Monday, 25 March to Monday, 8 April 2024
Its been an interesting fortnight which started with birthday celebrations for my Mom, Tristan's sobriety and cleantime milestone on 25 March of 4 years and 3 months; and on the eve of Good Friday my Mom developed another UTI (the second in just as many weeks) so I had a somewhat dramatic start to the long weekend and my stress levels were beyond the stratosphere and I embarked on eating my emotions, going on a hot-cross-buns- marshmallow-easter-eggs eating binge which is something I am so not proud of, and intensely ashamed about, but which is over, and I am back on track on my terms etc.
On the Thursday evening my Mom had gone from shivering uncontrollably to boiling hot with a temperature and it was almost Mission Impossible for Saziso and I to move her from the lounge to the bedroom. I almost called the paramedics so they could move her and take her to hospital but after collecting a wheelchair from the frail care unit at her retirement village, inflecting further damage to my already damaged left shoulder and lower back, we finally got her into bed - I came home absolutely exhausted, super stressed and tossed and turned the entire night and apart from going to check up on my Mom on Good Friday, the rest of the day I did nothing apart from napping, recovering and eating and on repeat! Thankfully the antibiotics worked quickly and she has recovered but I will take her to the physician on Wednesday for a check up and to enquire what we can to do to prevent future infections. Thank goodness I am currently available to be the Medical and Shopping service for her!
The Easter weekend was lovely and we celebrated Easter Sunday with a lovely lunch at Morgan and Alyssa's house; together with Scotch and Soda of course who have grown so much - they are all gangly legs, sniffing, snuffling and exploring. Johan made adorable bunny easter bags for our Easter gifts for everyone and I made a delectable and delicious lemon mousse dessert and a nectarine, prosciutto, mozzarella, red onion and crouton salad - Morgan cooked a leg of lamb, dauphinoise potatoes and asparagus - all divine!
The beautiful table setting
Easter bunny gift bags and the lemon mouse with a digestive and cinnamon biscuit base which I served in glass mugs so they were almost micro desserts
Johan performed some magic tricks and we then played several games of UNO Flip which was hilarious - it was truly a very joyous and special Easter Sunday.
Sunday, 31 March 2024 was not only Easter Sunday but globally was Transgender Visibility Day (and has been on this day since 2009). As we are all very well aware, Easter falls on a different Sunday each and every year - this year it just coincided with Transgender Visibility Day and the far right and right, Evangelic and Conversative movement in the USA collectively lost their minds, as it was all a big conspiracy and plot of the left and Democratic. What a bunch of baloney! They had tantrums and went on a venom spewing campaign further spreading their hatred and lack of tolerance simultaneously advertising their lack of education, understanding and/or ability to research this international day of recognition and the fact that every year Easter falls on a different Sunday; not always on 31 March.
April is definitely the time for fools to collectively parade their stupidity and ignorance in the USA as on Friday, an earthquake hit parts of the Eastern Seaboard of the USA on Friday (causing no damage, fatalities or injuries) (the hilarious part of the earthquake is that the epicentre was none other than Donald Trump's golf course at Bedminster where his ex wife, Ivanka is buried - that could be fodder for so many theories, conspiracy and otherwise). Instead this was tweeted (tomorrow there is a solar eclipse visible only in parts of the USA):
You cannot make this stuff up! Amazingly Marjorie Traitor Garbage's latest outlandish ignorant tweet was refuted by X which is surprising as its founder is a huge proponent of the far right and only believes in "freedom of speech" when it comes to criticism of himself. Somebody brave at X may have lost their job for refuting this ridiculous tweet but they "took one for the team of Sanity and Intelligence".
The foolishness, unfortunately, continues as reported in this news article https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/misinformation/died-suddenly-anti-vaccine-comedia-heather-mcdonald-rcna72952
A celebrity comedian and podcaster faints and the anti-vaccine misinformation campaign kicks into high gear, and a basketball player collapsed on 12 December 2020 days before the covid vaccines were rolled out and available in the USA but, of course, the anti-vaxxers had to claim his collapse was because of the vaccine. When these claims are found to be false and fake news, the protagonists do not retract their false declarations and make public apologies.
