You may remember I promised a longer post than usual this week – you’re in luck, here it is! Scroll through for highlights from our midweek break at the Blue Gum Country Estate in Stanford and more…
Friday, 24 May 2019: Commodore conferences and half-price cocktails
My Friday started with a first – while I’ve attended hundreds, this was my first time speaking at a conference! I popped into the office while it was still dark out, then went on to the Commodore Hotel at the Waterfront for the Content Marketing conference.We celebrated the start of the weekend and my much longed-for leave at Catch22 that evening. Bonus? Half-price cocktails before 6pm! See my colourful ‘Catch23’, as well as the seafood curry Husband and Dad both ordered, Mum’s sushi and my buccaneer beef burger.But first, cocktails! See Mum with her Bloody Mary, Dad with his Long Island Ice Tea, Husband with his Beeracuda (tequila, lime, sundried orange and a Corona beer). Cheers!
Saturday, 25 May 2019: Bean Authentic breakfast and bee stings
We had a long Saturday ahead as Husband needed to spend some time in the office, so we lined our tummies with breakfast at Bean Authentic in Monte Vista as we still had an Entertainer voucher to redeem. See the lovely strong flat white served in glass mugs, as well as my Ferrero Rocher mocha and Parmesan-crusted toastie filled with bacon, jalapenos, feta and spicy mayo. Husband had the bacon, cheese and sundried tomato egglets on avo.The whole family popped in for a braai later that afternoon – also see Bertie’s slightly swollen lip from a bee sting. The swelling went down soon after I snapped this.
Sunday, 26 May 2019: Kauai and Eden on the Bay beach walks
Spec had slept over on Saturday night so joined us for breakfast at Kauai at Eden on the Bay. The boys’ mom also popped in for a cuppa tea and avo on toast. Proof we were all there.We had a short post-breakfast stroll along Eden on the Bay, as Husband wanted to wet his feet.
Monday, 27 May 2019: Nutella hot chocolate and banoffee waffle at Panarotti’s
Husband went to work on Monday but I was already on leave, so joined my parents for a late breakfast at Panarotti’s in Table Bay Mall. My Nutella hot chocolate and ‘Bellissima Banoffee Belgian waffle’ were lovely!
Tuesday, 28 May 2019: Roadtrip to Stanford, night at Blue Gum Country Estate
It was a real treat to sleep in late on Tuesday but still rise in time for the earlybird English breakfast special at News Cafe. Tomatoes were well cooked and flat whites strong, as you can see here.Roadtrip time! We made our customary stop at the Sir Lowry’s Pass lookout point. Husband was impressed with neither the elevation nor the gustiness of the wind. See a much more wind-swept version of this pic here, from when we visited Old Mac Daddy in Elgin.Some of the pretty sights we saw along the way. Sheep, various cows and even Carpaccio, the solo springbokkie. So cute!Looks like Husband is sharing a joke with this spotted horsey. Neigh!A few pics of the setting, at Blue Gum Country Estate, 10km from Stanford. It was peaceful, quiet and cold – too cold for a dip in the pool, alas.We felt we were well and truly out in the country while gazing at the view from our private balcony.Gorgeous view looking out from our balcony.Some of the pretty sights on our quick ride for supplies along Queen Victoria Street in the heart of Stanford.We stopped in at Raka Wine Farm for a quick winetasting, too, and stocked up on specialty snacks. Yum!Dinner is served! Not much is open in Stanford on a Tuesday night as Winter approaches, so we dined at Blue Gum’s own Barke restaurant. We had the place to ourselves.The Milkshake Queen in action! Couldn’t resist the ultra-chocolatey milkshake with my dins.See Husband enjoying a glass of red at the fireplace and his two-course dinner of fillet steak and creme caramel with sorbet. I went for the toasted chicken-mayo with stacks of chips. Just the thing when paired with a chocolate shake!The standard gownie shot – with our pre-bed milk treats purchased in town. Toffee Caramel for me, Banana for Husband.
