Effed up Friday

I got a call from the boss' wife last night. My boss is in hospital with appendicitis. I must please get in touch with At and find out what's going on, if he's coming, I'm to pick him up & take him home.

Aaaand, power went off. At work! And I'm on my own ... I checked the area, everybody is off. Nobody knows why. Well, the only neighbour I can ask doesn't know. I call the boss' wife - promises to call back right away. Boss is home, though in pain.

An hour and a half later, no call back, but the power came back. So, I called. Sigh ... I'd been hoping for an early Friday ... especially for the long weekend!

Sunday is a public holiday: 1st May = Workers Day. And in South Africa, if a public holiday falls on a Sunday, Monday is a public holiday as well.

I'll be leaving at two, since I have to take At home. Which is an hour out of my way ... good thing I decided last night that I wouldn't mow today, eh?

I'm no longer keen on clearing the section under the Jacaranda tree, now. It's turned into a 'must'. I don't know ... I'd better get it done, though, as some of the weeds are already quite tall ...

Well, I pulled all the tall weeds out. Nothing left taller than my knee, now! Looks a lot better - I'm not overly bothered, though. It's good enough. Now I can do what I feel like ...

I've just listened to a debate of the three candidates for ward Councilor. Interesting. Now I'm ready to settle down ... cuddle mippies ... they all joined me on the bed last night!

That was my view last night. Mini curled up in my arms. When I sat up to take this photo, she gave me a look:

"Why you get up? We was comfy!" My adorable Mini! She is such a snuggle bug!

Thursday like Monday

I crawled out of bed around six. I had put my work clothes next to my pillow, so I 'changed' under the duvet. That does make a difference, though I suppose it's a little childish, eh? Something kids would do. But then again, kids don't always put 'perception' before practicality. They're less worried about what people would think ... small kids, that is. Teenagers are a whole different bag of tricks!

I quickly went to get groceries. Skipped the butchery, as I don't need cheese - meat is too expensive from them.

At Spar, all the chocolate bars are broken ... so I'm getting different flavours. I usually prefer the plain milk chocolate. Today, I'm settling for dark chocolate, milk & white, and white chocolate. Sigh ...

Oranges on special, so I get a half bag. With another long weekend ahead, I'll be able to make some fresh orange juice ... and dry the pips to grow my own tree. They also have seedless grapes - who wants fruit without the toy? Ha ha! They're also expensive, so ... nope. I get a bit of meat - I'll make another stew on Monday, for next week.

My head is, once again, in my garden. I really wish I could already harvest from my garden for the kitchen ... the garden is so big, and it's such a lot of work just to keep the weeds manageable ... sigh ... 

My Facebook feed is completely overrun by ads. Either 'sponsored' or 'suggested for you' or whatever ... clearly, they are keeping record of what I look at, since most of the ads are actually interesting. Loads and loads and loads of 'simply garden ideas', 'grow to eat', 'sustainable vegetable gardening', etc.

Back at home, carry on under the Jacaranda tree. The mosquitoes are unbelievable! I've sprayed myself with eau-de-buzz-off, but they don't get the message. I'm as punctured as a pin cushion - ring around my ankles, all along my arm, even on my head! Surreal!

I did get a patch cleared, though. Looking at the back lawn, after mippies came inside and got their treats, I think I can get away with skipping mowing tomorrow. I'd much rather get that section cleared, so I can move on to something else. I have something in mind ...

Creative day off

I got up very late again. It's quite cold this morning. I think I should put warm clothes nearby, so I can snuggle into them before I leave the warmth of the duvet.

I've loaded electricity. I'm using less than my monthly budget, so far. With winter coming, that may change, though. Instead of a quick fry, I now re-heat stew for dinner - that uses more electricity. Good thing I don't rely on heaters, eh? Couldn't afford using any ...

Smeagol has my mippies cornered ... the ladies inside, and Mewthos next to the compost heap ... walking out there with my bedroom slippers? Not nice. Everything is wet, but ... gotta save Mewthos! Off I go, walking Smeagol to the back, so Mewthos can dash into the house in front.

Janey keeps hopping onto my lap for cuddles. That makes typing a little tricky. Mewthos has been dragging his twirly everywhere - I keep finding it in the oddest places!

I've also made a decision last night: regardless of the list of 'musts', I will make time to do something creative. And to make sure I stick to my resolve, I've started with that. I also spent time last night trying to think of WHAT I should make. It should be something purely decorative, without any purpose - that took a while to wrap my head around, ha ha! The whole point of creative is to overcome my continued need to be productive at all times.

I finally came up with the idea of shaping leaves with the modelling clay. An easy shape, even I should manage. And when they're dry, I can paint them.

I also resolved to eat better. Put more effort into my well being, rather than the garden. I can't afford to buy more expensive food, but I CAN cook! In line with that, I've chopped up the cherry tomatoes from my garden - inspecting each piece carefully, as I now have a fear of crawlies (having seen one crawl out of one tomato, just once - but that was enough!). I added lemon balm, thyme and rosemary, then topped up with fruit juice and added rice. That should stretch it long enough.

I've also decided to make rolls again, for a change. Maybe I'll add some cheese, maybe I won't.

The thyme in the garden is doing very well! Lots of sprigs and sprouts growing. I'm hoping it will survive winter without aid ...

I've just re-read my blog from last year - as I suspected, I didn't need to mow every Friday by this time, no rain, everything drying, fully autumn ready for winter. Whereas this year, everything is still sprouting, growing, green!

I've copped out of the bread rolls. I'm baking a loaf in the machine, after all. Instead, I carefully packed away the Spanspek seeds, then harvested the two bell peppers - one yellow, one red; though, of course, they're still green - cut them up and added them to the stew, and spread their seeds on separate paper towels to dry.

Mewthos lured me outside for a tummy tickle session. He really takes care of me, getting me out of the house, into the sun, on days when I seem to be indoors too much. He comes to me, wherever I am, mewls until I get up to cuddle him, then won't let me catch him until we're outside, in the sun! My darlings! All of them!

Now I'm cleaning the kitchen. Working in hot water always triggers hot flashes ... so, this morning I was wearing three tops, each warmer than the next - and now I'm sitting with a summer top. And my feet are cold. Sigh ...

I finally cleaned the tunnel! It's been gathering dust and mud for nearly a year and a half, ever since I put it up over the spinach and carrots! It's blown off its frame, got dragged through the mud, blown off again ... until it was practically brown! Now I can see through it again! I currently use it on the veranda, to protect the Litchi, as well as all the trees still in their pots.

When I was done cleaning, I built another little water puddle thing - can't think of a proper name for it, right now. I used six bricks, placed them inside a refuse bag in a rectangle. The refuse bag holds the water and the bricks also raise the tunnel, just enough so the Litchi trees have room on top.

That's half the tunnel. The other half still has bottles in a box, and the other Litchi pot at the end.

With all the bottles cleared off the table, I will have to resist the temptation to re-fill the table, ha ha ha! The whole point of this construction was, of course, to simplify watering! Now, I only need to fill the 'bowl', and each bottle can draw water from it. Eliminating the need to water every single bottle.

