Conferencing, sunsets and St Patrick’s Day 2019

This past week has been a blur of conferences, sunsets and good food, as you’ll see from the pics below…

Friday, 15 March 2019: Afternoon tea at home

I worked from home last Friday so took a quick afternoon tea break when my in-laws popped in for a visit. See the tea and stack of egg-mayo sandwiches Mum made.

Saturday, 16 March 2019: Breakfast at Park’s End, Catch22 cocktails

We needed to do some weekend admin in the Southern Suburbs on Saturday, so stopped in where Cafeen used to be – it’s now called Parks End. See Husband’s salmon eggs benedict, my creme brulee latte and various interesting things in store.

The name may have changed, but the menu basics are the same. See my French toast topped with bacon and bruleed banana, as well as syrup, cinnamon sugar and lemon curd. Yum!

Lovely scenery on the way back home from Constantia side.

We had our Saturday afternoon meal at Catch22. See the palm-tree light and my tiramisu shake. Yum!

Also see my buccaneer beef burger topped with bacon, cheese and onion rings, some of Mum’s sushi and Husband’s coconut bay fish curry.

Of course Husband had a dip in the sea that afternoon.

Sunday, 16 March 2019: St Patrick’s Day 2019

Some of the themed balloons we saw on display for St Patrick’s Day. We always celebrate as my dad is Patrick!

We met Husband’s mum for breakfast at the Pink Olive on Sunday morning. Note all the green outfits, for St Patrick’s Day.

Some of the Pink Olive decor as well as the flat whites, egg-and-mince on toast, and fresh scones with jam and cream.

Sunday evening’s fiery sunset.

Monday, 18 March 2019: Women in Tech Africa Conference

On Monday I popped into the first Women In Tech Africa conference, at the Century City Convention Centre. See some of the treats that were on offer…

Proof I was there, as well as the much-needed coffee and some of the sessions taking place. Watch for my coverage highlights in Monday’s #FairnessFirst column on Bizcommunity!

Tuesday 19 and Wednesday, 20 March 2019: eCommerce Africa conference

Tuesday and Wednesday this week were all about the fifth ever eCommerce Africa conference at the CTICC. See some of the eats and views here.

These were some of my favourite moments of eCommerce Africa 2019, click through to my overview articles of the best talk on day 1 and day 2.

Sweet Bassie napping with her grandpa.

That’s all, folks! Have a relaxing weekend. 🙂

What you missed at AfricaCom 2018 and Friday evenings at Moyo

This past week has been busy as always work-wise, so we did what we could to relax after hours…

Friday, 9 November 2018: Moyo sea-dip evening

Certain cocktails are R39 at Moyo on a Friday before 6pm, like the creamy pina colada.

Given the above picture, you can see that we started that weekend feeling earlier than usual by popping out for a quick beach visit once we were done with work. See Husband’s draught (R25 before 6pm on a Friday!), as well as my Pina Colada and our shared pulled-pork linguine at Moyo in Eden on the Bay. Also see Husband’s splash in the sea.

The sky was beautiful when we got home that evening.

Saturday, 10 November 2018: CTFM paella and shakes

We had some mall admin to tick off our weekend to-do list so we started the morning with cappuccinos and breakfast at Bayside’s Mugg & Bean. See Husband’s bean and bacon hash benedict, and my rainbow slaw-sweetcorn-avo toast.

Lots of birds on the rocks next to Husband’s usual sea-swimming spot.

It was so hot that I passed on hot drinks and instead tried the iced coffee slushy at Expresso in Table Bay Mall (delicious). Seen with a chocolate-cinnamon twist and Husband’s tiny con panna.

We wanted ‘dinner with a view’ so headed out to CTFM in Seaside Village. See Husband’s seafood paella and my burger with chips and onion rings.

See me with my Cookies and Cream shake jar, Husband’s delight at his pan of paella, and how he loved it so much that he licked the pan clean.

I spent some quality time with my precious boy dog on the couch that evening.

Sunday, 11 November 2018:  Baconville breakfast, Pakalolo cocktails and Dolphin Beach visit

You feel like you’re right in the countryside, travelling from Table View to the Durbanville and Tyger Valley side.

We forgot to snap a shot of the attendees, but Baconville was the venue for our Sunday morning breakfast with Husband’s parents. See the heart in my chocolate latte and our various bacon-topped breakfast plates.

