Mid-winter sea dips and lots of warm dogs

This past weekend was chilly so we spent lots of time at home with the doglets, as you’ll see from the pics below…

Friday, 19 July 2019: Rocomama’s dins

Little girl wrapped up in her blanket on the bed while watching me work from home last Friday.

Husband felt for Rocomama’s for dins last Friday evening, so we headed out as soon as he got home from work. See my creme brulee shake, his very hot chicken wings, and a cute bumper sticker we spotted on our way back home.

Superdogs! These two are so funny. they insist on being wrapped in blankets, then drag them on the floor behind them like superhero capes when they go explore an interesting noise elsewhere.

Saturday, 20 July 2019: Limnos brekkies, Doodles nachos and angel fish

We started our Saturday with some mall admin so stopped at Limons Bakery for a bite to eat. See my grilled ham-and-cheese croissant and Husband’s cooked breakfast – our cappuccinos were effectively free.

We were a little early for our movie at GrandWest casino on Saturday afternoon so stopped at Vida e Caffe for a coffee first. See my standard cappuccino and Husband’s triple.

We stopped at Doodles on the beachfront for an early dins that evening. See the sunset, as well as Husband’s glass of red wine and my plate of cheesy nachos – free as we used an Entertainer voucher.

More snaps of the sunset, also see Husband’s angel fish with veggies. Yum!

Such a pretty girl! Sitting in her granny’s arms, of course.

Sunday, 21 July 2019: The Daily breakfast and a mid-winter sea dip

We breakfasted at The Daily at Seaside Village on Sunday, with Husband’s parents. See my tin cup (condensed milk coffee) as well as banana-bread French toast top right, as well as Husband’s potato waffles topped with poached egg and Hollandaise sauce, a chicken-mayo sandwich with side salad for his mum, and Father-in-Law’s basic brekkie with decaf cappuccino.

Travel-inspired decor at The Daily in Seaside Village.

Proof we were all there.

We stopped at Husband’s favourite swimming hole later that afternoon so he could have a dip in the sea. Spot him in the three pics around me.

Little Miss sitting neatly tucked up in her doggie bed by the fireplace that evening.

Mum’s delicious chicken parm for Sunday lupper.

That’s all, folks! Stay well and tune in for my update next week – same time, same place.

Father’s Day 2019 lunch buffet at the Italian Club

This past week I’ve had my annual ‘Cannes Lions cold’, and it was also Father’s Day and the Youth Day public holiday (though I worked throughout), as you’ll see from the pics below…

Tuesday, 11 June 2019: Spark Media’s Roots 2019 launch

Last Tuesday, I attended Spark Media’s Roots2019 research launch at the River Club. See some of the intriguing displays made from Lego – behind glass so they wouldn’t be messed with (and snacks, meant for eating!)

Thursday, 13 June 2019: Sunrise over Woodstock

I had a super-early start at the office last Thursday, and remembered to pause to catch the sunrise out the window.

Friday, 14 June 2019:  Syrupy crumpets and sunsets

Mmm! When I worked from home last Friday, Mum whipped up a quick batch of crumpets – best enjoyed with tea and syrup, yum.

Pretty as a picture sunset caught in the phone wires, as seen from our lounge that evening.

Saturday, 15 June 2019: Beef roast and potatoes, Weber-style

We decided on a slightly different breakfast on Saturday, at Primi on Marine Circle – see our coffees (flat white cappuccino for Husband, Mocha Forte for me), as well as our breakfasts – the berry pretty super protein bowl for me, the full Primi Power for him. Pricy but filling (I brought half of mine home for the next day).

As it was a long weekend and we’d be having a special Father’s Day lunch with all the parents the next day, Spec slept over at ours on Saturday night. Husband Webered a roast beef, Mum supplied the potatoes and peas – dinner, sorted!

Sunday, 16 June 2019: Father’s Day lunch at the Italian Club

We arrived at the Italian Club at the same time as Husband’s parents, so took a few snaps outside before heading into the big hall for lunch.

The inside was festively decked with balloons and crisp white tablecloths and chair covers.

Look at all those drinks! The craft beers were handed to all the menfolk on entry, with the mini gins waiting on the tables.

Cheers! We brought our own bottle of bubbly along with us, to toast all the dads at the table.

Me with our dads. Lots of love!

Buffeting! Finally, the tables were ready for us so we queued up for all the Italian food you can imagine. See some of the selections here.

Some of the desserts on offer. I may or may not have eaten all of this.

I’ve been to the Italian Club so many times, yet never been out the back to see the view of the mountain. It’s lovely!

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

Monday, 17 June 2019: Youth Day public holiday

As it was a public holiday on Monday, we slept in a bit then headed to The Daily at Seaside Village in Big Bay for breakfast, once I’d done some work. See Husbands tasting tray coffees, my Tin Cup and our breakfasts.

See my thick, puffy jacket (Winter is truly here), as well as close-ups of the food – my banana-caramel waffle pop and Husband’s full brekkie (he saw another plate go past with those sausages and promptly changed his order, teehee). This was my only outing for the day.

Tuesday, 18 June 2019: Wintery work-from-home lunch

I worked from home again on Tuesday and stopped for a quick soup-with-toasteds break. Just what I needed!

Teehee! So many funny faces. Snapped when we had curry takeaways at Mum’s on Tuesday evening – Gords was in town for business again so stayed the night with us.

Various sleepy doglets, snapped trying to stay warm throughout the week.

That’s all, folks! I’m looking forward to switching off completely this weekend and recovering from this cold. May your weekend be warm and relaxing, too.

Entertainer app value in Table View with CTFM, Pink Olive and Doodles

Most of our eating out last weekend was due to the 2-for-1 vouchers offered by the Entertainer App – plus, the usual R495 registration fee is free if you’re using FNB’s Banking App and earn eBucks! See some of the treats we sampled below…

Thursday, 10 January 2019: Mid-week dins at Doodles

Last Thursday evening we had just downloaded the Entertainer app for free through the FNB banking app, so decided to try it out on a local dins. We used a ‘2-for-1 mains’ voucher at Doodles – so we paid for Husband’s linefish – the angelfish served with veggies and tartare sauce – while my Cajun chicken pizza was free. Also see Husband’s glass of red, as well as his Orange Fanta and my caramel shake. A very good dins!

Friday, 11 January 2019: Work-from-home treats

I worked from home last Friday, so treated myself to the following mid-morning snack – a cup of ‘cinnamon bun’-flavoured Hug in a Mug instant cappuccino, and a pack of Hot Fudge Sundae-flavoured Pop Tarts. Yum!

Saturday, 12 January 2019: Artideli breakfast, El Barrio cocktails, CTFM family dins

We breakfasted at Artideli in Melkbosstrand on Saturday morning. See Husband’s mince-and-egg-on-toast and my caramel- and banana-filled pancake. Not pictured – our Peacocks cappuccinos, as they were already finished. Not on Entertainer app.

Pretty clouds in the sky looking across from Blouberg to Table Mountain that afternoon.

We stopped in at El Barrio for our Saturday afternoon treat. We shared a portion of the jalapeno poppers, with the margarita el muerte for me and the pink mask cocktail (El Jimador, strawberries, coconut water and Malibu) for Husband. Not on Entertainer app. (Yet).

The margarita la muerte (death) with Olmeca black, blackberry liqueur, tamarind and black salt rim. Just look at it. Very tasty and top marks for presentation, but taste-wise I think the pineapple-habanero version I sampled the week before is the clear winner! Click here for a reminder.

After a brief nap at home, it was time for dins with Husband’s parents. See the view from our table at CTFM in Seaside Village, Big Bay, just before sunset.

Husband had the East Coast potjie, presented as such.

See my chicken schnitzel with chips and pepper sauce, one of our free meals for using the Entertainer app again.

Lol! None of us have our ‘photo faces’ ready for this photo.

Sun setting over the mountain as we finished our dins. Beautiful!

We only noticed the pretty lights strung up outside CTFM on our way out.

Sunday, 13 January 2019: Pink Olive breakfast, Village Place mini cakes

We used the Entertainer app again on Sunday, this time on a 2-for-1 breakfast voucher at the Pink Olive in Stark Ayres Nursery. See the pretty decor as well as one of our flat whites, my French toast with cream cheese, bananas and syrup (free, as it was the cheaper of the two meals we ordered) as well as Husband’s standard weekend breakfast: the egg- and mince-topped toast.

A sunflower-themed long table outside the Pink Olive, waiting for its party to arrive.

Husband standing ankle-deep in the sea that afternoon.

I barely even dipped my toes as the sea was so cold, but that ‘beachy smell’ was amazing!

Our Sunday afternoon treat was a shared red velvet cheesecake (mini cake) and coffee shake at Village Place Cafe. Not on Entertainer app.

Little Miss Bassie decided to travel in the backseat with her brother for a change, while on our way to her grandparents. She seemed in awe of his big, lolling tongue.

Mum made a sunny pineapple mousse for dessert after lupper on Sunday.

