We left Durban yesterday and I felt very sad saying goodbye to my mother but I will focus on one day at a time. We are now having a short stopover in Johannesburg. This morning we were woken up by a very loud thunder storm - this area is known for its thunderstorms so it was a very familiar sound to wake up to. The rain was also very welcome after the hot drought that they have been experiencing here.

After breakfast we went to pick up Gavin's mother, and then drove around some familiar haunts as we had lived in Johannesburg before moving to Surrey. This photo was taken at Gavin's mother's retirement home, where she has a beautiful garden. I loved this blaze of colour from the bougainvillaea covering the wall. Hmm, I notice that Thomas is now taller than Gavin! 

We then went to visit friends who lived opposite to our old house. It was lovely to see the familiar street where Adam and Luke spent a few years before moving to England. She made a wonderful lunch and we caught up on each other's news. Her garden is beautiful and it is the season for the jacaranda trees to bloom - there is a saying that if you had not started studying by the time the jacaranda bloomed you would not do well in your end of year exams, so I always associate jacaranda blossoms with exams! The streets are lined with purple trees and I will try to get some more photos of them tomorrow - for now I have added an image of the jacaranda tree in her garden.