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… 🙂
In this week’s highlights you get an insider’s glimpse of the new Bizcommunity offices, post-week drinks with colleagues at the Fat Cactus, winter mid-week evening half-price curries with husband and more! See below…
Saturday, 4 July 2015: Breakfast at Bread & Butter, electric fence installation, dins at the Italian Club
Beautiful cappuccino with side shortbread at Bread & Butter.The muesli jar is always a treat, filled with fresh sliced strawberries, bananas and nuts.Husband had the bacon, egg and avo croissant. Note it’s still served on a bread board and not a plate – that’s his only complaint.Husband found this large Scotch egg on sale at the local food market. It was lovely, he says.I savoured my own treat later that afternoon with a coffee lovingly made by Husband – a Nuss Plunder. It’s much like a twisty croissant. Often find them at the bakery section of Pick n Pay and Foodlover’s Market.Don’t worry, Husband hasn’t lost his top half – if you look closely you’ll see he’s standing bent over atop our front wall, cleverly extending our electric fence himself.When darkness hit we zoomed off to my old offices to pack up my desk and bring all my odds and ends home for the weekend, then stopped off at the Italian Club in Milnerton for dins.Husband at the wall of barrels and flags inside the Italian Club.You can just tell this was an Italian meal from the colours in the shot, can’t you? And indeed it was, our first meal at the Italian Club this year (gasp!).The best gnocchi bolognaise, covered in parmesan and chilli.
Sunday, 5 July 2015: Breakfast at Primi Blouberg, evening at the Fire & Ice
Look at Husband’s lovely lemony breakfast Cola against a backdrop of tableclothed Table Mountain. This was at Primi, Blouberg.My cappuccino wanted a similar photo taken. That’s an enormous mug, with a sliver of biscotti on the side. Delicious.My french toast would have been just R25 if I didn’t add a portion of summer berries for R15. So glad I did, they were tart and tasty.Husband opted for the ‘Rancheros’ bowl of all sorts of Mexican goodness. Nice, he confirms, and at least it’s in a bowl on the bread board and not just left to slither and slide across the wooden plank.We celebrated Husband finishing the electric fence extension with a quick afternoon visit to the Driftwood. Husband had a Black Label draught…I had a red cappuccino. Above my head you can see the inspiration for our patio roofing, especially with the twinkly fairy lights you only see at night.We got to the Fire & Ice a little early for my Sunday evening event, so we sat and ‘people-watched’ at the Milkshake Bar. That’s my chocolate-orange-honeycomb milkshake, and Husband had the Almond Whiskey Espresso Martini.I did try his, but mine was better 🙂This is what we attended at the Fire & Ice – the closing awards evening of the first ever One Show diversity boot camp to be held in Cape Town. Click here for my overview.
Tuesday, 7 July 2015: New offices and sunset curries
Look how pretty! This is the view from my new desk in the brand new Bizcommunity office. Note the real live trees, the pink sunrise sky and the lovely open space.JUST caught the pink streaks in the sky at sunset on Tuesday after work…It was such a gorgeous night that we went past home to Eden on the Bay, as we had a suspicion they’d brought out their winter specials menu – indeed they did, so we opted for the Tuesday ‘two chicken curries for the price of one’ special. Husband also had the ‘double Scottish Leader for R22’ special, as you can see.Setting sun just visible through the window at Inside.My chicken korma and cafe latte. Husband opted for the bunny chow, which was delicious.
Wednesday, 8 July 2015: A doggie surprise at Husband’s work!
The fake potted orchid will give this away as Husband’s work – but what IS that on the red foot rest? A special delivery, just for Bertie and Bassie! You’ll have to keep your eyes peeled for their special review blog post, coming soon…
Friday, 10 July 2015: Friday celebrations at the Fat Cactus, Woodstock
What do you do when your new offices are walking distance from the Fat Cactus? Head across after work on Friday with your colleagues, of course! This is a ‘mixed moggy’, a margerita of lime, with a swirl of strawberry and dollop of mango in the middle.
That’s all for this installment – keep your eyes peeled for the special guest post translated from the doggies, coming soon!
It’s official – Winter 2015 has hit in Cape Town. What’s funny is, I made the same announcement last year – that Winter had officially hit on Mother’s Day weekend. (See here if you don’t believe me). Most of this week has had foggy, frosty mornings – not fun on the back of a bike. I predict a weekend of being wrapped snug in soft blankets, mugs of steamy drinks and lots of lounging in front of the fireplace.