Nothing says ‘sunny Sunday’ like a beach walk! See our brief visit to Dolphin Beach.

View of Table Mountain across the snowy sands of Dolphin Beach.

By then, the weather was shouting that it was time for a cocktail. Here is Husband with his Bloody Mary at Pakalolo’s.

I went for the colourful Smoky something (seems Pakalolo’s online menus are out of date or else I would tell you the exact name). T’was delicious.

Mum set out all the fixings for chicken fajitas for Sunday lupper, and later whipped up a batch of peanut-butter cookies, fresh and delicious with coffee.

Bassie thought my cream-topped coffee smelled just as good as the cookies.

Wednesday, 13 to Thursday, 15 November 2018: AfricaCom at the CTICC

I covered sessions of AfricaCom from Tuesday to Thursday, with so much going on at the same time – 9 different conference tracks – that it was held across both the CTICC and new CTICC 2 venue, so you get to cross the ‘skybridge’ multiple times.

View from the top floor of the CTICC 2. So much business conferencing going on!

More scenes from AfricaCom. The Speculaas ice-cream in the Expo centre was yum, and it was fun to watch the live graffiti installation.

Pretty colours in our dining room when Mum created a quick pasta bake for our Tuesday visit.

On Wednesday, I quickly dashed out between AfricaCom sessions to catch a ‘bring your own lunch’ lunchtime lecture at Red & Yellow School, before dashing back to the CTICC.

I’d brought the popcorn snack with me from the AfricaCom expo – also popped in a few chocolatey treats to munch on while taking notes!

It was a beautiful evening and we both got home later than usual on Wednesday so decided on Jerry’s for dinner, as a mid-week treat. See Husband with his glass of red, me with my Pina Colada shake, our burgers and the sunset.

That’s all for now, folks! See you next week 🙂

Husband’s 38th birthday and waffles on a stick at the Big Bay Summer Market

This past week took an age to get through. Perhaps because we’re finally in February and January’s always the longest month, what with transitioning back into ‘work mode’ after the end-of-year break.

Here’s what we’ve been up to since my last update…

Friday, 26 January 2018: Meltwater webinar presentation

Look at me, looking nervous/excited/relieved with Philippa Dods, Meltwater’s amazing marketing coordinator for India, Middle East & Africa last Friday, after a successful PR webinar presentation. No need for FOMO if you missed it, just click on this link to the recording so you can catch-up!

Saturday, 27 January 2018: Sweet treats at Sweet Loaf, brotherly dins at Catch22

We started our weekend at Wimpy in Bayside as we had a few weekend admin chores to do while there. And surprise, soon after we ordered my parents also ended up there for breakfast! I enjoyed my regular Wimpy coffee and toasted cheese on a stick. Husband had the streaky bacon breakfast with extra cheesegriller (as did Dad), while Mum went for the avo-toast. A good start to the day!

We also did some motorbike-gear pricing at Sable Square and stopped at Sweet Loaf for a quick treat – everything sells for R11, whether you want a cappuccino, can of Cola, mini-cake load or palm-size pie.

Aww! Little Miss Bassie was such a happy girl when we popped in at her grandparents’ house that evening for some tech assistance.

Bertie was also eager to share his affection with his dad. Big licks!

Spec was spending the night with us so after a quick unpack at our house we headed off to Catch22 for dins. See Husband enjoying his glass of red top-left, my gingerbread latte top-right, Spec with his Amstel bottom-left, and Husband and me in front of the tropical paradise painting outside bottom-right. T’was so bright, we needed to wear sunnies.

And the food? Oh boy was it good! See group photo top-left, full table of food bottom-left, that day’s specials in the middle my buccaneer beef burger topped with bacon and cheese top-right and Husband’s baby kingklip with veg bottom-right. Spec went for the linefish with calamari special. All delicious!

Later that evening we walked down the beach to see the kite-surfing competition in action – it was suitably windy!

Sunday, 28 January 2018: Husband’s family birthday lunch at Bossa

The little ones were happy to pose with me on the couch as my coffee was in a doggy-patterned mug so they felt right at home. As they should, as they were at home. Teehee.

For the first time in many years, we all live in the same city so could do a combined birthday lunch for Husband. See the eisbein with roast veg with parents shared top-left, the pizza me and father-in-law ate top-right, dad’s strong flat white bottom-left (and he had a Black Label draught before that, so his placemat was accurate), with a full family shot bottom right.

