No crying over spilt whiskey

My parents have an amazing garden. Including these enormous fever trees

A favourite snack. Nyimo beans. They are boiled and eaten. They taste a bit like a cross between a peanut & a chickpea.

Spending time with the family was great. Yes it was a sad occasion but a good sad. We sent Grandpa off in fine style. Lots of family, lots of ‘remember when…’ stories which usually brought belly laughs and fond reminiscences. Lots of whiskey. Some deemed unfit to drink and thrown into the pool unopened. The fished out again when all the rest had been drunk. Aunts & cousins not seen in many (far too many!) years. Catching up, sharing, laughing, crying but above all, celebrating and remembering  I think Grandpa would have loved it.

Roadside outside Bulawayo

Rocky & Suki are biltong-hounds…

Then leaving Harare, peering down through highveld haze trying to spot the Limpopo and note the exact moment we pass from one home to another. My sister and I saying goodbye in the airport, preparing to fly to opposite ends of our adopted country. Spooky landing in the typical Port Elizabeth mist*, the road home familiar even in the the dark. And finally, home.

All photos from my Instagram. Click for more!

Only in Zimbabwe…

*More on that in another blog post-I’m still finding the words. It was magic and scary and spooky and ever so interesting!

Now you & Granny are together again and with your son Brian.  You were an amazing man and I am so proud and privileged to have had you as a Grandpa.

I love you.

Harold Richard Booth

29 April 1929 – 05 May 2013

~*~

My lovely cousin and her husband are expecting their first baby in June. I made them a blanket to go with their nursery. Fortunately the parcel arrived and they collected it over the weekend so I can finally share it here! He probably could have done with another arm, funny what you see in a photo of a piece compared to the actual piece in front of you! I so glad that they like it! I’m hard at work on a second totally different blanket for a friend. I’ll share that after her shower.

Winnie the Pooh  

~*~

We bought ourselves a lovely wooden booze cabinet from our local Antiques/Used Furniture store a few weeks ago. I Instagram’ed this photo:

Booze cabinet

We had to wait a few days for the shop to deliver it. We wisely used the time to figure out where we were going to put it in our not very large lounge! In any case, it’s lovely to have all our wine put away as well as a dedicated spot for our outer drinks. We’ve used the top half as a makeshift ‘TV’ cabinet. We don’t really watch a lot of TV but listen to a lot of music or stream stuff from the internet. So we have my laptop set up in there. Our first grown-up purchase as in it wasn’t something that we needed (e.g. a fridge or bed) but something we wanted.  It’s also nice to have somewhere to display out wedding photo books; but I suspect the whole room will continue to evolve.

Blanket playing peek-a-boo while John stocks the cupboard, notice our tiny dining table, we’ve since moved it back closer to the window.

We’ve since added all our wine & beer glasses to the middle shelf as well as my serving bowls inherited from my Mom’s Mom.

~*~

John removed a beehive from the roof of the museum where he works. The hive was causing a problem but not in the way you might think. See wild hives are often surrounded by dead bees. These dead bee attract a type of beetle commonly known as a ‘museum beetle’ (Anthrenus sp.) which feeds on dead insects. There are many many dead insects in a museum collection and these beetles can cause a lot of damage. So my man spent most of Friday morning cutting out old comb and putting it in a bucket.

A lot of it was brood comb (dark coloured and full of bee larvae) but we also ended up with a *lot* of lovely honey. Seeing as we don’t have a spinner or any honey-working equipment I Google’d around for alternative methods and we basically settled on a ‘cold-press & filter’ method.

We picked out the empty comb, the brood comb and anything else that didn’t have any honey in it and discarded it on our compost heap. Wild bees will find it and recycle any pollen and bit of honey in it. Then we picked out good ‘eating comb’ which will be eaten as is or on toast/waffles/pancakes etc. The rest we crushed lightly, dead bees and all and scooped into a sieve and left it to drain. Some we tied up in an old clean tea towel and hung over a bowl. Let me tell you there is nothing quite light crushing a few kilos of honey comb with your hands! It’s like playing with sticky sweet bubble wrap!

It’s a messy, sticky business but the honey is SO worth it!