But before we get to this weekend, we need to cover last weekend, and all that’s happened since…
Saturday, 9 May 2015: Breakfast at Hello Sailor in Obz, home generator installation
Bertie’s morning face. Love this dog.That’s me, as seen through the window of Hello Sailor in Obz.Couldn’t have started the day any better than with a cappuccino.Husband was either pondering the ‘Hello Sailor’ artboard or the ‘ever-present hippie’ on his Mac in the booth opposite. We then had a long discussion on the difference between hippies and hipsters.Husband happily Tabasco-saucing his well-peppered eggs ben.My French toast (of course) with bacon and grilled banana was just delightful.Some of the pretty street art (not sure if this counts as graffiti?) in Obz, when we took a little walk after brekkie.We treated ourselves to a genny, after lots of research into how much wattage we’d need to keep the basics running when we have our all-too-frequent loadshedding stints. We have bad luck with our schedule, as we’re loadshed every second day from 6pm to 8.30pm, but this week was a breeze.
Sunday, 10 May 2015: Mother’s Day brunch, afternoon snack at Captain’s Kitchen
Mum and me on Mother’s Day – we kept to our standing tradition of Mother’s Day brunch at our house. Husband kindly cooked eggs and bacon and toast, and we had a feast of fruit salad, yoghurt, pastries, coffee, juice and bubbly.Love this photo of Bassie with her granny.Here’s Bassie with me – such a dear little dog.My doggies remembered! They gave Husband their grubby puppy coins and he got some items from their list – all things to make mommy’s garden and patio pretty. Bless.A Mother’s Day draught at Captain’s Kitchen. R40 is way too much for this, Husband commented.This here coffee shake was a bit better value at R25…And the Italia pizza for R90? Perhaps we’d have it again on their weekly Thursday ‘two for the price of one’ special.
Thursday, 14 May 2015: Exploring the Castle Brewery complex in Woodstock
This here grey kitty let me snap a photo when I was walking through the Castle Brewery complex in Woodstock on Thursday morning. I got there super early so had time to take in the sights……But was delighted to find that Native VML, where the event was held, has a lovely bright coffee shop area with interesting things all over the walls. Just right for a creative space.So I spent the rest of my wait busy with the book I’d remembered to bring along with me, a top-notch cappuccino or two and digestive biccies.
I have taken far too many photos since my last update on Christmas, so have reigned myself in and held over everything post-2014 for an extra update later this week, so that the next one will have a fresh focus on 2015.
You’ve probably heard the standard Capetonian grumble by now that one of the worst things about December in Cape Town is that everyone and his aunt comes down to enjoy the glorious weather, so locals experience a price jolt and all their favourite places are packed. Luckily, this isn’t all bad news as it’s often your beloved family or friends who are part of the visiting crowd. That’s why we were ever so so pleased to hear that two of our former colleagues and one of my schoolmates who I’ve known for over two decades would be on our shores after Christmas, as it meant we could plan a few fun catch-up visits – over the weekend and evenings no less, as I was working from home throughout the silly season.
But I won’t dwell on that. Without further ado, I present to you…
Saturday, 27 December 2014: Jamaica Me Crazy with the Joburg friends
We started the day at our favourite local breakfast place – Bread & Butter. Dad says I always look so excited to see my food and coffee arrive – I am! 🙂Finally it was time to meet old friends at Jamaica Me Crazy in Woodstock. We’d been before for cocktails, this time we ate tooOne of the pretty murals outsideLove the bright birdies painted on this wallNo visit to Jamaica Me Crazy is complete without a Volcano – pina colada swirled with strawberry daquiri – and just R18 all day on Saturdays!Artwell said he was trying to photobomb me here. He succeededIf you think these look delicious, it’s ‘nacho’ fault – they really were good 😉Hahaha! Artwell and Husband hamming it up for the cameraThe Cambiers were also in attendanceLater that afternoon we took the doggies for a walk to the local park as it was just too windy for the beachLittle Bassie telling me to hurry up and stop taking photos so we could beat her dad and brother back home
Sunday, 28 December: Chilli con carne dogs and toffee shakes
Husband enjoyed his chili con carne-topped dog at Joe’s Diner in Canal Walk – with onion rings, chips and Coke, of course. Those are not vampire teeth, they’re stringy onion rings trying to escape. I had a toffee milkshake, is one of my favourites
Monday, 29 December 2014: post-work beach visits
Spotted this heart made of shells when we went for a beach walk once I was done with work for the day. So sweet.Warm rock pools are perfect for dipping tired feet into
Tuesday, 30 December 2014: Pamper party!
