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.
We’ve had many happy moments in our new home over the past week, as well as many lovely experiences out and about, as you’ll see from the pics below…
Thursday, 21 March 2019: Human Right’s Day movie and munchies
We slept in a little later than usual last Thursday, as it was the Human Right’s Day public holiday. Our tummies wanted feeding even though loadshedding had kicked in by then, so we made our way to our local Carlucci’s deli for my favourite combo – a dirty chai latte and almond croissant, while Husband had the salmon eggs benedict with a flat white.Next stop, the Captain Marvel movie at GrandWest Casino. It was packed but I found a quiet spot: The view from inside GrandWest Casino, looking out.There are new ‘Strike a Pose’ camera stations all around GrandWest, which take a few tries to get right, especially in terms of how far to stand from the camera booth. Lol!We were quite hungry by the time we got out of the movie, and exited only to find it was time for loadshedding at home. Luckily, Petisco’s in Parklands was fully operational on generator power so we could have our favourite chicken fillet xai-xai, with a pint of Super Bock beer for Husband (lol, he’s drinking a Super Bok in his Springboks tee) and a Lindt latte for me. Yum!The sky was having a pastel-magic moment over Table Mountain when we got home.
Friday, 22 March 2019: Chicken pie and fiery sunsets
Chicken pie, roast potatoes and veg for dinner at Mum’s.Gorgeous fiery sunset, as seen from home. Red sky at night, shepherd’s delight!
Saturday, 23 March 2019: Breakfast at The Hart Breadhouse
I just caught the sunrise from our kitchen window on Saturday morning. Also see the doggies exploring the front garden in sunshine.Melkbos was top of the list for Saturday morning excursion, and though they were being loadshed at the time, the queue outside The Hart Breadhouse wasn’t bad at all, and the food was delicious. See my banana-Nutella French toast, as well as Husband’s lip-smackingly good mackerel plate. Not seen: Our equally good coffees.Hubcap contemplating a swim in the deep blue sea. Table Mountain is to the left, this is a slight variation of the usual ‘Husband swimming in sea’ pic.We have lift-off! Here’s the one you were waiting for, Husband diving in for a refreshing dip.
Sunday, 24 March 2019: News Cafe breakfast and new balcony lights
We started our Sunday with super early errands at Willowbridge in Bellville, but first, coffee! See Husband’s flat white and my stirred honey-nut latte at Ou Meul.Our next stop was breakfast at our local News Cafe with Husband’s parents. We ordered before 10am so our the ‘full English’ was just R35, with Husband opting for the ‘chilli mince’ bowl and his mom trying the mint-apple super bowl.We had wors rolls topped with slap chips for lupper at Mum’s on Sunday afternoon.Husband finished his light work outside my parents’ balcony that evening, so beautiful – lots of twinkly purple and blue solar lights, so we can see where we are going even when there’s loadshedding.Various snaps of sleepy doggies taken over the last week.
That’s all, folks! See you in the same place, same time next week. 🙂
Last weekend was a different one for us, as we were invited to the launch of the Spier Light Art Festival on Sunday night, so we took a day’s leave on Monday so as to extend that weekend feeling…
Saturday, 8 December 2018: Cup & Cake’s pancakes
It felt like a ‘Cup & Cake’ kind of day, so that’s where we had breakfast on Saturday. See my 3 cinnamon-sugar pancakes for R20, caramel cappuccino and Husband’s mushroom benedict-style breakfast.After a few hours at Husband’s work, we treated ourselves to ‘Ralph breaks the internet’ at GrandWest Casino. See the pretty Christmas tree just in front of the skate rink.
Sunday, 9 December 2018: Spier Light Art Festival
We breakfasted at the Pink Olive in West Coast Village on Sunday. See Husband’s ‘meaty toast’ topped with egg, my fresh scone duo and our cappuccinos.On our way through Stellenbosch, Husband’s phone told us to detour through Vredenheim Wildlife. What a hidden gem, with lots to see, including antlered-reindeer – just the thing to get us into the festive spirit!Some of the lovely sights in and around the Spier entry. Yes, that is Husband taking one of the bicycles for a spin.The exploration continued inside on check-in. See the Christmas trees at reception, welcome drinks and more.Our suite was just right, with a view over two different pools, enormous bed, and in-room coffee-making kit. Yes, please.There are many, many pools at Spier, tucked between the walkways, but the main pool is where the icy, fruited waters were, so that’s where we swam. It was wonderful.There was lots of shade to sit in, once you’d had your fill of sun. Loved the bright, mosaic tables.Some of our post-swim explore included swinging around, spotting ducks in the river and crossing bridges. Wonderful way to spend a Sunday afternoon!Exploring out of the way, it was time for our pre-Festival packed picnic. A full basket awaited us, but you could also create your own from the items in the deli.This was our picnic: Crusty bread, melba toast, butter and hummus, cold meat charcuterie, gherkins and olives, camembert, spicy coronation chicken salad, smoked corn-green pepper salad, a bottle of Spier Signature Wine, gruyere-mushroom individual frittata-style quiches, and rich brownie bricks with a tart summer berry compote. This even got a thumbs up of approval from Husband, and he’s not much for picnics.Sipping wine through linked arms. It can be done!Picnic packed away, it was time for the Light Art Festival to begin. First up, large puppets that roamed the grounds, capturing everyone’s attention until the sun set.This is what we came for. It’s free entrance, every night until the end of January. If you’re in the area, I definitely recommend popping in! Click through to my official review for more info.There was so much to see and hear and do, as the festival took place all over the grounds of Spier. A really lovely way to spend a Summer evening.Teehee. We also made friends with the friendly kitty that was strolling the grounds of Spier.This the the Spier version of our standard ‘gownie night-away shot’. Tick.
Monday, 10 December 2018: Eagle Encounters, Pakalolo’s and Rocomama’s
The breakfast buffet at Spier was extensive and delicious. See a few of our courses here. Husband also had a filled omelette while I stuck with the crispy, streaky bacon and fresh baked goods after my mixed bowl of cereal (including muesli and Coco Pops), and topped with pitted dates and candy-coated sunflower seeds.We took a golf cart down to the Eagle Encounters area at the far side of Spier once we’d breakfasted, but they weren’t yet open. Luckily we still got to see lots of eagle owls, like this one peering back at us.Husband having his ‘weekend’ dip once we got back on our home ground that afternoon.Ahh. There’s nothing like a cocktail at Pakalolo on the beachfront to put you firmly in ‘holiday mode’, even if just for a day. See Husband’s Bloody Mary and my ‘Pakalolo Sunrise’.We finally had an early dins at the newly opened Rocomama’s in Parklands that evening. No better smash burgers and shakes in Cape Town, if you ask me! That’s the espresso shake and creme brulee shake, as well as a portion of chili-cheese fries and our enormous burgers you see here.
Wednesday, 12 December 2018: Wacky Wednesday and Steers’ chips
We were both exhausted when we got home from work on Wednesday, so opted for Wacky Wednesday from Steers for dins. Plus this large portion of chips, drenched in all the sauces. YUM.
That’s all, folks! Read my review on Biz for more on the Spier Light Art Festival. We were back at work on Tuesday already, but towards the end-of-year holidays we will go…
*Disclaimer: Our meals and accommodation at Spier were part of our review package. All else came from our own pockets. All enjoyed equally.
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.
Last week, our dear doggie boy Bertie turned 8. So despite us both having full plates of work, we made a plan to include delicious food and quality time with our furry children, too…
Thursday, 1 March 2018: Bertie’s 8th birthday
Aww! When we got home from work, I showed Bertie some of the birthday messages he’d received from friends and family on Facebook. He loved them, as you can see.Teehee. This was the best option from a number of ‘birthday hat’ poses, I promise.
Friday, 2 March 2018: Coffee meet at Red Sofa Cafe
Did someone say ‘Friday coffee meet at the Red Sofa Cafe’? I was there like a bear, mirrored sunnies and all.As it was breakfast time, I went for the flapjack stack. Brimming with blueberries, marscapone cheese and honey, it was delicious!I tried the cheeseburger with sweet potato fries from the Bread Cafe downstairs for Friday lunch, once back in the office.
Saturday, 3 March 2018: Cup & Cake buffet breakfast
Husband was working again on Saturday, so I had a breakfast date my my parents at Cup & Cake at Eden, which has just moved to new premises. See some of the cakes and views here.Also see my gingerbread latte, the sweet birdie sugar cup and more.Table shot of all our eats and drinks at Cup & Cake.We headed to Husband’s parents’ house for dins that eve, once he got home from work. Bassie was very affectionate with her dad.Bertie ripped open his presents with a little help from his dad, and was delighted to meet his new TV-viewing companion, Seal. Bassie was happy to share his fancy doggy biscuits, too.Bassie joined me while I had my post-dins coffee outside, just before the sun set. She wasn’t so sure about including Bertie in the photos, LOL.Bertie snuggled with his seal on the couch that evening.Teehee, he really loves his birthday seal!
Sunday, 4 March 2018: Breakfast at Village Place Cafe, Black Panther at GrandWest Casino
We all met at the Village Place Cafe for breakfast first thing on Sunday.My Sunday cappuccino at Village Place Cafe.Some of the food we ate. See Husband’s poached egg on a stack of sorts, as well as brother-in-law Spec’s more traditional plate of eggs, bacon, toast and tomato, with my banting flapjacks and mum-in-law’s mushroomy toast plate.Later that morning, Spec met us at GrandWest Casino as we’d booked tickets to watch the latest Marvel movie, Black Panther. All had a fun time, as you can see 😉
Monday, 5 March 2018: Doggy snuggles on the couch
Bassie having a snuggle with her dad on the couch after another tough day at work.It seems we interrupted an important conversation between the siblings when we snapped this photo of the doggies.
That’s all, folks! The weather looks quite chilly at the moment so perhaps we will give the beach a miss this weekend.
We’re finally on leave, woohoo! 🙂 It’s been a week of feasting, family and fun…
Friday, 22 December 2017: Annual Love Actually viewing
We kicked off the holidays once we were both officially on leave last Friday evening with this year’s viewing of the ultimate Christmas movie, Love Actually. complete with poinsettia, hot chocolate and popcorn.
Saturday, 23 December 2017: Rocomamas burgers and shakes
We sat outdoors at the Pink Olive for Saturday morning breakfast. It’s open before the Stark Ayres nursery officially opens its doors (if you know which door to enter through). See Husband’s bacon basket and my fresh scones with jam and cream.Clouds were scattered prettily across the sky that afternoon.We stopped in at the Rocomama’s at Willowbridge for treats after a day of Christmas shopping. See Husband’s chilli cheesebomb burger and creme brulee shake, as well as my Candyliscious freak shake, complete with bits of fizzer, white chocolate sauce and berry swirls.
Sunday, 24 December 2017: Christmas Eve dins at ours
We had our Christmas Eve breakfast at Bread and Butter.My breakfast smoothie bowl was amazing. Filled with nuts, peanut butter, chocolate, ice cream and bananas, it was healthy AND delicious!The beach was calling my name so we stopped in at Dolphin Beach for a few minutes, to dip our toes in the sand and sea, respectively.Proof that we enjoyed our time at the beach.We usually have Christmas lunch at our house (see here for a reminder of last year) but as Husband’s family is finally firmly located in the Cape too, we had a few extra festivities to factor in. So, everyone came to us on Christmas Eve…A few happy moments from the night.Bassie and Bertie got all dressed up for the occasion and had fun ripping open the wrapping on their presents, with help from their dad.Aww. The doggies loved all the gifts and Christmas affection.See the lovely tablecloth mum made for me, complete with my fluffy reindeer centrepiece. Also Christmas lights and various clever presents – adult colouring books, gingerbread and Christmas pudding-flavoured coffee, and slabs of caramel chocolate and biltong fudge.Husband Webered the turkey (much like he did in 2013), father-in-law brought cold gammon and mum made a selection of desserts, savoury and sweet. Was tricky not going back for more and more!
