Tibouchina on the golf course
Damn, these are such weird times…
COVID numbers appear to be going down all around the world; a good thing! Yet I feel stagnant. Like I should be jumping up and down as that means I can go back to see family and friends in the States. But as simple as that sounds, it just seems there are so many hurdles to get over, not the least is the inaction and chaos surrounding the vaccine rollout here.
Whether the government will ever get its act together is anyone’s guess.
We still have a curfew and of course all the social distancing restrictions to contend with. But too much of the population is not heeding the laws and with the more infectious variant here, I and a lot of other people are being exceedingly careful about where we go. If I didn’t care, I could go just about anywhere I feel like going. But I don’t - and that’s part of the stagnation I am feeling.
And it’s not just the uncertainty of the vaccines, but also the airlines have limited their flights to and from here. Emirates “may” start flying again mid-March. And when I do get to California, will I still need to go into quarantine? If I do manage to snag a jab here, does that eliminate arrival quarantine? If not, where would I quarantine that doesn’t break the bank?
So then I think, “I’ll just wait until we get the vaccines going here.” And then I think “Shit, I may never get back!”
This is such a shitty way of living, but I keep telling myself that at least I am not stuck in a retirement home where the inmates are locked in their rooms with absolutely no social interaction. It would be like jail. At least I can get out and I have a lovely garden and animals to keep me company.
I’ve never been a real social person, but this enforced solitude a lot of the time is not sitting well with me. I really miss seeing people in person, even if it is socially distanced. But so many friends have retreated in fear or caution. So it’s very difficult mentally. Zoom and FaceTime are great, but I find it almost impossible to read people through a screen! And the lack of touch…I can’t remember when I last gave or got a hug or even a pat on the shoulder. Complete sensory deprivation.
I know I’m whinging, that a lot of people have it far worse than I do…
We wore masks! Susy, me, Neville and Veronica - all from school
And I have been out a little bit. Carefully!
Last week I went to a distillery I have wanted to visit since I tasted their gin before lockdown a year ago! It’s north of Durban on the coast, so a lovely drive and such charming people. And the gin is as good as I remembered it! Plus the rum is excellent, too.
I also had lunch with friends at a lovely spot up the coast. I love that area and often think of living on the coast, not having to drive half an hour to get my feet in the water. But the distance and altitude are what keep Kloof, where I am, several degrees cooler than the beach, where it gets super tropical hot! Which I have discovered, in my dotage, I don’t handle very well any more!
Woza Moya and the underwear site are keeping me occupied, although it can be quite tedious. But it does take up time, which otherwise drags interminably. And little things, like finding a new app that reduces editing time by about 80% takes on overwhelming importance! But leaves more time on my hands.
So to counteract that, I am doing a Basic Stock Market course! I have never understood it and as I bought some bitcoin and a couple of stocks, thought it would be a good idea to learn how all the money bouncing around works. So much terminology and so many acronyms! But it’s interesting and I’m doing it in small bits so that I understand it.
I’m reading a lot, too and not watching much Netflix or Prime. Total escape fiction, like I used to do as a kid; devour a book a day. The Aids Centre has a great used book store that I use like a library. And now we have a more normal news cycle, I don’t feel compelled to watch it nearly as much as I did when the former resident of the White House created daily mayhem. It was such a relief when he was banned from twitter and retreated to his golf course.
Kloof Country Club early morning - no, I am not taking up golf.
And talking of golf courses, I’ve been getting up super early (to beat the heat) and walking with two ladies at the Kloof Country Club. It’s an absolutely gorgeous area with enormous, old trees that have been there since it started in 1927.
Stay safe, everyone.