Living. And all that jazz. Asking the real questions and getting the real answers. Love reading, writing, books, food, wine, art, flowers, plants,silk, linen, velvet, cotton, handbags, cars, travel, and more…
A cheetah relaxing in the velvet.Giraffes surveying the land
Yes. I see wild animals regularly. In South Africa there are many opportunities to see the glorious wild life we have here. Anything from warthog to cheetah to giraffe to eland to lion and leopard.
A sleepy lion
There are many lodges here that offer what we call game drives. These are outings into the game reserves in an open vehicle. The vehicles are driven by brilliant rangers who are expert in their field and in the area. They also have a riffle in case of the unexpected. And this is the bush so anything can happen.
The nature to be experienced is awe inspiring. Birds and mammals and reptiles are in abundance.
A trafic jam in the bush
Having seen the majestic elephant herds you will be changed forever.
A moment with her not so little one. The horns are very popular in Asia and this has caused much poaching of the Rhino, and endangering the species. In South Africa, rhino preservation projects are run, by which the horns are removed from the animals to ensure their safety.
You get to see and be close to wild animals in their natural habitat and it is a great privilege. And one that I am deeply grateful for.
I have learned to. And as I have grown older I have come to see what pain I would have saved myself if I had listened earlier.
Although, there is a whole lot of fun that I would also have missed had I listened. And I must thank my myriad of guardian angels for these saves.
I was taught to be nice. And polite. To respect my elders. Smile. Be friendly. And these manners were drummed into us at home and at the church school I attended. I am the first born so with that the pressure to be perfect was huge.
And my instinct may have wanted me to parachute out of jobs and situations, but I listened to other’s voices.
I have made it a very firm rule in life not to rue my mistakes but to learn from them and then move on. So I have forgiven my listening to other’s voices and moved on.
I started listening to my gut feel and my life changed for the better. This was only after some self-convincing that I could be trusted to look after myself. And did not need to always be nice. I bet on myself.
I live in a small town in the middle of the country’s wine producing area. A perfect place for a foodie and a wine enthusiast.
There are many places here that I enjoy being at. From wine farms to fine restaurants.
My favourite place would be Le Lude. And the Orangerie at the tasting room.
Le Lude specialise in Cap Classique Sparkling Wine, which is made in the classic method used in the production of that original, delicious bubbly, Champagne, France. We call it sparkling wine here as Champagne is a protected name as it refers to the area in France where champagne is produced.
The sparkling wine, I call it bubbles, is delicious and of a very high standard at Le Lude. And much loved by us.
The estate is found in a spot with a magnificent view of the mountains, lush with trees and a magnificent rose garden. The shade of the trees is dappled and provides a magnificent canopy for sipping bubbles and dining on very fine food.
Inside you can sit in a light filled black and white, with touches of green, dining room. The green is added by many hanging plants.
The colour of the ferns in the inside dining area.
Visiting there always gives me a sense of calm. It is ordered with the softness of the bubbles, trees and roses. Genteel and welcoming, always.
What part of your routine do you always try to skip if you can?
Never the coffee!
The rest may be negotiable. Like setting the alarm the night before- and calculating just how many hours you will get to la-la.
Checking my daily ‘to do list’. Also, something I can, on some days, do without. I don’t want a ‘ to do list’.
Sorting laundry – what if you could get the inhabitants of the home to sort their own whites and colours? In my household, that would be nothing short of a miracle. So the laundry sorting will stay in the routine. Unless…
I could employ some industrious fairies to prepare the dinner – the thinking of what, and how, and the initial niggly bits. I could very easily, and routinely, put it all together and serve up a delicious meal.
Many thoughts are running through my brain about how to shorten, sweeten or avoid my routine.
What a life it would be to wake up every morning without an alarm clock jangling in my ear. And to survey the time stretched ahead of me, like virgin snow, knowing that it was completely my choice where to put my footprints.
Calling scrolling and being a slave to your device, screen time, is a misnomer.
Me time, quality time, healing time, alone time, family time – these are positive concepts. And you are encouraged to make use of all this time – to your own benefit!