One of my former schoolmates was down in Cape Town visiting her sister for the holidays, and just so happened to be demonstrating the new range of Herbalife Skin products – me, Husband, mum and dad just so happened to be free to attend said demonstration. Here we all are wearing the minty mud mask…Here’s a comparison of Husband, before and after the demonstration, which included cleanser, toner, moisturiser, minty mud mask and eye gel. You decide whether the difference is due to lighting or the products’ super powers. Ooh, and here’s a punt – if you’re interested in attending a pamper party like this, contact Miriam on 083 226 2109 – say I sent you! She’s lovely 🙂
That’s all for now, folks! Chapter closed on 2014, next blog post to follow sooner than the usual weekly wait, all about ringing in 2015.
Time really does seem to go faster the closer we get to the end of the year. It feels like just yesterday that we put in an offer on the house we liked – when in reality that was a whopping four months ago, and moving day is next weekend already!
Speaking of weekends, here’s what we’ve been up to since my last update… The burgers at Wembley Roadhouse are definitely all they’re hyped up to be – despite not being a proper ‘order from your car’ roadhouse and the impossible queue at weekend lunchtime. Food also took an age to arrive at Hudson’s Burger Joint in Claremont but that could just be Sunday syndrome. My advice? Definitely try them, but go during the week if you can.
Right, without further ado…
Thursday, 13 November 2014: AfricaCom at the CTICC
Couldn’t resist taking a photo of the pretty welcome desk on my first visit to the CTICCShowing me how they looked out the window waiting for me to get home. There may have been slight exaggeration on some parts.Sometimes the simplest meal is best for dins. Husband made me a fried egg in the star shape he cut from this slice of bread
Saturday, 15 November 2014: Breakfast at Beach House Tavern, Woodbridge Island; lunch at the Wembley Roadhouse; sundowners at News Cafe Blouberg
Husband rearranged the chips on his Beach House Tavern ‘Full English’ breakfast plate into a smiley face. Not bad for R49 as it included mushroomsHusband tucking into his Masala burger from the Wembley Roadhouse. Actually worth the 45-minute wait.My frikkadel cheese burger was just as good. It was raining so we ate in the car, as you can see – despite having to go inside to order.After some packing we headed to our nearest News Cafe for a reward. That’s my strawberry daquiri rimmed in blue sugar and Husband’s Long Island Ice Tea. Bonus – we arrived in time to watch the rugby, AND my cocktail was marked down to R29 as it was happy hour
Sunday: Breakfast at News Cafe Blouberg; lunch at Hudsons Diner, Claremont
We noticed there’s an early bird breakfast special at the News Cafe if you order before 10am, so were back the next day for this amazing muesli jar, R30, and a just-as-good eggy breakfast for Husband – down the gullet too fast for a photo, alasHusband ‘cheers’-ed my homemade lemonade at Hudson’s Burger Joint in Claremont for lunch – accompanied by a wonderful jalapeno ostrich burger.Tart, slushy and minty. Just the way lemonade should be. Didn’t stop me from having drinks envy over all the enormous milkshakes we watched floating past though – will have to sample next time!You guys. Deep-fried Oreo. It turns the chocolate biscuit into almost cupcake consistency, with the sweet icing layer between and icing sugar dusted on top absorbing any greasy doughnut feeling. Amazing. And R25 for four seemed reasonable.Bassie looked like a puppy while lapping some toffee-caramel milk at Granny’s house
As if the tell-tale desert scene and cow-print booth behind my head doesn’t give the location away, this is me happy to have an Amarula hot chocolate to accompany our ‘two-for-one’ burger specials at Spur on Monday.
Tuesday, 18 November 2014: Gazing out Ogilvy’s window at the launch of Wallop!
Wednesday, 19 November 2014: mid-week curries at Indian Chapter 2, Blouberg
One of the nicest strawberry milkshakes – real fruit bits at the bottom, This was at Indian Chapter 2 in Blouberg – we’ve been to the original Indian Chapter and even chatted to owner Prim Reddy before. The ‘second chapter’ is in walking distance from the first and has the better decor, in my opinion
That’s all, folks… on with the next weekend we go! 🙂
Ramblings, rumblings and random ruminations. Also reviews, recommendations and alliteration. Based on living the good life in the fairest Cape. This is not a food blog.
Rambling Litchi 