I started on Saturday with the Corticosteroids my doctor prescribed for my on-going issues with my ears and sinuses but they have made no difference whatsoever. I went back on Monday for another blood pressure check and to get my lab results. My blood pressure is still high and needs to be monitored. The lab results showed I still have a bacterial lung infection and I am now on a different course of antibiotics. My GP has also referred me to see an ENT specialist about my blocked ears. I made an appointment for next week to see her. She is located near my client where I am based on Mondays & Tuesdays so I will just walk over there and hope there is no rain that day. Umbrellas are useless in Cape Town with our winds.

We have finally been receiving a bit of rain here and there which helps with our on-going drought issues however we must not become complacent that a few drizzles will resolve the low dam levels. The City of Cape Town has decided to finally get off it’s hands and send out a RFI (Request for Information)  this week to try and come up with some ideas to resolve the issues rather than just hope for heavy winter rains.

It is now very cold in the mornings and I cannot bear to take a cold shower. I keep my shower to as short a time as possible and I get wet when the water is tepid, but ice cold water on a cold morning is just asking for sickness and goodness knows I am struggling enough with that already. I no longer condition my hair in the shower, I put on a leave in conditioner afterwards. I look a mess most of the time as I try to only wash my hair once, or at most, twice a week. Luckily menopause has sucked all of the moisture out of my once oily hair and it copes fine.

I think we are going to have to bite the bullet and implement a proper grey water recycling system as Norm has a damaged shoulder and is struggling with carrying the buckets of water down to the garden.

As mentioned in my last blog, Friday was a public holiday in South Africa and I went across town to Maestro’s on The Beach to have lunch with my friend Di.

It was a stunning winters day and we grabbed a table outside to enjoy the view of Table Mountain and the beach.

As it was a weekend I decided that carb controls be damned and I ordered their chicken schnitzel with cheese sauce, chips and onion rings. The Schnitzel comes with a choice of one side dish for R105 (about $8 USD). The cheese sauce is an extra R19 as were the onion rings (at R25).

It was really yummy and I wolfed down every bite.

I even had ‘dessert’ in the form of an Oreo Milkshake for R35. It was thick and creamy and rather divine.

Di and I had not seen each other in ages as we live on opposite sides of Cape Town and neither of us are great on motorways nor can we drive at night but we made up for lost time, spending 5 hours sitting in the sunshine and gabbing. It was good for my soul. It was lovely having the sun on your back and good conversation with a friend who cares.

When I eventually made it home Norm and I decided to watch a film and we chose the movie ‘A Cure For Wellness’ as I had thought I had seen a friend posting about it on Facebook. Later I checked back on their feed only to discover it was a different film they watched. Oops.

A Cure for Wellness was a crazy,  bizarre and rather uncomfortable film. It was a bit like a train smash in that you could not stop watching it no matter how horrid or distasteful it got. The premise of the film is that an ambitious young executive is sent to retrieve his company’s CEO from an idyllic but mysterious “wellness center” at a remote location in the Swiss Alps. It all derails from the point of arrival and just becomes more and more strange. It ended in a rather unfinished manner (so many questions) and therefore makes me think they are planning a sequel. I will not subject myself to that if so.

A Cure For Wellness gets 2 kitten stars and that is only because it managed to hold my attention.

Early on Saturday Mzudumo arrived and got started in the garden while Norm and I had plans to  go the shops to buy a cover for my new iPad. I saw on Facebook that a friend was asking about the cost of an Uber to Cavendish Mall so we stopped to collect her and her son and gave them a lift. They were going to the cinema so we could not give them a lift home as we had to get back to give Mzudumo his lunch.

I went to the iStore but they only had black covers and I wanted something a bit more colourful and cheerful. They referred me to Incredible Connections and they had a red one which is the colour I wanted but it was almost a thousand rand! I chose a bright fuchsia coloured one instead but when I got it home and on my iPad I saw that it only has a ‘prop up option’ when in the landscape view, not in the Portrait view. As I play covet and it is only available in that view it means it is not very handy for me. That is what I get for being a cheapo miser to save R300!

After we finished shopping we went for brunch. We chose Mugg & Bean as it serves breakfast all day and Norm loves his omelettes.

We both went for their ‘Simple California Omelette’ which is described as a deconstructed 3-egg omelette filled with cheddar, mozzarella & fresh basil. Loosely topped with fresh avocado, back bacon & Danish-style feta, drizzled with a basil pesto mayo & served with pan-fried cherry tomatoes. It is R77.90.

