My 32nd birthday brunches, fancy dins, sriracha splashes & design delights

Yes, I’m 32 now. Yes, I had a wonderful day and yes, I feel old and even though I had the day off work, it’s been a very long week. Maybe some of the pics below will help explain why…

Saturday, 13 February 2016: Frittatas, waffles and pulled pork burgers

Saturday dawned bright and early, and we had plans to breakfast with mum and dad. And breakfast we did, at La Rocca in Canal Walk. This was dad’s super-strong flat white. I had the regular-strength version.

Mum was thrilled with her frittata – t’was so large Husband had to help her finish.

Dad and I chose waffles. That’s his Bananarama on the left, and my Rocky Road on the right. Both finished every mouthful!

Later that afternoon we headed out to Pitmasters on Woodbridge Island. Husband had a draught, as he does…

We shared a pulled pork burger and fries drenched in sriracha sauce. This is all that was left by the time I remembered to snap a shot.

T’was a misty, cloudy day. This is the view from Woodbridge Island that afternoon, with Table Mountain hidden by cloud.

Sunday, 14 February 2016: Non-Valentine’s Valentine’s Day

We don’t do Valentine’s Day like the rest of the world as it’s my birthday the very next day – but that doesn’t mean we miss out on all the lovey-dovey things. As we were heading to Newlands to fill up water bottles at the natural spring there, we breakfasted at nearby Cafeen. Husband had this lovely breakfast.

This is what my French toast looked like once I’d smeared on lemon curd, grilled banana, bacon, syrup and cinnamon-sugar. Very yum.

It’s not often that Husband goes for a coffee, so I snapped him sipping on his creme brulee latte as proof that it happened.

The Cafeen cats were a big attraction to all the kiddies seated with their families – we couldn’t resist either, as they were very sweet and wound their tails around our chair legs.

The non-Valentine’s-y table Mum set for lupper that afternoon.

And the very Valentine’s-y tiramisu she created. It was amazing.

Monday, 15 February 2016: My 32nd birthday

I’d taken the day off work but Husband did not – at least he made me a cuppa coffee to get the day off to a good start before he left, in this pretty new mug. The doggies were interested.

Mum had the spicy orange rooibos, which came with the ‘ant crawler’ tea cup set I so enjoy.

Dad and I both opted for the banana-bread French toast, with bacon, strawberries and syrup. Delicious.

Once Husband got home that eve we set off for my birthday dins at Catch 22. You can just see Table Mountain showing off through the plastic window beside him.

As I so enjoyed their gingerbread milkshake last time we visited, I knew I would love the gingerbread latte. It was possibly the best coffee drink ever.

We had the jalapeno poppers starter to share, then I went for the burger topped with bacon and cheese, while Husband conquered this solo platter with a baked potato on the side.

We headed home after a quick beach walk and just remembered to take the standard ‘birthday-hatted kiss on cheek’ photo – forgot about Husband’s one this year, oops 🙂

Workweek highlights

On Tuesday, one of my favourite PR agencies arranged a ‘Charly’s Bakery drop-off’ – personalised cupcakes! SO pretty, and they tasted amazing.

Have you ever seen a Chinese guava? My colleague brought these in to work as they grow on her tree. Look at how little it is. Tastes just like the regular, pinker version I’m used to.

And then, Thursday was my day to attend Design Indaba. There was so much to take in, as always. Click here if you missed my coverage.

The Artscape theatre was decked out with all sorts of design goodies.

This year’s delegate tag and bag.

Simple. Complex. Beautiful.

Afternoon tea at Design Indaba is usually a surprise/pop-up experience of sorts. This year I dressed my sample of Woolworth’s sriracha sorbet (orange) with sriracha drizzle and lime sherbet, while the pink rose sorbet got rose jelly cubes and coconut marshmallow blobs.

On Friday I attended an event at the new Century City Conference Centre, which is right by Ratanga Junction. Hadn’t noticed these cute ‘follow me footprints’ the last time we visited.

