Number 13: Joining the Let's Make 2018 the Year of No More Straws Movement.

I laughed out loud a some months back when Shawni was reading on article about the plastic crisis in our oceans and seas, she flung her head back and said "yet another thing to worry about!". And of course, she is so right.  So I am taking my first small step and joining the Let's Make 2018 the Year of No More Straws.

My Immortal Straw stash for gifting.

NUMBER 13:

Joining the Let's Make 2018 the Year of No More Straws movement.

Having researched my options I have opted to buy stainless steel straws called Immortal Straws from Faithful to Nature, a cool South African online business with great service. My little stash will be perfect for gifting!

I like the permanence of the stainless steel and also they represent a constant reminder to say #stopsucking, #nostrawsplease, #thelastplasticstraw, #bestrawfree. 

OK, its a small step but I like been a joiner...

Number 6, Part 2: Seeing my city through its Art Galleries, Parktown North and Parkhurst

Parkhurst and Parktown North, I seem to have a mental block remembering which suburb is which!
Anyway they were our February choice of suburbs for Martie and me to explore some new Art Galleries. Such a treat to head out on a Monday morning when Johannesburg is gearing up for a busy  work week while we take in peaceful gallery spaces.

Leaning into a Jonathon Freemantle painting at MOMO.

NUMBER 6: Part 2.

Seeing my city through its Art Galleries: Parktown North and Parkhurst.

The first thing that totally captured our imagination at Gallery MOMO, our first stop in Parktown North, was the lyrical Nan Shephard prose from her book 'The Living Mountain'. She writes of the Cairngorms in Scotland - 'However often I walk on them, these hills hold astonishment for me. There is no getting accustomed to them.'

The prose sets the scene for SA artist Jonathan Freemantle's 'The Oldest Mountain' exhibition, which is a personal expression of his depth of appreciation for the Magaliesberg. Gallery MOMO, which is a contemporary art space founded in 2002, was a stark and paired down setting for these paintings. The Operations Manager, Odysseus Shirindza, stepped away from his Monday admin and spent time with us, taking us into a finer appreciation of Freemantle's work, as well as his unusual techniques, the artist grounds up Magalies rock to create his paints!

My initial response to this body of work was lukewarm. I then started to lean into the paintings, started to appreciate the luminosity of the oil and pigments, noticed the textures, started to see the depth of shading, and only then did the true talent and skill become evident to me.

People, places, conversation and enjoyment of creativity around us.

After the linear, cool, spacial clarity of Gallery MOMO we found ourselves at The Henry George Gallery in Parkhurst, a warm, convivial renovated home, bursting with colour and made welcoming by Darryl Gray. 

This Gallery shows what passion it takes to bring fresh, new talent to market, Darryl engaged us completely with his insight about the artists and the work on display. 'The Ghost of Manchester Hotel', a downtown Jo'burg scene done in oil on newspaper by Andrew Ntshabele was impactful and fascinating in its detail.

Number 12: A suit for a wedding

This last transition from our apartment in Cape Town back to Johannesburg felt tough for me.  I usually transition with ease between the places and the activities in our lives but this trip felt long, the temperatures hovered near 40 degrees, we drove through parched landscapes and a sand storm.
Our home feels neglected and dusty with too many cobwebs to ignore and Fred is anxious with all the maintenance chores facing him.
And among these feelings is the anticipation of my boy's wedding.

Number 12:

A Suit for a Wedding.

It's Saturday morning and according to Barry and Kim's 'mywedding' site, the wedding is 48 days away. 

I am meeting the kids in Sandton this morning to shop for Barry's suit, the cleaning and to-do list becomes insignificant as I breathe into the appreciation of this milestone. 

This is my son, we are together, he is nervous, Kim is calm, he knows what he does not like, he wears a suit with ease, the choices become clear, the decision comes naturally, we smile, hems are sewn and it is done, he walks out with his suit.

A special moment with Barry and Kim, a suit for a wedding

Number 11: A Summer of Exploring the South African Craft Gin market

Week 12: a visit to Six Dogs Distillery in De Wet

A summer of gin discovery.

I enjoy a G&T so I set out to explore the offerings of our local market and to learn about the ‘perfect pour’.

NUMBER 11:

Exploring the South African Craft Gin market

The handcrafted gin revolution is exciting here in South Africa. 

We have visited a number of distillers, been exposed to the secrets of a good gin and also to the wonders of infusing botanicals with the traditional juniper berries. This last week of the challenge found us at Six Dogs Distillery and I could smell the fragrance of Lemon Buchu from the hills on the farm, one of the botanicals in their delicate and balanced Karoo offering!

I soon realized the value of a good quality gin, in this context, cheap can be nasty.

