Lani loves to travel

I have been listening to this song by Andra Day quite a bit these last couple of days. It first awakened an emotion in me when I saw it as part of a video by South African Airlines, where a crew from SAA took home tourist that were stranded in SA during the lockdown. Selfless people who could have stayed home with their families, but instead put themselves on the front line to reunite strangers with their families. This was so heartwarming! Watch the video here:  SAA takes German tourists home The song is so fitting for the situation we are all in. It has become somewhat of an inspirational mantra for me when things get me down. One day, we will we able to do the things again that we love. Going to the gym, spending time with family and friends, having great meals at restaurants, and travel!!! Pont des Arts bridge, Paris Once things have gone back to normal, which will probably be a new kind of normal, we all need to rise up, and face the new challenges that come our way.

So it happened, the lockdown has been extended. Am I surprised? Not at all. And I have all the faith in our president for the decisions he has made thus far. Fast, decisive action. I am praying that this is what will save our nation from experiencing devastating loss of life. That this decision, and the other measures government is working on, willl curb the spread of this dread disease, and contain those that are infected. I have stopped following the news updates and the rapidly climbing figures as it spreads like an uncontained wildfire through the world. There is so much going on right here. But I still pray for all the affected countries. Day 14 is over. A further 21 days to come. For the most part things are ok. Yesterday was a sad day. Went to a funeral of someone very close to us. There were 7 people in the church for the memorial service, but nearly 100 devices signed in to listen via a live link. Estimated to be more than 200 people who watched it live. How amazing tha

Are we flattening the curve? It seems that the numbers are not climbing as sharply in our country at present, or is it the calm before the storm? I sincerely hope it’s the former, and that we are winning this invisible war with the swift action taken, and the stay-at-home orders from our president. I pray that the other parts of the world that are severely affected, find solutions soon and minimize the loss of more lives. I have lost count of the days in lockdown... They are all blurring together in a frenzy of cleaning house, tidying up and packing, and unpacking the dishwasher. Our dishwasher has never worked harder than during this period! "Cleaning with kids in the house is like brushing your teeth while eating a KitKat." I am cleaning house like we are getting visitors, but as soon as my back is turned, it seems like 2 mini toy tornadoes hit the area I just cleaned... This is messing with my OCD, and the more I tell myself to chill and let it be, the more I cl

Nearly 2.5 billion people in 42 countries and territories are under obligatory confinement. No region in the world is excluded. Tonight, I dream of beautiful Barcelona... and pray for the people of Spain, as the number of infected people and fatalities keep rising. May God protect the people there, as well as all the people around the world that is suffering, at the hand of this dreaded virus. Sagrada Familia Our president spoke to the people of South Africa again tonight, via a live broadcast. He mentioned that there are now around 37 000 people who have died of this virus globally. And these numbers are growing at an alarming rate. In South Africa, there are now officially 3 recorded deaths. He addressed the misconceptions that many people hold about this virus, including the fact that anyone can get it. Many videos have surfaced where people from the poorer communities are going about their business and are saying this won’t affect them. What a situation we are in!

Tonight, I think back to time spent in Germany, and have gratitude for a nation, showing kindness to their neighbours in times of trouble. Italy is sitting at over 10 000 deaths in a country with more than 92 000 reported cases of the Coronavirus. Their prime minister has all but given up hope and is at a loss of where to go from here... In a sign of solidarity, Germany has agreed to take some of the Coronavirus patients from Italy, to help alleviate some pressure from struggling Italian hospitals. What a dire situation! Italy is not the only country currently struggling with huge numbers of fatalities due to this virus, Spain is seemingly catching up fast, with nearly 6 000 deaths. I pray that our country will be spared these type of statistics, and that this lockdown will help curb the spread. For the most part, people are staying in their homes, abiding by the laws set out by our president. But then there are other areas in our country that seem not to be affected/bothered

Today, the first reported case of a person dying as a result of the dreaded virus, was reported in South Africa. And this person was only 48 years old. We clearly had a misguided understanding that it mostly kills the older generations. What a sad day, and surely the number of fatalities will not stay there. But this is only the start. In Italy, the reported death rate was at a thousand, yesterday alone. I do so hope that this lockdown will contain the sick to their homes and curb the spread. But what happens outside of the privileged areas, where many people share small, confined spaces? Where people share the same ablution facilities and have to walk a distance to obtain clean water? Will these people be spared from this virus, or will it spread like wildfire once it gets there? I do pray that the virus is contained sooner rather than later, with minimal loss of life. One life lost is already too many. The news reports that many areas were like ghost towns today, but certain are