I often think about what life was like hundreds of years ago before we had luxuries such as many of us now have, running water and inside sanitation facilities, electricity, convenient grocery stores and other shops as well as things such as eyeglasses or medications for our ills.
We just finished watching season 4 of Outlander and while it seems peaceful and idyllic to live in a remote cabin in the woods with a sexy Scotsman, the reality of having to carry every drop of water you need or chopping wood for a fire to make a cup of tea, much less to cook or bathe, having to plant and then nurture all of your food or kill it and dress it would become quite laborious very quickly. What about when you are old and frail and cannot physically manage those chores? Who am I kidding, I could not manage them now! I certainly could not have functioned without my spectacles, I would end up eating poison oak or something deadly while fumbling around in the woods looking for a bit of spinach for my supper.
Last weekend I forgot to take my medication for my hiatus hernia and I was in agony all day. I have to take it half an hour before I eat. I wasn’t aware that I had forgotten it until the pain started. I have been on these meds for so long I had forgotten what it was like living with the pain. The same with anxiety meds or my blood pressure meds, I might not even be alive without those so I am grateful for the miracles of modern medicine.
Many people in South Africa do not have these luxuries that so many westerners take for granted, many homes and shacks still have no water or electricity supply, many people still cook over an open fire and it is estimated that at lease 60% of South African children are poor. It really shifts your perspective when you complain about some minor irritation but you have woken up in a solidly built warm, dry home, you are able to have a wee in a flush toilet, you can brush your teeth and shower with water that arrives at the twist of a knob, you can make a coffee in your coffee maker and then go to work at your stable job. I am forever grateful for all of these luxuries.
I am also grateful that my Mom is on the mend. She is now staying on her own but her neighbours have been so sweet to her, running errands, shopping, hanging out in her house when she showers in case she slips and even going to get her some Krystal gut-bomb hamburgers when she was craving them. I am so grateful that she has kind people nearby who can support her. She is very lonely staying at home on her own and misses her kitty cat but she cannot take care of him when she is struggling to take care of herself at the moment.
The kids and I held a Zoom call to cheer her up and we all laughed a lot as always. I am so grateful for my children, their partners and that they are all happy and healthy.
I am so blessed.
We got a bit more rain on Wednesday which we are always grateful for. It cooled things off but the damp gave Navajo back pain as it often does and Norm had to take him to the doggy chiropractor. Bless his heart.
This weekend is another long weekend and we had both Friday and Monday off of work for Easter.
As a treat I booked for Norm and I to venture into the city to Cowboys & Cooks for dinner on Friday. They have 2 locations and we went to the one in De Waterkant which is a very old part of Cape Town with some very cool architecture and a modern shopping centre and a few bars and restaurants. We chose this restaurant because a friend told us about their specials menu, they have 2 courses for R138 or 3 courses for R175 which is a bargain! I also saw they have outside seating so that made me feel less anxious about the risk of being out at a restaurant.
They squirted us with hand sanitizer and took our temperature and our contact details when we arrived and the staff were all wearing masks which made us feel comfortable. We also saw that there was plenty of social distancing between tables and as it was a cool evening we decided to sit inside by the door rather than outside.
Norm decided he wanted a fillet steak so we ended up not ordering the specials menu, we ordered ala carte.
We both started with the calamari. I had the fried calamari. It was marinated in fresh lemon, olive oil, red chilli flakes, fresh bay leaves, Italian parsley & served with rocket, lemon & aioli. The calamari was soft and the batter crispy. It was very tasty.
Norm had the same dish but had his grilled. It was topped with herby garlic butter.
We both had the 250gram fillet steak with hand-cut chips for our mains.
We both had a dessert too, I had the Vanilla Crème Brulee.
Norm chose the oven baked cheese cake which was served with vanilla ice cream and a berry coulis.
Today we decided to go and check out tiles and sanitary ware for our upcoming bathroom and bedroom remodeling project. We drove all the way to Paarden Eiland only to find the place our builder wanted us to go was closed for the holidays despite Mr. Google saying they were open. Since we had gone all the way there we went to a different tile shop to get a general idea of what sort of tiles and baths we want.
We then decided we may as well go for lunch since we were out and about. I suggested The Wild Fig because it was sort of on our way home. When we arrived there were no other cars outside and we thought it might be closed but they were open and were not at all busy. We could sit outside so we had inadvertently landed in a perfect spot. Our table was outside but was under a shady cover.
Norm ordered a glass of wine to celebrate the weekend.