Once we’d had time to digest lunch, we stopped off at Husband’s favourite sea-swimming hole for his weekly dunk.

We stopped in at Table Bay Mall for a spot of birthday shopping and a treat in the form of Milky Lane ice creams, mmm! Husband’s is plain vanilla with caramel topping and assorted syrups, mine is the berry-meringue whizzer.

Monday, 29 January 2018: Husband’s 38th birthday

Here’s the first batch of ‘kisses with the birthday hat’ photos. The doggies were keen to join in but seemed shy once we started taking the pics.

These are our attempts while sitting on the couch. If i was licking Bertie’s head in the bottom-left pic (I’m not, I’m blowing Husband a kiss but Bertie angled himself in such a way that it looks like Bass is licking my hand, I’m licking Bertie’s head and he’s licking his dad’s chin.) Crying with laughter!

Tuesday, 30 January 2018: Office donuts and owlie mugs

When clients cancel Tuesday meetings and send through apology donuts (from Dunking Donuts, else they’d be ‘doughnuts’), we share. Also, meet my new hipster owl office mug – disinterested deer has bitten the dust.

T’was also the day I did a video interview in the Barclays Rise space in the Woodstock Exchange. I’ll share the link to that interview next week. For now, see the interesting surrounds.

Wednesday, 31 January 2018: Waffles on a stick at the Big Bay Summer Market

It’s been a while since the last ‘I love Big Bay’ food and craft market, usually held at the Big Bay Lifesaving Club at Eden on the Bay on the last Wednesday of every month. It was a very windy day so we didn’t stay very long.

Various shots of me with my waffle on a stick, also see my potato wedges topped with paprika and parmesan top-left. Yum!

Look at the choices! All were fresh and chocolate-y but I went for the ‘Astronaut’, as it was covered in mini-Astros and looked like an edible Christmas tree. Yum.

Thursday, 1 February 2018: #NespressoOnIce pop-up shop at work

The NespressoOnIce truck is conducting a road trip across the country and stopped in at our office on Thursday afternoon. We were thrilled to try a few of the iced coffee options as it was a very hot day.

That’s all, folks! Have a relaxing weekend 🙂

Leadville for ‘small and shy dogs’; Bossa burgers and boozy shakes

Last weekend we took Bassie for an explore around Leadville doggy park in Sunningdale. It has a Reload on site so you can swig some coffee while your doggies trot around the grass, making friends.

See snaps of that and other top moments of the week below….

Saturday, 18 November 2017: Ilha breakfast, windy braai

We’d not been to Woodbridge Island in a while so headed that way for Saturday breakfast. Without planning it, we were both in matchy-matchy grey in front of their grey-blue wall.

See Husband’s full English breakfast with mushroom and pork sausage, and my well-sauced scrambled eggs on toast.

Bertie spends about 30% of his time perched atop the couch back like this.

Cold, rainy days are all about relaxing with the doggies indoors.

Scenes from the braai at Husband’s parents house, later that afternoon.

Last week you saw Bassie with the pudding cups. This week, Bertie allowed a few pics before he ran off to chew his in peace.

Bassie and I braved the chilly wind to sit in the sun by the braai fire for a while.

Sunday, 19 November 2017: Leadville doggie park, Saints treats

We’d heard that our local News Cafe offers a few more breakfast specials for the early birds, so tried them out on Sunday morning. I went for the standard English early bird top left, Husband sampled the ‘spinach and feta’ eggs benedict for R45. Very good value.

An ‘action shot’ of Husband peppering up his plate.

This is Leadville. Bassie had a fun time trotting around in the fenced off area for ‘small dogs shy dogs’.

Later that day, beach walkies! Bertie splashed about in the sea and had a lovely time.

We went to Saints at Eden on the Bay for our Sunday afternoon treat, and ended up with two drinks each. See my Snickers shake (with chunks of actual chocolate bar swirled throughout) and Cafe Capri (coconut chocolate latte, very yummy); then there’s Husband’s Smooth Criminal shooter – caramel vodka with creme de banana top, and his Kiss and Say Goodbye shake, with Scotch whisky, Kahlua and Oreo cookie bits. Yum.

Mum outdid herself with a summery feast for Sunday lupper. I think we ate everything between the four of us (six, with the dogs).

Mum made these gorgeous individual trifles for dessert.

Monday, 20 November 2017: Evening doggy snuggles

I worked from home on Monday as had lots of transcribing to tick off my to-do list. T’was still chilly that evening so Bertie curled up beside me on the couch.