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

The Fat Greek, Cape Town’s spring flowers and Hout Bay roadtripping

Last weekend was chilly but bright, so we took advantage of the sunshine to take in some of the sights we forget when we stay closer to home in the wet winter months…

Friday, 7 September 2018: Spring Day braai at work

Scenes from our Spring braai at work last Friday, after our monthly staff meeting. We were just finishing off when the rain came, good timing!

Saturday, 8 September 2018: Trecastelli breakfast, Fat Greek lunch

Last weekend’s mantra was all about trying new places to eat. We started first thing on Saturday with breakfast at Trecastelli in Marine Circle. See my cappuccino and ‘Nutella cornetto’ – R40 for both, as well as Husband’s cooked breakfast of two eggs, cheese, tomatoes, bacon and avo. Yum.

Pretty kites near Melkbos that afternoon.

Sticking with our ‘try something new’ mandate, we decided on lunch at the Fat Greek, on Marine Circle. See my very pink shake and chicken gyro with chips, as well as Husband’s lamb kleftiko and glass of red. Lovely!

These post-lunch pics give an idea of the weather here – sunny but chilly. Various spots in and around Blouberg.

Sunday, 9 September 2018: Hout Bay roadtripping

With a road trip you never know when exactly you’ll stop for breakfast, so it’s a good idea to get a coffee for the road. Our cappuccinos were from Reload. Love the cute sugar bowls.

It was Yours Truly’s ‘Today and Tomorrow’ on Kloof Street where we finally stopped for breakfast. Husband went for the eggs benedict, and my banana bread breakfast with a chai latte was just right.

You can’t help but take beautiful mountain-ocean landscape shots when travelling along the Atlantic coastline.

Ah, Hout Bay. We stopped for another stroll and a spot of lunch once we reached Mariner’s Wharf.

The tunnel through a bit of mountain along Chapman’s Peak

Chapman’s Peak has numerous ‘scenic’ stops’ for snaps like this, back towards Hout Bay.

The train, complete with passengers, was stopped near Fish Hoek beach throughout our 10-minute or so walk above the beach.

We went back to one of our favourites, Saint’s in Eden on the Bay, for our final treat of the weekend. See my Insomniac alcoholic shake – chocolate with espresso, Amarula and Frangelico.

Proof that Husband was there, too – see his mint- and lime-heavy blueberry mojito.

We also stopped to smell the flowers, or rather sit amongst them, that afternoon. That’s how you know Spring is in the Cape!

Sweet Bassie was very interested in all the foodies when we had lupper at Mum’s that evening.

Some of the delicious Trecastelli Italian delicacies we ate at Mum’s that afternoon – not from our visit, they went for their own breakfast on Sunday, following our recommendation.

Monday, 10 September 2018:  Day off reading, relaxing and pizza lunching

I had put in for a day’s leave, so spent much of the morning relaxing with the doglets. See my book, coffee and even Pop-tarts for brekkie.

Lol at my fashion choices! Love these kitty socks.

The highlight of the day was milkshakes and half-price pizzas for lunch with my parents at Col’Cacchio in Seaside Village.

Thursday, 13 September 2018: Spark Media breakfast event

I started my Thursday at the Spark Media breakfast presentation, held at the Protea Hotel Fire & Ice. So much to choose from to eat – so much brain food, too – coverage coming to Bizcommunity, soon!

My sweet deskmate treated me to this new Bubbly Oreo chocolate slab on Thursday. Yum!

That’s all, folks! Have a happy, healthy weekend filled with delicious moments. 🙂

11th wedding anniversary tacos at El Barrio, Velvet Cake Co rainbow slice

Get your scrolling finger ready to see how we celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary last weekend, amongst other things…

Wednesday, 22 August 2018: Future Females at Workshop 17

Last Wednesday was the Future Females monthly evening event, which coincided with their first birthday celebration. Click here if you missed my overview.

Some networking snaps and oh my goodness, look at that cake!

Thursday, 23 August 2018: SheSays ‘side-hustle’ event

Last Thursday, I attended the second ever Cape Town SheSays event, held at GetSmarter’s offices. Watch for my overview of the event on Bizcommunity early next week!

Unicorns, barista-brewed coffees and local bestselling books make good waiting companions.

Group shot! We snacked, laughed and chatted away before the main panel discussion began.

Saturday, 25 August 2018: 11th anniversary dins at El Barrio

We had some mall admin to kick off our weekend so it was another Mugg & Bean breakfast for us. See our flat whites, my choc-chip flapjack stack and Husband’s basic fried breakfast.

The sea that afternoon was the picture of ‘winter in Cape Town’ – grey sky, green water. Husband did not venture in.

