Heritage Day 2019 at Carlucci’s, GrandWest Casino and Petisco’s

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. 🙂

How we celebrated Husband’s 39th birthday

It was Husband’s birthday on Tuesday, so there were quite a few celebrations over the past few days involving cocktails, pizzas and beach visits…

Friday, 25 January 2019: After-work dinner at Ikura Earth Cafe

Husband fetched me from the bus stop after work last Friday and we had an early dinner together at Ikura Earth Cafe. See my very pink shake, Husband’s glass of red, his salmon handrolls and my crispy honey chicken. Yum!

Saturday, 26 January 2019: Reload breakfast, Hooked lunch, Beach Tavern cocktails

We opted for a quick breakfast at Reload Parklands on Saturday morning, before kicking off our admin chores for the weekend. See Husband’s eggy-bacon breakfast, my scones with jam and cheese, our coffees and the lovely leafy setting.

After much mall admin, we tried Hooked in Tygervalley Mall for lunch on Saturday afternoon. Husband enjoyed his fishy platter for one and the waffle with bananas and hot, fudgey sauce served in a pan was delicious.

We also met my parents at Beach Tavern in Woodbridge Island for Saturday evening cocktails. See the beautiful creamy pina colada shake with pineapple wedge. Dad and me had these, while Mum and Husband had Bloody Marys.

The four of us at Beach Tavern, with our happy faces and cocktails.

The weather was lovely so we stopped at Dolphin Beach for a quick beach visit on our way home. I was befriended by a doggy and there was a wedding ceremony underway. We sat on a dune and watched for a little while.

Sunday, 27 January 2019: Carlucci’s breakfast and beautiful beach weather

We had breakfast at Carlucci’s in Table View on Sunday morning, with a view of Table Mountain and delicious coffees. Also see my large almond croissant and Husband’s salmon eggs benedict.

Beautiful Table Mountain beyond the bowl of Table Bay.

Husband walking through streams of mussel shells to reach his preferred sea-swimming hole.

Husband and sea birds, between various dips in the sea.

I had a ‘Coffee in a cone’ from the cashless Cup & Cake in Eden on the Bay as my Sunday afternoon treat.

Precious clean doglets after their Sunday afternoon shower.

It was a ‘build your own gatsby’ lupper at Mum’s. Yums!

T’was a pretty Sunday sunset, though the sky was hazy.

Tuesday, 29 January 2019: Husband’s 39th birthday dins at Panarotti’s

We met both sets of parents at Panarotti’s in Table Bay Mall for Husband’s birthday dins, after a long day of work. See all the happy faces.

Also see some of our pizzas and pastas – they’re all on special on a Tuesday – as well as my Bar-One and Dad’s Cherry Bomb shake.

The standard ‘birthday hat photo’ with the doglets once we were home that evening.

That’s all for now, folks! We’re sure to celebrate Husband’s birthday even more this weekend, so keep your eyes peeled for my next update. 🙂

Rocomama’s waffles and jam jar cocktails at Boardhouse

This past week was quite a busy one workwise so we didn’t get out much, but we enjoyed all the small moments of joy…

Friday, 18 January 2019: McDonald’s with a difference

We stopped in at our nearest McDonald’s after work last Friday and were surprised to see the decor is completely different, with a fully automated order system. Not a yellow arch in sight!

And to drink, with my chilli cheese medium McMeal? An iced coffee, further adding to the unexpectedness of the experience.

Saturday, 19 January 2019: Rocomama’s waffles

It was a Bread & Butter breakfast for us on Saturday. See our flat white and mochachino respectively, as well as my single bacon eggs benedict and Husband’s trout omelette.

We decided on Rocomama’s for our Saturday afternoon treat. Seen here: My half portion ‘Cookies and Scream’ waffle, Husband’s Franken-smash burger with chilli-cheese fries, and his G-shake with shot of Jack Daniels’ Jack Fire. Yum!

The burgers and fries were top-notch as always, and the waffle delicious. This is the half-portion of ‘Cookies and Scream’, which I polished off after my burger and creme brulee shake.

Sunday, 20 January 2019: Greens breakfast, Boardhouse cocktails

See how we started our Sunday: my caramelised pear, pecan and marscapone flapjack stack, Husband’s spinach and mushroom benedict, my moccachino and his flat white.