Monday, 25 December 2017: Christmas Day lunch at Mum’s
We had Christmas Day breakfast at W Cafe in the Woolworths at Table Bay Mall. See my vanilla-cinnamon latte and slice of banana bread topped with espresso cream-cheese and nuts on the left, with Husband’s poached egg on mushroom on the right.Happy faces at Mum’s house for lunch on Christmas Day.Chilled pink bubbly from Steenberg was lovely to kick things off.Our Christmas Day feasting included warm gammon, roast potatoes, colourful salad and roast veggies, with homemade Snickers-ginger biscuit ice cream.
Tuesday, 26 December 2017: Boxing Day leftovers at Mum-in-law’s
It had been a while since we last ate at Wimpy, so I had a regular Wimpy coffee and a sweet-treat waffle while Husband had the streaky bacon breakfast with an extra cheese griller.All at Mum-in-law’s house with Janet and Phil for leftovers on Boxing Day.Despite it being a ‘leftovers’ lunch there were many fresh new items, too.
Wednesday, 27 December 2017: Being touristy at the V&A Waterfront
We had intended to walk around the new Zeits Mocaa (Museum of Contemporary African Art) as it’s free entry on a Wednesday morning, but clearly the whole of Cape Town heard this, too. See the queues! We’ll come back another day…Being tourists. Sun, sea and happy faces.Various delicious eats and treats from the Waterfront – my Amarula Colada from Gibson’s far left and right, along with Husband’s very minty mojito, also his two extra-large oysters and my Woody’s burger from the food court. Yum!Teehee, we couldn’t resist posing in the fat suit outside Ripley’s Believe it or not – that’s how we feel after all the Christmas feasting!We couldn’t resist lunch with a view upstairs at MareSol – see various shots of the harbour, my pink shake with Husband’s carafe of white wine, and his fresh fishy platter.
Thursday, 28 December 2017: Star Wars movie at GrandWest Casino
On Thursday, we breakfasted at the Village Cafe in West Coast Village. See my latte and Husband’s large cappuccino, also my banting flapjacks topped with yoghurt and berries, Husband’s toastless brekkie and the sweet Christmassy reindeer at the door.T’was time for our second viewing of The Last Jedi, and the parents’ first (they’d caught up on all the previous movies in the past few weeks). Enjoyed it even more second time around!We took the customary ‘strike a pose’ snap at The District section of the casino.
Thankfully we still have a full week of rest ahead of us before we start the 2018 work year. Hope your Christmas was all you hoped for! 🙂
Woohoo, we have made it to the weekend! It’s been another tough work week all round, but we always find bright moments to make us smile. See the latest below…
Friday, 3 November 2017: Burgers and monster shakes at FUE
The Festive Underground Eatery or FUE is now open until 7pm and still offering their R199 special for two burgers with fries and a monster shake to share. That’s where we went after work last Friday, to get into the weekend feeling a little early.These sure are monster shakes, at over 1l per jar! That’s Dad with the berry and me with the peanut butter-banana version.Look at those shakes in their entirety – topped with a full waffle, donuts, marshmallows, popcorn and more, this definitely counts as dessert!All were present and accounted for and full to the brim!
Saturday, 4 November 2017: Panama Jacks family lunch
On Saturday morning we breakfasted at McPherson’s. Husband went for an omelette while I had the club sandwich – both washed down with cappuccinos.T’was time for another family meal that afternoon. Husband’s dad was in hospital recovering from a knee op so his mom joined us at Panama Jacks in the harbour with my parents. The restaurant is moving across to the other end of the Waterfront in a few weeks so it was nice to sit and reminisce over the meals we’ve enjoyed there over the years. Note the standard pose outside post-meal bottom right.Some of the food we ate at Panama Jacks. That’s the lamb-black bean soup, the avo seafood, calamari with tartare sauce and Thai fish curry.I went for the Milky Lane Choca Mocha Whizzer for my Saturday afternoon treat following quite a bit of weekend admin. In case the name isn’t obvious enough, that means the ice cream is swirled with coffee and chocolate mousse.
