LS 4 5 Dark 6 Tuesday

No change in the load shedding schedule - yet. We're still at Stage 4. Sigh ...

I tried to sit with the bigger kittens for their wet food, but the babies poked their heads out the door looking for their turn, and they are just too cute to resist! I managed to pick up and hold each one in turn. I think one is male the other female. They are getting less wary of me ... part of me wants to find them homes, but they are so cute ... can't I keep them? They're not really ready to be relocated, though ... and I don't know how to ensure they go to GOOD homes, either ... 

Then I spent time cleaning my gem squash plant - plenty of the leaves have mildew on them, I cut as many as I could. One more gem squash growing there - lots of little ones, but a lot of them are falling off before they grow. The cucumber plant is finished, I'm afraid. Not one edible cucumber off it ... sigh ...

Then I spent time with the tomato plants again. It's a never ending task ... harvesting, trimming yellow leaves off, untying and re-tying them, weeding the bed ... 

I sat on the veranda for a bit with my mippies ... Mini is in a naughty phase again. Monday night she didn't come in till later, day before I had to fetch her ...  last night I had to go look for her. Again. Found her outside the gate having a set-to with my neighbours female cat - which only has one eye, but has the fighting spirit of Greebo! She will fight anything, dogs, rats, anything ... and most likely win! When I tried to get Mini to back off, neighbours cat stood up on her hind paws, threatening Mini! I had to go inside, get the water pistol and the key, then open the gate and spray her with water before she backed off!

And Mini? Reckons she's earned a 'carry me home'! I just 'kicked' her butt all the way home. Well, of course I don't kick an animal! Just used my foot to nudge her off the ground and get moving!

Once inside, first I took a shower. It's cooler today, but still hot. Then I started cooking my Maultaschen ... having piled them on top of each other on a plate ... not smart! They stuck to each other (duh! Of course wet dough sticks - stupid of me!) and tore open when I tried to separate them. Lesson learned. Lots of lessons learned this time!

This morning I woke up a bit late - quarter to six. Suddenly realised that I need to brew a pot of coffee ... dashed out of bed, have to feed mippies first, fill the machine, add the coffee, turn it on ... back to the bedroom to dress. 

Fortunately, I've now made it a habit to take the ferals food out before I actually leave. I come back inside afterwards - I can't carry everything. When I came out to sit on the veranda to wait for my transport, the ferals were giving me looks seemingly saying 'more! more!' Sorry, dears ... there ISN'T more! And you are NOT starving, no matter what look you give me!

I've watched some videos describing the growing culture of 'quiet quitting' in Germany ... 

I find it very disconcerting ... and I feel more and more that there is no place for the likes of me in this 'new' world ... I find myself more and more bewildered, every time I make progress, achieve something positive ... I'm penalised for it ... so ... yeah ... I'm pretty much a square peg living in a round hole world ...

Aaaand load shedding pushed up to Stages 5 & 6! Announced at five to twelve, implemented at twelve! Five minutes warning! Well, for those who are scheduled for 12:00 in Stage 5, anyway ...

Our lovely schedule is as follows: 14:00 - 16:30, 22:00 - 02:30 4 hours! And at a very, very high risk time! Crime is once again on the increase, courtesy of load shedding, as alarms & all security measures are off ... add to that the cable theft going on at increasing rate ... 

Off again two hours later 04:00 - 06:30, again 12:00 - 14:30 and again 20:00 - 00:30 - 4 hours again! That's 10 hours in a 24-hour cycle!

Sigh ... about the fruit juice ... I have to create a new account on their new website. Aaand, they no longer off the combo-pack I've been buying. Which means that the 'health shots' ... I have to buy by the dozen or not at all. They have two prices - one lot, the one's I'm used to, at a lower price and the other ones at a higher price. So ... I'm going to have to adapt my ordering strategy ...

Okay, so the 'expensive' ones all have some currently fashionable hype name, like 'Immunity', 'Energy', 'CBD' and such ... only 'Detox' is at the lower price. I guess it's lost some of its 'hype' value, ha ha!

That's another one of those 'I don't fit in' things. Like, when volunteering for an enema, and calling it a 'colon cleanse' ... I just shake my head and wonder ... 

Okay, so ginger, turmeric or 'detox'? Ginger is great in winter, heats you up a treat. And I like ginger. Weird, I know. Yeah, I think I'll go for ginger this month.

Order placed. With one dozen shots plus one 1 1/2L bottle of each flavour, it came to a smidge under the 'free delivery' price, so I added one smoothie.

Okay, so I thought I'd buy flour at the Bread Republic, and also get another Teflon baking sheet ... those are AWESOME! Only ... seems they are no longer in business? Website is under construction, Facebook page last posted December 2022 ...

Aaand our power has apparently been off since noon! First message from neighbours half past three! Ah well ... I'll have to have a look tomorrow.

LS 4 Monday

Apparently we're now Stage 4 indefinitely ... although I would put money on a bet that there will be yet another update sometime today ...

With the drop in temperatures last night, I slept quite well - and woke up unusually early. Power off at six ... but I still had coffee, so there was no need to brew a fresh pot. I just got up, treated mippies, made myself coffee and sat for a good think.

I decided to go sit on the veranda by about twenty to seven. I went and took the ferals food out earlier. When I went to sit outside, the babies were peeking over the net to see if maybe I bring some more, ha ha! I watched the lot of them at play after breakfast - the babies are climbing the fence, the other kittens already reach the roof of the Wendy!

Tried ordering fruit juice - can't find the site. I already had trouble last time, but eventually discovered a link to the site I've always used ... no luck today. Only coming up with a seemingly new site ... where my login doesn't work. Sent mail ... waiting ... sigh ... 

Anyway, it's just past four ... better publish. Load shedding tonight again at ten ...

LS 4 2 4 Sunday

I spent the load shedding time listening to political views, informing myself - though I can't really tell you why. Apart from voting, there's not much I can do, and as long as the ANC stays in power, nothing will get done / change. Which makes it pretty depressing.

They're now talking about at least 3 years more load shedding.

And yet, this morning, I listen to more ... 

I did, however, spend time sitting with the babies while they were feeding. And I got the bread dough ready, so I pretty much started the machine as soon as the power came on.

Oh, and by the way, if you're wondering about that 3kW stealing thing? Bullshit! I checked on Friday and I checked again yesterday afternoon. Pure scare mongering hype.

Anyway, I made just plain french dimpled rolls again. I ate all the potatoes I had steamed last night. I don't quite know what I want to do with the rice, yet.

I've also been thinking that I won't be able to continue feeding all these cats - not the wet food and definitely not at the price it's going now. So today I'm going to experiment. I've taken out the plain chicken, I want to bake it with the bread, then pick the bones off ... mix it with a pouch of wet food to stretch it. Chicken is a huge lot cheaper than any wet cat food. And, as long as it's thoroughly cooked, it's okay for kittens.

Little mites come out of their hut every time they hear me ... like, big noisy blob = food happens! Poor Mewthos is feeling neglected, as are the rest of MY mippies! Which isn't fair on them.

The bread dough is done ... but hasn't risen quite as much as I'd like, so I'm leaving it to rise more, before I knock it back, shape my rolls and let them rise again. I've washed the dishes, and as I'm hungry, I fried some rice with tomatoes and an egg, then added lemon juice. Placed the fried mix onto a layer of cheese - quite delicious!