I had the crumbed chicken burger. It came with a sweet chili sauce and fries and it was like a posh KFC zinger burger. The chicken was really tender and the batter was crispy and I really enjoyed it. We were even more impressed when we received the bill and found out it was buy one pub lunch get one free and we had saved R100! We give them 4 Kitten Stars (smoking was allowed in the dining area so they lose half a point for that). ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The rest of today will be spent relaxing.
Last Sunday afternoon I felt like a trashy movie-palooza and I easily fulfilled that wish. I just selected random films in the recommended list on our streaming service.
First I watched ‘Her Son’s Secret‘. It is about a family who loses a child who had been presumed drowned at the beach but his body was never recovered. We revisit that family 13 years later after the father’s untimely death in a car accident. The missing son reappears just in time to claim his inheritance. Even though it is allegedly based on true events it is a far fetched ridiculous concept and everyone behaves like naïve morons. Also the mother (played by Olivia D’Abo) does not age in 13 years. I give this film 2 Kitten Stars and that is being generous ⭐⭐
Next I watched ‘A Murderer Upstairs‘ (aka ‘Secrets of My Stepdaughter’ which probably sounded a bit too creepy fetish pornish so they changed it). The basic premise of the film is that a family take in the teenage daughter from the father’s first marriage to live with them after her mother abandons her and a series of disturbing events then transpire. It stars Josie Davis as the Mom. Josie was a child actor whom you may remember from ‘Charles in Charge‘. She was also cast in Beverly Hills, 90210 and has been in a load of Hallmark and Lifetime movies. Tiera Skovbye plays the pretty step-daughter Rachel. This one also deserves only 2 Kitten Stars ⭐⭐.
The video I am including for my Music section is one which has had a lot of controversy. It is by Lil Nas X and is called ‘MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)’. A bit of trivia is that Lil Nas’ birth name is Montero. The provocative video shows Lil Nas in various mythical, religious and historical settings, including one in which he gives a lap dance to the devil before killing him and putting on his horns. Some people are freaking out about it being satanic but it is full of symbolism and should not be taken so literally. Lil Nas said “I grew up in a pretty religious kind of home—and for me, it was fear-based very much. Even as a little child, I was really scared of every single mistake I may or may not have made. I want kids growing up feeling these feelings, knowing they’re a part of the LGBTQ community, to feel like they’re O.K. and they don’t have to hate themselves.” Lil Nas has said that he hopes the video, which uses classical imagery to tell a story of sin, banishment and redemption, will open up a dialogue about the continuing omnipresence of repression among LGBTQ youth, particularly within Christian spaces. “Y’all saying a gay n*gga twerking on a cgi satan is the end of times like slavery and the holocaust didn’t happen,” he tweeted after the video’s release.
I think it is a catchy tune which will blow up. If nothing else it has gotten everyone’s attention for one reason or another and will hopefully open up lines of conversation about what we should really be focused on.
My next music video is far less controversial but it is brilliant. I just discovered Jake Isaac and I am in love with this song ‘New York’. His voice is so soulful, relaxing and gentle. I hope you enjoy this track as much as I do.
The weekly stats for Covid are that in South Africa 9,939,695 people have been tested and 269,102 people have been vaccinated. We have now dropped to 18th globally for total cases with 1,550,724 infections.
The UK is still 6th for total cases with 4,353,668 infections, they are 5th for total deaths with a count of 126,816. In the UK 31,301,267 people have had their 1st vaccine and 4,948,635 have had their 2nd dose.
The USA is still 1st for total cases at 31,315,968, also 1st for total deaths with 567,610 people who have died. In the USA
101,804,762 people have had one vaccine and 57,984,785 have been ‘fully vaccinated’.
For the comparative measure of deaths per 1 million of the population, SA is 46th with 884 deaths per million, the USA is 14th with 1,707 deaths and the UK is 10th with 1,861. I hope that the high numbers of people travelling over Spring Break and Easter do not lead to a 3rd wave in the USA as many states are fully open and many people are still resisting wearing a mask.
Caitlin is coming around later this afternoon for a socially distant visit. Norm and I have booked to go for a fab Easter breakfast tomorrow at Quentin’s Oakhurst Barn which is just around the corner from us. It has been a very busy weekend for us which we have not had in ages but we have still tried to keep safe. I hope you have had a great weekend too?
Until next time, I hope you have a wonderful week ahead. Stay safe and remember to check on those you love, especially those who are isolating at home.
Socially distant, double masked Kisses from the Kitten xoxoxoxox
Kitten in the City 