Sunday, 5 November 2017: Pink Olive breakfast and GrandWest movies
We sat down to breakfast at the Pink Olive at Starke Ayres and not five minutes later Mother and Spec were there too, per chance! Spec stayed over at Mother’s for the weekend.Later that day we met Spec at GrandWest Casino on his way home to Fish Hoek, to watch the latest Thor movie. It was a bright, sunny day but the wind was cold and blustery.Ha. This is what we do when we see a ‘push button’ photo booth at GrandWest Casino. I think we take this same photo every time we pass it!
Wednesday, 8 November 2017: Loveables pop-up store launch in Salt River
I attended the launch of the Loveables pop-up store in Salt River on Wednesday morning. This is what I saw outside…And just some of the lovely things inside. Bunnies everywhere, and doesn’t little miss Eva look like a relation of Bassie? Full coverage on Bizcommunity soon!
Oh yes! I mentioned last week that I’d reveal the end result of the DIY project I’d worked on during my staycation. See below…
The chest of drawers I had painted in shades of grey a few years ago was in need of a revamp. So we sanded down the whole thing, then I painted the outer shell black with each drawer a darker shade of grey for an overall ‘ombre’ effect, then varnished it all to seal the deal.The end product. As you can see, we went all out and added new crystal knobs to each drawer so it feels fully fancy.
That’s all, folks! May your weekend be filled with all that makes you happy. 🙂
It was another working weekend for Husband but the good news is, we’re about to see the last of them (and his stint as Marvin) as he’s back on normal shifts! Celebrate with us! But first, scroll through our latest favourite moments of the week below…
Friday, 14 July 2017: Christmas in July and the Quarterdeck buffet
Our Entertainment committee rustled up a very festive ‘Christmas in July’ table to enjoy after our monthly staff meeting on Friday. Look at all the food and drink, you’d swear it was snowing outside with jingle bells a-ringing.We even dressed to theme!How very ‘Western Christmassy’ – a mug of hot chocolate and choc-chip cookie.Remember I attended the IMC a few weeks ago? Well, I won a dinner for two at the Quarterdeck Restaurant in GrandWest Casino for my tweeting during the event (yay). That’s where we dined last Friday evening. It’s just like a buffet on a sea-going ship, so go prepared with an empty belly! The doors only open at 7pm but we were early eager beavers, clearly.Behold the colourful mini salad bowls. You could also create your own, but I went with one of these as a pre-starter.Many plates later, it was time for dessert! The choices take up a whole side of the ‘ship’ restaurant (that’s the one inside GrandWest Casino, not the pirate ship in the parking lot) – boy, was it hard to choose what to add to our plates. See the waffle station, the mini desserts, the ice cream counter with all sorts of toppings and Husband’s caramelly ice cream bowl.My first dessert plate – a red velvet waffle topped with toffee and chocolate sauce, mini Astros and tiny marshmallows; a fudgey chocolate cake slice; a profiterole; a soft pink coconut marshmallow; and mini tiramisu.
Saturday, 15 July 2017: Italian Club gnocchi
T’was a cold day. I spent much of it reading and sorting our taxes while Husband was at work. Note to self: A creamy coffee and salted caramel nuts make such a good snack while reading!As it was such a cold Saturday, the moment Husband was done with work we headed off to the Italian Club for bowls of gnocchi bolognese. Perfect winter comfort food, especially with a coffee shake or glass or red, depending on your preferences.
Sunday, 16 July 2017: More local Italian treats
I went for a quick treat with Mum and Dad at the newly opened Trescatelli on Blouberg beach front Sunday morning. It was packed! And no wonder, with the cannoli so fresh and crisp, the coffees strong and the cafe crema, a lovely coffee ice cream blend. Yum!Mum had also whipped up a batch of these chocolate-rose water delights when we went over for lupper. They had a lovely Turkish Delight taste.The doggies snuggled up under a blanket on the couch for most of the evening.
