The aloes are going over. The mornings this week have been very cold and misty but we are short of rain. July should be wet. So far we've had about a tenth of the average for this month. The farmers are starting to be concerned.
When aloe and I greeted yesterday morning, I had a busy day ahead because work for my day job had a kink in its path that needed straightening and something to deliver. No delivery, no payment. Month end's approaching and there's another piece ahead of billing date...
But that's not all. On Sunday, when I started Monday's naan bread, I had a major disaster with my trusty hand mixer: one of the dough hooks snapped. No, I am not sh*tting you. The bottom flew away, and the other bit stayed behind. The second hook was bent and buckled. With hindsight, it could have been really nasty, so I'm grateful nobody - human or feline - was hurt. What it did have me in a tizz about, is that I knew I'd not be able to get a replacement pair of hooks by Thursday, the day I begin my dough prep for Saturday's buns and bread. The quicker option would be a new piece of equipment - purchased from an online seller which I know delivers to the village. On a Thursday. Stock permitting, of course. It wouldn't be the same thing again. That would have been profoundly stupid.
I took a deep breath, looked into my crypto wallet for some Hive (converted to BTC) that I'd stashed just in case I needed month-end rescue. Clearly I did, and not for the reason I'd anticipated. I looked very carefully.
I used to be a gadget queen. I was fascinated by everything that purported to either do everything or make life easier in the kitchen. Well, part of my learning is that, mostly, the advertisers lie and the gadgets rarely live up to their promise. Half (if not more) of the attachments gather dust, never to be used more than once. In my dotage journey, I've learned what I need and resent being forced to buy more than that. Sometimes, as much as my heart yearns for a shiny new gadget, my head overrules. Besides, we don't have storage space...
So, with that in mind, and having resolved to choose a brand that was both reputable and has spares readily available in South Africa, my first prize was a Kenwood.
And there she was:
A basic little mixer without all the acoutrement like grinders, slicers and graters that I would seldom, if ever use. And with the potential to buy - from the local (Cape Town) spares stockist - the bits that I really would use when I can afford to buy them.
Best of all: a 51% yes, again, I'm not sh*tting you, discount.
I cashed in my BTC, waited for it to appear in my account, ordered, paid and waited.
The box arrived half way through the morning and I had to contain myself until the end of my "proper" office day and I'd done and delivered the job...
Then, this made me sooo happy:
That dough hook: I've been dreaming of one since I successfully started selling sourdough breads at the market. And there she was!
She went to work instantly. I am delighted. She's going to change my life!!
Stuffed omelette and salad. Same procedure as last week...
PS I think it's kind of apt that this "crypto" purchased arrived on the 5th anniversary of my joining Hive and formally entering the realm of crypto.
Until next time, be well
Fiona
The Sandbag House
McGregor, South Africa
Photo: Selma
Post script
If this post might seem familiar, it's because I'm doing two things:
@artywink
@hive.blog and Canva.