After 126 days in lockdown, there is still no real sign of when a sense of normality will return. I know that life as we knew it before COVID-19 will never be the same, but still, having the freedom to do some of the things we used to, would be nice. Anyhow, I’m not going to rant. It just sets me off into a downward spiral.
Eliza came to fetch me yesterday after work and we took a short walk along the beach front. While we were taking a merry stroll, coffee in hand, a voice behind us piped, “You shouldn’t be walking so slowly.” It was Oscar, one of my colleagues. He was walking with another bloke, who I eventually realized was the local veterinarian. They were on a mission, while us gals were quite happy to walk at a snail’s pace with me stopping every now and then to take some photos.
As many of you know, Penelope, the imaginary cooking goddess appears every so often. During this period of lockdown, she and I have prepared some good food. We even tried our hand at baking too. A while ago I baked an apple and yoghurt cake for my folks. Back then I prepared it in a bundt pan, but some of the apple slices stuck to the bottom. Today I attempted to bake it properly, in a spring-form pan with the apples on top.
What a colossal balls-up!
Why does something like this happen? Could it be because I didn’t use the flour that is too fresh to flop? Or because the pan is larger than a regular one? Those two factors may play a role, but the reason this happened is simply because I promised my colleague, Maddie, that I’d bring her a cake tomorrow. I should have known with my off-mood of late something was likely to go wrong 😦
Thank goodness for Elizabeth – as is often the case, she has come to my rescue. Being on leave she was able to bake another cake for me, meaning that I won’t be breaking my promise.
I was going to make truffles too, but I think the failed cake is an omen for me to stay out of the kitchen and away from confectionery. There is still time for me to make them over the weekend.
Next week I expect there will be no writing, cooking or after-work walks. I will be assisting with the annual stock-take as a scanning operator. I will have a strong person to help move the skins that have we must count in our section. Nikita has done it most years and she was always tired at the end of the day. I am kind of looking forward to being in the thick of things again for a few days, and if exhaustion is the result, I will be grateful if it means I can get a night of uninterrupted rest.
Until my next post… stay safe, healthy and be considerate towards those around you. In other words…
Reflections of a Misfit 