Pork belly-bacon benedict at Steenberg’s Bistro Sixteen82 and posing with Just Nuisance

Wowee. Second work week of the year done and dusted, and it feels like two months rather than two weeks since we were on leave. It’s a combination of intense heat, slow internet and sheer hard work. But that doesn’t mean we don’t have any highlights to share – view our latest batch below…

Saturday, 16 January 2016: Panama Jacks lunch, swimming in the icy Atlantic

We do love lunching at Panama Jacks in the harbour. Always a treat to be served rolls before the food arrives…

We each went with the fettuccini mains. Mine is the verde (green, R40) – asparagus, parmesan cheese, thin slivers of baby marrow. Husband had the marinara, (R50) with a mussel chowder starter (R25). He finished his, I had to bring mine home for dins!

You’re not to admire my shiny forehead in this photo but just how well I twirled the fettuccini on my fork. Teehee.

On the lazy ride home we had to stop at the beach. T’was like a postcard!

And of course, Husband wasn’t content just to look at it. Here he is, frollicking in the waves.

Much, much later, once the temperature had dropped a little, we took the doggies for a walk around the suburb. Bertie loves chasing things in the shrubs.

Sunday, 17 January 2016: Brunch at Steenberg’s Bistro Sixteen82

On Sunday we woke late and couldn’t decide on a suitable spot to break our 12-hour fast. We eventually ended up at Steenberg Wine Estate and decided to treat ourselves to brunch at Bistro Sixteen82, known for its pork belly-bacon.

This colourful chandelier is quite something to see in person.

Of course I started with a flat white. T’was delicious. Look at the gorgeous scenery behind me – all that green was very soothing on the eyes.

What a lovely surprise. While waiting for our pork belly-bacon eggs benedicts, we were served hot, fresh honey brioche.

Of course Husband had an oyster starter. For breakfast…

And then, the eggs benedict arrived. Oh. My. Goodness, was it delicious. The pork belly-bacon is amazing, the little tomatoes were steamy and the Hollandaise was just right. Plus they’re served on potato rosti instead of stodgy English muffins. At R72, that’s not bad at all!

As we were already pretty far from home we decided to revisit Simon’s Town. These are some of the dinky little boats right at the harbour’s edge.

Can’t visit Simon’s Town and miss taking a photo with the statue of Just Nuisance. Though he seems to have been moved somewhat since the last time we were there…

Husband is one of the little ‘people dots’ floating in the sea. I sat on the beach with my book and a sugar cone instead.

Bassie insisted on sitting on her Granny’s lap when we visited for lupper. Both grinned.

As it was so hot, we had Do-It-Yourself burgers for dins. Husband placed his onion slices in pleasingly concentric circles on his patty.

Wednesday, 20 January 2016: Midweek sunset

I caught the very end of the sunset – much more spectacular in real life!

That’s all, folks. Sounds like we’re in for a spot of rain this weekend, will bring welcome relief from the incessant heat!

Lots of cappuccinos, weekend walkies & doggies don their winter jerseys

There was so much love for our recent doggie walkies pics that this past weekend we stored up our energy and went for an even longer trot around the block than last time. Sadly we didn’t get to a single milkshake for me (gasp!) but we did fit in lots of relaxing things, as you’ll see below…

Saturday, 25 July 2015: Panama Jacks’ lunch, doglets wear their winter jerseys

That’s my Dragon Fiery Ginger Beer – 5% alcohol, like a normal beer, but with a buzzy burn as it goes down the gullet.

Husband opted for a draught to wet his whistle – you can see the tip of a bottle in front of me, too…

The sun blurred Husband but you can just make him out here, munching on his R50 plate of Fettuccine Marinara.

There was such an icy wind when we got home that the doggies wore their Winter jerseys for the first time this year. Here is Bassie in hers…

Bertie felt left out so we helped him step into his jersey, too. Then he started pulling it off so we helped him out of it again.

Sunday, 26 July 2015: Long doggie walks, perfect Italian breakfasts

Sunday dawned brighter and sunnier than Saturday, so we all trotted off for nice long walkies around the suburb. These are their typical doggie walkies expressions – Bertie with tongue happily lolling out, Bassie sniffing politely at the ground.

Little Miss Bass, happily trotting along in the sunshine. That’s her leash, not a selfie stick.

Running ahead with their dad.

We’d worked (walked?) up quite the appetite by then so returned the doggies to the house and headed off in search of grub. Here I am with my cappuccino at Mario’s, Eden on the Bay.

All this for R24 – eggs cooked just as we asked for, grilled tomato, fresh chips, hot toast, streaky bacon. Yum. We’ll be back!