Quarter past eleven, I've topped up mippies kitchen kibble store, re-packed their Royal Canin, which was delivered a week ago, bread rolls and chicken are in the oven ... 

We've had a couple of drizzle intro's, but they all fizzled out. Forecast still says it'll rain this afternoon ... clouds come and go, it is hot, hot, hot!

I tried a bit of a nap, but ... it is just too hot! Wherever body touches, water forms ... there is no way to get comfortable ... today is even hotter than yesterday! Yes, there are clouds, and I'm putting all my hopes in the weather forecast. This can't go on ...

At the same time, I'm shit scared of another flood!

Well, the chicken is in the fridge. I'll test it on the babies tonight. It's pure chicken, all I did was mix in one pouch of Royal Canin. And I removed the skins, so there shouldn't be too much fat for the babies to cope with. 

I haven't even started on the Maultaschen I've been planning all week, yet!

Right. That also presented some challenges. After a few attempts I figured out how to stop the 'sheet' from tearing, but the shaping? Yeah, disaster! Not at all what they should look like. 

Then it started to storm, strong winds ... bit of rain ... so I hurried into the shower! Whenever there's a storm, there's always the chance of a power outage! I made it, though! And the only thing that's gone off - so far - is the internet.

Oh, and I fed the babies the chicken - they were not as enthusiastic as with the Royal Canin, but they ate every last morsel! One or two pieces were too big for them, they just put them one side - another kitten came to eat those!

Well, I'm out of energy. Even though temperatures dropped by about 8 Celsius since the storm - it was 34 or 35 before, now we're down to 26. So I just wrapped up the Maultaschen - I'll boil them another time. I also put a quarter of the pasta dough is in the freezer.

Anyway ... twenty to six ... lunch is already packed ... I'm just going to sit outside with my mippies, until Mewthos' mewling gets too much for my nerves and I bring them inside ...

LS 4 3 4 Saturday

Sheez, we're staggering through the Stages like a drunken sailor in a strange port! Keeping my neighbours updated is beginning to feel like a live sports commentary ...

Well, no 8-10 load shedding to interrupt my Saturday. Only the 16:00 - 18:30 ... at least that's the current schedule.

What bugs me most about this whole situation is that I now have to keep everything charged, and check my phone throughout the day ... on my weekends! I don't enjoy all this checking my phone all day ... it's not me! And I now have to keep everything charged, just in case there's a power outage and I need to communicate - report, check updates, etc. That really messes with my mood ...

This morning, I'm having serious trouble getting started ... It's now already half past eight ... I've only just loaded the washing machine. Nothing else! I should go out and feed the ferals ...

Done. I'm way off time, so they weren't waiting for me ... when I looked back, I saw ALL kittens crowded around the bowl, all four of them ... I heard growling, ha ha! Last night, I noticed three of my mippies at the front door - turns out mommy is bringing her kittens to visit, the black and white ran off when I approached, but the tabby kitten sat next to mommy on the veranda wall ... watching my mippies! Ha Ha!

Almost nine and I'm still on my ass ... doing nothing ... waiting for magic energy. Well, I HAVE loaded electricity, well ... not much choice, I was down to my last few units.

Tenant paid the agreed amount. He needed a fixed amount, rather than going by readings from month to month, so we agreed on half my budget. Looking at how much I'm over budget since he moved in, it works out fair ... even though one room without a geyser vs a 3-bedroom house WITH geyser does not seem 1 : 2 ratio, does it? And yet, I used to use way below my budget - now I'm going half my budget over budget. Since December. I turned on the chest freezer in November, and that pushed my usage up - right up to the limit of my budget. Yes, I want to feel confident that I'm not overcharging - and I do.

When I got home yesterday, the sprinklers were still going. I decided to play with seeds indoors, instead. I collected and bagged the gem squash and bell pepper seeds from last weekend, then the Marigold seeds, last the poppy seeds. Then I went outside and collected more poppy seeds.

I'm down to my last fruit juice, so I figured it's time to use my emergency stock ... I still had one box left ... only ... it expired like a year ago. Tastes still fine, though. But, of course, being full of preservatives, my colon doesn't appreciate my desperation ... and reacted in it's usual protest: dire ... and I'm all out of Re-Hydrat. I think that's why I'm feeling so low on energy today ... 

Well, re-stocking Rehidrat is going to absolutely have to fit into my February budget. Okay, prices are going through the roof! And it's only going to get worse ... I've checked online, and ... sheez ... As soon as I have my car back, I will have to make a plan to get to DisChem.

Half past ten, and all I've done is hang up the laundry. Which brings me to another problem: my laundry stand is falling apart. I've been patching it together ... which won't last. Either I buy a new one, or come up with a more permanent way of patching this one up.

The fresh milk I bought on Wednesday? Sour! Best before date: 2nd February! And I put it in the fridge at work all day Wednesday, so ... fresh milk? No more! Seriously, I can't afford to pay the inflated prices for something I end up pouring down the drain! Long life milk is not cheap, either, but at least I get to use it. All of it!

Producers and retailers are cutting corners to try and survive ... and we, the consumers, end up paying the price. And we're the bottom of the food chain. Literally. We're the one's dying ... well, not me personally ... though I'm getting close. Especially with these extra cats I'm feeding .... things are really not looking good.

Notice that? Processed milk is costing less than fresh milk! And quite a lot less! And that, right there, is the biggest problem with the effect of today's economy: the only way that processed anything can be cheaper is when the process 'stretches' the fresh ingredients.

Take the bread you get at Spar. I bought a loaf, a week or two ago. I ate 4 toasted cheese sandwiches in a row, and I was still hungry! That's 8 slices, about half the loaf! I eat one of my own bread rolls or a single slice of my own bread and I'm sated! That's 1/10th of a loaf versus 1/2 a loaf!

Vimes' boots theory of socioeconomic unfairness: why the poor stay poor. Or rather, why the wealthy stay wealthy.

I'm trying to apply the principle to my budgeting - saving up to buy quality. However, when it comes to electronics, you hit a snag: Electronics are ALL built to fail. The more expensive, the longer they last - but not to the point where they work out cheaper in the long run.

Well, I just tested my new mincer - it overheated when I tried to use it to mash potatoes. It's fine! The multi cooker, on the other hand? Not fine ... sigh ... 

Almost one and I've finished with the dishes. I'm taking it extremely slow ... the heat is really bad. Even the weeds are dying! Sprinkler is going in my garden ... only the one, though.

I've met most of my 'must' targets - just need to make the pasta dough. Which is just a matter of mixing eggs and flour.

Crap! I just discovered little wriggly things in some of my flour! I've tossed out my rye flour, brown bread flour and the last left over Type 00 pasta flour. The rye flour hurt - I had over a kg left, and it's the most expensive of all the bread flours! Well, I cleaned the shelf and put each flour into a plastic bag - that seems to keep the wrigglies away. I don't have air tight containers ... sigh ... evidently I should look into investing in some.

Or: large zip-lock bags! That'll work, and a lot cheaper!

Okay, pasta dough is done ... silky smooth my ass! I followed Jamie Oliver's recipe - 500gr Type 00 flour and 5 large eggs. When it turned out too dry, I added 'a little' more egg (yeah - I simply beat an egg in a cup and poured just a little in), still too dry, so a little more egg ... now it's too sticky, so I add a little more flour. And a little more. And a little more. It's now just a hard lump of dough ... well, not really hard, but too tough to knead any more. So, I just wrapped it in cling wrap and put it in the fridge ... hopefully what comes out of there will somehow be workable.

