After last night’s address from the president, we learned that we have another two weeks added onto our original three-week Lockdown!   That will make it a total of five weeks – there is a long haul ahead!

It is Good Friday today, the sun is shining, the birds are singing and the white rabbit is lazing in the sun.  I just hope that he remembers that he has a delivery to make on Sunday.  Bunnies are not affected by COVID-19 nor do they have to obey the Lockdown rules!

The Easter Long Weekend is usually the one time that our whole family gathers together in Struisbaai.  Sadly that is not possible this year.   Our grandchildren are in their teens and beyond so understand the situation.  I feel for the families who will be missing their grandparents at this happy time.

Whatever circumstances you find yourself in I wish you a great Easter Weekend.  And those who are celebrating other holidays like Passover, may you be blessed too.  May this crisis be over soon!

Today I am participating in Cee’s Fun Photo Challenge

She posted this photograph with some instructions:-

The possible topics from this week’s photo:  floats, things hanging on trees, rope, fishing items, grass, green, orange, white, blue, numbers, bare branches, or come up with your own topic.

Feel free to use your photo archives and see what photos you have that fits the current week’s challenge, or even better yet grab your camera and take a new photo!  ENJOY and have FUN.

My chosen topic is “Birds that thang about in trees”  Thanks Cee, you know that I will always try to squeeze a bird or an animal into a topic if I can 🙂

African Hawk-eagle

White-browed Scrub-robin

Grey Go-away Bird

Paradise Fly-catcher

This evening our president, Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the nation. The president thanked the citizens for their cooperation and understanding of the disease and the reasons to take the drastic measures taken so far.  He commended South Africans on being a people who come together and unite at moments of great crisis. From the first confirmed case, the daily increase in infections was 43%.  Since Lockdown it has decreased to only 4% per day. The measures taken have definitely slowed the progress but it is only at the beginning. The monumental struggle demands that we cannot be complacent.   We cannot stop lockdown too soon otherwise we risk reversing the gains that we have made.  The president announced that we will be in Lockdown for a further two weeks to the end of April.  Many measures will be put in place to help small businesses and the poor to get relief.  Senior Government Officials will take a one-third pay cut for the next three months. These funds will be donated to The Solidarity Fund. The president exhorted those in a position to do so should also donate to this fund which has been set up specially to help fight COVID_19 and to help those affected by it.  A lot is being done regarding testing and provision of care of those infected with the virus.  Our president believes we have the talent and resources to create a uniquely South African way of dealing with this crisis.  I believe he is right.  The whole country is behind him.

Our president left us with the message of Easter, a message of Hope, Recovery and Rebirth.   South Africa, I believe we can do this!

It was sunny again today.  The Earl had to fix his radio aerial which took him most of the day.  I did some laundry and Lollz and I went to the shop to top up on supplies.  We couldn’t decent braai chops so we decided to do pizzas for supper instead.

I spent some time researching what is happening with Coronavirus.  We are expecting our president, Cyril Ramaphosa to update us on whether the Lockdown will end or be extended.  He is being very proactive in trying to protect our country and the rest of Africa from the virus.  We expect him to address the nation sometime this week.

Testing for Coronavirus is being ramped up in South Africa and with this more and more cases are being confirmed.

Total cases are now at 1 686 in South Africa. There have been 12 confirmed deaths so far. Three of those are from the Western Cape where there are 462 confirmed cases of the virus.

It was distressing to learn that Britain’s prime minister, Borris Johnson, is in ICU with the virus.

When one is cocooned in a relatively unaffected area it is easy to be positive and think this will all be over soon.  But then reality hits when you turn on the television, listen to the radio or pop into social media.   We have to stay at home, people.  We have to take this seriously!  I have just heard on the radio – “If you can’t go out into the world, we are going to bring the world to you!”   This is not comforting,   5FM!   We want to hear that it’s all over and we can go to the beach again!

My friend, Heather, sent me a link to a very interesting Ted Talk in which Bill Gates in 2015 warned that the world needed to prepare for a pandemic.   It is well worth a look!

