I’ve often wondered whether so called bad luck is just the effect of superstitious belief or whether it is much along the lines of “does a tree make a sound if no one is there to hear it” – I.e, does the bad luck still occur, but just get marked down to the downside of life? 

I didn’t realize it was Friday the 13th this week until the deed was done. It has been a horrendous week on a personal level as well as a universal level. On Thursday a fire hit the informal township in Hout Bay. 

These pics were posted on social media but not sure who the owner is- thank you anonymous photographer for your images. 

   
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In the end anywhere from 200 upwards households have perished. Every item they own and they owned so little to start with. If you wish to contribute to supporting these families and helping them get on their feet you can drop off donations here and the details of the account for cash are below as shared from their Facebook page. 

  
As Norman was away all week I had a friend’s son around to walk Navajo and I had been leaving work at 4 to be home for 5 every day, but the whatsapp group for our area said it was gridlock due to the rescue vehicles and fire trucks so I waited until someone said it seemed under control to shoot off. Vanessa my pedicurist met me at home as well as Charles the dog walker as by 5 the fires were under control.

It had been a busy week for me with Norm away and unable to help share the endless tasks required to run a home. Cait was busy at work and Lily only gets home at about 9pm.  So I started work early, trying to get in by 7:30 or 8am at latest, some days getting up at 5:30. I raced home, met Charles, started dinner,   drove Charles and Cordelia my cleaner home, played with or walked the poms, fed the girls and the dogs and then crashed. Not counting 2 hours a day travel time and 8.5 hours in the office. I’m bloody knackered. 

It didn’t help that Navajo decided to bash down the fence which blocks him getting to the driveway.

  
He pounded on it til eventually it broke completely and we had to keep him inside the house if cars were entering or leaving which made mornings awkward. Normally he cruises round his estate and mooches round the garden while I’m leaving for work. 

Luckily I had planned ahead and cooked a big pot of veggie chili and curry so we had those for 2 nights, then used the chili as a side with mushroom burritos another. We had Chinese takeaway one night and managed to cope. 

Thursday night as Cait and I were eating our Chinese and sushi and waiting for Lily to arrive we get a call from Lily that her car is smoking and she is getting help from a nice guy who saw her pull over. 

Errr WHAT?!

I understood that he had sorted her car when she rang and she was coming home then so watched the clock for her, ready to come and collect her if need be. She walked in about 30 min later and said she had to leave her car and get a lift. Luckily it was a nice guy. Recently a woman from our village ordered an uber and didn’t check the registration and jumped into a car which was driven by a rapist with a knife who drove off, raped her and then dumped her on the side of the road with no shoes. It is unsafe to assume that what you perceive to be a Good Samaritan has no alterior motives. 

Anyway, she left her car and arranged a tow truck via insurance and got a taxi there to meet them. Meanwhile someone had side swiped her car which just came back from the panel beaters a few months ago.

Bless her, she was so upset. She kept messaging me as the drama unfolded. Then we all heard a loud speaker announcement to all exit the building via the stairs as we were having an evacuation. This in an international corporate branded building just after the Paris situation was a bit frightening. I am not great with stairs and going down 12 flights in a queue of hundreds of people was rather unpleasant. I had someone pressed against my back, stopped and had her go around before I chucked her ahead and carried on. We had to kill about for hours outside. What a nightmare, it was hot and windy. Then we had to traipse, floor by floor to the elevators. As we are floor 12 we took ages,

Still, I was home by 5, Lily walked the Poms and later poor Charles was caught in the rain while walking Navajo and both of them got drenched. We dropped him home and then we just popped into KFC for a burger as we were too tired and stressed to deal with anything else. We then watched a bit of Telly and passed out. Norman arrived home late to find us snoozing on the couch and popped on the news, and I woke about 1.30am SA time to the horror of the terrorist attacks all over Paris. We sat up watching it all unfold on the news, disbelief that another attack was happening so soon after Je Suis Charlie, or at all!

Eventually we had to go to bed as Norm was exhausted. 

Lily and I had an appointment with Pixie to see David Black the doggy chiropractor. He had been kind enough to move Pixie’s usual Friday appointment to Saturday with all of the car dramas. So we were up and away just after 7 and off to Noordhoek and after that we dropped Pixie and headed off to Camps Bay which is where the car had been hit. I parked up and Lily ran in to file a report for the insurance. It seemed to take forever but the view was pretty special.

  
Afterwards we headed back to Hout Bay and Allegria Cafe and Life As we needed to pick up a few things at Mainstream Mall. We both had coffees and the Eggs Benedict with bacon.

  
And as the desserts looked so amazing we took away a piece of carrot cake and a brownie which we shared later that afternoon. They were both really delicious and to be recommended. 

After breakfast we went to the pharmacy and Pic and Pay clothing and we both bought a few things for ourselves as well as a few Christmas presents. 

We then headed home to collapse with exhaustion. 

Norm came home late afternoon and took Navajo for a walk and then popped out to get a pizza for me from Mimmi to go and pasta for him and Lily from Cassarechio. Today Norm is working and Lily has borrowed my car to get to work. So I am having a lazy day, the weather is overcast so its perfect for snuggling with Panda on the couch. 

I hope this week finds your family safe.