A blank screen faces me as I look back on the last fortnight and reflect on what has been happening - continued chaos, dreadful destruction, senseless tragic murder of a courageous hero, deaths, mayhem and madness around the globe and in our little world, we do our utmost to be kind, be gentle, be positive and cope with life on life's terms with smiles, grins and guts!
I am LOVING my new car, my bella Dolce who is driving like a dream and is just divine, I still cannot believe it even though there is a now a car-shaped dent in my banking account as my first instalment has been deducted. There were some delays in getting the licensing done because the licensing department had no paper on the one day the dealership went to sort it out but last Saturday, 17 February we collected the license disc from the dealership and the number plates were fitted. Dolce is no longer a magnet for the police to stop me in roadblocks pulling me over to check the paper plates which were on the car. I am eternally grateful for the addition of Dolce to our family.
Dolce's first long(ish) road trip was driving to Bronkhorstspruit on Sunday, 11 February with Tristan and Johan to attend the Chinese New Year Cultural Festival at the Nan Hua Temple there. We had enjoyed coffee and rusks with Morgan, Alyssa and Seth (one of the stylists who works at 7 Sins) before setting off in separate vehicles. We were to meet up with Graunt Kruger who was in South Africa, briefly, mainly for business and we did reunite with him and Zen. Sadly we did not have nearly enough time with Graunt (and for both of us the day had not been as we anticipated it to be) and I will catch up with him personally one of these fine days if not when he is back in South Africa but virtually. Johan, Morgan, Alyssa, Tristan, Seth and I enjoyed sampling some of the different foods on offer; spontaneously encountering Nadine Junkin and Benji Changfoot and exploring the beautiful Temples. We wrote wishes and threw them up into the Wishing Tree, and had an incredible time. We want to return when it is a "normal day" and so quieter in order to be able to soak in the serenity of the temples.
Tristan, Johan, me, Graunt, Seth, Alyssa, Morgan and Zen
The Wishing Tree
This is the year of the Wood Dragon which is my element and year of birth. The prophecy for the Year of the Wood Dragon bodes well for my leaping into the abyss on leap day year!
I did wear a red dress to the office on Valentine's Day and I had bought some small chocolate hearts for both Johan and my Mom respectively if that counts! Otherwise it was just another day and a manic one at that as are most days as I strive to ensure that my work is as shipshape as possible; files organised and I prepare a handover 'bible' in preparation for my leaping into the abyss on Thursday; only 4 more sleeps!
There is so much I want to get working on but I just need to get through the next 4 days; 3 of which I have to be at the office.
We have been having intense heat and humidity which, peculiarly, has sent my allergies into a tailspin or rather a nose-drip with my eyes burning so intensely I invariably resort to lying down or just putting myself to bed as I am incapable of doing anything. Feels so silly and totally indulgent to moan about such petty challenges when there is war, poverty and all types of despicable atrocities occurring; but its been my reality - last Sunday I was not able to write my blog because of this and this last Friday night I was in bed by 8.30pm which is completely alien to me as I am something of the proverbial 'night owl'. Thankfully I was given the name of an excellent anti-allergy eye drop medication which we got as soon as possible yesterday morning and it worked like a dream, for which I am so grateful.
The big news event is that Skye has returned!
Yesterday afternoon, after Johan and I were treated to a lovely lunch at the Country Club, Johannesburg by Donald, my boss, and his daughter, Kirsten as Carol (his wife) was not well, on the spur of the meeting and acting on a gut impulse, en route home we popped in at 7 Sins to say hello to Morgan. It was a brilliant surprise to find both Tristan and Skye there too; Morgan had just cut Tristan's hair so we had a little reunion before all heading to our separate homes.
This morning we had breakfast at Doppio Zero in Greenside which was to be a surprise for Skye and she was surprised - a little 'welcome home' and 'belated happy birthday" celebration for her complete with pressies and a divine looking caramel and meringue cake which we had collected from the Not Bread Alone bakery on Saturday morning. I took no photos as the focus was on celebrating all of us being together once again.
Who has had the privilege of reading this beautiful book? "The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse" by Charles Mackesy is just so beautiful - I do not know how this book escaped my attention until very recently but it did. Someone I follow on Instagram who is in the recovery world in the USA, posted a video about the book some weeks ago and I was intrigued; ordering my own copy which I immediately sat down to read as soon as it arrived and it was unboxed. WOW. Its a book about hope, about friendship, about being kind and about cake - so many of my favourite things right there. As Morgan said this morning after Skye had unwrapped her very own copy of this book, its the type of book which becomes a family heirloom and he is so right. And its a book which I will never be loaning out no matter how much you mean to me and how much I love you.
The animated version of this beautiful story is on You Tube but I really encourage you to all get your very own hard copy version of this amazing inspirational story which has the most delightful illustrations. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDLKT_oFhvc
Blood donation and coffee and a catch up with Libby followed breakfast with the family; then it was home to do some work, a nap and try to be inspirational about writing my blog. I feel like this is so boring as not much has been happening apart from work, shuttling back and forth to the office and coping with my allergies and loadshedding.
I did get hooked on watching Expats, after Lindy recommended it to me. An incredible mini series contemporary drama set in Hong Kong starring the amazingly uber-talented Nicole Kidman; the ending made me sob! It was on Prime in South Africa but I have my ways and means (aka my amazing husband) who found it for me; and I am listening to "Dreamland: The True Tale of America's Opiate Epidemic" on Audible by Sam Quinones narrated by Tom Jordan. Honestly at first I thought I would have to abandon listening to this as Tom Jordan's voice takes some adjusting to but I persevered and I am coping. Its a fascinating and frightening. From a small town in Mexico to the boardrooms of Big Pharma to main streets in the entire USA, its a explosive and distressing account of addition in America.
From the library where I have discovered Anne Rule who writes about true crime, reading "Last dance, last chance and other true cases" which was shocking and unbelievable, but its all factual and happening. A reminder how life truly is stranger than fiction.
From March I will resume my "What I have been reading, listening, watching" inserts.
That's all for now - with blessings, love and light always