I was taking a break, watching an episode, when Janey came in with a hoppy! She has a special mewl, whenever she brings prey inside and wants me to come help her / play with her. All mippies came to see what she brought ... even Smeagol came half-way through the window! Until Mini insisted he leave, ha ha! He's somewhat wary of her. It was a new sight, seeing Smeagol half-way in my bedroom!

I went to sit on the veranda for a bit. I held out for quite a while, before the weeding bug took hold. I started clearing around the Jacaranda tree again. I don't think I should bother trying to mow in that area - the Jacaranda seeds, bits of bark and branches ... just keep falling. I'll never be able to keep the ground clear of those - and I can't mow with all that on the ground there. I'll just have to keep clearing it, to avoid the weeds from getting out of hand, that's all. It's not a major job. Okay, so I can't get all the roots out. So what? Just keep it under control ...

Time now to sit back, relax, cuddle mippies before I go to sleep ...

Still wet and dark, though the lights are on

Getting out of bed was a bit of a struggle - because now, in the mornings, it is cold. Getting out of a warm bed in the cold is not so nice - yet, in the evenings it is so hot, I take off everything and keep the fan going! Weird, eh?

I think I'll spend most of tomorrow reducing the mowing effort again. Although, I have to confess, I'm getting a little tired of it ... but it makes such a big difference, when I do mow! I just have to keep reminding myself that soft ground is rare - I should take advantage, as much as I can!

I'm also trying to come up with some means of earning extra income. So far, I have a lot of ideas, but none of them are realistic. Or practical.

Back at home, I carry on clearing as planned. The mosquitoes are seriously getting to me, though - I feel like the roast at Christmas dinner! Everyone is just tucking in, sucking me dry! Right through my clothes - I'm slapping myself silly here!

Back inside, re-heating my stew for dinner, then I'll sit back to relax a while ... cuddling mippies ...

Dark, wet awakening

Power went off during the night. I estimate around five. We had quite a bit of unexpected rain during the night.

Gas bottle out. Coffee. Off to work. Heavy traffic. Late for work.

Oh, nice! My shoestring budgeting is finally paying off! I'm completely out of the red this month! Oh, I've not gone into the red permanent - I just had to use my credit card at the end of the month, then top it up after pay-day. This month, I have enough left in my savings account to avoid that. I've paid my rent and topped up my credit card ... I'll buy electricity on Wednesday.

Of course, now I'm tempted to get some of the items I've had to move to the 'luxury' list, as a result ... 

Oh golly! Major cloudburst at work - hopefully all is well at home!?! I cannot handle another flooding!

I got a call from my neighbour, asking how he can get into my property to look at the geyser ... sorry, I gave my landlord the spare remote. If he's lost it, then he'll have to make a plan.

Aaaand ... the threat of load shedding is once again hanging low! Eishkom warns they may be forced to implement load shedding again at short notice. Sheez! At least that won't affect me tonight - unless they jump right into Stage 4; they usually ease us in with Stage 2.

Aaaand power off again! Not load shedding, just went off again ... reported. Again.

I finally updated my details on one of my policies ... as a result, I'm now paying more. That wasn't the plan ... sigh ... 

Power is back on. Again. No load shedding announced ... yet ... wanna bet that'll happen between five and six? Peak usage time in homes? Sigh ...

Back at home, busy, busy, busy. Daily chores, then a bit of weeding. With the new rain - just over 10 mm - I've decided to continue cleaning the mowing area. I'm working a patch I already mow - though with great difficulty. I have to go over it, back and fourth, quite a lot. It is covered in little stubs of tough grass - so hard, they're almost like branches! Space-wise, I didn't get very far - in the less-than-half-hour available before dark. But every bit helps!

It looks like they've replaced the geyser. Small issue, just tonight: it's now full of cold water, so it's going to take a lot longer to get hot water for my bath. I don't have time to wait too long, so a luke-warm bath tonight. I'm leaving the geyser on, for a while, at least. Tomorrow night should be better.

As I'm typing this, I have Janey on my lap, kneading my chest, purring happily!

Last night I enjoyed a special moment when Ziva snuggled up to Mini, and Mini gave Ziva a few licks! Those two are usually at loggerheads! I often have Ziva dash past me to get to the top of the bookshelf ... away from Mini, who's usually right behind her!

Right now, Ziva is waiting for me to get on the bed so she can get her cuddle cave ... she's on the night stand. I guess I had better oblige, eh?

Floating mind

Pretty late morning, not sure why. I let mippies out ... Janey stayed curled up on the armchair for a while, then went out. That was over an hour ago and I haven't seen so much as a whisker of her since then! I'm worried. The other three are all inside, only Janey is missing - and she's usually the first one to come back for cuddles. Smeagol is outside, I've given him some attention, and called Janey ... still no sign of her.

There's my Janey! Just came strolling inside! She's covered in black jacks, which means she's been out back. At least she's safe and sound!

I'm not sure what I want to do today. I've cleared all the tall weeds out of the bed next to the back lawn, packed away the laundry. I've decided not to bake bread today. Wednesday is another public holiday, I can bake a loaf then, if I need it. I've made such a lot of stew, I think it'll be enough to keep me going through the week - at work and at home.

Right now, I have Janey on my lap. Actually curled up and napping! Well, not napping. She just wants attention, when I stop, she starts licking my arms, ha ha!

I was allowed a short break, which I used to not just clean the litter boxes, but re-fill them, as well. Now I'm out of litter. And I have Janey back on my lap!

I've cut up the sweet melon and placed the seeds on paper towels. I want to try and sow them in the yellow rose bed, once I've cleaned that again. 

Now I've cut down the tomato plants quite drastically. I'll see how that goes, but it looks much better, at least.

I've no desire to do much else today. Just floating around. I'm faffing around with the cement flower pot - trying to get the cardboard off! Those videos really had me fooled! 'Oh, just pull them off once the cement is hard'. Yeah, right! I've been soaking the block in water half the day, and I'm still trying to claw off bits and pieces.

With nothing much done today, I thought I'd share a photo of my Rosemary. Still hanging in there.

Well, I've cleared the car port as well. Mippies are in, I've showered, lunch is packed, and now I've got Mini wanting her share of my time ...

Chore day

I have a lot of chores to do today, well, cleaning the kitchen will be the biggest chore. I've used a lot of pots and dishes this week.

First, I've put the geyser on and packed all the laundry in the machine.

Now I'm having trouble writing this blog ... sigh ... Aaaand, my geyser is leaking! Pffft! I took a photo and sent it to my landlord. At least the geyser is outside, and not in the roof. That makes things a lot easier. Firstly, no water coming through the ceiling and secondly, he can work on it anytime - I don't have to stay home.

Okay, I don't know what's wrong with this blog now, but I don't have the patience to fiddle around. I'm now writing on a PC document. I'll copy & paste when I have more patience. I'm also having issues with the mouse ... I gently click, it double-clicks. I am just so tired of these issues ...

Just after ten, laundry is hanging, half the dishes are washed ... better get on with it.

Right, most of the dishes are finished and I've cleaned mippies fountain, as I had been promising since the weekend.

