Lock-down Day 61

Mippies wanted to get up early, but it's so cold, I resisted until about seven. Then, first, I picked up everything they had pushed and pulled off the bed in their attempt to bully me into getting out from under the warm duvet!

Mewly came back before eight, followed by Ziva and Mini, so I shut them in and went off to get my milk. I was so early, they hadn't filled my bottles, yet - and gave me one of the standard bottles.

I got somewhat busy today, first preparing bread dough, then preparing dough for another batch or two of cookies. I used up the last dough to bake 6 last cookies - I'm eating them almost as fast as I can bake them! They are really lovely! Oh, nowhere near as lovely as the Choc-Oat-Delights from Rose's daughter - but then, I'm not much good at baking and she's a professional! I miss those cookies! I wonder whether she's started online-shopping for them now?

Remember when this blog site had gone all funny? And it took me a day or so to get back to normal? Well, this morning there was a notification that 'funny' is the new layout. So I decided to change over to that and get used to it. It's not so bad - just that I don't like change.

With the continued ban on cigarette sales and limited lift on the ban on alcohol sales, I was wondering when someone would analyse the financial implications. BusinessTech did an article - and it looks bad, very, very bad!

I'm glad to see that FITA is going ahead with their court case, after BAT dropped us smokers :) As soon as they could manufacture and export, they withdrew their case. FITA, who can also manufacture and export, did not withdraw. Dlamini-Zuma claims she's ready! Personally, I have a very bad feeling about this. I hope I'm wrong, but I have a very strong suspicion that she's going to have the sale of cigarettes banned permanently. From the few comments she has made so far, it appears that her 'scientific documentation' is all related to the effect of smoking on health in general - nothing whatsoever linking to COVID-19. Only the fact that the coronavirus attacks the respiratory system. And considering how little is still known about this virus, that's tenuous to say the least - which should mean that the court case should be a slam dunk in favour of lifting the ban ... especially as there ARE also scientific documents claiming that nicotine actually helps fight the virus. But where our government is concerned, justice rarely prevails.

The Coronacast was interesting again! I like that the DA make every effort to provide information, and also open platforms for us to ask questions - which they then make every effort to answer! Interestingly enough, they mentioned that today on the Coronacast as well - how, as a result of this pandemic, by looking for alternative means to communicate, they've actually found a goldmine! Not their words, but mine. As a result ALL political meetings and discussions are now open to the public IN THE COMFORT of our own homes! I certainly never attended a council meeting before! And this also means that politicians can more easily be held accountable! Politics are more transparent! I sure am enjoying this!

They also said that they won't be contesting the ban on the sale of cigarettes, they will apply their resources to cases fighting for those, who don't have the resources to fight for themselves. They are a political party, not a business. The tobacco industry has the financial resources to fight for their rights - the hungry being denied hot food from soup kitchens, do not. I fully agree with that. Also, by contesting the legality / constitutionality of so many of the restrictions - like the curfew, the 3-hour exercise window - they ARE fighting for our human rights, which includes our right to buy cigarettes.

He also said that, personally, he is convinced that there is something fishy about upholding that specific ban. There is definitely something going on that hasn't yet come to light.

The rest of the Coronacast was just as interesting, going into the details of Level 3, how they plan on treating Hot Spots, etc.

Well, I baked yet another batch of cookies tonight. The bread didn't rise properly - again, even though half the flour was from a new packet. I didn't bother to shape it much, just left it in a round lump and baked it. I'll have a slice tomorrow for breakfast. For tea I enjoyed my chicken. Mewthos smelled something yummy, so I shared a few pieces of chicken with my mips!

You'll be happy to hear that I've also started processing the photos. I've only started by selecting the ones I'd like to upload - I'm at September 2019 now, still have the following months worth of photos to look through. I've grouped them by month, so I'll upload them by month. What I'll do is, I'll date the post for the last day of the relevant month and I'll post a link in my current post to the photo post(s). You won't be missing out, I promise!

The next step, of course, is to edit each photo. I take photos at highest possible resolution, which makes for a very large file - which I can't upload. So, I open each photo in my photo program, crop it, maybe touch it up a little, then save it as a low-resolution, small file; which I can then upload. But yeah, it takes a lot of time. So there may still be some waiting for you ...

Hmm ... interesting article from the black tobacco farmers, who claim government has made a deal with the devil by continuing the ban.

Mippies came in nice and early, Lady Jane a little later but still in time for a the second treat. And then Mewthos went into play mode! He just LOVES to play catch, lately! Sits and mewls and when I get up, he runs off and I must follow and catch him! He's learned that in the lounge, I can't really get to him, so I leave again ... now he runs into the kitchen or the bathroom mostly, where I can catch him. Pick him up, hold him, cuddle him until he wriggles to be let down ... and starts again!

Our president is addressing us again, I missed the beginning and then saw that it was a call for a National Day of Prayer ... I listened anyway, but when he started saying how 'the faith has fed the hungry' I had to switch it off in disgust! Yes, religious organisation have TRIED to feed the hungry - but the ANC confiscated the food and made it illegal! Only when the DA took them to court were they allowed to feed people again! And I don't believe any of the confiscated food was ever returned! Pretty much the same applies to EVERY effort churches and other religious charities have made to help the most vulnerable! I just couldn't listen to that ...

On a personal note, I'm still struggling with temperatures ... one minute I'm hot, the next I'm cold. Same thing all night long. It's like one of my mippies is playing with my internal thermostat :) 

I had just finished typing that last sentence ... when the PC crashed! Not in the normal way - where it flashes the blue screen, and then comes back on. No, it fuzzed the whole screen, then cleared the fuzz but everything was frozen ... eventually I switched it off. Only ... it wouldn't switch back on! It would start switching on, then go off again, start again, off again, on and on and on and on. I figured, okay - I'll look at it tomorrow ... but then my mind went on a tangent! See, those photos? They are ONLY on the PC now! I haven't backed them up, yet, and I also cleared them off the camera ... That's all the photos I took from October last year! What if they are all gone? What if ... what if ... what if ...

No chance of sleep with that buzzing around my mind, so I got up again and did the only thing I CAN do: Open the PC and clean it! I did just a rough job, since I really just need it to work again so I can sleep in peace ... do a thorough job tomorrow. Nope! It still wouldn't work. So, I opened it again and cleaned as carefully but thoroughly as I could! The dust bunnies had been at it like bunnies, giving me a lot of work! As you can see, I was successful and my PC is working again! BIG RELIEF!

I'll definitely process those photos tomorrow!  At least until they're all backed up!

Now it's nearly ten and I'll be glad to go to sleep ...