We made several new friends while at Jabula on the weekends. Last Saturday, we chatted with Brad, a resident we’ve come to know, and Maroi (pronounced “ma roy) and Peter, who have a home here in Marloth Park but spend the rest of their time in Holland.
We’ve known Maroi for several years, and it was about time we invited her and her boyfriend Peter for sundowners. The three of them will arrive on Wednesday around 4:00 pm, 1600 hrs. As always, we’re serving an array of easy and fun-to-eat finger foods that should fill everyone sufficiently so that they won’t need to make dinner when they return home later in the evening.
Sundowners can end anytime from 8:00 pm, 2000 hrs., to after midnight, depending on how late our guests like to stay up and how bad the insects are on the veranda, a huge deterrent on certain nights.
Today, I am preparing a short menu of sundowner appetizers that are easy to make and won’t require me to spend hours in the kitchen on what appears will be a hot day tomorrow. Tom always does the dishes. We always use regular plates and flatware with linen napkins and placemats. I’ve never been a big fan of paper plates and plastic forks. They work well on an outdoor picnic in a public location but not “at home” for us.
We purchased the required biodegradable shampoo, conditioner, and sunscreen from online Takealot to bring with us. We received a notice from Intrepid Travel that only biodegradable items are allowed on the ship. We’ve never experienced this in the past.
But to protect the coral reef in Seychelles, this is a country-wide requirement. We were happy to comply but couldn’t find such items at Spar or the pharmacy in Komatipoort. Takealot only had one option for each item, so we bought what they had. Hopefully, they will be acceptable.
There aren’t any specific Covid-19 requirements to enter the country or re-enter South Africa on December 4. Our fingers are crossed that we don’t experience any issues as we go through immigration in Johannesburg before our final short flight to Nelspruit, considered a “domestic flight” on December 4.
I’m still waking up at 2:00 am since I started taking the drug for my headache. The literature on the medicine says it may take weeks to work. But, I am accepting this since, during the day, my headache is easily 80% better in the past four days since I started the 10 mg dose four nights ago. With this immediate response, I am hopeful that I may be pain-free entirely over time.
If that’s the case, I’ll have to decide how long I stay on the drug since stopping it too soon can cause a rebound of symptoms. If I am not experiencing annoying or unbearable side effects, I will stick with it for months or longer, if necessary. It’s no big deal to pop a little pill a few hours before bedtime.
If we stay up late, I’ll take the pill whenever we head to bed since I don’t want to miss a dose and see the symptoms return. The facial pain is still there when I touch my face, but it’s 50% better, so I avoid touching my cheek other than when gently washing my face or applying makeup.
Today is a perfect weather day with low humidity and reasonable temperatures. I may spend time this afternoon doing some of the prep for tomorrow, once I upload this post, make Tom’s low-carb blueberry scones (when load shedding ends and we can use the oven), and after our trip to the local meat market and the little shop for a few things we’ll need for tomorrow.
Have a lovely day, and be well.
Photo from one year ago today, November 15, 2021:
