a perfect weekend

Had a wonderful girl date with my friend, Jeandre. We went for a trail run on the farm and then had a lovely grilled cajun calamari and sushi dinner at Sapore.

Had a couple of gee ‘n tee’s with my main ladies Jackie Cameron and sous chef Elaine Boshoff from Hartford House.

Woke up reaaaaally late on Saturday. Remained in pj’s lolling around on the couch “watching” rugby (in other words, playing on Pinterest and writing blog posts).  That ref was kak hey, boet?

Took the dogs for a long walk in the hot weather and had a look at all our moo’s.  There are the sweetest little minky-soft calves bouncing about. Spring has certainly sprung.

Made homemade pizza (well, Andrew made, I poured the wine – as usual) on Saturday night.

Went for long run on Sunday morning.  Andrew brought out his bike, dusted it off and took it for a cycle. It appears we will be doing the picturesque 4 day cycle ride up the Transkei coast next year for my cousin’s wedding with all the le Roux family members – EXCITE!

Had a chilled braai on the lawn. Lay out a big picnic blanket and read my book in the sun while the cat and dogs clamoured over me.  Had an afternoon nap. Followed by another walk with the dogs to see the moo’s.  Got bowled over (literally) by the German Shepherd and the Labrador. I’m talking blood, grazes and grass burn. They’re in BIG trouble. The snooty cat has moved up to number 1 position in the favourite pet stakes, followed closely by the fluffy pekinese.

Wrote and wrote and read.

A perfect weekend, really.

life lately

Andrew and I have been married for six months today. Time doesn’t fly – it feels like six years already.  KIDDING!…… Or am I?  Love you, my light.

I was rear-ended by two cars in town the other day.  Car accidents are the worst.  Luckily I was unharmed, and my car has only a crack and a couple of scratches… but still. Whiplash, insurance claims, police statements, ADMIN.  I am not good at admin.

My colleague returns on Monday from her four week trip to Australia.  I cannot wait to have her back for coffee and chats in the morning and general fun in the office.  Also, she really is good at that admin stuff mentioned above.  Mands, sorry in advance for the crap pile on your desk.

Our water pump on the farm is officially broken, which means no water until Monday evening while we wait for the parts from Johannesburg to arrive.  Rhodes University and Grahamstown is also currently struggling with water issues, though I think there’s may be more due to badly managed municipalities than broken pumps. Sort your shit out EC.

This blog post has gone viral, especially in America.  Peeps are sharing it left right and centre – thank you.  I know Facebook is losing a bit of merit at the moment (especially with their introduction of hashtags and trending – I mean, can someone smell a copy RAT??) but we still need to appreciate the massive sharing capabilities of the Facebizzle timeline. Thank you for spreading the word.

Speaking of THAT blog post, I eventually found the C. Warnke who write that beautiful passage.  He in on Twitter and Tumblr and check, check guys: he replied to my message with DANKIE! What a legend. I wonder if he has any South African blood in him or just knows how to use google translate.  Either way, I’m impressed.

Have dealt with some really rude people this week at work and on the interwebs. Makes you just want to smash something (or them. In the face. With a chainsaw). But I just breathe. And do Yoga.

I reached 700 followers on Twitter this week (hi to all my new American readers and followers – hope you enjoy my little piece of South Africa – you should totally come visit our country and bring your dollas with you :D seriously.) and I’ve also met some of my readers in real life too!  It’s so nice to have people you’ve never met before recognize you and come up and tell you that they enjoy reading your ramblings. You guys make my earth rotate. Thank you!!!!!

I ordered my first laptop. Which I will pay for by myself, through a debit order with FNB every month. Yoh, I am GROWING UP. I also paid for my first car service this month. That was slightly more painful than ordering the laptop.  I can’t wait to write and create on this thing of beauty. And yes, it’s a MacBook.  After this purchase, I will have officially MacApple’d my life.

Also, just to let you know that it’s CHEAPER to order a tablet, phone or computer through FNB and pay it off over 24 months interest-free than buying it from the shop.  Believe me, I did my research.  It was cheaper even than my mom-in-law buying it in England and bringing it over for me next month.  So, if you’re not with FNB, you should be.

This weekend I have no plans other than a massage with Colleen at Midlands House of Healing and my flower girl’s fourth birthday party.  There will be lots of reading, relaxing, sleeping, walking, and of course, yoga.  Have a great one my lovelies!