Half past two. Load shedding in an hour and a half. Next turn: tomorrow morning 06:00 - 08:30 and then 22:00 - 00:30 tomorrow night.

Twenty past three ... I'm steaming the last potatoes PLUS I've added rice to the steamer. Yeah, it has a rice function, as well. I've taken out the mince for tomorrow, and cleaned mippies' fountain. Again! I don't know, it's growing algae so fast - I'm cleaning it at least twice a month!

Clouds are slowly moving in, a bit of wind now and again - let's hope the forecast rain comes! At present, they expect it to start raining around three tomorrow afternoon ... earlier would be good! It's 34 Celsius in the shade!

I'm also going to make myself some coffee banana milkshake before the power goes off ... I'll shower when it comes back on at six. With the power staying on for twelve hours, I'll be able to keep the PC on for an audiobook. Nice change!

Unless, of course, they up the ante during the night ... again! I also need to think about coffee for tomorrow morning, I may want to brew a pot tonight.

This load shedding is really a mess! It's been only half a year - and we're told it'll continue for AT LEAST two more years! The mind boggles ...

LS 5 4 Friday

Yesterday, Eskom notified us that we'd be in Stage 5 over the weekend (indefinitely, actually) and then this morning they announced that it would be Stage 4. Announcement at 05:30, effective immediately.

I guess we hit a 1-step ladder in the current game of snakes-and-ladders taking us through the stages ... 

Sprinklers were going again this morning, but the guy who works on them came in, and he turned off the ones that water the driveway and the one that waters the Wendy. So I could give the babies their food without getting wet, and walk to the gate dry, as well. Only the one in front of the veranda was working, when I left - because that one had been turned off the whole rest of the week ... the grass is turning yellow, already!

Not that I mind. Yellow grass doesn't grow - less work mowing. Even though I no longer need to do the work ... 

This weekend, I have less work on my 'must' list. I've given away the cherry tomatoes I harvested this week, so I don't need to make tomato paste. I'm not going to bake muffins again, just bread rolls. For my 'dinners' next week, I want to try something I've never tried before: Maultaschen! Basically, it's a type of pasta with a mince filling. Call it the German variation of lasagne. Maybe I'll even make a nice potato salad to go with it. I can make the pasta dough on Saturday, and finish them on Sunday.

Depending on how much I find myself making, I might even freeze some - they do go nicely with any stew!

Right, so, tomorrow just the standard: laundry, dishes ... and then pasta dough. Maybe I should go a bit overboard and make far more pasta dough than I'll need? I could freeze some of the dough. I could also make Tagliatelle and let it dry, use later ... or maybe even Spaghetti? I could experiment! And I don't need electricity for any of it!

According to the weather forecast, we're getting lots and lots of rain from Sunday onward ... today and tomorrow are still unpleasantly hot, likely too hot for gardening, definitely none in the sun; and once it starts raining, the ground will be too wet for me to sit on. Same as today - that's why I'm working on my tomato beds. I mostly stand up to reach the tops to tie them up, and for any ground work, I just sit on my stool.

In the news today, Jo'burg is continuing to play musical chairs with the mayor! First they ousted her - she went to court and it was ruled to have been illegal. Now they've ousted her again ... seriously, WTF?

The DA is in court against the ANC regarding cadre deployment ... 

Basically, what's happening on the political scene at the moment - in my opinion - is: everybody knows that the next elections (in 2024) will reduce the ANC's power. So right now, everyone is scrambling to snatch every last morsel off the gravy train ... while the DA is doing their utmost to return the train to the service it was built for: serving us taxpayers! And this year, they have to fight really hard to make sure there is something left when they take over next year ... so they can actually DO WORK.

Oh, I don't suppose the DA will win with the kind of majority the ANC has had - but they are absolutely going to take huge chunks out of the ANC! We are going to sit with a coalition - and at least the DA have by now gained massive experience with coalitions!

The problem in South Africa is, that the number of seats a party 'earns' is not proportional to the % votes. A one-man party, with only one voter gets a full seat. And has full authority to vote on every single decision.

So, what's happening in Jo'burg with the elected mayor being ousted, re-instated, re-ousted ... that's all because one-man parties are 'charging' for their votes. And the DA doesn't play those games - they operate strictly within the law.

Enough politics! It's depressing.

Speaking of which: power will be off from 16:00 - 18:30 tonight. Again from midnight till 02:30, then 08:00- 10:30 tomorrow morning and again 16:00- 18:30 tomorrow afternoon. Depressing, eh?

Well, maybe I should give some thought to what I want to do at home this afternoon! I think I'll keep going in the tomato bed ... some shade there.

Almost half past two. I guess I better publish ... who knows if I have internet at home tonight ... 

LS 4 5 Thursday

Apparently we had a power outage yesterday, for about 2 hours after load shedding. And then, last night, Eskom announced Stage 5! Starting 05:00 today, continuous until Saturday! We're off a total of 8 hours: 00:00 - 02:30 (Stage 4), then 08:00 - 10:30 and this evening a whopping 4 hours: 16:00 - 20:30!

Told you! That 'dropping stages' was pure political show! Our president had to have something to show for getting 'personally involved' in the energy crisis! And the only way it could be done, is by running the diesel turbines - at horrendous cost! And since they don't have money ... that couldn't last very long!

Well, I fed the outdoor kitties, and then carried on with the tomato bed. Sheez, if those are supposed to be 'baby' tomatoes - I do NOT want to see any adults! The plants are taller than I am! I'm having trouble tying them up!

I had no information as to how I'd be getting to work today - I decided to play it safe, so I went outside around seven. Sprinklers were in full blast mode again, so it was a bit of a dash to get the babies their food without getting wet. Then I sat on the veranda on lookout.

Well, I've paid rent, topped up my credit card and bought electricity. Surprisingly, there is still quite a lot of money left in my account! Tight budget! I'm trying to re-build at least one month's salary ... I'm out of fruit juice, though, so I will have to buy another batch this month.

News today: ANC held an emergency energy dialogue ... which came to a halt, when it was hit by load shedding! You just can't make this shit up!

Someone just told me that municipalities steal 3kW from every meter every single time the power goes off for load shedding! If that is true, I'm planning on raising hell! I will take photo's of my meter before and after load shedding this weekend ... 

Just came across this on FaceBook ... absolutely true!

It's just before four, so, just to be on the safe side, I better publish now ... 

LS 4 3 4 Wednesday

The past two nights, load shedding was from 18:00 - 20:30. Tonight we're moving up a slot, to 16:00 - 18:30.

I was home very early again - half past four! Lovely, eh? So first I went to feed the visiting cats and then I went to sit with the two babies. Aren't they just too cute for words?

The one on the left, is the more adventurous one. That's the one I've been able to pick up, carry indoors, feed inside, etc. Seeing them together now, you can clearly see the difference. The one on the right is still very wary of me - hisses and stares at me for ages, deciding whether it's safe to approach the food bowl ... I picked it up, after it had eaten most of the food - it fought, hissed and clawed at me like a fury! Ha Ha! Fortunately, its claws and teeth have not yet reached the razor effect ... not yet.

Again, I showered before load shedding, then sat and pampered my tomato plants. I started with the ones growing in the pots ... an hour later, a bin full, I only managed to start on the plants growing in the bed!

This morning I got to work quite late ... having a quick sprint through the sprinklers going full blast in my garden, ha ha! 