And that’s all, folks! We’ve finally had a spot of rain in Cape Town and I have the most dreadful head cold at the moment, so expect the next update to be focused on relaxing and doing things indoors…

UPDATE: THIS BLOG IS FULL, ALAS – FOLLOW MY NEW BLOG AT https://ramblinglitchii.wordpress.com/

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Unreal Scarborough sea, sitting at Slangkop lighthouse and patting Imhoff Farm camels

Tomorrow is husband’s 36th birthday, so I am posting this now as shall surely be spending quality time with him at the usual ‘blog post creation’ time of the week.

Hard to believe it’s already the end of January, 1/12 of the year has flown by in the blink of an eye.

Here are highlights of the past week…

Saturday, 23 January 2016: Breakfast at Saint’s, pretending to be on the cover of National Geographic

Saturday was a hot, lazy day, Mine got off to a good start with this cappuccino at Saint’s in Big Bay.

Husband had the salmon eggs ben and a Cola, of course. The logo next to his face proves we were at Saint’s. I had the feta-scrambled eggs with toast, unpictured.

This photo frame is 10 steps from Saint’s so we walked across and Husband happily snapped away.

Zoomed in, without the frame. Click here for a reminder of our Winter version of this photo.

As Mum and Dad were off to Shelley Point on Sunday we visited for lupper on Saturday this week. Bassie loves being carried on her grampa’s shoulder like this, as she’s then technically the tallest person in the room.

Bertie was happy to sit on a comfy chair and watch his sister parade around on grampa.

Sunday, 24 January 2016: Breakfast at On the Rocks, sightseeing along the coast

On Sunday morning we decided to breakfast at On the Rocks, right on the beachfront, where we had celebrated Dad’s birthday a few years ago. Note my slight sunburn from the day before.

Here is my berry-and-ice cream French toast. Very yummy.

Husband had the ‘breakfast pan’.

It was set to be an adventure/explore day, so off we headed for Hout Bay and walked all the way from the one harbour to the other.

A solitary gull at the greeny sea.

Always most amusing to see the sea lions sprawled of their own accord on the ‘Seal Alert sea rescue’ boat.

This guy looked – and smelled – like he needed a bit of a rescue…

Continuing on our road trip, we had to stop and pat the camels at Imhoff Farm.

Me doing the exact same thing.

Then we repeated the process at Slangkop Lighthouse. Here is Husband’s version…

And here is mine. Pretty as a picture!

Look at this absolutely ridiculous sea colour near Scarborough. No photo filters, promise.

Rounding out the trip we stopped at Dixies near Simon’s Town/Fish Hoek for a refreshment break. Here is Husband’s Amstel draught – I opted for a coffee shake.

We shared this Mexicana – completely doused in Tabasco sauce, of course.

Tuesday, 26 January 2016: Punjab Express

On Tuesday we stopped at the recently opened Punjab Express after work to try their tikka chicken. Was very tasty, and I loved this chair.

That’s all, folks! Look forward to Husband’s birthday celebrations in my next update. 🙂

CT’s best salmon eggs benedict and cruising with ‘tyred’ sea lions

T’was the first week back at work in the Andrews household, but it was by no means slow-going. So busy were we that I forgot to bring home the computer connect-y cord on Friday, hence delay in publishing this.

See our highlights below…

Saturday, 9 January 2016: Company’s Garden breakfast, City SightSeeing CT Harbour Cruise

Nothing starts off the weekend better than a cappuccino/flat white. And the delicious biscotti on the side took it up a notch. This was at Company’s Garden. Last time we went their coffee machine was broken so I made do with a pot of tea. This time I was all too happy to get the caffeine I needed the way I wanted 🙂

Of course there are lots of yummy things on the breakfast menu but as I know what a winner the French toast is, with crispy bacon, strawberries and creme fraiche, I stuck to what I love.

For Husband, the salmon eggs benedict, which he confirms is the best he’s had in CT. The Hollandaise sauce is just the right creamy tangy consistency, the English muffin is toasted just so, and the salmon fresh fresh fresh.

Lol at this sign at the V&A Waterfront. We didn’t have to make use of the service luckily, but good to know it’s there!

We stopped at the dry dock to have a look at the boat waiting there. Amazing to think how heavy it must be.

Tried his hand at being captain outside the Titanic exhibition. Prefers being a commander.