Tuesday, 28 July 2015: Smokey cloud over Woodstock

On our way in to work on Tuesday we spotted an odd grey cloud hanging over Woodstock – by the time I decided to take a photo it had mostly dissolved away, but you can still see remnants above the Walton’s building on the left.

Thursday, 30 July 2015: Dins at re-opened Ikura Earth Cafe

Here is Husband, brandishing his utensils as though they’re chopsticks. He had the seafood stir fry noodles.

We were so pleased to see Ikura Earth Cafe had reopened after a fire earlier this year that we stopped in for dins after work. We went there on New Year’s Day, remember? This is me, very excited for my sweet and sour chicken…

And of course, to end off, a cappuccino for me. Not often that you get a chocolate-powdered one, these days.

That’s all, folks! Until next time, where there’s bound to be at least one milkshake and you can see my new hair colour and whether Husband lives up to his promise of taking a dunk in the Wintery sea… 🙂

Long weekend pastel milkshakes, continental breakfasts and Bo-Kaap houses galore

The last weekend was the last long weekend we’ll see it a while, and we celebrated it in style. Yes, I rhymed for a reason – to make you smile 🙂 Here’s what you missed…

Friday, 1 May 2015: Worker’s Day, Bassie has her stitches out, Cattle Baron lunch buffet

Little Miss Bassie, home after having her stitches removed at the vet first thing that morning. We gave her a green chewy treat as a reward. She didn’t look so pleased with it, at first…

But was soon munching away, at the opposite end of the couch to her brother.

My parents discovered our local Cattle Baron has a wonderful weekday buffet lunch special. This is my coffee shake. The rest of the photos were badly lit, so you’ll have to take my word about what good value it was. All the ribs, fish, rice, curry, veggies and salad you can eat for R69. R59 for pensioners. Most folk had four plates full.

Saturday, 2 May 2015: Bo-Kaap street explore, Panama Jacks lunch

In my two+ years as a Capetonian I’d not once been up the Bo-Kaap streets with their colourful houses. That changed on Saturday morning. Bunting banners were up, too.

So bright and cheery, and no colour duplicates. No wonder it’s such a popular photo destination for tourists.

I spotted this dog watching me over his wall, so I took a photo. He was still as a statue, as though he was well-versed in posing for photos.

Such an interesting archway on Wale Street.

Panama Jacks for lunch? Don’t mind if I do! Dad is having calamari and I’m busy with what the waiter called a “pink shake”. Tasted exactly as it looked.

Sunday, 3 May 2015: Continental breakfasts and windy beach walks

Coffee first thing in the morning after getting up (or as soon as possible thereafter) makes me so happy you can see the smile in one eye alone. Helps if the cappuccino is only R10 as it’s part of your breakfast at Euro Haus on Loop.

Yes, Husband is very photogenic, but the point of this photo was all the interesting wooden keyboards on the wall above his head at Euro Haus on Sunday morning. We were lucky to get a table, you can see it’s a popular spot.

The ultimate continental breakfast. If you’re ordering breakfast at Euro Haus on Loop Street, you coffee/cappuccino/tea is just R10, and you get this bread basket filled with fresh, flaky croissants and rolls, as well as assorted little jam tubs – brought to your table for free.

My scumdiddlyumptious French toast croissant with bacon and syrup.

Husband’s eggs ben with salmon at Euro Haus. “Was nice”, he confirms.

How do you boost my mood if I’ve already had my fill of coffee for the day? With a peanut butter-chocolate milkshake at Driftwood Cafe, of course…

Husband and Bassie during our very wintery beach walk.

Monday, 4 May 2015: Half-price Spur burgers and roaring fires during loadshedding

Lighting’s not great but this is to show you just how long the queue was at our local Spur in Bayside on Monday evening, when we were on our way out – one of the few functional food places during loadshedding. We always enjoy their two-for-one Monday burger special.

There was still an hour or so of loadshedding to sit through when we got home, so Husband lit a fire. The doggy children enjoyed the warmth.

Tuesday, 5 May 2015: Gartner Architecting Digital Business conference at CTICC

My standard “what do the flowers at the CTICC reception desk look like today” photo. Bright tulips are always a win.

Delightful breakfast offering at the CTICC – custard pastries, muesli-yoghurt-berry shots and strong filter coffee, perfect for spilling in the saucer, as I do. Great way to introduce yourself at an event.

Wednesday, 6 May 2015: Owlie office mug jealous of cakes set in plain sight

What better was to get through a Wednesday in your first full five-day work day in a while (thanks, public holidays) than with a colleague’s birthday treats?

