The Latest
Mediocrity Underwhelmed - Reader's Restaurant - Tulbagh
Creating a fine plate of food can be taught. But, it’s something a chef or cook must be passionate about. “I am seeking. I am striving. I am in it with all my heart.” Vincent van Gogh. In a week, I experienced food prepared with zest and also the antithesis. According to Butch’s...
Wellies Or Winter Warmers - A Trip To Lake Jozini
I’m sitting here freezing, wondering how anyone can say, “I love winter!” I do get the crackling fire in the huge grate, which we don’t have, the red wine, which I don’t drink and the comfort food, which has settled around my waistline and will not budge. At night Butch and I wrestle to...
Head In The Clouds - At The Frame House
Bosmans’ Wine and Protea Farm – Hemel en Aarde Valley. Sami-Joan suggested we take ourselves off to the Bosman Farm in the Hemel and Aarde valley for a Tapas lunch and wine tasting. She’s a foodie and loves her wine; I knew I could take her word for it. We phoned immediately and were...
The Honey Badger Headlines - The Annual Moan Report
Many a sailor or boat owner will attest to this truth. Boats are dry docked for longer periods than they’re afloat. Our darling Honey Badger never lets us down in that department either. When the one problem is sorted, she springs a leak somewhere else. I think she’s just...
From Mexico To Kathmandu
Every sign and forecast pointed to a wet, wintry weekend. Soon we had the wall heaters blazing, our non-skid socks and fleecy jumpers on. We lay in late, dipping rusks into hot coffee, occasionally casting an eye outside. At this rate, we’d spend the weekend in bed. Nope, we needed to...
Let's Go Mexico
The weather’s turning, and we need a quick fix. There’s no time to beat about the bush. I’m ready and packed, just waiting for Butch to finish up at work. Seeing as we’re in for a spell of cold weather, I thought I’d give you this quick recipe for a really good, simple chowder/soup. ...
Big B and Little B Go On Safari
This Kgalagadi trip was an experience for the books. During a recent weekend away, I realised how special it is to go on holiday with family, especially with one’s children and grandchildren. Butch’s greatest dream has always been to spend time with all our children, especially in the...
Fab Four Ride Again - Kraalskloof Campsite - Slanghoek
Glamping in the mountains My sister-in-law Sue needs no introduction, albeit to say she’s one tough cookie and doesn’t take no for an answer. Trouble came in the form of an email from the proprietress of a campsite she’d reserved for the weekend, situated on the banks of the Breede River. ...
Chicken Soup
For the soul on a moody Monday as autumn bombards us in earnest. Monday’s are quiet days in our house. The usual chores bring me down to earth, especially after an eventful weekend. I enjoy the slow rumble of the old washing machine and the warmth emitted while our linens spin in the...
Death And Mourning In Times Of The Corona Virus
Maybe it’s just me who dwells on death today as a photograph pops up on my screen, taken three years ago, before the unthinkable. One of my very best friends passed away and will never feature in another photograph. Technology and Social Media is our new memory keeper. ---oOo--- With...
A One Night Stand - Cremorne Holiday Resort - Port St John's - Fabulously Flamboyant
Tick list travel or dashing from one place to the next; doing over-nighters doesn’t do it for me; although, I do get it. Sometimes there’s no option. For me, travel is about exploring. My curiosity about a place, its people, history, art, architecture needs in-depth investigation. Before...
Wonderously Wild – Mdumbi Backpackers
ROADTRIPPING THE TRANSKEI is one of a few places that make me feel as if I’m in another country. The people are cool, the weather’s divine, the landscape so different from ours, even the history’s different. Due to various reasons and circumstances, many people find themselves...
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 to spread her wings, step out of her comfort zone and make a lifetime of memories. At Christmas time in 2019,...
Searching For Magic Mushrooms - Hogsback - Eastern Cape Province
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 months to sojourn in the cool, misty Eastern Cape Amatole mountains. In tow, her best friend, Margie...
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 summer’s day, a nephew and niece took up our holiday home for three weeks. They were determined to make...
Could be, Should be, Would Be. The Year that was – 2020
– 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 heaped spoons of political correctness. Kindness and empathy I have, but, I also have a liberal sprinkling of...
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 Polentswa and Rooiputs on the Botswana side. This time we were putting SANParks to the test. The...
A Saffa Safari - A Road Trip To The Kgalagadi Trans Frontier Park
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. Don't forget last year's stretched and perished bather. It will do. Believe me. Now, head off to...
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 reality; Butch's sight is compromised. If we continue to believe that our retirement dream to travel...
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 weather for eight straight weeks, that I was ready to rip out the old bather to wallow in the shallows with...
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 a longish weekend, at the very remote GIFBERG HOLIDAY FARM near Van Rhyn'sdorp. I’d...
My Namaqualand Journal - Madeliefie, Pietsnotjie, Katstertjie -
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. My father-in-law would beckon him into his flat, stepping back from the front door, frowning...
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!” as my mask ballooned into my mouth. It was clear she didn’t recognise me at all. My medical gloves made a painful snap as I pulled them on....
Wandering Closer To Home - Slanghoek - Kraalkloof Camp
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 often good trip ideas are shared. Last week he was tipped-off about a camping spot on a farm in the...
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 under my bum since I turned 18. Ten days without a car is something to get your head around. Not that I minded. We’ve managed to empty...
Around The World With A Wooden Spoon And Spatula
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 save her children burning in their house. Dreadful. Unthinkable. Depressing. Every morning I throw back...
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 became quieter, and farmsteads became fewer. In the Karoo, sustainable farming can only be on vast tracts...
Wandering into the future – Matroosberg Nature Reserve
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 in our hands. What we do with the situation takes some creative thinking and a will to do something...
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 was grating an apple and pear for my breakfast Bircher, I remembered how, as children, we used...
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 tasted arancini or made it yourself now is a golden opportunity to impress. Here it’s raining, cold...
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 a good old fashioned chortle. When did merriment leave us? Sometime, I can’t pinpoint, probably...
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 prediction for today. Cancerian. “Since Mercury is just about to turn retrograde, it’s best to keep...
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 bought a ready-made Puff pastry instead. We all have our favourite one, I like using the Woolies All Butter Puff Pastry Sheets. ...
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 the first time in almost 65 years, I have had to really take a close look at how I view life. For a South African...
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, meals should be hassle free, but, always, delicious and preferably with something new. My parents often...
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 both busy and meals at home just serve their nutritional purpose. Keeping us sustained and hopefully healthy....
Gifting Memories - La Colombe and Kleinbosch Kloof
A few years ago we decided to invite a grand-daughter on a camping weekend to Prince Albert. It was an opportunity to get to know her better and for her to experience some of the things we enjoy. As luck would have it, it was the very weekend of the Olive Festival so we had much to explore...
Weekend Meander to MIDDELPOS
Pompelompie Hartklop (Heartbeat) Festival. The heart of the Karoo beats in its people. They are a hardened community, resilient and steadfast in their faith and in the land. Here every person is worthy. So, one fine day Butch comes along and suggests we go on a road trip to Middelpos. I’d...
Lets Hit The Road Jack - YZERFONTEIN
My beloved knew I’d be emotionally drained after our glorious six weeks in Onrus with the family. This was my weekend to be spoilt, almost an early Valentine’s treat. He made a reservation at the Yzerfontein Caravan Park for the weekend and secured a lovely campsite using the camp layout on...
Rather Late Than Never
Hallo! I have missed you old friend. And, like some relationships, if neglected, one could become estranged. I am back! We will be on track in no time, good friends, although separated, don’t need much to become reacquainted! After almost three months I have all my balls in the air...
