When someone is referred to as a Doubting Thomas, it means that that person is seen as being a sceptic, who refuses to believe without direct personal experience. Such a person is described as an incredulous or habitually doubtful person. None of us want to be put into such a horrible box. We are not a bunch of doubting Thomas’s. My family, however, are. Let me explain.

I am an early riser. I believe in following a natural rhythm. I like to go to bed when it gets dark, and to wake up with the sun. And so, one morning, while still living in Pretoria, I woke up and went into the kitchen to make my morning coffee. There was a rustling noise at the door, curiosity got the better of me, and I opened the door to check on the noise. What I saw on our stoep that morning was a Husky. A beautiful black and white Husky dog. I rubbed his head. We had a short doggy chat which involved me rubbing his ears and him wagging his tail. I told him to go home. I went back inside and drank my coffee. When said family finally woke up and I told them about the Husky on the stoep, none of them believed me. In fact, when he thought I was not looking, Colin even sniffed my coffee mug, just to make sure that I was having coffee and nothing but coffee. Ever since that day, when something out of the ordinary happens, and I know that my family may feel the need to sniff my coffee mug, I take a photo. No harm in having evidence. Never know when you may need it.

Colin is away on his Gauteng trip, and I am home alone. Now as you all know by now, our Domino has walked back to Botrivier Village four times now. Because of this, I have a few trust issues with him. He only gets let out on supervised garden walks, and as soon as I feel he has had enough fresh air, in he comes, and the door gets locked. This morning, the moment the door opened, Domino darted for freedom. I could kick myself, because I just knew in my bones that I would probably be fetching him from Botrivier the next day. While still contemplating Domino’s escape, I became aware of an strange sound. I can only describe it as the sound it would make when you are in search of greener pastures, because that is exactly what happened. You see, the sheep on the farm were being moved from one piece of land to another for grazing, and too many balls of woolly fluff were sauntering past our front door, on their way to greener pastures. I ran for my cell phone and quickly got a video recording, just so I could prove to the coffee sniffers that every word I say is true. I passed Domino at the door. Domino, who may have elated at his escape, very quickly beat a retreat and made for safety. Have you ever seen a cat leopard crawl? You will have to trust me on this one. I was busy recording sheep, there was no time to take a photo of Domino crawling across the lawn, with his tummy flat on the ground. What a wonderful start to a day.

The rest of the day did not follow the trend. I had one of those days, where I think the Scammers’ Convention met last night, and my phone number was pulled in the lucky draw. First there was the email. Some very concerned swindler who wanted to help me out of a pickle. This person kindly pointed out that …blah, blah, blah…and all I needed to do was to click on the link and I would be sorted out in no time. I do not have an account with this particular bank, by the way. Next, I got a phone call. Lucky me. I am the winner of a competition I never entered. And all I have to do is some more blah, blah, blah. This is where it gets incredulous. The same person called me again and again. In fact, I got called four times! By the fourth call I could not help but point out to this person that surely scammers give up after the first failed attempt? Looking on the bright side, though, it is a good while since a very thoughtful cellular employee called to tip me off that someone was doing a sim swop on an account I do not have. So then, in a world where one can never be too cautious, surely it is a good idea to keep photographic evidence of things such as Huskies and sheep?

I do try to live an honest life. I do unto others as I want them to do to me. When I cast my bread on the water, it is because I expect sandwiches to come back to me. A friend in the week reminded me that Karma does not forget an address. When I say “yes” to something, I will keep my word. Should something happen and I can no longer meet my commitment to you, I will be honest and tell you, rather than lead you up a garden path. Age has also brought me the wisdom and discernment to say “no”. The younger me used to window dress the NO, or sugar coat it. Wiser me knows that the initial pain or disappointment my NO may inflict, will in the long run cause the least distress. What I have to learn though, is to safeguard myself to those who see this trait of mine as a weakness and try to exploit it. Some do so blatantly. Those are called scammers. Others are called friends, or acquaintances, or business partners, or in the past: colleagues. I do hate to be left to feel that I may be wrong in my judgement. Or that it was not really a Husky. And no sheep in search of greener pastures, either. I strongly dislike those moments when I become a doubting Thomas. More so, when I know, that I know, that I know. (To quote my BF. That is my Black Friend. By the way, I am his WF. You go work it out!) This BF of mine, is the world’s bestest ice cream maker. One thing you can commend me for: I do have fabulous friends!

Anyway. Long story short. As I am typing this, I am surrounded by sheep. Colin’s comment to me this morning when I sent him the video? Something about you and sheep. You certainly seem to have a thing for them, he said.

I would love to take the time to write a closing paragraph to this chapter, but it is not going to happen. I just spotted the lamb nursery being shooed along. An opportunity I simply can’t miss! So: There you have it. Good Bye!