Beautiful weekend

Yesterday we took a drive out to my sisters house in the country.  It was the most beautiful day and we cooked the most delicious meal that we at out on the veranda.  Janette's house is stunning and the little village is a gem.  It was a really special day.

Week-end Français!

We’re without Danie for the weekend again, and as Emma has a French exam next week I think we are going to have to go all-out Français this weekend!  I’m talking movies, food (croissants, French onion soup, the boeuf bourguignon I have been salivating over) and of course speaking the language.
Last night Em whipped up these three new girls to add to her collection of ‘friends’ - aren’t they gorgeous?!

Images from Blonde on the Blue Bicycle

 

Words to blog by....

Image from here

French food, French movies....

I only managed to finish watching Julia & Julie last night and after my craving for salads (that I still have) I now also have a strong desire to make Boeuf Bourguignon!  I will have to find the Julia Child recipe of course - I have a feeling after the release of the movie it became a very popular meal!
Apparently we are due to get our first snowfalls on the mountains sometime in the next 24hours.  Snow is not a regular occurrence in this part of the world and only really falls on the highest peaks, but you can definitely feel it in the air this morning.  As Emma doesn’t have an exam tomorrow and Danie is still away (a shame really as today is our 15th wedding anniversary!) I am thinking along the lines of a delicious meal (I don’t think it can be Boeuf Bourguignon tonight, not enough time), a roaring fire and movie like Amelie....

Image from We Heart It

Eat your greens

I am still struggling to get over my cold so I need to boost my immune system with healthy, fresh food.  Its amazing really how if you listen to your body, it tells you what you need – I woke up craving leafy greens and fruit and I have brought a whole lot of things to work from my fridge (and a few from my garden) to make a lovely salad for my lunch.  Just to whet my appetite even more I found these pics on two of my favourite blogs, From Me To You and Sunday Suppers – how delicious does of all of this look?! YUM :-)

Above two images From Me To You

Image from Sunday Suppers

Chicken Soup for body & soul

I spent the best part of the weekend on my bed with a very sore head that has subsequently turned into a cold, and there is nothing quite like a head cold to leave you feeling wiped out and sorry for yourself.  I was feeling so awful I couldn’t even find the energy to read a book, watch a movie or page through a magazine.  Emma and Sarah were heroic, popping in just often enough to check that I was okay, but not enough to disturb me, all the while fielding phone calls and beggars at the door – Saturday and Sunday afternoon regulars.
Still feeling under the weather, I went past the Jewish deli on my way home from work for some medicinal chicken soup for our dinner, and we have been watching Julia & Julie in front of the fire.  I haven't even finished watching the movie and already it has become a favourite!

Oh, to live in Paris in the 1950's......

Haven't we all had moments like these?!

That Friday Night Feeling....

Image from here

Missing my chickens

The more time I spend on Jaime’s blog, the less able I am to tear myself away from it.  I adore these pictures that she took on a farm in Missouri, Alldredge Orchards.  I have a bit of a thing for chickens and ducks, we used to keep two chickens at home until one of our builders took them home (for the pot no doubt) when we were doing renovations a few years ago.  I have been wanting the replace them ever since but Danie is a little reluctant even though he was the one who bought the last two hens and built them a very lovely home!  Apart from the fact that they were in and out of the house all day and not well toilet trained (!) they kept the garden free of pests and both Henny Penny and Daisy laid a single glorious egg everyday.

All images From Me To You

Happy Blog Birthday to From Me To You

A couple of days ago I wrote about the incredible photography blog I came across, From Me To You, and included some of Jamie's beautiful, beautiful photographs.  Since then I have whiled away more than a couple of hours browsing through her blog, literally getting butterflies in my tummy looking at some of her pix.  If ANYONE happens to read my lowly blog, do yourselves a favour and visit From Me To You - you won't regret it :-)

Hmmmm

I LOVE paintbrushes, tubes of paint and pencils - especially well used ones.  I came across this photograph of the paintbrushes here and then followed it to here - beautiful.  Of course I got completely hooked on a thing for - what beautiful collages, and all of them linked back to their original source. 

Picture from here

Picture from here

Magic Morning

Apart from the fact that I live in one of the most beautiful cities in the world (problems not withstanding), I have the most beautifully scenic drive into work every morning.  As I come around ‘Hospital Bend’ (not as macabre as it sounds) I have Table Mountain in all its glory on my left, Table Bay with a view of Robben Island on my right and Lions Head directly in front of me.  Depending on the time if year and weather, it changes everyday.  Sometimes there is a bank of cloud hovering over Table Bay and you feel life you are flying rather than driving.  This morning the sky was incredible – it was dark and moody with just this incredible rim light from the sun just before it rose – pure magic, I had to pull over and take a picture on my phone.

From Me to You

I came across the most beautiful photography blog – From Me To You – talk about talent and inspiration.  Apart from the most exquisitely gorgeous pictures of all things edible,  Jaime makes everything and everyone look so beautiful.  Below are just a couple of her photographs.  where, oh where can I get a basket like this for my bicycle?!

All images From Me To You

Nothing like a well cut jacket

I am a sucker for a well cut jacket and its one of the things I love about winter.  Apart from the fact they help to hide a multitude of sins, a beautifully cut jacket can make you oldest, most comfortable pair of jeans look classy!  I especially like this winters double-breasted, military-style jackets.  I bought Emma and Sarah their first real winter jackets on Friday and they both look so grown up and elegant in them.....must take some pics...

