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

When I received a package of Slime Baff and Gelli Baff from Zimpli kids to review, Fjord couldn’t wait to try them out.  If you think this stuff is just for little kids you’re wrong, Fjord is 10 and I couldn’t get him out of the bath either time.  I wish that I’d timed it, but I’m certain that on …

I’m not sure why I’m recording this here, but it was such a chilling and peculiar incident that I feel it should be written down.  On Saturday I went to visit Domi while she and Duncan continue packing up their lives before moving to Canada in December. Soon after leaving home I thought “Fjord is 10, if I die he …

When we went on our family holiday at Brambleberry Lodge, Domi brought along a bought muffin dough, Acacia went dilly over the coffee, choc chip ones.  This week I searched for a recipe and decided to try the one in South African cookbook for allergies and food intolerance book which is dairy free.  However I made several changes adding dairy …

It’s that time of year when one end of year party rolls into the next.  We have the end of year ballet party, the swimming party and so on, these strawberry tarts are great to take along to any bring and share.  The pastry shells can be made in advance and even frozen, then putting them together is a doddle. …

Oh how quickly we dance to the tunes of others.  How easily we play into the hands of those driving divisive agendas.  You’d think that we would learn to stop, think and question when social and conventional media stir up a shit storm of controversy.  Did Bell Pottinger teach us nothing? Yesterday I wore black, only and specifically because I …

The Little Red Chairs by Edna o’ Brian is one of very few books which I’ve wanted to re-read before turning the last page.  Rich, weighty, powerful and beautifully written it challenges on so many levels. It’s hard for me to choose reading books, with an aversion to spoilers I rely on recommendations and random choices. I refuse to read …

When I was 8 years old I went on a trip to Cape Town for surgery on my cleft lip, we stayed at my great aunts home.  In one room she had many African Violet plants, with no flowers.  During my stay I talked to those plants every day.  When I left my aunt phoned my mother to tell her …

A while ago I made roast vegetable lasagne and loved it but forgot how to make it.  This time I looked at an Angela Day recipe but made so many changes that it didn’t resemble the original recipe much but is pretty darn yummy.  You can be flexible with the roasting veg, if you want to substitute or add ingredients …

I’m a very reluctant resident of Boksburg, I don’t like the town and a disturbing percentage of the general populous have a penchant for vulgarities like fins on their cars, plastic flowers and Cruella de Ville hairstyles.  Still in the same breath I must say that I have encountered some beautiful souls in this dirty old town and among those …

My 2nd submission to the Avbob poetry competition has also been rejected.  Speech Bubbles was my first submission.  Still after many hours of work I felt that it succeeded in expressing the aspect of grief after a death which I was working toward.  A very important aspect of creativity is always  to remain true to yourself and not write what …

For years I wanted to take the children to Sci Bono but didn’t get around to it.  This school holiday I found out that they were running a Space adventures holiday program.  It looked like something that Fjord and Acacia would enjoy (and they did). The first session was a craft activity where the children made Kaleidoscopes using mirrors and …

Being invited to the premiere of My Little Pony The movie will live on in Acacia’s (age 7) memory for a very long time.  She started the day drawing ponies and couldn’t wait to head off to the cinema at Monte Casino. https://www.instagram.com/p/BZsr-YrHJaP/?taken-by=sulaskimmingstones The last movie that we saw on the big screen was Smurfs, so long ago that Acacia …

My Mum gave me a Mary Berry cookbook At Home which I have used often and love the recipes which I have tried.  The only recipe which did not work was the one for Cornish Sticky Cake, it rose very fast and very high and then collapsed.  My guess is that there is something wrong with the ingredients probably too …

Avbob (the funeral business) are currently running a poetry competition with the theme I Wish I’d said.  I’ve entered 2 poems so far and am busy working on a third.  I can publish the one below here on my blog now because it was unsuccessful, I’m still puzzling over what they mean by “Unfortunately, your poem did not meet the …

Unless you have a child with dangerous allergies, you just can’t understand the almost paralysing fear when they have a reaction to an allergen.  Fjord is allergic to eggs, some antibiotics, bees, pollens, dogs, yeast, peanuts and more but worst of all and most dangerous is his tree nut allergy, and the worst reaction he ever had was to hazelnuts.  …