Everyone (myself included) has been whittering on about Mercury and communication issues. I have been hit with it this week with what seems like a million paper cuts, not deadly but annoying AF!
I ordered from one supplier and one of the items that arrived was broken, so they compensated me. Then I noticed that they sent me the wrong planter but I had already planted things in it.
My Senior Management reporting meeting somehow ended up being inadvertently booked on a Sunday, so I had to explain and cancel it. But I forgot to cancel on the 1st mail where I explained what happened, so it took 3 mails for me to cancel a badly scheduled meeting.
I ordered a little play gardening set to send to Amelia and they sent her another kitchen set instead of what I ordered! Since she had already opened it I let her keep it and then had to pay for it. The other one is now on the way. It was not expensive, it was just annoying.
I ordered some collagen for Lily and used my address as billing and hers as shipping, but the autofill populated my suburb into her address so when admin phoned me to ask what was the address I snapped at her as I assumed she just did not understand having 2 addresses, meanwhile the address said Hout Bay, George. Oops. I apologised for being rude.
The final indignity was when I answered an advert on Facebook Marketplace for 2 pool loungers with cushions. I chatted online to the seller, he said he lived near Hermanus but he would bring them halfway to meet us and asked for a 50% deposit. Fair enough I thought and transferred him R700. I felt reassured that the bank account name was the same as his Facebook account name. It was only when I raised the fraud charge that the bank confirmed to me that they do no validation on what you type in the account name! I could have put Daffy Duck and it would have gone through to his account because it only needs the account number.
Norm went to meet the guy as agreed and waited for 2 hours before we finally admitted I was an eejit. I raised a fraud case with the bank and have to go and lay a charge of fraud at the police station. It is a pain for so little money but it is the principal of the thing! Scamming wee fecker.
I am sure there are other things but I filed those in the ‘too minor to be annoyed long term’ pile of minor annoyances.
Norm took Lily and Amelia to the airport at 7.30am last Sunday morning. It was another incredibly hot day, hitting 29℃ (84℉) and later in the day Norm was sweet enough to go and clean the pool and fill it up so I could go in. I was sitting on the side of the pool and chatting to Norm while he cleaned the pool.
The dogs were locked inside but Finn somehow managed to nuzzle open the gate and he ran down the steps and hopped straight into the pool, swam a few laps in the cold water and leapt out.
Poppy came running along the pool cover like she usually does, but this time she ran straight off the edge of the rolled up cover and directly into the pool since it was folded back. I jumped in and starting frantically swimming towards her, but luckily Norm was walking along the edge and quickly grabbed her up. She was a bit panicked and we were happy to see she at least knew to swim to the edge, however she cannot get out other than via the steps. Norm dried her off and she did not seem bothered, in fact she acted like she wanted back in and came over to use me like she was walking the plank.
I did some gardening as well. I had planted these pots on our front fence but they were not easy to access and I forgot to water them. I moved them to the fairy garden and put fresh clippings in and hung the pots on the new trellis.
I also added new wooden discs that Norm got for me to the fairy garden. I had hoped that the little wooden discs would mean the bunnies are harder to get knocked about, but as you see in the video, someone had already knocked over Giggling Bunny.
I also reorganised some pots and plants and moved some cuttings into the bare spots on the terraced rock wall because cascading plants made me happy. I rejigged 2 plants and I swapped them in their pots.
I had filled all of the bird baths or butterfly baths or whatever you want to call them with water. They are usually full of dust and leaves but I washed them out and filled them up just so Millie could use the watering can without drowning my plants. I have mentioned that Norm forbids me putting food for the birds back there so as to not draw rats. I had not thought about how water would draw them, especially when it has been so hot. There were about 5 different types of birds in the garden over the last few days.
Sunday it finally cooled off a bit when the sun went down, so I got myself a glass of ice water, put on some Orville and sat outside with the animals while I waited for Norm to return with our pizzas. It was just perfection.