We stopped in at The Daily for a mid-afternoon treat of ‘tin cups’ (cappuccino with condensed milk, served in a tin cup). We dunked our heart-shaped shortbread biscuits in them. Yum! ❤

We had our anniversary celebration meal at El Barrio in Eden on the Bay. See a selection of the tacos we ate. All delicious!

See Husband with his glass of red and me with my ‘Drunken Mexican’ cocktail, complete with roasted marshmallows and cinnamon stick.

If you sit inside at El Barrio, you’ll see some of these things, including a super-cute bulldoggy.

I finally got to try a ‘pastel caramel-custard rainbow cake slice’ from Velvet Cake Co in Canal Walk that evening. It tastes even better than it looks, and that’s saying something!

Sunday, 26 August 2018: Breakfast at The Hart, cappuccinos at Bread & Butter

We breakfasted at The Hart Bakery in Melkbos on Sunday. See my single eggs benedict, Husband’s chorizo rosti and our flat whites.

Handsome Husband! My coffee date at Bread and Butter on Sunday afternoon.

Mmm! We had veggie soup with bacon-flavoured croutons for lupper at Mum’s on Sunday. Just the thing on a cold afternoon.

Monday, 27 August 2018: Growing Greatness book launch at Ruth Prowse School of Art

Monday was cold and rainy, and also the evening of the launch of Joe Public United chief creative officer Pepe Marais’ book launch, at the Ruth Prowse School of Art. Click here for my interview with Marais, if you missed it.

Tuesday, 28 August 2018: Networking Vietnamese coffee bowl at Hemelhuijs

I started my Tuesday with a quick coffee catch-up at Hemelhuijs, and finally tried the Vietnamese coffee bowl. It costs R50 and tastes like heaven – with vanilla and condensed milk added to the bowl.

A networking selfie together with the founders of the Voyc.AI transcriber, in front of some of the pretty things on display at Hemelhuijs.

Wednesday, 29 August 2018: UCT Unilever Youth Report launch

The weather on Wednesday was crisp and fresh, with blue skies and light clouds everywhere. I snapped this at the Sports Science Institute in Newlands, where I was attending the launch of the UCT Unilever Institute of Strategic Marketing’s Youth Report 2018.

Key moments from the morning.

Sweet doggies snuggling on the couch that evening – both with me and without. Also see before and after snaps of the Checkers’ ready-to-cook master chef meal that Husband whipped up for dins. This was the sweet-and-sour pork.

Thursday, 30 August 2018: Love Milo’s Spring design Magnolia launch

On Thursday afternoon, I popped into Love Milo on Hope Street in Gardens for their Spring design trends Magnolia launch. It was just lovely.

The snacks and treats were all pinky purple to match the Magnolia trend, with pomegranates in the flutes of pink bubbly and mint leaves and raspberries to garnish the ice tea.

This table setting is just so pretty with the ombre napkins, touches of gold, wood and floral.

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

Perfect beach ice creams and see the new Panama Jack’s

Last week Tuesday was a public holiday – May Day is Worker’s Day in SA so we had a day off work to do as our hearts desired, as you’ll see below…

Tuesday, 1 May 2018: Worker’s Day dins at Italian Club

When we finally got up, we went for a Cup & Cake breakfast in Seaside Village. See Husband’s eggs benedict and my ‘Eggs-purtly done’ – health bread smeared with cream cheese, Marmite and avo paste, topped with eggs any way you like – I went for hard boiled. Also see Husband’s ‘Quortado’ (variation on cortado, espresso with milk.)

We bumped into my parents when we stopped for a few chores at The Daily Cafe in Eden on the Bay, so the menfolk each had an espresso con panna.

We stopped for a snap at the ‘Lekker by die see’ mosaic on our way out of Eden on the Bay.

The palm trees and blue skies outside GrandWest Casino – we stopped in to watch the Avengers: Infinity War movie. Brother-in-law Spec joined us.

We were starving by the time the movie ended so decided on the Italian Club for dins, as t’was a chilly Winter’s eve. We both went for the gnocchi bolognese, mmm!

Ahh. Gorgeous sunset over Table Mountain on our way home.

My precious model children. They didn’t mind being huddled up close for once, as it was a chilly night.

Friday, 4 May 2018: Sunrise from the office window

Early morning sunrise over Lion’s Head, as seen from our offices in Woodstock.

Saturday, 5 May 2018: Bread & Butter breakfast, Woodbridge Island walk, Panama Jacks lunch

We had a Bread & Butter breakfast – the setting is just so quaint and cosy, with lots of cakes to drool over while telling yourself to order something healthier.

