'Don't worry about the kids..'

My Dad, a man of few words, would visit, call and drop Mom notes and writes letters while she was away from home and having her cancer treatments in Hillbrow, Johannesburg.

Me, Cape Town from Signal Hill. Clive, Dad, Mom, Inel and Doreen arriving in the Cape.

His letter and notes show his caring and him trying to allay all her fears and reassure her that the treatments will be successful.

Knowing my mother this must have been one of the toughest times of her life and so hard for her to leave him and her 3 children at home.

Dad writes: 'Don't worry about the kids who all send love and kisses, we will all manage until you are home again'.         

These photos taken on our holiday to the Cape in December 1973 give a feel for the family just before Mom's ovarian cancer, Inel and Doreen are so young.

I had just matriculated and it was a special trip the folks had planned; train ride, ship cruise and time in Cape Town. I do remember Clive and I been man down, seasick and rather morose on the cruise.
Oh my, the joys of parenting.


Reading his only letter in the box from this time when Mom is in hospital, dated 15 July 1974, I realise just how difficult it was for him too.
'Every day is as long as a week and at the time of writing only a half day had passed but I can't wait to get you out of Hospital and back home again.'
And:
'Be sure all my thoughts and feelings are with you all the time...'

A last quick note from Dad jotted down on computer paper

This quick note from the 19/8 written on a scrap of computer paper foraged from Iscor makes me smile.

So old man the 'playpen' is still around.

The Wedderburn household went through reams and reams of recycled computer print-outs. 

Projects, letters, to-do lists, scrabble scores, shopping lists, reminders...

Dad is reassuring her that its the last week of her treatment and he is looking forward to friday.

Their love for each other is evident in all the correspondence as is their intimacy, I feel awkward and intrusive when reading the letters, like the  'playpen' reference from her notes.