It seems to me that countries are better prepared for a war than a pandemic.  Gates warned that a pandemic would kill more people than a war and that enough trained people should be prepared like soldiers are prepared to be ready to go where they are needed to fight the disease.

Plagues and pandemics have of course been popping up throughout history.   This diagram that I found on Visual Capitalist along with a really good article on the subject  puts it in perspective

So right now Coronavirus is not looking too bad – BUT do we want it to look like the Black Plague?   The Spanish ‘flu spanned two years and killed between 40 and 50 million people.   We need to stay at home otherwise this can only get worse!

David Kramer a very popular singer and songwriter in South Africa made wrote a new version of his hit song “Welcome to Cape Town.   But this one, #TsekCorona!” encourages people to stay away from Cape Town during Lockdown.  It is performed by the KaapKreools Collective. See it here.

It is half-way through the 21-day Lockdown and today, we have rain.   Being Monday, Lollz is back working online and we are carrying on being positive, completing necessary tasks, finding interesting things to read and projects to do.  We only watch television or Netflix after dinner unless it’s to watch Wild Earth’s live game drives in Kruger National Park.  During Lockdown you can take a virtual game drive that you can follow live or later during the day.  We usually watch later as the morning drive is very early and the afternoon drive is at our exercise time!   The advantage is that you can fast forward to the interesting bits too.  The guides are very good so you learn something new on each virtual drive. If you watch live you can interact and ask questions which the guides will answer live. Having these virtual game drives helps take the sting out of not being able to take our caravan there in real life!

Missing this life!

I am adding a different blogging challenge to my routine every day.  Today I am responding to Bush Boy’s challenge to post the last photo on my SD card @ 3 April. No editing allowed!

Female Cape Weaver

This evening I cooked lamb shank and roast vegetables for dinner.   This was served with tzatziki and a Greek salad of cucumber, baby tomato, spring onions feta and olives.

Ten days in Lockdown – almost halfway through if they decide to lift the restrictions on the due date.

The SA government is really taking the Corona thing seriously. I read a report here about what they are doing. High-risk areas have been identified, 5400 field workers have been trained and deployed to areas in need.  Provinces are working with the National Health Laboratory Services (NHLS) to identify testing sites which will include both fixed and mobile test facilities. And still more people are being trained.  President Ramaphosa said, “The coronavirus changes everything,”   He is urging businesses and citizens to rethink how governments, businesses and communities function and relate to each other.

Unfortunately, there are still people who are not taking things seriously.  One young man posted a video of himself ignoring lockdown on Facebook.  Unfortunately for him, the police tracked him down and he will be facing charges of contravening Regulation 11B of the Disaster Management Act 2002. He is currently in police custody and he is expected to appear in the Pretoria magistrate’s court tomorrow [Monday].

We only got up after 9 this morning.   The weather started off calm and sunny but the wind picked up later during the day.    Our day took its normal course of chores, checking on the garden birds and bunny, reading and blogging.  Lollz cooked dinner this evening – a lovely pasta and chicken dish.

I decided to contribute to this week’s black and white challenge from Cee The topic is ‘wheels’

Bicycle Wheels in Amsterdam

Wagon wheels in Bruges

Landrover wheel

I have not participated in the Saturday Stream of Consciousness challenge for a while but as part of my Lockdown routine, I am blogging more so here goes.   This week’s word is ‘deep’.

After waking from a night of deep sleep we only arose at 9 am this morning.  The sun was shining brightly and I could not resist setting the picnic table and eating breakfast outdoors.

Fried eggs, bacon, banana, mushrooms and tomato with a little bit of basil pesto on the side

The rabbit that uses my garden as his home digs deep burrows now and then but because we love him deeply we forgive him.  It was a glorious day today and he greeted Lollz and sniffed her fingers as if to say, “what have you done with my snack?  Is it hidden in your deep pocket?”

