So far we have not had any news on our flights being cancelled and we have progressed our planning as if there has been no Omicron drama bubbling up. Norm has booked a shuttle to take us from Atlanta to Chattanooga. He has also booked our flu shot for next week so that we reduce our chances of getting that while travelling and I ordered some heavy duty meds to keep me from being arrested for murder en-route. So far all systems are go!
Lily arrived on Monday afternoon to spend the week with me as Norm was supposed to be on a business trip and even though he cancelled the trip she still came down.
We were advised by letter from the City of Cape Town that our electricity would be off from 8am to 4pm on Monday. We were also advised on social media. I worked on Sunday to download all of the info and data I would need from the client remote desktop so that I could work without being on the network.
So when the electricity went off at 1pm we counted ourselves lucky that we had been online from 8am and waited for the maintenance work to be complete and the power to be restored. When I logged off of work Lily and I sat by the pool and chatted and played with the animals.
Around 6:30pm Norm decided to go out and get a takeaway for our dinner and when he drove up the hill he saw that all of the other houses had their lights on. He passed a neighbour on the street and asked him and he said that his power had not gone off. Norm turned around and came back home and checked our electricity meter and it was at zero. Any other time we would have checked the meter first, but as we were expecting the power to go off we did not even suspect it would be anything within our own control.
We felt ridiculously silly.
Maybe the Universe decided that we needed some mandatory relaxation time and forced us to chill out by the pool. It was actually lovely to sit out and observe the birds and our pets. Finn is getting very brave and goes exploring deep in the bushes around the perimeter of the garden. He came out with Pixie’s lost football from many years ago and it was so old and crumbly that he decided it could have a dual purpose as a snack and started nibbling off bits, so it had to go into the bin. He has made himself a little nest in the midst of my lavender and ground cover. At least he smells nice.
On Tuesday after work Caitlin came around for a visit and the girls groomed all of the dogs. Even Finn tolerated being brushed as long as he had a chew to keep him occupied.
On Thursday our consulting house organised a virtual Jordan Wines & African Origin Chocolate tasting experience. Earlier in the week we received a gorgeous box with 2 boxes of hand-crafted African origin truffle chocolates and 5 small numbered bottles of wine.
We had a little paper with a spot for putting the 5 glasses onto with a number that corresponds with the numbers on the bottles. We had a sauvignon blanc, a chardonnay, a rosé, a red, and a dessert wine.
As a method to have a function while keeping everyone safe, this a great option to do it from your own home.
We were gifted a lovely box of truffles as well.
On Thursday Lily and I cooked some bolognaise sauce for a lasagna and on Friday after work we mixed together the grated mozzarella and ricotta and thinly sliced several large whole mozzarellas. We pre-boiled the lasagna sheets and then layered the sauce, the pasta sheets, the ricotta mixture, and then the mozzarella in the dish for two rounds of layers. I baked it for 30 minutes and threw in the ready made garlic bread that Norm had bought from Woolworths for the last 15.
It was gorgeous and will serve all us for dinner tonight too.
I had the last of my dental appointments on Friday. I wore one of my black friday deals, I bought two dresses for R200! I got a green one and a pink one. I bought them to wear around the house but Lily convinced me they look cute with a cover up and some chunky jewelry so I wore the green one to the dentist and I received such compliments. I threw on a brown linen jacket and it was lovely.
My new crown over the front tooth looks amazing, I am so pleased with it.
Every afternoon when I finished work Lily and I have watched a Christmas movie. We watched ‘Love Hard‘ which was amusing and sweet. It is a tale of cat-fishing and of being your true self. It is about knowing what you want in a partner and recognising it when it arrives, regardless of the packaging it comes in. I really liked this little film and I give it 4 Kitten Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐
We also watched the Emma Roberts film ‘Holidate‘. Emma plays Sloane Benson and Luke Bracey plays Jackson, a handsome Australian golfer who crosses paths with Sloane by chance and they strike up a conversation about using each other as their plus ones for all of the holiday occasions that their families expect a date to show up. They agree to a no strings, no sex, no real dateyness and most importantly no responsibility to try and impress the other person you are with. They are their real true selves and so of course they end up falling in love.
I thought it was quite funny and I enjoyed it. I give this one 4 Kitten Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Today Lily and I went to meet Caitlin at the shops to return some items I bought in the black Friday sales. It took what felt like hours as their till system is rubbish. You have to come with exactly the right paperwork, they cannot just scan the ticket and credit you. I kept calm despite being hungry, hot and impatient. We went for a late breakfast at Stella’s in the mall as there were outside tables available.
Lily and I then popped into Mambo’s and bought a little paddle pool for Finn. Ours is pink as they did not have any other colours but you get the idea.
After our errands we came back home and Caitlin came around here as Wes is out with the boys this afternoon.
We have been messing about with the dogs and chilling outside. Finn has been going mad over his new pool. Caitlin is now painting the rock she started on my birthday. The wind is howling so we will stay in this evening. It is lovely having my girls here with us. I am going to reheat the lasagna for an easy dinner.
I hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend and continue to stay safe.
Kisses from the Kitten xoxoxooxox
Kitten in the City 