I was on leave for the start of this week, recovering from the usual mid-year work stresses, so there are few more pics to scroll through below than usual, even though Husband didn’t take any time off…
Friday, 28 June 2019: Creative Mornings, burny bunny chow and pastel sunsets
I made my way to AAA School of Advertising again last Friday, as it was time for the next Creative Mornings Cape Town event. See some of the sights, and click here for my overview of the event.Pinky-purple sky, as seen from home that evening.We opted for burny bunny chows from Tandoor Palace for dins last Friday, to end the week on a spicy note.
Saturday, 29 June 2019: Cocktails and taco bowls at El Barrio
We had a spot of mall admin to sort out first thing on Saturday, so breakfasted at Bica Cafe in Bayside Mall. See our cappuccinos as well as my early bird special with scrambled eggs and Husband’s croissant with chorizo and egg.We’d not been to El Barrio in Eden on the Bay for a long time, so that’s where we had our Saturday lupper. See my coco-pina frozen margarita and his ‘little mamasita’, as well as my carnita (pork) and his ‘carne con chile’ taco bowl.Proof we were both there.
Sunday, 30 June 2019: Pork and potatoes for Sunday lupper
We met Husband’s parents for breakfast at the Pink Olive in Stark Ayres nursery last Sunday as it’s walking distance from their home – Spec had slept over at their house the night before, so he joined us. See everyone except for Husband’s dad (he was off blowing his nose when these pics were snapped). Also see my French toast with cooked banana, syrup and cream cheese, as well as our flat whites.We stopped in at MIlky Lane in Table Bay Mall for our Sunday afternoon treat. See Husband’s Crunchie whizzer and my ‘Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup & Crunchie creamy coffee’ shake. Yes, really.The cold weather has really set in, so Mum’s roast pork, potatoes and zucchini was perfect for Sunday lupper!Bertie promptly hopped in when we put Bassie’s day bed in front of the fire on Sunday evening. Such sweeties.
Monday, 1 July 2019: Roadtrip to Stellenbosch, Doodles dins
On Monday, my parents and I took a little roadtrip to Fairview in Stellenbosch. If you look closely you’ll see a squirrel in the tree, top-right.Various shots of our Monday lunch at Fairview’s Goatshed.Mmm! We had a light lunch of gammon sandwiches and cured fish platters, with lovely cappuccinos. We left with full bellies.Of course we also stopped to look at all the goats before leaving. They slowly made their way up and down their tower and stopped for a snack.The goat tower, as seen from the Goatshed restaurant.Mum stopped to smell a rose in the garden on our way out.Husband wanted an adventure when he got home that evening so we headed off to Doodles on the beachfront, just in time for sunset. Also see my caramel shake and Husband’s snail starter. For mains, we had the chicken schnitzel Monday special and pork-bangers-and-mash winter special.Such a pretty sunset over Table Mountain, as seen from Doodles.
Tuesday, 2 July 2019: Rainy day pasta at 95 at Parks, waffles at Tasha’s
After a lazy start and attending Mum’s weekly Ageless Grace seated fitness class, Tuesday afternoon was rainy and cold, perfect pasta weather. We went to 95 at Parks for some of the ‘pasta ripiena’ Mum and I had sampled at chef Giorgio Nava’s masterclass the week before. See the rainy setting and lovely breads with olive oil and balsamic vinegar to start our lunch.Our pasta bowls. All was delicious and just what we had hoped for! See my butternut-filled ravioli, Dad’s seafoody spaghettoni and Mum’s gorgonzola-nutty gnocchi. Mmm!Pasta perfection – the cappuccino was also a win.Next stop, waffles! We needed something sweet to end the meal so went to Tasha’s Waffles in Constantia for waffles and coffee. Just the way to spend a Tuesday afternoon!Everything is so bright and beautiful that we wanted to add it all to our waffles. In the end we both had a scoop of caramel ice-cream, with a Smarties-Astros mix on mine and Turkish Delight for Dad.
Wednesday, 3 July 2019: Pie, chips and gravy at Limnos Bakery
On Wednesday, my last day of leave, we popped in at Limnos Bakery in Table Bay Mall for their ‘pie, chips, gravy and cappuccino’ lunchtime special.The doggies spent much of the week wrapped in blankets and getting snuggles, as seen here.
