Woke up at 6 a.m.
Morning ritual at 6:15 a.m.: Mem helps rinse mouth, rinse, gargle, rinse, spit a little, rinse, administer stomach medicine with a syringe, rinse, wash face a little, rinse. Nurse Mem!
Then Mum calls out that she is suffering from wimpiris.
Mem rigorously grabs the spray bottle with Baigon and sprays the nasty stuff all around Mama Irma. It reminds me of about 40 years ago when Moniek and I were invited to Luudje’s house at Radulphus College as new teachers. When Luudje, a colleague, was putting her child to bed, she sprayed a generous amount of Saigon into the room from the doorway (which was slightly ajar).
Brother Mem then puts some glacial on her face. Glacial, air conditioning in a bottle, Mem says. That freshens things up a bit.
I rub her arms and legs with Rituals oil that I bought at Schiphol on Moniek’s recommendation.
At 7:30 a.m., I go for a swim at Daaibooi. There is only one family on the beach. It is lovely and quiet early in the morning.
I fill a bottle with sea water for Norma’s hair. She wanted to visit Mama Irma, but she has a slight cold, so that is not going to happen.
Back home, the nurse is there. She diagnoses diarrhoea; the oats, a brand called “pappa” that they give her, are no longer allowed… The soles of her feet have also become soft, a bit of bedsore, says the nurse, who has rubbed her with udder ointment, a Danish remedy that is supposed to help with bedsores.
I go to Duzu, dry cleaning, to drop off some clothes for the dry cleaner and do some shopping at California Supermarket on Tera Cora. I also fill up the car and see how that works with a fuel card. Lunch. I am spoiled again by Thelma, who has cooked bakiou ku bakoba ku rice… mmmm…
In the afternoon, after a very short siesta, I receive a message from Edgar that he is stepping down as director of education. He is becoming director of Frater Aurelio SBO. I am surprised, but I can well imagine that he wants a slightly quieter job. As director of education, he is responsible for 48 schools, including primary, secondary, special needs and vocational education. That is quite a task. A little later, I receive a message from Elly. She writes that I already know… I promise to call her in the evening. She will be disappointed, as she gets on very well with Edgar.
In the evening, I sit with Mama Irma for a while. She is tired and dozing on the bed.
I go to bed at 9.30 p.m. after a long chat with Elly.