And then we took to the sea! We thoroughly enjoyed the City Sightseeing Cape Town sunset bus tour for Husband’s birthday last year (click here for a reminder), so when we saw their harbour cruise option is just R40 per person we ran across to the dock and hopped on. Fascinating tour around the Waterfront harbour and the red earphones means you get to hear a quick history of all the sights. Well worth it!

T’was such a delightful ‘tourist in your own city’ thing to do.

Seagulls swooping down for food near the I&J warehouse.

So very pretty. View from our furthest point out to sea before we turned around for the return trip.

Those black things in the water are bits of sea lion. He was floating lazily on his back. But there were even more exhausted sea lions to be seen…

See? It seems we have an epidemic of lazy seals. This one is sleeping in a tyre – and the sight is so common that the CitySightseeing Cape Town audio commentary dubs him and his fellow sleepy sea lions ‘seals on wheels’.

Just look at that sleepy little face, deep in dreamland.

Sunday, 10 January 2016: Star Wars in iMax

Yip, you read that right – not content with merely starting the December vacation with a viewing of the latest Star Wars movie in 3D, the highlight of our final day of leave was watching it again – this time at Cape Gate in iMax – with these super enormous movie treats of Cola and popcorn.

Workweek highlights: Animal print on the bus and GetSmarter certification

T’was a long, tough week of acclimatising to the work day and deadlines again. The sight of two ladies in a row dressed in different animal-print tops made me smile once I finally got a seat on the bus trip home.

Tis official! A certificate from UCT and GetSmarter arrived as proof of my successful completion of their SEO short course. Husband says we’ll have to make space for it on the wall of smart 🙂

That’s all, folks! Expect my next update within the week. Take it easy…

Weird wall gizmos and job title celebrations

The past weekend was a goodie as I finally started feeling better from bronchitis – antibiotics are a necessary evil – and we didn’t have much on the cards, so could spend some time relaxing and rejuvenating. Here’s what we got up to…

Friday, 2 October 2015: Dogs in various positions on couches

First the doggies decided to take up the whole couch – Bertie placed Bear perfectly so there just wasn’t enough space for his parents to join in.

Then Bassie moved to sit with her dad and Bertie decided to help me with my studies… note lots of medicine on top of ‘shades of grey’ cabinet.

Eventually all three relocated to the other couch. Note Bertie has Bear under his chin and has placed himself over Bassie.

Saturday, 3 October 2015: Brekkie overlooking rainy Rondebosch Common

Saturday dawned cold and drizzly… with the realisation that I’d left most of my notes for that week’s assignments in the office. So we headed out for breakfast in the general vicinity of work, ending up at Common Ground for breakfast.

‘Common ground’ is a clever name because apart from the obvious, it’s also a coffee shop (ground) opposite the Rondebosch Common. Our table was fairly situated in the middle but we could still watch the rain pouring down. I opted for the bacon and banana French toast.

Here’s Husband in mid-chew of his eggs benedict – yes, I have considered renaming the blog “French toast and eggs ben”!

So much was the French toast that I took half home with me to finish off that afternoon. Note we both proudly wore South Africa supporter shirts to support the Springboks in that evening’s RWC match.

Next stop – work to collect my assignment notes. While waiting for the guard to arrive and let me in, we explored the ‘Delos’ building next door. It’s filled with antiques like chandeliers, fancy tables and somewhat scary wall decorations, like this guy.

Notes in hand, we stopped off at the nursery, where I fell in love with a selection of metal outdoor wall owlies. Still deciding which is my favourite.

Gardening and assignments complete, we settled in to watch the rugby – Bertie was very interested and kept checking with his dad for approval, Bassie ignored the festivities.

Sunday, 4 October 2015: New job title celebrations

Still not feeling 100%, I enjoyed some early morning cuddles with the doggies before we ventured out for breakfast, as we do.

We ended up at Greens. Husband had his favourite deluxe breakfast – here he is buttering his toast

I had a chai latte and tried the coconut-pineapple French toast. Delicious.

Mum had bought the most beautifully patterned milk tart to celebrate my new job title (am officially editor-in-chief: marketing & media)…

And we had dry pink MCC to top off the celebrations.

