It has been just over a year since we built and installed an owl house, optimistically expecting a homeless young owl to take up residence and join our family. I bet you can guess that the owl house is very much still unoccupied. Not even the squirrels, which we call the Harolds, have decided to move in. It has…
Like bees to the honey pot
Alfonso, our gardener and brother-from-another-mother, is a legend. As a Rasta and natural healer, his love for nature and respect for natural remedies (especially the green leaf) is immense. From the skin-healing power of the ‘baboon bum’ mushroom (spores from a stemmed pufball mushroom), to fresh buchu tea (that does smell like cat pee) and…
Smokey and the Bandit
Last month we welcomed in a new family member – Smokey the GSP (German Short Haired Pointer). You will remember that, in January, we lost our sweet Moose to an epilepsy-related accident. I was quite happy to wait it out until the time was right to add another doggie into the mix. I could not…
Jaffa mash up
It was my hubby’s birthday this week and he gave me an unusual request for his birthday cake: a Jaffa Cake biscuit in a cake format with a chocolate hard shell. Mmmmm right. The Jaffa Cake was first produced in 1927 by McVitie and Price and would be a close contender for the British national biscuit…
Koeksisters with a twist!
Over the holidays, in a fit of year-end ‘let’s get our life in order’ craziness, I tackled the pile of recipe books that I inherited from my late Granny Yvonne. We shared the same birthday and many an afternoon was spent helping her in the kitchen, and, more importantly, licking the chocolate cake mixing bowl!…
Farewell Moose!
It is with great sadness that we said farewell to Moose, our beloved two-year old German Short-Haired Pointer or GSP, who crossed the rainbow bridge on the 24 January. In October last year, Moose started having seizures – about one every three to four weeks. These were traumatic, for humans and fur baby alike. We…
Carrot somen noodles and other weirdness
My husband was recently away in China on business and, not being in the mood to do the weekly shop and in scratching at the back of the cupboard, I discovered a pack of carrot-flavoured somen noodles he brought back from his last trip. This was one of many items from a trove of unusual…
Good Food and Wine Show, Cape Town 2017 #GFWS2017
I recently attended the 2017 Cape Town Good Food and Wine Show. In anticipation of encountering every kitchen gadget known to humanity, I equipped myself with a wallet full of cash and, with eagerness, raced off to indulge in some retail therapy. And, of course, to see Marco Pierre White. For those of you in…
Carpool karaoke (without the singing and cool outfits)
I recently had the strangest meeting, or should I say, the most unusual location… One of my colleagues called me up and said: “Belinda, you must meet this guy Kevin, he is very important. He is arriving via the United States and can only meet you between his arrival and a lunch meeting. Can you…
Homegrown pumpkin fritters…flat yet a feat!
After harvesting our bountiful crop of pumpkins, a daunting challenge lay ahead: what, oh what, to do with all these pumpkins!? And, of course, the even greater challenge was chopping up all those darn pumpkins. Elbow grease awaited. My awesome mom-in-law kindly provided the family famous fritter recipe, exactly as follows: “Two cups cooked mashed pumpkin….
Bonfire of the families…
Country life is filled with unexpected little pleasures, especially if you’re willing to try new things and meet new people. Our young son was recently invited, along with his classmates, to celebrate the birthday of one of his friends, whose parents happen to be wine farmers in the area. As luck would have it, our son’s parents…
An abundance of Habanero hotness
I was the lucky recipient of a majestic Habanero chilli bush for my birthday. After using two of these babies in a Lamb Rogan Josh, it became quite clear (on all levels) that these little bad boys were punching way above their weight. One by one, the greenies transformed into fiery hot orangey goodness and I…