Husband succeeded in going for something healthier, with the salmon scrambled eggs, while I didn’t go so far as to have cake but had a chocolate-peanut butter smoothie bowl instead. Basically ice cream with nuts and bananas but hey, it was on the breakfast menu. Also see my cappuccino and Husband’s double flat-white.

We hadn’t done our ‘Woodbridge Island to Lagoon Beach and back’ walk in a while, so when we realised we had enough time, we were wearing caps and the weather was on our side, so do the walk we did. Once complete, we stopped at Ilha at Woodbridge Island for a liquid treat – draught beer for Husband and coffee shake for me.

We were meeting Husband’s parents for lunch at Panama Jack’s new location, inside the cruise passenger terminal at the harbour. It’s lovely.

We recommend sitting at the outside tables as you get a clear view over the harbour if there aren’t any ships waiting to dock. The inside roof is still pinned with flags, as in Panama Jack’s former location.

The food was fantastic. See the large house salad we shared top left, Husband’s angelfish Thai curry top right, Mother-in-Law’s fettuccini marinara bottom left and the duck with hoisin sauce bottom right – Father-in-Law and I both ordered this. We left not a speck of rice between us.

Sunday, 6 May 2018: Ice cream on the beach

For Sunday breakfast, we stopped in at Cafe Lacomia at our Builder’s Warehouse. See my tall cafe mocha, Husband’s cafe latte, his mince on toast and my toasted chicken mayo with chips. Hit the spot.

Book + coffee + dog = happy despite the winter chill.

The waves and clouds came together as the perfect ‘photo corner curliques’.

Sunday afternoon. should be all about strawberry swirled flake-tipped ice cream on the beach, Table Mountain in the background and clouds perfectly fluffed to cotton wool. proportions.

That’s all, folks! Winter is definitely in the air so keep warm 🙂

Donuts, doughnuts everywhere!

It’s Freedom Day today in SA, so we’ve had a lovely day relaxing and spending time with family. But more of that in next week’s update.

Last week, you’d think I just sat and ate donuts (or doughnuts, depending on your spelling preference) from the pics you’re about to see. I promise I did lots of other things in between…

Thursday, 19 April 2018: SheSays CT launch at Red & Yellow

Last Thursday, I attended the launch of SheSays Cape Town with my colleague Clarina after work. It’s the largest global network of females working in the creative industries. Click here if you missed my coverage!

Evening skies over Devil’s Peak.

Cloud-flecked sky as seen when looking towards the harbour from the Red & Yellow School rooftop.

Friday, 20 April 2018: Dunkin Donuts while working from home

I worked from home last Friday as had a huge amount of work to do before Sunday evening so decided to save time on the commute. My parents popped in with a sweet teatime treat – Dunkin Donuts! The heart held a raspberry jammy filling and the smiley face was filled with a chocolate mousse. Delicious!

Saturday, 21 April 2018: Father-in-Law’s 75th birthday braai

We started our weekend at Driftwood Cafe as we were conveniently having our car washed next door. See the coffee and weekend breakfast special minus toast as they were in the middle of a power cut, so this was all cooked on gas.

After a bit of weekend admin we stopped at The Daily Cafe in Big Bay’s Seaside Village for a mid-morning treat. See Husband’s con panna and my ‘waffle pop’ topped with caramel, banana and a cup of soft serve.

Father-in-Law held his official 75th birthday braai on Saturday afternoon, with various friends and extended family members in attendance. See the train-topped birthday cake and lots of smiles.

Bassie got lots of attention from her other Grampa and dad during the party.

Bertie was all tuckered out after entertaining everyone at his Grampa’s party by running around and greeting animals on the TV screen. He curled up on the couch and rested for a bit once we got home.

We see you, Bertie boy…

Sunday, 22 April 2018: Village Place breakfast, Milky Lane treat

We both had quite a bit of work to do so started off with a quick breakfast together at The Village Place Cafe last Sunday. See my vanilla cappuccino with heart-shaped biscuit, Husband’s mince, eggs and cheese on toast and my French toast with bacon, banana and nuts.

Once we were both done with work for the day we stopped in at the Milky Lane at Table Bay Mall for a quick Sunday afternoon treat. See my ‘Bubbles crunch Sunnydae’, very similar to the promo pic and looks and just what I needed. Husband had an ice-cream sandwich, not pictured.

Monday, 23 April 2018: Belated birthday cake at work

My colleague Juanita had been on leave for a few days to celebrate her birthday and spoiled us with cake in the office on her return. I had a slice of the ganache-y chocolate, it was delicious! The caramel and Black Forest disappeared before I could even think of trying a slice. I’ll be faster next time 😉

Tuesday, 24 April 2018: AfricArena media launch at InvestSA

Cape Town time, front and centre at the InvestSA one-stop shop.

