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.
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. 🙂
We’ve both been battling a Winter cold this past week so when not at work, we mainly stayed home to avoid the rainy weather (at last!) You’ll also notice this week’s selection of pics strongly features snaps of the doggies watching us eat…
Friday, 8 June 2018: Raisin scones drop-off
I worked from home last Friday to skip the long commute in to the office, and mum popped in with a homemade treat – raisin scones, fresh out the oven. So yum!
Saturday, 9 June 2018: Reading on couches with dogs
We breakfasted at our local Lacomia’s Cafe in Builder’s Warehouse of Saturday morning, as Husband had all sorts of odds and ends to purchase and tick off on his DIY list. See my cafe mocha and toasted chicken mayo, as well as Husband’s cappuccino, his cola in the background and his sloppy joe eggy mince on toast.I spent most of my Saturday afternoon reading on the couch with the doggies. You can just see Bassie, popping up behind my legs. They’re such sweet snuggle buddies.Mmm, soup! We were both feeling quite under the weather that evening so soup with rolls in front of a roaring fire seemed the best idea for dins. It was.
Sunday, 10 June 2018: Reload dog park breakfast, Limnos treat
We had Sunday breakfast at Reload at the Leadville dog park in Sunningdale (our not-so-social doggies stayed at home, though). See my Mediterranean bagel topped with hummus, onions and avo, as well as my peppermint-choc latte and Husband’s ‘trim’ bacon and bockwurst open omelette.The peppermint-choc latte is delicious and sweet enough that you don’t need to add any sugar.Here is Husband, tentatively sipping on a triple cappuccino. We had initially sat outside to watch the doggies play in the park but the wind soon proved too gusty, especially given our compromised immune systems.Our breakfast table looked like this.Then it was time for some weekend admin. When we saw Limnos had finally opened in the Table Bay Mall, of course we stopped in for a look and take-home treat. I went for a salambo eclair, which is just delicious – choux pastry with vanilla cream piped in through the base, and topped with syrupy almond slivers. Yum! See Bassie pretending not to watch me eat it in the last photo.This is post-salambo, pre-coffee. Bassie was happy to snuggle with me on the couch while I convalesced with a new book.Mum made a lovely trifle for Sunday lupper-dessert.You can just see the doggies watching their granny eat hers in the background here.
Tuesday, 12 June 2018: Monthly radio recording at 2OceansVibe
On Tuesday, my colleague Angie and I popped in at the 2OceansVibe recording studio in Cartel House, Loop Street for our second show. We stopped in for a post-show coffee and caught up on emails at Cafe du Cap downstairs.We were careful not to ‘drop the mic. Lol.
Wednesday, 13 June 2018: Mid-week winter dins at Doodles
We stopped in for dins at Doodles on Wednesday to celebrate both finally feeling a bit better from this change-of-season cold. Husband had the winter bangers and mash special for R59, plus a glass of red to wash it down, I had the Wednesday burger and chips special (it’s another R59 meal, but I ordered a latte instead).The cold front was due to hit the following day so watching the sun setting over the sea after dins seemed extra special as we’d be stuck indoors for the next few days.Bertie was happy to snuggle with me again that eve in front of the fire.
That’s all, folks! Stay warm and well, and have a happy Father’s Day weekend 🙂
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 I started attending the digital marketing live sessions at Red & Yellow, which run into early next year. Start scrolling below to see a few snaps from the first two classes below as well as other work-related moments and lots of snaps of the doggies…
Thursday, 9 November 2017: Futures Cape Town and Digital Marketing LIVE at Red & Yellow
Last Thursday was a very busy one for me. I started off in the office, then spent the first bit of the afternoon at the Inner City Ideas Cartel (ICIC), where I covered a bit of the WGSN Futures Cape Town session. Click here if you want to read my coverage on Biz.Talk over, I Ubered to Red & Yellow School in Salt River. The digital marketing LIVE lessons are streamed over the internet if you can’t be on campus on time – 15:30 to 17:30 on Thursdays. Snacks and study aids at the ready!Each week, a different digital marketing lecturer shares words of wisdom with us. Up first was Rob Stokes, who started Quirk agency (now Mirum). You can just see the back of my head on the left.
Saturday, 11 November 2017: Village Place breakfast and The World According to Bertie
“I moustache you a question,” teehee. Husband ordered a large cappuccino at the Village Place Cafe on Saturday morning, so his accompanying biscuit was suitably supersized, too.See my regular size cappuccino and biscuit on the left, banting flapjacks topped with yoghurt and berries on the right, and Husband’s mince on toast topped with eggs in the middle.We helped Husband’s dad get around the new Table Bay Mall in a wheelchair we lent from the mall security later that morning.I noticed the cappuccino-donut combo special while we were doing groceries at Checkers later that afternoon and had to give it a try. What I got didn’t look quite like what was in the poster (see difference in pics) but it was still delicious and very good value for money.We opted against the usual braai as Husband’s dad was limited in his movement, so started with veggie soup, followed by a shared peri-chicken gatsby and chocolate mousse tubs for dessert. Bassie and Bertie got to lick the tubs once we were done with them, as you can see.Husband and his dad went for walkies down the street later that afternoon. Bertie watched.Little Miss Bass enjoyed her visit, despite wearing her sad face in this photo.Look at the title of the book Husband’s mum was reading!