At work, someone kindly offered to take me along as they were going to Orchards Spar! Big relief! I have already run out of cheese! 

Oh, this just HAS to be satire, right? Big headline: Eskom's offices' power cut by municipality for failure to pay their electricity bill. Nope, it's true! Unbelievable! Eskom has been cutting municipalities' power for non-payment ... yeah, you just can't make this shit up! Ouroboros! Snake eating it's own tail!

With all the load shedding for the past seven months, everyone is now jumping on the band wagon to profit from this crisis. Energy experts are blasting each other, ANC is trying to convince their voters that they're fixing the problem; the DA is today marching to Luthuli House to demand transparency from the ANC, while the ANC Youth League is gathering at Luthuli House to 'defend their home'!

Never mind all the new spin business are putting on their advertising for solar panels, inverters and generators ... 

I'm not sure how I'm getting home today ... It's now half four ... better publish, just in case.

LS 4 3 4 Tuesday

Last night I took some time to sit with both baby kittens while they gobbled the bowl of wet food I put down for them. When they hear me, they come out of the Wendy, bobbing their heads to see when 'food happens' ... both of them! Same thing this morning! I sat with them last night, the one has got quite used to my presence. Hisses now and again, but while eating, quite happily ignores me. The other one is still wary of me. It stayed outside the Wendy, but wouldn't go to the bowl to eat for a long time. It seemed to even contemplate hiding all together, but hunger drove the poor mite to the food bowl.

Seeing the both up close gave me a chance to notice their differences. They do look very similar, but the one I've held before has only grey and white facial markings, while the other one had distinctively brown tabby facial markings.

As I was home early, I showered before load shedding. I watered the garden during load shedding ... then sat on the veranda. My tenant joined me, he's got marriage problems. His wife is at home, and - under her parent's influence - not setting a date when she's coming back. I suppose, as a result, she no longer has a job. She was due to start last Monday.

I struggled to go to sleep ... poor mippies are not getting too much attention from me, with my mind so completely engrossed in work. I make time, though.

This morning, I went outside, fed Smeagol and his big family ... the babies were bobbing their head up over the fence from the Wendy, so I went back inside and got a bowl of wet food for them, as well.

I'm putting more time and energy into staying calm, telling myself 'not my circus, not my monkeys' over and over again ... I'm not getting done what I need to get done! Like, my own personal stuff! Like everybody else is doing!

Anyway ... hoping for a better mood tomorrow. 

LS 3 2 4, no, make that 3 3 4 Monday

Yo-yo time! Load shedding dropped to Stage 2 at five, and a few minutes later pushed back to Stage 3. So, our power goes off 10:00 - 12:30 as well as 18:00 - 20:30 tonight.

And that after the BIG announcement yesterday, how load shedding Stages 2-3 will continue for the next two years ... the idea being, that sticking to fixed Stages will make planning easier. And government finally admits that what all energy experts have agreed on: load shedding will be permanent for at least 2 years! Of course, they did leave the back door open saying 'higher stages may be necessary at short notice' ... Which happened only a few hours after their big announcement ...

That little kitty seems to have realised that 'when I wobble towards that big, scary blob - food happens'! I found it wobbling at my front door last night! Brought it in, gave it food. Mini hissed at it. Mewthos sniffed it a bit then hissed at it. When it had eaten, I took it back outside.

This morning, I found it playing peek-a-boo in response to my voice. I gave the older family their kibbles and saw it peeking at me from the Wendy. It kept bobbing its head up to be noticed - so I went back inside, got some Royal Canin ... Mewthos insisted he deserves a share, so I gave him some - then put the bowl outside the Wendy. Both babies came and gobbled! When they had eaten, they amused me with some play time.

Ah! The TNR Lady making contact! Asking my location - which I've sent her. I've been thinking that maybe, rather than wait for help, I should start doing what I can live with. But the problem is, that I cannot take mommy away from the kittens, especially not the mommy of the babies. And if I set a trap - borrow the thing they use here at work - I can't select which cat ends up in the trap. Smeagol would be a good start ... 

Dark 11 hrs LS 4 2 4, no, make that 3 Sunday

I managed to spend some time cuddling one of the tiny kitties last night! It was left alone in the shed my tenant built, and I let it lick some gravy off my finger, picked it up, cleaned it up a bit, cuddled. 

I'm guessing about 2-3 weeks old?

I waited for the power to come back at eight, then quickly showered and went to bed.

I had a bad night. I woke up several times - power off. Apparently the power went off sometime after nine last night. Nobody can report, because that system is down, as well. Message from municipality to please use the call centre ... tried that ... they can't help.

So, all we can do is sit, wait, and hope ... from the reports, I gather the whole SP50 line is down ... hopefully that's the only line, otherwise ... who knows when we get our turn.

Quarter past eight, power came on! Yay! Giving me less than two hours until load shedding ... sigh ... Well, I've put everything on charge. Cellphone, Smartphone ....Jane is heat-charging my lap ... 

I only ate the gem squash yesterday, so this morning, I have a headache from lack of food. I ate what was still edible of the bananas, So I just made myself one of those pan-elets. Egg, flour, baking powder, water, milk, fry ... I meant to put the tomato paste from the fridge on it ... only ... with the power outages, it's growing mold. Sigh ... I had to take another one out, as I need some for the cottage pie.

I suppose you'd think I get busy on my no-electricity-needed tasks, while the power is off? Well, I spent an hour just making sure we're reported - nobody else here does - and giving everyone feedback. And then ... well, I didn't feel like writing out the shopping list, and all the other tasks are only worthwhile, IF power DOES come back on! No use cutting bell peppers, etc, if I won't be able to bake this afternoon. I also stressed about all the potato mash ... 

Well, now I can get started. And I'm starting with a fresh pot of coffee! Fortunately I had enough to take me through the dark times.

Quarter to load shedding, and the lack of sleep during the night is catching up with me ... I think I'll take a nap ... at ten in the morning. Great, eh?

Well, I napped for an hour and a half. Then got up, got the bread dough ready. I finished just in time - I had just loaded everything, when the power came on. Now I want to start preparing the tomatoes for the next batch of paste ... 

Phew! Four o'clock and I've been working practically non stop! Prepared the tomato paste, shaped the potato bread rolls, de-seeded and chopped five huge bell peppers from my garden, fried them, fried the mince, mixed it into two bowls, added the mashed potatoes, started washing dishes, as I've run out of space ... mixed the muffin dough, made the paste, let it cool down, decanted into a tub, put it in the freezer, washed the blender ... 

The only thing left to wash, is the muffin tray. I'm afraid the muffins deflated, when I opened the oven door to take the cottage pies out.

Oh, another welcome update from Eskom. Instead of Stage 4, we're only at Stage 3 tonight. Until 05:00 tomorrow morning. Tomorrow Stage 2, then Stage 3, Tuesday Stage 1, then Stage 3 again. For me, that means we still go off tonight 18:00 - 20:30 - and tomorrow only 18:00 - 20:30, bummer! But at least I can keep the PC on tonight ... as long as there's no cable theft, that is!

When I took a short smoke break, while mixing the muffin dough, the little mite in the photo played peek-a-boo with me, so I went and picked it up, brought it inside, gave it some wet food - which it gobbled hungrily! I had to stop it eating too much ... for which it thanked me by trying to chomp on my finger! It's so young, it doesn't have teeth ... not enough to hurt.