Such a nice work environment at InvestSA – it’s a coworking space, so you’re encouraged to pop in if looking for government assistance with any aspect of your businesses!

I was there to cover the press conference for the second AfricArena tech startup pitching competition and conference, taking place in Cape Town later in the year following a brief ‘world tour’. My overviews will go up over the next few weeks, as it’s Africa Month on Bizcommunity.

Mum brought over delicious meatloaf with veggies for dins that evening. We ate up every last scrap!

Wednesday, 25 April 2018: Good Hope FM #donuttouchthatdial DJ line-up remix at Grand Life Cafe

It was time for even more donuts at Good Hope FM’s first trade media event in five years, their new DJ line-up reveal held at Grand Life Cafe at the V&A Waterfront on Thursday. Was a wonderfully sunny day with bright blue skies.

Oh you know, just hanging with the Good Hope FM DJs.

These vibrant purple flowers looked fake but were definitely the real deal. Also see the two ‘candy stations’ offering an assortment of red and blue sweeties.

Beautiful pink and red and orange cascading blooms.

There was a printing station so you could have your face printed on a donut if you so desired, and guests were free to sample as many as they liked. These were all absolutely amazing, glazed with caramel, chocolate, coffee and pretzels in all the right places.

Lovely sushi and fishy eats too, if you weren’t a fan of sweet things (who are these people?!)

This is what we came for – My Sugar created special donuts to go with each DJ’s personality.

I got to take home my favourite – the DJ Ready D. It had a peanut butter-choc ganache topping, nuts and a mild milk chocolate centre that oozed out when you bit into it. Delicious!

That’s all, folks! We hope you’re having a wonderful long weekend so far.

Bringing in St Patrick’s Day and Human Right’s Day 2018

Last weekend we celebrated St Patrick’s Day with my dad, as it’s his name day, and also had a mid-week day off in honour of Human Right’s Day – but still did lots of work in between…

Friday, 16 March 2018: BrandLove potent digital storytelling workshop

I spent my Friday attending the Brand Love ‘Potent digital storytelling’ workshop. It was intense, but I loved it! Coverage to follow on Bizcommunity soon…

The Bothas’ BrandLove house/office space is lovely, and they made all the food we ate for lunch – even the bread was baked that morning!

Saturday, 17 March 2018: St Patrick’s Day drinks at Brazen Head, parents braai at ours

We decided on a fast, filling breakfast as we had many tasks to get through on Saturday. so went for the News Cafe early bird. It did the trick.

Husband exploring the rocks and tide was very shallow that morning.

We met my parents at the Brazen Head in Seaside Village for a St Patrick’s-themed drink when the clock struck noon. See various green/clear/black drinks, here.

Dad and Husband. Both in green, both with a Guinness.

T’was our turn to host the Andrews’ family braai. Husband went with a lamb roast on the Weber, with smashed potatoes, roast veg and a S’mores type braai pudding. Yum!

There were lots of happy ‘dog on couch’ moments.

Sometimes our dining room looks like a sushi restaurant, what with the fish tank and shiny black table.

Sunday, 18 March 2018: Melkbos Kitchen breakfast and beach wander

We only set out for breakfast around 10am, and decided on the Melkbos Kitchen (formerly known as Ritzi’s). See my latte, as well as Husband and Brother-in-Law Spec’s cappuccinos.

After a fair wait, our food arrived, and it was delicious. Husband went for the salmon benedict, Spec the ham, and me the apple-ginger flapjacks. Yum!

We went for a brisk walk along the Melkbos beachfront to work off some off those calories after breakfast.

Bassie was happy to sit with mommy and the reheated breakfast with yet another coffee, later that afternoon.

We stopped at Saint’s in Eden on the Bay for my favourite Insomniac shake for our Sunday afternoon treat. Husband had one, too.

Monday, 19 March 2018: Taking a break with Kit-kat

Monday. What. A. Day. Yes, note all the full stops. And then suddenly my sweet colleague dropped a Kit-kat on my desk and things looked a little brighter 🙂

Tuesday, 20 March 2018: International Happiness Day

Part of the reason for my manic Monday was that I was completing an online masterclass in ‘happiness‘ through 42Courses, ahead of International Happiness Day on Tuesday. Click here for my overview!

Wednesday, 21 March 2018: Human Rights Day

We slept in late on Wednesday as it was Human Rights Day in SA. See my much-needed cappuccino at On the Rocks, where we breakfasted.