Last night Lollz brought up the topic of her visit to Greece sometime in the deep past.  My ancestors come from Ithaca and Kefalonia and she’d visited these islands in 2006 while the Earl and I had been there in 1997.   From the depths of a cupboard, I brought out my trip report and photo record of our trip.  This got the Earl to reading it out loud and reminiscing about everything else we did on that trip too.  Deep nostalgia set in and he started on about all the places we’ve been and the fun that we’ve had.  “We need to go somewhere again,” said he.  I got back to the deep cupboard and took out some more of the places we’ve been and the fun that we’ve had.   These have kept him in deep silence, reading and planning for next time!   Yes, this deep, dark time will pass.  We will get back with feet in our shoes to finding any new direction we choose. (with apologies to Dr Seuss.)

Latest statistics of Coronavirus in South Africa

Total in the country is 1505 an increase of 318 since Day 3 of the Lockdown

Western Cape 374 an increase of 103 since Day 3 of the Lockdown.

A total of 7 people have died.

It seems that our government has acted in time to prevent too deep a disaster in our country.  However, we have been warned to continue to be vigilant as the real battle lies ahead and the real test of the country’s health system has yet to begin.

Trevor Noah has a message for all South Africans.

Today the sun shone brightly, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky and it was warm and pleasant.  Of course, we missed being able to go to the beach but it was still lovely to enjoy the garden.

A local radio station played the National Anthem at 1 pm today.  Everybody in the country was supposed to stand at their windows or at their front doors and sing along.  My neighbours to the left are not in residence and I saw those to the right leave for the shop just before 1.   Nobody was visible in the house opposite and most of the other houses in the street are vacant. So I was the only idiot singing along gustily.   Lollz was busy working and the Earl was in his workshop although he came out to see what the fuss was about!

The lyrics are in five of the most widely spoken of South Africa’s eleven official languages, being Xhosa, Zulu, Sesotho, Afrikaans, and English.

So, here is the full Wiki translation of our proudly South African national anthem:

Xhosa: Nkosi sikelel’ iAfrika – Lord bless Africa
Maluphakanyisw’ uphondo lwayo – May her glory be lifted high

Zulu: Yizwa imithandazo yethu – Hear our petitions
Nkosi sikelela, thina lusapho lwayo – Lord bless us, your children

Sesotho: Morena boloka setshaba sa heso – Lord we ask you to protect our nation
O fedise dintwa le matshwenyeho – Intervene and end all conflicts
O se boloke, O se boloke setshaba sa heso – Protect us, protect our nation
Setshaba sa, South Afrika, South Afrika – Protect South Africa

Afrikaans: Uit die blou van onse hemel – Out of the blue of our heavens
Uit die diepte van ons see – Out of the depths of our seas
Oor ons ewige gebergtes – Over everlasting mountains
Waar die kranse antwoord gee – Where the echoing crags resound

English: Sounds the call to come together
And united we shall stand
Let us live and strive for freedom
In South Africa our land!

I know that in Spain and Italy people bang pots and pans at a certain hour to demonstrate their gratitude to those essential workers who risk their own safety to see that others are taken care of.  Perhaps in other parts of my country, something similar is happening but here at the quiet southern tip of Africa, not much is going on!

At this time when the world is upside down and people are dying or becoming ill, I have a safe, comfortable home and I’m locked down with two people that I love. I also do not know anybody who is infected or has been infected with the Coronavirus except for my best friend’s son and family in England but they are better now. 

In South Africa today the number of infected people has risen to 1462 – still not as many as elsewhere in the world.  Have we put measures in place in time?   There is so much controversial information out there.  Statisticians who say it’s not as bad as the media is making out.  Really?   They say that more people are dying from other things than Coronavirus but what they are not taking into consideration is that this is an infectious disease and hospitals are not coping with the number of patients seeking treatment!   We have to put in measures to prevent getting the illness!

I have never in my life been a germophobe but I am now completely OCD and I am vigilant about disinfecting everything that comes into the house from the shop or anywhere else. We are trying not to go to the shop too often but when we do it’s a quick in and out.  I am just grateful that here in Struisbaai we don’t have to queue for hours as I know is happening elsewhere in the country.

As usual today we followed our usual routine – Earl cooked breakfast, pottered in his workshop, checked Facebook etc.  Lollz had a very busy work schedule and in the evening had ‘drinks’ online with her colleagues.