Fred has set up a gin shelf for me and my collection is growing nicely, I am impressed with the branding and shapes of the bottles too, from the medicinal simplicity of Bloedlemoen Gin with artwork by the Cape Town miniaturist Lorraine Loots, to the edgy Ginologist bottles.

Very soon I realized that I needed to buy glassware too and the stemless Copa glasses are perfect with their bulbous base.

So for a ‘perfect pour’, gin first, then have fun with dressing the gin – peppercorns, a spritz of salty water, sliver of cucumber, fresh lemon rind, then loads of ice next to chill the alcohol and only then are you ready for the tonic water. My brand of choice is Fitch and Leedes, a local business making great mixers. We still need to perfect ice though, the bigger the block and the clearer the ice the better.

My insight, support our local gin makers and mixer business, search out innovation, visit the distilleries, embrace gins steeped with botanicals, do not short cut on quality and lobby restaurants and bars to keep local gins.

Some of the local brands and I have highlighted the ones I have explored:

Western Cape 

Hope on Hopkins Gin

Six Dogs Gin

Bloedlemoen Gin

Cruxland Gin

Triple 3 Gin

Wixworth Gin

Woodstock Gin

New Harbour Gin

Amari Gin

Durbanville Gin

Musgrave Gin

New Harbour Gin

Cape Town Gin

Inverroche Gin

Clemengold Gin

Generals Gin

Jorgensen's Gin

Wilderer Gin

Pienaar & Sons Gin

Blossom&Hops

​

Dutchess (Alcohol free) 

Gauteng

Time Anchor

Ginologist Gin

Still33

Free State

De Vry Gin

Zwazulu Natal

031 Gin

Number 10: A week in Cape Town with Monica

I met Monica, who hails from Rochester, New York, on a Peggy Markel Culinary Adventure to Morocco in 2013. We have kept in touch ever since and here we are, in Cape Town, connecting and taking pleasure in showing her this beautiful part of South Africa.

NUMBER 10:

A week in Cape Town with Monica

A fine week indeed!

We:

Watched the sunset along the Atlantic Seaboard
Saw the moon floating over Lion’s Head
Strolled along Camp’s Bay Beach as the heat of the day slipped away
Ambled, shopped, bargained and breakfasted in Kalk Bay
Took in the ozone enriched sea air along the Muizenburg – St James' Walkway
Indulged in Karoo lamb and organic vegetables from Barrydale
Shopped at the V&A Waterfront, for Extreme Eyewear and African crafts
Marveled at Table Mountain
Blissed on Hari Krishna date and coconut balls, not to tell Fred too many details though
Found the perfect place to watch the blue moon rise over False Bay, Inverroche Amber gin and   ginger ale in hand
Ate so well at Harbour House in Kalk Bay thanks to Monica
Transported ourselves to Bali via the quite delicious black rice pudding I cooked for breakfast
Wetted our palettes on the best of extra virgin olive oil at Morgenster and popped their delicious olives and pastes as a starter treat
Marvelled at the ancient trees of Vergelegen Estate in Somerset West
Walked the maze created from vines and peacefully sat at its centre
Talked among the roses and watched a peahen with her chicks
Lunched with Di and Bri, caught up on all the news over a delicious meal at Stables, Vergelegen
Opened my gift box of treats sent all the way from the US by Monica. I now have a crystal water bottle and own a Dean and Deluca tin of culinary rubs, a black truffle infused honey, maple syrup treats and Noah Stryker’s new book about his big year, I am spoilt
Enjoyed our time with the rather droll African Penguins at Betty’s Bay
Smashed plates of take-away fish, calamari and chips in Kleinmond
Met a potter in Kleinmond, bought herb stakes for Barry and Kim’s wedding tables and found a perfect platter for Monica to take back to Rochester
Introduced Monica to a selection of bush teas and rooibos won
Spent a few gentle hours on the coast watching the gulls just in case the Franklin’s Gull made an appearance, which it did not
Shared our favourite beach, Noordhoek, the water sparkled, the sand was firm and white, the breeze kept us cool, always my best beach walk
Popped into the Noordhoek Farm Village for pies and a most appreciated late morning flat white
Needed to source some meds for Monica, her arithmetic was out
Appreciated Fred’s perfect pasta
Walked beneath Table Mountain and took in the spectacular views across the City Bowl, Bo-kaap and the harbor
Breakfasted at the ‘world’s best coffee shop’, Truth, where we meet Banshee actor Hoon Lee, he has one of the coolest characters to play - the fierce, cross dressing, swearing Job
Sashayed through sushi at Salushi
Dropped Monica at the Cheetah Outreach for a close-up encounter with cheetahs
Drove to Hermanus to meet up with Di at Dutchies for a meal and for feet in the Atlantic to cool down