Wednesday, 22 November 2017: Meltwater interview in Green Point, burgers and shakes at Bossa

I interviewed the global CEO of Meltwater at their Cape Town offices in Green Point on Wednesday afternoon. This was the view from the ‘interview room’. Click here for the interview.

That evening we headed out to Bossa in Burgundy Estate – where we used to go for paella at Espana. We sat outside and I was delighted that their boozy shakes are included in the R40 happy hour. See my ‘mud pie’ shake with vodka, Nachtmusik and Amarula. Husband looks zen.

Here is Husband’s cheese bomb burger – mozzarella, aged cheddar, bacon and jalapenos – with large onion rings and chips.

All the foooood. Husband had a burger, I went for the nachos with mince. That’s a half portion you can see, which I only finished the next day.

Thursday, 23 November 2017: Red cup, yellow chair at Red & Yellow

My brownie bite and colour-coordinated red cup of strong coffee in front of a yellow chair at Red & Yellow for the third week of ‘digital marketing live’.

That’s all, folks! I’m having a mini-staycation at the start of next week so looking forward to relaxing and having happy moments with the doggies.

Staycation 2017 cruffins, waffle specials and Halloween spiders

I took a few days off from work this week and soaked up some much-needed me-time…

Friday, 27 October 2017: Greek working lunch at Maria’s in Dunkley Square

I had a working-lunch meeting last Friday afternoon. We walked down to Maria’s in Dunkley Square – loved how the foam heart remained long after the coffee was gone. You can just see the slice of kataifi I ate, too.

Saturday, 28 October 2017: The Daily Cafe’s birthday special

Last weekend was the second birthday of The Daily Cafe in Big Bay’s Seaside Village. They treated customers to a birthday special – R70 for eggs benedict or florentine, along with a flute of orange juice or bubbly, and a cappuccino. It was a very good deal!

Orange-y scenes from our breakfast at The Daily.

The colours were blindingly bright at Eden on the Bay that afternoon!

We also did a few long-arm beach photos. Love the expressions on Husband’s face.

We treated ourselves to a late-lunch at Moyo at Eden. See Husband sipping his Long Island Ice Tea and his lamb shank linguine, as well as my dukka-spiced burger and pina colada.

We presented Bertie with his newest chew-toy as he’s a good dog. What a happy boy.

Sunday, 29 October 2017: Bread and Butter breakfast, ice creams at Eden on the Bay

We decided on breakfast at Bread and Butter on Sunday. I had a cappuccino while Husband had his customary Cola to begin…

Husband asked for his salmon eggs benedict on a plate as things slide off of the usual breadboard. Also see my bacon-banana flapjack/crumpet stack.

We stopped in at Eden again on Sunday, for an afternoon ice cream treat. My windswept hair should be a giveaway that this was not an easy task. Wind in hair, hair in ice cream. Oof. Lovely, though.

You also pose here with your ice cream, if you’re anything like me. Tis a sad size comparison.

Monday, 30 October 2017: Cruffins at Black Forest Cafe

Ahhh. Coffee. Book. Couch. Dogs. That’s how I spent the bulk of my Monday and Tuesday, relaxing and activating my brain’s ‘screensaver’ mode.

Little Bassie is just the cutest. Love that face! She’s showing off her balancing skills here, perched atop the back of the couch.

Mum and dad treated me to morning tea at the Black Forest Cafe, just up the street. The cappuccino was strong, the coffee shake chocolate-y, and the mood happy.

These are the cruffins (croissant + muffin) we chose from. Mmm.

Tuesday, 31 October 2017: Milky Lane waffles, W Cafe coffees, Halloween dins

If you’re ever at a loss for what to do on a Tuesday and have R36 standing by, take advantage of Milky Lane’s special – two plain waffles topped with ice cream blobs and all the syrups. For R36! We also shared a mint milkshake.

After a spot of window shopping we stopped at the W Cafe in Woolers for a coffee pick-me-up. I had a short vanilla-cinnamon while the parents had regular cappuccinos.

Mother-in-law loves a themed table, so invited us for dins on Tuesday evening. See various Halloween-y things.

The doggies were eager to get involved in all the food activities. See the marshmallow ‘spiders’ atop my jelly-mousse dessert.