That’s all, folks! Stay warm and dry, we’ll see you same time, same place next week. 🙂
Last weekend was longer than usual as it was the Easter weekend, and we took an extra day’s leave on the Thursday…
Monday, 15 April 2019: After-work book launch in Woodstock
I popped in at the Test Kitchen in the Old Biscut Mill after work last Monday, for the launch of Sandalene Dale-Roberts’ latest cookbook, The Inside Job. See some of the decor and food that we sampled from the book.Couldn’t resist snapping this wall art outside the Old Biscuit Mill, on my way home that evening.
Wednesday, 17 April 2019: Start-of-weekend dins at CTFM
Our gardener pointed out an enormous beehive in a corner of the garden, which we had removed. The bees were taken to safety, and we were left with lots of honeycomb!Bee rescue complete, we headed to CTFM in Seaside Village for a ‘welcome to the long weekend’ meal. See the parents’ prawns, my beef burger, Husband’s Teriyaki salmon and the top of my berry bomb gourmet shake.The whole family, enjoying our CTFM dins – especially as we used our Entertainer vouchers for added value!
Thuesday, 18 April 2019: Car service day, swing benching with Bassie
We had taken Thursday off from work as our car was booked in for a service, walking distance from home. That was our first stop on Thursday…Breakfast is much more satisfying if you’ve worked – made that walked – for it! See the lovely sun-dappled path, and our breakfast at Reload, Flamingo Vlei. Husband had the Turkish eggs and a double flat white, I had a peppermint-choc latte and the chicken-mayo bacon bagel. Just right, before the walk back home.Bassie loved sitting on the swing bench with me on Thursday evening.The tree is quite a sight when it’s all lit up! We ate outside that night.
Friday, 19 April 2019: Good Friday hot cross buns, Irish nachos and jalapeno poppers at Saint’s
We all breakfasted together at News Cafe on Friday morning. See my early bird full English breakfast.Sweet little Bassie was Very Interested in my chocolate hot cross bun, especially as I’d filled it with Caramel Treat. Caramel-chocolate hot cross buns were advertised anywhere, but none were in stock, so I made my own.We stopped in at Saint’s for a late-afternoon treat. See my cafe Capri – a latte with chocolate and coconut, as well as Husband’s spiked shake with black beer, Irish whiskey and Nutella, his ‘green hot’ jalapeno poppers wrapped in bacon and my ‘Irish nachos’. Yum!It was cold enough that evening for us to put our new fireplace to use for the first time. Bassie enjoyed it but Bertie LOVED it. See various phases of his evening enjoyment here.
Saturday, 20 April 2019: Velvet Cake Co’s Easter slice
Makro was our first stop on Saturday, so we ate at the in-store restaurant, Cafe De La Fe. See my toasted chicken mayo and Husband’s full cooked breakfast, as well as his large cream-topped cappuccino – my latte is just out of sight.Sweet Bertie boy stretched out to fully enjoy the Saturday sunshine.We popped in at Husband’s parents for a quick pre-Easter visit on Saturday afternoon. See the delicious slice of ‘Easter cake’ from the Velvet Cake Co top right.Beautiful citrussy skies at night.
Sunday, 21 April 2019 Easter Sunday fondue fun at home
We had a mall admin morning on Sunday, so breakfasted at Woolworths Cafe. See my vanilla-cinnamon cappuccino and poached egg bowl, as well as Husband’s chilli omelette and double flat white.Husband made friends with what the Robben Island website tells us is a Cape Dwarf chameleon that had been exploring the garden. Much larger than the little guy from a few weeks ago, so it’s probably his dad or older brother. Click here if you’ve forgotten!Happy Easter! See our pretty pink roses, Dad with leafy ‘bunny ears’, and our lovely pork and veggies fondue.
Monday, 22 April 2019: Easter Monday breakfast at On the Rocks, lupper at Rocomama’s
It was a crisp but beautiful day on Monday, so we started ours with breakfast at On the Rocks. See our cappuccinos as well as Husband’s croque Madame and my French toast with berries and ice cream.After much lazing around, we had an ‘end-of-the-holiday’ treat visit at Rocomama’s that afternoon. See our smiles and my espresso shake. Not pictured – our delicious burgers and Husband’s draught beer.
Tuesday, 23 April 2019: Chocolate bunnies to get back into work mode
The return to work on Tuesday was sweetened by the Lindt bunny waiting on my laptop.