Sunday, 12 November 2017: Chocolate-pecan pie and pink clouds
We Sunday-breakfasted at Greens in Plattekloof Village. You can just see us in Husband’s snap of the interior of the restaurant, reflected in the mirror.To eat: Husband’s mushroom-spinach eggs benedict on the left, my toasted salami, mozzarella and olives on the right.We had ordered a slice of chocolate-pecan pie to take home from Greens, and I heated it and ate with cream for my early-afternoon treat.Pretty streaky pink clouds at Mum’s that evening.
Monday, 13 November 2017: Office birthday cake and evening doggie selfies
Monday was an office birthday cake day as it had been Cheryl’s birthday over the weekend. It looks like I took severely tiny slices of milk tart and carrot cake here!I snapped a selfie with Bertie while recuperating from the work day that evening.
Wednesday, 22 November 2017: MyUptopia yoga and food review
On Wednesday afternoon, My colleague Shan and I reviewed MyUtopia near the Waterfront’s Express Bikram yoga class followed by a late lunch at the in-studio Nourish Cafe. My full wordy review will be on Biz soon, but you can get an idea of the experience here. See the foresty heated room you stretch and sweat in, and two of the yummy smoothies…There’s fruit-flavoured water and the bathrooms are stocked with everything you may need – shampoo and body wash in the shower, cotton balls and deodorant and lockers to stash your clothes in, and even a ‘blow dry bar’ so you can have your ‘hair did’ before you venture back to the office. T’was a lovely experience.Our late lunch was also worth writing home about. See the foam art in our cappuccinos, my toasted bacon, brie and pepperdew and Shan’s chicken wrap – both with the best beetroot crisps we’ve tasted! Thanks to Shanny for the pics as my devices were otherwise occupied at the time.
Thursday, 16 November 2017: Another afternoon at Red & Yellow
The second lesson was presented by Rob Stokes’ wife, Nikki Cockcroft. You can just see her through the glass. She’s really amazing, having been CEO at Primedia Online, taken Woolworths digital and more.
That’s all, folks! Hope you have a restful weekend.
We’re a little low on pics this week alas, as not only was Husband working the weekend shift but I was also glued to my laptop downloading images and compiling tables for the Cannes Lions. I still had a few delicious moments though…
Thursday, 22 June 2017: Bertie beach walk
Husband took Bertie for a trot along the seaside on Thursday as he was off that day. Bertie had lots of fun hopping along in the waves and was still a slightly damp dog when I got home that evening.
Saturday, 24 June 2017: Sunrise snaps and Italian treats
Husband snapped this shot of the sunrise sky as he left home for work first thing on Saturday morning.Mum was meeting a friend for coffee mid-morning on Saturday so dad treated me to breakfast at Wimpy as I’d only need to work afternoon-onwards. I also had a lovely ripple hot chocolate with Flake on the side.We stopped off at Forneria Italia on the way home for a selection of Italian tea time treats, as my parents would be entertaining the doglets while I got a head start on that evening’s winner lists. We ended up with these delicious lemon ricotta tarts, nutty canneloni and almondy puffs.Bassie got some affection from grampa while snuggled in a blankie on the couch.Bertie was quite happy to have his on the floor.
Sunday, 25 June 2017: Post-Cannes relaxing
When Husband left for work on Sunday morning I was happy to snuggle in bed with a book, coffee and the doglets for a few more hours.Mum served a delicious soup with cheese rolls later that afternoon.For dins, a cashew-nut chicken curry with slices of banana.For dessert, only the freshest lemon loaf!The doggies had lots more affection on Sunday as I was no longer glued to my laptop.
Wednesday, 28 June 2017: Office doughnuts
Wednesday was our CEO’s birthday, and while that’s usually our ‘non-lunch’ day of the week, he treated us to an assortment of deliciously hot, fresh doughnuts.
Husband’s on night shift again next week so I took today off work so that we can at least spend a weeny bit of time together, hope you have a relaxing weekend!