Sunday morning means quality time with the doglets!

We used a 2-for-1 Entertainer voucher that afternoon, for cocktails at the Boardhouse. See our cranberry-rose mojo jam jars – one each – and some of the lovely decor. Sadly, we did have work the next day!

Bright, sunny decor inside Boardhouse in Table View. We sat inside as it was quite a windy day.

Mmm, malva pudding after lupper at Mum’s on Sunday evening.

Wednesday, 23 January 2019: Awarding work at work and sweet evening dogs

I received a certificate of jury participation from the global Epica Awards at work on Wednesday. These are for advertising work, and are judged by journalists in the marketing industry. I judged 531 of the 4020 entries last year! You don’t vote on your own country’s work, of course. Click here for an overview of the winners.

Our happy little ray of sunshine, Bertie on the couch that evening.

This precious child of mine.

That’s all, folks! We hope you have a happy weekend ahead 🙂

T’was the week before Christmas 2018…

We’re finally on leave! And we’ve been in holiday mode for a while as last weekend was a long one – Day of Reconciliation was on Sunday, so Monday was a public holiday…

Saturday, 15 December 2018: Pre-Christmas braai  

We had various weekend admin things to do near Table View shopping centre on Saturday morning, so we breakfasted at Blueberries. See our cappuccinos in glass mugs, Husband’s Coke Zero, his hash brown breakfast and my toasted bacon and banana on brown.

We’d not braaied at Husband’s parents in a while, so that’s where we spent our Saturday evening. See various decorations and braai foods.

Husband and Spec got into the festive spirit at their parents house, by helping to decorate.

Proof we were all there – see Bassie in my arms, Bertie was just out of camera shot.

My precious family, at Husband’s parents’ house.

Our house got the ‘Christmas decorations’ treatment that evening, too. Ready for Christmas!

Sunday, 16 December 2018: Weekly sea dip in Blouberg

Our Place has opened where Melissa’s used to be, on Marine Circle, so that’s where we breakfasted on Sunday. See our strong coffees, Husband’s eggs benedict and my toasted chicken mayo.

We stopped at Xpresso in Table Bay Mall for a quick R10 coffee treat, mid-mall-mole (Ask me if you don’t know what that means, teehee). A con panna for Husband and a toffee caramel latte for me.

If you look closely, you can just make out Husband along the edge of the rocks here, about to have his weekly sea dip.

Monday, 17 December 2018: Public holiday quality time with doggies

Conditions were just right for beach walkies once we’d had a lie-in and done some house admin that morning. See the doglets at various stages of their walk/swim/paddle.

Doglets enjoying their walkies over the dunes, back to the car.

We hadn’t been to Woodbridge Island in a while, so visited on Monday afternoon. See Husband at the lighthouse.

Our milkshakes at Beach Tavern – see Husband’s pina colada shake topped with coconut shavings, and my sweet banoffee pie shake. Yum!

We had lupper at CTFM in Seaside Village that evening. The Monday burger special is still R55, and Husband enjoyed his paella. Also see my cafe mocha and Husband’s glass of red.

Enjoying the ‘not at work’ mood with my doggies that afternoon.

That’s all, folks! As we’re now officially on leave, expect lots of ‘relaxed faces’ in the next update. 🙂

Angus Grill’s ‘don of chocolate’ and Jive’s Cape food-pairing taxi tour

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 🙂

What you missed at AfricaCom 2018 and Friday evenings at Moyo

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

Friday, 9 November 2018: Moyo sea-dip evening

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

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

The sky was beautiful when we got home that evening.

Saturday, 10 November 2018: CTFM paella and shakes

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Doggy marshmallow moments and ‘R10 everything’ at Xpresso

Not only does the title of this week’s blog post refer to the sheer squishiness of my cute critters, but also the fact that we had enormous braai marshmallows last weekend, which the doglets loved. See for yourself below…

Friday, 2 November 2018: Pink office birthday cake

We celebrated a colleague’s birthday with tea and the prettiest pink cake. Happy birthday, Clarina!

Endless sky views on my way home from the office that afternoon.

Saturday, 3 November 2018: Halloween braai at Husband’s parents

We started our weekend with breakfast at Green’s in Plattekloof Village. See my apple-berry crumble and cappuccino, as well as Husband’s flat white, Coke Zero and open haddock omelette.

