Tuesday 30 March 2021, Day 28 of Level 1 😷

Corona Gratitude 🙏

#grateful for a well organized smooth-flowing day, being away from home from 7h30 – 17h30, taking Earl Grey to be sterilized at the vet in Diepriver; for getting my day’s writing done at Knead at the Constantia Enporium, spoilt by Ollie with pots of tea and a hot cross bun, their Wifi working perfectly; for a fabulous shop at Checkers at the mall, with lovely efficient and friendly cashiers, compared to Sea Point, and good offers and discounts 😱; for an eating drive to Muizenberg, all three my visits disappointing; for a lovely tea and apple tart treat at the home of Rose Klein and Werner, also in Diepriver, from where I fetched Earl Grey, looking good and not having any wounds or bandages, happy to see each other again 😻; for a very quick walk to Camps Bay and back, such good cardio that I earned 300 Discovery points; and for being happy and healthy. 🙏💙

My Blogpost today was about Discovery’s plans for a Mass Vaccination Campaign of its 3 million members, sooner rather than later, it writes.

Discovery gets ready to assist in the mass vaccination of 37 million SA adults!

Earl Grey was checked in early this morning at the Peninsula Veterinary Hospital in Diepriver, his Sterilisation being part of his adoption fee. I was told that I had arrived quite late (just after 8h00), and that Earl Grey might only be ready to be collected at 18h00. I had made plans to stay in the South until he was ready, but this was very much longer than I had in mind. I contacted Rose, asking if I could pop in for a tea this afternoon. She had baked a lovely apple tart, serving it with cream. And made a special pot of Earl Grey tea 🌹. She sent me home with some of her special home-baked rye and walnut bread, and seeded loaf. ❤️❤️❤️ Earl Grey was ready at 13h00 already, the Hospital giving him an earlier slot.  

Checkers at Constantia Emporium blew me away, after my bad experience with Checkers60 shopping online yesterday, and there were very few shoppers at 8h30: I found the first Smarties in recycable paper boxes (not sure what they were made of before); they stock Provita with the most beautiful new packaging design, good enough to eat; the Whiskas cat food 2 kg packs only cost R115, while they were offering two 1 kg packs at R160 (on special) and R279 for a 4 kg pack 😱. I found my cats’ favorite Whiskas jelly pouches too, at a competitive price. I signed up for a loyalty card, which offers one even better deals. 

In Muizenberg I always buy an ice cream at Bootleggers. I should have kept to the cone, just tastes better. 😱 Never again will I go near a Lucky Fish – it took forever to make the calamari, and prawn croquettes (the latter tasting of dough) and they were served in a take-away container with plastic cutlery, for sit-down, R100 in total without chips. The bathroom visit should have warned me; disgusting and seriously in need of renovation. Soap dispenser empty. 😡😡😡 Chef Clayton Bell now owns The Empire Café, one of the first restaurants which closed down over Lockdown. He was previously at Villa 47. He warned me that the menu is simple, mainly all-day breakfasts. I couldn’t make up my mind, and finally chose a Caprese salad, remembering the superb Villa 47 ones. Mine was very disappointing. I was charged R10 extra for a slice of toasted rye which took forever to come.  😱😡🥲

The President’s Speech was mercifully lenient as far as Easter Regulations and Restrictions go: 

President Ramaphosa announces slightly tighter Easter weekend 2021 regulations!

SA Corona Status 1 546 735 cases 52788 deaths 😷😢 251707 vaccinations

FitBit 9000 steps 7 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, lowered to Level 1 from 21 September, and moved back to Adjusted Level 3 from 29 December,  extended to 15 February on 11 January, extended but relaxed on 1 February, and relaxed back to Level 1 on 1 March 2021, 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.whaletalesblog.com 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