The potato bread has turned out very, VERY nicely! Probably because I let it rise out of control ... just timing. Too much to do, one thing after another.

Just past five, I've fed the outside cats, I should still water, but really? I'm exhausted! I'm just going to relax, nibble on odds and ends - I just enjoyed a potato bread roll! Pack my lunch, you know ... end the weekend, get ready for the week.

I'll shower after load shedding. I have found that between six and seven is the most humid time ... maybe between six and eight. I don't pay too much attention ... I just suffer.

Eskom has made a big announcement ... I don't know what to make of it. I think I'll watch some news clips - get different people's opinion ... see what makes sense.

LS 4 3 4 Saturday

I bungled it last night. Load shedding wasn't from six to eight, but from eight to ten. No wonder with all these schedules and changes ... can't keep it straight in my head, and I can't check the schedule all the time.

It gave me a chance to take another shower before going to bed, though. But the two hours without the ceiling fan? Awful! Really, in this heat? It's not merely unpleasant of uncomfortable, it's really awful.

I got to touch the black and white kitten last night! I put a bowl of Whiskas in front of me. Smeagol gobbled most of it, but the kitten got some. It approached with trepidation, but once it started gobbling, I was furniture ... which could reach out and touch its head. Mommy won't eat when the bowl is within my reach, though. She's very wary!

The grey mommy kept her two babies in my tenant's tomato patch - near the wall in the jungle section. She is even more wary than the long-hair black and white mommy. She had her kittens with her - two of them. They are so young, their eyes still can't focus. So, after mommy left, I could get quite close to put down a bowl. They're hiding in the bush just outside my garden, in the far corner, near the gate.

I also looked through the bread recipe book and I've decided to try a Russian Potato Bread! And I told my tenant that the cake I'll be baking will be chocolate chip muffins. Sorry, I'm not much of a baker, I'll stick to what I know, for now. He's happy.

Right, just past nine, washing is on the line, Janey is hogging my lap, gem squash and potatoes are steamed ... I haven't done the dishes, yet. I took my time picking out the viable seeds from the three gem squash I harvested from my own garden! 

Twenty to ten, rump is in the freezer, potatoes and gem squash are finished ...

Well, I did part of the dishes, enjoyed two of my gem squash - REALLY enjoyed! They are surprisingly tasty! None of my other home grown vegetables were so noticeably tastier than store bought!

And then I took a nap ... woke up around half past load shedding, erm, twelve. Funny thing, I'm not motivated to do much of anything now. My stomach feels somewhat knotted, meaning not exactly painful, but highly uncomfortable. And it is unpleasantly hot. And humid - though there is not much chance of rain ... 

Well, I pulled myself up by my bootstraps and started mashing potatoes. I tried three different methods: the blender - which needs a lot of liquid, so it ends up more like a potato shake; the grinder - which overheated a bit too quickly, I don't yet know whether it'll be fine once it cools down; and the old fashioned hand masher. I don't like either. Using the Rösti maker is very tedious and slow - but I think that worked best.

And then I cleaned the kitchen ... there was quite a bit to clean, now.

The tiny kittens are currently in the little shed my tenant built. I placed a bowl of Whiskas for them - they are very wary of me - and a few minutes later it was polished clean, so I put another pouch of Royal Canin down for them.

Well, twenty past five. Today load shedding IS at six. Just to make sure, I checked: I did get the notification. So ... I'm going to publish ... spot y'all tomorrow!

LS 5 4 5 Friday

So, I got home really early! Half past four! Mippies were very surpised - no car noise, yet suddenly: here's mommy! Ha Ha!

I spent the extra time finishing the bed around the Thyme. I planted some bulbs there, as well, and they are coming along nicely.

I'm so drained and exhausted, I didn't even bother to eat. I showered, and went to bed. This is not good.

This morning, I sat with no clue who will take me to work, or when. So, I figured I might as well go outside to wait. Fed the outside kitties - less food has been eaten, and I didn't see the babies last night ... and the landlord's been driving around in the field. Adding to my stress levels ...

I've decided to work out my weekend plan no later than Friday.

This way, I can stop stressing the entire weekend. like I did last weekend.

Sigh ... as I suspected, I'm going to be without a car for a while.

Two weeks ago, I took some papers to work, planning on processing them in my spare time ... they are still in my drawer! And I need the info for my budget ... so, now I'm taking them home again ... where I don't have electricity half the time ... 

We were supposed to get an update from Eskom ... but they're so busy flapping lips, enjoying fancy boardroom lunches with the president ... the rest of us must just lump it. We're stuck on the Stage 4 / 5 schedule they last announced ... 

Based on that, I'll have no power tonight 18:00 - 20:30, tomorrow 02:00 - 04:30 & 10:00- 14:30 (FFS! 4 hours mid day?) & 18:00 - 20:30. On Sunday 02:00 - 04:30 & 10:00 - 12:30 & 18:00 - 22:30!

Which means that I have to get all baking done between noon and six on Sunday afternoon. While on Saturday, laundry & dishes & steaming must be done by ten in the morning! I'll have to do the budget & shopping list at work on Monday. I can write down what I need, but I need internet to look up who offers the best prices ... Well, I have another week ... 

Anyway. We stopped at the butchery, I got some lovely rump steak and a good load of mince! Lovely!

I got home twenty past three ... sprinklers going full steam ahead! So: no gardening, ha ha!

Aaand a nice surprise! Update from Eishkom, load shedding stages are dropping. So I won't have the 4 hour outage, only 2 hours from 10:00 - 12:30, same on Sunday only 18:00 - 20:30.

Well, I've taken the afternoon to just relax. I've taken a shower ... may still wash the dishes ... or not ... whatever. Twenty past five, power off at six. Again from two to four tomorrow morning, so PC stays off ...

I've made myself a coffee milkshake. With the power going off in half an hour ... do I make myself another, or will what I've made be enough?

Well, I've made another.  Quarter to six ... better publish, shut off the PC ... sprinklers stopped at five, I've already fed the ferals ... I can just sit back and relax the rest of the evening ...

LS 5 4 5 Car breaks down Thursday

I didn't sleep too well, with the power off from eight to midnight, and again from four to six ... I woke up at eleven and remembered that I had brewed a fresh pot of coffee for the morning ... and forgotten about it. So, I got up, poured it into the flask ... I wasn't sure whether I had switched it off or not, so, to be on the safe side, I unplugged it.

That kept me awake until power came on at midnight. Ceiling fan going ... I finally managed to fall asleep again.

I didn't see any of the very young kittens last night - I'm hoping they're hiding in the Wendy. I did see the older ones, the black and white one I saw first, and the brown tabby. With the landlord busy with those big yellow machines in the field, where the cats always seem to run to ... I'm stressing.

I didn't wake up too early this morning, struggled to get up, had coffee, off to work ...

On the way, the car overheated! Fortunately I noticed the needle going up ... up ... up ... pulled over and turned off the engine. If I hadn't been paying attention, the engine could have cease and that's MAJOR COST! You're better off scrapping and buying a new engine, usually. Anyway, that didn't happen. Called the boss ... he came and towed the car to work.

I was really, REALLY glad he had brought someone with a drivers license along, who could sit in the towed car! Being towed is an absolute nightmare for me! You're on edge the whole time. I absolutely hate it.

Again, I didn't have to. Phew! They've identified that it was the thermostat, so he'll get a new one and replace it. Hopefully I can drive home with my car tonight. I'll have to get my groceries tomorrow. No problem.

