The last few days have been a whirlwind of activity for us. We had to take a drive to our storage unit 130kms away to consolidate everything. I also needed to renew my drivers license which I've been putting off and putting off. It expired about 2 years ago but with the CV19 lockdowns, the government instituted a grace period where you could drive with an expired license for 3 months, then they extended it and they extended it and well, that grace period is now coming to a close at the end of this month, so it was about time. I am rather short sighted (literally not figuratively) and cannot see anything once it is a few meters away from me. Things become these rather ethereal, fuzzy blobs that tend to float in and out of my focal range.
I drive with glasses as a result because without them signage becomes my absolute arch nemesis and I tend to end up swearing a lot.
Luckily my glasses are all still good to go and I was able to pass my eye test without having to bribe anyone and having prepared all the documents and photos required, I was out of there within minutes. Ahhh, the joy of small towns municipal offices compared to those of the city. Thank you Oudtshoorn for being efficient AF.
While I was planning this trip, I decided that it would be more economical for us to stay over a night than to have to possibly do two trips across two weeks as I doubted I would get it all done in one day. I was right and with the steep rise in the price of fuel, staying overnight seemed far less trouble (and cash) as well as less wear and tear on the car, less wear and tear on my patience and having to exert my muscular superiority over furniture and boxes over the space of as short a time as possible was first prize. This all culminated in the decision to book an Air BnB. We chose the cheapest room there was and that is where Flyzee the Unicorn became hidden under a pillow by Lory
and forgotten.
SIGH
SIGH
Luckily the owner of the establishment (called StoneHenge) was really lovely about it and messaged me asking how he can return Flyzee to her rightful place in Lory's menagerie of stuffed toys. I was very grateful and paid the cost of having said toy shipped back to us. Flyzee would stay overnight in Johanie's care (the owner's daughter) who seemed quite enamored with the little knitted critter.
Two years ago Lory asked me to knit her a rainbow unicorn. I had not tried to crochet a unicorn before but I was up for the challenge. I found a pattern and Flyzee the unicorn was born. Unfortunately I've never got around to putting eyes on her...when I wanted to Lory forbade me from doing so and decided that eye shadow eyes was perfectly acceptable instead.
Lory and Flyzee have been almost inseparable until now. Flyzee also has a partner in crime lazily lovingly named Flyee who was the second rainbow unicorn I ever made.
So I had made a deal with Lory that if she was well behaved the whole trip, I would buy her strawberry Nesquik. I'm not going to punish her for forgetting her best friend under her pillow as I think the realization that she had left her there was traumatic enough - accidents happen and I've left stuff behind in places before too, I'm just really glad that we can get Flyzee back with minimal expense and not having to negotiate a hostage situation. All that I can say is that I am truly grateful that there are still honest people in the world who are willing to re-unite lost stuffed toys with their youngians.
I was thinking that maybe Flyzee needs her own adventure series, she's been to quite a few places and clearly been in some rather interesting situations. Perhaps that's what Lory can write about on her account one day soon.
I'm using it as an opportunity to teach Lory some personal responsibility but I also think she might enjoy the process of receiving Flyzee in a courier flybag way too much.
