Two nephews from Modimolle!

My sister and her family are still up North in Modimolle, and since I have lived in every part of South Africa and the last decade in Cape Town, her two boys grew up without their aunt :(
A birthday promise turned into an adventure and I finally got to know them a bit better.

 

And within the blink of an eye, they grew up...

Love them!!!

Autumn shape-up....

It is autumn in Cape Town and may this season linger long! Sunny days followed by sultry sunsets, with a bit of whimsical weather thrown in for variation. I had a fun-filled summer and trying to get into my corporate garb was a bit...disappointing. (It is very hard for a Pescetarian, who holds no particular preference for fish (!) to get away from the dessert trolley....)

I promptly opened MyFitnessPal.com and nearly had a heart attack when I saw what I was consuming?! In defense, being a gourmet goddess does not help....

But I am not discouraged. I bravely document my meals with (well presented) protein and pacify my lingering taste buds with low-cal chocolate mousse...grrr!

And as an extra incentive, I am planning my next trip to sunny Greece - but just in case I need a bit of extra room, I am shopping for something which can expand!

Enough now...

Where is the summer? Every now and then we have a spectacular day which makes one almost believe winter is over...

And then it's back to this again...

 

 

Come summertime, enough with winter now!

Eish!

And this is what we returned to.....snow on the mountains around the Cape.

So, on top of JC's little bundle of joy being VERY cross at not being taken with us, there was a flicker of forgiveness when he was dressed to go and play in the snow :))

Welcome back to the Cape of Storms!

Cosying around Cape Town...

So off we went in the rain on Saturday. We love Cape Town and driving around, going where any whim leads us, is a wonderful way to spend a day.

We stopped at the Rhodes Memorial for "part one" of our breakfast run....njammelam, with a view!

And then we turned back towards Woodstock. Visited Woodstock Vintage for some shabby chic. By then it was time for lunch. We wanted to have some Indian food and were on our way to Chandani, when we saw Frangipani. Small family owned with real home cooking. We had curry and malva pudding for desert. Love!

Then it was time for a movie at the V&A....Star Trek!!! I am a Trekkie, loved it.
Great day :)

Hop-on/Hop-off!

We decided to do the Cape Town tourist thing for Mother's day - we took the red "Hop on - Hop off" bus and did the blue, mini-peninsula tour. Loved it!

Every 20min a bus comes around to the different route stops. You simply choose the tour you would like to do and you can pay with a credit card. We paid around a R150/person and the tour takes under 3 hours if you do not decide to get off at Kirstenbosch for a picnic, at Groot Constantia for a wine tour, or at Hout Bay harbour for some fish & chips. Which we did...with ice-cream!

 

A happy, sunshine day....happy mother's day to all the Moms!
xx

The biscuit mill...

So on my mom's previous visit, JC took us to explore the Neighbourhood Goods Market at the Biscuit Mill.

After much spreading, tasting, sipping, pushing...um'hing and a'hing, we left, slightly tipsy and well fed (we had champers and pizza at 10h00 in the morning!) with a few edible organic flowers to fry :)

I just love Cape Town....

Sunshine days!

I wished for this summer to come - and it came with all its radiant hotness! I live close by the sea and it is amazing how the sea tempers even the most scorching of days in Cape Town.

So, as not to look a gift horse in the mouth, I make a point of celebrating these lovely, long summer days.

- I feel the sun on my skin for 10min every day, no sunblock, I just choose the right time of day
- I swim, preferably in the sea -  as often as I can
- Have BBQ's or picnic's, even if it is just a humble sandwich - it tastes better outside
- Enjoy a sun downer every day, even if I am on my own - I celebrate the gift of another lovely day

To a glorious summer in Cape Town...and L'hiem - to life!

Filled with moonlight....

A beautiful full moon over Cape Town last night :)
I am a wolf woman, a coyote, howling abundantly with joy as She gently bathes me in loving light.

"The moon stood silent in the sky,
And looked upon our earth:
The clouds divided, passing by,
In homage to her worth.

There was a dance among the leaves
Rejoicing at her power,
Who robes for them of silver weaves
Within one mystic hour.

There was a song among the winds,
Hymning her influence —
That low-breathed minstrelsy which binds
The soul to thought intense.

And there was something in the night
That with its magic wound us;
For we — oh! we not only saw,
But felt the moonlight around us."

Excerpt from poem by Derozio

 

 

 

Beautiful places - Kalkbay

Kalkbay is a favorite weekend escape, and as this is the area where my partner spend his youth, I am blessed with the best tour guide ever :)

View of Simons Town harbour coming from Kalk Bay

We usually stay at the Majestic in Kalk Bay - some nice apartments to rent

Nice and central - you can walk everywhere from here....

Facilities include a spa & an on-premise, cosy restaurant behind the book shop

Simons Town is close by and a nice outing for lunch

 

Nice coffee & interior shop in Simons Town

The Tibetan Tea House is also worth a visit - See details http://www.sopheagallery.com/SOPHEA/Tibetan_Teahouse.html

You are enveloped by the mountains and hugged by the sea :)

Meditation room at the Tibetan Tea House

No visit to Kalk Bay is complete without going to Olympia Cafe...for breakfast, and lunch and why not dinner too?! Great food, nice vibe and a local pit stop 

Very good coffee and scrumptious croissants...actually all their baked goodies are worth the calories!

A breakfast for a carnivore :)

Great staff - makes you feel like family!

We love shopping in Kalk Bay with its distinct "hippy" feel. Great for antique lovers and those looking for that illusive incense you cannot find anywhere but Durban! Places worth a visit are Kalkies, the fish mekka at the harbour, Cape to Cairo if you want to have cocktails and good food and of course the Brass Bell. Drive out with the family, but come early, traffic can become hectic, especially on Sundays.

It takes weekends like these to make me appreciate just how blessed we are to live in Cape Town. So as we await the arrival of the Northern invasion over the festive season, I hope our visitors will focus on our well-earned slower pace, our beautiful food, our exquisite surrounds, our precious people...and forgive us our occasional lapses in service :)