Oh ... just past four, boss' mum is here, apparently she's taking me home tonight. Sound a bit like Rose driving for her daughters business? Ha ha, yeah!

Well, I'd better publish ... 

LS 5 4 5 Wednesday

I slept reasonably well, although I woke up twice, I still finally woke up on time. I got up, had cold coffee, waiting for the power to come back.

Work was hectic. It's now five to five ... 

Dark 16 hrs LS 6 4 5 Tuesday

Clearly, an effect must be seen, when the president himself starts to get involved with the electricity crisis, right? So, we're told that at 05:00 this morning, we'll drop to Stage 4, followed by Stage 5 from 16:00 - 05:00 tomorrow morning. This is clearly a purely political move - which is worrying, because it's not backed by actual improvement of power generation.

I erroneously assumed our turn last night would be from eight ... only to realise, half an hour later, that we were only scheduled from ten. And apparently, the power never came on after load shedding ... by the time I left, this morning, around half past six, power was still off.

Mommy brought her kittens this morning, around the same time I was ready to leave. I waited until they were no longer in the road, and all safely inside the garden, before starting the car. At which point, the brown tabby hid in the corner bed, mommy and the black and white kitten went into the jungle section, Smeagol sat out of the way, supervising.

Oh, and yet another kitten showed up last night! This one is so young, it's eyes aren't focussing, yet. I was able to creep up to it and touch it! It just goggled at me with big wide eyes. This means, it must have been born December? I really must put a stop to this ...

Oh, and I harvested three Gem Squash last night!

First though, some work stuff to do. Then report to power outage ... on my way to work, I noticed the traffic lights at Onderstepoort were on - they're also Group 11, same as us.

I'm so tired, it's not even ten and I'm struggling to keep my eyes open. I woke up a couple of times during the night ... 

Messaged the TNR lady ... hoping to get help! I really am out of my depth with feral cats ...

Oh, our power outage is apparently a result of cable theft. Or attempted cable theft during load shedding last night ... 

In other news, more and more groups are either threatening or opening court cases to end load shedding. One group has been in legal action to get the government to reveal their plan - if they have one. That, to me, is the most substantial one. Making government accountable, since they seem to believe they answer to no one.

But the one's trying to go to court to force Eskom to stop load shedding? Sheez, really? WTF is wrong with you?

I've just made myself an extra strong cup of coffee to try and stay awake.

In other news, a tiger is roaming the streets of Johannesburg. Seriously! Yesterday's news. But if that wasn't bizarre enough - the tigress apparently briefly went home last night! Yeah ... can't make this shit up ...

Both deliveries of mippie treats have arrived. The Whiskas arrived this morning, the Royal Canin just now - just past two.

Oh, and our power is back on! After 16 hours! Load shedding again at eight tonight ... 

Well, I've contacted 'Be Wise, Sterilise' again ... which seems to be the only TNR option in the whole of Pretoria! She's offered to lend me traps and explain how they work ... but hasn't said when. And she can refer to an affordable vet ...

I found several feral cat support organisations ... none of which seem to be active. All started with big ambitions, a big heart ... and seemingly just died through lack of funding. Really, really sad.

Well, it's five to five ... better publish while I have internet!

LS 6 Monday

I woke up twice during load shedding. Still got up before the next slot to brew myself a fresh pot of coffee. It'll have to get me through tomorrow morning, as well - as power goes off tomorrow morning from 04:00 - 08:30.

At work ... another busy day. No comment. Except: I'm stressing less than I would last year. Initial reaction is still habitual - but then I relax.

Just past four, this is when I call it a day at work. Finish whatever I'm busy with, but I don't start any new task.

Load shedding tonight 22:00 - 00:30, tomorrow 04:00 - 08:30 & 12:00 - 16:30 & 20:00 - 22:30.

We're still in Stage 6 ... but there's been a lot of chatter that Stage 7 is coming soon ... and when they say Stage 7, they mean Stage 8. News today is that the president cancelled his trip to attend the World Economic Forum (well, seeing as he promised at the last one in 2015, that load shedding will be a thing of the past within 2 years ... I guess he's embarrassed) to 'make time for urgent discussion with Eskom'. Eskom announced that they can't hold the promised media conference, as they're in urgent discussion with the president.

Well, although I should have power tonight - I can't be sure to have internet. So ... publishing now ...

LS 6 Sunday

I forgot about the ten to midnight load shedding slot, last night. I got lucky, and realised just in time to turn off the PC!

Internet is miserable - I can barely get two bars.

I have seen the tabby kitten this morning, all is well in my little world!

Smeagol went after Ziva again yesterday afternoon. I have, however, noticed, that he only goes after any of my mippies, when either of his food bowl is empty, plus his female is around, plus he's been calling for me to fill the bowl for a while.

Bread dough is done, shaped and re-rising. Next batch of tomato paste is waiting for the oven. I've been considering various options to make myself french toast - all involve just too much effort and cleaning, afterwards. In the end, I decided to make just plain toast - using my toaster bags, making two cheese toasts at the same time. And I burned them, ha ha ha!

Second batch I toasted for only 2 minutes. Not burned.

It's gone just past noon ... I'm really tired. Staying up, watching a Series till ten at night will do that to you. Only ... I can't take a nap, now. Power goes off at two - albeit for only two hours - but I can't let the rolls rise much longer. I have to bake before I take a nap.

Struggling to keep my eyes open, though ...

I just took the trays out of the oven, around half one, then went to lie down. I woke up just in time to turn off the PC for load shedding. I had a smoke, and went back to bed ...

Half four I dragged myself out and into the kitchen. Started whatever I can do without power ... now I'm - very slowly - working my way through the dishes. I still have to do something with the mince ... 

Right, two packets of mince in the freezer, ditto two packets of chips. Now I still need to make the meatballs / hamburger patties. It's past six already ...

The heat is really, really bad! It may only read 32 in the shade, but it feels more like 40! Really! It's bad!

It's almost seven ... I still haven't made the Frikadellen ... 

Oh my word! I just spotted another kitten! At first I thought it was the black and white one, just looking a bit grey in the twilight. Then the black and white kitten came out to join it! Turns out mommy's sibling is another female! That makes six cats! Smeagol, two teenage females and three kittens!

After taking a shower, I found enough energy to fry the Frikadellen! Phew! It's quarter past eight, now ... if I don't want to oversleep tomorrow, I'd better get settled ...

LS 6 Saturday

Okay, so yesterday afternoon I spent with the grapevine. First I harvested - a whole box full! Lots and lots of grapes! Only ... a lot of them are a tad overripe. I'll have to sort them out. 

Then I cleaned the ground around the vine, and trimmed and pruned the vine - moving into the jungle, to get to the back of the vine. It's a jungle, that's no understatement. By the time it got too dark to see, I had only just reached the vine ... no more. 

I watched two episodes, showered, finished the chicken - I finished the rice for breakfast, this morning. Internet is a problem ... I could barely get online to post the load shedding schedule.

Today we were off 06:00 - 08:00, and we'll have power until 14:00, then none until 18:30 again.

I practically flew out of bed, when I woke at quarter to six ... brewed a pot of coffee. Just in time! Smeagol was already calling me to fill the food bowls. Him and his girlfriend ate, and he called for more, and called for fresh water. Clearly, I'm now his servant, ha ha! He was not THIS assertive, when it was just for himself, though. Interesting to learn about cat character, eh?