What a busy week it’s been! In addition to Cannes Lions’ week of advertising awards kicking off with a bang, it was Father’s Day last weekend, Husband’s turn to be Marvin again and last Friday was a public holiday so that meant doing five days of work in four – make that 3.25, as Thursday was also our office teambuilding day, which we spent swinging through the trees of Constantia. I’ll explain in pictures, so you can see exactly what I mean…
Thursday, 15 June 2017: Teambuilding at Acrobranch Constantia and Eagle’s Nest Wines
You really get a feel for the beautiful mountains and ancient trees of Constantia at Acrobranch. And while we didn’t rely on each other to complete the circuit in any way, it’s now a fun shared memory.Some pre-circuit team jumping shots on the harness mat, the blue band shows we were doing the most complicated course (eep) and the medal-looking object in my hand in the orange-framed photo is actually the harness used for ziplining. We can pretend it’s a medal though.Ha. I seem hesitant top left but persevered throughout (we didn’t touch solid ground for almost two hours after we started.) No wonder most of us were still complaining of stiff muscles and sore arms when we reconvened in the office on Monday. Sadly, this is the only proof I have of me ziplining. Some sections were much longer/higher off the ground/scarier than this!Tummies rumbling from all that physical exertion we were more than ready for a late lunch at Eagle’s Nest, just up the road from Acrobranch. If you’ve never been, go go go! While the food menu is limited to platters and soups, they are truly amazing and worth every penny. Plus, gorgeous setting in the Constantia Valley hollow, surrounded by greenery and doggies and even heaters if you choose to sit outside – I’ll be back!
Friday, 16 June 2017: Youth Day French toast and Saint’s Winter menu
I’m not sure why I tend to think of Tables at Nitida in Durbanville when we want a late breakfast on a public holiday, but it’s yet to disappoint. A late breakfast it was as Husband got in from night shift at an hour most are getting up to start the day. We celebrated having some free time together with cappuccinos, the smoked salmon-cream cheese open omelette, the brioche French toast with bacon and caramelised banana and a soul-resetting view.After a lazy day of napping we ventured out to Saint’s in Eden on the Bay to sample their new Winter menu. I ended up with their enormous serving of chili con carne-topped cheesy chips and Husband had the Comfortably Numb chicken burger with sides of sweet potato fries and salad.All the food and drink fairly filled the table. That’s my empty latte mug and Husband’s non-ginny Rocknrolla Cola.Perfect spot for viewing the sunset over the sea from Big Bay.Taken just after sunset. I think we snap a similar photo each winter. You can see the pinky-red of my last-week hair quite clearly here. (If you’ve seen me since Sunday you’ll know this week it’s purple).
Saturday, 17 June 2017: Petiscos family brunch and Cannes Lions 2017 begins
My hair looks quite gingery red here but it’s just the lighting. We had time to pop out for a quick bite to eat before I’d need to take my seat in front of the laptop on Saturday morning. We got it all at our local Village Place Cafe – see my cappuccino with shortbread biscuit and the bacon eggs benedict we shared. Just right when you know you’re having a big lunch later. That’s just what happened…Some Joburg rellies were down in Cape Town for a few days so mum arranged a family lunch at Petisco’s. I did a little bit of work right at the table. That’s my Lindt Flake shake top left, Dad’s full chicken a cafreal and mum’s peri-peri chicken xai xai (my favourite, but I order it lemon-herb to be safe). Also see skull of their own brand of hot sauce. I love it! (The bottle, not the sauce. It’s delicious but guarantees your tastebuds are singed for hours.)Still chatting away after eating, you can see almost everyone left with takeaway boxes.My in-laws were up in Joburg sorting out the last few house-sale items so we joined brother Spec for a braai later that evening – just the three of us (plus the doggies, of course). I was still so full from our Petiscos meal that I only ate what you see on the left – potato salad, pasta salad, a bacon-wrapped cherry skewer and garlic bread. Plus a third of the ‘caramel chocolate malva pudding’ you see on the right, because my dessert stomach was ready to roll. Teehee.And so it begins… I marked the first late night of Cannes Lions week with this enormous mug of Milo. The tissue box is a permanent feature, am neither ill nor crying. Poor Husband has been very generous with hugs and hot drinks!
Sunday, 18 June 2017: Father’s Day breakfast at Stacked Diner, high tea at Mum’s
We fetched my parents bright and early on Sunday morning to treat them to Father’s Day breakfast at Stacked Diner. Dad ended up with the plain dog topped with gerkhins, Jalapenos and hot English mustard as well as a stack of blueberry flapjacks. Well-balanced tastes!The rest of us ate the following: Banana caramel waffle top-left and bottom-right (me), the Parmesan French toast with ham top-right (Mum), and the hash brown stack with extra avo bottom left (Husband). Delicious!Father’s Day ❤ Sadly I had to rush home after this to do still more urgent Cannes Lions work, but we saw dad again much later in the day, when Mum treated us to all sorts of delicious afternoon tea goodies instead of our usual lupper.Mum whipped up ALL the goodies you see on the table, luckily brother Spec was invited to help us polish it off. See mini scone topped with jam and cream on the right. Yummy.These pics were all taken in the space of an hour at Mum’s that evening. Pretty winter sky.
Work week coffee treats during all hours of Cannes Lions work
Two of my much-needed office treats during the week – warm croissant while unimpressed elk mug looks on (the jealous owlie mug was retired after it got chipped). And on the right, the lovely Angie who popped an unexpected coffee on my desk on Wednesday morning. Just what I needed to keep going this admin-intensive week!
That’s all, folks! Cannes Lions comes to an end on Saturday evening and Husband is working all of this coming weekend, so wish us luck!
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