The rest of our breakfast – French toast with berry compote, kippers with scrambled eggs, and lots of mirrors and light. We sat inside as it was a tad windy.

Later that morning I had some quiet time napping, reading and dunking cinnamon biscuits in coffee with sweet Bassie.

Later that afternoon, we headed off to Jamaica Me Crazy for an afternoon treat. I had the Muddy Monkey shake, which is a blended banana and brownie, while Husband had the honey-ginger-whisky ‘penicillin’.

Loved the wall art, and we found a corner outside table that was semi-sheltered from the chilly wind.

Next stop, Forester’s Arms, AKA Forries. It looked particularly wintery that afternoon!

We shared the roast chilli poppers starter, the each had a burger – lamb for Husband, chicken for me.

I had to give the sign about females being allowed in pubs a big thumbs up!

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

Table Mountain sunsets and how we celebrated my 34th birthday

Yay, last week was my birthday! If you’ve been waiting to find out how we celebrated it since then, rub your hands in glee and get scrolling below!

Thursday, 15 February 2018: Birthday breakfast at All in the Kitchen, dins at Saints

My parents treated me to breakfast at All in the Kitchen on Thursday morning. I love the ‘Chocolate doesn’t ask questions, chocolate understands’ sign!

See me with mum and dad and our lovely food at All in the Kitchen.

A close-up of that lovely food – Mum squeezing lemon for her avo croissant, Dad’s Omega breakfast with poached eggs and avo, with my nutty, fruity granola bowl bottom right. Love those berries!

All in the Kitchen owner Ally sweetly gifted me with a birthday cupcake! It was chocolate ganache-y delicious and even came with a lit candle.

My afternoon looked much like this – napping with the doggies, colouring in, reading and taking coffee breaks with my gorgeous new owlie mug. Birthday bliss!

Once Husband got home from work, we headed to Eden on the Bay in Big Bay for my birthday dinner. We decided on Saint’s where I had the Insomniac shake (the BEST ever, it’s a chocolate-espresso base topped with Kahlua and Amarula and it hardly kept me awake) – also see Husband’s glass of wine and our delicious burgers and sides. Happy birthday to me! 🙂

We stopped off for a photo of one of my favourite things – the lovely sunset over Table Mountain after dins.

We did a few of our standard ‘kiss on the cheek while wearing the birthday hat’ photos that evening. The doggies don’t look impressed.

Friday, 16 February 2018: Day off coffee at The Daily

One doesn’t take off a Thursday from work and then go in to the office on the Friday – no sir, catching up on all the work is Monday’s problem! One of the things I did on Friday was join my parents at The Daily Cafe in Seaside Village for a morning coffee.

See our coffees and laughs and breakfast plates.

Saturday, 17 February 2018: Solitary coffee at Peacocks, early dins at Bossa

Husband had to work on Saturday so we had a quick breakfast together at Mugg n Bean Bayside before he went to the office. See my iced mocha and croissant, with Husband’s decidedly larger farmer’s breakfast.

I stopped in at Peacocks at Bayside Mall for a quick coffee break following a spot of birthday retail therapy. This hazelnut latte was just what I needed!

Work done for the day, we had an early dins at Bossa in Burgundy Estate. See Husband’s Castle draught and ginormous Big Elvis chicken burger (with bacon, avo, hashbrown and melted cheddar) on the waiter’s recommendation, with my Feel Good pizza and Colada shake. All hit the spot!

Another beautiful sunset over Table Mountain, this time on the way home from Bossa.

Sunday, 18 February 2018: Family birthday breakfast at Cassia at Nitida

Sunday morning was time for the full family birthday breakfast. We’d chosen Cassia at Nitida as it’s not too far from all our homes and the breakfasts are delicious and affordable. See various family snaps outside.

Just look at the wonderful eats and drinks! See my cappuccino with the marscapone-bacon-blueberry flapjack stack ordered by Dad and me, as well as the salmon eggs benedict ordered by Husband and Mum-in-Law.

Delicious food = happy faces.

We had sausages and salads for lupper at Mum’s on Sunday evening, with an amazing nutty-bacon-broccoli salad, too. Yum!

Monday, 19 February 2018: Birthday cakes in the office

As I’d last been in the office the day before my birthday, I took in a selection of treats when I returned to my desk on Monday.

That’s all, folks! You can expect an update on the mind-blowing madness and mayhem of covering Design Indaba next time.

Strandloper fishy feast and Rocomama’s twisted cheesecake

If we’ve not yet spoken this year, happy 2018! It’s been a relaxing-yet-busy first week for us, as you’ll see below…

Friday, 29 December 2017: Day of rest

Friday was a day of rest, with this breakfast at Mugg n Bean in Table Bay Mall one of our only excursions. See Husband’s poached eggs on potato-bean hash brown, with my avo and poached egg toast and iced mocha. Highly recommended!

