The Latest
We're On The Bus Gus
We had to fetch the Honey Badger in Upington. Our immediate thought was a rental car, but the logistics would be a nightmare. Flying was out of the question; too expensive. Driving up in our car wasn't an option either; two vehicles on the road would be ridiculous, so we had no choice but to...
Weekend Inspiration - Moroccan Soup With Spicy Beef Meatballs
I’ve been preparing three meals a day for 43 years and counting. Some days, I wished someone would tell me what they felt like for supper or suggest a change. Sharing these moments makes cooking more meaningful and fosters connection. I mentioned a Moroccan Soup in my previous blog...
The Week According To Weatherman Pete
Weatherwise, our forecast predicts snow and pristine white landscapes, perfect for families wanting to see snow or play in it this weekend. While our country reels under political turmoil, insurrection and anarchy, mobs ploughed through townships, highways and malls like a derailed freight...
Ewe Herd We Explored The Kgalagadi?
We shrew did, and Verreaux eagle to meet you! I Gnu we’d have a fabulous time. I haven’t felt the sun on my skin for days and feel cheetah’d. That’s the sort of thing I do when I’m cold. With this thought, I decided to cheer myself up and click through some of my photographs of our recent...
Winning Winter Warmers When It's Welly Cold
Recipes to warm your heart and bring comfort on wintry days – Cinnamon Pancakes, Beetroot Risotto, and Lamb necks on the braai. This quotation inspires today’s blog: “Don’t think about making art, get it done. Let everyone else decide if it’s good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While...
Revisiting An Old Favourite - Moggs Country Kitchen
It takes a vagabond to change the mind of someone who, for no apparent reason, renounced their enthusiasm or support. At the time, I was shocked! Moggs Country Cookhouse, a favourite eatery in the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, had, for years, been one of our regular watering holes. We’d go there on a...
The Chase – Homeward Bound
There comes a time on every trip when one’s nose turns homeward. In Afrikaans, it is likened to a spirited horse that stops in its tracks, cocks its head, and gallops back to its stables. Nothing can stop him when his head’s down. Indomitable, they are then. Our heads turned as we...
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 the antithesis. According to Butch’s research, there’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 - Bosman's Wine and Protea Farm – Hemel en Aarde Valley
Sami-Joan, after a girls' weekend of fun in Onrus, suggested we spoil ourselves with lunch at Bosman’s Wine and Protea Farm. We phoned immediately and were told they’re fully booked, which surprised me since we’d never heard of The Frame House or seen Bosman’s farm. The Hemel-Aarde Valley is...
The Honey Badger Headlines - The Annual Moan Report
Many a sailor or boat owner will attest to this. Boats spend more time dry-docked than afloat. Our darling Honey Badger never lets us down in that respect either. When one problem is sorted, she springs a leak elsewhere. I think she’s just attention-seeking. She has character. Who wouldn’t be...
From Mexico To Kathmandu
Every sign and forecast pointed to a wet, wintry weekend, making us crave a cosy, relaxing time. Soon we had the wall heaters blazing, our non-skid socks and fleecy jumpers on, creating a warm, inviting space. We lay in late, dipping rusks into hot coffee and occasionally casting an eye...
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. To inspire you to try something new, here’s a quick vegetarian Mexican bean soup recipe perfect for cold weather.Add chopped...
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 bush....
Fab Four Ride Again - Kraalskloof Campsite - Slanghoek
My sister-in-law Sue needs no introduction, though she’s a tough cookie and doesn’t take no for an answer. Trouble came as an email from the proprietress of a campsite she’d reserved for the weekend, on the banks of the Breede River. Glamping in the mountains The email said the grounds...
Chicken Soup
For the soul on a moody Monday as autumn bombards us in earnest. Mondays 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 as our linens spin in the tumble dryer,...
Death And Mourning In Times Of The Corona Virus
Maybe it’s just me who’s dwelling 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 appear in another photograph. Technology and social media are our new memory keepers. ---oOo--- With...
A One Night Stand - Cremorne Holiday Resort - Port St John's - Fabulously Flamboyant
Travel is about exploring deeply, delving into a place's culture, history, art, and architecture, and sparking curiosity and connection. Before our trips, we research as much as possible before we set off. My inquisitive nature, fuelled by the anticipation of new, unexplored destinations, is...