~*~

I’m off to the USA at the end of June for work. I’m rather excited and nervous about this! I’ll be in Chicago attending the American Library Association’s conference from 26th June – 2nd July. Then I head across to Massachusetts to the area near Boston from about the 3rd-10th July. Not all for work though; I’ll have a few days off to explore and hopefully experience some July 4th excitement!  I must admit that in light of recent events in Boston, I’m apprehensive about arriving there; even though I won’t actually be staying in the city itself. If anyone has travelled to those cities, is there anything I simply CAN’T miss? I am already planning on visiting The Bean and getting some proper Chicago pizza. But what else? I will have a *very* limited budget (the exchange rate is not friendly to us Saffas) but I am happy to walk a lot and see as much free stuff as possible! Ditto for the Boston area. I will be staying with family friends in New Hampshire and I’m sure they’ll have quite a lot of suggestions and things to do; but any other ideas/suggestions would be great!

~*~

I bought two little pots of mini daffodils the other day. I love how they look on my windowsill above our tiny dining table. They were especially cheering on a grey and rainy day.

So there we have it…all caught up. For now.

]]> http://cestlavietlb.wordpress.com/2013/04/29/catching-up/feed/ 0 tlbisme http://cestlavietlb.wordpress.com/2013/04/22/graduation/ http://cestlavietlb.wordpress.com/2013/04/22/graduation/#comments Mon, 22 Apr 2013 06:29:21 +0000 Tara http://cestlavietlb.wordpress.com/?p=3239 Continue reading »

Better late than never! Rhodes University’s Graduation was held over the 4th & 5th of April and both John and I donned the Bat-Gowns, one red one black, and our respective hoods and waited patiently for our 30 second walk across the stage. Except now I have to call him Doctor!

John & his PhD supervisors

John’s ceremony was on Friday morning, and mine was on Saturday morning. After my ceremony we shot off to my MBA class’s lunch where I received an award from my classmates for “Outstanding contribution to the overall learning experience.” I was extremely touched, it was a very sweet gesture and I’m very proud of myself. Especially as the whole damn thing is FINISHED!

From there we shot off to the traditional PhD Luncheon which allows the PhD graduates and their supervisors & guests to celebrate. Then we were off to the Garden Party which is a chance for everyone to mingle and socialize. It’s always so pretty, all the gowns and hoods in their many different colours! John then went off to PA with his parents and I stayed on to have a drink with my close friends from our class.

It was a special weekend and so lovely that the ‘Cool Group’ all managed to graduate together!

I’m so proud of John for sticking with it and doing all the hard graft in a really tough year. It’s all been so worth it! Love you Skattie

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We took a walk one evening along the breakwater of the cute little harbour. Some stunning lines & colours;

I took these pics especially for Julochka & BushBabe because I know that they both love old things!

I love this picture. Something about the textures, colours & lines

Another evening we took a drive out to Betty’s Bay and took a walk along the beach. It’s the most stunning drive, twisting and turning as the waves crash into the rocks below.

Betty’s Bay was beautiful. Even if the beach was covered with bluebottles.

The wedding ceremony was held at Bishop’s with the reception at Neethlingshof. The couple had a genius idea and arranged a wine-tasting for everyone while they were off having their photos taken. Much nicer than standing around nibbling on snacks! The couple had also booked nearby Soverby Guesthouse for everyone to stay in.

Don’t be put off by their website, the place is stunnning! The rooms we stayed in were converted cellars, and I especially loved the ‘windows’ which showed off the old structure of the walls. The breakfasts (especially smoked salmon & scrambled eggs) were delicious! The wedding was great fun, beautiful bride & groom, stunning decor (pale pink roses, proteas and grey-green eucalyptus? foliage) dancing until 2am!

ON Tuesday we had a wonderful high-tea at La Motte. If you get a chance, go! But don’t eat beforehand, it’s surprisingly rich & filling!

I thoroughly enjoyed my week there with the folks. Best of all was coming back to work to discover we had a half day at work before the long weekend! Bonus!

It was a gorgeous day so I headed off to the beach

Between the river & the sea

It was a glorious day but that water was freezing!!

John didn’t want a fuss for his birthday and requested a fancy dinner with beers & drinks with his brother. I made a lovely slow-roasted pork belly with roasted potatoes and all the veg. I organised John an excellent birthday gift (if I do say so myself); a subscription to the mixed case from the League of Beers. So we spent an enjoyable evening testing a few beers and then eating and sipping on red wine until far too late! Really good.