And now, finally, I can write live - blog seems to have sorted itself out.

Twenty past twelve, stew is on the go. I've taken some of the washing off the line - and I think I want to clean the flower bed out back today. I'd like something neat to look at from my armchair. I would also like flowers in that bed ... 

Apparently, I have a host of poppies coming up in that bed! Nice! At least something pretty on the way. I'm thinking of starting some more flowers in pots, then plant them out back. I'd like some variety in colours - but, in summer, only very hardy plants can survive in the sun. I'd like carnations and forget-me-not and cornflower and ... and ... and, ha ha ha!

I actually finished the whole bed out back, and even cleared on the side. Then I cleared the Marigold - I just pulled them all out. Last, I chose to pamper my tomatoes again. I think it's time to pull most of them out ... I'll decide tomorrow.

My stew is once again really delicious! 

I didn't take any photos today, so here's a photo of my thyme plant. Looking good, isn't it?

Now I'm just going to take a bath, then go to bed ... sort of. I'll watch another episode or two, cuddle mippies, etc.

Off on tangents

Once again, I woke up very early. Made myself some filter coffee and sat down for a good think ... interrupted, of course, by Ziva, who feels that when I sit on my armchair, it's my duty to scratch her ears, neck, and whatever else she chooses to throw at my hand.

What am I thinking about? Work.

Well, some good news at least: load shedding to be suspended at ten tonight. I'll just have to sit through the six-to-eight darkness first.

I'm trying to figure out how to sell stuff online ... I think I'm just too out of date. I should probably stick to newspaper classifieds.

Back at home, I start mowing. The back is the usual walk-in-the-park. The section outside my bedroom is going smoothly, as well. Lowest setting! Success - all my work there made a big difference! Less than an hour to mow both areas!

The main section, I'm still on the second lowest setting. Some areas I could probably cut at the lowest setting, but I prefer to keep it all at the same level. This area is not really a walk in the park. It's more like an uphill march. I'm able to maintain a steady pace - no shoulder wrenching - which is an improvement over last time! Again, all my work is definitely making a difference!

Which motivated me to carry on with just that, after I mowed what's mowable. Last year I called that area a jungle, and worked diligently to cut it down - with a sickle, with scissors, by any means just to get it down. This year, I want it cleared, not just cut down. And I'm willing to work on that as long as I can. Because that will mean next year I can mow.

I worked until about twenty to six - and then went inside, rushing around to get dinner fried, a bath run ... before the power goes out at six!

I made it just in time!

I bathed. Shared dinner, and then watched another discussion of Star Trek on YouTube. I love hearing different opinions, different views! I just have to keep an eye on data usage ... as, given my present financial situation, I can't afford to buy more.

When the power came back, I turned on the PC and played my audiobook ...

Water thoughts

I got caught up in watching videos of DIY watering systems. Made from plastic bottles. I also stumbled across a video with some really great suggestions on weed control. It was nearly ten when I was sleepy enough ...

All the while, mippies came for their various forms of attention. Mewthos twirled his heart out, Mini washed my arm while snuggling, Ziva threw herself at my hands for a good long time and Janey sat patiently next to my head, waiting her turn.

My biggest watering issue, though, is having to water each pot. I don't have enough water on the veranda to do that. And I don't want to have to carry water to the veranda all the time ... none of those suggestions solved that problem.

I've had a number of ideas myself, but none that really work for me.

Anyway. I went to get groceries. The weather is definitely winterish. Not quite winter, yet, but temperatures are not rising above the low 20s this week. We had nearly 30 on Friday, remember? Yeah ... more rain expected on Sunday, so I got another pack of stewing meat. This time I thought I'd try their 'mixed stew', as it's substantially cheaper than the whole pieces of stewing beef. I've no clue what 'mixed' means. I guess I'll find out, eh? I also got another packet of diced butternut. That's the only produce I'll buy pre-processed - because trying to cut that thing is just too much trouble! ha ha ha!

Here's something to laugh about ...

Unless you're in South Africa, of course. I'm too busy crying ... I'll get to the laughing part, when I'm done ...

If we're lucky, load shedding will drop another Stage after the evening rush. Down to Stage 2. Which means that I can leave my audiobook on PC tonight - first time this week! IF we drop to Stage 2, that is. Otherwise, out go the lights at 02:00 until 04:30 again. Same as last night.

And if we're very lucky, load shedding will be lifted sometime tomorrow - and we have no load shedding over the weekend! Fun, eh?

My head is in my garden again. Trying to solve the watering issue. It's now getting dark so early, I really don't have much time outside. And after all this rain, I would rather use that time to weed, than watering.

Okay, it's confirmed, Stage 2 from ten tonight. So I can leave my audiobook on PC on through the night.

Back to my garden. I think tonight I'll just water. No weeding - no time. Especially with the unpacking I also need to do, even though it isn't much.

Tomorrow, I'll need to mow. Saturday, laundry and cleaning the kitchen. After that, I think I'll try to put a quick-fix together - for now. I'm thinking of going back to the plastic bag, but held in place by bricks again. The cardboard boxes are too limiting, they take too few bottles. Those refuse bags aren't cheap, after all.

When I have that in place, then I can start working on something pretty. First get the functional, then beauty.

I'm thinking of a combination of turning plastic bottles into self-watering pots and cement saucers. Rectangular saucers, holding several bottles.

And, by the way, I've also come up with a solution to the plastic bottle stuck in the cement - in case I can't get it out: a self-watering pot. I'll just use the top, turn it upside down and fit it into the hole, with a string through the lid. Yes, the bottom bottle is redundant - but it's stuck now. Ha Ha!

Back at home, I did water everything. After packing away the groceries. And I still had time to weed - albeit very little time. Facing the mowing tomorrow inspired me to continue removing obstacles to mowing.

Well, tomorrow will be the 'fire test', where I'll see - or rather, feel - just how much effect all this work has. I hope a lot, because I don't have quite as much time now - it gets too dark to see, soon after six, now!

Well, that's today done and dusted.

Woolly Wednesday

Relatively good night, all things considered. As soon as the lights went out, mippies started appearing on the bed. Ziva came for an intense cuddle session - she really throws herself into those! She'll throw herself at my hand, wanting me to scratch everything ... Janey sits on my chest. Mini tries to lick my face, failing that, she'll lick any body part she can reach. And Mewthos? He just strolls around this set and mewls ...

Since power was due to be back by six, I chose not to boil the kettle last night. I had to wait until quarter past, before power came back this morning.

Back at home, I decided to clear thorns out of the back lawn. They're taking over completely, while my attention is on other sections. Some of those roots are really deep! Even with all the rain, I'm struggling to get them out! Leaving a couple of deep holes in the lawn. Mewthos helped! Seeing how much I struggled to get the root out, he peed in the hole just to let that weed know what HE thinks of it! Ha Ha Ha!

Back inside, I'm having trouble getting online. Sigh ... finally managed.

I also forgot to take out something for tonight's dinner. So I made some pasta. With celery, cheese and fresh parsley from the pot outside.

Load shedding from eight to ten again tonight. After that, down to Stage 3. Still ... power out again from two to four during the night. Sigh ...

