Winter 2018: Coffee, gnocchi and suspicious dogs

We’ve been having quite a bit of work done around the house lately and with all the much-needed rain finally bucketing down the doggies have been quite on edge, as you’ll see from the snaps below…

Friday, 22 June 2018: Cooped up as house is painted

I worked from home on Friday as I had stacks to do to finish off our Cannes Lions coverage, so skipping the commute to the office was a plus – and as it was international’bring your dog to work day’, I brought the work to them, as I kept an eye on the doglets while we had various walls painted. They weren’t too happy about watching me work, but spent quality time on the couch with their dad once he got home that evening.

Saturday, 23 June 2018: Perfect winter food, gnocchi bolognese at the Italian Club

We had lots of mall-admin things on the agenda for Saturday, so we started off with a Wimpy breakfast. See Husband’s extra large cappuccino, my regular Wimpy coffee, his streaky bacon with extra cheese griller and my flapjacks with fruit salad.

Bassie couldn’t decide whether to be excited to be confined in a room with us, while other parts of the house were painted, or to be Very Sad that she wasn’t free to run around outside. This is her in Very Sad mode.

Who’s a pretty boy, then? Bertie spent the time staring at himself in the mirror, just like this. Such a handsome fellow!

My Saturday afternoon pick-me-up cappuccino while wandering the aisles at Makro.

When the sky is white and the wind is cold, my belly thinks of just one thing – gnocchi bolognese. So that’s what we had for dins at the Italian Club and oh my goodness, it was delicious! See my coffee shake and Husband’s glass of red.

Sunday, 24 June 2018: Tin cup coffee, roast chicken and potatoes

Sunday morning breakfast at The Daily in Seaside Village was all about tin cups (espresso with condensed milk), anchovy toast, savoury muffins and eggs florentine with a side of bacon. Yum.

We heard, ‘Hey!’ Looked up and there were my parents! They joined our table and both the boys enjoyed the coffee tasting tray – a triple-shot cappuccino, mini tin cup and mini con panna (with cream).

More comfort food for lupper at Mum’s that evening – roast chicken, veg and potatoes with gravy. My best!

Jelly + custard + cream + sponge cake = trifle at Mum’s that evening.

Thursday, 28 June 2018: Office birthday doughnuts

Doughnuts! It was the man who built Bizcommunity’s birthday on Thursday, so he treated us to these delicious doughnuts and muffins. Just what we needed!

That’s all, folks! There’s more wet weather and housework on the cards this weekend but we’ll do what we can to enjoy the small moments in between that make us smile.

Car-crazy Father’s Day in Franschhoek

This past weekend was Father’s Day, and this week the 2018 Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity award week in full, so it’s been a super busy time, as you’ll see from the snaps below.

We went car crazy with the dads and took in not just one car museum but two, visiting the Wijnland Auto Museum before our appointment at the Franschhoek Motor Museum, followed by lunch in Franschhoek town itself…

Friday, 15 June 2018: A work farewell

Friday was a dear colleague’s last day working with us so we went for an early team dins. See some of the snacks in office, my latte and shared slice of cheesecake at Derry’s on Carlyle in Vredehoek, and a group shot.

Saturday, 16 June 2018: News Cafe and Moyo eats and treats

It was a ‘News Cafe breakfast special’ kind of Saturday, see my early-bird English and cappuccino, as well as Husband’s flat white and bacon eggs benedict.

It was very wintery weather so we decided on the Moyo pulled-lamb linguine for an early dins. I had a vanilla latte, Husband had a Castle draught and we also splurged on a set of the Chief of Greatness ‘communal shooters’ – Skyy infusions vanilla vodka, roasted hazelnut extracts and Cape Velvet chocolate liqueur.

Sunday, 17 June 2018: Father’s Day at the Franschhoek Motor Museum and Tuk-Tuk Microbrewery

Bertie boy waiting for his dad to open his eyes so he could welcome him to Father’s Day with a big lick.

Oh, my heart! Little Miss Bass having a Father’s Day snuggle with her dad.

For Sunday breakfast, we stopped in at Village Place Cafe. See Husband’s eggy mince-on-toast, my berry-banana banting flapjacks and large caramel cappuccino – also the sweet mini cakes we spied, will have to go with enough belly-room for one next time!

The sun shone through the streaky clouds, making for the prettiest Sunday roadtrip sky.

Our first stop in convoy was the Wijnland Auto Museum in Paarl, on the way to Franschhoek. We saw it all, from the delightfully old…

To the very new! Not sure which road is wide-enough to accommodate this rocket-car, it’s quite something.