Wednesday, 24 April 2019: Pre-work coffee treat at Tribe
Husband had a work meeting in town first thing on Wednesday, so dropped me off at work on the way. But first, coffee! We love the blend at Tribe, which is over the road from my office, and all coffees are R15 if ordered before 9am. See our tall flat whites, the wall mural outside and some literal spilt milk on the steps outside. We didn’t cry over it.
That’s all, folks! We hope you have a restful weekend ahead 🙂
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. 🙂
We made sure this past week was once again filled with sunshine and delicious moments, as you’ll see below…
Friday, 23 November 2018: Cape Royale meetings, Doodles dins
Last Friday I had a midday meeting at the Cape Royale hotel in Green Point.The lobby is lovely! We sat at the outdoor cafe, which was just too sunny for photos.After work was done and dusted we treated ourselves to Friday dins at Doodles on the beachfront, from their ‘Spring specials chef’s test menu’. See my caramel shake – not pictured, my tikka chicken pizza. Also see Husband’s seafood platter special – linefish of the day was angelfish, his favourite.
Saturday, 24 November 2018: The Hart breakfast, Black Angus lupper
Saturday morning saw us breakfasting at The Hart in Melkbos. See Husband’s mackerel on rosti, my cappuccino and my single bacon egg(s) benedict.We stopped in at the Black Angus on Marine Drive for a late lunch/early supper once we’d popped in at Husband’s work for a few hours. The view is just what you’d expect.See my pepper-sauce burger and ‘don of chocolate’ – a dom pedro made with Frangelico and espresso liqueur, chocolate ice cream and flaked almonds. Also see the Kriek cherry beer Husband sampled, and his ‘Madagascan Green Pepper’ steak and veg.
Sunday, 25 November 2018: Cafeteria breakfast and Christmas comes to Table Bay Mall
We had our first breakfast at newly opened Cafeteria restaurant (where Melissa’s used to be) in the Table Bay Mall on Sunday morning.Husband tried the ‘low-carb benedict’, featuring gammon and spinach on brown mushroom, with mustard Hollandaise sauce. Also see our coffees and my banana-bread French toast with dollops of peanut butter- and raspberry-cream.You know Christmas is just a few weeks away when Christmas decorations pop up everywhere in Table Bay Mall.The beach is always beautiful, but Table Mountain seemed to have an extra sparkle last weekend…Sunday lupper at Mum’s – delicious roast pork with rice, gravy, veg and salad. Yum!You can’t go wrong with these post-lupper treats.
Monday, 26 November 2018: Day-off waffles and Duke coffee
I started my day off with some quiet time on the couch with the doglets and a few new books, then went to Panarotti’s in Table Bay Mall for mid-morning waffles with Mum and Dad.See Dad’s banana-caramel-ice cream waffle top-left, my savoury bacon-banana waffle bottom-right, Mum’s traditional breakfast and our coffees.We also stopped in at the new Duke’s coffee roastery on the way home. See the rhino demonstrating what visiting doggies should do, as well as interesting ceiling , coffees and homemade rusks.Mum whipped up a saucy meatloaf, roast potatoes and veg for Tuesday evening dins at ours. We left not a crumb!
Wednesday, 28 November 2018: The Jive food-pairing taxi tour
My Wednesday afternoon was spent on a food pairing with a difference – Jive cooldrink transported a handful of Cape Town’s media and influencers in Jive-branded minibus taxis to Langa, Athlone, Observatory and back to the CBD for an experience we won’t forget. See the team here at the first activation for the day, in Langa.First stop – the New Hope Spaza in Langa, for vetkoek and mince paired with Jive Orange Krush. See some of the sights, and a sweet doggy we befriended.Our second stop of the day was Super Fisheries in Athlone. Home of the gatsby, we got to sample an authentic vienna-polony gatsby, paired with Mango Tango Jive.Next stop was Pie Creations in Observatory, for the burger pie-cream soda pairing. By now we were reaching popping point so many of us only ate half a pie and took the rest home for dins.Now see the pap en wors paired with Iron Brew at Cafe Delicious in Barack Street top-left, view of the leading taxi from our Jive-branded taxi top-right, a sneaky snap of me taking pics bottom-left and curious kiddies in Langa.A selection of the doggies’ sweetest moments over the past week. See them snuggled together on the couch, Bertie napping with both his dad and granny, and Bassie caught half-asleep (or half-awake, maybe).
That’s all, folks! Here’s to an adventure-filled weekend ahead 🙂
Last week was a real scorcher, with the temperature over 30’C for most of the week – it’s like we skipped Spring this year!
