The Latest
Tranquil Transkei - Mazeppa Bay Revisited
Promises made have to be kept. That’s a golden rule. Melissa, our niece, took up a position as a Dietician at a rural hospital in the Transkei. We applauded her for her decision...
Searching For Magic Mushrooms - Hogsback...
My Grandmama told me about the Hogsback. In the early 1930’s she’d haul my aunt, my Dad, a French nanny and a German wet nurse, by train from Cape Town and steam off during the hot summer...
Hoo-Ray It's holi-Yay!
There were a few weeks to go, before the summer holidays would break the monotony of 8 months under house arrest, while we continued enduring the lockdown. Like a bolt of lightning on a...
Could be, Should be, Would Be. The Year...
– the very long and short of it. This is my retrospective of annus horribilis – the year that was 2020. To approach it, I wriggle my fingers into kid gloves and swallow...
Glamping in the Kgalagadi Trans Frontier Park
Butch and I have never camped in a SANParks campsite. We prefer to stay off the grid or do wild camping as one does in Botswana and Zimbabwe. Without a doubt, our favourite camps being...
A Saffa Safari - A Road Trip To The...
Do yourself a favour. Make a reservation, pack your tent and raid the pantry. Dust off the ammo boxes. When you've done all that grab a few T's, a pair of shorts and your favourite flip flops. ...
My Fear of Failure - An Albatross
The deadweight of the rotting Albatross I was lugging around was weighing me down. Day and night, I was consumed by fear, uncertainty and doubt. Knowing I had no choice, my fate sealed. The...
Rainy Days And Sundays - Butternut Relish
Inclement weather is expected to dry up in October. The rain running rivulets down the window panes as I type is a surprise. Shouldn’t be, you’d think, but, we’ve had such good...
Why Fly - Gifberg Holiday Farm
I jolted, something wet was slowly snaking its way across my belly, gathering momentum as it slipped around to my back. We'd just returned, unpacked, and put the washing machine on heavy load, after...
My Namaqualand Journal - Madeliefie,...
Every year at about this time a wayward uncle would stop over in his rusty, vintage Kombi, to stock up on fresh supplies, before setting off on his annual pilgrimage into the Namaqualand to paint....
Beefy Brown Onion Soup For The Ego
“Don’t worry, we all look terrible with these masks on Maricha.” Said an acquaintance I greeted in the grocery store today. All I’d said was “Ha-wow!” ...
Wandering Closer To Home - Slanghoek -...
Butch and his colleagues meet up in their library every morning for coffee. He says “sometimes we talk law, but, mostly, we just catch up and chat.” Everyone knows our story by now, and...
Beauty Is All Around Us - Overberg Daytrip
“Let’s pack up our troubles and go day trippin’,” said good lookin’. Every week has its minor challenges, and last week didn’t disappoint. I have had wheels...
Around The World With A Wooden Spoon And...
Pfft, to armchair travel we might think. For the foreseeable future, it’s a new reality whichever way we look at it. The thought of not travelling is like telling a ladybird she may not...
Still Wandering - Gatsrivier Guest Farm
With dust billowing in our wake, we made our way from the Tankwa farmstall back onto the main road (a 70km detour, I was told) to continue our meanderings in search of peace. The road north...
Wandering into the future – Matroosberg...
It's no use crying over spilt milk. We’ve had our chips, and now we must suck it up and move on, without the help or approval of the government, closed borders or the WHO. Our lives are still...
Rooting For Beets
My farm to table produce box from Groenstoor included, amongst many delicious offerings, a bushel of beetroot, and a bunch of carrots, and rooted sweet and bitter salad leaves. This morning, while I...
Bolognaise Arancini - Flavour Bombs
Arancini is an Italian dish consisting of small balls of Arborio rice, stuffed with a savoury filling, coated in breadcrumbs, and fried. Arancini is synonymous with Sicily. If you’ve never...
Honey Badgers Don't Hibernate
I stopped laughing. My one redeeming attribute is that I enjoy a good laugh, some start deep in my belly, others I try to suppress as they tickle my spirit, but, on the whole Butch and I enjoy...
Covid19 Confessions
Covid19 stumped even the writers of Horoscopes who did not predict this devastating pandemic. No, as far as all the psychics go, we’re still plain sailing. They’ve let us down miserably....
My Saucy Pepper Beef Pie
We thought the pie was delicious. Butch’s mouth has been salivating for something like this for a while so I thought “Well why not?” I didn’t make my pastry but...
My Run-in With Covid 19
I think we’re all of the opinion that our world has changed with Covid 19 in one way or another. Mine certainly has. But, not so much my daily life as my outlook on life. For...
Sunday's Roast With Sweet Onion Tarte Tatin
Using staples from our store cupboard is always a bargain, especially over a weekend when you don’t want to put a foot wrong, or into a shop. On most Sundays we like to take things easy,...
Breakfast Inspiration - BIRCHER
Sometimes we all need a little inspiration. I find we slip into a routine very quickly especially when it’s just Butch and I. Every meal is just a repetition of the day before as we’re...