Ahh, Franschhoek! It’s one of the most beautiful spots in the country, especially in winter when they skies are grey, mountains blue and grass finally green from the much-needed rains.

We got to the Franshhoek Motor Museum bang on time, boarded the tram from the parking lot and were ready to take in even more motor vehicles in the greenest surrounds.

The Franschhoek Motor Museum’s entry area features this bright, Chapman’s Peak-inspired artwork.

Wine and art go well together, clearly. Some of the goods for sale in the Franschhoek Motor Museum’s main hall.

We were told at reception to make the ‘Food truck hall’ our first stop, and we’re nothing if not good at following orders. See the queue for Terbodore coffee, a bowl of truffle-mayo fries and more.

Next, we paused to watch a few cars go around the track. Some real beauts.

Several cars were whizzed around the track at a leisurely pace, but the big halls are the main attraction. Just took at these old beauties!

Each vehicle on display at the Franschhoek Motor Museum is worth a second look.

A quaint, glass-cased collection of model cars.

By then there was more then one rumbling tum, so we high-tailed it to Tuk-tuk Microbrewery in the heart of Franschhoek for some grub.

Tucking into Tuk-tuk food. See the bowl of salty chips we shared, two of the ‘dogs’ on special – a Mexican and a chorizo, as well as my chicken chimichangas and the fish tostado.

We also strolled along the main street and stopped in at Leeu House right beside Tuk-Tuk for the dads to take photos next to Madiba and Gandhi. Plus, chocolates!

Precious doglets under a blanket on their Granny’s couch, much later that evening.

Wednesday, 20 June 2018: Family dins at Bossa with Gords

Cannes Lions is one of the busiest, most stressful work weeks of the year, so I was fortified by headphones, coffee, and Kit-Kats that magically appeared on my desk. 😉

How beautiful! The dam at Mellish Welbeloond reflected the sunset sky when we drove past on Wednesday evening for family dinner at Bossa in Burgundy Estate.

This is what (some of us) came for – Stone-baked base pizza, burgers, beer and shakes. Yum!

Happy snaps of the family in eating mode. Gords was clearly down from Joburg for a visit, too.

See my mochaccino, as well as assorted burgers and pizzas. We finished everything between us, not a jot needed to be taken home in a doggy bag.

Gords’ view of the table. My happy Cape Town family! ❤

That’s all folks! Hope you have a restful, relaxing weekend ahead 🙂

Doodles’ mid-week winter specials and sunsets over the sea

We’ve both been battling a Winter cold this past week so when not at work, we mainly stayed home to avoid the rainy weather (at last!) You’ll also notice this week’s selection of pics strongly features snaps of the doggies watching us eat…

Friday, 8 June 2018: Raisin scones drop-off

I worked from home last Friday to skip the long commute in to the office, and mum popped in with a homemade treat – raisin scones, fresh out the oven. So yum!

Saturday, 9 June 2018: Reading on couches with dogs

We breakfasted at our local Lacomia’s Cafe in Builder’s Warehouse of Saturday morning, as Husband had all sorts of odds and ends to purchase and tick off on his DIY list. See my cafe mocha and toasted chicken mayo, as well as Husband’s cappuccino, his cola in the background and his sloppy joe eggy mince on toast.

I spent most of my Saturday afternoon reading on the couch with the doggies. You can just see Bassie, popping up behind my legs. They’re such sweet snuggle buddies.

Mmm, soup! We were both feeling quite under the weather that evening so soup with rolls in front of a roaring fire seemed the best idea for dins. It was.

Sunday, 10 June 2018: Reload dog park breakfast, Limnos treat

We had Sunday breakfast at Reload at the Leadville dog park in Sunningdale (our not-so-social doggies stayed at home, though). See my Mediterranean bagel topped with hummus, onions and avo, as well as my peppermint-choc latte and Husband’s ‘trim’ bacon and bockwurst open omelette.

The peppermint-choc latte is delicious and sweet enough that you don’t need to add any sugar.

Here is Husband, tentatively sipping on a triple cappuccino. We had initially sat outside to watch the doggies play in the park but the wind soon proved too gusty, especially given our compromised immune systems.

Our breakfast table looked like this.

Then it was time for some weekend admin. When we saw Limnos had finally opened in the Table Bay Mall, of course we stopped in for a look and take-home treat. I went for a salambo eclair, which is just delicious – choux pastry with vanilla cream piped in through the base, and topped with syrupy almond slivers. Yum! See Bassie pretending not to watch me eat it in the last photo.

