Skimming Stones | Sula's Blog | Sula1968 A South African poet, potter and mother

Solar water heating is a relatively simple concept – the heat of the sun is captured using a collector panel and stored in a water tank.  There are of course many different systems configurations that one can choose, which complicates the issue somewhat, but as long as you understand the basics operation, advantages and disadvantages of each type of system, …

A long time ago my uncle, his Canadian wife and children packed up their tobacco farm in Rhodesia* and moved to Canada.  As a farewell family gathering we spent a weekend together on the Natal South Coast before they left Africa.   That weekend aunt Marg made a batch of cookies which we all loved, she called them Cowboy cookies and …

Before I start, I have a request.  To my parents and older children, please don’t read this, you don’t need to, and it is of no relevance to you.  I am tackling this subject because I am hoping that it will strike a chord with a specific person.  I feel that I would be out of line to contact her …

Sometimes experimental baking does not yield what you have in mind but works out in a different way.  I’ve been looking at the new bottle of mint essence wondering what type of cookies can be made with it.  I chose to adapt a choc chip cookie recipe to fit the bill.  The cookies taste good but the green colour really …

Remember the Fiat Palio Ad, the one where the owner gets uppity when his car is described as nice?  Well I’ve come to a point where there is a space for nice.  Nice is comforting, and … well, nice.  I’ve just read Odd One Out by Lissa Evans, and it was nice.  Reviews on the cover used words like “hilarious” …

Last night my husband made the most incredibly yummy 3 course supper.   Our starter was this Roasted Red Bell Pepper Soup, made from his own recipe.  This may be the most delicious soup that I have tasted.  Lucky you, he agreed to share his recipe. INGREDIENTS 3 large red peppers 1 tin tomato 1 onion chopped 2 rounded tsp crushed …

Sampling the top 3 roadhouses in Boksburg, was a good dose of fun and adventure. Retro is in, but in Boksburg (not a fashion capital of the world) for many it never went out. Not when it comes to roadhouses anyway. Boksburgians have a point here.  The Fireplace, Kota Joe and Orama were all better than, or equal to take …

My daughter Domi had no case or bag for her laptop (It disappeared when she loaned it to a ‘friend’).  This amazing and generous daughter of mine bought me a laptop recently.  This month we attended a bloggers book evening at Scoobs at Monte Casino, there she won a Kobo Glo e-reader, sponsored by Books Live.  I decided to make …

Reading Saving Grace by Jane Green was rather a rollercoaster.  I enjoyed it, then I was annoyed, I was interested in the characters, then I didn’t give a darn,  I liked one aspect of the ending and not another, and so on.   Frequently I had the same feeling as when watching a movie where the good guy enters a house …

When shopping there are 3 pricing categories, rip-off, good value and bargain.  The pricing at Hardy Plants Nursery is bargain at its best.  On our way home to Boksburg from breakfast at Her Majesteas Salon in Heidelberg, we stopped in at Hardy Plants Nursery on the R23.  We were amazed by the low prices, if you’re looking for very reasonably …

Whilst inarguably genteel and refined, Her Majesteas Salon in Heidelberg presents gracious hospitality, with a tongue firmly placed in the cheek.  I like that.  HMS has the feel of a smile not a stiff upper lip.  Royally wallpapered walls host Tretchikoff prints and wire chandeliers are adorned with tea cups , champagne corks and other bits and bobs.  Tannie Evita …

Jani Confidential is a fascinating memoir by one of South Africa’s most (in)famous columnists, Jani Allan.  Her story is captivating.  Hers is a tragedy of near Shakespearian proportion, a tale of dazzling potential wasted and lost for decades.  It is a deftly drawn portrait of South Africa in the 1980’s.  It tells of wealth, power and betrayal.  These elements make it a …

Recently I unintentionally read 2 memoirs.  Accidental reading happens when you refuse to look at back covers or reviews before reading, I have spoilerphobia.  Most reading choices are based on recommendations from a readers Facebook group, liking an author, or randomly pulling a book from the library shelf.  Over the past 15 years I’ve been slowly making my way through …

You know those sayings about learning from your mistakes?  They don’t apply to us.  My only memory of doing the Penduka hike 7 years ago was a rising sense of panic as shadows lengthened  while we felt no closer to the end of the hike.  All the while baby Fjord laughed in the backpack while we fretted about the time. …

The literal translation of Wag ‘n Bietjie is ‘wait a while’, if you’re on the R531 near Hoedspruit, stop at Wag ‘n Bietjie.  That’s the quintessential essence of padstals (farm stalls).  They call us from the flashing blur of scenery in transit, to pause on our journey.   They offer up little nuggets for us to turn over and examine.  Our …