Category: covid positive

Day 531 – Morning musings

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Oh my Deity. Not another disjointed post about a plethora of things that probably don’t deserve a post of their own, but I still want to share?

Yep. Here goes.

I did a bit of a Twitter spring clean this morning. [link to My Twitter here]


Mainly just cutting out a few individuals who don’t use the platform anymore (who could blame them?) and inviting a few others into my circle (careful now).

I am very aware of the dangers of turning Twitter into just one big happy echo chamber, and so I maintain a small (but oh, so vocal) followage of accounts whose views don’t agree with mine. I don’t often necessarily interact with these accounts, because they’re not going to be swayed by my sense, knowledge and rational thought, neither I by their… er… “ideas”, but I do read what they think (and yes, I do often weep and shake my head when I do so). But I do think it’s important to not feel completely comfortable with everything you read on social media, and this choice is one I’ve made to ensure that I try to keep myself at least somewhat honest.

Maybe I follow you on Twitter and you’ve just realised why. Hi.

And talking of Twitter…

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Best (and most criminally underrated) tweet I’ve ever made?

If you get it, you get it. It’s never funny if you have to explain it.
And they do have many health benefits, apparently. So fully deserving of the recognition.

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Then chainsaws are back in our neighbourhood. This is the 6th(?) day in the last 10. Sure, one of the reasons we moved here was because of the beautiful leafy surrounds, and occasional tree surgery is to be expected as a by-product of that benefit, but this seems to have been going on for an awfully long time now and I’m growing slightly worried as to what’s going to be left once they do eventually finish…

(…and yes, also growing slightly irritated about the constant noise).

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I’m prepared to fight anyone who feels that this is not the best version of this song.

Lol. The drummer looks just a young Dave Grohl.

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Cape Town dam levels are currently at 101.8%. So moist.
Still, please don’t waste water. It might not rain next year. You never know.

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It looks like I’m going to be stuck with these effing Covid symptoms for a while yet. Weeks, Months? Who knows? My doctor certainly doesn’t, and I can’t really blame her.

I’m trying to just get on with things, but inside, I’m thoroughly pissed off at the total incompetence of the SA Government, because of whose shitty prevaricating and complete ineptitude when it came to securing vaccines, so many people have died and so many more (including me) are facing months of ongoing health problems.

On the plus side, after several (or more) tests and examinations yesterday, it seems that my heart is doing well despite the best efforts of the virus (although it’s still beating rather too fast), and thus I’m unlikely to be keeling over from any cardiac issues any time soon. I’m still awaiting a few results, but I’m not expecting anything nasty, and now at least I do have a diagnosis and something of a plan for the next while.

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Tomorrow appears to be the first day of summer. Not anything official like the first day(s) of Spring, but the first nice warm day after what seems to have been an exceptionally long winter.

I’m ready. Bring it on.
Note the wind speed in mph because my computer currently seems to think that I’m somewhere where I’m not.
But there are advantages in being virtually overseas…

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Lastly, I’ve been watching the first series of Mortimer and Whitehouse: Gone Fishing.

BBC Two - Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing, Series 1, Episode 1

Yes, I know that for you UK people, I’m way behind the curve. But I’m here now and although I’m only a couple of episodes in, I’m really enjoying it. It’s so beautifully gentle, easy-going and fun, and yet so deeply honest.
Really good stuff. 10/10 would recommend.

Day 527 – Steps

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Just a quickie:

This sounds positive. I have a good record with this – or rather, I did. Perhaps unsurprisingly, I haven’t managed to get in my 10,000 steps since being home to this damn virus. Things have obviously slipped a bit since then and it hasn’t even been worth charging my watch up, let alone putting it on.

But I do plan to get back to it as soon as I can.

Day 526 – Jab

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I got jabbed again on Tuesday morning in a seamless process far removed from the disaster of our first Covid vaccination experience. In and out in 22 minutes.

I can totally recommend the Discovery on Main vaccination centre. Efficient, well-staffed, friendly, smiley.
Like an inverse Dischem.

Aside from the obligatory sore arm, I was pretty much fine until 30 hours in. Then, quite suddenly, I felt like I’d been hit by a truck – one carrying a cargo of sleeping tablets – and apart from a quick trip downstairs to eat something at some point, I basically managed to sleep from 2pm until 6 the following morning.
If that’s the only penalty for Covid immunity going forward, I’ll happily take it. Winning.

Feeling MUCH better yesterday morning and ready to take on the world, I foolishly took on the world. But my existing Covid, which I’m still slowly getting rid of, was wholly unimpressed and has reminded me of its ongoing presence. Head pounding, muscles aching, memory missing.
But another couple of extra hours in bed this morning (it really is like a reboot) and I’m getting back to where I was before Favour stuck a second needle in me a few days ago.

Back to the doctor next week then, when we’ll be able to definitively separate post-vaccination crappiness (which may already have have gone, but will certainly have gone by then) from actual Covid crappiness, and hopefully we can try to plan a route forward and out of this nonsense.

Onward. Upward. But with baby steps.