This is post-salambo, pre-coffee. Bassie was happy to snuggle with me on the couch while I convalesced with a new book.

Mum made a lovely trifle for Sunday lupper-dessert.

You can just see the doggies watching their granny eat hers in the background here.

Tuesday, 12 June 2018: Monthly radio recording at 2OceansVibe

On Tuesday, my colleague Angie and I popped in at the 2OceansVibe recording studio in Cartel House, Loop Street for our second show. We stopped in for a post-show coffee and caught up on emails at Cafe du Cap downstairs.

We were careful not to ‘drop the mic. Lol.

Wednesday, 13 June 2018: Mid-week winter dins at Doodles

We stopped in for dins at Doodles on Wednesday to celebrate both finally feeling a bit better from this change-of-season cold. Husband had the winter bangers and mash special for R59, plus a glass of red to wash it down, I had the Wednesday burger and chips special (it’s another R59 meal, but I ordered a latte instead).

The cold front was due to hit the following day so watching the sun setting over the sea after dins seemed extra special as we’d be stuck indoors for the next few days.

Bertie was happy to snuggle with me again that eve in front of the fire.

That’s all, folks! Stay warm and well, and have a happy Father’s Day weekend 🙂

Belated day(s) of donuts as winter 2018 hits Cape Town

You can see that winter’s well and truly on it’s way as we’re dressed in woolly hats and socks and long pants in the pics below – the lack of milkshakes and absence of dip in the sea over last weekend is another giveaway that we’re in the colder bit of the year…

Saturday, 2 June 2018: Waffle breakfast at The Daily, wintery braai at the in-laws

T’was a ‘The Daily Cafe’ breakfast kind of day. I went for the ‘waffle pop’ breakfast – a waffle quartered and served with sliced banana, nuts, ice cream and caramel sauce. Husband had an unpictured salmon eggs benedict and flat white.

The Daily’s ‘tin cup’ (cappuccino with condensed milk) is a delicious warming start to the day.

We did some weekend admin at Century City that morning and stopped in at Dunkin Donuts for a quick coffee-Rocky Road donut treat, as the previous day had been international donut day in the US. Given the time difference, our celebration was almost bang on target.

Later that afternoon: Father-in-law’s homemade boerewors. When asked what was in it he thought a while to remember, then decided it was pork mince, beef mince, coriander and nutmeg.

She has a faraway smile on her sweet face here, while squashed onto the couch next to her dad.

Bassie looks just as concerned as owlie bag here.

We must have looked cosy on the couch as Bertie decided to join us, too.

Scenes from the braai – meat cooking, my portion, instant pudding with crumbled Flake on top and little miss Bassie pretending she’s not looking directly at the food on the table.

Sunday, 3 June 2018: Breakfast at Primi, Solo movie outing at GrandWest

On Sunday, we breakfasted at Primi, Marine Circle. Husband had a latte with extra shot of espresso.

The Mocha Forte comes in a tiny cup but it’s a delicious blend of ristretto, dark chocolate, coconut oil and micro-textured milk. Just the thing when it’s chilly out and you need a hot caffeine fix!

See? It’s tiny but delicious. The lovely open fire pit in the middle of our local Primi, with views of the sea through those windows, is also a winner.

I surprised everyone (that’s Husband and myself) by opting for the crispy bacon-avo bowl topped with poached egg for my brekkie.

Husband opted for the Primi Power – streaky bacon, sausage patties, sautéed mushrooms and eggs.

Later that morning we met brother-in-law Spec at GrandWest Casino to watch the Star Wars Solo movie. (Teehee if you thought I meant I had gone to the movies by myself!) This was the least blurry action shot of the bunch husband took.

Mum had whipped up two different soups for lupper – Woolies’ ginger, carrot and coriander and a variation of Checkers’ creamy broccoli-and-potato – which were both just the thing with bacon-flavoured croutons and egg-mayo sandwiches. Yum.

And for dessert, an assortment of Dunkin Donuts’ finest, also in honour of International Donut Day on Friday! My favourite is the choc-filled smiley heart and the milk-tart-filled powder-dusted heart. I heart them. ❤

Tuesday, 5 June 2018: Woodstock sunrise and paella dins

Pretty sunrise over Woodstock as I made my way to work from the bus on Tuesday morning.

