Beach the most northern.
I've chosen a magnificent day to begin - with great resistance I confess - my trek back home to the khaki highveld, which, to be frank, is not feeling as central in my life as it has for the last five years.
I'm in the midstream of change and gloriously turbulent fluidity (I'm letting go), and at this point I'm wonderfully between two distant and hazy-for-now river banks ... and thoroughly enjoying watching the droplets being joined.

I said goodbye, again, to Lee at the ocean front before dropping him off at Sugar Bay; I'll see him in just over two weeks.

Despite the chill in the air I've driven with the window open and my arm out in the sunshine: I'm not allowing myself a second of complacency, I don't want to miss a thing.

I'm hesitating with heading out of here, although I know I must: I don't want to transition Melmoth's watershed from the lush subtropical green I'm savoring now, to winter-dry-and-barren. But, from experience, I know I'll be fine on the other side.

I'll be lighting the tinder, and wood, in my bedroom fireplace in preparation...

I must be disciplined.

And I have an important funeral at 11h00 tomorrow.

Mama Zulu's coffee shop

Eshowe, Zululand: I've stopped at the landmark George Hotel on my winding 80km/h route up the R66, which turns inland form the main N2 traversing KwaZulu-Natal's north and south coast. The 25-room George is from another era, and contains a restaurant, pub and brewery that I'm adding to, and highlighting on my to-do list, especially as I'm increasingly (and with much greater curiosity) using this route.
The stop was a spontaneous 'quick right' off the road (that might well have irritated the driver right up my backside) at the last minute; I'm glad I've stopped, until now Eshowe has only been a word in my mind, without pictures attached.
The town is elevated on a hill seemingly way above the hot and humid coastal plane below. Best of all it's surrounded by the 250 hectare Dlinza Forest (a declared nature reserve), which gives it a cool, leafy and snug feel: I'm glad to be here, and The George hotel is going to become a favourite.