Thursday 11 February 2021, Day 47 of Level 3 Adjusted, Day 342 of Lockdown 😷

Corona Gratitude 🙏

#Grateful for a fabulous day, peaceful, calm, with beautiful weather and no wind, and super organized; for having the chutzpah to address an email to the Sandak-Lewin MD very early this morning and receiving the most surprising reply almost immediately 👏; for an easy-flowing Blogpost; for collecting my poppy seed rolls at Dinkel Bakery; for buying some German treats at Hartlief, for paying my Rates & Taxes at Pick n Pay, and some other groceries at Woolies, paying my last Vodacom account ever, all at the Garden’s Centre, for no Loadshedding when we were meant to have it from 8h00; for a lovely Client status meeting at Utopia, getting excited for a very busy weekend lying ahead for the restaurant; for a Camps Bay walk, asking a bride if I may photograph her, she knowing me from my Straatwerker cleaning more than a year ago, her name being Sarah from Seeff Atlantic Seaboard; for reaching 10200 Discovery points for this year to date, only needing another 40000 points to get to Diamond status; for only paying R5 for a 2 kg bag of Royal Canin kitten food with free delivery by Pet Heaven expected on Monday, thanks to Elize Skriker; for an ice cream treat and dancing at The Dairy Den; and for being happy and healthy. 🙏💙

My Blogpost flowed this morning, being well prepared to sit down and write my observations about signs of panic I see at the SA Butler Academy as a result of the Carte Blanche program and the impending student class action.

Panic appears to be setting in at the SA Butler Academy in reaction to Carte Blanche program and student legal action!

Walking after 19h00 was lovely, it having cooled down, slightly misty, with lots of beachgoers enjoying the beautiful day.

Last year Sandak-Lewin helped itself to a 10% fee increase on 1 March without our permission, and four months ahead of our AGM. So I asked the MD to confirm that they won’t do so at the end of this month, and will only take an increase of the CPI of 4%, given that the other Trustees wouldn’t give Henry a salary increase of more than 5%. I reminded the company about the poor service we receive from our Portfolio Manager Greg Anderson who went on leave for 6 weeks without notification over New Year. The MD Carl Smit has been rude and disparaging to me on occasion in the past, so I was expecting the worst, but he meekly agreed to a 4% increase given the world economic climate! Wow. What a fabulous start to the day this victory was. 👏💙

I have just had an hour long chat with one of the apartment clients, talking food and restaurants in the UK and here. They planned and booked a round the world trip …. and then COVID happened. They are very happy to be in Camps Bay. I gave them lots of restaurant tips.

SA Corona Status 1 484 900 cases 47382 deaths 😷😢

FitBit 10000 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, and extended but relaxed on 1 February, 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