Wednesday, 29 May 2019: Milkshakes in Hermanus
Good morning? It sure is! For me, it doesn’t get much better than a freshy brewed coffee with a view like this…Breakfast, my favourite meal of the day! See the fireplace – a different one to where we sat the previous evening – as well as the lovely continental buffet table and Husband’s hot breakfast order.Why did we go to Stanford? This picture, snapped by Husband just before we left Blue Gum Country Estate on Wednesday morning, says it all.We also rode out to see the lovely trails along the Stanford river before starting the long trip home. Next time we’ll stay longer, so we can fit in a river cruise.The MIlkshake Queen strikes again! We took a slight detour on the way home to take advantage of the sunny weather in Hermanus. See my coffee shake and Husband’s cappuccino at Burgundy’s.We also stopped at the Winelands 1-Stop once we were nearly home, to redeem our free Wimpy burger meal for the quarter – thanks eBucks! All this and we only paid for the drinks. This time the milkshake (banana) is Husband’s. The granadilla-mint slush is a must.
That’s all, folks! May your weekend be relaxing. 🙂 Looking for more?Click here for my full review of our stay at Blue Gum Country Estate on Bizcommunity, and tune in for my next update next week – same time, same place. 🙂
*Disclaimer: Our bed and breakfast at Blue Gum Country Estate in Stanford were part of our review package. All else came from our own pockets. All enjoyed equally.
Last week, we spent some quality time with the doggies as the weather was chilly and grey, which you’ll see from the pics below…
Friday, 17 May 2019: Work-from-home fruit salad and doggie company
Mum let me know she had some fruit salad ready mid-morning last Friday when I was working from home, so I trotted across to her house.Bertie having a sunny nap while keeping me company on my work-from-home day.Sweet Bassie having cuddles with her Grampa later that afternoon.
Saturday, 18 May 2019: Roast lamb on the Weber
For our Saturday breakfast, we popped into Bread & Butter. See our flat whites as well as Husband’s salmon-chorizo-cream cheese omelette, and my half portion of bacon eggs benedict.Things had turned quite chilly by Saturday afternoon so we decided on a quick lamb roast on the Weber. Here’s the end result.Saturday afternoon feasting at the braai. No doggies pictured but there were right there, I promise.The end result – roast lamb fresh off the braai, with roast potatoes, green peas and a homemade minty sauce. Yum!Ha! Bassie looks very cross here. Think she was trying to leap from chair to table to meat and we stopped her in her tracks.
Sunday, 19 May 2019: Rocomama’s afternoon treats
A lone hadeda cawing in the back garden. It wasn’t there long before Bertie chased it away.T’was a Carlucci’s kind of Sunday morning – I had my go-to breakfast of cinnamon croissant with dirty chai latte, while Husband went for a flat white and the chorizo baked-egg pan.Odd clouds started rolling in later that day, with heavy rain following on Sunday night. That’s a cloud covering the base of Table Mountain, as seen from Sunset Beach.We headed to our local Rocomama’s for our Sunday afternoon treat of chilli-cheese fries, a draught for him and a butterscotch-toffee shake for her. Yum!
Monday, 20 May 2019: Homemade chocolate muffins
When I got home from work on Monday, Mum had baked a batch of delicious chocolatey muffins. Mmm…
Wednesday, 22 May 2019: Ethical reporting on children workshop
I spent my Wednesday attending Media Monitoring Africa and UCT Children’s Institute’s media workshop on ethical reporting on children, at the DoubleTree Hilton Hotel. Watch for coverage on Bizcommunity soon!
That’s all, folks! I’m on leave for a few days so expect lots of pics in my next update. 🙂
Last week was an exceptionally busy one on the homefront as we had two visitors from Joburg: My aunty Jenny stayed with my parents for the week, while Gords stayed on our side of the property for a night, plus it was Mother’s Day…
Saturday, 11 May 2019: La Rocca breakfast, Petisco’s dins
We slept in quite late on Saturday as my One Show work only ended at 5am. First stop was La Rocca in Canal Walk for breakfast. See my tiramisu latte, toasted sandwich and chips drenched in hot prego sauce. Hubcap went for the rib egg benedict and a cream-topped cappuccino.Beautiful view across to Table Mountain from Blouberg beach that afternoon.On Saturday evening we went to Petisco’s for dins. They were completely fully booked but we were happy to eat at the bar. See Husband and Dad with their wine and catemba (wine + Coke) respectively, my coffee shake with Amarula, a well-peppered portion of chicken xai xai and the menfolk with their pre-meal Jagermeister shots.Sleepy doglets on the couch that evening.
