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

My daughter’s fiance Duncan will make a great son-in-law.  He endeared himself even further when he took me to Leafy Greens for what may have been my best lunch ever.  Leafy Greens Cafe is a vegan and vegetarian restaurant in Muldersdrift.  Although I love vegetarian fare I am neither vegan nor vegetarian.  The buffet lunch was a visual feast which …

My post-licence driving euphoria did not endure far beyond my teens. These days shopping trips are approached with the same level of enthusiasm as tidying out the plastics cupboard. It’s all about time and its scarcity. Driving in heavy traffic is not the only deterrent as umpteen trips to the mall prove to be fruitless. Shopping for children’s clothing is …

This week on a book lovers group, the question was asked ” Which authors of contemporary fiction do you love so much that you will buy their latest book without reading reviews, without even thinking about it? Where the author pull defies restraint and reason?”  I replied “Nick Hornby and Joanne Harris”, briefly forgetting my disappointment with Juliette Naked.  I …

  When I was a little girl my parents had a friend who was a chef, he made these back in the 70’s when he visited us.   This savoury sunflower seed snack has been part of my life ever since. I love sharing recipes, I have never really understood people who don’t want to share them.  This one is the …

I’m married to a “Life’s a journey, enjoy the ride” kinda guy.  This is most evident when we are on a road trip.  If there is a choice between a tarred national road and a windey, windey dirt road.  The latter will win hands down.  In most cases I appreciate his way. Long ago we found that the direct route …

Summer is a battle ground where I face off against mozzies and flies.  Some artillery has failed and some found success.  It doesn’t help me that I am iffy about poisons in my home. One total failure was the ‘blue light’.  I did read up on their effectiveness before buying one.  I read that mosquitoes are drawn to body heat …

Natal is home, the place where all of my inner cogs slot together.  The Karoo is where I find inner peace.  In the Karoo the small, solid centre of my Russian doll self rejoices as outer shells are cast off.  Our one night at Tankwa Karoo National Park, was not enough.  A minimum of 2 nights should be spent there, …

The Karoo has the feel of pages where stories are waiting to arise from the dust.  A space where dreams can bridge the divide to reality.  Yet you need a core of rock and a spirit of steel to survive and thrive under the undiluted sun. We first read of Tankwa Padstal in “The Great Karoo Pub Crawl” article in …

Our 7-year-old son Fjord LOVES waffles, the problem is that he is also allergic to egg, not a good combination.  A while ago my daughter Domi loaned us her waffle maker and I used it a few times.  I use Orgran ‘No Egg‘ (available at Dischem) instead of eggs and the whole family loves them.  We had great fun and …

My little girl Acacia loves music and loves to dance.  Before turning 4 she repeatedly told us that she want’s to be a ballet girl.  Abbey from Top Tots gave me the contact details for Kathleen Webb’s School of Dance, her little girl has attended ballet lessons with Kathleen for some time. When I was a little girl (way back …

Hiking sweeps cobwebs from the mind, casting off thought strands which harvest nothing but dust.  With every step on the Kogelberg Palmiet trail, summer blooms revealed delicate beauty. Previously in the Western Cape we undertook the hike to Elephant’s Eye cave, a breathtaking (literally and physically) activity.  With Acacia then only 3 years old, this was a blot on the page …

The Invention of Hugo Cabret is more than a story, it is a work of art.  Writing and sketches flow in a living stream.  The reader / observer is carried through 500 odd pages in a few short hours.  Transported into a world of magical imagining. Between the pages, true history and fiction align, clicking together like lock and key, …

The setting of Winters Drift tasting station, puts the wine’s best foot forward before a sip is taken.  Train stations are imbued with an air of romance and a sense of adventure.  I had never heard of Winters Drift wines before but we noticed that they have notched up some impressive awards.  We particularly loved the Chardonnay and the Pinot Noir …

The book Anybody Out There, almost put me right off Marian Keyes.  A third of the way through the book I was very bleak about the direction which the story took.  I won’t tell you more as I have an aversion to spoilers.  I stomped and moaned about what a fail it was as a light Christmas read.  My sister-in-law …

Expectations are funny old things.  I expected less than nothing from Williston in the Karoo and was enchanted.  I had great expectations for Ceres and was sorely disappointed.  My perception was that Ceres is the fruit capital of South Africa.  I envisaged a valley of plenty, brimming with natural abundance.  Little short of Disneyesque perfection.  I pictured farm stalls selling …