On Sunday we headed home around lunchtime. After a few hours at home we decided to see how many of Grahamstown’s alleged 52 churches we could find. It all started as a comment by John’s uncle over on Facebook. I snapped this shot:

NG Kerk

saying that it was “One of 52″ in this #CityofSaints. He didn’t believe me so I’ve been on a mission looking for them all!These are the ones we’ve found so far:

#2 St. Bartholomew’s (152 years old) Click on the pic for more info

#3 Wesley Methodist Church c.1822

#4 Trinity Presbytarian

#5 River of Life

#6 St. Patrick’s Catholic Church. Built c.1840. Click on the pic for more info

#7 Commemoration Methodist Church. Built 1845-1850 & seats ~1200! Click on the pic for more info

#8 Baptist Church

#9 St Clements Anglican (Near the train station)

#10 Full Gospel

How many more have I got? Ah well you’ll have to follow me on Instagram!

]]> http://cestlavietlb.wordpress.com/2013/03/12/weekending-2/feed/ 0 tlbisme http://cestlavietlb.wordpress.com/2013/03/04/weekending/ http://cestlavietlb.wordpress.com/2013/03/04/weekending/#comments Mon, 04 Mar 2013 13:35:46 +0000 Tara http://cestlavietlb.wordpress.com/?p=3221 Continue reading »

We had a lovely weekend. Friday night was for homemade burgers, crochet and movies.

Saturday morning we made the trek to PE to do some shopping. My friend Nicole wanted to go to so we took her car (it has air con-bonus!) and managed to complete a very efficient trip! It helps when you find exactly what you’re looking for! Naturally we stopped for breakfast at the best farm stall between Grahamstown and PE; Nanaga. Their bacon & egg roosterbroods are to die for! I also love all the preserves and other goodies they have there.

All photos from my Instagram – click on the pic above to follow me!

I got myself a pair of smart shoes with a tiny heel (I can’t wear high heels-they throw my back out and I spend days in pain afterwards!), and two really nice comfy sports bras from Woolies. I also got a lovely black dress with black polka-dots, a little white bolero jersey, a purple work shirt and a grey top with a laser-cut pattern round the bottom from Milady’s. Oh and some sparkly earrings! Very successful day! John found himself some Merrell boots at 50% off and a work shirt and then retired to the coffee shop with his book & the rugby on the big screen. The only way to take your man shopping!

I LOVE this app…!

Nicole’s last stop was the Boardwalk Shopping centre so we took the opportunity to talk a walk out along the pier and enjoy the glorious day! There was a huge pod of dolphins frolicking ; but they were a bit far away for my little camera. I once did a night dive around this pier…we didn’t see any sharks but we did see a tiny cute cuttlefish (smaller than my pinkie fingernail!) and every time I go I remember this incident which I first wrote about here:

Funny story. When John was doing his qualifications for his Advanced scuba certificate; we did a night-dive off Shark Rock Pier. Although sharks are seldom seen around there, your brain totally doesn’t think that. Every slightly darker shadow; or weirdly moving wave turns into Jaws. That was also the night when my dear friend, and dive buddy for that dive, Andy, pretended to be out of air. At 20m. I all but shoved my octo (spare mouthpiece) through the back of his head in my haste to give it to him! I got such a fright! And then I saw he was laughing. Bastard. He wasn’t out of air, he just wanted to see what I’d do! I told him next time I’d let him drown. It looses some impact when written in pencil on a dive slate. And it only made him laugh harder. We also saw a baby cuttle fish who was attracted to our torch-light. Smaller than my pinkie-nail. Cute! And then we all went out to dinner and at our body weight in pasta. Terror and diving makes you very very hungry! It was a fun night. The End.

Ah Andy. Miss you very much, come back from Australia…

We got back around 3-ish and proceeded to be very lazy, too lazy to make dinner even! Though I did pack all my wool away into my new storage box. I love the Plastics Warehouse in PE! My ripply blanket is now 63 rows wide, a little less than halfway!

On Sunday we were up early. I planned our menu and then headed off to do the grocery shopping and then spent the rest of the morning baking. I made some delicious peanut-butter biscuits (with added dark chocolate chunks-they’re already gone!) and these chocolate chip cookies except I adjusted the recipe to make them double chocolate; and halved the quantity! Even I can’t eat 8.5 dozen cookies!

