Catching my tail – or January in this case

Can you believe it? It's February already, and I haven't caught up with January yet. It seems to have flown by, and I'm having difficulty in remembering what's been happening since the New Year kicked in. When I think about it, much of the month has been taken up with work, which is nothing to write home about other than that the course I'm giving is very time-consuming. 

I'm teaching a largish group of graduate students who have to complete a set of exercises, evaluation tasks and writing assignments every week, which I then have to review with feedback. I should say most of them are very diligent, but there are always those who lag behind, and others who are very needy, so I'm often answering emails and questions at all hours of the day and night. 

January is also a time when I try to organise my paperwork from the previous year. It's a task I dislike, but I know it has to be done. It should be easy after all these years of freelancing, but for some reason, it always gives me a headache. All those numbers send my brain into a complete tizz, but I'll get there eventually. 

Another goal I'm trying to achieve is to arrange a lift out for Vereeniging, but that's not going all too well. I've emailed three shipyards in the area so far. One says Vereeniging's too small (even though we were on their yard with the even smaller Hennie H two years ago), one hasn't replied at all, and the last one asked for more information but hasn't come back to me again. I think I'm going to have to pay them a visit instead. 

On the subject of email, just as an aside, have you noticed how difficult it is to get answers to mails these days? Gone are the times when it was a quick, reliable form of communication. I remember when I was working in South Africa, it was an absolute point of honour to reply to emails within 24 hours and letters within three days. We could just dream of that nowadays, couldn't we? In fact, we're lucky to get a reply to an email within a week now, and as for letters, no one even sends those for anything other than official information notices, and most of the time, they're already out of date before they even send them. 

Is this beginning to sound like a rant? Hmm, I suppose it is. The thing is, I received a reminder the other day for a bill I'd actually paid well before the due date. When I wanted to call the company to complain, I saw there was no date on the letter or on the envelope, and no signature. It made me wonder if they just send the reminders out without checking the actual status of the person's account – just in case, so to speak. I sent them an email, but of course, no one answered (see above). I tried their chat program, but only managed to end up in an ever repeating circular conversation with a bot called Bob who kept giving me inane answers and then asking me if 'he'd' been helpful. Eventually, I got tired of telling Bob he'd been utterly useless and finally got hold of the company via WhatsApp. Even then, they only answered the next day. 

I wonder what we'll be reduced to next if we need to contact companies. And before anyone suggests calling, I refuse to spend a whole day waiting for a real person to answer the phone, which is often the case. After going through a questionnaire delivered by an AI voice which challenges my mathematically inept brain with all the number options it gives me, I'm then subjected to endless rounds of piped 'lift' music, which is enough to send me to sleep and miss the call when I ultimately reach my turn. So no. Calling just isn't the answer either. My solution this time will be to get in the car and go knocking on doors. I'll get Vereeniging's bottom painted somehow!

Anyway, back to January, it's been a very cold month here in the flatlands. We've had our share of wind and storms like most people in these latitudes, but that's become the norm. What's been different this year is the extended stretches of really bitter weather and it's continuing now. This weekend, though, it's been beautifully sunny despite the cold, and walking Zoe has been a pleasure. Wrapped up warmly with boots and thick gloves, I really enjoyed our Sunday morning hike along the dyke. 

So to finish this blog, here are a few photos I took this morning. It really was a sparkling one!

A delightful collection of poultry

The local water bird sanctuary

Along the canal dyke

My favourite silos with their complementary containers

Greenhouses galore!

An abandoned farmhouse. I've gazed longingly
at it ever since we first came here, but it's 
deteriorating fast now. So sad.

A DFDS ferry passing by on the canal. Always an amazing sight

Have a great week allemaal and apologies for the moan. Next time I'll have some real news to impart...I hope!