Charlie's Bird
living the dream with Charlie and Thandi and chirping all the way back to the nest.Archive for November, 2021
Reconvening
…my thoughts. So, although I was on call this weekend, I managed to have a few moments of calm and they were just what I needed in the chaos of my brain. So, I am starting the week on a positive note. I’ve been for a run, and any week that starts with a run on Monday is going to be a good week.
On Friday night we celebrated my Mother-in-law’s 80th birthday. Charlie’s family all came together and I guess seeing a family reunited made me miss mine even more. And I suppose the fact that Charlie’s Mom was celebrating 80, the birthday my mom missed by 2 weeks made me very heartsore, so I have had a melancholic few days, deep in my memory bank. The celebrations were lovely, and I think everyone enjoyed the meal, and the cake I made!
Saturday saw Thandi at a gala, and spectators were not allowed. Charlie was an official time keeper, so at least he was there. the weather was super foul, with gale force winds and squalls of cold rain moving through every so often. I settled on the couch and did some embroidery, with a movie on the box, and copious amounts of tea. The two tumbled in, in a flurry of chlorine scent and fresh air, and we settled in for a quiet afternoon. Thandi did well – 1 gold, 4 silvers and 1 bronze. Proud of this girl!
Sunday started slowly – I had a few calls from the hospital, Thandi had a tap and modern rehearsal, with some promised ice cream afterwards. Then after a short rest, we decided to cash in on what had turned into the most magnificent day and we headed down to the beach. Thandi and Charlie surfed a bit – the waves weren’t great, I had a quick dip in the sea – it was freezing! My calves cramps as they were submerged in the water, but it was just divine on a boiling hot day. We ended the day around the braai fire, listening to music and enjoying a magnificent evening. Amazing what a difference a day makes in the weather.
Damnation
…seriously universe? Seriously? A new variant, not from South Africa, but because of our world class scientists, transparency and social responsibility, announced by our scientists, now believed to be from here by the rest of the world. And what does the world do? Ban us again. Seriously. I don’t know how much longer I can mentally cope with Covid-19, and all these restrictions and lockdowns and bans. I just want to walk on the beach and be with my family. It’s all enough already.
And if you aren’t vax’ed – this is on you. Enough already. Get the damn vaccine so we can get off this f&*king hamster wheel. We can no longer be selfish, we can no longer ‘wait and see’, we can no longer trust doctors on everything else, but this one thing. I’m starting to believe in vaccine mandates and am coming closer to the time when I will no longer see unvaccinated patients. My patience is worn out, and I am done.
Thanksgiving
…it’s thanksgiving today, and it seems I needed a gratitude reminder. A funk has descended on me and I have not been very gracious or grateful. So, in no specific order, I am grateful for
- a lovely family
- a reliable income
- a roof over my head
- friends, near and far
- the freedom to run and exercise with friends
- living close to the sea
- fresh air
- being vaccinated and boosted
Sadly no Thanksgiving dinner tonight though, with Thandi still in the middle of exams and writing Maths tom arrow, she needs an early night. We (Her and I) are even missing Charlie’s mom’s 80th birthday celebrations tonight, delaying until tomorrow, when we will spoil her.
Here’s to you, my readers, may you also be able to celebrate a heart of gratitude today.
Told you
…I’d be back.
The weekend was quite an experience, and Thandi has started her end of year exams – that’s the summary!
So on the weekend Charlie and I rode a MTB event. I can’t call it a race, because it isn’t a timed event, and in true Eastern Cape fashion, there is beer at the water points! So, a rolling start saw about 700-800 people setting off between 6 and 6:30 am on Saturday morning. It was a nice way to start and no pressure, no massive crowds. We slowly wound our way through the farmlands up and down hill after hill, which was all good; until we hit the single track section. Fortunately it is short, but, since I am a nervous single track rider and I have the broken rib to prove it; trying to tackle it with people thundering past you, when there is only one real line to take was very stressful and I ended up jumping off my bike and pushing it down. I was very irritated by the end of that section. Then it was onto another massive climb – there really are just far too many hills in the EC. I’m not sure what those farmers do with their tractors, they could make an effort to flatten some of them, at least.
Anyway, despite the relentless hills and the stressful phone call to tell us that Thandi was throwing up, we persevered to the end. After a quick call home to hear that all was ok (I think she had overdone the eating at breakfast), we enjoyed a beer and a burger, while waiting for all our friends to arrive. All in all, a fun day out, except for the MFH’s.
Thandi is now into her exams, yesterday she wrote English and geography (disguised as social science), Today is ‘Natural science’ and Design and technology. Whatever that really all means – we learnt about space, and rockets and the water cycle and musical instruments. I’m hoping she remembers her mother’s tips and reads her exams carefully and checks her work. She tends to make simple stupid mistakes – like identifying the adverb and writing it down, but not underlining it, or silly spelling errors that loose her marks, when she could get 100%. Anyway, she is enjoying the process and does not seem at all anxious.
And then, there is the ballet recital coming, the tap and modern show and more swimming galas, so things really seem to be ramping up. I haven’t told her, but we will sadly miss the Nippers prize giving which clashes with the show, which I know she will be disappointed about, but, c’est la vie!