Friday, 19 October 2018: Galliova Awards at De Grendel Estate
Last Friday, I attended the 29th Galliova Awards for SA food and health writers. The De Grendel venue is just gorgeous. See our welcome flutes of bubbly, me with SA foodie Dorah Sitole and the view across to Table Mountain.Bright, sunny setting inside De Grendel.Delicious snacks as we networked, before the main event.This is what we were in for…De Grendel proved itself worthy as venue for an award honouring food writers. See the cheese-filled starter, main course mushrooms and lamb, and strawberry sorbet with lemon dessert. Lip-smackingly good. Click here if you missed my full overview on Bizcommunity earlier in the week.
Saturday, 20 October 2018: Roasting rugby braai
We went to Village Place Cafe in West Coast Village for our Saturday morning breakfast. See our cappuccinos, my breakfast pot of granola, yoghurt and fruit, and Husband’s mince (and egg) on toast.Husband needed to briefly pop in to work on Saturday morning, so I accompanied him. See him through the Jack Daniels bottle cut out, and various other interesting design things I saw in his office.See Husband about to take his weekly dip in the sea and our afternoon treats at Doodles – a Castle Lite draught for Husband and the caramel shake for me – with blobs of Caramel Treat swirled throughout, it’s a real treat! 😉Saturday afternoon meant braai time while watching the rugby at Husband’s parents. See the veggie sosatie sticks, homemade wors, pretty little flowers and doglets interested in the milk tart and chocolate mousse dessert.Bassie was very amusing, while the 100-minute-plus rugby match unfolded on screen. See her slumped on the couch taking a nap on Uncle Spec’s lap, sitting with me as I sipped a Four Cousins’ Fiver strawberry-litchi cooler, and giving her dad the side-eye when he snapped a family pic outside at the braai.
Sunday, 21 October 2018: Trecastelli and Daily Cafe coffee treats
We kept things local with breakfast at Trecastelli in Marine Circle on Sunday. Husband had the cooked breakfast (still not on the menu) and I had the R40 cappuccino+custard croissant.Pretty colour-changing light streamers and blue skies, as seen through the sun roof at Table Bay Mall.We decided on tin cups (condensed milk coffees) and the coffee tasting tray at the Daily Cafe in Seaside Village for our Sunday afternoon treat.Mum whipped up the perfect lupper for a hot day – cold roast chicken with salads, fruit and vegetables. It was just the thing!Also see Mum’s very pretty fresh flowers, and the chocolate cake she baked – just because.The precious doglets lay on and around the couches once we were back home that evening – anything to be closer to the ceiling fan!
Thursday, 25 October 2018: The Digital Agency Showcase at Red & Yellow School
On Thursday, Red & Yellow School held their first ever digital agency showcase, where we listened to insights from the country’s top six digital agencies (as per the IAB Bookmark Awards).See me sitting with various industry friends over the course of the day – my first overview of one of the talks is live on Bizcommunity.
Wednesday, 24 October 2018: Sunset cocktails at Doodles
Beautiful view of Table Mountain across Table Bay on Wednesday evening.We stopped in at Doodles after work on Wednesday, as cocktails were R38 each from 6pm to 8pm. See the setting sun, my Intergalactic Gargle Blaster and Husband’s Long Island Ice Tea.
That’s all, folks! Here’s to another sunny weekend…
Last weekend we finally felt that the seasons have changed in the Cape. We even went to the beach for ice cream! And while there have been a few very chilly days since then, today was a scorcher and this weekend is set to be sunny and bright…
Wednesday, 26 September 2018: Planting vines and sampling wines at Ayama Wines, Slent Farm
Last Wednesday, I was part of a media group to visit a wine farm run by Italians – my full review of the experience will be up on Bizcommunity next week. For now, look at the picture-postcard scenery on our way to Ayama Wines in the Voor Paardeberg region, through Paarl.Soon enough, we were there. Ahh. You can just feel the peacefulness of the surroundings. There are 172 hectares in total, with the vines flown in from Italy and 95% of the output exported outside of SA, so no worries f you’ve not heard of Ayama Wines.We took a tractor tour of the land – see the sweet family doggy trotting along behind us in the bottom left pic. Also see lillies growing wild and in pots, and the protective blue booties we wore, to keep our shoes clean and the soil uncontaminated.See the new Ayama Wines tasting room, farm petrol pump and mill, some of the lovely eats we tried, and our take-home gift of artichoke (we also received a few bottles of wine, not pictured).
