Dog shows and dinner on top of The Ritz

Oh packing, how I’ve not missed thee. It’s just two years since last we met. There’s nothing quite like moving house to give your whole life a shake-up. Weekends and evenings are no longer yours to laze around in. Instead there are endless glass things to wrap in newspaper, boxes to seal, box tape to mangle by getting it stuck on itself and endless towels to dirty by dragging the heavy, sealed and probably over-filled boxes from room to room until you decide which room is the designated ‘storage room’, until the panicky final days when the whole HOUSE is a storage area, and you’ve forgotten what it’s like to traipse down the passage without tripping over something cardboardy and pointy cornered. Or maybe that’s just how I do it.

With less than three weeks to go to our big move, that’s what life’s been like lately. But of course this past week we did a little more than that, especially as I had an ‘Awesome Award’ to celebrate, from my first month at the amazing place I now work – no box-packing pics below, I promise…

Monday, 10 November 2014: Friendly hot drinks at Mugg & Bean, Paddocks

You know I love going out on Monday evenings to extend the ‘weekend feeling’ , so go out on Monday I did! I met a new friend (see her blog here, she’s inspiringly creative!) at the Mugg & Bean in Paddocks Shopping Centre – just LOOK at the delicious red velvet hot chocolate they made for me! Those are real cake crumbles accompanied by a dollop of cream cheese. It’s like drinking a slice of cake, but better.

Friday, 7 November 2014: Delicious tastes and sights at #Mobile360, at the V&A Clocktower

Morning coffee looking out at the V&A Harbour when I got to the event a bit early on Friday. With soothing music in the background, it was bliss

Chilled, fruit-flavoured waters were delicious during ‘tea’ on the unseasonally hot day

Saturday, 8 November 2014: Milnerton dog show, dinner on top of the Ritz, Sea Point

Couldn’t resist sitting on the pretty bronzey couch set-up at Cubana when we breakfasted

Husband enjoying the sunshine at the doggie show, with a wors roll and warm beer. Happiness is.

I love how the big doggie is completely unaware he’s almost photobombing me. PS: That’s not one but TWO pancakes I’m about to wolf down – one filled with Nutella, one with caramel topping. Divine.

Bassie approved of our pawprint-shaped dog show entry stamps

The Sea Point Ritz, in all its glory. Revolving restaurant is the very top bit jutting out like a top hat. Follow me…

So excited were we that we couldn’t resist a photo at the lovely staircase

Husband admiring the view. This is about 10 minutes after we were seated, as our table was originally behind the side building you can see behind Husband outside the window

View from the top, before sunset. That’s Lion’s Head peeping out in the background

Husband looking mightily pleased with himself – we were on the 24th floor, which made the cars and people below look like toys

Don’t they look like little toys, scattered on the floor?

Husband’s dimple only shows on very rare occasions! This was his satay starter – prawn and chicken with a sweet chilli dipping sauce

My ‘starter’ main – the Top of the Ritz salad, which had warm chicken, lots of cashew nuts and orange segments. I drenched it in dressing. It was wonderful, for just R56. I tried the creme brulee for dessert – topping cracked most delightfully with a single thwack from the spoon provided. I tried the creme brulee for dessert – topping cracked most delightfully with a single thwack from the spoon provided.

Husband’s linefish with mixed veg and finished accompaniment of gratinated potato. With obligatory bottle o’ Tabasco sauce, of course. See how full the restaurant is behind him – people only get seated around the outer revolving ring

Sunset begins! Alas it was too cloudy for an evening of orangey pink skies but the greys were just as striking as lights came on below

Gazing on – almost the same spot as my original photo of Lion’s Head. It takes about 75 minutes for the restaurant to fully revolve, staff say.

Pretty! Note there’s a window between me and the outside, so those funny light smudges that appear over Signal Hill are actually reflections of the lights below

Sunday, 9 November 2014: Tough packing decisions and packing celebration drinks

While packing on Sunday, I had to decide whether or not to throw away balloon owlie, who has deflated quite considerably since we got him on Father’s Day. I kept him

To celebrate the lots and lots of boxes we packed, Husband and I decided to trace down some cocktails on the beach. We shared this strawberry, lime and litchi Bacardi jam jar at the Boardhouse in Blouberg for R60.

See, I had my share too…

Deep. Word to live by at the exit to the Boardhouse

And with that we’re already at a quarter to Friday again, that much closer to the next big box-packing session. Joy 😉 (See? I may have mentioned packing and posted photos related to packing, but not a single photo of boxes did you see! Yay, me).