Happy V's Day!

Just look at the date..... need I say more?

Valentine's Day has never loomed large on my horizon, mainly because in my life I have received precisely two cards.... one from my best friend... and one that I sent myself!! To myself!

I love the cherub's face!

To me, it's just another day with the same challenges that we faced yesterday (load shedding) and that we shall face today (load shedding) and tomorrow (guess what??)

And as I write this I am keeping one eye on the clock as we are in Stage 3 of Stage 4, and that means more off than on!!

Let me explain the stages:

Stage 1. Eskom (affectionately known as Eishkom) has to shed 1000 megawatts, so they 'share' the power that they have, and that means 1 load shed of 2 hours daily.

Stage 2. Upping the shedding, they have to shed 2000 megawatts... so 2  'outages' of 2 hours daily.

Stage 3. Yes, that means 3 x 2 hours 'outages' daily!!

Stage 4. You guessed it, 4 'shares' of 2 hours daily.

Stage 5. Now, this is the fun part.... Eishkom come to your house and blow out your candles!!!!

This is much funnier to read than to think about!!

We are teetering on the brink of a complete shutdown..... great fun. Eskom is bankrupt!  And basically it all comes down to complete incompetence and lack of skilled people at the top... they are all in Australia, Canada and wherever!! And of course the fact that millions of people do not pay , so every month the losses add up. Throw in corruption and it doesn't take a genius to see that this situation has one ending.....

We are lucky here, we can easily cope with the 'rolling blackouts' as our traffic is light, we only have 3 traffic lights in our nearest town and people here are very patient and well-behaved. Our main shopping centres have generator power. But the bigger cities are a nightmare with traffic snarls and taxis pushing and shoving and small business' struggling to keep going.

Anyway. To all of you who are celebrating Valentine's Day, I do hope that you have your special scented candles at the ready.

Not to make the meal romantic... simply so you can actually see what you are eating!

Happy Valentine's Day!

On Line Selling!

Every year, without fail, I decide that this is the Year Of Losing Weight! And about three years ago, while I was still volunteering at the local Hospice shop, a rowing machine came through our doors.....

Once it was processed and priced, I decided that this would help me to shed those unwanted kilos and end up with biceps and thighs like Cher.....

I love rowing machines. I love the rhythm and the freedom, sliding backwards and forwards in time to whatever song is in my head at the time! Many years ago I had a very dear friend who lost a leg due to Diabetes. I took her for physical training to one of our now-retired well-known cyclists, and while she was trying to balance on a huge ball, or  fight down her fear and tackle her crutches, I would happily row in the corner until it was time to take her home.

So, I bought the rowing machine! Rob and I wrestled it into the back of the Nissan and then staggered and shuffled up the stairs once we got home, where we placed it carefully next to the window. On I hopped to try it out.... but because our floor is wooden, the machine gradually moved across the floor as I rowed! I had visions of actually rowing down the stairs and ending up on the beach, so Plan B.

Next stop... the Hardware shop where I bought some non-slip plastic and once I had cut it and placed it under the machine, it worked. It wobbled a bit but stayed in one place!

But... It hurt my knees to the point where I just could not use it!

A rather dusty rowing machine in perfect working order!

And since then it had just glared at me as it gathered dust.

So, a week or so ago, I decided that it had to go. It, and a little washing 'machine' that I bought especially for camping and never used! In fact, it has never left the house as we go camping for a few days at a time and several camp sites have washing machines anyway. I did have ideas of using it during the drought that we had last year, but I had cut down so much on the amount of weekly washing, that I decided to just use the big machine and catch the water to put on the garden. Which I did.

Brand new...

So I now had two items for sale! Out with the camera and then onto a local Facebook page that is only for items for sale. A quick write-up, description, price, pictures and contact details, posted them and waited.

And wondered whether anyone would buy them.

I could not believe it! In a few hours, both the items had been sold, collected and gone and I had the money in my hot little hand! My daughter said that it was because they were too cheap, but I reckon cheap and sold beats expensive and unsold any day.

I am now looking round the house to see what else I can sell!!

There is an exercise bike upstairs that I borrowed from my neighbour.........