Lock-down Anniversary and Australia

I know that it has been a while since my last blog. This past week, my computer was saying “no” and therefore I had no choice, but to listen to it.

Monday was the day that I finally collected my credit card that was being held hostage since the start of lock-down. It was a fairly pain-free event, which left me particularly relieved especially since I was getting weekly requests to collect from a closed branch and I had overheard someone saying that the branch would close again! For once my timing was perfect!

From there I made my way to my office. I decided to do a “wellness check” on it, to make sure that the building was still standing and to catch up with a few team members who also decided that they needed a change of scenery from their home office walls. It was good to see them, but we all agreed that it would be a while before we all felt comfortable to get back to our “week day 4 walls” of the past few years. A quick Zoom meeting with our Head Office and it was time for my long overdue physiotherapy session.

You might recall that prior to lock-down I was diagnosed with Osteoarthritis which would require a session with my Physiotherapist. Unfortunately stage 5 was announced and my treatment had to be put on hold. Thankfully with us now being in Stage 3, I was able to give it the attention which it required. Now I have been treated with dry needling before in my shoulders, but never in my knee! That was a first, actually seeing the needles being put in, turned and pulled out. Five days on and my knee still feels great! I think I have found my new “thing” to manage my pain. Who knew?

Monday was also the day that I started my 30-day Mediterranean Diet Challenge. Have you seen this challenge? It is a super amazing, non restrictive “way of life” of eating lots of healthy stuff, meatless Monday, getting active, trying new flavours, but also drinking of wine and gathering of friends (this might be a challenge). I have been trying this way of life for a while because of its non-inflammatory benefits, but felt that I was not “maximizing” it, the way that I could and should be doing. So far so good! Am wondering how my friend is doing, who decided to do this challenge with me.

With Monday being so busy, Tuesday was my day for cleaning. To be honest, I was completely over it! I really thought I was going to have a sense of humour failure, especially when Jason commented that we were doing just fine without Eve! Says he whom is not doing the dusting and mopping. A friend asked if he was helping with the cleaning and in all fairness, since being at home, I have become a bit OCD and do find it “therapeutic”, so he just lets me be. He does other bits and bobs which I do not take for granted. I am one of the lucky ones. It was my “wobbly” day and that is OK.

Wednesday was our 3 year wedding anniversary. It was not quite the way that we would have liked to be celebrating, but we did manage to order a takeaway seafood platter for 2 from our favourite local seafood restaurant which we served with our all time favourite bottle of wine. It was cold out so Jason had the fire lit and by the time he got home from collecting our meal, I had the “soft tunes” on and some candles lit. It is true what they say about time flying when you are having fun. It has been a “fun” ride with never a dull moment.

Thursday was the return of our gardener and boy was I glad to see him! Ironically he did no gardening, but he did wash the outside of our windows, clean our garage and wash our cars. These were things which neither of us wanted to do! Provided that we do not move up a level again, he will be back to do some actual gardening. I have tried to do a bit of weeding, but my knee does not allow for more than an hour at a time.

In the afternoon it was my monthly catch up with my coaching networking group. They really are a great bunch of people whom motivates me to do better. It always reminds me of the importance of surrounding yourself with like minded individuals whom you can feed off of!

Last night we “traveled” to Australia for dinner. Earlier in the week I had a “brainwave” of since we will not be allowed to travel anywhere in the near future, why should we deprive ourselves of the “flavours”. We each had to put in a country with the letter starting with “a’. Jason, the steak lover that he is instantly wrote down Argentina, my mom struggled and could only come up with Australia and with me being on my Mediterranean diet and not knowing anything about Andorra, decided that that had to be it for me.

(Photo credit to Catarina Sousa from Pexels)

Unfortunately for Jason and I, Australia was pulled out the hat. Google search of Australian traditional food later, it was decided on a burger with the lot (all toppings that you can think of including bacon, pineapple, cheddar cheese). Sorry but we decided to give the fried egg and pickled beetroot a miss, only because we had eggs for lunch and I was not prepared to buy a jar of something which no one was going to eat after this. Australian wine in a Shiraz and Lamingtons for dessert. Who knew that both of these items originated from OZ? For music we played Kylie, Indecent Obsession, Savage Garden, Crowded House, Midnight Oil, Natalie Imbruglia, Inxs. Some good music exports, which really took us down memory lane! If we had kids, there would have been a lesson on Australian history! I cannot wait for “b” in a couple of weeks!

I am guessing that you are wondering what I am baking today, but believe it or not, that is not on my agenda for this weekend! I have managed to lose some weight in lock-down and if I am going to continue to shed the kilos then baking cakes cannot be a weekly thing! I have been given a rum cake recipe, which I am dying to bake, but for some reason rum is hard to find these days!

Talking about alcohol, some of our booze deliveries have arrived, whilst we are still waiting for more to hopefully make their appearance next week. Not surprising there is a backlog! Fingers crossed they do arrive, as we have a sneaky suspicion that the level for the Western Cape, might return to stage 4 sooner than what we want! Please just not before the rest of my deliveries are due, or before the gardener and my Eve can return!

It has been a weird week with some signs of “normality” returning, yet nothing will ever be “normal” again.

Until next time.

Love, light and positive change

Ophelia