We ended our day with a lovely curry cooked by the Earl and Lollz, then watched some TV before retiring to bed.

The first week of Lockdown is over and it hasn’t been bad at all.   It’s been interesting seeing my daughter in her professional capacity.   I didn’t really know exactly what it was that she did at the office but seeing how well she performs her role makes me very proud of her.

I did not think the Earl would do well in isolation but he has handled it extremely well.  He is a man with a plan and has filled his days with various projects in addition to his normal duties of cooking breakfast and most dinners!   He has also read two whole books since being on Lockdown!

When tough times hit a couple one of two things happens – you pull apart or you draw closer together.   During our years together we have had to deal with a few tough times and they have always strengthened our relationship so a little bit of isolation certainly hasn’t broken us!

Today, I did my usual household chores, did my Lockdown Garden Bird Project observation and completed an Italian lesson.   By midday, I was feeling very tired.   Sometimes these low energy days hit me.  It might be low blood pressure or just my body telling me to stop overdoing it.   Fear of germs has set in and I have been obsessive about keeping the already spotless house clean. Then after already spending two hours or more on house cleaning, laundry and ironing I exercise fairly vigorously.     So I decided to give myself a break and went to lie down for the rest of the afternoon!  I read some blogs, my book, did another Italian lesson, checked social media and had an online chat with a friend in Cape Town. By 4 pm I felt a lot better and did a few walks around the garden while listening to a BBC Podcast!

The powers that be are trying hard to ensure that everyone stays at home and does their bit to prevent the spread of COVID 19.  This is not easy in a country where people have to get to work, to buy food or to seek medical help when they don’t have their own transport.  Taxis are supposed to limit the number of people they transport.  Nobody is allowed to walk their dogs.  This cartoon says it all!

Priorities in South Africa

Last night after a delicious dinner of pan-fried yellowtail and salmon served with creamed spinach, baby potatoes and Greek salad we watched an episode of Master Chef Australia.   I have my own personal “master chef” in the form of my darling husband and although he does not cook like those poor pressurised contestants he is pretty close!

Lollz and I stayed up late to watch “Anne with an E” on Netflix.  We are both thoroughly enjoying it.  I read avidly as a child but although our local librarian highly recommended Anne of Green Gables, I was not drawn to it.  I think it had something to do with the unattractive cover!  I now realise what I missed!

On the subject of reading, I do have a book on the go during Lockdown.  My friend, Sharon, in Cape Town, gave me “Eve’s War” when I was there a few weeks ago.  I have just started it and it is awesome!

Although I only got to bed late last night my eyes popped open at 07:00 am.  The Earl got up before me then I got ready for the day and Lollz was not far behind.  Once again the day started with slightly overcast skies which cleared to bright sunshine by mid-morning and there was a bit of wind.  For the first time since lockdown, I went to the shop.  We were all in the mood for a treat so I added Magnum ice creams to the basket and got a few ingredients that I needed to bake some cupcakes!   I very seldom bake but today I made HFLC chocolate treats.  The recipe I used comes from “Low Carb is Lekker!” which Lekker means – nice!

Enter a caption

The Earl had a plain one with cream

Because they are low carb they are not particularly sweet – which suits me but some like it a tad sweeter so I added cream cheese icing and a Ferrero Rrocher chocolate for Lollz and gave it to her for her tea-break treat.

Time for a break – Time for a cupcake

The Earl completed another project today which gave me great joy.  A while ago I asked him to get one of those thingies that you can hang a garden hose on.  He purchased it but did not get round to mounting it but now with all this time on his hands, it is done!

My hero – never happier than when he has a project!

Hooray, it’s done!

Yesterday on one of our Facebook groups our executive Mayor Paul Swart posted these words – Invowners van Kaap Agulhas, Ons dorpe was by 12uur vanmiddag vry van enige positief geregistreerde virus gevalle. Thanks to God.

Loosely translated – Residents of Cape Agulhas, At 12 noon today our towns were free of any confirmed positive Coronavirus incidents.  Thanks to God.

That is reassuring but on another post I found this:-