Stomping grapes at the Muratie Harvest Festival and conference eats at the Cullinan Hotel

Husband had to work last weekend so we don’t have many snaps of him to share this time around, but we still had a fair deal of fun…

Saturday, 18 February 2017: Muratie Harvest Festival

Husband sent me this snap of the cloudy sky when he left home around 6:30am on Saturday morning. Beautifully flocked against the duvet of blue sky.

With Husband office-bound until 6pm, I was off to the Muratie Harvest Festival in Stellenbosch with my parents. These are some of the outside sights. See the vroue orkes top left, the Kitchen Jammin Blues Band top right, packed seating area bottom left and youthful, friendly staff bottom right.

Old bicycle and wooden barrels in the main wine cellar on our way to the tasting.

Looky looky in the cellar. Muratie is known for its 40-year old cobwebs and stained-glass windows.

I present to you my first ever attempt at grape stomping. It’s cold, squenchy, and surprisingly satisfying!

Mum and me having a time while suitably hatted. It was quite windy so I kept my jacket on.

Dad was also hatted and the sky was still patterned with cloud.

A number of these bread baskets were dotted along our table, filled with crusty bread, dark grapes, soft figs and cheeses, dips, koeksisters and brownies as the surprise in the white paper package.

Full to the brim, everyone headed off towards the tractors for a tour of the grounds. We decided to head home instead for a nap.

On our way through the parking lot we spotted a sleek, stealthy BWM i8. Of course we did our subtle not-quite-leaning poses (dad wasn’t quite as subtle when we spotted a ‘flaming’ car parked in front of a ‘no parking’ zone a few years ago, click here for a reminder…)

Sunday, 19 February 2017: Hot cross buns for breakfast, waffles for lunch and boerewors rolls for dins

Yip, Husband had to work on Sunday, too. If I’m eating Sunday morning breakfast alone, it’s going to be chocolate hot cross buns, milk tart-filled pancakes and fudgey tea. Bertie was Very Interested.

All was not lost though, as a lazy morning of napping and reading was followed by a visit to the Big Bay Waffle Company. I had a caramel latte and the old-fashioned waffle topped with lemon curd. Husband had sushi next door.

Boerewors rolls and potato salad were on the menu for lupper at mum’s that eve. T’was just perfect for the weather.

And for afters? A rich coffee-chocolate-coconut cake (homemade, of course) and coffee. Mmm!

Wednesday 22 and Thursday, 23 February 2017: Crucial conversations training at the Cullinan Hotel

Having thoroughly enjoyed their #influencerchange training late last year, I was booked onto the crucial conversations training by Human Edge mid-week. On the first day, lunch was served poolside. Yes, really.

I dithered over the menu as everything looked so good! Remembering a colleague’s recent review of the Stella Cafe’s food I knew I couldn’t go wrong with the pork belly starter. Oh my GOODNESS it was delicious. See here, with a fellow attendee’s angry duck curry on the right. Loved the copper pot presentation.

Then we had mains. I went for the cheese burger, could barely finish, but it was so good, especially when smeared with these tiny condiments – whole-grain mustard, tomato sauce and mayonnaise.

Lunch on day two was a buffet in the Peach Tree restaurant. So much to choose from, the big round bowl top right was actually cheese for the pasta. Not a bowl of cheese, the entire thing was cheese. Gobsmacking. And look at the gorgeous purple and yellow dessert plate I ended up with! 🙂

Teatime treats across the two days included waffle segments, florentines, mini chicken kebabs, crunchies and lots of coffee. Trust me, we did learn lots, too – it was intensive with only 8 of us on the course and filled with role-playing, so we hardly had time to check in on emails back in the real world. A refreshing change!

That’s all, folks! Click here for my official review of the Muratie Harvest Festival on Bizcommunity.

*Disclaimer: Obviously our entry and eats at the Muratie Harvest Festival were part of our review package. All else came from our own pockets. All enjoyed equally.