I was feeling energetic when I got up, cleared away my plastic bottles, but now that the power is on? Yeah ... not so much. I had a cuddle session with Mewthos out front ... laundry is in the machine ... I should really start washing the dishes ... sigh ...

Done. Next I need to hang up the laundry.

My fellow South Africans!

Welcome to another season of: Survivor - Load Shedding! We're currently in Week 2, Stage 6. Today's episode is titled "The Weekend Challenge - Level 6"

Your first task will be to find your schedule for the entire weekend - but remember, Stages are liable to change, with little or no notice!

Next, you will need a complete list of tasks to do over the weekend - separate them into 'needing electricity' vs 'no electricity needed'.

Allocate times to each task. Allocate sequential limitations. Put together a plan.

ARE YOU READY? Power comes on in 3 ... 2 ... 1 ... 

Hang on, wait for it ... there's 30 minutes travel time, so wait for it ... wait for it ... 

AND GO! GO! GO!

Trying to spin a little humour ... not very good, I know. It's not easy, when you're living the challenge ... every weekend!

The flies are driving me insane! This weekend it's a little bit worse. Normally, I slap at my arm or wherever they have the audacity to settle, but I sort of walked into the corner of our reception yesterday.

Slapping that bruise? Kind of hurts! So I'm now swatting around me with the swatter ... which mippies hate. So much, they run away, ha ha!

Slight conundrum: I'm sitting with a loaf of bought, sliced, white bread, 2kg mince and 5kg potatoes. I had planned making Frikadellen (like hamburger patties), cottage pies and french toast. Change of plan. I've just decided to make Hamburgers with chips! I can fry ALL 5kg, and freeze the left over chips. Same with the mince. Plus, I will have 'pre cooked meals' in the freezer ...

Only ... it's twenty to twelve. I better get started ... power off at two. Well, I need electricity to fry the chips, because I use the multi cooker aka rice cooker aka slow cooker for that. I can use gas to fry the hamburger patties, if need be.

Okay, first batch I didn't fry long enough. The chips are done, but not thoroughly. Next batch is looking better. It's half past twelve, already ... sigh ...

Crap! After the fourth batch, the cooker goes off! I suspect it's a safety feature, it may have got too hot. I've poured the oil into a deep frying pan on the induction plate ... carrying on.

Just before one ... outside garden sprinklers are in full flow! Huh? Who decided? When? Why? Well, they'll only be on for an hour ...

Saw the black and white kitty again tonight! I'm seriously relieved! Landlord was driving around with his yellow toy ... and my garden was 'heavy rain' ... I feared for the cats! Especially the little one's! The tabby is difficult to see ... hopefully tomorrow!

Tenant was at work today. When he got home, I gave him some chips - he says they're delicious, so don't take my word for it. Then I went to try and clear the bed around the Thyme some more ... I made a bit of progress, but the sun was burning my ass. Literally! So I moved over across the driveway. Tenant came to help - he cleared pretty much the entire corner ... whereas I just picked at a couple of weeds - by comparison.

He works like a paid gardener: works hard, lots to show for it. I, on the other hand, work like a hobby gardener: work hard, little to show for it in the short term, but I dig out the roots. It's all good!

Back inside, I enjoyed a hot bath - good for the overused muscles - and then ate a plateful of chips with mayo ... now I'm settling down for the night. Janey is strolling up and down on my lap, making it difficult to type, ha ha!

Load shedding tomorrow 4 x 2 hours: 00:00 - 02:30 & 06:00 - 08:30 & 14:00 - 16:30 & 22:00 - 00:30. At least not another 4 hour slot! That really sucks!

LS 6 Friday the 13th

No, I'm not superstitious about Friday, the 13th. We're in Stage 6 load shedding - power is off 10 hours a day ... what do I have to fear?

Oh, and Electricity is going up by 18.65% from 1 April, and another 12.74% same time next year - announced yesterday evening. Unacceptable! Totally unacceptable! And our president announces that he 'deeply regrets Stage 6 load shedding' - what a feckin' joke!

This is what one energy expert had to say:

" Energy expert Tshepo Kgadima says the Nersa-approved hike is two times above inflation. 

“It has brought the electricity tariffs over the last seven years to a whopping 893%. South Africa is effectively being priced out of economic competitiveness if you take into account the high electricity tariffs that we have, with the increased stages of load shedding that we continue to experience. "

Let me rather change the subject ...

I DID make the chicken and rice dish last night! Set it all up when I got home, and when the power came on, simply pushed the button! The chicken was a bit tough, though ... 

Then I sat outside and collected Marigold seeds, followed by poppy seed pods. Mommy cat brought her kittens again - I'm always relieved when I see them. They are starting - very, very slowly - to get used to me. They watch me when I work, and run away when I move - but they now do stay to play while I'm in one place!

I overdid the 'watching an episode or two' - well, it was the first time this week I could watch anything. I ended up staying up till about ten. Overslept again, this morning - though not by much. I woke up just before six, enough time to turn off the PC before the power went off.

ePetstore STILL don't have Whiskas in stock! I've now clicked on 'Notify me', so I'll get mail when it comes back in stock. I've also started a chat asking when they expect it to be in stock! I've had a look at alternate suppliers ... do I want to try and register with Game? More and more stores are getting on the 'delivery' band wagon ... which is good for me!

Ah! Whiskas has arrived, they're just busy loading it on the system, so in an hour or so, I should be able to place my order!

Okay, after three hours, I wrote back ... they loaded 4 boxes, which I immediately ordered and paid. Should get them Monday, latest Tuesday. Good, because I'm halfway through my last box already! For the outside cats, I bought a tin of cheap cat food. They are not fussy at all! Unlike my lot!

Since I bought less than budgeted, my budget is still looking good! I've not gone over. Given how tight I budgeted ... so far, I'm somewhat impressed. I didn't think I'd be able to pull that off ... okay, so we're not even half way through the month ... I need to fill up the car today, and I'll be stopping at the butchery today ... so, let's see where I stand next week.

News are funny things ... this whole week, local news were filling space with Prince Harry's book, the Boksburg tanker explosion and the ANC meeting ... the same things they've been calling 'news' throughout December. Now all of a sudden it's flooded with the Electricity Price Increase! Everyone shouting, lamenting, warning, etc.

We have been almost continuously load shedding since JUNE last year! NO ACTION of any kind has been taken to even address any aspect of the problem! It's all been hot air - talk, talk, talk. Our Minister of Energy called the CEO of Eskom a traitor (yes, seriously!) in response to which A) Eskom CEO handed in his resignation and B) Eskom CEO was poisoned! Our president's response? Good that he resigned, if he whines about drinking cyanide with his coffee, he clearly hasn't got the balls for the job!

Look at this:

Last year was the worst year EVER since load shedding was first introduced in 2008. The ANC was warned that this would happen, ten years before! They spent 10 years doing NOTHING to prevent load shedding, and then another 14 years doing NOTHING.

Which begs the question: Why am I so upset that they're continuing their established trend?

I've just posted the following question on FaceBook:

"Where can I claim for medical expenses incurred by an injury obtained while shaking my head in utter disbelief at the news?"

Valid question, wouldn't you say?

Well, almost time to go home ... it's twenty past two. Power off till at least six, going off again at ten ... I don't know whether I'll even bother to turn on the PC tonight, and even if I do ... chances are that I won't have internet. So ... I better publish now ...