Tuesday, 18 July 2017: Mandela Day posing
Tuesday was Mandela Day, so a few of us dressed in Madiba-themed clothes at work and posed for a ‘Madiba shuffle’ Boomerang and pic. We also encouraged donations to the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund.
Thursday, 20 July 2017: Yo Yoga Cape Town’s 21-day yoga challenge
My colleague Ilse joined me for Yo Yoga’s 21-day yoga challenge on Thursday morning, where I bumped into another conference friend, Jenna – read all about the challenge here. We survived 40 minutes of bikram yoga in 45’C heat!A few pics of our time in the studio. That’s me tweeting away before we got down to business.Post-yoga treats – Vita Coco coconut water and all sorts of Superfood snacks – even dark chocolate! Mmm.Weather on the way back to the office after the yoga session – cloudy and cold!
Last weekend was all about the Good Food and Wine Show held at the CTICC, but first, I attended the Integrated Marketing Communication or IMC Conference on my first day back at work after our Citrusdal break…
Thursday, 1 June 2017: IMC at White Space, Salt River
The Conference was held in the White Space in Salt River, also the grounds of Red&Yellow School – what a wonderful venue, with views of the mountains and harbour far in the distance. Click here for some of my favourite insights from the conference.
Saturday, 3 June 2017: Good Food & Wine Show at the CTICC
Husband sent me this photo of the sun rising when he left for work on Saturday morning.Soon it was time to head to the CBD with Mum and Dad as we were attending the Good Food and Wine Show or GFWS for the first time. We got there a little early so popped into the Westin hotel next door for a pre-expo coffee. What a lovely idea! We also parked at the hotel and just trotted across the road to the CTICC when we were done.Elephant cakes! The main mission I’d set myself was to locate the life-size elephant cake I’d heard would be displayed as part of the GFWS. I didn’t know there would be a precious baby calf cake, too!There were also food trucks galore to explore, and a handy FNB ATM truck for those who didn’t come prepared.Look at all that FOOD! It was a real treat to experience.Some of the prettier stands at GFWS2017: Top left is round and heart-shaped graters, followed by a selection of chocolate and fudge samples (yes please), a green garden in the making, stacks of gingerbread people and assorted Lebanese food.If there’s one thing that stood out for me at GFWS it was the cakes. Just look at some of these amazing creations – the peacock cake was my favourite!Another highlight? Meeting giggling gourmet Jenny Morris. She’s just as ‘yumcious’ in real life and was ever so friendly.Another thing to point out – while there’s wine aplenty, there’s also everything from ice tea to kombucha, coffee, gin, craft beer and more. See my dad trying out the ‘gin-smelling’ wall bottom right. He confirmed that it smelt strongly of juniper gin.Then my dad spent a good 20 minutes at the Johnnie Walker experience.This Easter Island-type sculpture was near all the alcohol-related stands in one of the far corners of the expo space.
Sunday, 4 June 2017: Captain’s Kitchen pizza and Wonder Woman at GrandWest Casino
Once Husband got home from work on Sunday we dashed off for pizza at Captain’s Kitchen in Eden on the Bay. That’s also my latte and his Long Island Ice Tea.Next stop, GrandWest Casino with Spec, to watch Wonder Woman at the cinema that evening. Us comic book-movie fans thoroughly enjoyed it.
Monday, 5 to Thursday, 8 May 2017: Mid-week office sunsets, storm-scared doggies and birthday cupcakes
Monday was an office-birthday cake day – this pretty Woolworths’ cupcake was just delicious.The doggies were concerned about the cold weather this week. They spent lots of time snuggled in, on and under blankets.Here you can see some early morning shots of the sky from my office this week. The pink-streaked clouds were from Tuesday, day before the Cape storm, and the double rainbow was on Thursday morning, the day after – you can just see the repeat above the main rainbow in both pics.
That’s all, folks! We’re set for a few more splashes of rain this weekend, so stay warm and dry, and lend a helping hand to help others in need, if you can – donating beds space at Haven Night Shelter from just R60 per person per bed for five nights is an excellent idea.