Friday, 28 September 2018: Creative Mornings event and end of #BI4Gov
My first stop last Friday – after a brief email check-in at the office – was taking part in a collaborative art experiment at the Creative Mornings Cape Town session for September, held at Friends of Design on Bree Street. Click here for my overview if you missed it.Next stop, the CTICC for day two of the #BI4Gov Behavioural Insights conference. If you missed it, click through to my article based on a tea break chat with MC, Africa Melane.Conference food at the CTICC is always welcome as it’s quite hunger-making work, frantically taking notes and chatting to people in the gaps.
Saturday, 29 September 2018: Coffee French toast, beach ice creams and family braais
For our ‘Yay, it’s the weekend’ breakfast, we went to Pulp Kitchen in Willowbridge Centre. See Husband’s Mexican chilli mince-filled ‘brekkie burrito’ topped with guac and salsa, our flat whites and the bicycle-themed decor.For me, the coffee French toast with maple syrup and coffee cream. So yum!Such lovely scenery, while riding through the Durbanville suburbs after breakfast.Later that afternoon we went to Sea Breeze, the ice cream place next to Pakalolo on Blouberg beachfront, as they make the perfect beach ice cream. This time I asked for a sugar cone, with mixed choc and vanilla soft serve, and a Flake, of course.Just as pretty in front of the spring flowers that cover the dunes! Delicious, too.Saturday afternoon meant it was time for a braai at Husband’s parents’ house. See the fire, the meat, sweet Bassie grinning, and our large, fresh strawberries for dessert.Sweet Bertie, all tuckered out on the couch that evening.
Sunday, 30 September 2018: Beach excursions in Melkbos and Blouberg
We decided on breakfast at The Hart in Melkbos on Sunday morning. I went for the single bacon benedict, Husband had the chorizo rosti and of course we each had a flat white, too.Our breakfast table at The Hart.Bellies full, we took ourselves for a little walk along the Melkbos beachfront. Husband went exploring for sea life out amongst the rocks, as he does, and showed me all sorts of mollusks and sea anemones.Later that afternoon, we set up camp at Blouberg beachfront. It was our first proper beach day since the weather has perked up a little. See me holding up our beach umbrella – it decided to up and blow away while Husband was in the sea, so I had to chase after it and pin it down.If you look closely, you’ll see Husband standing on the wall of rocks about in the middle of the ocean.Mum made all sorts of lovely summery foods for lupper – these are just the salads and accompaniments to various sausages and rolls.Mmm! And for dessert, we had both milktart and a chocolatey-lime mousse pudding. The doglets were Very Interested.
Tuesday, 2 October 2018: Delicious dins and drooling doglet
Mum outdid herself with a delicious gingery sweet-and-sour pork for lupper that evening, AND homemade Romany Cream-style biscuits! If you look closely at the picture of Bassie, you’ll see a bubble of drool. Teehee.
Last weekend was so sunny that even though we’re desperate for a bit of rain in the Cape, we filled it with delicious outdoors-y moments…
Saturday, 13 January 2018: Breakfast at On the Rocks, lupper at Moyo
We’d tried to breakfast at On the Rocks twice over the December holidays – the first time it was completely closed, the second time it was hosting a private function – so we were pleased to find a table outside when we popped in last Saturday morning.Various snaps of the front and back of On the Rocks.Aaah. Cappuccino, fresh sea breeze and sunshine? Yes please! Best way to start the weekend.Husband soaking up some of that sunshine.Husband chose the breakfast pan, I had the French toast with berry compote. Lip-smackingly good!We did a brief walk to work off some of that food. Sunny selfie on the sea shore.After some weekend admin it was time to venture out into the sunshine again. T’was quite windy so we sat in the sheltered section at Moyo in Big Bay. See Husband enjoying his wine and me having my face painted before starting on my coffee-cashew smoothie.See my dukka-spiced burger (with cheese and bacon) and side of thick fries, as well as Husband’s lamb-shank linguine, and Husband with a chip on his shoulder. Literally. 🙂Second beach selfie of the day, but you can’t quite see my face-painting in the bright light…So Husband took a quick snap before I wiped it off, while resting on the couch with Bertie.Little Bassie proved she’s also always a pretty girl, even without face-paintings.
