I love that you use a Potjie!! A lamb potjie that takes a few hours to cook over the fire is just the best.

Welcome back Melissa Louise / Stella! Glad that you're feeling good enough to post again!

That's why I keep reading after so many years. I have met one other board member irl about 10 years ago.

I'd quit my job and travel in luxury and style for at least a year - and then I'd decide what to do with the rest of my retirement.

Alzheimers is the most horrid disease. No advise other than just being there for your friend. I can just imagine how hard this is on them.

So sorry for the loss of your Mom Heart. What a terrible time for you.

Dh and I survived the company retrenchments and both still have jobs. We and our close family are all still healthy We had a 'bonus year' with uni dd at home - she did extremely well academically this year. Managed a trip to see my father and stepmom just before we've again had to go into lockdown. Realised the importance of relationships with family and friends.

It honestly has never occurred to me that people wouldn't have one! An electric kettle is probably the very first appliance anyone here buys. I just googled it and one theory is that the voltage in the USA is less than half of that in the UK (and here in South Africa) - 100-107 Volts vs 220-240Volt, so an electric kettle takes longer to boil, thus the efficiency of an electric kettle over stovetop is not as marked.

Your post has me wondering - is a kettle not a standard item in all kitchens in the USA? I"ve only been on business in the USA and Canada, so never in anyone's home. We heat hot water in a kettle multiple times a day - for tea, instant or plunger coffee, for breakfast oats, etc. Anyone with electricity in their homes here has a kettle - even the very poorest people.

We call it Covid, as in "you can get Covid". I've not heard 'the Rona' locally and find it rather off-putting that people joke about a potentially deadly disease.

I now give only to charities where I know the money is going directly to the intended recipient - corruption is rife in our country and charities are not exempt. Over the years the focus has shifted to specific individuals and local charities. We sponsor the school fees, aftercare, transport and other school related fees for a particular child - I pay all of the accounts directly to the institutions in the child's name. We also sponsor the university fees and books for four subjects a year for a particular student doing distance learning. She will be finishing the last two subjects of her foundation phase teaching degree next year. We give small amounts to various charities as we come across them.

All the very best wishes for a good offer!

The company that dh and I both work for is going through a massive downsizing. Dh heard about 3 weeks ago and I did on Tuesday that we've survived and will not be retrenched. I've been reassigned to a new job, but at the same job level that I was. It is a huge relief and I'm extremely grateful. Many of my colleagues have not been as fortunate.

We don't have a Thanksgiving tradition, but for Christmas we do the full meal even if its just the four of us. Part of the tradition is eating leftovers after!

My colleagues and I have been discussing in our Zoom waiting-for-meeting-to-start chats. We're watching it very closely here in South Africa too.

Good news that your Dad is home with you Scarlett. All the best for figuring it all out and for your mom's recovery.

I live in South Africa, with a year in Europe 25 years ago. I probably read it in a news article or on a news channel, maybe in a documentary.

Nice to 'see' you Julie - the recipe book is a great idea!

Positive self-talk. “I am, I can, I will”

Another vote for Le Creuset cookware. I got my first piece 15 years ago. We use it daily and its still looking great. Does she have really good knives? The top brands here are Wusthof or Zwilling - both German.

I think I might not fully understand the role of the ethics officer in the US and what their mandate is. Here they would definitely investigate and it could lead to a disciplinary hearing for 'conduct unbecoming of a lecturer' or some such allegation, pending on what is written in the employee code of conduct.

If he is misrepresenting himself and pretending to be a student, is that not unethical behaviour?

Each season I throw all of my clothes on the bed and spend a few hours purging and putting together outfits - including accessories and shoes. I take a photograph of each combination and then make a "mix and match" page that I stick up inside my cupboard and rotate through them each day. No daily wondering what to wear. I take the items out the night before and save a few minutes that I can sleep later. Now that we're working from home, I only worry about what my top half looks like on Zoom, so the outfit rotation is only for when I leave the house.

I just love them holding hands!

Is there an ethics officer where this can be reported?