Not your average ‘Husband in sea’ weekend pics.

We saw people queuing to get into Xpresso, newly opened in Table Bay Mall, so stopped in to find out what all the fuss was about. Everything costs R10! Whether you’re having a fancy flavoured coffee, a sandwich roll, pastry or cold drink, you’ll only be parting with a single green note. Husband loved the con panna so much he had two of them, and my top-deck hot chocolate was delicious. We’ll be back!

Husband’s parents hosted a Halloween-themed braai on Saturday evening. See our hasselback potatoes, pumpkin-filled gemsquashes and various braai meats.

Bertie and his dad, watching some rugby (TV not pictured).

Such well-behaved doglets waiting for braai treats from their dad.

Main meals eaten, it was time for dessert. We had a jumbo bag of jumbo marshmallows to braai (see Bassie attempting a raw one). Bertie was more interested in my slice of milktart, teehee.

Lol. Look at size of marshmallow. Look at size of mouth. Somehow it worked out!

Sunday, 4 November 2018: Bread & Butter’s single benedicts, jumbo oysters at Catch 22

We breakfasted at Bread and Butter on Sunday. See the enormous bacon, avo and egg-filled croissant as devoured by Spec, as well as the cakes on display, our flat whites and the single benedicts on sweet-potato bread, as eaten by Husband and me.

We stopped in at Catch 22 later that afternoon, so Spec could try the jumbo oysters. I had a gingerbread latte, Husband had a Bloody Mary and Spec an Amstel.

Make-your-own gatsby lupper at Mum’s! We had a choice of spicy chicken or chilli con carne to fill them with. Mmm.

Lovey post-lupper treats at Mum’s that evening – madeira cake and coffee, both topped with cream.

Precious doglets in various poses on the couch, as snapped over the weekend.

Wednesday, 7 November 2018: Team lunch at La Bottega

It had been a while since our last team lunch – we’ve all been so busy that we kept postponing. Luckily, Wednesday we finally made it happen. See some of the lovely poke bowls and pizzas we ate at La Bottega – the bacon and sliced-potato version is especially good – just up the road from our offices in Woodstock. Also see my Nutella-banana gourmet shake. Yum!

(Almost) the whole gang was there!

That’s all, folks! It feels like we’ve switched back to Summer for now, stay cool.

A Portuguese Halloween and how we’re surviving the summer heat wave

This last week saw an intense heat wave hit, so we spent much of our free time gazing at, walking beside, and swimming in the ocean. And let’s not mention all the milkshakes I glugged down…

Friday, 26 October 2018: After-work espresso shake at Fat Cactus

A colleague and I went for an after-work chat with milkshakes at the Fat Cactus across the road from work.

How cute are the cactus-shaped milkshake glasses? That’s my espresso shake. Yum!

We started our weekend early, with Friday evening dinner at Earth Cafe. I chose the crispy honey chicken, while Husband had two salmon hand rolls and the black bean curry.

Saturday, 27 October 2018: Bagels at Reload, oysters at Catch22

Proof that I follow instructions well: My peppermint-choc latte at Reload in Parklands on Saturday morning told me to smile, so I did. Also see my bagel with smashed avo, and Husband’s trim portion of open Mexican omelette. It was lovely.

Husband gazing at Table Mountain from the rocky outcrop in the bay in Table View.

All the blues and greens we saw at the beach.

It was so very hot that he spent more time than his usual quick dunk in the sea.

It was the perfect weather for a meal with a view of the beach. See Table Mountain and the sea as seen from the balcony of Catch22. Also, Husband’s glass of red and my Peppermint Aero milkshake.

Husband was delighted with the jumbo-sized oysters – R25 each, followed by the Calypso’s Catch seafood salad. The Buccaneer beef burger, topped with cheese and bacon and onion rings, was also delicious, as always.

Hot dogs cooling down under the fans that evening.

Sunday, 28 October 2018: Doggy beach walks before breakfast at On the Rocks

We took the doglets for an early Sunday morning beach walk at their favourite, Kreeftebaai. See various stages of said walkies.

It didn’t take much time to coax little Bassie into the sea too, to cool down her feeties.

