Another weekend been and gone and its back to the grindstone. We went to Kalk Bay fro breakfast yesterday – we ate at a lovely new spot called Kasia and Figg. Then we had a wander along the road and looked in a few shops, just perfect. I am on the hunt for a teapot! Yes, of all things..... Of course I have a teapot, in fact I have two (actually 3 if you could the gorgeous silver teapot I inherited from my grandmother), but I am looking for one that will make more than two and a half decent cups of tea! You would think it would be a relatively easy find....well no, it isn’t! Of course there are loads of teapots out there but they are either too small or too plain or too ugly! I want something either gorgeously elegant or very quirky.

Another cold and wet day but it is Friday so it doesn’t feel too bad. Getting into work this morning I had to stop for a large, black pot-bellied pig to cross the road – not a usual occurrence in a city but quite the norm in this part. There is a school up the road that has some farm animals and either they regularly let their two pigs out to forage in the streets or the pigs have a way of escaping. Its quite sweet really – piggy in the city – I love that tenuous link to rural life!
I think that when spring arrives we are going to get a couple of chickens again. We had two lovely, fat hens a few years ago and apart from the fact that they produced one gorgeous fresh egg each everyday, they were family pets and I was quite heart sore when my husband gave them away (another story!). They were great at keeping the garden pests under control but not so great for seedlings and forget about planting any veggies. They also has a habit of coming into the house and finding their way onto the beds where they would leave evidence of having been there... So there are things I do miss about them, and things I don’t - but I still loved them.
My friend Tina sent me this pic taken in Hoboken, New Jersey. Wow, if only it really was mine! Just imagine owning a deli, hmmmm..... I’ve never met an Italian called Lisa?!

My word, its gone from sublime summery weather over the weekend to ridiculous gale force wind with torrential rain! I shouldn’t complain – rather we get this weather during the week when we are stuck behind our desks, and the glorious sunshine over the weekend as we did.
I’m always a little nervous about putting pics of my girls on the web, but I’m taking the plunge because I love these two pics. They reflect both their personalities so perfectly and they fill my heart with joy to see their happy faces. They are such joyful girls, I am so very, very blessed!
We have so many things to look forward to still – days like this on the beach and so, so much more!

What a fabulous idea! Such a shame my poor Danie is recovering from a hernia op or I would be loading him, the girls and the dogs into the car and seeing where it takes us! I remember a weekend many, many years ago (long before we had the girls) when Danie and I did just that. We were living in Johannesburg at the time and we were desperate to get out of the city. We got into the car and picked a direction to head out of town and just drove. We did get quite lost but eventually ended up on what I am certain was private property on the edge of a secluded piece of river that ran into the Hartebeepoort dam. We threw down out picnic blanket and spent the next couple of hours eating and dreaming while being watched by baboons and iguanas! It became a favourite place for us and we went back many times.

FRIDAY AT LAST! This week has been interminable. I thinks its been a combination of the weather and the fact that the office has been so quiet – lots of staff sick or on leave. When there is a buzz in the office the days go much faster!
Its also a long weekend – whoopee! No plans to go anywhere special but I have old friends from Johannesburg coming on Sunday for a few days. I love them dearly and can’t wait to see them but they can be rather exhausting company! But it will be fun and lots of catching up to do. This weekend I have GOT to get into the garden a bit – both me and the garden are desperate! If I don’t get those spring bulbs in this weekend I am going to be sorry. Its also time to get more creative in the kitchen again (oh and clean out my fridge before Marcio arrives or he will do it!).

Happy Birthday

Its my sisters birthday today and I am delighted to say that she is in good spirits! The last two years have not been good ones for her and the effects thereof seem to have been heightened around her birthday in both those years. In fact, birthdays have always been a highly emotional time for her, even when we were little.
My birthday wish for her is that all the stress and trauma of the past two years can we over shadowed by years of happiness and prosperity from here on. May abundance come to her in bucket loads, along with love and laughter.

Wants, needs, desires

I don’t know if it is because its nearly spring or because its just about time I did something, but I have itchy fingers to do some ‘stuff’ to my house! Apart from the fact that it is very much due for a good paint (and cracks need to be filled – again!), I just feel like it is looking very drab and boring. I pour over magazines and get so inspired to do all sorts of things, but then the usual obstacles prevent me from doing anything – like money. Then there is the ‘priority’ list – what is most urgent. I would love to paint the house but its an expensive job that will leave no money for anything else, plus the fact that my lovely husband will only have one colour on the walls – white! I can live with white walls as long as I can introduce colour in other ways, but then I look at pictures and I would love to experiment with some different coloured walls – even if it is just one wall within a room.
Probably one of the biggest ‘emergencies’ in my house at the moment is to replace one of the couches. It is too big for our lounge, is the most boring of fabrics and is coming apart at the seams. I am dying to get rid of it and get a lovely new one.
And then there are the girls rooms. It is high time they got a bit of a makeover. Nothing too radical or expensive, they just need a little ‘maturing’. Oh yes, and more cupboard space! I love freestanding wardrobes and that is what we have, but the reality is they never look as good as the picture above! Thanks to Design Sponge for amazing images to drool over!
So, its time to make the list and get some quotes and see how far we can go and what we can do on a shoestring budget!

What a wonderful weekend it has been......gorgeous weather, great friends, good food! The weekend kicked off with a deliciously social and relaxed dinner with family – its been a while since my family have got together like this and whenever we do we wonder why we don’t do it more often. The conversation is great, we tackle contentious issues head one and everyone gets to share their opinion, and in the end we all have a really good laugh which is what really makes it special. Laughter is the best medicine and boy do we know how to laugh together!
This weekend had a very definite feeling of spring about it. Our almond tree is in full blossom and absolutely stunning – every single person who walks or drives past our house pauses to enjoy its beauty. Alas, a week from now it will all be over. Already our driveway is a mass of pink petals – it looks like wedding confetti has been strewn all over it – but if we get some rain this week there won’t be a blossom left on the tree – so sad. But its not the only sign of spring. Going out for a bike ride yesterday afternoon we were assailed by the scent of jasmine in the air – I love it!