Wednesday, 1 November 2017: Team lunch at La Bottega

After a morning of playing catch-up at my desk on all I’d missed from two days of leave, it was time for our department team lunch. We Ubered to La Bottega on Sir Lowry’s Road. That’s my Nutella-banana shake you see.

Milkshake up close, open views across Woodstock from the deck and my beef burger on sweet potato slice ‘bun’, with cheese and avo. Very yum!

We put Angie’s selfie stick to good use. This was about the best of the various attempts. Crying-with-laughter face.

Thursday, 2 November 2017: Office birthday cake and orchids

My lovely colleague Clarina brought in an assortment of cakes to celebrate her recent birthday. She does not look 40! And look at the fake orchid on my desk, with Angie’s real one just visible behind it. Office things.

That’s all, folks! I’ll show you the DIY project I also completed during my days off in next week’s blog post. 🙂

What to do in Tulbagh

It feels like we’ve been celebrating it for months already (well, we have been), but last Friday was finally our 10th wedding anniversary. Though we both worked on the day, we had the opportunity to spend the weekend in sun-drenched Tulbagh – what a treat it was, as you’ll see below…

Saturday, 26 August 2017: Roadrip to Tulbagh and Oakhurst Olives

A roadtrip selfie is a must, especially if you’re passing bright canola fields just before the start of Spring, as we did…

The crops of canola appear out of nowhere and are so very pretty, it’s like someone spilled bright yellow below and blue above.

The first stop on our schedule was Oakhurst Olives, just a little bit out of town and well worth a visit. We did olive oil shots (yes really – quite the experience!) We also dipped the most delicious bits of freshly baked bread into it and smeared a tasty olive tapanade on the rest. You can buy all their products right there, so we did.

Once you’ve climbed the stairs you marvel at the view outside.

If you have the time, take a little wander around the property. There are lilies and ponies and not-so-wild horses roaming the grounds.

Like this guy! He came running over to say hi when he saw us. Such a friendly horsey. Loved having his nose and neck rubbed. The dark one in the bottom right wasn’t quite as keen.

Next stop, check in at the Tulbagh Heritage Boutique Hotel. There were beautiful Proteas everywhere we looked, and just look at those rooms! A ginormous royal bed, bright fluffy gowns that put the usual scratchy white ones hotels offer to shame, and the fireplace downstairs in the restaurant.

Some of the outside scenes. The stairway up to our room, a quaint water feature, big chilly pool, and the bar that was packed to sardine levels just before dins that evening with McGregor-Mayweather preamble.

First up at the hotel, lunch! We seated ourselves beneath the shade of the tree on the terrace where Husband enjoyed a BBQ chicken butterflied burger while I made a go at the ‘Schuster’ (there’s a pizza on my terrace) – crispy based with rocket, peppadews, feta, avo and slices of biltong, it was enormous – we took the rest up to our room to snack on later.

I had ample opportunity for coffee with a view here. See the Olive Terrace below our room, an inviting bench and the must-dunk rusks in our room.

Late-afternoon is just the right time to take a quick tour of the town, as the setting sun gives the light a magical quality.

A walking tour of Historic Church Street is highly recommended. There are guided tours, but we ventured out on our own and had a wonderful time reading up on the various beautiful old homesteads and appealing coffee shops.

The cemetery is peaceful and sunny if you’re not freaked out by things like that.

The botanical gardens grounds were open so we soaked up some sunshine, and also popped in to the Paddagang to see their interesting decor.

Tulbagh really is an undiscovered gem of a town. Everyone greets you in the streets and you see sights like this almost every which way you turn your head.

We were back in time to watch the sun set from our balcony.

The rooms are bright, airy and beautifully decorated. Plus, little bite-size nougat treats are left on your pillow! Such a nice touch.

We sampled some truly delicious dishes for dinner in the completely booked out Olive Terrace restaurant that evening. See my Frangelico Hazelnut Mochaccino, the Cape Malay Lamb curry Husband enjoyed with sambals and popadoms, while I went for the spicy Mexican bean soup with nachos and guacamole, and ended off with the coffee creme brulee and an unpictured whisky dom pedro for Husband. No wonder this has been voted the top restaurant in Tulbagh on TripAdvisor for three years running!

Tummies purring, we stepped outside again to see the blue-lit tree after dins and took our customary ‘gownie snap’ once we’d settled in for the night.

