Second Thursday in winter. Its 19 weeks today since surgery. Next Thursday a special milestone – 5 months. What a journey it has been. Second running of the Fortitude Plate at Balmoral today. Sun coming up when I parked my car near the Awaba Cafe at 6.40am. Picanniny daylight. The windows blazed golden  in  the still empty cafe. Silent compared to the post swim clamor it would endure in a couple of hours.

Harbour glassy and I conducted a Jimble survey on the front verandah as early swimmers crossed the beach into the clubhouse. Watched the grey, wooly clouds brighten in the sunrise. Attwater J called it a “Galah sunrsie” as the clouds were grey and pink. Named after the Australian bird, but I think he is color blind. They were just plain grey to me. About 28 swimmers lined up clad in all sorts of paraphernalia to repel Jimbles. As it turned out I it was glassy and though I felt a few slide down my back, they decided to give me a miss. A couple of the others got touched up though. Everyone was checking sting welts at the baths.

Jolly breakfast afterwards ….lotsa porridges. We couldn’t even fit on one table. That’s Thursday in winter. Lots of noise, bowls of porridge, good company, battered by Jimbles. Invaluable therapy for me. All of this keeps the black dogs at bay. I am blessed to have all these people who each shoulder a piece of my burden.  Arrived home after dinner tonight to a flooded apartment. Tub overflowed. Water everywhere. Rugs soaked. Ahmed,  guy who owns Living Fresh, the same company which cleaned up after my fire, is handling the insurance claim and cleanup here. He laughed as my name was still in his phone. Mopping the floor at midnight. I’ve now had a fire in my apartment last year, and a flood this year. All I need now is a plague of locusts and I’ve had the full biblical gig.  This is the last thing I need.  God loves kicking me. Just another setback. Slouching on.