LIFE GRAND CAFE

yesterday being a public holiday, rick and i thought we would enjoy brunch and a movie at hydepark. we decided on trying out life grand cafe, which i would highly recommend to anyone. it is nearly impossible to decide on what to order, since the menu is jam-packed with everything my taste buds desire! and i mean everything! they serve breakfast, lunch and dinner with a menu offering a variety from sushi to macaroons.

another big plus is the beautiful shop's interior which adds to the very relaxed, yet sophisticated ambiance. they sell some pretty awesome ceramics and other knick-knacks, as can be seen in the pictures below.
i just have to have those koi-fish ceramic bowls!

THE COOKS

on friday night, while the boys were off on their own boys night, us girls thought it a good idea to get together and cook something yummy.  as we are all really big fans of the pretty blog, we perused their long list of recipes and decided on the ricotta gnuddi with pomodoro sauce, pictured above.

it turned out really well, even the with the sauce having burnt slightly due to us being a little tipsy on the red wine (wink wink). this one gets a two-thumbs-up from us!

photo by the very talented tasha seccombe for the pretty blog.

WELCOME LITTLE POOCH

so this very cute pup is the newest addition to my sister and her husband's household. 
his name is oscar and he has an awesome personality. 
he is also by far one of the most spoilt dogs alive today.
welcome little one.

WEEKEND HAPPINESS

hello! hope you had a lovely week. i finally have my normal routine back on track after a few weeks of studying. wrote my exam last friday and am feeling delightfully blank and relaxed.

since i have all this normal-people-who-got-their-degrees-and-don't-need-to-study-while-working-who-i-am-insanely-jealous-of kind of time on my hands, i cannot wait to start on another novel. first on my list would be the latest erica james novel and the new series of novels by jeffrey archer..

as for this weekend, friday night will be spent cooking and relaxing with some girlfriends, an outing to the boere market in silverton tomorrow morning and what is sure to be great wedding of a good friend of mine tomorrow afternoon. yay for the weekend!

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!