Tag Archives: Maison J

Corona Virus: Lockdown Journey Journal, Day 16 of Level 3, 16 June 2020.

 

Tuesday 16 June 2020, Day 16 of Level 3, after 66 days of Levels 5 and 4. 😷 (Day 82 of Lockdown)

Corona Gratitude 🙏

#Grateful for the most amazing Spring-like Public Holiday day today, forecast at 19C but definitely in the mid-20s C, a perfect shorts and short sleeve top day; for the energy to walk to First Beach, with not a single torn garbage bag, and minimal litter 🙏; for bumping into Haakon and Thomas Bauerkämper on the walk, not having seen each other in a while, so we needed a catch-up chat; for Maison J keeping me a croissant 🥐 until after my walk, as they sell out so quickly; for a photo shoot at my home with the Danish Marlena, helping me to rediscover what I have in my wardrobe and as yet unworn, when she looked for specific colour in the clothing I was to wear; for a one-hour tan on my terrace, I could have been on the beach, it felt so good; for Jenny Stephens coming to visit, for a Bakoven walk and a lovely spoil dinner from Pilcrow & Cleaver together, keeping me calm when Minsky went on a major adventure and we couldn’t find her, especially when it got dark, until she just walked back in as if nothing had happened…….. just happy that she returned safely ❤️🐱; for loving this day so much, and how happy everyone seemed; for cat advice from Michele Antelme 🙏; for bumping into KitKat’s dad Barry, both of whom I’ve not seen in three weeks 🐱😢; for receiving a third of my Discovery Insure premium back into my bank account for May, for minimal driving and for good driving behavior; and for feeling happy and healthy. 🙏💙 Continue reading →

Corona Virus: Lockdown Journey Journal, Day 10 of Level 3, 10 June 2020.

Wednesday 10 June 2020, Day 10 of Level 3, after 66 days of Levels 5 and 4. 😷

Corona Gratitude 🙏

#Grateful for all the wonderful rain that has been falling since midnight, with more to come, it not yet being very cold, but that is likely to come tomorrow; for a two-hour window of sunshine over lunchtime, which gave me a sunny walk in my shorts and short sleeve top; for a quick visit to Pick n Pay on my way home; for being so up to date with my work that I could allow myself a cosy afternoon watching my favorite ZDF Traumschiff series, the episode being about the UAE; for exceeding 600 Restaurants in the Food and Alcohol Delivery & Collection Facebook Group, with more than 4600 members; for a Bakoven walk with a short sunshine gap but then splashed with rain… ☔️; for dancing the rest of my steps to Kfm; and for being happy and healthy. 🙏💙 Continue reading →

Corona Virus: Lockdown Journey Journal, Day 7 of Level 3, 7 June 2020.

 

Sunday 7 June 2020, Day 7 of Level 3, after 66 days at Levels 4 and 5. 😷

Corona Gratitude 🙏

#Grateful for another glorious sunny day 🌞; for doing a walk with Jenny Stephens to First Beach Clifton and back this morning, spending three hours of chatting time together, including a coffee and croissant 🥐 stop at Maison J; for being so calm and peaceful; for getting over another admin hurdle, compiling all the certificates that need to be sent to the Western Cape Tourism Department with a detailed form to be completed that I had to search information for, so that I can receive my Tourist Guide Badge; for a lovely peaceful walk through Bakoven; and for feeling happy and healthy. 🙏💙 Continue reading →

Corona Virus Lockdown: Day 1 of Level 3, after 66 days at Levels 4 and 5, 1 June 2020.

 

Monday 1 June 2020, Day 1 of Level 3, after 66 days of Lockdown Levels 4 and 5. 😷

Corona Gratitude 🙏

#Grateful for a day of ❤️, happiness, and beautiful weather; I went to exercise at my now-normal time, loving the early morning freshness and sunrise to photograph, getting as far as Glen Beach, there being lots of litter to pick up due to overflowing bins, with lots of disposable coffee cups from the weekend; to have our Building Manager Henry back at work, working with him in applying the Covid Compliance Code, setting up a Sanitation Station; for meeting Stephané Schoeman and her husband Anton Velleman, owners of the Vida e Caffe in Camps Bay, who invited me for a tea to chat about my post about Camps Bay yesterday, Stephané getting a garbage bag to clear out the green bin across the road from their outlet, overflowing this morning, so I squashed its contents down to make space for more cups whilst I was on my first walk 👏; for a little shopping trip to Tamboerskloof, getting my favorite poppy seed rolls at Dinkel Bakery, lusting for them for 67 days, and at Peppertree Café on Kloof Street, both reopening as Deli’s today; for another walk to Bakoven; for a fun call with Stuart Bailey; for a tremendous feeling of freedom today, being allowed to be outside when we want to; for dancing 💃 to Kfm; for updating the Facebook Restaurant Delivery and Collection Group pages; for hearing from my dearest friend Llewellyn Lambert, missing him so much, a message out of the blue 🍎🍎🍎; and for being happy and healthy. 🙏💙

 

At the end of Exercise Time I checked the store opening and closing times at Pick n Pay and Woolworths, hearing at the latter that they have roast chicken in stock again. This became my most reacted to photograph of the day. 😱

I had to cut my exercise time short as I had to be back at 8h30 to let Henry inside, having kept his keys during Lockdown. We are going to start composting my Veg and fruit offcuts, my tomato plants growing very well already without having planted any.

It felt like a new week, a new month, a new year, excitement in the air, so I put fresh bedding on my bed and got my laundry ready to take to the Laundrette when things quieten down.

After visiting Vida I popped in at Cafe Caprice, which reopened today, chatting to owner David Raad, he reassuring me that the restaurant alcohol prices will be very reasonable. I also popped in at Tiger’s Milk, having heard that they had reopened too, but they will only operate from tomorrow. I loved their Sanitation Station ……. in Corona boxes. 😱. Funniest was a foot bath in which to disinfect one’s feet….. 😷😂 . Next I said hello at Rainbow, which has been open since May, but not during Exercise Time. I succumbed to a mask with red hearts – how could I not buy it…. ? ❤️

A walk through the Promenade was scary, every second Shop closed down: Daluca gift shop, the hair boutique, two pop-up boutiques, Jessy’s Waffles, Out of this World, and The Butcher. 😢

I compiled a first list of the more than 20 restaurants which have closed down in Cape Town and the Winelands since Lockdown. And there are more, I heard this afternoon.

Restaurants in Lockdown: some have closed down, others have moved towards Food Delivery & Collection, and Alcohol Sales, as Restaurant Sit-Down remains prohibited, June 2020.

But I’m delighted for the Restaurants that are open, offering Food Delivery & Collection, and if licensed, also selling alcohol from their restaurants from today onwards. Some crazy pics of bottle store queues today, who would want to stand in one?

For the first time in about 30 years alcohol may be sold off-consumption in Camps Bay from today – history in the making … 🍷🥃🥂

A lovely day all in all, feeling so ‘normal’ again, yet still strange. 😷😷😷

SA Corona Status: 17291 steps 705 deaths 😷😥

FitBit 18000 steps 13 km 👣

Lovemylife ❤️

 

The Corona Virus Lockdown (Level 5), announced by our President Cyril Ramaphosa earlier this week to commence on 27 March and to continue until 16 April, subsequently extended to 30 April, lowered to Level 4 from 1 May, and lowered to Level 3 from 1 June, 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 Instagram: @Chrissy_Ulmenstein