Its hot and humid and the hadedahs are taking their chances on the lawns, where they ferret the green grass for crickets before rising with noisy flaps when the dogs chase them. 

We had an interrupted night.  While the robbery was not traumatic, it was traumatic to think someone was creeping around in the apartment and I didn't get up or investigate.  Both Dad and I recalled hearing "something" at various times of the night but both thought it was "someone else." 

I guess it was.

As a result I am more vigilant in placing noises when I wake up in the night.  Last night we woke up A LOT. 

Firstly, there were two power outages.  With each outage the burglar alarm sounds (in case robbers have cut the power in order to scale the (non-existant) electric fence and disable the alarm.  Anyway, it started shrieking.  Frost and Wren slept through it but Dad had to get up to reset it.

Ansellia came to bed after we did (her boyfriend is visiting) and I heard her padding through the room a few times in the night, moving through two squeaky doors, turning a squeaky lock and moving a pillow aside (that stoops the door from thumping).

Someone used the bathroom and the constantly dripping cistern kept filling so I got up and stopped it (by lifting the lid of the porcelain back and jiggling the float).

Ingrid got up to get some papers from her office very late and to get some medicine (around 3am).

The Hadedah's hee-hawed at dawn.

Someone rattled the locked door to the upstairs bedrooms.

Some dogs howled in the distance.

We slept in a little and are now poised to enjoy one of the hottest days since we arrived.  It is very humid and predicted to be 89F (32C).   We are planning to swim in the local public pool and I am going to see the dermatologist for one of those quintessentially South African (and Australian) skin checks. 

I am still floundering without my laptop and camera.  We have some blurry shots from the cellphone and a few from another camera I may be able to upload today.  The insurance coverage is turning out to be more spotty and more difficult to claim than I had hoped.  Lots of paperwork, fighting over which insurance is the Last Resort (both claim to want a certificate of denial from the other before they will process a claim!)   I have never done this before and am finding it very onerous.


We may also have some coverage via our homeowners insurance but have none of the paperwork yet.

Yesterday we took the glass elevator over the arch of the Moses Mobida World Cup Soccer Stadium in Durban and looked out over the muggy horizon to the sea.  It was pretty splendid but my vertigo did not return.  We were going to go boogy boarding but the (stupid) sardines had returned last Friday (atypically) and beached in Durban so the beaches are closed to swimming. ..... again.

We may board the north coast later if a car is available.  Thanks for all the email / comments of support.  It was lousy to be robbed but ultimately, all is well.  The security firm suspects that the builders on the nearby construction sight could see our apartment and some may have been responsible.  The bag of keys was found on the path to the construction site.  The police will do nothing because we did not OPEN A DOCKET (at their suggestion).  Always open a docket.