Thursday 24 December 2020, Day 95 of Level 1, Day 274 of Lockdown 😷

Corona Gratitude 🙏

#Grateful for so much rain overnight until early this morning ☔️, cooling things down to about 21C today; for a second short deep sleep this morning after not sleeping much last night; for a quick walk through Bakoven with my cleaner Imtiaz, John having left our team, and Carmen not coming to work today; for a busy morning preparing for the Status meeting with my Client; for leaning something new in marketing a restaurant; for picking up a last Mohnbrötchen at Dinkel Bakery, and receiving excellent service there; for a quick pop in at Peppertree Café to buy Mince pies; for collecting cold meats at the Continental Butchery on Kloof Street; for a lovely tea with a view and cookies and a chocolate coated coffee bean spoil at the home of Gary Peterson and Thomas Hohnke 🙏, allowing me to relax completely after my hectic morning before going to my client meeting; for a very good client meeting; for spoiling myself at Fideli’s (next door to Pilcrow & Cleaver), also belonging to Chef Judi Fourie, whom I had just missed; for another refreshing walk through Bakoven, the suburb being deserted, as was the city where I drove today; and for being happy and healthy 🙏💙

Today I wrote about the days on which each of the Camps Bay restaurants will be open and closed over the next two weeks.

Camps Bay Restaurants operating over the Festive Season, many are open right through!

In doing the marketing for Utopia I’m learning so much. Today I had to get over my fear of learning something I’d never done before, via Dineplan. Matt was very patient with me, explaining everything to me telephonically. And it wasn’t difficult at all. 🙏

I returned a plate to Gary and Thomas, first stopping at Bo-Kaap Deli to take an angel wing pic which Gary had taken yesterday, so I had to have one too. Gary showed me his massive reference book of the Royal jewelry, always sharing lovely posts of the brooches which the Queen wears, with their history, from it. We could have chatted all afternoon, had I not had to go to the meeting. #thankyou for the treat. 🙏💙 I learnt that Gary and Thomas have both done pottery lessons, a plant holder made by Thomas on the table that we sat at, and three enormous figurines made by Gary using coils of clay, done in stages, stand in the hallway. Wow 😱

At Fideli’s Deli I spoilt myself with two oysters and a glass of bubbly which I had never heard of, receiving excellent service from Nico, remembering me from their opening two weeks ago, and what I ordered to drink – wow. I took home a Prawn Pasta salad from there, the second course of my Christmas Eve dinner.

It is my first time ever that I haven’t been to church on Christmas Eve. It feels very grown up, and is the right thing to do in these Covid times.

I called Dinkel Bakery to check if they had any poppy seed rolls left. Cain kept the last one for me. I needed some mustard from the German Grocer upstairs in the building, but they were closing earlier than I could get there, so Cain offered to buy it for me, and keeping it until I could get there. He even organized a ‘staff’ discount for me. He is Zimbabwean but speaks good German, and knows exactly what a Mohnbrötchen is. 🙏💙

Tonight I’ll be watching some Christmas music programmes on German TV🎄⭐️🎄⭐️🎄⭐️, after dancing the rest of my steps to Kfm.

PS The Aurelia sparkling wine appears to be the own brand of Lucas Wentzel, the winemaker of Groote Post.

SA Corona Status 968563 cases 25983 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, 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