The Final Countdown

I normally never go into a shopping mall, certainly never on a Saturday, and definitely not just before Christmas. However, we will often do anything for our children and so I violated all of those rules last Saturday. I had to park miles away, it was incredibly hot and I was dripping with sweat by …

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Leaping Lizards, Batman!

With Norman still away last weekend, I had nothing much planned as I had the animals to look after. I was booked for a facial Saturday afternoon and when it was time for me to leave for my 1:30pm appointment, Finn refused to come inside. I knew I was only going to be gone for …

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Memories and Triggers

I have mentioned before how we have so many challenges to deal with in South Africa that people in other 'First World' countries seldom experience. My village of Hout Bay was without water for over 4 days. Some areas were without water for about a week. Our house must be on a different reservoir or …

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Sins of the Fathers

The mistreatment and abuse of Indigenous children has been in the news this week. In British Columbia's Interior, the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation has found the remains of 125 children, some as young as 3, on the site of what used to be Canada’s largest residential school.  Built on the territory of the Tk’emlúps te …

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Under Pressure

This has been such a tense week full of stress and anxiety. On Wednesday I woke to several messages from my cousins about my mom. Mom fell in her kitchen and injured herself. She had to drag herself across the room to the couch to get her phone which must have been unbelievably painful. The …

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The Reading List

As you have probably noticed I am trying to educate myself about the history behind oppression and racism. Someone asked me whether I follow the South African news as closely as I do the US news and I try to keep myself aware of what is happening all over the world. Right now I am …

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The Power of Knowledge

It is now over 3 months since I started self isolating. There have been 1,293,608 people tested in SA. The statistics are: https://www.instagram.com/p/CBsLTgrJ-47/ The highest percentage of deaths in SA are within mine and Norman's age brackets. The Western Cape, where we live, has by far the highest number of positive cases as well as …

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The Ups and Downs of In

Last Sunday my bipolar-ness and anxiety were on full boil. I was so weepy and sad on Mother's Day because I missed my children so much but after a day of Norman spoiling me and the zoom call with my Mom and my kids that evening I was on such a joyous high. It's a …

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Living on the Knife’s Edge

It was lovely having a three day weekend both last weekend and this weekend, especially as that resulted in a three day work week and everyone loves that! Assuming that you are getting paid of course. I am very grateful for paid holidays, especially in such a stressful time as the Covid Era with so …

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The New Normal

Today is Day 25 of self isolation in the Walker-Brook house and the entire country of South Africa is still on lockdown. The stats published today for South Africa on the website I follow are: https://www.instagram.com/p/B-37WMfJIUd/ I am posting these stats in my blog each week so that I can look back and easily trace …

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