Last weekend was a long one as t’was finally Easter weekend, plus Husband was on leave all of this week bar today, so we have a few more pics than usual below…
But first:
Bassie hasn’t been feeling well the past few weeks. She’s finally on the right meds and feeling a bit better – but that’s her standard sad face on the right, with her brother grinning away on the left.
Also, behold:
Easter time is the time for eggs, and the time for eggs is the Easter time! Teehee. Assorted Easter treats including a handful of second-hand books, an Easter-themed cake and toffee egg with coffee at work.
Friday, 14 April 2017: Good Friday brotherly beers
It seemed Winter had hit when we woke on Good Friday so we dragged out some warm clothes and stopped at News Cafe in Marine Circle for their early bird breakfast. Always a win.We took the doggies for very brief walkies at their favourite beach for a change of scenery. Bertie and his dad ran off into the waves while Bassie and I took it slow.We finally got to spend some time with Husband’s brother Spec later that day, newly relocated to Cape Town. Note their matching haircuts (given at same barber shop). We had a liquid break at Saint’s in Eden on the Bay – that’s my banoffee shake while they perused the craft beer menu.Of course we took the ‘sitting on Table Mountain frame’ photo on our way back home.T’was quite chilly that evening. Here you can see me having a quick coffee at Husband’s parents’ house when we dropped off Spec, as well as my hot-cross-bun muffin and coffee at home, and little miss Bassie huddled in front of the fire Husband lit that evening.
Saturday, 15 April 2017: Pre-Easter braai
We breakfasted at Cup & Cake in Eden on the Bay on Saturday morning. That’s my slice of custard cake and cappuccino, and the avo-cream cheese-eggy toast Husband ended up with, pre- and post-Tabasco saucing.I now present to you the first official braai at the Andrews seniors’ last Saturday.Little Bassie and Bertie had fun trotting around their Granny’s garden, stopping for lots of attention and treats along the way.It was quite the feast, once all the foodies were ready.Main meal eaten, it was time to try the ‘braai pudding’ – brownie topped with caramel and marshmallows that gets heated on the braai. Plus coffee, of course. Bassie was very interested.It was a lovely sunset once we got home that evening.
Sunday, 16 April 2017: Easter beach walk(s)
By Saturday morning the weather had cleared into summer sunshine again, so we ventured out to Melkbos for brekkie – I Love Melkies had just been renovated and looked most appealing, so that’s where we sat. See Husband with his cola and eggs on bacon-hash, with my cappuccino and bacon-marscapone-strawberry single waffle.As you can see from my beach jump pics, this is what we did after we’d eaten.Do you see that little speck of a husband in the distance? He really loves the sea, that one.That afternoon we did the Woodbridge Island-Lagoon Beach round trip walk. There were lots of flamingoes in the water.Post-walkies we stopped in at The Beach Tavern in Woodbridge. We sampled a bacon-wrapped chilli popper and fancy milkshake each. I went for the strawberry cheesecake, Husband had the alcoholic apple version. Jeepers they tasted as ‘colourful’ as they looked!
Monday, 17 April 2017: Family day with our little family
The weather was still lovely so we ate outside at Lacomia’s on Monday morning. That’s my cappuccino, Husband’s salmon-cream cheese omelette and my toasted cheese and tomato.Monday was a lazy day with the doggies and finally going to watch Beauty and the Beast at the cinema. We always walk around the perimeter greeting the Koi before going into GrandWest Casino.We stopped at the ‘pose and press’ photo booth in The District before the movie, as you do. These are our happy faces.We were quite hungry after watching Beauty and the Beast so popped into the practically empty Hussar Grill. I’d been drooling over the thought of their chocolate-chilli chicken on mash for months, and Husband tried his first carpetbagger steak stuffed with oysters and topped with a brandy sauce. All in all, most delicious!T’was sunset when we left. What a wonderful long weekend.
Thursday, 20 April 2017: Male family golf morning
The men-folk played golf at Burgundy Estate on Thursday morning (victors in order from left to right), the women-folk went for tea and I went to work. Sob.
That’s all, folks! Hope you had a happy Easter break and that you’re looking forward to the week ahead. 🙂
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 