Tag Archives: blog

BrambleBerry Lodge in the Natal midlands was a picture perfect choice for a family reunion break.  Nottingham Road was closer for the Durban folks but not unreasonably far for the Jo’burg contingent.  We instantly fell in love with the wooden house overlooking a dam.  Last year we chose Birdsong Cottages in the central Drakensberg for our get together.  The drawback …

Good value, good service and quality products give me the warm fuzzies.  I’ll share my 4 favourite businesses dealt with this week. On our return from Durban we always have to stop at the Wine Cellar just outside Rosetta in the Midlands, oddly enough not always for wine but always for flavoured coffee beans (they grind them if you wish) …

  Each year Acacia’s birthday is a time of celebration, edged with the depression of dark memories during her birth week.  Instead of cuddling and bonding with my newborn we were separated by the ICU crib while I gazed at her tiny body invaded by tubes and wires.  I sat helpless while she fought for her life against the ravages …

https://www.instagram.com/p/BTvqlUeAeae/?taken-by=sulaskimmingstones How strange that I closed the last page of The Deathly Hallows, the final Harry Potter book to see posts on Facebook and Twitter celebrating 20 years of Harry Potter.  Just over 20 years ago my older children wanted to enter the world of Harry Potter.  I was not sure if I should endorse this as many Christian friends …

We have explored our wonderful South Africa extensively over the years, but now and then memories are made that will endure a lifetime.  On our return to Gauteng from Cape Town we drove via Kimberly to take the children to the big hole.  Mein Heim guest farm and Mokala National park where we have stayed before were fully booked.  We …

Last week I got a huge bag of Red and Yellow peppers at Woolworths for an excellent price.  Wanting to make a pasta sauce I looked up many recipes then went off and made up my own.  It went down really well and I will be making it again. ROAST RED (AND/OR YELLOW) PEPPER PASTA SAUCE (serves 4) INGREDIENTS 4 …

I really don’t like it when bakers won’t share their recipes or tips.  The kitchen should be a space of warmth and generosity of spirit.  I have been baking for over 4 decades and recently discovered something really amazing.  Others must have discovered this before, I can’t be the first, but I’ve never seen anyone share this tip.  You know …

Since discovering Ostrich Mince, I never use Beef mince.  Ostrich meat is so lean that even extra lean beef tastes fatty in comparison.  Ostrich mince is available at Woolworths and Pick n Pay.   Of course you can use Beef, or Chicken mince in this recipe if you prefer.  This is a family favourite and we eat it once a …

There are many ways to write this story. It could be sermonized or psychoanalyzed. It could be told with the aggressive, indignant tone of Eusebias McKaiser (but for maximum effect the perpetrators would have had to be white). It could be dressed in clever language. I cannot use a broken little boy as a metaphor and will simply state what …

I love trying new recipes.  This time the Curried Chickpea salad in Pick ‘n Pay’s Fresh Living Jan/Feb 17 magazine appealed.  However being me I made a few changes.  3 Tbs curry powder seemed a huge amount, 1 tsp of mild and spicy curry powder was absolutely adequate.  I didn’t like the idea of raw baby marrows so cooked them …