Late Tuesday

 Although I woke up on time, the cold kept me snuggling under the duvet ... and I ended up getting up quite late. I could still make it to work on time, though ...

... Only, traffic was a nightmare! An accident on the corner of Soutpan and Rosslyn road. Oh, the accident didn't block traffic - the gawkers did! Honestly, what is wrong with people? I'm at the robot, it's green, but I can't go because someone is slowly cruising across the road gawking at the accident ... since there's nothing to see, he's going very slow, hoping to see something. Hooting has no effect.

Oh crap! Load shedding escalating to Stage 4! Sheez ... I just sent a message to a neighbour, to let the group know they'll be off from noon to two today, as well. Plus, I'll be without power when I get up tomorrow morning. Better boil the kettle tonight. In the 2 1/2 hours while I have power at home, that is. Stage 4 is scheduled to continue until Friday morning ... pfffft ....

And now, we're back in a State of Disaster. Which was implemented in response to the Covid19 pandemic, lifted after 2 years - earlier this month. And now re-implemented, in response to the flooding in KZN. Someone explain to me what this means and more importantly: WTF?

At home, a little bit of weeding before it's too dark. It's now getting dark by six. That gives me less than half an hour in the garden.

Inside, I'm eating dinner - the last of the stew. Posted our load shedding schedule, next bath, then bed ... 

Leisurely Monday

I struggled to go to sleep, courtesy of nature. As a result, I struggled to get up this morning. Very, very late morning!

Internet is very bad - I barely have two bars signal. It took half an hour just to open this page! Which now, of course, is not updating. I'll just have to hope that it doesn't go poof! That sometime between now and noon, what I've written is saved ...

Well, the bread is on the go and should be finished well before noon. I cleared some boxes out of the lounge - dried books and paper. A sad task, seeing precious books in such condition!

I've been thinking, with the garage now fairly clear, it might be a good idea to arrange my collection of ... well, lets call it upcycling materials, shall we? Sounds so much better than 'garbage', 'waste' etc. Part of me wants to do that today ...

But the sun is shining, the ground is soft ... I could make a lot of progress in the garden today! Given how rare these opportunities are ... I think I'll regret not taking advantage.

I've already swept the lounge and kitchen. I've packed away the laundry. The bread is on the go ... what else is on my 'must' list? Cleaning the litter boxes ... sigh ... my daily 'must'. 

Well, I'm cleaning a lot of deep rotted, broad leaved weeds out of the mowing path. The rain has encouraged them to grow - and now I can get the roots out. I didn't realise just how many of those were in my garden, though ...

It's twenty past eleven, the bread is done, so I had better switch off the PC, before I go back outside.

During the outage, I took a break. I had lunch, then relaxed a bit, even took a bit of a nap. Throughout, I watched another Star Trek Retrospective. They're really good. Interesting.

I should still clean the kitchen again. Finish my cement flower pot. Etc. I decided, however, to heck with all that - I can do that anytime, but getting out tough weeds? That's a rare opportunity! So I continued with that.

I achieved a lot! I cleared most of the area I already find easy to mow. Then I managed to get every last tough weed out of the section outside my bedroom! There should be no more shoulder wrenching when I mow that area, now! Okay, so I left the jungle corner ... but all the tough grass and deep rooted weeds are out!

The difficult bit, for me, was to stick to ONLY what I can't do another time. So, I was pulling deep rooted weeds, but leaving all the other weeds ... the thorns ...

Lastly, I started clearing the section behind the fence, where I had planted the first Avo tree ... which died. That area is completely covered with deep rooted weeds! Can't move a foot without stepping on those! I also managed to clear quite a few of the tough bunches of grass which had been giving me a hard time from the start!

Back inside, a hot bath, packed lunch ... now it's almost eight ... next load shedding ... sigh ...

Dark Sunday

Power went off during the night. I woke up after five, hoping it would come on anytime ... by six, I gave up. Mewthos insisted I get up. I hauled the gas bottle on the counter, and as I was filling the kettle ... power came on.

I'm feeling better again, this morning. Headache free, everything back to normal, just a bit of a tight chest.

It's cold and dark and raining. I don't much feel like doing anything, so I started playing my game. I started making suggestions about one team activity which turned into a fun discussion and changes.

Three hours later, we're done and I thought I'd do a final update when the internet suddenly went off. I assumed it must be the router, which, of course, I still haven't been able to replace. When I plugged it directly into the PC, internet came back. Relieved, though puzzled, I went back to what I was doing. 

Then the solution became apparent: the internet went off when the power went off! Because the router was connected to the PC via a hub, which uses power. 

Sigh ...

Not allowed to use my armchair, it's occupied. Permanently, hahaha! It's been like this since yesterday. Rainy day rules.

I reported the outage, there was some chat in our group, then I got started on the flower pot shape. Only started, as the power came back on! Less than an hour outage! Nice!

First thing I did was turn the pot on to reheat my stew - I'm hungry and I want something hot!

Now I'm finishing what I started online while eating my meal, then I'll carry on with the cement project.

Okay, the mold is ready. Now I still have to mix the cement and fill the mold.

Aaaaand load shedding is back! Starting 16:00 today ... that's half an hour ago. Nothing for us today, though. First outage tomorrow at noon.

Okay, the mold is filled with rapid-set cement. Now I just need to wait for it to dry. Which should take no more than an hour ... although, I think next time I should try a less rapidly setting cement. I don't like to be rushed when I'm trying something new. Or tricky. Like troweling cement from one bowl into a mold - which has a center piece, that should stay cement free!

Well, hopefully I'll have a photo to show tomorrow.

Dang. It's already almost hard, and I can't get the plastic bottle out! Well, I should probably have covered it in oil. No worries, though. Not on this first attempt!

There! That's what it looks like now. Still in the mold. 

Mippies insisted on coming in early again. Especially since Smeagol was in the car port, getting lovies! I added another blanket to his box, he went back to the outside box ... maybe it's too soft for him?

I enjoyed a lovely hot bath, with Janey for company. Now I'm ready for bed ... Mini is already waiting for me ...

Early Saturday

I woke up just after four ... and decided to get up. Coffee. Cuddles - mippies are very demanding! As soon as it was light, I opened up to let them out - giving me a little respite.

Around eight, it started to rain. Right on schedule. Not a down-pour, nor a drizzle - nice, steady rain. As expected, mippies are not happy. Mewthos decided to try and wheedle a treat out of me - as compensation! Ha Ha. Nope!

My fridge is somewhat overflowing at the moment, with all the juice and groceries ... I've now vacuum packed the meat and placed it in the freezer. I've decided to start keeping the Styrofoam trays meat comes with, I think I can come up with a way to upcycle them.

Upcycle. That's another new word. It simply means 'creative reuse'. Not the same as re-use, but transforming them into a new, valuable product. Like, what I'm doing with the empty juice bottles, by turning them into greenhouses. I don't know what exactly I can do with them, yet, but I think they can be useful.