On Monday they delivered my latest cushion for my desk chair. I have now ordered 4 of them. My daughter called me Goldilocks and the 3 Chairs. Well this one is perfect. I wanted it to be filled with feathers because they mould to your arse better (Mold or mould? I do not want any moss like substances on me arse tyvm). I wanted a simple pattern I would not tire of and I wanted it to be 50x50cms. Most feather cushions seem to be 60×60 (cushion 1). The first one I ordered was so large and slippery that I slid face first off of it and almost crushed Poppy to death while trying to get her ball off the floor. The next ones (cushions 2 & 3) were 45×45 and they were too small as well as being too floofy to sit on as they were NOT stuffed with feathers (refer to cushion 1 requirements). This latest one is 50×50, is feather filled and is also textured for fewer ass-cidents. Tick, tick, and tick = Goldilocks loves it. It is so comfy.
It started raining on Monday and carried on all night. I sat outside listening to the storm and the sounds of thunder and flashes of lightning.
Little Poppy was very brave sometimes and sometimes she hurtled onto my chest and snuggled under my neck.
On Tuesday it was raining so hard that our back patio flooded. The couches were getting dripped on but it was on the frame luckily. We definitely need to replace the roof on the back patio. On Wednesday it carried on drizzling rain on and off with quick peeks of the sun. My friend Tam came for a coffee and I had a delivery of my latest bunnies.
I also ordered 2 new planters. One is an adorable fat little elephant. I only realised after I planted him full of clippings that I had ordered a different one. I ordered one with his trunk up as that is a symbol of good luck. Luckily I get the one I paid for and get to keep this one.
The other new planter is the sweet little head at the back of this pic. I have planted some plants that will hopefully cascade down around her head and blend with the flowers on her headdress.
Norm took Blue and Poppy both to the vet. Poppy’s stitches had not fallen out and Blue needed to see if his cast could finally be removed. They removed his cast but his leg looked a right mess and was very inflamed. We have meds for it and must keep an eye on it. He still refuses to put any weight on it.
On the way home from the vet Norm spotted a huge puff adder crossing the road. He phoned the snake catchers who came and captured him and took him up to the mountain to release him.
The groomers came this week so Poppy had her first session. She was apparently fine and ‘loved it’. I was not involved. I just know they both smell delightful. They are however still scallywags.
Last night while Norm was out walking Finn and picking up something for our dinner I sat outside in the cool twilight listening to the birds. There were two of them who were chatting back and forth across the trees. What a magical life I live.
Just for laughs I thought I would participate in the Action Figure social media trend. I decided to do one as work Lisa and one as weekend Lisa. I did not comment any prompts other than that I was very short in the shaman one. I gave the ‘make me taller’ prompt and it just stretched me out and made me look hilarious. I look like I am melting. However, I could not be bothered to improve it, it was just for giggles.
I have an addiction. Reality TV is my dirty little secret but I have no shame in admitting I enjoy any reality series, but there has always been a stigma with being a fan of the Kardashians. When my girls lived here I teased them we were the Kardashians of Hout Bay.
This week I watched an episode which especially made me identify with Kris. She went ‘camping’ with her daughters and by camping I mean they took a long road trip in a beautifully posh RV, spent a night in Joshua Tree and then drove back home. Kris even had her personal chef rent an extra bus sized RV to come with them. She made me laugh when she said she was not going to ‘eat something shoved on a stick and stuck in a fire‘. I guess she is just not that kind of girl. Neither am I Kris, neither am I.
Speaking of red lipstick #ChunkySegue I got some new facewash this week from Clarins and as one of their many freebies they sent me a full sized tube of the most gorgeous lipstick! It is called Red Grape and has a bit of red, bit of wine and a dash of brown (says the colourblind chick). I love it so much!
Lily has started a new job so little Amelia started going to nursery school this week. It is a lot for them to get used to at that age but Lily was lucky to have been able to spend so long at home with her.
Today we have woken to pouring rain so it is a bit cooler. I am babysitting little Bree again for Wes and Caitlin to go out on a lunch date. Bree has a head cold so is a wee bit fussy. Norm is coming to assist again which means we have Poppy to deal with, but she was fine last time other than being car sick. But wish us luck.
Until next time, Kisses from the Kitten xoxoxoxo
Kitten in the City 