WHAT WINTER MEANS TO ME

we recently had a few days of cold weather, which really caught me off guard. there has been no in-your-face change of the seasons as far as i have experienced. the trees are still mostly green and i am still wearing sandals and summer tops for the most part.

i do however look forward to when i can officially trade in the air con for extra blankets and snuggle a little while longer under the duvet before getting up in the mornings. trading showers for long hot baths. wear my leather jacket and my coat and change my scarves to match my outfits.  

there is nothing quite like sitting around a heart-warmingly camp-fire trying to warm your backside and your face at the same time  |  getting cozy on the couch with a woolly blanket and taking a nap in the winter sun  |  having malva pudding for dessert at the sunday lunch table  |  wishing i could wake up to snow in south africa  |   hot chocolate with marshmallows  |  all knitted things  |  taking a stroll and trying to crunch every dry leaf lying on the pavement  |  red wine with lamb shank |  holidaying in south africa's beautiful national parks, driving around for hours in search of the big five. cheers to the winter being on its way!

WORDS OF WISDOM

"this planet has no need for more successful people. this planet desperately needs more peace peacemakers, healers, restorers, storytellers, and lovers of all kinds. it needs people to live well in their places. it needs people with moral courage, willing to join the struggle to make the world habitable and humane. these qualities have little to do with the standards of success as set by the world." - unknown

MACARONI MACAROON

>> this past december was my first time in paris. what a wonderfully romantic and characteristic place!
      i loved all the little street cafe's, the museums, the food and the world famous monuments!

      i love the idea of traveling to a city and making sure i return with special items that will forever
      leave me with a memory of that place. one of the items i chose to buy in paris was the world famous
      macaroons from Laduree.
   
      with rick waiting outside the shop (absolutely furious with me for considering to buy these
      pricey sweet things), i enjoyed myself while choosing which macaroons to fill not one, but two
      beautiful boxes!
      yip, i sure did...

      and said luxurious "macaronis" (as rick calls them) were enjoyed fully with a bottle of champagne,
      ringing in the new year on a bridge in very rainy paris. x x x

FRIDAY TREAT CHEAT

This is one delicious calorie bomb...so if you allow yourself a good guilt-free treat once in a while, this one's for you! So easy to make...Heat milk in Microwave or on the stove, stir in chocolate and enjoy with some yummy chocolate chip cookies x 

Ingredients

- 70% Dark Lindt Chocolate {I put in the whole (mini) slab, but I would recommend you start off with half

  and add more if you prefer}

- 300ml Milk

- Melissa's Chocolate Chip Cookies to do the dunkin 

YumYumYum x

LIFE LATELY

>>  our dogs have been keeping me company while I attempt to do some studying for my upcoming

       exams. 

>>  got myself a brand spanking new iphone, whoooohooooo!!

>>  have some serious obsession with updating my tumblr. have a look here.

>>  deciding whether or not to move out of the comfort of my mom's little nest and into my own flat. 

       i should probably mention that i currently commute between pretoria and johannesburg 5 days

       a week.

>>  i constantly crave piza e vino's azzip pizza, which they took off the menu (tssk tssk). give me

       a pizza base + gorgonzola + pears + basil + pine nuts + parma ham and i am there like a bear!!

>>  reading the fourth book in the beautiful creatures and i must say, it is painful. i rarely struggle

       to finish a book, but this one is just too much of the same. boooo. not getting any recommendations 

       from me.

>>  realised there is a huge amount of scammers on the internet, on all the trusted sites i might add. 

       whether you are looking to buy a new car or buying or renting a property, beware! when that first

       response via email pops up and they mention they live in the UK and give you their whole 

       life story: SCAM alert!

>>  discovered pukka teas...i have only had the vanilla & camomile and it is magnificent!

>>  getting ready for winter here in south africa. bring on the soups and the scarves and my lovely

       boots that have not yet been worn