LS 6 Thursday

Aaaand we're on Stage 6 load shedding 'until further notice' ... Pffffft!

Stage 6 is bad. It means on average 10 hours a day without power, usually 2 x 4 hours + 1 x 2 hours. And power is rarely on for more than 4 hours at a time ... How TF am I going to do my baking?

Ah! I'm just checking the weekend schedule: Saturday I'll have power from 08:30 - 14:00, so I can do my laundry and clean the kitchen. Same again on Sunday - so that gives me 6 hours!

IF we STAY at Stage 6! Chances are that they push us to Stages 7 or 8 soon ...

I just watered the garden last night, then sat on the veranda until mippies were ready to come in. Showered. Ate the last of the meatloaf, settled down for the night ... 

I had an idea about a design for a window fence ... if I can fit some type of fencing into a bedroom window, that cats can't get through, I can keep a window open all night - that would help a lot with the heat at night. The tricky part is that I still need to be able to close the window, if it rains.

I could buy the mosquito guards, like the one in my kitchen window - but they cost money, of course. So I'm thinking of making something similar from cardboard. Only, I'd need to cover it in plastic, so the outside - at least - is waterproof.

I woke up to a cat fight at my bedroom window ... sometime between midnight and four, as the power was off at the time. As a result, I overslept. Sigh ... Got to work about half an hour late ...

Just went to get groceries, managed to 'activate' my new credit card; though not at Spar, only at the butchery, I'm afraid. At Spar, they had some specials, I got margarine, potatoes, and bananas.

The Gardener magazine price has increased by a huge amount! 32%! I think that I should stop buying it now ... this price? Not worth it to me! Nothing wrong with the magazine - I just don't fit their target audience, that's why I say that TO ME it isn't worth it.

They had my brand of cigarettes, so I bought my full month's budget! I still have one carton on budget ... 

At the butchery, I just bought cheese and chicken legs. I want to see if I can bully myself into making the effort to make the rice dish tonight. It's really not much effort: Just add water, rice, place the chicken on top, and press start ... it has a timer, so it goes off automatically, when the rice is done. I'll see how I cope tonight ...

Back at work, I updated my cat food delivery details - changed the 8kg to 15kg and updated my credit card details. Sent them mail, just in case - if there's a problem, they will let me know.

Oh, how cool! I posted this, earlier on FaceBook:

I think it's time that South African food producers take load shedding into account with their 'Best before' dates ... Like:

Best before - no load shedding 2 weeks

Stage 2 - 2 weeks

Stage 4 - 1 1/2 weeks

Stage 6 - 1 week

Stage 8 - buy & eat / drink ... no chance of keeping, even for a day!

It's now making the rounds, ha ha ha! Being shared far and wide!

Oh crap! Tomorrow's load shedding schedule: 06:00 - 10:30 & 14:00 -18:30 & 22:00 - 00:30! That's my morning - though I brewed a pot of coffee today, so I won't need another one tomorrow morning. That's my afternoon - I get home at three! And my night ... 

But at least I can leave the PC on tonight, for a change. First time this week, that I even turn it on! I'll be able to watch an episode or two tonight ... but, of course, I can't count on internet. So ... I had better publish from work ...

LS 6 4 6 Wednesday

Aaand we're at Stage 6 load shedding! Announced just before eight last night, implemented at nine! So, instead of only 2 hours load shedding this morning, it was from 00:00 - 04:30!

I spent a bit of time working on the center bed yesterday evening, but the ground is now too hard. I could do very little. I could, however, pull out the tall succulents that have spread in the bed - spread too much. I harvested tomatoes - box is filling up fast, again! I'll be making more tomato paste this weekend. I also harvested some of the wild Zinnia's seeds. Well, for now, I just collected the whole flowers, which have already dried ... I'll have to see how to separate the seeds, when I have some time.

When Stage 6 was announced, I ended up in quite a long political conversation with my tenant, via WhatsApp. Yes, we can discuss politics without conflict - we both want the same thing: everyone to live well. And since he isn't South African, and can't vote here - we're not in conflict.

Anyway. Chocolate is due to arrive today. Nice!

Not yet eight and it's already here! Lovely!

Load shedding again tonight ... might as well publish.

Dark 5 hrs LS 4 3 4 Tuesday

As I wrote yesterday, the power went off around three in the afternoon ... it only came on shortly after eight ... too late for me, I'm afraid. I was already in bed. I debated whether to get up and shower, but just didn't have the energy.

Again, I woke up during load shedding, as I was overheating. These are the ripple effects of load shedding - it's not simply a matter of not being able to use electric appliances for two, to two and a half hours, several times a day; it affects my sleep. Which affects my health, since I cannot sleep longer to make up for the interruption.

Had a long chat with my tenant again, last night, while we were waiting for the power to come back on ... it's his birthday on 25th this month, and he asked me to bake him a cake. It's a tradition between him and his wife, that they share a piece or two of cake every year on his birthday. Nothing big - and he's offered to buy the ingredients. Now I'm trying to come up with a cake I CAN bake, ha ha! I'm leaning towards making muffing dough and shaping it like a cake. I'll have to check if I have any usable cake pans ... 

He also mentioned that his supervisor claims to be concerned with the toilet my tenant wants to build out back - reckons I'm not likely to give permission. Seriously? That sounds fishy to me! Fishy supervisor, that is. Anyway, first thing this morning I sent mail to Admin giving not only permission to build a toilet, but also suggesting that a tap & basin, giving him running water, would be good. And if they can build a shower, that would be awesome!

Fruit juice arrived! Nice!

Just gone three and I'm struggling to stay awake. Again. I don't know whether it's this shut-in office, with no ventilation ... yeah, door is open, but that door opens to the factory. Back door opens into the store. In my office, the windows are covered with steel sheets, welded shut.

That's the view FROM my desk (if I turn my head to the left)

And that's the view OF my desk.

Looks like I work in some underground bunker, doesn't it? It's awfully hot in summer, and freezing cold in winter. Oh, and by the way, what you see is two desks moved to form an L-shape.

Anyway, it's twenty to five ... load shedding until six, and then again at midnight. So, again, I think I had better publish now ... 

LS 4 3 4 Back to work Monday

Sigh ... back at work! Cats realised when I didn't open and gave them breakfast instead ... they're all downcast ... Smeagol and his girlfriend were demanding their breakfast ... 

Okay, fruit juice ordered. Whiskas is out of stock. Chocolate ordered, slight hiccup - the quantity I budgeted falls below the free delivery limit, so I'm going over budget. I can balance that, though. Go below budget on something else - I do build in a little margin. Hopefully Juice will arrive tomorrow, chocolate is scheduled for Wednesday.

I just stumbled across two new meat suppliers - looks very promising! But not this month ... 

Okay, I stumbled across a link to play lovely old computer games online! I started playing Civilizations version 1! Now I can't stop, ha ha!

Yeah ... I should know better. That particular game is quite addictive. When I still had the CD, I would sometimes play for days on end ... 

I see a flood of messages about power outage in our area, including our line ... nothing in the neighbourhood group. So ... I'll find out at half past six if we're affected.

Oh, when I posted the updated schedule, someone finally decides to let me know: our power went off 15:00 ... so, we're affected. Ah, well ... maybe they'll have it fixed by half past six. Whole Pretoria North is off as well, apparently.

Well, with load shedding and power outage and load shedding again at midnight ... might as well publish now.