As I am writing this on my phone, I feel like a fraud for the above statement. However, having the convenience of a phone or other device is wonderful. And I will not give mine up.
It’s about the way you use your time with the screens that matters.
I have put my phone in the lounge so that I do not have it at hand for the first thing in the morning. I have an analogue alarm clock.
The socials are my downfall. And i have been known to spend 0coyntless hours listening and watching other people’s lives unfold. And then there are the tips, hacks and hints for a more productive life. Is it only ne that sees the irony in that?
I have made a commitment to myself – in my me time, to limit my access to socials. Using my phone. Still loading on this one.
Perhaps it should be called what it is- time theft.
Invent a holiday! Explain how and why everyone should celebrate.
What gives a feeling of quiet celebration like strings of fairy lights? I would venture that one would have to go a far way to find its equal. Candlelight would be the perfect addition to create a pocket of light.
My holiday suggestion would involve a lot of fairy lights. And it’s close cousin candlelight. The soft quality of the light that these two elements bring to your living room or bedroom or bathroom would allow time for reflection and gentle and expansive celebrations. If you choose to celebrate solo.
Imagine a crowd standing in a park amongst trees in their autumn glory of gold and red. Each person is holding a candle. The trees are bedecked with fairy lights wound around trunks and branches. Tall pillar candles are placed all around the park. The light is soft, gentle and all encompassing, holding the people in its cupped hands.
And everybody is smiling.
They are celebrating Joy Day. A holiday to celebrate the joys of life, big and small, that we all experience. A pause for gratitude.
Threading is the ancient skill of removing unwanted hair- face or body- by means of a cotton thread. The thread is wound around fingers on both hands and kept in the teeth. The action is of bobbing the head as the fingers twist the cotton around the hair, thus removing the hair. Not completely pleasant, but an excellent result. Razor sharp eyebrows with nary a hair out of place.
I have my face threaded. Every 6 weeks or so. Now, I have been subjecting myself to this treatment for a long time, and so am familiar with the modus. I have recently moved to a new little town and needed to find a threading magician.
I found a men’s barber shop that offers threading. Threaders are mostly to be found at a barber shop or a gentleman’s grooming outfit.
I arrived and was shown to a wonderfully retro barber’s chair. I settled in and girded my loins for the inevitable slight unpleasantness.
The gentleman does not speak much English so communication is vague and very limited. He did understand what I needed, though.
He started the process of de-hairing my face and it all went according to the familiar modus operandi.
Except that, once done with the threading, he whipped out some warm wax and proceeded to apply it to the area around my mouth and chin. He was conscientious in his application. A departure from the familiar. As the wax hardened I could not open my mouth. Luckily I am a nose breather.
Having removed the wax he brought out a device that looked like a lathe. He turned it on and placed it on my forehead. To say I was surprised would be an understatement. The instrument vibrated enthusiastically, relaxing my forehead.
Then it was the turn of my shoulders and neck. What a wonderful sensation! A relaxing deep tissue massage. Albeit rather noisy.
So there I was, face hairless and eyebrows perfectly defined. Relaxed by what reminded me of a jackhammer. A tiny jackhammer, but a jackhammer nevertheless.
A new more enjoyable modus for threading. I didn’t catch the gentleman’s name. I will call him Jack.
You have three magic genie wishes, what are you asking for?
I am not going to wish for word peace or an end to hunger. Although a wish of this nature would be an essential for the mess the world is in today. I am going to be entirely selfish and tell you about my wishes for myself. Silly, I know. But fun.
First off, I wish the genie to grant me a fabulous wardrobe. Now, not the actual wardrobe, but the contents. All coordinated, functional elegant and inspired. The time I spend picking out my daily outfits would be better spent reading.
Secondly, I wish for great reading glasses. Funky and chic. Statement pieces to wear daily as part of my look. Distinctive enough to round off a unique style. Searching the Web has fruitlessly occupied many hours. Time I would rather be writing.
My final request would be for self-styling hair. Imagine the angst and effort that I would save if my hairstyle just was. Such a luxury would please my silly soul. The time that I save will be better spent indulging in cooking fabulous food.
The Dell 