Sunday, 27 August 2017: Breakfast at the Olive Terrace, ziplining with Ceres Zipslide Adventures

Breakfast! Yes, this was to be our third meal at the Olive Terrace, and we were the only ones to brave sitting outdoors as there was a slight chill. The cappuccinos were strong and the food just what we were after – the homemade granola was sweet rolled oats baked in local vanilla and honey, topped with toasted seeds and fruit from the Tulbagh region, as well as thick, unsweetened Greek yoghurt with a side jar of honey to drizzle to your heart’s content. Being a benedict-man, Husband went for the eggs royale, served on sweetcorn-pumpkin fritters. Yum!

After a quick checkout it was time for a very short roadtrip. Fields of pink blossoms lined the way into Ceres.

Just 20 minutes later we were harnessed, helmeted and ready to zip our way through the Ceres valley with Ceres Zipslide Adventures! Quite the different experience to when I first went ziplining along the Acrobranch obstacle course earlier this year, click here for a reminder…

This is a screenshot of the Ceres valley ziplining area from one of the videos Husband filmed.

Wheeee! Off I go! You zip across 1.4km over 8 different sections. It’s a wonderfully exhilarating activity, definitely a reason to add Ceres to your Cape travel itinerary.

There are fields and hills and vales and peaks to explore as you slowly make your way home again – thanks for a wonderful time, Tulbagh!

*Disclaimer: Obviously our meals and accommodation at Oakhurst Olives, Ceres Zipslide Adventures and the Tulbagh Boutique Heritage Hotel were part of our review package. All else came from our own pockets. All enjoyed equally. Watch for my official review on Biz!

Enchanted pizza in Parklands, birdy sightseeing in Langebaan and Mykonos

We both had some time off work this past week so fun times weren’t limited to the weekend in this post…

Saturday, 25 March 2017: Village Place breakfast, Enchanted dinner

You simply can’t start the weekend without a cappuccino if your name rhymes with ‘Shmee Shmandrews’. Ahem. As you know, the toffee-flavoured version at our local Village Place Cafe got my ‘best of 2016‘ cappuccino title last year, and it still hits the spot as we near April 2017.

Husband’s parents joined us so it was a table for four, please. That’s Mother-in-law’s ‘bird in a nest’ top left, Father-in-law’s Village breakfast bottom left, Husband’s sweetcorn fritters topped with poached egg and bacon top right and my S’mores waffle bottom right. SO YUM.

My next shot of java was imbibed at the house of my parents-in-law, where we further assisted in unpacking their boxes (you saw the start of this last week here). But there’s still quite a way to go…

Later that evening we dined at Enchanted Pizza in Parklands. I had the Enchanted shake (peanut butter, chocolate syrup and toasted peanuts, so good). Husband had the seafood-y Enchanted pasta, and I went with their recommendation of the butter chicken pizza. So good but really filling, we finished it off during the week.

Sunday, 26 March 2017: Melkbos breakfast, peppermint fridge tart

It’s not just a Saturday that deserves a good cappuccino start to the day, but everyday. This is the delightful version I swigged at Ritzi’s in Melkbos on Sunday morning.

Coffee downed, we were ready for food. Husband had the baked eggs ‘cocotte’ topped with bacon, while I had a ‘build your own’ breakfast – sourdough bread, cream cheese and lots of bacon bits. Just what I wanted!

Mum had created this SA favourite for dessert after lupper that evening – peppermint fridge tart! For the first time in about 20 years! I’ll admit I had more than one bowlful.

Monday, 27 March 2017: Early morning bus views

I’ve been leaving home earlier and earlier lately to get to work – so much so that I’m snapping more sun rises than the sunsets I used to. Sob. This was the view of Flamingo Vlei from the bus at around 6am on Monday morning.

Tuesday, 28 March 2017: Day off in Langebaan

I knew Husband would be off work this week so took the day off on Tuesday so we could join my parents on a day trip to the Langebaan side of the Cape. You should know one doesn’t just set off on a roadtrip without a coffee stop along the way. That would be very dangerous indeed. Here we are at the Vyge Vallei padstal last visited with brother Spec in December with a coffee each (Husband’s Cola is just in shot too as that’s his caffeine of choice).

We were only 55km from Langebaan by then so it’s a good place to stop for a refill. All the animals gret Husband, too. Some grinned, some licked, some grunted. Teehee.

The birdies were also very interested in Husband.

Sticking with the ‘birdie’ theme, on the Mykonos side of Langebaan I met this here gull statue outside the Boerekombuis Restaurant. He’s rather large.