Sunday, 14 January 2017: Sea swims and coffee in a cone
We breakfasted at W Cafe in Table Bay Mall’s Woolworths. See Husband’s super-tall cappuccino and eggs benedict on mushroom, with my vanilla-cinnamon latte and coconut loaf topped with pineapple cream cheese and coconut shavings. Yummy!Husband contemplating his weekly dip in the sea.I really felt for coffee in a cone as my Sunday afternoon treat, but most places where I’ve had it before were now out of stock. Luckily we found it at Cup & Cake in Eden on the Bay. If you drink out the coffee, you’re left with warm, melty-chocolate in the sugar cone.Mum had made weather-appropriate food for lupper that afternoon – chicken curry that we scooped into French loaf to make mini bunny chows, with dessert of ice cream, watermelon and mixed berries.
Monday, 15 January 2018: Office birthday cake
It had been Biz managing editor Sindy’s birthday over the weekend, so she treated us to an assortment of crisps, sweeties, fruit, cupcakes, marshmallows and amazing chocolate-caramel-coconut swiss roll when we got to work on Monday. Best way to start the week!The selection of sweets and treats I munched on throughout the day.
Thursday, 18 January 2018: Seventh #digitalmarketingLIVE lesson at Red & Yellow
Thursday was the first #digitalmarketingLIVE session of the year – there’s only one to go before I’ve completed all eight! ‘Seth Rotherham’ of 2OceansVibe Radio shared his first-hand experiences with running a business on digital and social media.I sat with Su Little and we took a few versions of this snap to properly include Wesley, the Red & Yellow staffer photobombing us, here. #digitalmarketinggeeks
That’s all, folks! It’s set to be another scorcher of a weekend, stay cool.
Last Friday was our end-of-year function at Biz, as you’ll see from the snaps below…
Thursday, 7 December 2017: Digital marketing presentation victory at Red & Yellow
Last week’s #digitalmarketingLIVE session at Red & Yellow was an interactive one, so we split into teams for quick ‘student activation’ planning then a presentation in front of the others, and my clever team won!
Friday, 8 December 2017: End-of-year function at Grande Kloof Boutique Hotel
The day started with a media drop from Cadbury’s at our office – a box of Heroes, which are miniatures of the brand’s favourites. Looks at the precious little Top Deck and Flake I nibbled on!We left the office once the morning’s work was done and travelled to our venue for the afternoon – the Grande Kloof Boutique Hotel in Sea Point. There was a clear sparkly pool just asking to dip your feet in and even a heated jacuzzi (with glass of chilled Amarula on the side) bubbling away…We started off by soaking up a bit of sun.This positive sign gret us once we ventured indoors to eat.Desk mates! We were very excited to get started with the food and this year’s Bad Santa game.The food was served buffet style with starters of quiche, cheese and crackers and beef strips; meaty mains and brownies with ice cream for dessert. Very Christmassy!I tried to get the doggies in the Christmas spirit that evening by dangling Christmas baubles while singing Christmas songs. Bertie looks mildly amused. Bassie, not so much.
Saturday, 9 December 2017: Blouberg Cafe breakfast, Catch22 dins
We noticed Petit Fours near Kleinbaai was sporting a new name and nautical navy theme so popped in first thing on Saturday. Now called the Blouberg Cafe, the food is much the same as what we’d come to expect from Petit Fours. Husband had the salmon eggs benedict, I had the mini apple caramel upside-down cake with the cutest baby apple.A patriotic display of fruit and veg while we were doing our groceries.Husband bought me a cappuccino to boost my spirits while browsing the store. I offered some to Wonder Woman but she didn’t want any.We had dins at Catch22 overlooking the beachfront that night. See Husband’s vanilla shake and healthy grilled linefish with calamari and veggies, as well as my passionfruit-lemonade and the chicken burger topped with halloumi, avo and pepperdews, with huge onion rings and side basket of chips. Yummy.Bertie was a sleepy sweetheart on the couch that evening.
Sunday, 10 December 2017: Baconville breakfast, BMW abseiling and Sunday braai
We had a bacon craving so breakfasted at Baconville in Willowbridge Centre, Tygervalley side on Sunday morning. See Husband’s flat white and Breakfast Club with large mushroom, as well as my chocolate latte and French toast-BLT.We noticed BMW had set up a special section to showcase X3. Some of the fun with the cars – see the rollercoaster-like obstacle course we started off with, and Husband steering the car along normal roads as part of the usual test drive bottom right.There were also various activities for the adventurous to participate in. See the wall Husband abseiled down, as well as his backwards flip on the bungee trampoline. Brave, he is!My parents came to our house for lupper for a change, so we opted for a braai. See some of the delicious foodies.We also baked a rainbow cake – each layer needed to bake in a separate cake pan, with a different colour of icing between. Was delicious!Bassie looked younger than her ten years.Bertie had snuggles with his Granny later that afternoon.
