The Latest
Let One Egg Reach Maturity
A reflection in the window, a silhouette, a table lamp, and a garden in the early morning was the setting that caught my eye, a reflective mood for my first photograph, a good start. I had a boss, who in a moment of frustration, called me Dreamy Drawers, I was probably dead on my feet, today...
Mondays With Cecil
Mondays bring a familiar routine, but finding something inspiring around me is the real challenge today, which might resonate with fellow enthusiasts. I’ve decided to use my 24mm-105mm lens again. This is the one I take on holidays with me- a very good all-rounder, especially when I do...
Panning Flamingos at Sunset
Mist is a great medium to work with because it creates an eerie atmosphere, ideal for photography and landscape work. I loved the stillness and tranquillity the mist seemed to create on the salt pan when we went at dusk to see the flamingos migrate from one side of the lake to the other. ...
Fly Me To The Moon - Stellenbosch Flying Club
Weekends are for photography, if you lead a quiet life, that is, or live in a picturesque spot, or diligently plan your photographic expeditions. Ma Nelson would've said "Preparedness, girls, is key!" when she tried to motivate us at age 8. Do prepare for the weather conditions (www.yr.no is...
Desert Rose
Days are too short. Fabulous Fridays are even shorter; I’ll be very lucky even to make one photograph today. I woke up hoping to shoot, but it was raining! I felt frustrated, which I think many can relate to when plans don't go as hoped. Just in time, I dashed outside to photograph a...
Spotlight On An Ordinary Day
There’s nothing quite like volunteer work, is there? Today I sat/lay for a student while she learned how to apply eyelash extensions! I woke up to the pitter-patter of raindrops on the bedroom window this morning. This did not augur well, but I manned up and decided to embrace the day!...
Titillating Tantalizing Teasers
These are the delicious dishes I enjoyed making this weekend. Besides the spicy, fruity, home-baked hot cross buns I gobbled up as soon as the oven door opened and the dozens of Easter eggs that disappeared down the hatch, I also loved sharing these starters, salads, and desserts with family...
Going Corporate - Portraiture
“Wisdom to know what to do with what I know” was what I had to do with this commission. The client has the law on their side, the gift of the gab, and the confidence to enforce all three! ---oOo--- This is what I did: Sent a missive by email to all members of the staff regarding...
Backing Basics On A Tuesday
Every time I download my photographs for this “project,” I get a nasty knot in my stomach; it’s very much like waiting to take an exam. Today is an ordinary Tuesday. A back-to-reality day: the weekend’s a thing of the past. It’s back to doing the laundry, watering the plants, and the most...
Challenging Creativity
There can be no other word but CHALLENGE for a project like this. The last time I felt as challenged was when I stopped smoking; day 3 almost had me lighting up again. What this weekend has taught me is that packing for every eventuality helps you feel prepared and confident, reminding us of...
Shell We?
“There are no rules for good photographs; there are only good photographs.” Ansel Adams. When a photo feels right to you, it's good—regardless of likes or rankings. Your taste matters, and that’s what makes your perspective unique. We can’t all be brilliant; National Geographic wouldn’t know...
Funny Fern First
It’s a sloshy Saturday and a Mission Impossible. Abort! a voice screams. But procrastination is the thief of time. That’s a fact. Mondays are a good day to start dieting, fasting, or a new project, or turn over a new leaf. That’s if you toe the line, not when you zig when everyone else zags. ...
Beach Bunnies Make Waves - North African Summer Salad Recipes
The sparkling wine on tap, just installed on Breë Street, is the one I like best. For some reason, I don’t fall for it, but this year I fell for a few April Fools' jokes hook, line, and sinker. Imagine the genius who could put DSTV out of business with his R99 subscriptions and a truckload...
R is For Rhino Rob Restaurants and Red Wine - A Review
Animals, beer and braai, and scenic spots like Hermanus and Long Street were highlights, showcasing the diverse experiences across A-Zee. But we had to meet the boy first. Forewarned is forearmed, and we’d only heard good things—the usual: he's nice, bright, and fun, a petrolhead, tall, dark,...