Sunday, 12 May 2019: Mother’s Day breakfast at Village Place Cafe
We decided on Village Place in West Coast Village for Mother’s Day breakfast as it’s a fairly central meeting point for all except Spec, who drove through from Fish Hoek side to join us. See some of the lovely breakfast things we ate.Hubcapsicum with our mums.Proof that the others were all there, and see my dirty chai latte and low-carb banana-berry flapjack stack. Yum!Various snaps of Mother’s Day unfolding in Mum’s lounge that evening. Such sweet doglets.
Tuesday, 14 May 2019: Evening braai at home with all the parents, Aunty Jenny and Gords
Aunty Jenny arrived at my parents’ side of the house for the week (she’s just left, at the time of publishing this), while Gords headed over with Husband’s parents after work on Tuesday. T’was a simple braai of wors rolls and Mum’s legendary potato salad, with lots of laughs and our pretty coloured lights.More scenes from the braai. Was a lovely change of weeknight routine!Husband snapped everyone busy with post-braai coffee in our lounge that evening. I say ‘everyone’ but only my parents and I had coffee.Sweet little Bassie having a nap once Husband’s parents left and the others retired to their rooms.
Wednesday, 15 May 2019: Work-from-home treats
It was a treat to work from home on Wednesday, as I got to skip the commute and start from bed.Dad provided almond croissants as tea time treats from Limnos Bakery in Table Bay Mall when I worked from home on Wednesday.
Thursday, 16 May 2019: Digital Agency Showcase at Red & Yellow School
The sun was only just rising when I got off the MyCiti bus in Woodstock on Thursday morning.After a short stint in the office, I attended the second ever digital agency showcase at Red & Yellow School on Thursday, where work from some of SA’s top digital agencies was featured. Click here and here for my coverage so far.
That’s all, folks! We hope the weekend ahead is filled with all that makes you happy. 🙂
We had yet another day off work this week as it was national voting day on Wednesday – the last public holiday for a while, so we made the most of the chance to relax…
Saturday, 4 May 2019: Braai at Husband’s parents
We decided on a little bit of a road trip for our Saturday breakfast, eventualy ending up at Melkbos Kitchen. The coffee was delicious, as was the food. See Husband’s salmon-eggs benedict, as well as my bacon-egg buttie.The doggies enjoyed running around and taking in their other granny’s garden, as their last visit was the day we moved – Bertie’s birthday, on 1 March.Results of all the braai-ing effort.
Sunday, 5 May 2019: Kauai breakfast and honeyed lupper
We wanted something on the healthier side of the street for Sunday breakfast, so went to Kauai at Eden on the Bay. See the lovely view as well as my almond oat pot and Husband’s Mexican egg bowl. Not pictured: Our strong flat white coffees.Mum made a delicious honey-mustard chicken meal for Sunday lupper, as we still have lots of honey from our bee hive removal. Click here if you don’t know what I’m talking about.Mini doughnuts for dessert!A beautiful sky at sunset, as seen from home.
Tuesday, 7 May 2019: French toast breakfast treat
I worked from home on Tuesday as I had a very late night of work the night before so opted to skip the commute into the office. Added bonus: homemade French toast with bacon, syrup and honey, made by Mum.
Wednesday, 8 May 2019: Voting day in South Africa
We slept in a little later than normal then headed to Wimpy at Bayside Mall for breakfast. See Husband winking without his streaky bacon breakfast (plus cheese griller), and me with my regular Wimpy coffee and Bar-one waffle.We kept an eye on the queues outside the voting stations all day, then decided on lunch at the Italian Club before making our mark. See the ribs and chips, red wine, gnocchi bolognaise and my coffee shake.A group ‘thumfie’ as proof that we all eventually made our mark that afternoon.Sweet, sleepy doglets as snapped throughout the week.