It is served with toast, Norm had the low carb option but I had white bread and just ate a bit of it. We found it odd that they did not serve the toast with butter. We asked for butter but by the time it arrived the toast was cold. The butter was rock hard as if it had been in the freezer, I could not even cut it with my knife, much less spread it on my toast. This is a pet peeve of mine, butter should be served room temperature.

Caitlin had her childhood best friend Katherine down from Johannesburg that night with her gorgeous twins Luke and Tyler who are 3 years old. It is a good rehearsal for grandkids (which are not even visible on the horizon at this point.) The boys are so different considering that they are twins, Tyler is fearless and exuberant and very friendly while Luke is more cautious, gentle and sensitive. Tyler had a great time playing ball with Pixie who loved the attention and was so gentle with him but Luke was a bit intimidated by the dogs and refused to get on the floor, choosing rather to walk from couch to couch.

As the boys were having dinner with us I decided to make something child friendly and made 3 cheese mac and cheese adding full fat cream cheese into the sauce as well as cheddar, then topping it all with mozzarella for baking. Of course I plonked a load of chilli in mine.

 

Once the twins settled down to watch a movie upstairs in bed with Katherine and Caitlin Norm and I put on a movie to wind down from all of the excitement. We chose Collateral Beauty with Will Smith, Edward Norton, Kate Winslet, Keira Knightley and Helen Mirren. We chose it for the brilliant cast.

I found bits of it confusing, but it was a very emotional movie and well acted. Other than Keira Knightley who looks the same no matter what emotion she is displaying. I give it 3.75 kitten stars.

Katherine and the kids were flying very early the next day and they were up and out and away to the airport. After Caitlin got back she went back to bed as it was so early for her. It was father’s day and she rose about lunch time to give Norm his presents from her, Lily and Trevor. They gave him some meat thermometers for when we braai a roast as well as a grill matt for cooking on the grill which means you do not have to scrub the grill, you can just wash the matt.

On Sunday I had another drumming session planned. There were more people there this time which made it even more fun. We sang lots of songs and we performed a new activity called ‘Heart to Heart’ which is about connection, toning and harmony. It is done with 2 people and you put your ears together, place one hand on the other person’s back over their heart area and the other over their opposite ear. You then vocalise until you are harmonising the sound. Caitlin and I did a reenactment to show how it’s done.

I was rather full of trepidation as it meant being intimate with a total stranger as well as ‘singing’ which I know I am not very good at (exuberance and skill are totally different things.) I loved it though! It also sort of relaxes you for the singing portion of the day.

Later I read about how sound is used for meditation and in various spiritual practices to aid connection to spirit and the universe. I find it fascinating.

After my drumming session I raced home as Caitlin had booked us into Woodcutters Arms pub for a late Fathers Day Dinner.

We got stuck into their yummy pub grub. Norm had his fave starter the Scotch Egg at R45. Caitlin and I shared the Jalapeno Cheddar Cigars at R44.

Norm had a blue cheese and onion burger from the specials board and I had the Cajun Chicken Burger at R82.

Caitlin and I shared the onion rings and she had a Red Pepper and Halloumi Salad at R85. I was stuck into my burger too quickly to snap a pic of her food but it was very pretty, however she said the halloumi was cold.

Norm was very virtuous but Caitlin and I shared a dessert. We had the White Chocolate and Oreo Sundae for R43. It was so delicious.

Monday and Tuesday were both very busy at work. As I was at the doc on Monday I had to work late to make up the time and so Norm cooked dinner. He baked chicken breasts, fried a variety of squash and steamed corn on the cob. It was very yummy.

Caitlin slept at Wes as his parents were away and there had been a break in on Sunday night. He slept through it and didn’t hear a thing but they took about 4 TVs, iPads, laptops and a lot of valuable items. I’m just glad he wasn’t injured.

I had a client workshop today and when I got home I cooked my fave, Mexican food. It’s quick and easy.

I prepared the toppings while the chili con carne cooked.

Then I made it into a big pile of yumminess.

Tomorrow is a big day. I start my new project at my new client and then tomorrow night we pour a sweat lodge to celebrate the Winter Solstice. It’s my first sweat lodge with this group and I’m very excited. It will only finish at 11:30 or midnight so I will be knackered on Thursday but I am sure I’ll survive.

Wish me luck! ❤️