Lock-down Day 23

Pain free! Well, relatively, not completely free, but bearable! Awesome! I could even drink coffee without triggering a wave of pain - I'm happy!

I'm back on the cigarette rationing trip, which I've relaxed somewhat this past week. In PE I used to smoke between 40-60 a day, then, when I moved here that cut at least in half. I budget a carton a week - that's 10 packs for 7 days, which is where I'm at now. I still have 2 cartons left - which is plenty to take me through to the end of April ... but: what if lock-down is extended again? Which I think will happen. There's talk of keeping the alcohol ban in place beyond lock-down ... and that could also include the cigarette ban. It's a financial shot in the foot - as our 'sin tax' on both is exorbitant, and they need money now more than ever ... yet, at the same time, the ban on alcohol is relieving hospitals: drastic drop in alcohol related trauma; but, at the same time an increase in gender-related violence. I don't know what's going to happen ... so, I think it would be best, if I prepare for the worst. Sigh.

Okay, back to the happy. I just strolled through the whole house, trying to decide what I want to do ... 

After much consideration, I made a plain white bread dough, 900 gram. From that, I made 6 rolls and rolled the rest as flat as I could, then filled it with bacon, mozzarella and tomatoes - yes, the same as last time. Why mess with perfection? Oh, and because the bacon was reaching its expiry date ... well, it's passed a while back, but still. And then the rot-waste in the fridge was full again and I vacuum packed it ... sigh, it never occurred to me that I'd end up using up my precious (=expensive) vacuum bags on rubbish! To pack my waste! It's seriously wasteful! Ah, well ... at least I've come up with a solution to a fairly serious problem.

And I'm happy to announce that the long awaited Episode 2 of Spring-cleaning is finally available! After a lot of thought, I decided to start with the shower - it's the worst of the jobs I still have to do in the bathroom! I'm steam cleaning the walls and floor - a really unpleasant job! The worst part, of course, is scrubbing the tiles high up, which I can't reach. So I'm using a scrubbing brush on a stick, then wipe the tiles afterwards standing on the foot stool - which is wobbly in the shower, because the floor isn't level, of course - it slants down towards the drain.

I'm sticking to my cigarette schedule. One per hour. The last 15-10 minutes are the longest - but I'm sticking to it. I'm scared that I'll get ill again, though. Last time I went through this, I got so sick, I wished I could die! I've never been this sick before, ever. I've just looked up the known withdrawal symptoms - and none of the symptoms match what I went through. Perhaps it was simply a coincidence? I sure hope so - I do NOT want to go through that again. But I'm resolved to go through it, if necessary.

Funny thing, I was sure that fear of going through that again would keep me on the path to quitting ... of course, then I got held up at gun point, and all effort went out the window. Within a month, I was smoking 30-50 a day again. This time, I'd like to make it stick. Partly, in case cigarettes will remain banned - but even if not, money will be tight, if I buy fewer cigarettes, I'll get out of the red faster. Also: the sooner I can afford chocolates again :)

The numbers are getting worse: 100k tested, 2783 confirmed, 903 recovered, 50 deaths.

On a personal note: I'm still pain free! And no longer feeling lethargic - quite active, actually. Well, compared to every day this week, so far! Grin ... until now ... now I've sat down at the PC, and I'm having trouble re-motivating myself into continuing in the bathroom!

Still pain free, though! Really happy about that!

I'm about half done with the shower - it's a big job. First I spray bathroom cleaner - one that supposedly dissolves calcium & soap build-ups. Let it soak. Scrub the tiles with a brush. Wash them off with hot water and a cloth. Steam the tiles, wash that off ... I do about half a meter at a time. And the tiles go all the way up to the ceiling - so, the top layer, I don't spray, because I can't reach all the way to wash off. I just steam clean, then use a brush on a stick, then wash as best I can. Ideally, I'd love to simply rinse the whole shower with a hosepipe afterwards ... 

I usually do a thorough steam clean and scrub of any place before I move in - this time, I didn't. The shower has been bothering me for a while. I usually like it sparkling clean ... but with 4 cats, I've learned to relax my standards. Funny, that, isn't it? With my being such a slob about washing dishes ... 

Anyway. In case you're wondering: No, I haven't been showering in a filthy shower all this time! And this isn't the first time I'm cleaning it, either - it's just the first time I'm thoroughly spring-cleaning it. Something I normally only do once - when I move in. But I usually also have time to do that, project work rarely starts full-time right away. I've always had at least a month - this time, I barely had a full week!

Almost six, now it's too dark to see properly. Time to call it a day and continue tomorrow. On the whole, it's been a very good day! It's amazing what a difference it makes, when you're able to accomplish something. It works like a pick-me-up.

Sat outside, mippies came fairly soon after I called - always a relief! I'm giving them one sachet and the second half of chicken in gravy. No complaints. They're all curled up on the bed - except for Mewthos. He curled up on the bath mat - his current favourite spot! Until I switched the light on in the bathroom, then he moved to the shelf next to me. Mini is finally curling up close to my mippies - they're not yet touching, but getting there! There's still the occasional hissing - but that's mostly Mini being naughty! She likes to tease the big cats!

Well, it's been a good day! I'm sure I'll have a good night and I'll have another good day tomorrow! I hope.