That’s all, folks! Tune in next week – same time, same place for my next update…
This past weekend, Husband’s parents celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary…
Friday, 26 April 2019: Lauren Beukes’ Creative Mornings talk at AAA School
Last Friday, I attended Lauren Beukes’ Creative Mornings talk for April, held at the AAA School in Long Street. See the lovely setting, and delicious morning treats. Click here for my overview of Beukes’ talk on Bizcommunity.Look at the lovely, fresh drip coffee we got to sample before the talk began. Clay Pigeon is opening later this year.And these doughnuts! Driven in fresh from Worcester for the monthly Creative Morning talks.The monthly Creative Morning talks are now held at the AAA School in Long Street. What a wonderful setting!Love this, posted on one of the internal walls at the AAA School on Long Street. “We don’t make mistakes, we master them.”
Saturday, 27 April 2019: Avengers Endgame at GrandWest Casino, cocktails at Catch22
We tried something different for breakfast on Saturday – Bean Authentic Coffee Roasters in Monte Vista, as found on the Entertainer app. See Husband’s cheddar-and-bacon ‘egglets’.Also at Bean Authentic – this delicious bacon, jalapeno, bacon, feta, cheddar and spicy mayo toastie.We watched Avengers: Endgame at GrandWest Casino on Saturday afternoon. As you can see, we splurged on the biggest box of popcorn we’d ever seen, especially as it was Avengers: Endgame themed. We did finish it, as the movie is three hours’ long…Next stop, Catch22 for some post-movie cocktails. The view is just gorgeous.Husband, busy with his Ol’ Spice mojito, featuring spiced rum, lime, mint, ginger, pineapple and soda.I went for the ‘Lava Me Long Time’. Served in a tiki glass, it’s a delicious blend of rum, coconut, lemongrass, lime, basil, blueberry and cranberry. The ice cubes mean there’s a little less in the glass than you think – that’s a good thing!
Sunday, 28 April 2019: Ruby anniversary lunch at Brass Bell
Husband’s parents were celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary last weekend, so invited us for a celebratory meal at the Brass Bell in Kalk Bay.Full family shot, Spec attended, as well as Janet and Phil – we sat upstairs in the enclosed area, with a view of the wild ocean below.Oysters! Husband’s Mum ordered a portion for the table.See Husband enjoying some oysters and me with my Amarula Colada cocktail. Yum!My Amarula Colada again, a watchful gull statue along with some food – my beef burger and chips, and one of the fishy options.The happy couple, with their eldest and me.The tide pool at Brass Bell was flat and so inviting, if you ignored the nip in the air…Husband got into the tide pool behind me here, as we headed back towards St James’ side. Note my coffee as the weather got cold, fast once the sun vanished behind the mountain.
Wednesday, 1 May 2019: Sick Husband and Rocomama’s treats on Workers’ Day
Intercare Parklands was our first stop on Wednesday, as Husband woke up Very Ill – he even came home early from work the day before. Diagnosis: Full-blown influenza. Lucky I had the flu shot the previous week. So far, so good. We didn’t wait long, but coffee in the waiting area is always a good idea.Husband having a nap that afternoon.We had a Workers’ Day afternoon treat at Rocomama’s later that afternoon. See my espresso shake – yes, my second milkshake of the day, as I also had a peanut butter-toffee shake at Wimpy after Hubcapsicum’s doc visit (I got to order an adventurous drink as I’d already had a coffee at the doctor earlier) – as well as the chicken burger Husband and Mum opted for, and Dad with his Bud in a bottle.Mum and me at the Rocomama’s star wall.The doglets relaxing in the lounge at various stages of the week. They know this is home!
That’s all, folks! Husband is on the mend but we’ll take things easy, just in case. Here’s to a relaxing weekend ahead, filled with delicious moments.
Ramblings, rumblings and random ruminations, version ii. Also reviews, recommendations and alliteration. Based on living the good life in the fairest Cape. Eating is my favourite pastime. Updated weekly
Rambling Litchii 