At this rate, I'm turning my home into a collection of materials for upcycling, aka a garbage store! I'm already storing all boxes, all bottles, all glass, all mippies treats boxes ... for some mysterious 'one day' when I'll have time on my hands to come up with some creative idea! Yeah, I'm not normal. What a surprise! Ha Ha!

Sadly, most of the ideas online are not to my taste. They all look like exactly what they are: painted waste. I prefer to creatively hide just what any specific project is made of.

Well, I've spent some time making my stew. I mixed a really nice sauce for it. I let it simmer for an hour or two, then added vegetables. I used thyme, rosemary and lemon balm from my garden. I also went through my cupboards and used lots of the spice I still have for stews. Some are quite old. Treasured.

Oh, and I've cleaned the kitchen.

Mippies are bored! And when mippies are bored, they come to me ... mipping, wanting attention. Ziva has a lump where she got hurt in the last fight with Smeagol. I don't know what to make of it ... 

It rained practically the entire day. Well, literally, as it the closest it came to stop, was when it turned to drizzle for while. Yet the gauge shows only 18 mm rainfall! Weird, eh?

Mippies are restless. As soon as I go on the veranda, they all follow - hoping that I'll make it stop raining! I almost wish I could ...

Soon after five, mippies insist on their treat! Seeing Mewthos and Ziva atop the counter, looking at me ... Mini and Janey on the floor, giving me the same look ... what the heck. Might as well. So, we've come inside very early.

And I'm now running myself a bath. Yesterday's high temperature was 29.7 Celsius, today just 19! And this time, I'm not taking it in my stride ... persistent headache, running nose, sore throat ... not surprising, though. More surprising that I've stayed well for this long!

Sheez! I've just had an intense cuddle session with Ziva. She loves to have her face, neck and ears scratched. She eventually had enough and I thought I'd get some peace. Came to the PC. Janey hopped on my lap. Another intense cuddle session.

I think now I'll try to escape to bed ...

Leisurely Friday

Not a good night. I got up at least once. It's out of my control - I can drink nothing and still get up, or drink lots and not need to get up at all. Well, that's an exaggeration, but I haven't found a correlation, yet.

It's a fine, sunny day - but I can feel the pressure. A mild headache. I just checked the weather forecast, clouds are only forecast to form tonight, late at night. Rain forecast with 100% chance from six tomorrow morning.

I started with a photo tour through the garden, taking a lot of 'before' photos. They're not much use, as it's mostly green stuff. The difference doesn't really show up well - not with this phone camera. I'll know, though.

Janey followed me on the photo tour, needing to know just 'what mommy doing?'

Then I got busy with the tough grass again. I decided to work my way from the gate to the east wall. I considered starting from the house and working my way towards the wall (i.e. north to south), but eventually decided to work west to east.

I also put the laundry in the machine, and I've just hung it up. It's just past ten.

As I'm working, pulling out chunks of grass, I keep telling myself how every single plant I pull out means one less jerk on my shoulders, next time I mow.

I'm in two minds about mowing. On the one hand, I really should mow - as I won't have another chance this weekend, and may not be able to mow next Friday, either. But on the other hand, I'm getting so much crap out of the ground, so many tough stubs with roots. Mowing is going to be significantly faster next time. And, so what if I have to raise another setting? I already 'lost' a setting to the floods - and haven't regained it so far. But winter is coming! I can re-gain any setting during winter, and start with the shortest setting in spring.

Sheez! I just mowed part of the area I've been cleaning all week. On the highest setting. I didn't get very far. I suppose the bluntness of the mower plays quite a big role - I really must come up with a solution. And the grass is also very long - yet, I'm still getting stuck. What is still growing there - although it is more like grass than the tough stuff - is still not mow-able.

It's noon and I've decided to take a break. Not the usual pee, coffee, smoke break I've been taking throughout the morning. I'm making myself something to eat.

Looking at my progress, it doesn't look like much. But that's looking through 'judgmental, ignorant' eyes - not my own. I really must stop basing my satisfaction with my own progress on outside standards. It's an Adult Child characteristic, I'm still working on. 

Almost six. Right now I'm really glad that it's going to rain the rest of the weekend! I'm knackered! I've put the geyser on, so I can take a lovely hot bath to relax my back! Of course, next time I'm mowing, I'll wish it hadn't rained and that I could have cleared more! It's all a matter of perspective.

This is the 'after' photo. Not very good. Neither is the 'before' photo - one really can't see what I've achieved.

That green bush between the ponytail and the gate is the thyme. It's doing very well! And on the right, that's the plum tree! The first one I moved to a bag - in December. I want to see how it fares where I plan to plant it. I'll keep an eye on it, and if doesn't look ready for winter, yet, I can move it back to the veranda.

I'd be skeptical of the forecast rain, if I didn't have this headache - getting rather bad, now. Definite change in air pressure. Big change. Yet, outside, there's hardly a cloud in the sky!

I just hope I'm not going to suffer this headache the rest of the weekend ... that would not be nice. Not at all. Well, tomorrow will tell ...

Long 'Friday'

I slept well and got up quite early. Coffee at five!

I went to get groceries, and splashed out a bit. Mostly on produce. They had some good deals, for a change. I didn't over-buy, though - no more than I believe I can eat.

I'm planning to make stew over the weekend. One of my own concoctions. I'll add whatever I feel like adding! They usually turn out delicious!

I've also stumbled across a cement flower pot idea that - given my recent experience - I think I'll be able to handle. My stumbling block has been the outer shape. I tried soaking a cloth in cement and draping it over the inner bottle ... that didn't turn out well. Nothing like the original.

The inner shape will be one of the fruit juice bottles. Why not do away with the plastic altogether and make a simple cement flower pot? Well, drainage. That's the tricky one. What use is a flower pot that 'leaks'? You'd need a saucer or something to put it on. And THAT is what the cement pot is meant to be - a decorative cover of the plastic bottle, which can hold the water from the drainage holes I'll put in the bottle!

The idea is to plant Marigold in such a pot. That should look nice, right? And since I'm drowning in Marigold seeds - can't even give them away - well, it's something to do with them!

If that works, the next step will be to find a way to elevate the bottle - so that water actually has somewhere to drain to. I'm not sure about that part, yet, but I do have some ideas.

Anyway. I just checked the news and I thought I must be looking at some bizarro world news: Headline 1: Flood-ravaged KZN declared a provincial disaster. Headline 2: Heavy traffic expected as holidaymakers head to flood-ravaged KZN, Limpopo for Easter

You just can't make this shit up! Seriously, what is wrong with people?

I just checked the forecast again: sunny tomorrow, rain the rest of the weekend. So: gardening tomorrow, everything else from Saturday on. Although, I better do the laundry tomorrow, as well.

Mippies won't be happy about the weather. Poor dears!

Fruit juices have arrived! Nice! The last lot, ha ha!

Well, how about that! Unpacked everything and still had about half an hour to garden! Tomorrow I want to mow the section I've managed to clear and see how that works. Hopefully it will stay mow-able!

I got mippies inside, treated ... and then applied their spot-on. I'm not popular at the moment, ha ha! I used to expired Frontline on Mini. The last Revolution on Mewthos. Janey and Ziva got the new stuff. Everything used up now.

