Saturday 10 October 2020, Day 20 of Level 1, Day 198 of Lockdown 😷

Corona Gratitude 🙏

#Grateful for another lucky day of this lucky week; for meeting the team of 18 Camps Bay Car Guards when they were introduced to us as residents (all 4 of us who pitched) this morning, and spoilt with a donut treat; for an invitation to lunch at Utopia on the 15th floor of the Mirage building in De Waterkant, to try out the restaurant with a view, the highest restaurant in Cape Town, a lovely lunch with generous portions; for a second Camps Bay walk to buy the third Daily Maverick 168 to date; for dancing to the Kfm Blok Party; and for being happy and healthy. 🙏💙

We met the new Car Guards at the Pump Station building. The problem area behind Pick n Pay will be addressed in phase 2 of the project, we were told. Words of thanks and encouragement were spoken by Teresa Masalia and Alan Marsh, who spearheaded the project, as well as by Ryan Rudy of CSI, Peter Cookson of the City of Cape Town, and by Councillor Nicola Jowell.

The first two days of the Car Guarding project have not been without problems, as I wrote yesterday already. Michael the homeless cleaner caused more trouble today, and was drunk. I walked past the Guards on my second walk, and they made between R50 to R100 today, mainly paid in cash, with only one SnapScan payment each.

Lunch at Utopia was an interesting experience, the invitation coming from Patso Ivanov the GM, previously with Zenzero in Camps Bay. I’d never heard of or met Chef and co-owner Pavel Dimitrov, who has been very much in the background in his 24 years in Cape Town, working in the kitchens at Vilamoura, Pigalle, and NV-80, before opening Utopia 18 months ago. I was spoilt with a prawn starter, a grilled hake main course, and the most amazing Grand Manier Soufflé with orange sorbet. Mmmmm. 💙 And a glass of Pinotage to celebrate International Pinotage Day. 🍷

I decided to check out the Pick n Pay in the big newly opened black building on Strand Street, a weird location for the store other than possibly attracting Bo-Kaap shoppers. There was hardly anyone there, except a Melanie estate agent, who recognized me immediately after selling a property of mine about 25 years ago. I was very surprised that they didn’t stock the Daily Maverick there. So I got it in Camps Bay, hardly any of it sold judging by the vast numbers of the paper on the shelf.

SA Corona Status 690896 cases 17673 deaths 😷😢

FitBit 12000 steps 8,5 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, lowered to Level 2 from 18 August, and lowered to Level 1 from 21 September, 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

About Chris von Ulmenstein

Note: My Blog is being showered with ads by Google, as are most other web-related articles. Please be assured that I have no control over this at all, and that I receive no revenue for this unauthorised use of my Blog as its advertising platform.