Thursday, 7 May 2015: #FirstThursdays on Wale Street

Fair Trade coffee is often more expensive, but tastes delicious and you buy with a better conscience. This was Bean There, the setting for Thursday evening’s #FirstThursdays event – the last one of the season before winter strikes, and my first ever. Pleasantly surprised how well-attended it was.

For R19.50, my Fair Trade cappuccino sure did look – and taste – like it was made with love.

And this, you ask? Well, in conjunction with #FirstThursdays, it was the launch of Skip washing powder’s new #FabulousDressProject, to showcase Skip’s stain-removal power. Attendees got to artfully decorate pure white material however they pleased in the hope of winning a bespoke ivory dress. Fun after a busy day of work.

Could not resist a photo of the bathroom at Bean There. Do you SEE the amazing wallpaper? It’s even on the ceiling. And the lampshade? Priceless.

That’s all, folks. We’re back to regular two-day weekends (sob) so expect the posts to be slightly less photo-heavy for a while. Enjoy and stay warm – I sense we’re on the verge of the 2015 ‘bangers-and-mash-capades‘! 🙂

Family fishy lunch, best beach ice cream and conferences at the aquarium

Is it just me or is time really going faster? Can’t believe we’re almost at the end of March already. A quarter of the way through 2015. Wasn’t Christmas just a few days ago? No? I guess I can always scroll through my past weekly updates to see that’s not the case. Speaking of scrolling through, I hope you enjoy scrolling through my highlights of the past week…

Friday, 13 March 2015: Best sunset yet

Everyone and their dog posted their sunset photos last Friday after I’d finished updating the blog for the week. I held this pic over for your viewing pleasure today, as the skies look rather dull and dreary in contrast

Saturday, 14 March 2015: Lunch with all sorts of parents at Panama Jacks

Mum and me in Panama Jacks for Saturday lunch. Can just see my chocolate milkshake in the shot

Husband and dad, waiting for husband’s dad and his friend to join us

My chocolate shake, on the mappy table

Mum had the always impressive peri peri prawns with rice

Not sure why I’m the only one looking at the camera here

Italian kisses for dessert

Bertie watched a birdie show on TV while we napped

Precious darling doglet who always manages to look sad/worried/concerned

The almost-as-lovely-as-Friday’s sunset on Saturday – the sea is just beyond the row of cars, under the streetlamps

Sunday, 15 March: Swimming in Fish Hoek, lupper at Woodbridge Island

My ‘sweet treat’ breakfast at Bread and Butter – French toast with a layer of brie sandwiched between, and bacon and syrup on top

Husband had the breakfast burger. It’s a burger without the bun, skewered on a stick, with a side of toast

While walking through the nursery with dad-in-law and co, I spotted this mirror. So pretty. It’s price? Not so pretty, at R435. I love it though.

The shark net was out at Fish Hoek beach, so it was safe to swim

These two seagulls watched all the action in the sea then took off sadly, as though they wished they could have had a paddle. Wet feathers are no fun

This icecream on the beach. Perfect.

Husband driving us home, past Muizenberg’s bright blue sea

Husband driving us home, past all sorts of trees

Teehee. We giggled at this sign outside the Lighthouse Tavern at Woodbridge Island

Husband kindly showing the camera where we stopped for lupper on the way home

Husband showing his dubious dad how you eat the bacon-and-feta-filled jalapeno poppers at Ilha

My iced coffee was finished! My hair was blowing all over my face!

Tuesday, 17 March 2015: House of Monatic factory tour, very late St Patrick’s Day dins

Some of the fabric swatches on the ‘suit jackets’ floor of House of Monatic in Salt River, where I attended a press launch day

Have you ever actually been inside a clothing factory? It’s fascinating to see exactly how seemingly simple items are put together. Row and rows and rows of machinists at work

The table decoration at House of Monatic

All the pretty shirts precisely sewn, buttoned, steamed, packaged and ready for distribution.

Poor Husband, finally eating the wonderful Guiness-y Irish stew mum brought over for dins on St Patrick’s Day. He only got home from work at 12.35am as had so much to do

Thursday, 19 March 2015: Internal branding conference at Aquarium

How I started my Thursday, at the Employer Branding Masterclass at the Aquarium

Imagine how distracting this view was. So amazing to be almost among the fish for the day. The orchid in front of the mirror is delightful, too

Morning tea break wander through the Aquarium. So many fish, so little time

Conference dessert. A cakey, moussey, ice-creamy concoction.