Wednesday, 13 December 2017: Much-needed rainy day in Cape Town
Wednesday was cold, windy and drizzly. See the overcast sky when I left the office for the day.
That’s all, folks! We’re working right until the Christmas weekend arrives, so there’s just a week to go… Ho ho ho! 🙂
It’s been a successful first week back at work and part-time studies. That’s probably because we have a few exciting plans over the next few weekends to look forward to, and the thought of them keeps us going.
You’ll get to see those in due course, but for now you can scroll through how we marked the end of the festive season break. Key among those, Husband’s veggie garden reveal, as promised:
Tadaa! You can see the phases of progress here – first, beams went up above the veggie boxes he installed a while ago, then shade cloth was carefully stapled along to provide shade and wind protection. So far, so good!The doggies ‘helped’ by watching the goings-on and offering advice (and suspicious looks).
Now, on with the daily highlights…
Thursday, 5 January 2017: Summery food-and-wine pairing flights
Our last Thursday of leave started with the early bird breakfast special at our local News Cafe.I’d unknowingly picked just the right day for our review of the new summery food-and-wine pairings at Catharina’s in Steenberg Estate, one of our favourite wine farms. Just look at the sunny brightness! Click here for my official review and here for a reminder of our late-August version of this photo.Decor at Catharina’s is classy and eye-catching. Note the reindeer that adorn that inside roof, along with the origami birdies I so enjoyed on our last visit; as well as the large ostrich eggs at the port decanters in the hotel lobby; and some of the rose bushes dotting the walkways.We sat at a table much like this, hoping to spot the family of eagle owls that swoop around the old oak trees. Sadly they didn’t appear, but we still had a wonderful time.Our pre- and post-pairing drinks – wonderfully chilled still water (bread board in the background), and a strong, flavoursome cappuccino. Colour me contented! (Don’t fret, am not sunburnt. The pinkness you see is from the sun reflecting through red umbrella).The three ‘flights’ are beautifully explained in this menu – two savoury options and one sweet, each comprising a flute of bubbly, white and red with perfectly paired morsels.I know the pic was hard to read, so luckily I took some photos. This was the first savoury flight. Everything positively popped with colour and flavour.The second savoury flight: Same-same but different. And sadly I was so excited by the third flight – the sweet option – that I forgot to snap a pic of it. Luckily, there’s a professional pic of it in my review on Biz, along with detailed descriptions of all the wine and food. Click here to see it.
Friday, 6 January 2017: McPherson’s breakfast and Black Bull lupper
First thing on Friday we headed to McPherson’s for breakfast. I had a cappuccino and the club sandwich with wedges, Husband had a very filling wrap.Following a day of staycation things we decided on an early dins at the Black Bull on Sandown Road to mark the end of the holiday (yes, there was still a weekend ahead before work kicked in, but you know what I mean). Husband opted for a draught, as he does.I had a strawberry shake and the starter nachos you see in the middle – the top pic is how they arrived at the table, middle pic is once I’d had added all the side bits and bobs. Husband went for the pork bangers and mash. We’ll be back.
Saturday, 7 January 2017: Baconville breakfast and Bertie’s new chew-friend
If you wake up hungry on a Saturday, chances are you’ll decide on Baconville for breakfast. I went for the flapjacks topped with crispy, syrup-drenched bacon (mmm) while Husband had their Mexican-style ‘Hairy Biker’. Teehee. Both delightfully good.All of Bertie’s former TV-viewing companions (stuffed toys that he’s unstuffed) were looking a little ratty so we snuck them into the bin and bought him a new monkey and doggie-that-looks-like-a-fox. The monkey is hiding in a cupboard until the doggie is ready to be discarded, too. Bassie remains very uninterested in all toys but gets lots of attention despite her sad face, promise.
Sunday, 8 January 2017: Breakfast, books and beachy ice-creams
For our ‘last breakfast before work’, Husband outdid himself with an exceptional (make that egg-ceptional, harhar) fry-up, included red pepper slices, properly cooked tomato and crispy bacon. Yum.What better way to relax on a Sunday than by rereading a beloved book, and sipping on a Pina Colada-flavoured Krusher from KFC? No better way.The beach at Big Bay, much later in the day. Just look at all the merrymakers, making their last bit of merry.Despite it being so hot the sea was icy, so we contented ourselves with ice-cream cones from Met Eish at Eden on the Bay. Husband’s had caramel ripples and mine was plain chocolate, both with a hidden Flake.
