Trials and tribulations of a 1 and a half armed bandit
Apologies for the delay and break in publishing routine. There are a number of mitigating circumstances - my damaged rotator cuff and nerve damage to my shoulder and right arm, a deadline for a secret/not so secret project, and the daily lights off/lights on situation we have to navigate around in South Africa.
My damaged shoulder and nerves are in recovery but its still a process which calls for patience (which is neither a name I was christened with nor a virtue I was blessed with) and being very aware of not "doing stupid sh*t" which is hard as most of that "stupid sh*t" is natural reflexes like closing the car boot with my right hand and arm, throwing the ball to Cinnamon and Elmo with my right hand and arm, pulling a plug out of the socket with my right arm - guess what I am right hand dominant and it sure does show and hurt! I am endeavouring to be cautious and asked for help loading the groceries into the trolley at the supermarket over the weekend as I was on my own and the bags were heavy and I was not looking for more trouble and pain - bad enough that being rendered a 1 and a half-armed bandit is all due to being assaulted by a full 2 litre bottle of Coca cola! I am learning to throw the ball to Cinnamon and Elmo with my left hand and leave groceries and the dog food in the boot of the car for Johan to retrieve. I am still strapped up a la trussed chicken-mode and thankfully this second round of strapping does not appear to have given my skin a reaction. I am continuing to have an intense and incredible physio session once a week with Bronwyn Cocks who is phenomenal and while giving me exquisite torture, causes me to remember to practice the art of deep breathing - never a bad thing.
My sleep is suffering from a number of factors (coke bottle assault being one of them).
Last week I was under pressure to submit my "Secret Project" which meant, thanks to Eishkom, the disruptive loadshedding and loadshitt*ng working till after midnight or up very early - the "Secret Project" is now someone's else responsibility for now and I will soon embark on the next phase of this top-secret (think 007) project. This morning I was awake at 5.30am - Elmo needed to go outside and I needed to have a cuppa before we were deprived of electricity from 6am; I also wanted to write this blog. I wrote the introductory paragraph before curling up on the couch under the blanket until Johan woke me up with a fresh cuppa at 8am when the power was restored!! Panic stations as I was to check the Boss in on a flight at 8am (for his flight tomorrow morning) - so my early morning good intentions were short-lived so here I am on this Monday evening typing away like a Demon (I used to be called Cruella Deville when I was the Drama Department administrator at Rhodes University as I would freak out one of the lecturers because of my typing speed and being able to type looking at him and talking to him all at the same time!)
It was brilliant having my eldest brother, Nick, here from Ludlow in the UK. He took me to dinner on Valentine's Day at a neighbourhood greek restaurant; we were able to sit outside as it was a lovely evening (weather situation in Jo'burg is that it is either teeming with torrential rain or steaming with heat and humidity). We had a great evening and I really enjoy his company; far too many years of regret of geographical distance between us but you cannot look back at the past (knowing my luck it will cause me to have another whiplash!) rather to focus on the here, now and making memories of the times we are together and improving communications while the oceans, deserts, mountains, rivers and countries separate us.
Nick and my Mom had a few very special days in Cape Town seeing my Aunt (my Mom's sister who is also Barbara but she is always Bala) and her daughter, Janine (my cousin) whose husband sadly lost a short and vicious battle with pancreatic cancer last year.
My Mom (who will be 91 next month), Bala (who is 89 tomorrow, 28 Feb) & Nick at the beautiful Hillcrest Berry Orchard, Stellenbosch
My gorgeous cousin, Janine and Nick
Hillcrest Berry Orchard, Stellenbosch
We reunited with my Mom and Nick on Saturday, 18 February at OR Tambo International Airport. We enjoyed coffee and catching up before Nick went to check in for his international flight back to the UK and we headed for the car and the drive to Bryanston to deliver my Mom safely home to her retirement village.
Airports - always a place of high emotions; arrivals and departures, comings and goings. I distract myself from the emotions and memories by people watching and conjuring up tales of the travellers - especially those who arrive from domestic flights with MOUNTAINS of luggage, 4 dogs etc etc - a travelling circus or perhaps a petting zoo; are they relocating - semigrating in South Africa or ventures to international pastures new?
My sentiments exactly!!!
We spent the last weekend of February 2023 (already!?) visiting Super Sconto, the Italian supermarket in Orange Grove where we bumped into our friend, Colin which was awesome. After not seeing him for years we saw him at the reunion with Paulo the fateful night of the assault by coca-cola bottle and a few weeks later we see him again. We braved pay-day weekend madness at Rosebank Mall - first visit in about 2 years - and lived to tell the tale. It was so busy and I loudly rolled my eyes at a woman walking along texting on her phone - when its snatched out of her hand in a split second and its gone for good she will scream "thief" and bemoan the state of crime in South Africa ..... not her stupidity at walking in a busy mall with her eyes firmly focused on her phone. If its so urgent, take yourself out of the walkways and to a quiet place and quickly send off your message ..... its akin to walking to your car and on your phone messaging or looking for directions to your next stop and the phone is 'poof' goodbye because you cannot wait until you are in your car with the doors locked to send your message or put your destination into google maps. Streetwise is not just a KFC meal special but something we should all be born with especially in South Africa along with that other (sadly far too frequently missing) inner radar = common sense!!
