Wednesday 1st April 2020
Day 6 of Lockdown.
No reason to go out today. We all stay at home. Ally starts a 1000 piece Puzzle. Barbara reminds me that she has already completed this puzzle and that I broke it up. Barbara does some real tidying up in her Art Room. I run about 10km in the morning. Afternoon is Ally's time to run. She is amazing how she does the run and then about 30 or more minutes of weights and stretching. This afternoon Ally starts her run a little later than usual. And then keeps on going until after 7 in the evening. Eventually she completes her 12k run in about 90 minutes. This is probably the longest distance that Ally has ever run. She is pretty much exhausted and after a game or two of Rummicub she passes out.
Thursday 2nd. We end our 7th day of Lockdown. I have some Dole work to do so have a reason to be out. Barbara goes out for the first time in a week. Grassroof for vegetables and birdfood. Ally and I do the Grocery shopping for the next week. This takes up most of the morning so I start my run later than normal. I record a video of the route around the Garden. There are all kinds of Challenges going around. Strava has set a goal of a 42k at 2k a day. Achilles has a longest distance challenge. Nicky has a running group which has hundreds of runners Wietze Group. They do organised runs from Tygervalley -- I have done a few with Nicky. One of their members has set a goal for 11th April to run any distance you would like on the day which would normally be Two Oceans day. Meanwhile I have already determined to run a 21k on that day.
This evening is a Curry and Rice dinner made by out Chef .... Ally.... Followed by Rummicub as usual. Ally is an expert at the game and wins two of three games.
Our day ends with a few games of Rummicub again. If only life could be this easy. But without economic activity -- the value of the Rand is at an all time low; investment values are falling and so the value of our savings drops and with no additional income (nor any short term prospects of earning) we are going to have to rearrange our lives.
Barbara has these two experiences:
How strange our lives have become. Somebody was asking for a pilates ball on FB for an autistic child, so I said I would donate one of mine. Simple.. Nope.
Plan Of Hand Over:
I took the ball outside and put on the pavement, then sprayed it with sanitizer.
The gentleman requesting the ball sent out two drivers in a big pickup van. Both wearing masks and gloves. They pulled up alongside the ball. One man got out with a bottle of spray gloves and mask and proceeded to spray the ball (for the second time) while the other masked bandit kept the car running (🤔 for a quick getaway if a drone should hover by?).
The multiple sprayed ball was carried gingerly at arms length and placed in back of bakkie.
A hoot from the driver to acknowledge deed done. I ventured a few steps closer so we could give thumbs up and a wave.
Mission accomplished. 🙈
And then a second experience which was not quite as positive.
A beautiful day for gardening - was the plan. Sorting out greenhouse and discover my ousted hornet family. Talking nicely didn't help so decided to give them space and remove at night while they're sleeping. As I turn to head off one of the big wooden flower boxes (which I had balanced precariously on its side decided to topple over and thwack me on the face for no rhyme or reason. Malicious.
Suppose squishy eye and throbbing head dictates back to the easel and leave gardening till late afternoon
Saturday. Start running earlier than normal. I have set myself a challenge to run all four PE Parkruns. So I start off with Hobie beach and dress accordingly. I then move over to Lady Slipper.. Except there are Hills at Lady Slipper and here in my Garden Route there are no hills. Just dog made obstacles. Cleaning and household activities keep us busy. Ally and I start with the Puzzle. Barbara is doing painting. Today there is a bit of a heat wave and so Outdoors is really not an option.
This afternoon a bit later I run the Wells Estate and then the Sardinia Bay parkruns. So a total of 20k today. Ally joins me for the last 5k of the afternoon.
Sunday. It is the day I normally do the Humewood Myrun. And so I get hold of Bertus and Christien and they put up the flags. Bertus does the announcements and off we go at 8am. Another 5kay done. Not much to be done today after the initial busy time of cleaning the house. Barbara is working on a painting of Nguni Cows. I wash the car. And that is about the sum of the day. I make some Banana Bread. We drink copious amounts of Tea.
Monday day 11 of lockdown. 6th April. I have some Dole work to do. And then I hear that we are about to have some severe winds so I run a bit earlier than normal (Whatever normal is); I run 10k. I am pretty much exhausted after the run but still have some more Dole stuff to do. And I do some shopping as well. There are lines to get into the Mall and there are Lines to get into the Supermarkets. But I play my "Pensioner" card and am pushed to the front of the line. And I do not feel guilty.
This evening is our Zoom Cell Meeting. Ephesians Chapter 3. Interesting reading. So much that is familiar in the way of Prayers and chorus' originates from this chapter.
I run my 5k route. Cut back a bit on the distance as I plan to run a 21K No Oceans on Easter Saturday.
This evening I light a fire. More to get rid of branches and palm leaves than to grill the meat. But it is a good excuse to be out during the full moon. Its a beautiful evening. Being outside at night with the fire. A still evening lit up by the full moon.
As usual we end our evening with Rummicub. We have developed these routines which all go to passing the day away with reasonable sanity.
