I had my manicurist booked to come round on Thursday at 5 as the courier was booked for 4.30-5pm to deliver my FNB credit card as it expires in a few weeks. They had said I need proof of address and my ID. I had a call during the time they were booked but they literally let it ring twice, not even until the voicemail kicked in. I rang the call centre back immediately and got a guy who just didn’t have a clue. He was completely uninformed and unhelpful. He said they were due to deliver between 4.30-5 which I knew. 

I heard nothing from them.

Not a whisper.

My daughters went white shark cage diving on Friday. It meant they got up ridiculously early to drive to Gansbaai.

Their surname is Walker so it’s a photo opportunity not to be missed.

  
They absolutely loved it! You don’t need to be scuba certified as you just dip below the surface. The sharks swim very close to the cage.

  
Norm went into his work and I got up and out early to the shops. I popped by Allegria Cafe in Mainstream Mall for a quick bite of brekkie.

 
It was a round R70 inc a 10% tip for a cappuccino and 2 eggs, bacon and a roasted plump rosa tomato, a slice of toast with butter and jam. A bargain! I was fed and off quickly. 

I had bought my son a present and the shop had left on the security tag. I only noticed when I went to wrap it. So I went and had that removed, then did a run round clicks and a big shop at Woolworth’s. I didn’t want to miss getting a turkey. We still need one more shop for veggies for Xmas. I headed to Blue Route and bought the last few things on my list. I didn’t mess about, I drove to the far corner and parked and walked in the heat to the mall. I dashed into the 2 places I had items to get and home, no bother. But I had a clear vision of my objectives, I wasn’t just searching. 

I went home and finished wrapping some more gifts. I then got a call from the delivery company asking if Monday was convenient. Umm, no yesterday when we booked and scheduled was convenient. Then he tells me he needs photocopies to take with him of my proof of residence and ID. what?? Why would I give some random delivery person a copy of my ID? 

FNB can forget it. I will apply elsewhere to get my credit card. Why is customer service such a challenge in South Africa? Especially in banking. We certainly pay enough for the privilege of the bank earning interest on our money.  Some things they do well, but service is usually lacking.

We were all home and so I cooked Mexican for Lily, Josh, Norm, Caitlin and I on Friday night. We had spicy minced beef, sweet corn and refried beans. I made both crispy shells for tacos and soft shells for burritos. For toppings we only had salsa, guacamole, sour cream & cheese, but they were still divine. Norm went out on a HBNW call and went to Cassarechio for ravioli as he hates Mexican food. We all watched the DVD of their shark dive. The girls had an early night as they had been up so early.

Caitlin had some friends around on Saturday. Several of the ‘kids’ she grew up with came round as Caitlin’s twin god babies are down from Johannesburg so they had a mini reunion. There were 4 little toddlers and another little girl here, they all had a picnic in the back garden as the weather turned cold and windy and even drizzled a bit of rain.

Saturday morning Norm did a holiday booze run and got wine to take as a gift for our friend Travis’ 30th birthday party held in conjunction with his family’s annual Sunmmer Solstice celebration. 

We had a lovely time. We took the obligatory selfie.

  
They had lamb roast on the spit with salads and garlic bread.

  
There was an amazing cake for Travis’ birthday.

  
Travis currently lives in Dubai. Hence the camels and ‘sand’. It was fresh and tasty. 

But the pinnacle of the evening was the fire dancers. 

  
They had me mesmerized.

My friend posted a video here.

The music was really good, the playlist included everything from Jefferson Airplane to Macklemore and Lewis. I think I danced to both! I really enjoyed the DJ. We had a lovely afternoon sipping margaritas by the pool.

  
We finally toddled off about 11, tired and happy. They are such a lovely family.

Today there was a fire on the mountain.

  
Apparently another fire set off by a flare. What idiots. I heard the fire choppers flying over.

Photo credit Facebook.   

They managed to get it under control. We are so lucky to have the fire service volunteers.

  
Photo credit.
But what a waste of their resources. And then another fire occurred later this afternoon in the valley.

  
And speaking of which, in a water restrictions period we have had endless water leaks and burst pipes. This one pumped for hours and hours despite the City being notified.

  

Yesterday I popped a beef roast in the slow cooker when I went out and today we had a yummy roast for lunch. I love those easy meals.

I found out this week my son and his girlfriend are coming down for Christmas so I will have all my babies under one roof, that makes a Mum pretty happy! 

Today Norm washed and brushed the poms, they smell much better. This was possibly due to me finding a tick stuck to me. I was tipsy and sleepy and not a little freaked out. I tried everything to get it off eventually having to yank it out with my tweezers. Eek. 

Anyway, I’m off to finish wrapping what I hope are my last few gifts.