It's The Final Countdown
My throat closes, my pulse quickens, there’s a hand gripping my heart, and nausea is creeping up on me. I’m not pregnant. Only one sleepie left. Their visits are always too short. Women used to shave their heads, wail, and keen for their children; I could too. The pillow we shared this...
Shark Cage Diving in Kleinbaai
Being charged by a Rhino or stormed by an Elephant is exciting, but nothing compares to the adrenaline rush of cage diving with a Great White Shark in Shark Alley, an experience that inspires thrill-seekers and adventure lovers. He travelled from the very north of South Africa, where he witnessed...
Road Tripping, Rondawels and Rhinos - Kruger National Park
Elephants! That was the brief. We did the groundwork, puffed up South Africa without sounding too arrogant or full of ourselves, and now it had to prove itself. Not that we have any doubts on that score, but expectations had to be met. Fortunately, the Kruger National Park speaks for itself....
Stay a while Crocodile
Make haste while the sun shines! Time waits for no man as we trundle along. It's true; we can see our lives flash past us when we have fun. When those glass doors at Johannesburg International Airport swooshed open, I became one happy Mama; my girl was safely back on African soil, ready to...
Halving The Panties Gets You Nowhere
That’s what He-Who-Will-Be-Obeyed says as I pack. “Whether one packs for one week or one month, the quantities stay the same,” I mutter under my breath. This reminds me to pack smartly to avoid overloading. I’ll take half the undies. I’ve already cut down the shorts and nighties and tossed the...
Marching Orders
“A woman, a dog, and a walnut tree: the more you beat them, the better they are.”A Calendar of Gardeners’ Lore Revealing the Secrets of The Walled Kitchen Garden. 1875. Fortunately, men came to their senses! In 1975, platform shoes, miniskirts, anorexia, and the Bob were all the rage. On...
Running Circles Around Life
Today you’ll close this gate; you’ve gone full circle with your journey here. You arrived as a beautiful, sexy, vivacious Englishwoman 38 years ago. Choices have never been yours to make; circumstances dictated your every move. “She took a step and didn't want to take any more, but...
My Funny Valentine
Like minced beef, I forced myself into my new contouring spandex figure-hugging petticoat and sexy, lacy, red bra, a birthday gift from Precious when I was a size smaller but had no need of support, as we were camping in a rooftop tent in Xai-Xai, Mozambique, a decade ago! On Saturday evening,...
Morning After The Valentine Night Before
I have carpet burns on both knees, and my forehead is blood red and burning. On Sunday morning, I had a lower backache, a blinding headache, swollen ankles, and blistered pedicured toes. I throbbed! I have no regrets, and I'm not complaining. I am “just” over the 50-year mark, so “regret” is...
Seeing Red With A Broken Heart
It’s all petals, pouting, and perfumed perfection on the eve of Valentine’s Day. It might be commercial exploitation, but give a girl a weekend away, wine her, dine her, lavish gifts from the heart upon her, and believe me, you’ll star in her good books! We’ve all had our fair share...
Move Mundane to Make Magic
Easier said than done, you may say. It takes a mindset shift and willpower to turn something mundane into magic, but it’s not impossible. Look at the guy on stage—he uses a plain white handkerchief to produce a beautiful white dove. It's all in the magic we hold in our hands. Just read...
Missive From Glam'ma - Neil
“Grandchildren now don't write thank-yous for the Christmas presents. They are walking on their pants with their cap on backward, listening to the Enema Man and Snoopy, Snoopy Poop Dog.” ― Alan Simpson Dearest Nunu, You’re not a twinkle in your father’s eye anymore; you’re a reality. I saw you...
Spit or Swallow
That is the question, not on an empty stomach. Well, I don’t know about that. Choices were limited; there was no place to hide. I dashed to the kitchen in a mess, trying to keep my composure. 'Manners maketh man' echoed in my mind as I heaved and clenched my jaw. I just put my head down...
