Friday 27 August 2021, Day 32 of Level 3 😷

Corona Gratitude 🙏

#grateful for a wonderful day, coooooold at 12C max, with snow on the Winelands mountains, and rain this morning and again tonight; for getting my work done by lunchtime; for a walk to Camps Bay, Viv driving past and stopping for a catch up chat; for two clients paying me ahead of the end of the month 🙏🙏; for a quick stop at Zest; for a pop-in at Woolworths to return clothing bought, surprised at the poor service in their ‘Customer Service’ section, only having one person on duty; for another fun Cuisine Capers outing with Gary Peterson at Zeitz MOCAA and its Ocular Lounge on the 6th floor; for our Anatoli website finally going live today; and for being happy, healthy, and free. 🙏💙

The Sweet Service Award went to Le Lude; the Sour Service Award went to Pick n Pay ASAP! for the 4th week running.

Sweet Service Award goes to Le Lude; Sour Service Award goes to Pick n Pay ASAP!

I received an invitation from Aleit Academy’s Nicolas Theron to attend their FOOD IS ART pop-up installation, a practical for their second year students. Chef Michiel Geldenhuys was challenged to express the essence of an art exhibition entitled ‘Home is where the Art is’ on the 3rd floor of the Zeitz MOCAA, in three themes, sections, and courses :

1. Oceans and pollution: salmon, avocado and orange, a blue ocean created via food colouring.

2. Time and separation during Lockdown; excellent medium rare beef fillet with a mushroom pea mash on the side, representing corruption via an ashtray.

3. Mzansi : Rainbow Peppermint Crisp – it was multi-coloured but I didn’t get the Peppermint Crisp in taste or appearance.

Our wine choice was a Lourensford The River Garden Chardonnay or a Kanonkop Kadette blend. Gary even had a little of the latter. A Jameson ended off the evening perfectly. 🥃

We were fascinated by a Mystery Lady sitting closest to us, on her own. Having traveled my life journey on my own and knowing what it feels like to eat alone, I invited her to join our table. She declined politely, saying that she was Romancing her Aloneness. When she left, she handed me a slip with a book name entitled ‘Romancing the Ordinary’, which she recommended that I read. She told us that she is an artist, and that she was in Heartbreak. 💛🧡

My FitBit strap broke today, luckily in my home. I was lucky to have a spare short strap and received assistance to get it clipped onto my FitBit, not easy to do. 🙏

SA Corona Status: 2 747 018 cases 81187 deaths 11 924 972 vaccinations

FitBit 8000 steps 6 km 👣

Lovemylife❤️

The Corona Virus Lockdown (Level 5), announced by our President Cyril Ramaphosa earlier to commence on 27 March 2020 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 2021, extended but relaxed on 1 February, and relaxed back to Level 1 on 1 March 2021, moved back to Adjusted Level 2 on 31 May, moved back to level 3 on 16 June, and moved back to Adjusted Level 4 on 28 June, extended by two weeks on 11 July, and returned to Level 3 on 26 July, 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