My Dad was a great reader and his reading ranged from newspapers to his scientific text books and publications, to autobiographies, biographies and well written murder mysteries. I have been thinking about him so much this weekend and realised that some of my habits and likes are from me trying to emulate him, developing a love of books and reading from newspapers to well written murder mysteries. Even in Grade 12 at Ithaca High School in the USA I used part of my allowance to buy a subscription to Newsweek magazine, which was the cheaper option as Time magazine was out of my budget. My Dad always listened to the radio and watched the news (he never listened to SABC news either on the radio or tv) , always encouraged an enquiring mind and to be a critical thinker. He would never be indoctrinated or develop a cult-like obsession with any religion, or person. Maybe that came from the fact that he was raised in the Mormon faith before finally being in a position to leave it way behind metaphorically choking on his dust. He would have been horrified at the plethora of conspiracy theories, fake news and propaganda fuelling so much hatred, intolerance, the revolution to evoke women's' rights, and the rising far right and neo-Nazi movements around the globe, but particularly in the USA.
I love crossword puzzles but don't try to tackle the cryptic crosswords which he loved doing and was so brilliant at; I remember solving a cryptic clue for him and he praised me, the thrill of his praise still burns inside me. My day starts with reading the both the Daily Maverick and New York Times newsletter which are in my inbox awaiting my perusal, I may read relevant articles before tackling both the Daily Maverick crossword and the New York Times mini crossword and Wordle. I watch NBC News, BBC News and Sky News, listen to The Daily podcast and like to think I have a broad spectrum of news and views but just like my Dad too, I have zero tolerance for those spewing conspiracy theories, fake news and misinformation, hatred, racial and/or religious intolerance and believe no man should have the right to tell me what should I do with my body.
In other news, summer has suddenly changed from summer to autumn overnight. I am only complaining because I have not yet got my winter clothes out and need to swop my summer wardrobe with my winter one; now I have an incentive to get going with that task as a matter of urgency. We have had and are having some much-needed lovely rains which I am so grateful for.
The week after Easter was quiet for me and I have spent time searching high and low for my motivation to write (its playing a cat and mouse game with me), reading, resting, researching and planning for Europe 2024 and from yesterday building a 1000 jigsaw puzzle of the Amalfi Coast, Italy (naturally!) We did have a great visit from Lindy with her two youngest children on Easter Monday which was awesome and the flowers they brought me are still beautiful and a pleasure to look at.
I also get the weekly newsletter from The New Yorker and from reading that I discovered "Ripley" which was launched / released on Netflix on Friday. Its set in the 1960's and based on Patricia Highsmith's immortal novel, "The Talented Mr Ripley", and stars, amongst others, Andrew Scott as Mr Ripley and Dakota Fanning as Marge Sherwood. It was filmed in both New York and various parts of Italy, and is shown in black and white only which I thought was very atmospheric. There are very mixed reviews about Ripley but I was hooked and was intrigued by this adaptation of the thriller novels, and was particularly impressed by the cinematography and photography. There are 8 episodes which I watched from Friday night through to Sunday so did not quite binge it.
I have had a few days when I have been home all day, today being one of them which is great particularly because of the weather and I am very glad there is no aqua aerobics this week as our instructor is on leave - the thought of getting into a pool, albeit it heated but it is only semi-enclosed to the elements, is enough to make me shiver!
My solitary outings last week were to take shopping to my Mom, and to see Roxy in her new salon and enjoy a blow-dry pampering there. Saturday was a very social day for me - in the morning I had a lovely late breakfast and catch up with Maure at Buitengeluk in Broadacres. It was a sunny and warm day, perfect to sit outside enjoying the beautiful grounds of Buitengeluk. It was incredibly busy with at least 4 different baby showers, a couple of bridal showers, birthday parties and a wedding and we expected a wait but our coffees, water and our food were delivered in very short time and service was top-notch. We were so impressed and had a fabulous time. Breezed home to quickly pick up Johan before heading to Silver Birch at Lifestyle for coffee and catch up with Angie together with her adorable dogs, Giuseppe and Luigi. We had a great time and enjoyed strolling around the show gardens on display. The show gardens are the showcase of the landscaping garden design students of Lifestyle College and when Tristan studied there, there were about 12 show gardens; it was sad to see this year there were only 5 show gardens.
I liked this way of displaying succulents
So pretty!
In other news, Morgan took 3rd spot in a "Mane Mullet Contest" run by Evo Hair on Sunday, 7 April 2024. We are so proud of him and he should be proud of himself too; he said he just did it for the experience and education but it is incredible (and in my biased opinion, very justified) recognition of his talent and ability. #ProudParentMoment
Part of our research for Europe 2024 has revealed that Johan and I will be in Paris for part of Paris Fashion Week for Womenswear Spring/Summer 2025 which is being held from Monday, September 23 to Tuesday, October 1, 2024 (we land in Paris on 25 September and leave for Rome on 28 September 2024) - clearly we will not be at the fashion week just a fun fact that our visit intercepts this event and you never know who you may see ha ha ha!!
