Round 3 Ipi

Cape Town was utterly gorgeous and we did need to wonder how we had ever left. We relished fabulous walks along the Atlantic seaboard, spectacular sunsets and some slow and precious time catching up with James, seeing his photos of his France trip and watching his team playing hockey. Tim worked hard during the week, while I played, and our weekends in Camps Bay and Noordhoek were idyllic. We loved catching up with the Cape Town partners and their wives at the strategy meeting at Asara Wine Estate in Stellenbosch.

Round 3 is causing fatigue and a spectacular rash on my shins, back and arms. While unsightly, it is a welcome indicator that my immune system is responding to the Ipi. My blood tests reveal that things are beginning to skew as a result of the drug. Dr Tabane seemed gently confident that my 50th birthday is within range.

Ali is safely back, having had an eye opening and immensely stimulating trip to the US. They saw 9 shows and many of the masterpieces he has studied in art. He's getting through the jet lag now and needing to get back to his desk to do some studying.

Nicola has flown out to the UK and then to Nairobi on a 10 day breather. There's no holding this lot back. We're a lucky bunch.

Round 2 of Ipilimumab

Dr Tabane was suprised and delighted to find my blood test results normal after the first round of Ipi and to see me in good health and little affected. In fact, she said she rarely sees such bloods in her profession.

The second round is well in progress and the side effects are niggly, so it's business as usual.

Ali finished his mock matric yesterday. the art was a great success and some of the exams were tough. It has been a gruelling period and he has worked hard and given his best.

I booked for him to go on the art tour last November, being concerned that things could be horribly nasty for him. Well, he heads off to New York on Saturday, after a relatively straight forward and normal first half of the year. He has been so well educated in History of Art and the opportunities to see the Guggenheim, Metropolitan and MAMO, will be well appreciated. He is going with a good band of St John's boys and teachers and their itinerary is astounding.

On Saturday, I took him off to do his 6 hours of National Benchmarking Exams for university entrance. It was a quiet moment of triumph and one I had not anticipated having.

James is happily back to his delightful UCT student life, having had a truly marvellous trip to Europe, where he followed the Tour de France for two weeks. He was warmly welcomed by our family, the Mackies, Bashalls and Bennetts in the UK and made the speech at the wedding of our dearly loved Alice, who was his nanny when he was a little chap in Joburg, and now lives in Bradford. I'm so looking forward to hearing all about it.

Nic is still leading her busy life, each moment filled with stimulating and challenging activities and people. She has joined the Saturday tennis school at the Country Club, which is good fun.

The double dip has arrived, which is making business tough all round. Tim has been in Kenya addressing the Africa Board. He had the opportunity to spend the weekend in the Masai Mara, and we had an amusing call from his bath tub out in the open on the banks of the Mara River. We're looking forward to a quiet, restoring break in Cape Town next week.

If anything, the small things in life have become delightful.