Happy May to you all! This year is rattling past at a helluva speed. Why does time move faster the older we get?

We did have a wonderful time with the family on our lovely 5 day break. I missed my boy Trevor but as he is now a proper adult he has his own home and animals to maintain and as Amber is away working he had to stay put.

Monday was Workers Day in South Africa. Our last day with the kids on Monday’s bank holiday was lots of fun.

We finished off the giant vat of curry I made earlier that weekend and we played various games with me, Lily, Josh, Caitlin and Norm all taking part.

First we played the board game Avalon. You are given a card which tells you the role you play in that round and you are designated as either a good guy, a bad guy or Merlin the wizard. Then you all close your eyes and put your fist in the centre of your circle of players, then with all except the bad guys keeping their eyes shut the bad guys stick up their thumbs and show the other bad guys who they are except I kept forgetting who was who. Oops. I was the bad guy for 3 rounds and the assassin for one. The game has obviously heard of me and my reputation for badassness. Yeah right.

It is a strategy game. The millennials love that shit. I’m not a fan, I like silly, fun, boisterous games where I can shout and laugh and expel energy. Therefore based purely on my personal taste, I give Avalon 3 Kitten Stars.

Then we played Uno. Everyone loves Uno, it is easy and fast and fun. Occasionally Josh would shout at me for giving him a card that meant he had to pick up lots or get skipped, but that was not deliberate on my part, it was just unfortunate timing that was the only card I could play and he was next to me.

Finally we all got a bit tired, so Josh went upstairs to play his online game and the rest of us wanted to adjourn to the comfy couches so we played Charades.

We had a great evening laughing and taking the piss out of each other. That is how our family shows love, we either feed you, torture you or both in succession. Fun heh?

The next morning Lily and Josh headed back home to Mossel Bay. It is about a 4-5 hour drive, on a hot day it is not very pleasant at all so I am always so grateful when they make the effort to come visit.

After they left I had a wander around the garden moving around my little treasures and enjoying the fact it had cooled off a bit after the rain. As the garden is constantly growing and changing the little garden art items get hidden by the growth.

The dogs really love when I have a mooch outside. They follow me around, sniffing and exploring everything.

Panda seems completely recovered from his op if a bit sedated from his ongoing pain meds. Navajo continues to constantly harass him, poor wee baby. 😦

As there was a packet of steaks opened at the braai we decided to cook the remainder of them and Norm and I made a yummy HFLC lunch for us and Caitlin.

We sat outside in the shade at the back of the house to eat our lunch as it was nice and cool.

Later Norm and I slobbed about and watched a few episodes of the first season of  Breaking Bad. This is one of the series that we were both keen on watching but as we missed the start of the series when it was first shown on telly we never bothered to try and catch up. Our new TV app LookTV was behaving luckily and we really enjoyed Breaking Bad.

I am so glad my life is on the opposite spectrum from Walter’s ‘chosen’ path.  There but for the grace of the gods go I.

Or you.

Or anyone.

Life is but a roll of the dice.

My life is generally so devoid of excitement that I am barely even Cracking Moderately Misbehaved, much less Breaking Bad. I am at a stage of my life where a chilled out life is desirable and contentment is my primary goal.

Chaos is for the young.

Other than for those who are unfortunate enough to live in an area which is rife with gangs, drugs and violence, whether they are part of that life or not they have to live with the chaos.

On Monday’s public holiday 13 people were shot in Elsie’s River which is an area that is incredibly unsafe. There are gang wars and drug wars and all manner of violent people living there. The innocent are sometimes trapped in the cross fire.

Yet there are 316,000 Capetonians who are without police protection due to the high levels of violence in some of the suburbs and informal areas. In the last 10 years the force have lost 872 police officials while the conviction rate in SA courts is almost non-existent. If the ratio of police to members of the public is 1:362 then that means 315,664 people have been left without police protection. As our census figures are grossly underestimated then this figure is quite likely much higher.

Since 2012, more than 200 attacks on EMS staff members have been reported. Furthermore, the Cape Argus reported that 214 ambulances had been taken off the roads last year. It is unfathomable to me that someone would attack a person who is trying to assist or provide medical care to someone else. That your own needs outweigh those of people needing assistance to me means a lack of any form of moral compass. The ambulances get attacked by addicts looking for drugs, or just by people who want to keep the police and emergency vehicles off their turf. Just in 2016, 5,148 days’ worth of work hours were lost. This is due to responders being absent on account of safety concerns or being off of work due to stress or post traumatic stress disorder due to being previously attacked.

Recently dozens of metro EMS personnel gathered outside the Khayelitsha magistrates court.

Everyone has a right to be able to do their jobs without fear of injury or attack. However the violence in these areas has led to attacks on police officers, emergency medical staff, fireman and others who are required to enter this area to perform their job functions. Several areas, including Hanover Park, Nyanga, Khayelitsha and Manenberg, have been identified as so-called red zones where emergency crews have been targeted by criminals. They are all part of the area known as the Cape Flats.

The recent shooting in Elsie’s River was potentially related to a huge gang war going on in the Western Cape over territory and drugs. One of the alleged leaders of one of these gangs was also recently gunned down. His death allegedly is linked to the fight over which of the players of the underground will ‘own’ the nightclub security industry. (AKA ‘Bouncers’ to you Yanks & ‘Doormen’ to the Brits.)

A shooting in the trendy nightclub Café Caprice in Camps Bay was also linked to this turf war. I am glad my kids are not big night clubbers as the risk is not worth the potential for fun.

The idea of living in the midst of this chaos is unfathomable for those of us whose biggest complaint is our neighbour’s barking dogs. A mild annoyance vs. the risk of your safety is just not something we can even begin to compare.

I guess our own areas of pain are relative to what we experience in our own little life bubbles. But to realise how lucky some of us are when we do not have to live in chaos is a step in the right direction. Starting to be aware and compassionate and to realise that everyone has their challenges is another step.

Baby steps….but at least I am stepping.

Big loves ❤