Lockdown Diary Number 8

Morning Noodles!
I truly hope your Easter was memorable in some way other than only defined by Corona chaos.
I had a break from my lockdown diary after my BUMPER edition on Saturday – did you even notice? Did you care? Bet you were too busy hiding Easter Eggs! Anyway, two blogs within 3 hours was more than enough though like a silly twally (my version of twirp and wally) I inadvertently sent Number 7.1 earlier than I planned. I thought I’d test the 12pm slot to see if people read it later, rather than at 6am but before I knew it, I’d pressed publish and off it flipping went! Oh, my f&* k. I thought. I don’t generally like swearing in my writing. It’s just loose and lazy. But I feel like it now and that’s probably one of the best things about this blog. I’m in control. I can do what I like. Perhaps the reason for my relentless outpourings here on this daily lockdown diary is a (one of possible) reaction (s) to the whole Covid thing? The fact that we have absolutely no control other than to ensure that we all stay home. It’s quite bizarre this whole business isn’t it?
And to be quite honest? I didn’t have to energy to try and bring the silly blog back and re-do it.
Oh well. Hope you enjoyed your double dose of diary.
So. Onto Number 8.
You thought I’d had enough of Edith and The Choice, didn’t you? Well I haven’t. But I did finally end it yesterday morning. Easter morning.  Though first, I held it close to my nose, and flicked through the pages gently with both my thumbs – like you would shuffle cards – so that the scent of paper could linger with me a while. And then I closed it. It had a profound effect on me this book. It was also lovely to finish it on a Sunday morning while lying in bed a little later after the somewhat heavy rains which thrashed around the place ‘til the early hours of the morning. How was that rain, Cape Town peeps? Did you get a lot too? And then another beautiful day. Crazy weather. Actually, the rain started while I was watching my latest find- OZARK! Isn’t that flipping crazy story too? Wanted to carry on watching but two episodes at a time was all my stomach could take. Crazy times, crazy weather. Crazy Corona virus.
Three things. I’ll be quick and then I promise I won’t mention again.  Ever. ( Not Eger, haha),
Number One: The shout out from the back of the book is one of the simplest and most accurate review I’ve even seen on a book.
‘I can’t describe to you how powerful this book is’, writes Marian Keyes.
But more interesting is that I wouldn’t ordinarily associate Marian Keyes, a bestselling funny fiction writer who writes ‘chick- lit’ primarily and novels about modern woman to be reviewing this sort of book which makes the impact even more far- reaching. How a book can be of such value to so many people is the true power of an extraordinary book.
Number Two: Last quote I underlined:

‘The most important truth I know (is) that the biggest prison is in your own mind.
And then it was time for the Easter Hunt. With my teens and twenty- year- olds. I’ll never get tired of hiding Easter eggs.

Number Three: One last weird synchronicity between Edith and my Easter this year. On Saturday evening when I masked up and did a short dash to the Spar, (to avoid all the crowds who must have crawling around Pick ‘n Pay, judging by the number of cars in the car park) there were not that many Easter eggs left to choose from so I grabbed a packet of Bar ones, Smarties and guess what else to add to the one box of marshmallows I had bought at my last outing? A few packets of M & M’s. What are the chances? You’ll have to read book to understand.
Thankfully for you (I’m all ‘Edithed’ out now, extraordinary as she is) .

I started another book a little later yesterday afternoon: a local book by an author I met at the Franschhoek Lit Fest last year. Vincent Pienaar, entitled Too Many Tsunamis. Looks like a light, fun, humorous tale. Perfect for another few days of lockdown.
How many days now? I’m losing count.
That’s okay. It’s the mind you want to keep count of.
Stay safe, stay sane,
‘Til tomorrow.

xxxxx