There were plans for a nice big blog post today.
But then suddenly, there was some impromptu horseriding (not me), and then I accidently lit a braai and opened a bottle of red wine.
And suddenly it’s 9 o’clock. And now I want to settle down and watch some Premier League footy.
So, let’s try again tomorrow, shall we?
Sorry about that.
I think we did ok on Black Friday.
It was fortunate timing for replacing items after this.
But we don’t splurge. We select the deals which work for us, and we use the opportunity of a discount to purchase things we were going to get anyway.
Except, well… There was this on Simonsig’s Instagram:
We’re pricing like it’s 1969. ?
For today only, the first 50 customers who purchase our Sunbird Sauvignon Blanc 2024 can take home a case for ONLY R90 (that’s R15 a bottle).We chose Sunbird for a reason – that 1969 invoice listed three white wines, a reminder that our story began with white. And in summer, nothing beats a crisp Sunbird Sauvignon Blanc.
One day. One deal. It’s our way of tipping the hat to where it all started.
Bullsh…. Nonsense, I thought. No-one sells R750 worth of wine for R90.
But obviously, I clicked through anyway, and there it was.
So I tried to buy some. And then I did buy some.
Because it was a genuine deal. (T&Cs meant one case per customer.)
And the money went off my account, and then the wine arrived this morning:
I’m not a white wine expert, but:
A perfect aperitif on a warm summer day, this wine also works very well with rich and fatty foods. Try it with salads, goat’s milk cheese, lemon-garnished fish dishes and Thai foods.
sounds pretty good, but it sounds even better when it comes in a R15 a bottle.
That case also looks good when stacked on top of the other… “several”… cases that also arrived today from other places, stocking up ahead of Ke Dezemba.
I’m usually the one that organises the advent calendars for the rest of the family. And I did that again this year.
What a great excuse to enjoy some chocolate.
This year, one got organised for me, too:
It’s from smokedoke.co.za, and it’s a mixture of chili sauces and condiments: one each day, as is the tradition.
I’ll give you an update sometime in December as to how things are going and which items you need to order to spice up your festive season up a bit.
Long day. Good day.
Lots of fun around the braai and watching a bit of sport. No win for a racehorse, nice win for United, big win for South Africa in the rugby. Eben Etzebeth remains a complete twat.
(Was there ever any doubt?)
But despite those positives, it does seem like the universe was trying to send me a message with the stuff that was appearing on my phone this morning.
Stuff like:
Sunglasses, phone, wallet, car key…. will to live?
It’s not an unreasonable suggestion.
And then there was this:
Oh, often.
Usually in the traffic or when I meet an oven door unexpectedly, but I don’t like to limit myself.
Happy to give it go anywhere really.
But, as I say, today really didn’t turn out to be one of those days.
Which was nice.
Indeed:
The mantra “If you never try, you will never know” captures the spirit of exploration, growth, and fulfilment. It encourages us to “break free from the shackles of fear”, step into the unknown, and embrace the opportunities that await.
Wow. They make it sound so adventurous, don’t they?
And yes, all of what you read there is absolutely correct, of course.
But it’s also a little disingenuous, because there’s a whole other side to it that isn’t mentioned above.
Take for example my day today. I did a lot of mundane stuff which I have done many times before, and so to which the mantra in the title doesn’t apply.
I’ve already tried it – previously and often – and I am fully aware of the implications and experiences thereof.
One of my jobs was cleaning the oven (I told you it was mundane), and the issue with cleaning the oven is the lingering smell of oven cleaner. And so I left the oven door open and the fan on to air the oven out.
I’ve done that before as well.
I went walking barefoot into the kitchen maybe an hour later (still nothing new), just as a bird flew across the back windows. Probably just a Cape Turtle Dove, but in the bright sunshine outside, the sudden movement really caught my eye.
What I hadn’t previously tried was going around the right hand corner, while looking over to the left, and allowing my right lateral cuneiform bone to come into sudden and somewhat forceful contact with the glass and metal corner of the oven door – folded down handily at lateral cuneiform bone height.
Sweet baby Jesus.
It was like a scene from Tom and Jerry, but with fewer domestic mammals. There were stars and bluebirds circling around my head as my involuntary nervous system hastily adjusted blood flow and balance mechanisms to keep me from falling over.
I – probably wisely – decided to pre-empt any fainting spell as the tunnel vision closed in and, after a controlled descent – had a little sit down on the kitchen floor and tried not to vomit.
Look. This was much earlier in the afternoon. I’m ok now. I mean, my foot is pretty purple, I can’t really walk and I’m in a decent amount of pain, but it seems that I actually survived that acute phase of injury and I have high hopes that I’ll be fine in a few weeks.
But would I advise you to “break free from the shackles of fear”, and smash your right foot into an oven door?
No. No, I would not.
I have tried that so that you will never have to know.
Thank me later.