Day 523 – Hey, Gregory Kitching, I had my second jab!

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Great news for everyone (but most especially Gregory Kitching), is that I had my second Pfizer jab this morning. Beagle-eyed readers with better memories than me might recall that I my first jab was also Day Zero of my Covid experience (it’s ok, Greg, it was unrelated to the jab). I’m fairly sure that, while there might be some mild side effects, I won’t be going through that again any time soon. Thank [Deity].

Today’s vaccination experience was so much nicer than the first. Warmer, quicker, friendlier, closer to home, SO MUCH better organised. 22 minutes in and out versus the 5 hours of sitting in a soulless, freezing cold warehouse last time. If you are in the Southern Suburbs (and I know that you’re not, Gregory Kitching, but do I have many other readers), I’d highly advise pre-booking a slot at the Discovery Vaccination Site in Newlands. Seamless and smooth.

Assuming you need a vaccination, of course. I don’t think you can turn up there just to spectate.
But then who would want to do that, anyway?

For those who are interested (probably including – but certainly not limited to – people like Gregory Kitching), my first vaccine batch number was FG3064, while my second was FG4421. I’m not sure how many doses are in a batch, but it’s certainly great news that they’ve got through 1,357 batches in just 6 weeks. I make that 226 batches a week or more than 32 a day. Amazing numbers hey, Gregory Kitching?

Oh, and on the subject of Gregory Kitching, he asks the following question:

I do love your mask, Greg. Very cool.

However, unless anyone is enough of a moonbat to think that there’s some sort of nanobot or 5G chip in the vaccine, then this was clearly very much about the virus. Quite how you think 0.3ml of voluntarily-injected fluid could “control” someone is beyond me. Even the infamous “truth serum”, Thiopental Sodium needs 10x that amount (intravenously, nogal!) before it can have any effect, like making you admit that even though you try and portray an image of being a big, hard man, you’re actually a bit scared of needles and the ANC.

Not that I have any examples of anyone like that, of course.

Indeed. But let’s step back for just a moment.

The Epilogue:
While I can take a strong dislike to some people, I really wouldn’t wish Covid-19 on anyone at all. What it’s doing to people all over the world is truly awful, and at the moment, I wake up each morning knowing that I’m probably going to hear of another friends’ hurt at the loss of a family member.

But, if you look at the mask/hand image above and you answer with the lower legend, I’d strongly advise you to reconsider and go and have a look at this site, which is sadly full of stories of people just like you.

And sure, I know that I’m not going to change the minds of any dug-in, HARDCORE: I KNOW THE SCORE guys like Gregory Kitching, because even showing interest would be seen as “a sign of weakness”, but I’ve already managed to talk 6 ‘vaccine hesitant’ people into getting jabbed, and maybe I can add a few more to that.

It’s free, easy, pretty much painless and OH, SO WORTH IT!
Go get vaccinated today. Thank me later.

Day 518 – Yesterday, I held a horse

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And today, I’m broken.

Taking my daughter to her riding lesson is a pretty simple task. A ten minute drive, a 50m walk to a convenient bench or tree stump over looking the arena while she rides, followed by a leisurely stroll back up to the stables (this bit does take a little time and effort) and then back home again. I did it last week with no issues.

Easy-peasy.

There was a slight glitch yesterday, though. Briefly, before the lesson began, there were more horses than people, and I was asked to hold a horse for a couple of minutes while the teacher popped off to get things sorted out. No big deal. I’m not a huge fan of horses, but I can stand there and hold a horse with the best of them.

I was given Stats to hold. Stats is huge, but he’s a lovely gentle giant. When we arrived, he was being ridden by a tiny 7 year old girl. Stats is ever so sweet. Holding Stats – bridled up with convenient reins – for a couple of minutes was going to be no big deal.

But it turned out that Stats didn’t want to stand. He wanted to eat, and I didn’t have any food. Quite reasonably, I’d left the obligatory post-lesson carrots on the tree stump. He wanted to wander, but I’d been asked to keep him away from the other horse in the vicinity. He wanted to play, and nudged and bumped me. He’s probably about half a ton of horse. But it’s all about letting him know who’s the boss. I stuck to my guns and gave him reassuring pats and nose tickles, despite his tugs and pushes.

Oh, and it wasn’t just a couple of minutes. It was ten.

Well, it turns out that in my current state, I actually can’t hold a horse for ten minutes. Well, not without the repercussions of being quite sore the next day. Wow: this scored HIGH on the Duvet Cover Hanging Scale. But I didn’t realise immediately, because as soon as I was relieved of my horse holding duties, (yes, a bit knackered) I went and sat down and watched the lesson for an hour.
Which was nice.

Only overnight did I realise that what is left of my muscles had been pulled and strained by a mildly enthusiastic equine. Everything hurts. My left arse cheek, particularly.

HOW?!?!

I have a thing I need to do today, so I am thoroughly dosed up with Myprodol, but wow. Who would have thought that just holding a horse for ten minutes could leave you in this sort of state?

Broken.

Heed my cautionary horse holding tale.