paddle tuesday

 i paddled down the river all day. that is all.

easy. healthy. cheap

so i just spent so much money grocery shopping that i started to go red in the face as the amount kept rising. when you've been living in the country for a few months, your attitude towards spending money (and what you spend it on) changes drastically. there were many things i'd neglected to buy for the last few weeks and have been happily accepting my veggie box deliveries and creating dishes from the contents, but at some point you've just got to get olive oil, good mayonnaise, gnocci, couscous, oats, fruit, coffee, nuts and seeds etc. i'm determined to make it all last for 2 weeks without having to shop again (gulp - i have a growing human living here, and then there's also my son), so i'm going to post easy, healthy and cheap recipes here on me bloggy. please keep coming back and tell me if you're finding them useful. first up - zucchini toasts and beetroot salad. i can make these using almost 100% 'sourced out of people's gardens and from local markets' ingredients. i hope you can too :)

where the wild men are

it's a question my girlfriends and i have been asking ourselves for some time - where are the real men? the huntsmen, carpenters, the manly men? the beekeepers, the farmers, the lumberjack archetypes? i've realised why there are no real men anymore - they've missed out on that important chapter in their lives when they should have been building things, breaking things down, destroying things, creating them again, fixing things, using their hands, tending to repairs...i've heard murmurs of 'missing out on the army' for years, but this supposed explanation always failed to move me. now, i'm quite aware that i sound like the female equivalent of a 1950's beer-in-front-of-the-tv-drinking, impregnating, sexist cad - but women have only been allowed to have opinions for a few decades, so hear me out: our men have gone soft and they need saving.

i have a boy child, so i know how much a part of his nature it is to be attracted to masculine pursuits. you don't tell your child to love locomotives when he's 6 months old - he just does. if you're dead against toy guns, he'll fashion one out of a fallen branch, a dagger from a rock. you don't tell them to love fishing and hunting - they just do. boys are completely different to girls. it's in their genes, their wiring and in their spirits. therefore, boys who are growing up in front of televisions, playstation games, wii's and laptops are missing out on an incredibly important chapter of their manhood (besides for being inactive for hours and developing brain rot). it's dawned on me how these changes in society have brought about a generation of men who have forgotten how to be men. i know this must all seem terribly confusing to men who've heard women bleating on for years about needing men to be more sensitive and emotional. we take it all back! we're sorry! we'd prefer it if you'd spend your time making us furniture, rather than joining our craft blogs.

single parent families have a huge impact too - there are often no fathers around to give their young sons a masculine outlet or guide them on their path towards manhood. and us mothers are having to bring in an income, keep house, shop, cook and tend to children on our own, so i think it's a little unfair to think we could also fit in woodwork, building and fishing before dinner. my father is a real man who can chop wood, build, tile a bathroom, build a cupboard, race horses and still get home in time to cook a brilliant curry or a manly steak - they do exist.

so tell me ladies, would you prefer your man to build you a house, or make you a salad?

stanford blogger

i've just found out that my new stanford friend and single mother (to two amazing girls), robyn, is a blogger! robyn has just moved to stanford from durban and documents her love of stanford on her blog 'country life dreams'. add her to your blog roll if you love stanford, the country and beautiful pics!

one night only

i had my flower over for one night only and we lounged around and smiled like big furry cats who got the cream. i was gifted 2 cases of & union beer a few minutes before lauren arrived (perfect timing) and we proceeded to treat each other to delicious bottles of craft beer throughout the day. *hic. we started this morning with a playful dip in the river, working up an appetite for bowls of homemade bircher muesli with grated apple and mango waiting for us at home. lauren made us haas coffee in the moka pot and we sipped on fresh ginger, beetroot, apple and cucumber juice made in my juicer. YUM. then she had to depart, but our time was sweet! look at her and her cute musician man. sweet!

thank you, brewers & union!

i was treated to cases of...gulp.. brewers & union versus goliath beer this week...gulp...because these guys know...gulp...what a beer enthusiast i am. thank you &union and the gabriel collective for these here billion bottles of beer. beer is good for you!

thank you, kodak!

hey kodak, thanks for this awesome waterproof playsport video camera! it's everything i've been looking for in a swimming companion! finally i can film myself rowing down the river in stanford, my encounters with seals, death-defying escapes from raptors and our synchronised swimming/gin parties. thank you!!!!

lush

i've never seen a sexier collection of healthy recipes in my life. this is mecca, ladies! these are the health foods we've been searching for our entire lives! follow the sprouted kitchen for ideas on how to get beautiful and tasty with health foods.

simply breakfast

simply breakfast is a blog all about beautifully styled breakfast scenes, by a photographer in new york. what an inspiration! i love the handmade ceramics, wonky bowls, exquisite use of colour and of course, all the homely breakfasts.

sweet temptation

 

 beautiful studio, delicious ceramics. samantha robinson's ceramics are bursting with vitality.

i'm looking at the bigger picture

there were some wonderful moments in 2011; opportunities that presented themselves, allowing me to grow as a 'creative'. i made some incredible new friends, some of whom are most definitely kindred spirits. i made the life-changing decision to move two hours from cape town, to the sleepy little river town of stanford, where i made many more new, heavenly friends. but then i lost one of my most treasured, in the most horrific way. our village went into shock and mourning. my guts and my heart felt like they'd been ripped out of my chest and all that was left was someone who had no idea how to cope with the emptiness left behind. what a way to realise how much you loved someone. they say there are various stages of grief: well i don't seem to be venturing beyond shock.

the theft of her has given me perspective though: when you're left behind in the aftermath of a young mother's shocking death, you tend to realise that the people you love are the most important priorities on this earth and really, trivialities don't matter. when a mother of two is murdered in her home, even amongst the tears, searing pain, treacherous grief and terror, you come to a few realisations, including how little time you have. you're faced with your own mortality, and really, what it is you're going to do with this one wild life you're fortunate enough to be living.

possessions don't matter. the things you lack don't matter. your insecurities don't matter. your guilt doesn't matter. the things you battle to forgive yourself for - they don't matter - because, in the end, how much you gave of yourself and loved will be your legacy. how you treated people, will matter. how kind you were, will matter. how passionately you lived your life. how much you gave of yourself to your children, will matter. being true to yourself and living courageously - that will matter. opening your heart matters. so i'm done with chasing friendships with people who don't make me feel good about myself - there are enough people who love me. i'm done with pettiness - there are far more important things to spend my emotions on. i'm looking at the bigger picture now.

when people ask me how i felt about 2011, i'll always remember how i felt. new year, please be kind to our hearts.

vintage swimwear

thanks to frankie, i found these beautiful swimwear creations being crafted in australia, by sanoii and six. i love the colour tones and simplicity.

chapel bag, i want ya

continuing with my local love birthday wishlist, i've been lusting after one of these here chapel bags for around 2 years now. i love this charcoal colour, but check out all their bag styles and colours here

instant art

all images from here

it's my favourite medium. i got my instant camera and film at exposure gallery in woodstock. you can order from them online here

folklands

i love the idea of having something appear within every photograph. folklands.