Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Thoughts on turning 30
I suppose there's no more avoiding it, this time next week I will be 30. Oh goodness.
The thought of it really wasn't getting me down, until a few months ago. I thought I would just sail from my 20s and into a new decade, happy go lucky etc etc. I thought existential crises were for girls who didn't know where their lives were going, who didn't have qualifications, partners or careers and were drifting aimlessly.
But while planning all the celebrations, I've realised that I don't actually feel like celebrating much at all, thank you very much.
My 20s were fantastic. More than I could ever have wished for, to be honest with you. I studied, got to travel and live overseas, had amazing career experiences, met and married the best guy, moved into our own home and had our beautiful daughter.
I suppose my thoughts at the moment could be summed up as: How am I ever going to top that?
So while I may not know right now what my 30s are going to hold for me, come to think of it, I didn't have a clue when I turned 20 (in more ways than one...) of what was in store.
I have a few plans. Some hopes and dreams. Things I'd like to achieve above and beyond getting through the everydayness of life. A to do list if you will. In pen and ink on paper. Cause I'm old school that way.
"Be happy. Be yourself. Be older. Be grateful that this is your life, thirty years of taking in views..."
(Quote from Girl's gone child)
(The pic above of me and my favorite girly was taken on the Easter weekend by my husband.)
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Hibernation
Pic: wit + delight |
I start looking forward to the thought of winter - snuggling under a blanket while watching Wimbledon, chunky scarves, oxtail stews and winter afternoon walks (wearing said chunky scarf).
And then the cold, dark mornings arrive and my motivation goes out the window. I don't want to get out of bed. I don't want to move my bum off the couch. I don't want to paint my toenails or go out. Maybe it's the lack of central heating in this country, but between my runny nose and my daughter's persistent cough, I'm over this winter. Thanks for coming, off you go now.
While everyone in the Norther Hemisphere is celebrating the 'official start of summer,' little do they know that we are celebrating the fact that it is the official middle of winter, which means that it's downhill from here (said very hopefully) and that while it might not get warmer any time soon, it will slowly, slowly, slowly start getting lighter.
The thought of sunny early mornings and the few things below are about all that are getting me through right now.
- Dreaming of spring cleaning. Spending more time in the house means I start to notice every little speck of dirt.
- Staring at pictures of Cassis, where we'll be going for a few nights later this year during our trip to France, and choosing accommodation. I am feeling a little Med cruise collection wardrobe coming on.
- Bar one biscuits and milo-coffee. Which are not going to help me be bikini-ready in September, that's for sure.
- Dark nail polish like Essie's Wicked that seems to go with everything and makes me look, well, more polished.
- • Nigella's pea and Parmesan risotto. Same point as above re the bikini readiness, but it's so very hard to care before the 1 August.
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Out and About
We had a lovely day out of the city on Sunday, with a decadent father's day lunch at Albiz(z)ia in Cullinan. Because I was an idiot and forgot my camera at home, all I have are rubbish blackberry pics. It was a blustery winter's day with a steel grey sky, but we sat outside and warmed up with some red wine. The sun came out sometime during our main course, and the above pic does at lease give you some idea of what the restaurant looks like.
As all the reviews say, Albiz(z)ia is run by chef Lientjie Wessels, who used to be decor editor for Sarie and Elle. So it's a little bit different and the menu only has three options per course, but changes weekly. I had an amazing chicken liver pate and avo salad to start, and chicken breasts on a bed of Parmesan mash which was so yummy I really didn't want to share, but did anyway...
I wasn't sure what to expect of Cullinan, and didn't want to get my hopes up. But it's a really sweet little town, full of quaint little sandstone houses and even a Herbert Baker church. For just an hour out of Jo'burg it was a real treat.
Labels:
A few things from the weekend,
weekends,
winter
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Outstanding in the Field
Pic: Outstanding in the Field |
I read about Outstanding in the Field on one such blog, Oh Happy Day, on a post about an event that was held in Santa Cruz.
Outstanding in the Field set up these loooong tables in outdoor locations, on farms, vineyards or at the beach, and the aim is to bring people together and educate them about where their food comes from, and the importance of eating locally and seasonally. The Santa Cruz event sold out in 14 minutes ! It sounds like so much fun. Is there anything like this in SA? I'm not sure. Maybe in Cape Town... If you know, please let me know.
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Hello again + a few things
I know it has been a while, and as boring as it is writing again about 'how busy things are' I can only imagine how boring it is to read it, again. So I'll spare you.
But long story short, since finishing up with my part time contract last month I have managed to pick up some very interesting writing work that is keeping me rather busy. It's lovely and intellectually stimulating, but I find I'm just not getting to do the things I am really dying to do, like make soup and update this blog.
My husband is away this weekend, so I'm sitting in my study surrounded by all of his 'gear'. (As an aside, why is it that women are berated for being unable to pack light, but all the gear men seem to travel with is so often ignored?)
Anyway... Lilia and I are off to my parents for the weekend (just down the road, but still a change of scene and so a mini holiday) and have catch up coffees with friends and baby showers to attend and hopefully take our minds off the freezing winter weather that has seemed to finally have found us. We're very spoilt down here with relatively mild winters, but as soon as it goes below freezing, its pretty much all everyone can talk about.
Here are a few links to take you into the weekend of some lovely blogs I've discovered lately, and some other cute links:
•How incredible are these city cut outs on Famille Summerbelle? I'm hoping they ship to SA, but also hoping they don't as I could spend a fortune on pretty much everything on their site.
•Have a look at photographer Kimberly Taylor's blog - I love the beautiful simplicity and everything on her site is just so very inspiring.
•There are some amazing party ideas on Stephmodo's blog. I'm definitely filing this one away for next year.
•I'm considering having some more family pics done, but not sure whether to wait until the spring, which will be a whole year since our last shoot. We had photos taken last September by Kelly Lombard who has an amazing eye (we're the last pic in the 'family' section on her site).
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