We were reminded in our quiet corner of the globe, our neighbourhood and our complex just how we are living in a country where lives are not valued and crime is a career for far too many people. It was about 10h30 on Thursday morning, Johan and I were both working and Saziso was in the garden hanging up the laundry and BANG there were gunshots - not fireworks not a car backfiring but real gunshots ..... it felt as though the shots were fired in our garden; thankfully they were not and Saziso was fine. There had been an armed robbery at the Food Lovers Market at Lifestyle Centre and the robbers fired shots as they departed the scene of the crime (which is very close us and because of the terrain those shots echoed).... not fun and Saziso will often go to Food Lovers Market in the middle of a day to buy something for herself or for us. Thankfully nobody was injured though the staff and patrons were obviously terrorised - a horrible reminder how we can never be too complacent no matter where you are in the world.
Breakfast and a long overdue catch up with Lovely Lindy was the perfect start to a Sunday; we enjoyed ice-creams in cones with my Mom (after having been sent on a shopping expedition to buy said ice-cream) and that was the weekend in the bag.
Where I have been in the last 2 weeks (not many places) - My personal tips and spots around Jo'burg -
Super Sconto - Italian Food Centre - http://www.supersconto.co.za/ - all things Italian including a divine deli and coffee shop upstairs
Silver Birch Cafe - Lifestyle Centre, http://www.thesilverbirch.co.za/
Readers Warehouse - Lifestyle Centre, https://www.readerswarehouse.co.za/ - my go-to for buying new books at prices which don't cost your organs, limbs, your home, car etc
Lifestyle Centre - the show gardens are currently on and worth a visit and gander; I always remember Tristan's end of study's show garden at the annual Lifestyle College show gardens 8 years ago.
One of this year's show gardens : the show gardens are open, free to the public until May 2023
Dr Jawaad Akabor - twice in a fortnight; I need loyalty points due to my frequent visitor status there lately due to some essential dental restructuring work taking place thanks to be abscess ordeal of last year; hands down, gums dropping, teeth and tongue clapping for The Very Best Dentist in Jo'burg - charming, caring, gentle, nurturing and just brilliant ..... he cured my paralysing heart palpitating fear and terror of dentists and that is no mean feat. He is based in Douglasdale, Fourways so its a mission to get to him but so worth it - 011 465 8442
Physio, work, Nicolway Shopping Mall, Rosebank Mall, The Village (my Mom's retirement village), OR Tambo Airport (I am NOT plugging the place where we had coffee - very underwhelming and exorbitant), my local little neighbourhood shopping centre
What have I been reading/are reading?
Finding Me - by Viola Davis her biography (kindly loaned to me by Zen) - almost finished reading it and then I will watch the documentary on Netflix about her which Lindy kindly told me about
What have I been watching on the small screen?
Vera - my favourite British detective is back with a new season
Call the Midwife - such a superior BBC series which I have watched for 12 years; tonight's' season finale made me cry and its based on true events over the years
The Apprentice UK - every week I cringe at the lack of logic, talent, business skills, knowledge of the contestants on this show and yet I return for more each week; and
Million Dollar Listing LA -
The Gold - another excellent BBC series inspired by true events surrounding the 1983 Brink's-Mat robbery; I really hope there is a season 2
Pointless - BBC brilliant quiz show
Four Good Days - a harrowing movie brilliantly produced and starring Glenn Close and Mila Kunis. This movie is based upon a 2016 article published in the Washing ton Post and written by Eli Saslow, "How's Amanda? A Story of Truth, Lies and an American Addiction.
Watch the movie trailer here :
What have I been listening to?
The Damage Report
Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - who is still following and reporting in real time on the murder trial of a Southern lawyer who is charged with the murder of his wife and one of his sons; there are a number of interlocking stories of how he embezzled money from so many of his clients, other murder mysteries and experiences beyond anyone's wildest imagination and this last week there was a bomb threat at the courthouse - yip, you cannot make this stuff up!
Scamfluencers
Something was Wrong - more and more tales of people leading double lives, scams, fake identities and professions, abuse and so many examples of the sad state of the world and how depraved and disgusting some people are.
Stolen Hearts - British podcast which as Zen pointed out to me British slang has to be explained; the production company of this particular podcast is an American one (Wondery who always produce top-class fact-checked (proper fact-checking not fake news checking) and polished podcasts).
And as thunder rolls in the inky darkness of the night skies I bid you adieu and goodnight till the next time .....
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