Wednesday

Ziva demanded attention quite aggressively in the early hours of the morning. She would burrow under the duvet and I’d feel her claws on the inside of my thigh – not that she was clawing, but they ARE at the end of her paws. Poor mippies don’t understand why I desert them all day, and don’t play with them all the time while I’m home.

I fell asleep fairly easily and woke up – thanks to Ziva – just before the alarm went off. It’s now set for quarter past five. I had coffee, got dressed, played with mippies and went to work.

When we collected the desk from my home on Monday, our driver took a shortcut back to Rosslyn – I was able to try that this morning, what a time-saver! I avoid a whole chunk of the bumper-to-bumper traffic! Unfortunately, it’s not quite as useful on the way home, since I would have to cross the main road – and when there is traffic, I could end up standing there for a long time. I’ll have to work out which times traffic is high and which times it’s low. Like in the mornings, if I leave before six, I have no problem getting onto that main road, but just after six, it’s a wait.

Bit of an iffy at work: one of the guys came to work without his safety boots. Not acceptable – strictly speaking, I should send him home. We don’t have spare boots for him for today, and our SHE Rep compromised by ensuring he do light work only. His boots got muddy and he cleaned them, but they weren’t dry, yet, this morning. But our management got wind of it, so our HR was all eagerness to discipline – he got let off with a verbal warning … but now he keeps looking at me like I’m a snitch! I’ve definitely lost some trust points with the staff – but frankly, I’m not here to be liked, so I’m okay with that.

Ironically, the same HR lady was later arguing that, as management, they shouldn’t have to wear safety shoes when they go into the factory … I’m hoping that wasn’t meant seriously.

At lunch time, I took a look at making sourdough – cor, that’s quite an involved process! https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-your-own-sourdough-starter-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-47337 I didn’t realise that! It looks like a lot of fun, though, so I’ll definitely give it a try, when I have some time. It will have to wait until I’m more settled, though. I was hoping to start making bread by next weekend – ha ha ha! Yeah, I had no clue! I’ll have to get to Pretoria East at least once a month to buy bread, unless I can find something decent out here in the North.

I’ve never been much of a baker, as I’m also not much of a cake or cookie eater (well, that changed, thanks to Butterfly Creations!) but I’ve now come around to eating bread every day, which I never used to unless I had to.

When I got home, I spent the first hour with my mippies. Shame, Ziva’s neck is looking really awful at the moment, since she’s torn off the scab and it’s all red. I cleaned it again. I’m wondering if I need to put her in the cone of shame? I hope not, she’s somewhat unsettled by the current restrictions to her lifestyle already, needing lots of reassuring that it isn’t punishment and that I still love her as much as ever.

When I scooped the litter box, nobody strolled across my back – I feel somewhat rejected! But as soon as I finished Lady Jane used it, so that made up for it. Someone’s been sick during the day – but someone else cleaned it up, I just saw a slight mark on the grass mat. And someone also had the runs and didn’t quite make it to the litter box in time.

I cut myself three dianthums and two carnations, all of which were in bloom – now I have some flowers on the kitchen table. Ziva clearly chafes at the confinement. When I went to the lounge to go out for a smoke, she came running through! I had to carry her back into the passage and close the door on her – she’s quite clever, yet without any malice. She made no trouble when I carried her back. I keep telling them ‘soon, my darlings!’ Hopefully they made the connection – I also said soon about the passage, the kitchen and the lounge. But it’s still a week and a half before Ziva can go out … I sometimes think she wants to get out, so she can find her way back to our old life – not away from me or even this place, but to the life where she could roam and play and get her tummy tickled by Rose and when I was always home.

This rain has really been a blessing – not only for my garden, but it has been pleasantly cool these past two days. Practically bearable temperatures, I don’t feel like tearing off all my clothes as soon as I can do so unobserved!

Well, mippies got plenty of attention tonight and as a result, I didn’t do everything I needed to do. I saved some time by eating my dinner cold, rather than heating it up. And since I slept well last night, I don’t have to be in bed by eight – good thing, too, since it’s nearly half past already.