Jacques Torres’ Secret Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe (from Tender Crumb)
Ingredients 

• 1/2 (220g) pound unsalted butter
• 2 cups packed light-brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 3 cups bread flour
• 4 tablespoons of cocoa (my addition)
• 1/2 tablespoon salt
• 1 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 (450g) pounds bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

Directions
- Preheat oven to 350F (180C) degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats; set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugars.
- Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
- Reduce speed to low and add both flours, baking powder, baking soda, vanilla, and chocolate; mix until well combined.
- Using a 4-ounce scoop for larger cookies or a 1-ounce scoop for smaller cookies, scoop cookie dough onto prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart.
- Bake until lightly browned, but still soft, about 20 minutes for larger cookies and about 15 minutes for smaller cookies.
- Cool slightly on baking sheets before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

These biscuits are excellent! And the recipe makes *a lot* of biscuits! I took a whole lot to tea that afternoon, John took some to work for tea and we still have lots left over.

Tea was lovely. My friend Lindsay had a baby in December and I haven’t seen her in ages! Lots of tea, biscuits, friends, a long walk in the warm evening, chatting, and then home for a really excellent roast chicken super. I’m writing down what I did here for posterity but I want to test the recipe again before I share it with everyone! I put about 2/3 a cup of mealie meal (like polenta) into the roasting tray along with 2 cups of water. Then I blitzed up 2 pieces of my salt-preserved lemons, about teaspoon each of cumin, cinnamon & paprika; two large garlic cloves, a hot chilli and a large knob of butter. I smeared the butter mixture all over the chicken and in the cavity and then put it in the fridge to set and ‘marinade’. To cook, I put an onion in the cavity, put the chicken on a grid above the mealie meal and covered the whole lot with tinfoil. Baked at 180C for ~1hour. Removed tinfoil and backed for another 15min. All the drippings ended up in the mealie meal and made a delicious & different side to the usual potatoes or rice. Delicious!

 

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~*~

In other news, we had the first taste of autumn here yesterday. A small cold front blew through bringing with it the promise of winter. Gusty winds laden with fine rain, droplets on my glasses and steamed up car windows. The air had that fresh cold feeling to it. When the rain stopped I opened all the windows and freshened up the house. Slowly slowly we’re inching towards autumn. I find myself reaching for my blue fuzzy dressing gown and sleeping in more than just a t-shirt. Usually I am not a fan of winter. I find the dull days depressing and I really dislike being cold all the time. Bundling up against the chill is tiresome. But this year…I don’t know, something’s changed. Snuggled on the couch, fuzzy dressing gown wrapped around me, wool slipping through my fingers as my Giant Ripple Blanket grows I found I was quite looking forward to the change in season. Not yet; it is only February, but in time. Autumn isn’t quite in force yet though, this weekend promises bright sunny skies and hot weather.

~*~

Chillis are ripening in the garden. We’re going to have so many! I’m looking forward to trying out some small batches of chilli-jam and chilli relish.

Tomatoes are ripening too, thought the first substantial one was sadly ruined by blossom-end rot. I have hopes for the next next ones though. I’d love to have a big enough garden to put in a nice big veggie garden.

~*~

I have plans this weekend. John’s off fishing leaving me with ideas and time to make a mess in the kitchen. I’m going to make some coconut ginger ice cream (this recipe has rum in it! Mmmmmm). The mint in the garden is going mad so I’d like to find something to do with that too. We might be having friends round who’ve requested lamb shank, so there’ll be that too. I also want to make some more breakfast muffins and perhaps a batch of pumpkin soup in preparation for winter. And of course, there’ll be crocheting…

We had lovely pizzas for dinner last night, the pizza/pasta sauce in the crock pot worked really well!

Crock pot Pizza/Pasta Sauce

• ~2kg tomatoes, diced
• ~ 1 head garlic, peeled (or 6-8 large cloves)
• Large handful each basil, oregano & parsley finely chopped
• 1 cup red wine
• 2 tblsp olive oil
• 2 tblsp sugar
• Salt & pepper to taste

Put everything into the crock pot on low for 12-18 hours. Puree with a stick blender, taste and adjust seasoning. Divide into portions and freeze.

18 hours later

I clearly remember the baby bird sitting on the teeth of the big thing!

“Are you my Mother?” by PD Eastman