Plett, glorious Plett

In the varsity break (about 3 weeks ago now), friends leant us their holiday house in Plettenberg Bay in the Western Cape and we couldn't have been more blessed! It was a magnificent house, we had unimaginably great weather (considering it was the middle of winter), a much needed break and time to hang out with family, especially my eldest sister who was freshly back from Oxford...

We spent time lazing in the sun, baking bread, cooking from the array of recipe books that were there (it is in fact rather embarrassing how excited my sister Abi and I got over some glossy pages), going to local markets, taking long long walks on the beach and even watching whales from the balcony as they played in the sunlight!

We also discovered the natural beauty of that side of the South African coast, which up till now I hadn't explored much. A few posts to follow on some must see places!

Yes... yes it has been a while

It has been, what feels like, a lifetime since I last posted...
So to follow will be some catch up posts of what I've been up to for the last while :)

Here is a few snaps of a wintery picnic I had with the girls before and a little after (Holly) everyone set sail for their adventures:

Jenni has trekked off to Thailand so impart some of her knowledge of the English language onto some Thai young ones, Laura has gone back to the good old Cape to finish off her degree and Lynsey has stuck around - thank goodness otherwise it would be a lonely me! and Holly is currently running around Spain, after just getting back from Italy, all this in between serving canapes to Judi Dench and Ewan McGregor (!!!) and doing other odd things to fund her belated gap year.

There is nothing quite like good friends!

Hiking in Mondeor... yes you heard me!

Induced by nature cravings I stumbled upon this handy site, footprint.co.za, and boy is it awesome! While the site itself is far from the forefront of design ingenious, it is very handy! It has lists of hikes, from day trails to long overnighters, al with good reviews, and is even organised into provinces...

So when we were sitting at home craving the outdoors, cravings that exceeded the likes of the picnic-enthused occupants of Emmarentia dam or the dog-loving crews of Delta Park [don't get me wrong, I frequently fall into both of those categories] we went a-searching and found out that we have over 600 hectares of conserved beauty just around the corner. Opting to not do the 2 hour drive to Magaliesberg we hopped onto the highway and in no time found ourselves at the surprisingly beautiful Klipriviersberg. 

Here is a little bit of  our day:

My Soulmate

Curtis, you may have to take second place, but at least it is someone you know dearly so maybe you won't mind...

Ode to t

"Never did one letter bring fourth so much joy.

I am a lonely soldier plucked from his wandering into the presence of gods.

oh this thing, this distilled comfort, a shared smile

oh rapture, thy name is tea!” - Matt Molteno

Thanks to this lady who shares my passion and has so beautifully turned that into a career, I came across this poem... couldn't have explained it better myself! Go check the site of Lady Bonin's Tea Parlour. Its quite delightful really.

Photos from here and Lady Bonin found via here.

Bushfire 2011 - Maksimam Respect

This post is long long overdue but always better late then never...
Had one of the best weekends in a long time at the end of May in none other than the beautiful country within a country of Swaziland!

Abi, Thabs, the Lover and I all headed out in Big Blue (affectionate name we have for my moms - how should I say - "tired" looking Toyota Condor) and after a picnic on the lawn of a house in 'Random Small Town Name That I Cant Remember', a very smooth border crossing (and for the record - best southern african border toilets I have ever used) and a bumpy potholed drive (whats any road trip in Africa without that thrown in the mix?!) we arrived at the venue of the Bushfire festival - House on Fire!

Words cannot describe the total and utter radness of the venue, the music!!! and the non-stop vibe... picture a perpetual carpet of Swazi Gold, only brief moments between making new friends, smells and sounds and incredible artists; highlights definitely go to local flavour: Tidal Waves - big up big up, Zimbabwean legend: Oliver Mtukudzi and the breath of fresh air: Tonik (another post on Tonik to follow)!

In conclusion: 25 - 27 May, 2012 anyone??