ANGEL IN A BLUE DRESS
Everyone has their own little quirk, but I am taking mine a little far. I am not talking about me being a compulsive namer of things, that one I can live with. No harm, no foul. This is a half daft, self-inflicted affliction. With South Africa going into lockdown in a few days, I’ve got myself into a flat spin. I need to get supplies, especially horse feed and for this I have to seek out new places. There, my dirty little secret is out. I really struggle with going to places I have never been before on my own. The thought of going somewhere unknown is like having teeth pulled and requires a lot of resistance on my part. I said in my profile that I am a ‘jack of all trades’, on reflection I don’t think this is true. I am a master of one: procrastination. The thought of going somewhere new can lead to a pure perfect bout of procrastination. I’m such a weirdo because the major irony here is: I don’t know anyone else who has moved to more new places than I have!
I am stressing about filling my animal feed stores for the proposed three weeks of lockdown, but there is another anxiety playing on my mind. With M safely back home, I have to take the dogs with me. They are dirty rotten scoundrels! I have tried to leave them at home. With a vehement, “Stay!” ringing in their ears, they look at me in all innocence but as soon as TS Eliot is halfway up the hill, they leopard crawl/low lope in our tracks. On this particular day I stopped to fill up the horses’ water on the way out, turned round and all three of them dropped to the ground hiding behind the rise. I shouted, “What are you up to?” They came running to me all smiles, tails wagging and terribly pleased with themselves.
I have a neighbour who insists on putting his cows in the road without warning and as Faye fancies herself a cow killer, I just cannot take the chance. They also have a dog who lies in the road. She is aggressive, which is odd as her breed is usually very placid and friendly. She likes to run after my bakkie and try to pull Zac from his window. She has also gone for Rosie before. I am loath to leave my dogs behind. They are my little, unorthodox family and if anything happened to them in my absence, I could not forgive myself.
The other reason I am in a tailspin, is Finn. He has a huge, puffy balloon leg. He was cantering around like a hooligan just yesterday, but today he is very lame and this leg is abnormally swollen. It can’t be the result of his festivities yesterday as there are also two rather putrid sores. Ticks? One is on his fetlock and the other on his…shin? I swear I knew a horse’s anatomy when I was 8! I might need a vet for this, I’ve never seen anything like it before and know I am out of my depth.
We all survive the fearsome trip to new places and I start doctoring my gentle boy, Finn. He is a very good patient.
I am engrossed in Finn when I hear a voice: “Mag ek inkom?” (May I come in?) I look out over the field and see an angel in a blue dress. The prettiest young woman comes floating over the field. She realises very quickly that my Afrikaans is appalling and smoothly switches to English with a charming British lilt here and there. She speaks very quickly, and I can’t keep up with anything she is saying, even though she is very kindly speaking my mother tongue. I think she is talking about Finn.
It turns out Angel is a bit panicked herself. She has just arrived from the Middle East to renew her visa and has no idea when she will be able to return to her husband and to all her animals. Together with her sister, she runs a rescue shelter for all types of animals, specifically horses.
I cannot believe my luck! Here is someone who clearly loves animals and is much more experienced and hands on than I am. Angel is missing her animals and it is my good fortune that she offers to keep an eye out for Queenie and Finn when I am down in my hole at Swanky.
I am also encouraged to find I have neighbours I knew nothing about. I thought the Angels’ property was part of Meanie Mans’, so I have not ventured there before. Angel and her parents, Mr and Mrs Angel, feel like a lifeline and they bring even more good news: Meanie Man will be in lockdown in another province. One less thing for this stress bunny to concern herself about.
But of course I find another reason for concern. You’ve gotta be thorough if you are a compulsive stress bunny! Angel has just flown in from the Middle East. Wouldn’t it be crazy to get the virus when I have been out here in isolation anyway? I really don’t know what to think about all this Corona/Co-vid 19 business, but the numbers all over the world are staggering and I can’t ignore that it has brought the whole world to a standstill.
Time to batten down the hatches and prepare for lockdown. I can do this. I have an angel in a blue dress watching over my horses. Lockdown won’t be so very different from my normal life! It is only three weeks after all….
APPRECIATIONS
Thank you Jo-Marie for your special care of my horses. I will never forget the day you came floating into Glee just like an angel in a blue dress!
