Wednesday 9 September 2020, Day 23 of Level 2, Day 167 of Lockdown 😷

Corona Gratitude 🙏

#Grateful for a Roadtrip with Jenny Stephens, our first escape from Cape Town since Lockdown started, and a mini reunion of our Matric class of 50 years ago, five of us knowing each other since Sub A in Wellington, 62 years ago ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️; for a Breakfast spoil with our hosts Jeanette and John Duckitt; for Elaine Wegelin and Bev Bestbier joining us for tea, catching up on the past year since we last saw each other; for an informative drive and walk through the Waylands Wildflower Reserve outside Darling, boasting wild flowers of many varieties and even a mole snake, John telling us all the botanical names, such beauty growing wild; for a spoil lunch together, going back into our past, with lots of laughter; for meeting Chef and Restaurateur Benitha Nel of Peaberry Café in Malmesbury, returning to Cape Town from there, a fabulous trip on the N7; for being happy to see my cats again, having been very well-behaved; for two Discovery Gameboard plays, winning 325 Miles; for calls with Jenny and Jeanette; and for being happy and healthy. 🙏💙

I didn’t sleep well, so used to my own bed. But in waking up early I was able to catch up on my writing, documenting our visit to and lunch at Indian Chapter with Prim Reddy Chapter yesterday.

Extraordinary Chef Prim Reddy starts a new chapter with Indian Chapter Restaurant!

John Duckitt introduced fynbos to us, and shared that this is an exceptional September for wildflowers, given all the rain this winter. We got into two cars, and drove through their Waylands Reserve outside Darling, well visited by others too, the Duckitts not taking any payment from flower lovers. We heard that others had waited 2,5 hours to get into the Postberg Nature Reserve yesterday, having reached it at 11h00 already. We got a fright when we saw a mole snake, but John reassured us that they are safe. It is hard to do justice to the carpets of flowers over a larger area, so I photographed mostly close-ups instead.

I loved meeting the cat of the Duckitts, also called ….. KitKat….. 😻

After lunch it was time to get ready to drive back to Cape Town, in awe when Jeanette gifted us each an orchid stalk, too beautiful, coming from Duckitt Nurseries, owned by a family member.

We found Peaberry Café in Malmesbury via Google Maps, gifting owner Chef Benitha Nel a bottle of ADHARA extra virgin olive oil, with the compliments of Venishree Mayer and Fraaigelegen Farm. Benitha showed us around her relatively new restaurant which she opened during Lockdown. She spoilt me with a bag full of treats, including Balsamic vinegar, rusks, date balls, and green figs preserve. #Thankyou Benitha.

Early to bed tonight due to my short night last night.

SA Corona Status : 642341 cases 15168 deaths 😷😢

FitBit 7500 steps 5 km 👣

Lovemylife❤️

 

The Corona Virus Lockdown (Level 5), announced by our President Cyril Ramaphosa earlier to commence on 27 March and to continue until 16 April, subsequently extended to 30 April, lowered to Level 4 from 1 May, lowered to Level 3 from 1 June, and lowered to Level 2 from 18 August, is an unprecedented event in my lifetime. I am posting my daily Facebook post to journal this Corona Lockdown Journey, perhaps to serve as material for a future Book.

Chris von Ulmenstein, WhaleTales Blog: www.chrisvonulmenstein.com/blog Tel +27 082 55 11 323 Twitter:@Ulmenstein Facebook: Chris von Ulmenstein, My Cape Town Guide/Mein Kapstadt Guide Instagram: @Chrissy_Ulmenstein @MyCapeTownGuide

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