(Another reason why I have had apparent writers block, I am finding it a nightmare trying to import photos into my posts – can’t do it from my computer, so I have to save every post as a draft, then go onto my WordPress app on my phone and insert the pictures, and it’s just beyond irritating!)
Dear Readers
…It seems I have run out of words. Anyone who knows me is staring at that statement with disbelief! How? I always have things to say, and can kill many an hour with idle chatter. But alas. Today, even though I have stories to share, I find I do not have the words… No doubt this will be a temporary thing, and I will be back tomorrow regaling you with tales of the cycling race on the weekend, or Thandi’s exams and her myriad of activities; but today – nada.
Swimming Mom
…ok, so, the writing is on the wall, I am going to be a swimming mom. I can see that I will spend many hours on the side of the pool. But, after this weekend, I realise that I actually enjoyed it. Maybe it was the efficiency of this gala that worked for me, but the kids swam on time, and things went very smoothly.
Thandi swam well. She chose only 6 events, one of them she had not swum before, but for all of the others she improved her times from her last gala and she managed 4/6 top 10 places. I challenged her to see if over the course of the next year she could make the top 10 for all her races at these big galas, little did I know she would take it to heart and swim to top 10 in all the races subsequent to the challenge being laid on this weekend! Guess I will have to find a new challenge for her.
Anyway, a proud swim mom I am and I know that the future for her is bright!
Tall trees
…yesterday one of South Africa’s tall trees fell. And I felt extreme empathy for his family, having lost my tall tree earlier this year. As the news of former President de Klerk’s passing hit the socials, I was simultaneously touched and horrified by the reactions I saw. I read the responses with the insight of the echo chamber that is South African Twitter
Whatever he was, FW was a courageous man, a man who was prepared to say that the very party that indoctrinated him and the majority of white South Africa in the 1960’s through to the 1980’s, was wrong. And he slowly set about dismantling the state apparatus which had been so carefully constructed to protect that white minority. Along with the unbanning of political parties, freeing of political prisoners (which began before Mr Mandela’s release) he banned the death penalty, and was part of the team who crafted the constitution of this fledgling democracy. He had faults, we all do, but, those are now in the past.
In the early ‘80’s the ruling National Party came and knocked in my dear Pops’s door. My progressive and federalist father. He was a noisy opposition politician in the Eastern Cape, but liked and accepted by members of all political parties. The regime wanted him to consider turning his back on the opposition, standing for them with the guarantee of a cabinet position for him. And he just couldn’t do it. Pops was a man of honour and integrity. Later in the 80’s, as the opposition was further and further oppressed and strangled almost out of existence, he met with FW, shortly after he became state president, here in our home town. It was a hush-hush meeting, the Nats did not want it known that they were talking to (I could think of many names here that he was called, but none of them are politically correct anymore, and I don’t want this post to be shocking) the opposition. It was a fruitful meeting. Pops remembers that blue eyed man agreeing with him that the winds of change were now howling as sure as the wind howls in our home town, and that he needed to make dramatic changes rapidly if we were not to face down the threat of civil war. A war my own brothers would probably have been called to fight in on the wrong side of history. He left the meeting sure that this too was a man of integrity and that he would fulfill a promise to all the people of South Africa. And so it was, a few months later, FW took his cabinet kicking and screaming across the rubicon.
Rest now, Mr de Klerk, we cannot revise your history, it will stand in the record books.
Boosted
…anticipating an improvement in my magnetism (animal or not) and my 5G (because, honestly, that’s been a bit of a disappointment ) and my wi-fi, I was thrilled to get my booster vaccine today! Oh, and boosting my immunity while I’m at it will be a bonus!
Midweek
…so on a special morning today, I delivered a very very long awaited baby to a very sweet family. I know everyone’s journey is unique, and indeed, every baby is incredible, but this one, even I was quite moved to bring him out into the world. A 42 year old mom, and extremely traumatic road to his conception, and now, a screaming healthy little chap! Happy day!
It’s raining
…and the world is singing! Rain in this neck of the woods is something we seem to always need. The mismanagement of water resources in our country has done nothing to assist with water management, and indeed most South Africans have had to be like farmers, and make plans. It’s definitely getting to the time when I am going to need about installing my own water collection tank. Pity my house does not have gutters, so I will have to install some of those too… Ah well. Such is being an adult and a home owner…
In other news, the news broke this weekend that Shell intend to explore our beautiful Wild Coast for natural gas – Why they have decided this is a good idea when we have one of the worst possible coastlines – the continental shelf drops off very close to the land mass, so the seas are wild (hence the name) and that there is absolutely no infrastructure in the surrounding areas, so any gas that is found will be extremely difficult to manage. Throw in the annual sardine migration that happens along said coastline with its accompanying shoals and schools of fish and predators and tourists. And, given that our very own government just signed off at #COP to reduce our carbon emissions, and made a commitment to renewable energy sources, it seems crazy. The world really has gone mad; corrupted by greed and avarice and lust.
Here is to another week in this crazy messy, beautiful place!
Charlie's Bird 