Friday My Day
The clock ticks. January draws to a close, not a day too soon. It’s been a long month, and I bet many of you feel the same. A fortnight ago, my bank balance went negative. My tan’s faded, and I’m not as diligent about counting calories anymore. Thank goodness it's Friday, my favourite day....
Scintillating Sunny Summer Salads
It’s a mellow-yellow Saffron day; it’s hot, sticky and slightly sultry. I awoke with melons, songs, and nasturtiums on my mind, a Yellow song, and it was Coldplay! A good theme for Thursday. This is a pedicure and cafe day. Provence is yellow, reminding me of Les Girls, pottery, and...
Tuesdays and Fridays are for no ordinary fish – Fish Recipes
“I love the way the colour lavender smells, and the way the colour salmon tastes. And if there were a colour called “fur”, I’d like the way it feels!” – Jarod Kintz, This Book is Not FOR SALE. Painting of Fishmonger at Fish market: Bartolomeo Passarotti - The fish stall If you’re a fisherman...
Miserably Morose on a Monday
It’s no use; no one can dodge this bullet any longer. It’s back to the Spinning Class this afternoon. The scales don’t lie. We can count calories until the cows come home. Nope, it’s time to add some strenuous exercises to the game plan! I wonder if jaw wiring is still an option? I still see...
The Other Woman, a Letter From My Heart
"Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself. They come through you but not from you, and though they are with you, yet they belong not to you." On Children – Kahlil Gibran An open letter Dear Mum and Dad of The Other Woman, When I...
Between The Covers it's Man up or Clam up
We need confidence and courage to seize an opportunity and run with it; persevering and not losing faith takes guts. “A ship is always safe at the shore, but that is NOT what it is built for.” — Albert Einstein. People are fascinating, and if you’re a little more aware and have an...
A Photographic Walk
My photographic walk day was a walk in the park, a delightful day spent photographing some of the people I encounter in my daily life. As Bruce Gilden says, "I love the people I photograph. I mean, they're my friends. I've never met most of them, or I don't know them at all, yet through my...
Sea Horses and Mermaids
For a while now, we’ve been hearing rumours about snorkelling with seahorses. "Right!" I thought. "And I’m talking to faeries!" They’re almost extinct and live somewhere in the tropics. Exactly, in Inhambane, in tropical waters! One day we investigated; of course, it’s easier said than done,...
Moon On The Water - Where a Simple Life Comes Together
As soon as the furniture is arranged on the veranda and the long table is set against the railing, I sit down and feel my shoulders drop, my neck loosen, and the tension flow like blood through my veins and out through my toes. I can breathe again, long, slow inhalations, in-out,...
Good, Better, Mozambique
It’s a long, winding road to Lua No Mar, a cottage on the beach in Tofo, a pinprick on the map of Mozambique in the Province of Inhambane. This is the place of long white beaches, mosquitoes, sand fleas, balmy days, and the friendliest, most accommodating people in Africa. Vasco da Gama,...
Rhubarbs reign here, Miss Figgy and Aubergine - Plus Leg of Lamb on the barbecue, Roast Pork Belly, Seafood Salad
People very rarely change, and our nearly neighbours moved after a lifetime on the corner, quietly without making a fuss, not the slightest ripple on the pond, the only sign of their departure is their absence and the sense of loss the stately old homestead has taken on! No one is doing Thai-Chi...
At a Loss
“Before the war, Sofya Levinton had once said to Yevgenia Nikolaevna Shaposhnikova, 'If one man is fated to be killed by another, it would be interesting to trace the gradual convergence of their paths. ' " At the start they might be miles away from one another – I might be in Pamir picking...
Figs, Frogs and Red Onions
The countdown has begun, only seven sleepies to go! If the dining room is anything to go by, we’re going to need a pantechnicon to get us to Tofo. There's no doubt we're all fatigued at this time of the year, although it’s gone like a flash, and the year is just a memory. We’ve all had...