I'm not really hungry tonight - I've had lovely bread with cheese and a chocolate chip muffin, at work. That's enough. Well, I'll still have my evening chocolate, of course ...

Load shedding tonight from 22:00 - midnight, so ... PC off.

More load shedding plus power outage ... sigh

Power went off around five this morning! Another 'poof'! I reported it just before six. On the Electricity Group, we were informed that load shedding has been extended until five Friday morning!

We're out Today 06:00 - 08:30 & 14:00 - 16:30. Tomorrow 14:00 - 16:30 and 22:00 - 00:30. Friday we're due again 22:00 - 00:30, but if it is suspended at 05:00 Friday morning ... 

Yeah. If!

Cat stuff just arrived. I realised on my way to work, that - apparently - I can't count! I need 4 spot-on's. I still have one ... yet I ordered only 2!

Big back-and-forth over the power outage. Many of the members on the group keep telling us how it's load shedding ... now updating how the power is back, since load shedding is over ... we still don't have power. At least I'm not the only one on that group, and in the same load shedding group, who reported it.

By nine, our power is restored. Shortly afterwards, I get a call from the artisan, asking whether our power is back.

Load shedding continues, though. But at least nothing scheduled for tonight. Tomorrow night is a different story, though ...

I got a call from Sir Fruit. My delivery has been quite ... erratic, this month. When they delivered the first batch of juices, they told me they're out of stock on some items and will deliver later. Then, on Friday, they delivered 2 more fruit juices. On Monday, they delivered the same 2 fruit juices again! Today, I got a call, asking whether I had received my 'Get your Fix' bag. Nope. When I told her about the double delivery, she realised what went wrong - they 'closed' my order as 'complete' after the third delivery. I'll get my bag tomorrow! And the 2 extra bottles they delivered - complements for my patience and understanding!

I was still trying to write my blog, but mippies insisted I come play!

Tuesday - poof!

Bad night. I had to get up a couple of times throughout the night - it's the weather, affecting my colon. Those cramps have continued throughout yesterday, and liquidised everything ... so, not a good night.

I took some electrolytes this morning, which helped. But I can still feel my colon cramping ... there is nothing I can do about that, except take more tissue salts.

My entire post just went poof! For some reason, the page refused to update all day yesterday ... nor last night ... nor this morning. When I tried publishing, everything went poof!

So. Load shedding was re-instated last night until five Wednesday morning. We're only due at six, so: yay!

I ordered mippies' spot-on - they're out of the one I prefer, and now they're also out on Ziva's renal food! Pfft!

Back at home, I continued with the tough grass. Making progress.

I couldn't get online last night.

Monday, what can I say?

The light bulb in my bedroom shattered. Fortunately, it's in a cover, so everything is contained.

The power went off during the night ... came back some time after six. Just as I was getting up, so I could boil the kettle without having to lug the gas bottle around.

Anyway, it's a short week followed by a very long weekend!

Back at home, Smeagol is waiting for me on the veranda. I first clean the litter boxes, though, then re-fill his food bowl. He's happy to get some lovies!

I found Mewthos' twirly all the way in the kitchen!

Then I change the light bulb. It hadn't shattered, as I had feared. It sounded like shattering glass, last night. While I was busy, Smeagol picked a fight with Mewthos!

And then I could finally go outside. I'm pulling tough grass out. We've had more than 100 mm rainfall over the past couple of days and the ground is soft and saturated - making it easy to pull out grass with roots, yet without leaving big holes in the ground. This way, I think I will finally reclaim the 'lawn', albeit square meter by square meter. But permanently. I hope.

Oh, great! Load shedding is back! Starting immediately - we'll go dark midnight till two and again eight to ten tomorrow. Just what we need, eh? Well, at least I can have coffee tomorrow morning - the usual way. And, at least, we've got a heads-up - they announced it just after six, implemented immediately! Imagine having no power from six to eight in the evening without warning!

So, shared dinner, now for some bed time ... 

Cold, dark and wet Sunday

I woke up with my left calf curling in on itself. A cramp, just not painful. It would only stop when I put my foot flat on the floor - then I went to the wardrobe and took some tissue salts. That always clears anything cramp related.

Before the many paws, I would take tissue salts every month. Without the monthly reminder, I'm not taking them regularly anymore ... so, I now get different reminders: cramps. Once I take them, all is well.

Outies all wets, so mippies didn't go out ... and, of course, Smeagol is still in his box. Apparently he spent the night there. I opened the front door and they all swarmed out on the veranda. Well, Mini is still curled up on my bed. Again, they didn't go far - everything is wet. I did give them breakfast, though. Not only did Mewthos insist, but it's only fair.

Ziva will be fine. Her behaviour last night was merely the cat equivalent of point to tell me what is sore. After all, nothing visible, she's moving normally - if she hadn't gone through that maneuver, I wouldn't have known that anything was wrong. She really is very clever! She just needs me to know something is wrong, and she trusts me to decide whether I take her to the vet, or what treatment will help her.

Mewthos is exploring outside, Janey and Ziva have claimed my arm chair.

It's overcast and cold. Lowest temperature in months! Only 14 Celsius this morning. Looks like it drizzled about 10 mm overnight, maybe more. I'm not going out there to check now ... it's cold, the grass is wet and it's still drizzling.

I don't really feel like grubbing in the mud again, it's unpleasantly cold. Getting wet in this cold is not appealing. 

Quarter to ten, we reach the dark part. Power off. Again. I tried reporting, and keep making mistakes. First I SMS to the wrong number, and when I reported it online, I gave my wrong number. 

Sadly, since the neighbours just won't report at all, we'll be low on the priority list. I don't understand the apathy. 

Well, that was quick! Ten past ten, power is back!

I've loaded the machine and bread is in progress. I added some fresh thyme from one of the pots. I'm happy to report that the rosemary seems to have adapted to its new environment. It looks like it's doing well.

Mippies are bored. And when mippies are bored ... they come to me. I must relieve their boredom. Sigh ...

I re-filled Smeagol's bowl and the silly boy bopped his head under the bowl, spilling some of the food. I'll re-fill it again later. I also put a box with a blanket in the outside room. He went back to the box outside ... for now. He did already curl up on the plastic ropes inside the room a while back.

I steamed myself potatoes and carrots. I had to throw away quite a bit of the potatoes, and quite a lot of the ones I steamed are hard. That should teach me to buy produce at Rosslyn Spar, eh?

I just had a look at the peach tree, and saw some strange branch hanging in it. I went out to look and discovered a branch must have come off the Jacaranda tree and fallen on the peach tree ... I've removed the branch.

Sheez but this cold is unpleasant! Friday 26 Celsius (± 79 Fahrenheit), yesterday 17 Celsius (± 63 Fahrenheit). Same today. That's quite a drop, and in a very short time. They forecast temperatures rising over the next week, to 24 Celsius (± 75 Fahrenheit) by Friday, then more rain and temperatures drop again. Winter seems to have gate-crashed!

Mippies won't budge off my arm chair. I have to go sit outside to smoke. Nice, eh? I gave Smeagol some lovies ... he's hanging around, curled up in his box, outside.