Now that’s how you stay alert and focused through the afternoon session of a full-day conference – with Twinings Chai tea and a homemade crunchie cookie

That’s all, folks! We’ve had quite a few late nights this week, so looking forward to a relaxing weekend. Hope yours is just what you need 🙂

DIY patio-ing, rooftop sunset panoramas and almost snorkelling with seagulls

The nicest thing about owning a house is you can do whatever you like with it, and hopefully increase its value in doing so. That’s why one of the first things we did after moving in to our Very First Housie two-and-a-half months ago was to knock some nails in the walls. But of course we have far grander plans than that. And as Husband is quite the MacGyver-type handyman, he’s happy to do it himself instead of paying someone else to do it for him. That’s why I now have the most beautiful light fittings, ceiling fans, bedroom cupboard area, and thanks to last weekend’s efforts, a very strong support structure for a lovely sheltered patio area. But of course, that’s not all we did…

Friday, 6 February 2015: Loadshed roof exploring

Last Friday we were loadshed the moment we got home from work. Luckily the sun was still shining brightly, so Husband used the time to finally get up on the roof to do some exploring. This is what he saw, directly behind us…

Our neighbours to the left and back – these are not townhouses or flats but freestanding homes

Traffic heading toward the setting sun in front of us

To the front and right of us. Note an empty can in top right corner of our garage roof, almost in line with the ‘Parklands – no dumping’ sign. Oh, the irony!

Then he stitched the pics together as a panoramic shot, and this what a variation of what’s all around our housie. Beautiful.

Saturday, 7 February 2015: Breakfast at Melissa’s, lunch at Panama Jacks and first stage of patio beam installation

Leafy shape in my flat white from Melissa-s in Blouberg – our first ever visit to Melissa’s.

Husband ensuring his eggs ben breakfast was well and truly sauced

And for me? A slice of pecan praline cheesecake, thank you very much 😉

Tummies purring, we set off to do our ‘wood’ research, and found the place with the best price. Here I’m sitting in the backseat while the lengths of wood stick out the back of Bluebell – we did tie them down with rope, too. Of course MacGyver-y Husband thought of that

Wood purchased, we left it under the doggies’ care at home while dashing off to meet the parents at Panama Jacks for the last of Husband’s birthday celebrations. Here are dad and me

With Husband and mom facing us

Dad had this for his lunch – 4 crayfishy pieces, with rice and spicy sauce

After lunch we stopped at the beach for a quick dip. I noticed the seagulls were very close to the coming tide

Then his feet got wet. Mr Gull flew off before he could take Husband up on his offer to accompany him snorkelling, though…

The water was absolutely amazing, in colour and temperature. #nofilter

Here is Husband, about to set off on his snorkelling trip, with flippers on his feet. He said he saw little green fish yellow eyes

Then we got home and Husband got to work, putting up the first beam. Looks like he’s standing on air but it’s a trick of the light, he really is on the ladder. Take no notice of the scrubby garden, that’s a project for another weekend.

Sunday, 8 February 2015: Breakfast at Cafe Lacomia, drinks at Captain’s Kitchen

We needed to buy a few more DIY-type things on Sunday morning, so breakfasted at Cafe Lacomia, right inside our nearest Builder’s Warehouse. Here is Husband perusing the menu…

Look at the mini croissant we each got to sample before our breakfast, and the two (yes, two!) little cookies that accompanied my cappuccino. Nice touch.

Odds and ends purchased, we went back home, where Husband finished off the patio roof frame rather fast

Here he is nonchalantly sitting on it, to prove it’s sturdy and can take the weight of my hammock chair

Satisfied with a job well done, we headed to Captain’s Kitchen in Big Bay to wet our whistles.

I went for a coffee milkshake, of course

Mum made wonderful dom pedro things after lupper

Wednesday, 11 February 2015: Nutella hot chocolate at Melissa’s

As luck would have it, I had my second Melissa’s experience this week, when attending a breakfast business meeting at Melissa’s on Kloof Street. This is the Nutella hot chocolate.

Later that day, on my trip home, I snapped this shot – it’s a sight you only get to see from the MyCiti bus lane in Paarden Eiland. Gorgeous cloud-covered mountain

Thursday, 12 February 2015: Refreshing (alcoholic) work lollies

Thursday was the #BizTrends20-15 event, held at the Inner City Ideas Cartel in the CBD. It was a really humid day, so these tequila-lemonade lollies went down a treat!

Friday, 13 February 2015: Office Valentine’s Day celebrations

Our entertainment committee put together the most amazing candlelit brunch, which suited the suddenly-rainy weather. Here’s my selection of eats and flute of Appletizer (though there was sparkling wine on offer, too), on our fake-grass carpet.

Who said red and pink are clashing colours? Divine

Of course we played Bad Cupid – so pleased with what I ended up with – an owlie travel mug, just perfect for someone who loves coffee and owls

That’s all for now, folks – but this is my birthday weekend, so I’m sure there’ll be a cake or two involved – have some for me 😉