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| Barbara and I .. Training for the Mini Marathon. With Jeans on. |
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Good Friday 10th April 2020. Barbara and Ally playing Rummicub. I had just 4 tiles left. Low numbers. And yet still managed to have the highest remaining when Ally won.Friday 10th. Good Friday.
I received a batch of University Moderation to be done. Barbara and I continue to play on line Scrabble. First day of Not Running since Lockdown. I have looked forward to the running as an interruption during the day. But tomorrow I have the 21k and decided to relax today. Shopping for essentials. Working on the Moderation stuff. This is how I spend most of the day. I am able to complete two papers; scan and return to Maggie at the University. A bit of Garden Clean up; which I really do on most days. Not much but a little every day.
I talk to Lene in New Zealand and she is able to find a supplier of the Yellow Cable to the Router. I am able to order the cable as this is considered to be an essential service.
Saturday 11th. Easter Saturday. This is a day where I am normally running Two Oceans. No such luck today. So I run around the garden. It takes me about 160 laps of the Garden to do the 21k. And about 3 hours. A number of PE / Achilles runners are also taking part in their homes or gardens. Alan Taylor runs 56k and Steve Boschoff runs 58k as the Ocean run was due to be an extra 2k this year. After the run I am exhausted and a couple of cups of Chicken Soup, an afternoon nap and a shower are what finally get me going again. But I spend most of the day on the couch.
Ally started with me in the morning but this did not suit her and she was not feeling well after 5km. So later in the afternoon she starts again. And at 7.30pm she finally completes her run. She has run 24km. Double her furthest distance ever.
Our evening ends with Soup leftovers and Rummicub.
Canada 24383 and 717 deaths
Israel 11 143 and 103 deaths
New Zealand 1349 and 5 deaths.
Spain 166 000 and 17 000 deaths.
Monday 13th --- Easter Monday.
Another fairly uneventful day. I run 15k today. Ally runs 5 in the evening. Barbara is busy in the garden cutting back branches and overgrown sections.
This evening cell group is on Zoom with Gary; Bobby; Leone and Stefan; Claudine and Cronje and Rob.
Tuesday 14th. Barbara fetches stuff for charity. And continues with her painting of the Herdsboys with Nguni Cattle. I run 10k. Ally makes a delicious supper of Chicken Schnitzel and salad. I make a horrible pudding of Ice Cream between two slices of bread. Cut and deep fried. Not again. It is oily and not very good.
Wednesday 15th. Another day at home. Tensions are there. Barbara tells me that she has decided to keep the dog. No surprise. Barbara making masks for charity. We receive our replacement internet cable which the dog had chewed up on Thursday last week.
[12:23, 15/04/2020] jacqui zivor: 650 ml warm water (from tap)
2 teaspoons dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar.
Mix it up and leave for a few minutes
Add 1kg of flour
Mix with a fork and then knead for a couple of minutes
Back in the bowl and cover with a tea cloth for an hour and a half. It will double in size.
Then knead again, separate to 2 and shape them. Leave for another half hour to rise again.
Then bake in oven at 180 for about 20 minutes.
jacqui zivor: It's really simple..just takes patients and time...which is perfect for quarantine
jacqui zivor: I added the herbs and cheese after separating..then just kneaded it in
This evening, after both Ally and I have run, we light a fire for the Braai. I make the Baked Potatoes with Spinach, Onion and peppers. Light the fire and pour a drink. Ally makes the best salads. Later I accompany Barbara to her Rhino Watch duty. We take over from Bruce and Paulette McEwan. Michael Cantor greets us there. Barbara is pretty astute and soon finds the Mother and baby Rhino. We park out there for the night until Gideon takes over at 1.45am.
Thursday 16th April. Our initial instructions was that there would be a 3 week lockdown. This is now extended by two weeks to the end of April. This is an arbitrary time frame as there is no real knowledge or experience for this. So we will see what happens at the end of the month.
Today I run 10k on my Strava measure and 15k on my Huywai measure. I also measure the number of laps I do. I estimate that one lap is 100m. And on some days Strava measures 40 laps as 6km. And today it measured at 2.7k. So upsetting for me as I use Strava to measure the daily distance. I record the day as 10k.
This evening I join Barbara at the KK Rhino watch. Aisha and her friends are having sundowners on the Lion deck. We find the Mother and baby Rhino but by then it is dark and they move off without us seeing them. And we spend the rest of the evening looking for them. This was a 6 to 10 shift.
Cathy Banana Bread Recipe.
- 1 and 3 quarter cup flour, 1 cup brown sugar, 140g soft butter, 4 ripe bananas, half tsp cinnamon, 1tsp baking powder, 1tsp baking soda, 1tsp salt, 2 eggs, 2Tbsp milk, half tsp vanilla essence.
- Cream butter and sugar, add eggs one at a time. Add mashed bananas and vanilla, combine.
- Add flour, cinnamon, baking powder, soda and salt. Combine. Do not over mix. Add milk
- Pour batter into prepped loaf pan and bake for an hour. At about 50min mark put knife in to check texture. If really wet then bake for 1hr 10min instead. Otherwise take out at 1houe and let cool for 15 The bananas I had were big ones, if your are small then maybe add another banana to your recipe.