Mum whipped up a delicious ‘dry’ chicken-sausage paella when they came for dins that evening. The left-overs for lunch the next day were amazing!

That’s all, folks! May your weekend be donut-delicious.

Beach dogs, art galleries and a splash of coffee

The past week-and-a-bit was filled with dashing around from work event to work event, a few arty moments – and coffee, of course…

Monday, 21 May 2018: Social media workshop at Southern Sun Newlands

I spent all of last Monday at the Southern Sun Newlands, soaking up knowledge from the Vivid Engage ‘understanding social media and using it to market your business’ workshop. Click here if you missed my overview on Biz!

It was a wonderfully rainy day so we were happy to batten down the hatches, ask questions and take notes. There was a tempting foosball table right outside the conference room and also lovely conference food in the Newlands Cafe downstairs at lunch time.

Tuesday, 22 May 2018: Startupbootcamp FastTrack interview

Then on Tuesday I dashed off the Old Mutual Centre in Pinelands for a quick lunchtime interview with Phil Kiracofe, CEO of Startupbootcamp. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, click here to educate yourself!

Thursday, 24 May 2018: Afternoon at Southern Guild

I’d been to Southern Guild’s gallery space once before, when they were just up the road in Woodstock (that’s where we snapped this pic of me in a Porky Hefer original), but not since their move to the Silo side of the V&A Waterfront a year ago, so was only happy to attend their ‘announcement event’. The actual content shared is under wraps for another week still, but you can take in some of the scenes so long – that’s a glass of Krone in the bottom right…

Some of the sights in and around Southern Guild. It was another much-needed rainy day, so my umbrella tagged along for the trip.

Sweet little Bassie warming herself in front of the fire that evening.

Saturday, 26 May 2018: Golden lattes and ground-splattered ice creams

We had some mall admin to do so breakfasted at W Cafe at Woolworths in the new Table Bay Mall. See me smelling my ‘golden latte’ – turmeric, ginger and cinnamon. Also Husband’s flat white in the background, his exotic shroom bowl and my Nutella French toast. Yum!

The weather had turned crisp yet sunny that afternoon, so Husband had his weekend plunge in the Atlantic.

Isn’t this the saddest thing you’ve ever seen? Luckily not mine, but it was right outside our car when we returned from our beach visit.

Sunday, 27 May: Cup & Cake brunch, Jerry’s burger’s lunch and train station collection

We had brunch at Cup & Cake with Husband’s parents on Sunday. See my creamy spiced chai latte at Cup & Cake.

Ah, pancakes! Cup & Cake’s current special is three cinnamon-sugar ones for R20. They’re fresh and tasty.

We had early lupper at Jerry’s on the beachfront as we’d only be collecting my parents from the train station much later that eve. Husband told me to pose.

The view at Jerry’s is quite something, as is the food. Husband went for a Bloody Jerry to drink and Drunken chicken burger to eat, while I opted for the peanut butter-banana shake and the ‘Heart attack’ burger with sweet potato fries. We ate it all.

Finally! Husband managed to get us onto the exact platform at Cape Town station where the Rovos rail would eventually pull up, so we were there to film my parents and their new friends as they got off the train.

Monday, 28 May 2018: Almost-disastrous day-off dog walkies

After some bike admin first thing on Monday – the reason we’d taken a day’s leave – my parents treated us to breakfast at All in the Kitchen, which is only open on weekdays. I agree that coffee is always a good idea! See the pretty foamy flat whites, my ‘nutters’ granola bowl, the bacon-cheese croissant Husband and Mum went for, and Dad’s toasted bacon-and-egg.

Such an attractive breakfast spread!

We drove the doggies up to Kreeftebaai and due to the chilly weather with drizzle on-and-off, found it absolutely deserted. The doggies had a ball running to and fro.

Sweet little Bassie running back towards me from all the way up the coast. You’ll notice her brother is nowhere in sight.

See Bassie trotting sweetly beside her dad, only to realise brother Bertie is long gone chasing birdies up the coast. We drove two beaches further up before Husband found him gazing out at sea in ‘wild dog’ mode. Bassie won’t admit it but she was slightly concerned. All’s well, though!

All tuckered out, Bertie was very content to just lie on the warm blankets that evening.

Thursday, 31 May 2018: Crystal Towers working breakfast

I met a PR colleague for our annual catch-up chat first thing on Thursday. It was yet another much-needed rainy day so the strong cappuccinos were just what we ordered.

That’s all, folks! May your weekend be happy and warm; and your ice-cream not go splat on the ground.