Images from The Sartorialist

Sunshine Saturday

Its been a gloriously sunny day - typical of Cape Town, after days of rain and cold you suddenly get a day that is more fit for summer than winter.  Unfortunately, as soon as the sun has set the temperature drops so I made a gorgeous fire, comfort food and have been watching television and reading magazines all evening - bliss.......

The ballet last night was amazing.  It was a series of dances based on poems and a few of them were choreographed by my lovely friend and choreographer Erica Brummage - she has such style and talent.

Gorgeous Tina sent me these pics that she took in Hoboken this morning.  Apparently these little trucks drive around NYC and all over selling organic vegan  
cupcakes, etc.  Like little bakery shops on wheels - how brilliant!

TGIF

Yesterday and today have been quite stressful on the work front and have therefore left me quite depleted and uninspired.  The best way to rectify this is to browse some blogs and share someone else's inspiration!  I am still not sure how you are supposed to do these things, but hope that if I give all the correct credits and links I will not be stepping on any toes and doing something I shouldn’t.
I came across these pictures on Pia Jane Bijkirk’s blog yesterday, and as I had just been ‘dreaming in Greek’ after reminiscing about my honeymoon, they struck a particular chord.  Apart form the spectacularly beautiful photography, I am completely in love with these interiors.  I followed Pia’s links to the photographer, Stratis Vogiatzis' website and you can view more inspiring and beautiful pictures here.
Fortunately it IS Friday so in a few hours my current low spirits will be lifted as I head home for the weekend.  Oh, and we are going to the ballet tonight!  That’s something to look forward to.....

Anniversaries and honeymoons

This month is our 15th wedding anniversary.  We’ve been a couple for 21 years (met when I was 18 and then again a year later and have been together ever since), and I can’t believe how quickly time has flown – it feels like just yesterday that we were planning the wedding.  Looking back I don’t think there is a single thing I would change about my life, I am so very, very lucky.  Danie is working on a movie for a couple of weeks and will be away for the actual anniversary date so we will have to celebrate it afterwards, but I need to start planning what we will do now.  I am thinking along the lines of a romantic getaway for a night.  As we met in Hermanus all those years ago it would be quite fitting to go there, but we go there a lot as a family so it might be better to go elsewhere for a change - there are so many gorgeous places within an hours drive from Cape Town.  If wishes were horses I would go back to Skiathos (and take Emma and Sarah too of course!) where we spent our honeymoon, but we are planning a trip there next year if we can afford it.  Fortunately for me, my step mom owns one of the most gorgeous villa’s on the island, Villa Ella, so it is simply a case of getting ourselves there.

This picture was taken on the first night of our honeymoon in Skiathos.  Poor Danie looks completely shellshocked and I look like I'm giving someone a hard time about something! I also look in desperate need of a tan - something I have never had in my whole life!

Inspiration

Being a bit of a ‘virgin’ blogger, I have been looking at other blogs for inspiration.  Its very distracting and can take up hours and hours of your day clicking from one link to another and getting completely sucked into what’s out there – I can’t afford to get sucked in all day, I have a job to do!  I am blown away by some of the blogs I have come across - such incredible talent; from artists to photographers, to illustrators, to writers and all from different parts of the world.  I have to admit that it is quite intimidating....
None the less, I shall persevere with this blog – if nothing else it allows my friends around the world to catch-up with my news/musings.
The rain is lashing against the windows and I am waiting for Danie to return with a gas cylinder refill for the gas heater (the girls and I are sitting at the dining room table and its cold in here!). If I didn't have to take the girls off to dancing shortly I would put on a movie like Bright Star and curl up on the couch.
Definitely soup for supper tonight!

We ♥ Scotland and Scottish women

Emma brought me her diary from our trip to Scotland last year to have a read and reminisce and Sarah read it to me in the car on the way to school this morning.  Listening to her musings from the holiday made Sa and I long to go back again, but I know it won’t be this year.  My exceptional Great Aunt who lives in a ‘wee’ fishing village called Helmsdale in the North of Scotland turned 98 last week.  She is a remarkable woman in so many ways and we love and miss her so much.  I am so fortunate that Emma and Sarah have not only met her, but have been to see her three times in the last 5 years.  Still living on her own, last year, as with the two previous times we stayed with her, she welcomed us with home made lentil soup, a Victorian sponge cake and a roast with tatties (potatoes) - I hope to be able to do the same for my family at that age!
I have many remarkable women in my life, not least of all my wonderful mother.  Apart from the fact that, as my children say, she is coolest gran in town, I could not do the job I do without her love and support.  Fortunately for me she comes from good Scottish stock and I hope to have her around for many, many years.  

 Aunty Tyne aged 97

 A view of Helmsdale

Happy Mothers Day ♥

It’s a predominantly grey Sunday but a special one, being Mothers Day.  I have been spoiled with gorgeous flowers, prezzies and home made cards from my very creative and wonderful daughters.  Em drew me to look like a film star (thanks Em!) and Sarah wrote me one of her fabulous poems – she has such a talent for poetry the lucky girl – something I wish I had (sorry Sa, I accidentally nearly set the card alight on the candle!).

My mum and sister came over to our house for brunch.  We had a roaring fire and ate delicious food including eggs benedict – a family fave.  Now the girls are putting in some study time, Danie is making a shelf for Emma’s room and I am sitting in front of the fire while the rain tips down outside.  In a little while I am going to watch ‘The September Issue’ – sheer bliss, how wonderful it is to be a mother/daughter/sister.

View more of Emma's pics here