Well, life continued fairly uneventfully until July, when my brother Richard, who has been ill for some time, became really ill and was admitted to hospital. He came home, and seemed to be improving, but on the 5^th August quietly slipped away.

We went down to Cape Town twice, and together with his stepdaughter Julie were able to arrange the sort of funeral he would have liked, at Bishops where he taught for many years, and with many of his old friends and the people who had looked after him. Julie looked after him while he was ill, and we will be eternally grateful for her loving care.

It was a beautiful sunshiny day, and just right. Libi came out from England for the funeral and was a tremendous support, especially as her daughter Lindsey was on the verge of getting married.

Well, that was the next excitement – the funeral was on Saturday, and we left for England on the Tuesday. We flew via Dubai, in a very comfortable new plane, and were lucky enough both to have empty seats next to us. Most unusual!

In England we stayed with friend Margaret, most comfortable, and very convenient for everything in Chichester. Lindsey and Derek’s wedding was on Saturday 21^stAugust and very, very splendid. They were married in Chichester Cathedral, where Lindsey is a server.

The reception was at Goodwood House, the home of the Duke of Richmond, so it was extremely grand. There was even a musicians’ gallery, and paintings of all the previous Dukes of Richmond over the centuries (one by Van Dyck). The food was all from Goodwood Estate, all organic and absolutely delicious. The master of ceremonies was extremely proper, and the speeches were all very good and very short. We sat with all the family and had a good chat with my nephew Philip and his girlfriend Lisa, which was excellent as we had not met her before. It was a really, really marvelous occasion.

After this very good start to the holiday, we had a week in Chichester, and then had some more very sad news. Peter’s father Jan, who was 95, had been failing for some time, and died at home while we were away.

We discussed it with the family and decided not to go home for the funeral. Peter’s sister Joan was in America, and the family decided that they would have a funeral in Sedgefield, and then a memorial service when everyone was home and all the grandchildren could be there.

After that, when we had recovered slightly, and Pete had got over the cold he caught on the plane, we decided to do something different, got on the Eurostar, and went to Paris.  Give me the train over a plane any day (sorry, David our family pilot!). 

Well, Paris was wonderful.  We stayed in a very small hotel called the Hotel Amadeus in a small side street off the Faubourg  St Antoine, and ran around  Paris! We saw places I have wanted to see for years, like the cemetery Père-Lachaise, and all the graves of the people I have read or have read of.  (Collette, Rossini, Chopin,…) That was fascinating, if a little creepy.  If you fail to pay the rent on your piece of Père-Lachaise after 50 years, they dig you up and bury you in the Catacombs!  There were some quite recent graves, so obviously this does happen, and people have been replaced.  

Versailles was rainy and cold, and overwhelming – made me deeply grateful that I am not a courtier with an inflexible routine dictated by the king. 

I can quite see why Marie Antoinette wanted her Petit Trianon. Apparently Versailles had no proper sewage system, so relied on primitive things such as chamber pots, and according to a contemporary writer “had its own distinctive aroma”.

Paris was just starting the strikes about the retirement age, and we were worried about  transport, (having had to walk home for miles and miles last time we were in Paris), but the Metro was still running (albeit every 15/20 minutes instead of every 5 – any envy any South Africans?) so it was fairly crowded but otherwise no problem.  We learnt the trick of going the other way round the circle so as to avoid the rush hour, and this worked quite well.   

It was quite sad getting on the plane (the big new Airbus A380 – very smooth takeoff and landing) to come back to SA.

September was back to work, but we went down to Sedgefield for Jan’s memorial service, which was held in a very small church in Wilderness. 

 It was a good family weekend, but sorting out family matters and Jan’s possessions, with the help of his widow, Rita, was a good deal of work.  

(L-R Back) Peter Hers, Brian Musto, Tony Mullin, David Musto, Ben Knights, Shane Addinall
(Middle) Jocelyn Hers, Ron and Diane Ray (friends), Enid Mullin, Joan Musto, Pam Musto, Sarah Musto, Catherine Knights
(Front) Norah Addinall, Mary Musto

Pete came back on the Thursday, and his cousins from Canada, Helen and Kevin, came to stay with us on the Sunday.  We took them round Jo’burg, and as they are very nice people, a good time was had by all.  They left on Monday for the Kruger Park, so just a short visit. 

After that life settled down a bit, and we have been catching up and doing things about the house, and thinking  about 2011 and the possibility of  finally building   a house in Sedgefield, and various other life changing  events, like stopping work at Exclusive Books and retiring altogether.

Pete has been working on a major revision to his PRINCE2 training course, and plans to finish that in January, after which we should get some income from it. Meanwhile he has been getting more involved in a cancer support organization (People Living with Cancer - PLWC) and finding it very fulfilling.

But we’ll see.  One thing we did learn from 2010 – life has surprises and doesn’t always let you do exactly what you want to do when you want to do it.

All our love and the very best for 2011

Pete and Joc