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

After we had an amazing Sesame Chicken Salad at Natal Spa a few years ago I searched for a recipe to make my own.  I battled to find one which I was completely happy with and came up with this recipe. Sesame Chicken Strips (serves 4) Marinade Ingredients 4 Filleted chicken breasts 25ml Soya Sauce 10ml Sweet & Sour sauce …

When I was a child, I had a certain connection with certain toys particularly some dolls.  I felt a bond, as if they were not inanimate objects.  I once found a R1 note and a quill feather in our garden shed, those two objects filled me with a sense of utter dread and I asked my parents to dispose of …

The Natal Midlands breath magic and poetry, there is art in nature and nature in art.  The hills are alive and they sing to you, if you go to Culamoya Chimes this transfers from metaphor to reality.  A breeze blows through you and the cobwebs fall away. Frik and Lola are examples of pure good folk and you feel it …

The Durban Botanical Gardens has been around since 1849.  She is a tranquil, stately green thread running through the history of the city.  A constant on the life line of my journey through life. She calls to comfort and enchant, revealing a new treasure with each visit, previously unexplored or buried in memory.  Always different and always the same. The …

When driving through Rosetta in the Natal Midlands there is one place where we always have to stop.  There is no choice in the matter.  That place is The Wine Cellar.  The cosy wine cellar housing special wines has magnetic allure, however this is not the reason why we must stop.  When we have space in the car and time …

Normally if I drink coffee it’s one cup in the morning.  Last night I could not resist a cappuccino.  Won’t be doing that again!  My weary body gave a contented sigh as I collapsed on my beloved bed.  Then I became a snorkeller on the oceans of tranquillity.  Gazing into the depths of the world of dreams, I thrashed about …

On the trip between Joburg and Durban we stopped at Zandspruit Padstal (about 50km from Harrismith on the N3) for a leg stretch.  As a rule we try to avoid the busy chain food outlets at petrol stations which are overpriced and have zero appeal.  Stopping at a Padstal we feel that the holiday has begun before reaching our destination. …

On our travels we generally feel ‘so many places, so little time’.  We love discovering new locations.  There are only two instances where we return to the same spot repeatedly.  One is Augrabies National Park, the other is Hebron Haven in the Natal Midlands.  We like the accommodation at Augrabies but our reason there is logistical, we are there to …

There’s an ache in my sternum as we drive out of Durban. Each road familiar, mapped in my psyche. No specific memories occupy my mind but flashes of impressions associated with each place, passing like trees seen from the car window, intangible in my visions periphery. Fleeting emotions and reminders that this is where I belong. Subliminal, wordless poetry, striking …

My everyday life is simply too busy.  Mostly because there is so much to do and partly because I don’t know how to sit still.  I have small children, a husband and endless chores to tend to.  I feel that I race through each day with a mental ‘to do’ list which is often misplaced and never complete.  I feel …

I have ingrained in me the perfect recipe for self-denial, I grew up Catholic and I am a mother.  Sack cloth and ashes is my natural style.  The decadent bliss of a back and head massage at Cellu-Beauty on our weekend away at Natal Spa was worth the instinctive guilt. I probably would not have been led into temptation but …

We chose Natal Spa as the place to celebrate our 8th wedding anniversary. The resort is set in the rolling hills of northern KZN with many huge boulders which house families of dassies, and apart from the scenery the hot spring pools are the main attraction. I’m still surprised that in all my years of living in Durban, I never …

I’ve just watched the video of Jeff Buckley singing ‘Hallelujah’ and figured out what it was that drew me to a string of men who could play guitar.  There’s the music of course, listen to that song as a perfect example, it stirs emotions.  I have arrived at the revelation that more than the music, the eyelashes were my undoing.  …

Before marrying Cliff my previous 2 relationship records were 4 years, one was a bit of a nightmare and the other was good, just not the right guy.  My previous marriage lasted all of 1 year.  There were a host of other relationships which lasted either a few months or not much more than a year.  I forget now.  I’ve …