Where I have been:
Tylaz Hair Salon - The Ridge Wellness Centre, 1 Ateljee Street, Randpark Ridge
Buitengeluk - https://www.buitengeluk.co.za/
Silver Birch Restaurant - https://www.thesilverbirch.co.za/
What have I been listening to?
Podcasts:
Inconceivable Truth
Mr Ballane Podcast
Murder 101
Murder in the Hollywood Hills
Something was Wrong
The Anthrax Threat
The Daily
The Damage Report
The Meidas Touch
The Mushroom Cook
The Trial of Constance Martens and Mark Gordon
Three
Unreliable Witness
What have I been reading? What am I reading?
"Dear Dolly on love, life and friendship..." by Dolly Alderton
Audible:
Dreamland by Sam Quinones
What have I been watching?
My usual bubblegum shows so I can decompress and not think; and just be entertained
Monsieur Spade
Alert Missing Persons Unit
Sugar
Elsbeth
Netflix:
Ripley
American Conspiracy : The Octopus Murders
Love, light and blessings and may you have a fabulous week and ....
Barbara
"Ladies and gentlemen of the class of '99
Wear sunscreen
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it
A long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists
Whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable
Than my own meandering experience, I will dispense this advice now
Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth, oh, never mind
You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth
Until they've faded, but trust me, in 20 years, you'll look back
At photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now
How much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked
You are not as fat as you imagine
Don't worry about the future
Or worry, but know that worrying
Is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing Bubble gum
The real troubles in your life
Are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind
The kind that blindsides you at 4 p.m. on some idle Tuesday
Do one thing every day that scares you
Saying, don't be reckless with other people's hearts
Don't put up with people who are reckless with yours
Floss
Don't waste your time on jealousy
Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind
The race is long and in the end, it's only with yourself
Remember compliments you receive, forget the insults
If you succeed in doing this, tell me how
Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements
Stretch
Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life
The most interesting people I know
Didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives
Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don't
Get plenty of calcium
Be kind to your knees
You'll miss them when they're gone
Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't
Maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't
Maybe you'll divorce at 40, maybe you'll dance the 'Funky Chicken'
On your 75th wedding anniversary
Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much
Or berate yourself either
Your choices are half chance, so are everybody else's
Enjoy your body, use it every way you can
Don't be afraid of it or what other people think of it
It's the greatest instrument you'll ever own
Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your own living room
Read the directions even if you don't follow them
Do not read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly
Get to know your parents, you never know when they'll be gone for good
Be nice to your siblings, they're your best link to your past
And the people most likely to stick with you in the future
Understand that friends come and go
But a precious few, who should hold on
Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle
For as the older you get
The more you need the people you knew when you were young
Live in New York City once but leave before it makes you hard
Live in northern California once but leave before it makes you soft
Travel
Accept certain inalienable truths
Prices will rise, politicians will philander, you too, will get old
And when you do, you'll fantasize that when you were young
Prices were reasonable, politicians were noble
And children respected their elders
Respect your elders
Don't expect anyone else to support you
Maybe you have a trust fund, maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse
But you never know when either one might run out
Don't mess too much with your hair
Or by the time you're 40 it will look 85
Be careful whose advice you buy but be patient with those who supply it
Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past
From the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts
And recycling it for more than it's worth
But trust me on the sunscreen"
Fun fact:
43% |
... the percentage of all smartphones in 2010 that were Blackberries. By 2013 this was 5.9% |
Feeling overwhelmed? Here are eight simple techniques to help you find your balance:
▪Deep breaths: Take a moment to inhale deeply, then exhale slowly. Repeat. It’s amazing what a few deep breaths can do.
▪Prioritise: Make a to-do list and prioritise tasks. Tackle the most important ones first and don’t sweat the small stuff.
▪Move your body: Whether it’s a walk in the park, a yoga session or a dance party in your living room, getting your body moving can help release tension.
▪Disconnect: Step away from your devices for a bit. Unplug, unwind, and give your mind a break from constant stimulation.
▪Practise gratitude: Take a moment each day to reflect on what you’re grateful for. It can shift your perspective and help you focus on the positive.
▪Set boundaries: Learn to say no when you need to. Don’t overcommit yourself, and don’t be afraid to set boundaries to protect your time and energy.
▪Mindfulness: Practise being present in the moment. Pay attention to your thoughts and feelings without judgement. Mindfulness can help reduce stress and increase awareness.
▪Seek support: Don’t be afraid to reach out to friends, family or a professional if you’re feeling overwhelmed. Sometimes talking about it can make all the difference.
Finding balance isn’t always easy, but these techniques can help you navigate life’s ups and downs with a little more ease. You’ve got this!
