OYSTERHOOD is reclusiveness or solitude, or an overwhelming desire to stay at home.

— @HaggardHawks

Another day at the computer, with a short break for the post office and the delivery of documents to two different accountants assisting on projects I am involved in, and I was able to finish work at four in the afternoon. A visit to The Bookworm followed – they have – well, now had – a great selection of second-hand Bosch novels. I only have a few left to finish the entire series and am already dreading the long wait for a new one to appear.

No matter how rough and anxiety-inducing the lockdown has been, since the festive season I got back into serious reading, picking up several books at the same time and reading widely across genres and continents again. Alongside another Bosch, I started Erika Fatland’s Sovietistan today – armchair travel at its best. Although my love and I are planning two real short trips in the near future, lockdown regulations allowing, it feels great to simply explore in my head, either through proper travel writing or through crime novels – Bosch’s L.A. is gradually becoming familiar in ways it has never been before.

I won a Ferrari with Shell’s V-Rewards! Imagine the places one could go with a Ferrari … When I first got the notification, I read “you won a convertible Ferrari” and for a few seconds I was besides myself with joy (not for the reasons you suspect – in my head, I was already selling the car and investing the money into publishing beautiful books at Karavan Press …), but then I read again – it said: “collectible”. Well, for a few seconds, I could dream – that’s also a great prize. And I am certain that my yellow collectible Ferrari is going to make a child very happy when I have an opportunity to see the children in my life again. One day.

The sea accompanied a significant part of my journey to and from Fish Hoek today. For the first time since the beach ban, looking out to the blue horizon, I suddenly had a deep longing to walk on a beach again. It might have also been because of the beautiful poems I read about the sea in the morning (a poetry manuscript in the making). Maybe a walk on the Promenade will alleviate the awakened longing a little bit? Let’s see.

I cooked fresh fish from the wonderful Lakeside fishmonger for my love for dinner. All the Cats loved it too.

Tomorrow will be busy, but again in a good way. We stumble on, sustained by magic and beauty.

Be kind. Wear a mask. Support local.

“Physical distancing remains one of the key strategies to curb this pandemic.”

— NICD