Wednesday, 7 October 2015: Business of Design conferencing at ICIC

It was a busy week for me as I covered two conferences. The first was the Spring 2015 edition of Business of Design, held at the Inner City Ideas Cartel. This was my rushed tea-time treat between taking notes and networking.

Lunch that afternoon was served on the rooftop. I love these egg chairs!

Thursday, 8 October 2015: Mobile 360 Africa conferencing at African Pride Crystal Towers

My second conference of the week was the GSMA Mobile 360 Africa, held at the African Pride Crystal Towers hotel in Century City. This sculpture is fascinating.

The conference content may have been technical and detailed, but the snacks were delicious. This was a mini mille feulle with my coffee

Later that afternoon I had to take a shot of these gorgeous citrus blooms on my walk to the Myciti station. Yes, those are colourful cats on my sock.

That’s all, folks! Until next time…

September SEO studies, walks along the Cape coastline and lots of lattes

I’m now into the third week of my 10-week part-time course and my brain is positively overflowing with information that you may well see filtering across into this very blog’s design soon. Exciting! 🙂

Other highlights from the past week include the first true glimpse of Spring 2015 for Cape Town – always a few weeks behind those of y’all upcountry, alas. See below…

Friday, 11 September 2015: Chilly dogs in blankets

Bertie Andrews feeling the chill.

Bassie Andrews also felt the need to be blanketed.

Saturday, 12 September 2015: Breakfast at Woodbridge Island, post-assignment burgers at Rockstar Diner

Some pre-brekkie grins at Ilha, Woodbridge Island on Saturday.

Husband about to tuck in to his full English.

You know I love French Toast! This is a stack with bacon and grilled banana, and a cafe latte on the side.

Much, much later that day, after Husband had done lots of cleaning and clearing (we visited the local dump twice and that final box that had sat in the garage since we first moved to Cape Town is gone).. plus after I finished my last assignment for the week, we treated ourselves to fancy drinks and burgers at the Rockstar Diner. This is Husband’s Long Island Ice Tea…

There we are with our burgers and big grins adorning our faces. You can just see my ‘strawberries and cream’ milkshake, as well as my cheese burger topped with a crumbed onion ring and Husband’s ‘magic mushroom’ burger.

Sunday, 13 September 2015: Breakfast and long walks along the West Coast

First thing on Sunday, we headed to Eden on the Bay and dithered over where to eat. We started out at Captain’s Kitchen, where I had a strong cappuccino.

Husband had a Cola, of course. We then decided to walk “a little up the road” to see what else was on offer.

Walk and walk we did! All the way past the Blue Peter, Ons Huisie and the incoming sea. There’s a ship in the top left of the shot.

See? As close as close can be to the sea. Actually I lie. We were walking in the sea later, and I very nearly got swept away when I stepped into a hole in the sand – luckily Husband was right there to rescue me and I only got soaked up to my knees.

We ended up having breakfast at Petit Fours. Husband had this lovely poached egg concoction.

My favourite Boy and his favourite sauce.

For me? This rather delightful mini cheesecake filled with salted caramel and sliced almonds, washed down with a Chai latte.

Later that afternoon we were back in the area and stopped off for a spot of sushi at Best of Asia on Marine Circle

Wednesday, 16 September: Dins at Fat Cactus, Woodstock

To celebrate my first assignment results, Husband met me down the road from work on Wednesday at the Fat Cactus

For me? A super large espresso milkshake. There was enough in there to fill two glasses.

For Husband, the pulled pork, crispy tacos. He loves them

For me? The ‘starter’ rib basket. Husband helped me finish and we brought the rib bones home for the doggies.

Later that night we gave Bertie the teddybear we’d rescued from the side of the road a while ago and cleaned first. He loves it.

Friday, 18 September 2015: SEO studies and delicious tea breaks

I took the day off from work, so my Friday started like this – chocolate Poptarts and cappuccino breakfast while cluing myself up on the design aspects of SEO.

I had this for a brunch break later with the parents – custard-filled croissant and a large Chai latte. Yum!

That’s all, folks! The weekend ahead is set to be sunny yet windy, so who knows what my next blog update will have in store for you?