Dad was rather amused at this sign!

The menfolk dipped their toes in the icy Mykonos sea. Us lady folk didn’t.

We lunched at Marc’s Beach Bar – the drinks were all delicious, from Bloody Mary to draught beer and Sol and pina colada and coffee shake. The food was all good, too – chicken schnitzel for mum, unphotographed toasted for Dad and mussel-haddock chowder for Husband, with my cheese burger, chips and fries on the bottom right.

The beautiful, unspoilt views of Shark Bay on the Langebaan side.

Nothing sharky about Shark Bay!

Wednesday, 29 March 2017: Husband and doggies help unpack

I was back at work on Wednesday but Husband was still off so he and the doggies went to help with more unpacking at his parents’ house. You can just see how proud Bertie is to be ‘helping’.

That’s all for now, folks! Keep cozy until next week’s update…

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.

Long weekend burgers, shakes and fries in multiple locations

Yay, last weekend was a long one – but hold your horses on the excitement, as one ends up doing just as much in a shortened work week as one would usually get through in a 5-day week. As a result Husband and I were riddled with aches, pains and stress – but watch for next week’s update to see how we got to soothe that all away…

Friday, 29 April 2016: More fire dogs

Last weekend was pretty chilly, so the family spent much of its time huddled up for warmth in the lounge together. The doggies are demonstrating how much they enjoy sitting near the fire here.

Saturday, 30 April 2016: Wimpy’s bigger cups and prices, evening at Jerry’s 

We headed to our nearest Wimpy first thing on Saturday morning, only to find new menus, which always mean new prices. Indeed that was the case, and they justified the bigger price with the following cup liner (it states they have ‘sized up’ their cups), but the same isn’t true of the food price hike…

See for yourself. Here is Husband’s streaky bacon breakfast with extra cheesegriller. We ended up paying about R12 more than we used to for the same meal a month ago.

After Saturday chores, we headed off to our local Jerry’s burger, craft and shine in Blouberg. This is me about to go up the stairs to the seating area.

We sat outside at first but the chilly wind soon sent us back indoors. Look at that view though!

The same view from indoors.

Husband had a ‘bloody Jerry’, to celebrate his distinction certificate in graphic design, achieved a few hours prior.

For me, the peanut butter-banana shake. It was thick and delicious.

For Husband to eat: the pulled pork burger, and chips splashed with sriracha sauce.

For me to eat: the plain Jerry burger – with crispy fried onions, melty cheese and rocket. Just what I wanted.

I forgot to snap the sunset while we were there, but caught its reflection over the sea as we headed home that eve.

Sunday, 1 May 2016: News Cafe breakfast, homemade gingerbread ice cream

We started our Sunday with the early bird English breakfast at News Cafe on Marine Circle. It’s a really good deal – just R29 if you order before 10am (that’s without the cappuccino, obs) – cheaper than our Wimpy breakfasts from the day before!

Much later that afternoon we tried Mum’s homemade gingerbread ice cream. So very tasty!

Bassie loves getting attention from Granny!

Monday, 2 May 2016: Breakfast at Blueberries, treats at Canal Walk’s MyShake milkshake bar

We woke a little later than usual on Monday, and as it was a public holiday, headed to Blueberries in Table View Centre for breakfast. This was my pretty-to-look-at cappuccino.

That cappuccino was the perfect choice to wash down my ‘banana and caramel’ filled pancake.

Husband opted for the salmon breakfast, which came with hash browns, cream cheese and a side of toast.

After some reading and other hibernatey-day off from work things, we went to Canal Walk in Century City to try out the ‘MyShake’ bar as many friends had posted a link to it on my Facebook wall. We finally located the kiosk at the far end upstairs, opposite Game.

After much deliberating and deciding, we went for the ‘Oreo Craving’, which came with burned marshmallow bits, chunks of cookie and lots of chocolate sauce squeezes. A bit pricey at R55 for 500ml but I enjoyed every slurp.

The seats shaped like cows were a lot of fun too, and those waiting in the queue for their order kept an eye on the handful of seats so they could hop on and have a turn. Moo.

Wednesday, 4 May 2016: Team lunch at Woodstock Grill & Tap

We finally settled on a date and venue for our ‘meant to happen every two months’ team lunch on Wednesday (our last one was late last year). We really enjoyed the fresh, sweet bread that came out before our orders, and my salted caramel shake was delicious.