Saturday, 30 December 2017: Hot chocolate sampling tray at The Daily, sunset at the beach

We started our weekend as such: I went for the ‘hot chocolate tasting tray’ – white, dark and rooibos – with cinnamon-sugar pancakes while Husband had the eggs florentine and cappuccino at The Daily in Seaside Village.

We took advantage of the sunny weather later that day, with Husband having a dip in the sea at Castle Rock.

T’was an ‘ice cream on the beach’ day, so that’s just what I had for my afternoon treat. Was lovely, with ice cream all the way to the tip of the cone!

The weekly braai took place at Husband’s parents’ house later that afternoon, with Spec coming home with us and staying until New Year’s Day. Various snaps from the braai…

Lovely sunset at the beach on our way home that evening.

Sunday, 31 December 2017: New Year’s Eve Webered turkey

We opted for Foodlover’s Market for our final breakfast of 2017. See our cappuccinos, my bacon-feta-avo tramezzini with chips, and the boys’ halloumi stack breakfasts.

We stopped in at the Beach Tavern in Woodbridge Island for a brief beach visit and our final afternoon treat of the year. See my pina colada shake on the left.

There was gentle rain when Husband Webered ANOTHER turkey for New Year’s Eve, complete with confit potatoes and bright green peas.

Monday, 1 January 2018: Fry-up and prawn braai

We learned last year that almost everything is closed on New Year’s Day, so we planned ahead and stocked up on breakfast essentials ahead of the big day. Once we’d all rolled out of bed, Husband cooked a fry-up for all.

Spec left for his home after breakfast, and we got ready to put the Weber to use again with prawn skewers and peri-peri chicken. See mum and dad creating the prawn-and-peppers sosaties and the final outcome.

Husband did the honours of popping the New Year’s Day bubbly.

The hot doggies spent lots of time resting under the cool fans this week.

Tuesday, 2 January 2018: Melkbos morning, Woodbridge walk

Melkbosstrand beach was crowded as a result of the ‘beach weather’ day on Tweede Nuwe Jaar.

Castella Amare on the beachfront was one of few places open pre-noon on Tuesday, so that’s where we breakfasted. See our cocoa-topped cappuccinos, Husband’s eggs royale (salmon eggs ben) and my flapjacks with bacon and banana.

Various stages of the Woodbridge-Lagood Beach walk. We prefer starting at Woodbridge Island side, walking along the tree-lined road to Lagoon Beach, where we cross the stream and walk back to the Milnerton lighthouse along the beachfront. Walkies done, we stop for a treat. See Husband’s draught and the Dragon Fiery Apple I chose. They were frosty and delicious.

Wednesday, 3 January 2018: Day in Langebaan

We stopped off at the Vygevallei farm stall for breakfast, and ate at ‘Route 27 Roosterkoek’, which only served roosterbroodjies (coal-fired sarmies).

Of course I had a coffee to start (two tea bags of coffee in the pot = two tin cups full). Also see our ‘roosterkoeks’. Mine was jam and cheese, Husband had egg and cheese topped with hot sauce.

We met up with Husband’s parents at Shark Bay for a swim in the sea mid-morning. It was chilly but so refreshing!

Our destination for the afternoon – Strandloper! It offers a 10-course fishy feast, and if you’re a non-fish eater like me there’s still lots to fill that belly…

Mutton bredie! Crayfish! Moerkoffie in the sea!

We also ate… farm bread with three different types of konfyt (jam) – tomato, pineapple and fig. Mussels served two ways. Haarders. Koeksister twists with moerkoffie.

Thursday, 4 January 2018: News Cafe breakfast, Eden on the Bay walk, Rocomama’s treats

We woke up early enough for the early bird breakfast at News Cafe on Thursday morning. See our cappuccinos, Husband’s avo and chourizo eggs benedict and my early bird English breakfast. Very filling!

We worked off a bit of that breakfast with a brisk beach walk from Eden on the Bay to Kleinbaai and back – stopping at the yellow Nat Geo frame for a few snaps, of course.

On Thursday afternoon we went to the Durbanville branch of Rocomama’s with my parents. See dad’s burger and my chili con carne-topped fries.

This is what we came for – chocolate-syruped shakes with a tot of Jack Daniels served in skull-shaped glasses, and I tried the tiramisu version of their twisted cheesecake. So good!

That’s all, folks. It’s back to work for us next week so we’ll be making the most of our sunshine hours together this weekend! 🙂