I still want to bake muffins and clean the kitchen again. It's already past three ... I've not done much today. But I have cuddled a lot of mippies. They only leave the chair to come for special attention, as does Mini. Only she claws at my back from the bed, or follows me around until I pick her up as well.

Well, actually, I've done quite a bit. Folded and packed away the laundry, baked bread and muffins, steamed potatoes and carrots and I've just finished cleaning the whole kitchen again. Plus all that cuddling I've been required to do.

I just went to re-fill Smeagols bowl and found him curled up on his blanket in his box inside the outside room! Of course, now he's hissing at me, since I'm now blocking his only escape. Not to worry, though. I'm just happy to see him safe and warm.

Mippies saw food and decided it's time for their dinner! So, I locked up and treated them. And now I've just had Janey stroll from shoulder to shoulder - via my arms in front.

My stomach has been cramping a lot today. I'm guessing its the cold.

Well, I've enjoyed a lovely hot bath, now I'm hoping to enjoy dinner.

Saturday

Having gone to sleep so early, and having resolved the matter which had kept me anxiously awake, I slept well and woke up very early. Power was still off, so I hauled out the gas bottle to boil the kettle.

Power came back on around half seven. I immediately put everything on charge, ha ha! And I put the laundry in the machine! It's overcast, with more rain on the way, so it's going to take a long time to dry.

Rain is forecast for the afternoon, continuing the entire weekend. I've hung the jeans and shorts outside, and hope I can run fast enough, if needed!

Mippies are nagging for attention. Janey has already spent half the morning on my lap, Mewthos has been picked up, cuddled while purring up a storm, Ziva is mipping for ear scratches and Mini is on the bed behind me, hoping for attention.

Just past noon and the kitchen is clean, as well!

Oh, I can be such a dunce! I was happily weeding around the car port, when it started to drizzle. I didn't pay much attention, it's just a light drizzle ... I go inside, when I'm good and ready ... when I reach the end of the lounge ... I see my jeans on the line! Outside! Getting wet ... sigh ... ran out, got them in and hung it inside.

Mippies have claimed my armchair! Outies wets, mommy!

Smeagol has finally claimed the warm box I placed for him outside!

This is what I've been busy with, when it started to drizzle. The herb pots were bone dry ... that's why I moved them. Now they'll also get rained on, and no longer need to wait for me to water.

Remember when that entire area was brown and dead? Well, weeds and grass have flourished, since I've started watering there. They're now also moving in on my pots ... so I'm trying to clear the ground around them. But it's bone dry ... so the best I can do, is to pull them off.

I planted a lemon tree! It's still small and vulnerable - ideally, I should plant it in a tree bag, but I decided to take a chance. I mixed compost and bone meal with potting soil. The bottle top is just a cover to protect it from the cold. An individual, mini greenhouse!

I've also moved the plum tree, still in its tree bag, to the garden, where I'm thinking of planting it. Let it get used to the full weather - it should be fine through the winter. The Litchi, on the other hand, I've moved to the veranda and placed them under the tunnel.

Two days ago, we still had 29 Celsius - today, the maximum temperature was just over 17! It's almost four in the afternoon - I've just made myself some tea, to keep warm! Inherited Ostfriesen Tee, from my mum. It's a type of black tea, popular in my mum's home town.

Problem. That tea has an even shorter lease period than coffee! I've spent more time walking up and down to the bathroom than anywhere else!

From where? Oh, well, it's still drizzling ... so I decided to see what I can do about the car port. Working under the roof. I decided to clear the weeds at the back. And to reduce their chance of re-growth, why not remove the soil? I've been looking for a place to get soil for the tree bags - and, when I moved some of the bottles, I noticed roots coming out of the bottom of some of them. So, I'm solving two problems!

The amount of soil that has built up there is unbelievable! I haven't even cleared a quarter yet, and already filled one bag!

Unfortunately, I can't get ALL the weeds out. It's a carpet of green already ... too much, too many small specks of green ... impossible to clear. So, I'm tossing what I can't clear into the bag. Rocks, bits of wood, seedlings, and all. And, anyway, even if I were to pick each and every growing weed out ... there are more seeds in the soil, so ... 

Bit of an issue when both Smeagol and Ziva approached me ... with the bin between them, so they didn't see each other approach ... and when they were close enough and saw each other, Ziva ran off and Smeagol chased! In this instance, it was Ziva's running that Smeagol couldn't resist. Cats will instinctively chase anything that moves, I've seen it with my mippies often enough!

He caught her just outside the gate and they rolled in the puddles, smacking against the gate so hard it came off the rail - easy enough to put back, though. No harm done to Ziva, though. She's very clever. Street smart. Same as Mini. Janey is a fast learner and just as clever though. Despite never having had to survive on her own.

It's just past seven and I've just come in. Treated mippies. It's still drizzling ... I'm afraid I have a bit of a headache ... going to run myself a lovely hot bath again. Maybe it's just backache from working bent over. I'd put the geyser on a while back ... just in case.

Oh dear! Ziva IS hurt, after all! She cries when I touch her right hip. I don't think it's serious, though - she did jump to the top of the bookshelf after the attack, so definitely nothing broken, and I don't think anything is sprained. I think it's where she hit the gate so hard that it came off the rail. I can feel a little lump, but it hurts her too much for me to take a close look now. There's no blood, so my guess is the equivalent of a bruise. I'll keep an eye on her, though.

I did wonder why she curled up atop Mewly's twirly, and she didn't touch the meat I placed in front of her. But she ate normally when I gave them their treats. Poor girl ...

Cold, sleep-deprived Friday

Today, I've been up since three.

All that pent up anger, frustration, and most of all: anxiety, draining out of me ... well, that's me without any steam left, ha ha! I wonder whether I'll have the energy to mow this afternoon?

Yup! Somehow I made it! The weather helped, as it was overcast, threatening rain any time  ... chasing me along. 

When I finished mowing, I trimmed my marigold again, only, as I was racing against the rain, I collected the heads in a tub. I'll get the seeds later. When it started to drizzle, I cut whole bushes. Then sat on the veranda to separate the heads.

It was pretty cold, raining, getting dark, and Smeagol sat on the car port mewling at mippies, so we went inside. I treated mippies, then shared my dinner. I was just about to make myself another prime rib when the power went off!

A neighbour had jokingly posted the weather report, replacing 'power outage' for rain - pretty accurate.

I tried, for a change, to report the outage via SMS - using my landlord's account number. That worked! Then I logged into the Tshwane webhop to see the outage map & follow up on progress. Only five people in the close vicinity of my location, reported outages ... I tried to get the neighbours to report as well - the more reports, the higher the priority. No takers. I don't know, they'll happily sit in the dark for hours ... waiting for me to get home to report the outage ... and whine about the constant power outages. Well, you can lead a horse to water ...

I had the foresight to turn the geyser on fairly early, so I was able to enjoy a really hot bath!

Then I watched another part of Star Trek Retrospective - this time on the original series - after which I enjoyed an early night. After the really early morning and the lack of sleep last night - I fell asleep quite easily ...