With love xxx

Image: source

techno geek

I’m writing this blog post on my iPhone using the WordPress app while we Andrew drives down to Durban to fetch our wedding album. With a family-dinner induced hangover. I’m quite proud of this (the app and my ability to use it, not the hangover) as I have never been great with technology. But get an iPhone and suddenly you’re a bonafide techno geek. With apps like Over and Pic Frame who needs graphic designers? I have even made my own thank-you cards for my wedding on my iPhone – which will be sent via email. Who would’ve thought? I’m hoping to attend some photoshop and illustrator courses when we get back from honeymoon and hubster has promised (oh yes you did) to treat me to an iMac too. Before you know it, I will be designing me own fancy blog headers (but thanks cousin Noo for doing them in the meanwhile, you’re the bomb-diggedy) and using technical jargon like “coding” and… I don’t know any others off hand but yaknowayemean.

Hope you all have a fabulous Friday and a lovely weekend! I’ve got Chè and Warren’s wedding tomorrow which I’m sure will be absolutely phenomenal. Saw the groom at Saporè last night and he looked cool, calm and collected and I just KNOW miss indieberries is going to look beautiful. Can’t wait! Good luck you two and enjoy the BEST DAY OF YOUR LIFE. It’s going to be amazing. Head over indieberries to see Chè’s post today to Warren. I totally teared.

On a side note, the Brazilian Blow Out is looking great – will post all about it next week. Kez out.

Ps: will also post the professional pictures from our wedding sometime next week. Above is my favourite so far. Bright Girl is too clever.

weekend snaps

Here’s some of what we got up to this weekend:

We saw a lot of the Moses Mahbida Stadium in Durban.  I shmaak that stadium.  I’m not really into architecture, but I can appreciate the beauty of one of Africa’s most iconic football stadiums.  If one good thing came from The World Cup in 2010, it was Moses Mahbida:

We even took the sky cab to the top of it.  My first time ever, and another reason I love my husband so much: he is always willing to entertain my inner child and curiousity… probably because his is pretty much the same.

Look at us all posey posey at the top…

And check that view!

It’s amazing how small Kings Park looks from the top of Moses Mahbida too.  But more of Kings Park later…

We then headed off to lunch at a restaurant I’ve been dying to try for aaaaages: Neil Roarke’s Craft Trattoria in Durban North.  I drank this gorgeous watermelon cosmopolitan:

and put this mussel, clam and prawn spaghetti cartoccio down my gullet:

Oh you knows it… delish.  The entire place was everything I imagined.  Love love love the decor and all the quirky little personal touches.  You MUST go see for yourself.

You can watch peeps working in the kitchen through the glass wall… I like a lot.  No judgement going on in there.

The we headed off for some couch time at my cousin’s Claire’s flat and I simply had to take a photograph her throws. LOVE.  Claire, being a graphic designer and all, has the most beautiful, funky, quirky flat in the world.  Such a happy place.  Could crawl up on this couch and stay forever.

See?

After our nap, we headed off to the Park of Kings for the opening game of the season between The Sharks (the best team in THE WORLD) and The Stormers (our biggest rivals in my opinion… I love playing them, especially at Kings Park and especially when we beat them.  Which we did, of course).  There was such an awesome vibe at the game, and the car parks were famously filled with people braaing and celebrating… just one of my favourite places in the world.  The stadium looked so pretty in the setting sun:

Andrew drank lots of jugs of beer and I ate biltong. Cannot, for the life of me, understand why the only choice of alcoholic drink for women at the stadium is Brutal Fruit. Yuk. as far as I’m concerned, the only people who should be drinking Brutal Fruit are underage schoolgirls. People over the age of eighteen DO NOT drink alcopops. Come on SAB!

After the rugger we headed off to a very average meal on Florida Road at a Place Which Shall Not Be Named, but which used to be one of the best steakhouses and most popular joints in Durban for dinner. Now… just very disappointing.

On Sunday morning, Andrew slept off his seven jugs of beer.  I eventually got him out of bed at 10, itching to go to the beach.  Somehow we ended up here instead:

Yep. Sibaya Casino.  Saddest place to be on a Sunday morning at 11am, and believe me there were a lot of people there.  Being sad.  Anywho, we cashed our vouchers and left asap, before finally getting to Umhlodti Beach.

There we met Andrew’s dad and his girlfriend for an aaaaamazing seafood lunch at Bel Punto before they headed off back to the Isle of Man.  Bliss, heaven and sunshine.  I’m sure you can see why it is one of our favourite restaurants in Durban:

After that we headed home, beautifully fat and tired.  We did collect this re-sized bad boy on the way though:

And NOW I feel like a proper MRS.  Especially thanks to how wrinkly my fingers look in this photo ;)

Have a wonderful week lovelies :)