A hoot at the gate, a strange car - nothing unusual if you're running an Airbnb.
All the guests were checked in already, but cars often stop at the gate, looking for last-minute accommodation. I do not entertain that kind of booking, as you never know, especially in a country where housebreaking and violent crime are rampant. I've had late-night callers, as late as 2 am, or as early as 4 am, looking for a bed after a night out. No, thank you, not at this address! I've learnt to ignore unknown numbers after hours!
So, I was ready to give this person the cold shoulder, but it wasn't necessary!
My ragdoll that I rescued from being dumped, yes, literally dumped, was very happy to have some company.
My current cottage guest is an expat who visits SA annually to see family. She was hijacked while still living in SA. That was the last straw. She grabbed the opportunity to emigrate years ago.
Naturally, she's on high alert when in SA, especially when entering and exiting any property.
Criminals are known to hijack delivery vehicles, or follow them and gain access to properties!
As my guest entered our property one night, a car behind her also drove in. She knew it wasn't our other guest and immediately went into panic mode! Her bottle of water flew everywhere, drenching her!
It was a food delivery, not a hijacker!
Back to the hoot at my gate on Monday. The best surprise in a long while! It was my youngest son, here for work; I got my dates all muddled!
It was just the tonic I needed!
Winter arrived overnight, accompanied by heavy rain. Flooding, roads collapsing, and my son had meetings all across the city, inland, and down the coast. News came in of a protest action at the coastal town he was travelling to, but police had dispersed the crowd by the time they got there.
You need to be tough to survive in SA, and not let every news report alarm you; one is always nervous of driving into a bad situation that's still unfolding.
Weird how ordinary people adopt a kind of herd mentality when in a group, and that is what makes it so scary!
My son starts a new job next week. His boss is travelling with him, as he has to do a handover of accounts. She's devastated at losing him, but that's what happens when you do not listen to experienced staff who've had enough of mismanagement.
Fortunately, they flew down, so they don't have to do the six-hour drive back home; otherwise, Mother Hen would have asked for a location update on the way back, as it's still raining!
Life is full of twists and turns; lessons aplenty, but hopefully we learn along the way!
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