Road tripping the Transkei - Wondrously Wild – Mdumbi backpackers
Mdumbi Backpackers is one of the few places that make me feel as if I’m in another country. The people are cool, the weather’s divine, the landscape is so different from ours, and even the history is different. Many people find themselves drawn back to their homes in the Transkei, where...
Tranquil Transkei - Mazeppa Bay Revisited
Promises made must be kept. That’s a golden rule. Melissa, our niece, showed remarkable dedication and bravery by taking up a position as a dietician at a rural hospital in the Transkei, earning admiration and respect from us all. At Christmas in 2019, we solemnly promised to visit Melissa...
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, as we continued to endure the lockdown. Like a bolt of lightning on a summer’s day, a nephew and niece took over our holiday home for three weeks. They were determined to make it...
Could be, Should be, Would Be. The Year that was – 2020
–the long and short of it. This is my retrospective on annus horribilis – the year that was 2020. To approach it, I wriggle my fingers into kid gloves and swallow heaped spoonfuls of political correctness. I have kindness and empathy, but I also have a liberal sprinkling of anger,...
Glamping in the Kgalagadi Trans Frontier Park
Butch and I have never camped at a SANParks campsite. We prefer to stay off-grid or wild camp, as people do in Botswana and Zimbabwe. Without a doubt, our favourite campsites are Polentswa and Rooiputs on the Botswana side. This time, we were putting SANParks to the test. The corrugated dirt...
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-shirts, 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, I accepted that my fate was sealed. The reality: Butch's sight is compromised. If we keep believing our retirement dream is...
Rainy Days And Sundays - Butternut Relish
Inclement weather is expected to ease in October. The rain running in rivulets down the window panes as I type surprises me. 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 my...
Why Fly - Gifberg Holiday Farm
I jolted; something wet was slowly slithering across my belly, gathering momentum as it slipped around to my back. We'd just returned, unpacked, and set the washing machine to a heavy load after a longish weekend at the very remote Gifberg Holiday Farm near Van Rhynsdorp. I’d fallen into...
My Namaqualand Journal - Madeliefie, Pietsnotjie, Katstertjie -
Every year around this time, I remember Oom Piet and his visits, which fill me with warmth and nostalgia and inspire me to appreciate shared stories and traditions. The metallic clanging of a shifting spanner on an engine part would signal the last chores being done before he’d set...
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’s a reminder that we’re all navigating these times together, which can make you feel less alone. I...
Wandering Closer To Home - Slanghoek - Kraalkloof Camp
Butch and his colleagues meet in their library every morning for coffee. He says, “Sometimes we talk law, but mostly we just catch up and chat.” His description was spicier. Everyone knows our story by now, and we often share good travel ideas. Last week, he was tipped off about a secluded,...
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, 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 from a burning house. Dreadful. Unthinkable. Depressing. Every morning I swallow a fistful...
Still Wandering - Gatsrivier Guest Farm
With dust billowing in our wake, we made our way from the Tankwa farm stall back onto the main road (a 70 km detour, I was told) to continue our meanderings in search of peace. The road north grew quieter, and farmsteads grew fewer. In the Karoo, sustainable farming can only be practised on...
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 creative thinking and the will to act. With the...
Rooting For Beets
My farm-to-table produce box from Groenstoor included, among many delicious offerings, a bushel of beetroot, a bunch of carrots, and root vegetables, including sweet and bitter salad leaves. This morning, while I was grating an apple and pear for my breakfast Bircher, I remembered how, as...
Bolognaise Arancini - Flavour Bombs
Arancini is an Italian dish using small balls of Arborio rice, filled with a savoury filling, coated in breadcrumbs, and fried. Arancini is synonymous with Sicily. It’s raining, cold, and miserable. Everyone has fires roaring in the grate, and comfort food is calling, creating a cozy,...
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 overall Butch and I enjoy a good old-fashioned chortle. When did merriment leave us? Sometime, I can’t pinpoint, probably during...
COVID-19 Confessions - EASY ORANGE SPONGE CAKE WITH ORANGE CURD FILLING OR CRÈME PATISSERIE.
COVID-19 stumped even the writers of Horoscopes, who didn’t predict this devastating pandemic. No, as far as psychics go, we’re still in 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 watering 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. ...