Our lack of sleeves in these pics shows you how hot it was on Sunday morning. We opted for breakfast at On the Rocks, with a strawberry shake and the berry French toast for me, and a cappuccino, Coke Zero and the breakfast pan for Husband.

We stopped off for a walk around Eden on the Bay that afternoon.

It was so very hot that Husband set up the air-conditioner machine in the kitchen, then sat in front of it for a while, cooling down with Bertie. Bassie also enjoyed the air that was reaching her from the couch.

Ice-cream with blueberries and a cup of coffee at Mum’s after lupper that evening.

Wednesday, 31 October 2018: Halloween dins at Petisco’s

We found ourselves at Petisco’s in Parklands for dins on Wednesday evening. It was Halloween, so there was bunting and decorations galore. We ended up with a plate of the chicken xai xai each, as well as a Fanta orange and the mocha shake.

Loved the Halloween decorations!

Thursday, 1 November 2018: BrandZ launch at Kantar MillwardBrown

The first BrandZ results, for the top 30 most valuable SA brands, launched on Thursday morning at the Kantar MillwardBrown offices on the Foreshore. It was such a nice event.

That’s all, folks! We’re in for a slightly cooler weekend, with some rain even set for Sunday, so expect a few more sleeves in my next update. Teehee 😉

Spring 2018: Seaside milkshakes, beers and braais

Last weekend was chilly yet sunny – some would say Spring is here, but the weather at the moment is anything but. Grey, misty and drizzly, with bursts of sunshine now and then, it feels like we’re back at the start of winter. Let’s look back at the sunshine instead…

Friday, 31 August 2018: Bizcommunity and Cinemark’s Cannes Lions feedback session

Some of the scenes from the Cape Town version of the Bizcommunity and Cinemark feedback from Cannes Lions morning – see Proteas and French flags alike at the food table to depict a taste of France (Cannes) in SA; as well as some of my favourite moments from the presentations of the morning. Click here for a more comprehensive overview.

Proof I was there! Networking with a lovely attendee from Doctors Without Borders – her boss bought her a ticket to attend the event as a birthday present.

Saturday, 1 September 2018: Spring Day braai at the in-laws

Beautiful palm tree-lined street in Melkbosstrand, and just look at the cute little bench.

We got to Damhuis in Melkbosstrand just as they were opening on Saturday morning, so that’s where we breakfasted. See our cappuccinos with tiny rusks to dunk; as well as my scone topped with jam, whipped cream and grated cheese; and Husband’s banting bacon eggs benedict served on a mushroom.

Bertie was in the Spring spirit later that morning, merrily sniffing flowers in the garden. Such a sweet boy.

Beautiful crashing waves and view of Table Mountain at one of Husband’s favourite swimming spots that afternoon.

Lol! Pictures on the right are there to see if you’re paying attention – it’s my caramel treat milkshake and husband’s beer, obviously. This is outside at Doodles on the beachfront in the early afternoon. Just lovely.

Later that day, we headed to my parents-in-law’s house for an evening braai.

Pretty flowers blossoming at my in-laws’ house.

Little Miss Bassie did a heckin’ explore of the long grass in the garden. What a cutie!

Bertie boy sitting patiently on the couch while we braai.

Sweet little Bassie wanted to see all the foodies on the table. Teehee at her facial expression.

Some of the foodies Bassie was interested in – assorted braai meats, salads and chocolate mousse for dessert. Yum!

Aww. Bassie having a moment with her father-dad.

Such pretty clouds above!

Sunday, 2 September 2018: Brotherly breakfast at the Pink Olive

Spec slept over at ours that night, so we breakfasted at the Pink Olive the next morning. Big smiles once our coffees were downed.

The Pink Olive should be called the Blue Olive with this decor, really. See our coffees, the boys’ ‘bacon banting basket’ breakfasts (yes, Husband’s second banting brekkie of the weekend) and my toasted chicken mayo with red onions and gherkins. Yum!

Monday, 3 September 2018: Sunrise from the bus window

Sunrise on Monday morning, as seen from the bus window on my commute to work.

Wednesday, 6 September 2018: I always feel like somebody’s watching me

This is how the doggies stare at me when I’m trying to work. That’s when they’re not jostling for spots on my lap, of course.

That’s all, folks. Keep warm and dry this weekend!

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 🙂