All the wrong phones, in all the wrong places

I slept much better, but still woke up a bit late - it'll take a bit to get back to my normal cycle. Mewthos was getting impatient and mewled in my ear - man, he has an annoying mewl! 

When I checked the time, I realised my phone had only 2 bars power - so I put it on charge ... and forgot it there. So, now my work phone is at home and my home phone is at work!

I almost forgot that today is Thursday! I remembered to get groceries, though. I'm trying a different cut of meat: prime rib, instead of sirloin. It's cheaper. From what I gather, the reason is that a) it contains bones and b) has a lot of fat on it. Which should actually make it tastier. I'll wait and see how mippies react, ha ha! They're real connoisseurs!

Apparently we're in for a very cold weekend with plenty of rain.

I haven't given up on the cement experiments, yet. I've been thinking last night, what I can try this weekend. Basically, I'm looking for a kind of 'saucer' for the bottles I use to raise seedlings. Ideally, something that hides the actual bottle, is water resistant, and looks attractive. I have 4 different sizes: 1.5 liter, 500 ml, 300 ml and 100 ml. For starters, I'm just looking at something that can work. The attractive part, I can work on later.

With the last experiment being a complete disaster, I think I can forget the 'soak a cloth in wet cement and drape it over the bottle' method. At first, the cement wasn't liquid enough, the cloth didn't absorb enough cement.

I think, I want to try the other way around, next time. Instead of 'draping over', I want to try and push the bottle into the cement. Which means that I need some kind of container for the cement, a shaped container. With a flat bottom.

Hmmm, I'm thinking of creating an outer shape with the modelling clay. If I attempt to make it look like a tree trunk, that should be a simple shape, plus, any unevenness should appear to be part of the pattern.

Back at home, I carried in with the tough grass until it got too dark.

Back inside, the prime rib was delicious! Mewthos and Mini also approve - I had to eat quite fast to get a fair share!

Now I'm just going to relax ... cuddle mippies ... and think ...

Power off, bird in the bedroom, chaotic day!

When I got home last night, I was puzzled by a few bird feathers on my bed. I checked under the duvet, but found no bird, nor any remains ... this morning, a Hoopoe was fluttering around, with mippies in happy pursuit! I managed to get hold of it - its head had blood on it, but otherwise it seemed fine, so I released it out the window ... it flew off gratefully!

I can only imagine that it crawled through the hole in the wall, where some previous owner or tenant had an aircon pipe. That hole had been 'blocked' with newspaper, which has gone missing a short while ago. I found scraps of it outside, so I guess some bird started pulling it out for a nest. I had better block that off again. Somehow.

The power went off some time after three this morning. I woke up to the UPS crying for power just before it died ... and the PC with it ... I couldn't sleep, so I got up for a bit.

With the very late night - it was past ten, when I finally got to bed - plus the middle-of-the-night wake up ... I overslept. Quite a bit. About an hour ...

Get out the gas bottle, boil the kettle, coffee!

I packed the smartphone and the WiFi, so I could stay in touch regarding the power outage. At work, I tried calling ... number unobtainable! Tried from the work's landline, same result!

I had made quite a few contacts last night, so I messaged our candidate for Ward Councilor - he immediately reported it and gave me a reference number; and he added me to the Electricity Group. He also gave me feedback, that the whole line was out and teams were already investigating.

I relayed all info to the neighbourhood group. Around nine, they let me know that the power was on!

And then a weird thing happened: Tshwane Electricity called me! They asked whether the power was back! Cool, eh?

Back at home ... I left my smartphone AND my WiFi router at work! Ha Ha, so: no internet.

I cleared more grass out of the green area in front. Showered. Dinner. Watched an episode or two while cuddling mippies ... sleep ...

Yippee-ki-yay

Before I turned off the internet, I thought I'd quickly check the news - and to my surprise, there was another address to the nation by our president! I caught just the last few minutes of it, which was enough to make me re-watch the entire announcement ... We are FINALLY out of Lock-Down! Although their 'timer' stated 729 days, it has been 739. I've been double-checking my numbering and found no 'skip'. I did the maths and it's 739. The president kept referring to 750 days ... I guess that pretty much sums up the state of education.

What this means? To me, personally, not much. But one important effect is, 'violating' any of those ridiculous regulations can no longer result in a criminal record! The State of Disaster has been lifted and Parliament is, once again, at the helm - in theory. Certain regulations remain in place for 30 days, when the amendment to the Health and Safety Act is promulgated.

On which we, the public, are currently invited to comment. Which I did.

I also got thinking about the Talking Tuesday - it's an open invitation. What if too many people show up? Indoor venues are still not allowed to operate above 50% capacity ... 

Am I just looking for an excuse to back out? Yes! Apprehension is rising to the level of anxiety. I do NOT like to go to new places anymore. I don't like breaking my routine.

I have another excuse not to go: my juice delivery arrived! Poor excuse, though, since the two more hours won't make a big difference. It arrived around noon, in a refrigerated truck. I've put it in my cooler box - and today isn't very warm, anyway. So ... poor excuse.

Proof that I did go! Ha Ha! Came home around nine and just found this on the Ward's Facebook group - that's my head there in the center front. Purple scarf and ponytail.

I got home around nine, mippies were in distress and I didn't get time to write more, not even time to publish ...

Lock-down Day 739

Power went off during the night. Fortunately, I happened to be awake when that happened - I had woken a minute or so before it went off. So, I was able to shut down the PC before the UPS ran out of juice.

The disruption resulted in my getting up late. Drag the gas bottle into the kitchen, so I could make myself coffee ... off to work.

At work, report the outage. An hour later, power is back on.

I see an invitation to what they call 'Talking Tuesday'. It's a meeting with our Ward Councilor, the mayor of Tshwane and one of the DA's Shadow ministers - just around the corner from home. Tomorrow at six in the evening. I could go directly from work, although I would be getting home after dark. No, I'm not overly interested in politics - but I am interested in the local community. And I would like to know what can be done about the continuous power outages - every time it rains! Plus, I might connect with local security groups.

There are Ward elections on 4th May, I noticed the posters and wondered why there is a different DA candidate - turns out the current Ward councilor has changed parties ... Action SA, which seems to be where half the DA move to ... it's an interesting and promising party, founded just after the end of the hard lock-down.

Anyway, because the current councilor changed parties, we have by-elections next month. I've checked, and I am registered in this ward. Phew! And yes, I would like to vote.

Now, if only I could figure out WHERE exactly this 'Talking Tuesday' is taking place. According to the notice, it's Plot 18, Musaiek. Those are two different locations ... Plot 18 is near Soutpan road, and Musaiek is way past where I turn off ... there's a WhatsApp number for my ward, so I've sent a 'Hi' ... lets see if I can clarify. If not, I'm pretty sure the correct location would be Musaiek - since that's a venue.

Seems so. They just WhatsApped me a location, which is the venue's location. Well, no harm in driving there and see ... Ah! They confirmed! Let's see if I can bully myself into going ... I've seen sign posts along the road, so it should be easy to find.

Back at home, I'm tending to the tomato plants in the pots. They also keep growing and growing ... 

Well, that's it for today ...