While most of the meat orders came out wrong, it’s hard to mess up a burger. I’m so glad I went for this – and that plate of cooked sweet potato – while not wedges as promised – was a delicious side dish.

That’s all, folks, hope you have a relaxing weekend. I know we will! 😉

Easter weekend 2016: Green dogs and beachy Adirondack chair DIY

I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: Shorter work weeks are not easier work weeks. Not by a long shot as you tend to do the same amount of work as you would in a normal five-dayer. But I did have a lovely long break thanks to last week’s staycation, so am not quite as tired as I’d normally be.

Here’s what we got up to over the Easter long weekend…

Friday, 25 March 2016: Good Friday

Good Friday began with breakfast at Mugg & Bean, Bayside. This was my ‘flat white cappuccino’, a weekend essential.

Instead of traditional hot cross buns, I had the ‘apple and cinnamon’ flapjacks for Good Friday breakfast.

Husband had the ‘mushrooms and avo’ eggs benedict.

We stopped at the beach in Blouberg on our way back home as the weather was just amazing. Here is Husband heading towards the sea. He waded in deep enough to wet his shorts.

Isn’t that just a ridiculously beautiful beach day? Look at that glassy sea, the fluffy cloud reflection and the bluest sky, with seagulls on the rocks and my favourite mountain (Lion’s Head) in the background. We’re so lucky to live just five minutes down the road!

Soon after, the weather turned quite miserable, with overcast skies and the threat of rain. And so we spent the morning indoors with the doggies. These are Husband’s latest Star Wars books, along with his space-themed bookmark.

I finished off Devil’s Peak by Deon Meyer – despite Bertie trying his best to distract me with licks.

For a late lunch we decided on Rocomama’s in Durbanville, as we’d only heard good things about their ‘smashburgers’. They were so good I didn’t get a snap of them, so sorry, but here’s the fun order pad. You get to write your own name for your order, and can call yourself whatever you wish.

We had these gourmet milkshakes. Husband’s pale one on the left was creme brulee, mine was Belgian chocolate. Both delicious.

Saturday, 26 March 2016: Earth Cafe breakfast and the DIY beach chair

We started our Saturday with breakfast at Earth Cafe in Parklands, which recently reopened after a kitchen fire. Husband had this ‘au salmon’ croissant, I had banana cinnamon pancake with ice cream.

The doggies demonstrating the Adirondack chair and footstool ‘before paint job’. It was made for me by a lovely former colleague late last year and has been waiting for me to make up my mind on the colour scheme.

A quick trip to Builder’s Warehouse saw us purchasing all of this for less than R400 – the beach-coloured paints were on special.

Post-paint, doggies in almost the same positions.

Husband also put a peep hole in our front door.

26 March 2016: Easter Sunday

Luckily our local Village Place Cafe was open for breakfast on Easter Sunday, as we were up early with hungry tummies. I had these sweetcorn fritters with bacon, salsa and poached egg, Husband went for the pesto breakfast.

And then, pesto green beach time. Bassie had a bad experience with the sea foam on one of her first beach visits when we moved to Cape Town over three years ago so she usually steers clear, but you can see from her green front paw that she had a little dip at Kreeftebaai.

Look. at. this. dog. Bertie is in his element at the beach, and decided he’d look better in green than white. All the green bits are usually as pristine as his muzzle. Of course he had a shower when we got home!

This is how he got himself quite so green. Had a wonderful time splashing about!

Mmm. Chakalaka meatball pasta for Easter lupper at Mum’s.

Easter lupper 2016 table shot. We’re funny 🙂

Teehee. Of course we ‘bunny-eared’ each other while holding our Lindt Easter bunnies. But look a little closer…

How cute, their little ribbons were personalised with our names!

Monday, 28 March 2016: Family Day

We’ve not been to Spur for their Unreal breakfast in months. We woke up later than usual on ‘Easter Monday’ and broke the fast at Spur in Seaside Village. Yes, Husband used all the sauces.

I donated my bacon to Husband and had a wonderful time eating saucy chips and toast.

Later that evening we met the parents at the Buena Vista Social Cafe in Big Bay. These were our drinks…

Mum and me enjoying the sunset.

Husband and dad smiling back at me. I ate a burger much like the one in the ad on the door behind Husband.

See? Enormous. Had to bring some of it home for the doggies.

That’s all, folks! Hope it’s a relaxing one all round. 🙂