That’s all, folks! I wish you a very happy weekend ahead. 🙂
*Disclaimer: Obviously our pairings at Catharina’s were part of our review package. All else came from our own pockets. All enjoyed equally.
Is it just me or is time speeding up as we get closer to the end of the year? I can’t believe it’s just a month to Christmas Day, and that 2017 is just a week after that! But don’t fret about everything you need to do by then – it is Friday evening, after all. So boil the kettle for a nice cuppa and browse through a few of our favourite moments from the past week…
Saturday, 19 November 2016: Pink Olive tea, lunch at Panama Jacks
On Saturday, Husband and our dads went off to play a round of golf so me and our mums trotted to the nearest Stark Ayres nursery for breakfast at the Pink Olive restaurant. That’s me having a sip of Mum’s orange-rooibos tea, top right is our table in the pretty setting and bottom right shows my banana-peanut butter smoothie with Mum’s tea set.I went for the flapjacks. Made to order, they’re dusted with icing sugar, and best eaten while still hot with a dab of syrup and vanilla-infused cream. The mums shared a portion of scones.Golfers back, we headed off to Panama Jacks in the harbour. Husband and the parents all had the ‘avo seafood’ starter in the first pic, followed by the fettuccine marinara in the end pic. I just had the fettuccini verde pictured in the middle and struggled to finish!Husband and his parents outside Panama Jacks with containers of leftovers. Note how Mother’s hair is being blown about by the wind!Here is Husband, getting into the spirit of things when he met Santa (that’s Mr Claus to you) at our local shopping centre.The doggies were not being affectionate siblings on Saturday afternoon. Look at the evil eye Bassie gave Bertie when he leaned in for a hug! These two are very funny.
Sunday, 20 November 2016: Breakfast at Baconville, icy beach visits
Three faces of a sleepy Sunday Bertie.On Sunday morning we decided to try Baconville in Tygervalley’s Willowbridge Centre. It’s been open a few weeks and is the sister restaurant to Bacon on Bree in the CBD. Some of the things we ordered included the shoestring fries with garlicky baconnaise; the ‘Breakfast Club’ – poached egg with haloumi, bacon, mushrooms and avo; and a chocolate latte. I loved the piggy-shaped serving boards.The best thing on the menu? Though we definitely didn’t try it all, I’d say it’s the chocolate-chip bacon cookie, served with a dollop of coffee ice cream. Texture-wise the biscuit was slightly chewy as it was straight out of the oven, and the bits of salty bacon went so well with those melty chocolate chips it’s making my mouth water right now just thinking of it!After a few chores we were ready to head out again. Husband braved the icy waters in Big Bay for this photo – I was only in up to my ankles and felt like my feet were freezing off!Husband had a celebratory draught for his ocean bravery at the Ocean Sizzler along the beachfront. I was cold enough for a cappuccino.Lupper at Mum’s that evening was this wonderful chicken salad with cashews and thinly-sliced apple.
Wednesday, 23 and Thursday, 24 November 2016: HumanEdge Influencer conference at Protea Hotel North Wharf
Wednesday dawned cold and rainy, so it was a nice distraction to make my way to the Protea Hotel North Wharf to cover HumanEdge’s two-day Influencer training course. See the orange-y orchid at reception and view from the front of the hotel over the two days.These were the fresh tea-time muffins served on day one.I had to take a photo of how my jacket blended in with the bathroom flower arrangement!Teatime treats on day two. That’s not a bigger cup than what I photographed on day one, it’s just the angle. 🙂 Luckily I only spilled a bit of coffee in my saucer and not all over everyone’s pastries.Lunches over the two days – Wednesday on the left included a creamy curried chicken with pumpkin and slice of red velvet cake; Thursday on the right was a spicy stew with sweet potato and creamed spinach, followed by three scoops of ice cream and a cappuccino.It was quite an intense course, with only 20 of us attending and lots of roleplay and reading homework, so I was quite proud to get a certificate of completion and sticker to show my team had won the most tokens. Click here for my overview of the first day’s learnings.
That’s all, folks. The weather is set to finally feel summery in the Cape this weekend, so slather on that sunscreen and watch for the wind! 🙂
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 