- This recipe was super yum... as per Saul. Best banana bread he has ever tasted
- Also make sure when you bake any bread that you place it on the lowest rack to make sure the top doesn’t over cook or burn
So what do we do during Lock Down. Exercise at home. (I managed 10k this morning). Cook; bake; Braai and share recipes and pics of our meals; Read; watch Netflix; Study You Tube for information; Use facebook, Whatsup, Zoom to talk to friends, Clean house and garden; Repack wardrobes. Move from the Lounge to the bedroom at night; Barbara paints; Ally received her UNISA assignments to complete within two weeks so she has her plate full to the end of April. I have to catch up with Admin but keep putting it off. Barbara has Rhino Watch a few times a week; I have occasional Dole work to be done; Now I need to update the Touring; Tax and Banking spreadsheets. I keep on putting this off as I know I still have weeks to do it.
Friday 17th April 2020
As from 17th April -- We now have a further Two Weeks of Lockdown. Still no Alcohol or Cigarette sales. Many people question how the sale of Cigarettes makes a difference in the transmission of the Virus?
A few minor restrictions have been changed such as Hardware and other Essential Component shops are allowed to trade but only with "Professionals" .
The Certificates allowing trade and movement must all be replaced with the new dates. The movement of Alcohol has been completely banned and laws will be enforced.
No public areas may be used for -- Jogging; walking the dog; surfing; cycling; walking; cleaning; mowing your verge. You may however walk, jog or cycle to the shop to buy Ice Creams and Chocolates. But if you walk for exercise you can be arrested.
However attending a funeral is considered to be Essential so 50 people may gather together for this.
Hi Peter
I’m a bit useless with recipes
So pls
Excuse me from
The recipe chain
But...
Here's my mushroom 🍄 soup
4 punnets mushrooms 🍄
2 onions 🧅
Garlic 🧄
2 tubs of cream
2 cups milk 🥛
Ina Parmans vegetable powder
Chop everything
Brown onions 🧅
Bring to the boil
Salt and pepper to taste
Liquidize And voila
I had no Veg Powder so I added a bit of Onion Soup powder and two cubes of Stock.
Sunday 19th. Run 10k I attempt a Zoom but it does not work out.
Monday 20th. Take out the Recycle. They were also on Lockdown so this is their first collection in nearly 4 weeks. I have a bit of Dole stuff. Run 10k. This afternoon I experiment with a Mushroom Soup recipe that Megan sent to me. Turns out okay. It is Pizza night and Ally makes the most delicious Pizzas on Wrap Bases. We have a Zoom Cell meeting. These are good for our little group. Gary Hageman has joined us for these sessions. We have worked through Ephesians. This evening was Chapter 5. "Wives submit to & respect your husband" is Paul's advice to the people
Tuesday 21st. Barbara leaves for Rhino Duty at 2am for a four hour shift.
Wednesday 22nd April 2020
As at today the official figure for the world --- The Corona Virus is a nasty virus that is transmitted mainly through droplets in the air as we speak or cough spittle comes from our mouth and this is inhaled or somehow transmitted to our eyes; nose and mouth. The virus survives on surfaces and so touching your face is also a way of transmitting the virus. At this time there is no known or proven medical treatment and no vaccine. The virus attacks lungs and causes breathing difficulties. It is particularly lethal where people have existing medical conditions such as immune deficiency and other health issues. It seems that older people are more vulnerable. Symptoms include high fever; coughing; breathing difficulties and flu like symptoms.
Confirmed cases of Covid 19 is 2.6million and 186 000 deaths.
South Africa has 3 600 infected people with 65 confirmed deaths.
The problem with these figures is firstly each case has to be confirmed and this takes time. And the number of confirmed cases depends on the numbers that have been tested and in SA we say that at this time we have tested 130 000 people.
We are in a month long Lockdown. Strict rules as to when and for what reason you are allowed out of your house. Practical for some homes and impractical for poorer people who live in small homes or shacks and have no source of income. Huge initiatives to help these people and provide them with food. But it is much more than just food that is required. It is getting their lives back. A complicated time in our lives.
For many people this inability to generate income has a real and immediate impact on their lives. Plus a longer term negative result on how they are able to cope with financial stress.
Thursday 23rd. -- Four weeks of Lockdown. One week to go and even then we anticipate strict rules regarding our social behaviours.
Today.... Barbara continues to work her garden. She picks up and delivers food parcels to individuals. Ally (5k) and I (10k) run and chill at home. I have a single parcel of food to deliver.
This evening the president announces that Lockdown will be phased out depending on the information available to the authorities. We end our day with our obligatory Rummicub.
Friday 24th to Thursday 30th April.
Nothing much has changed. I am usually up reasonably early. Washing & cleaning, Watching movies, catching up a bit on some admin; Running most days between 5 and 10 kay a day.
Barbara does her Rhino watch; lots of gardening and trimming; distribution of parcels to needy people and her painting.
Ally has started her UNISA studies. But difficult to get motivated. She is a star in the kitchen making lovely evening meals. Ally continues to run every few days.
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