Le Bonheur Wine Estate for a bit of wine, fun and French

So on Friday afternoon the lovely Se and wonderful Meh and I set off for the stretched out lands of Stellenbosch area. We were headed for Le Bonheur Wine Estate, some fine wining and an evening of Frenchy fun.

Firstly: don't ever set off for the far-out lands of that side of the world without directions. We did and ended up taking a wrong turn, spending hours in the car and visiting a crocodile farm. Hmm.

But, eventually our femaley-intuitive-directional-radars (we have those) helped us find the beautiful Le Bonheur.

We were treated to a complimentary glass of wine (just enough to tempt you to buy a bottle), some themed snacks and a warm environment in which to chill, chat and await the screening of the film for the evening.

Since the lovely Se is studying French and plans to whisk herself away to Paris at some point we found ourselves seated in front of a warm fire and a big screen to the opening credits of La Vie en Rose.

It was a fun evening doing something a bit different but I do have some advice for those wanting to enjoy the estates dinner and a movie evenings: bring along your own pillow for the film and make sure you specify any food issues - Se doesn't eat ANY meat and I've just given up pork which didn't really work with their bacon and cheese quiches and parma ham wraps.

Otherwise it was lovely!

Image from here.

The weekend that was

It's a very stormy, cold Monday n Cape Town today. Hope you're all keeping warm with gloves, scarves and heaters!

This weekend I...

+ Went all the way out to Le Bonheur Wine Estate for a movie, wine and tasters.
+ Bought some cute jerseys from the Hospice shop.
+ Sewed.
+ Met some talented & wonderful people.
+ Made a faux pas.
+ Survived said faux pas relatively unscathed.
+ Saw Etienne de Crecy in a show I'm not going to forget quickly.
+ Wore heels out (my feet hurt).
+ Had lunch at the Octopus Garden in St James.
+ Missed the train so had to walk home in the freezing wind.
+ Slept 12 hours straight.

What did you get up to?

Also, don't you just love the fact that this room has been built around this tree? Love the idea, the feel, the look. I think I want to build my dream home around a giant tree.

Image from here. 

I've started reading a new book

When I was in school I used to inhale books. Fiction was my poison and I could devour one in a day or so.

Lately I find myself wanting to read more but making excuses about not having enough time, or there not being any good books for me to read.

Bullshit.

From now on I'm gonna spend every spare second with my nose in a book because the pages of fantasy novels, biographies and adventure tales have so much to offer me.

I've just started reading The Book Thief. I'm loving Death's perspective on the world he's describing and although I'm only about twenty pages in I feel good about reading again.

Have you read it?

What do you think?

Image from here. 

Pirates of the Caribbean 4

Last night we settled down at the cinema to watch the latest in the chronicles of Captain Jack Sparrow and the series of unfortunate events that follow him around.

It was a typical Pirates of the Caribbean movie with action, humour and a little bit of romance but wowee the mermaids were awesome (and just darn beautiful)!

Gemma Ward plays the first singing siren that the gnarly pirates meet. She's alarmingly beautiful until Scrum gets too close and has an unwanted conversation with her fangs.

The women they chose for the mermaids ooze sex appeal and magic. I loved it!

Astrid Berges-Frisbey played the alluringly sensual and childlike Syrena who is captured and carried through the jungle for her tear. She's absolutely stunning and even though the storyline around the mermaids and their role in the adventure was fairly weak it made me remember watching The Little Mermaid and wishing I had fins.

Oh, and the Spaniards aren't bad looking either ;) 

The weekend that was

I love wintry mornings in Cape Town like this, especially when I don't have to leave home.

This weekend I...

+ Felt exhausted after just three hours of sleep.
+ Couldn't stay awake at Zula (was literally falling asleep at the tables).
+ Saw Captain Stu and The Plastics.
+ Slept / lay in bed for pretty much the entire day on Saturday.
+ Enjoyed 2 Minute Puzzle, Jeremy Loops and Gazelle at Assembly.
+ Was wrong about someone.
+ Ate delicious cheesecake (thanks Scal for having a birthday).
+ Realised how much I miss my friends when I don't see them.
+ Had a family dinner on Sunday night (my family is crazy but I love them).
+ Made a big mistake and I'm not sure I've fixed it yet.

Happy birthday Scal, hope you had a killer weekend.

What did you do this weekend?

Win a Poofum with Furkidz!

Standard Bunny Poofum R65

Just over a month ago my cousin and I started making felt toys and after one or two people saw them and ordered one of their own we decided to call ourselves "Paisley and Puddles Poofums" and start a little business.

It's been fun and interesting and things are going well. We've made monsters, fruit, bunnies and even a unicorn! The requests just keep coming in (we're not complaining).

Watermelon Poofum R90

Both my partner and I are animal lovers so when the lovely Linda Harding of Furkidz approached us to do a fun competition with them we were more than happy to oblige.

Furkidz is a fantastic platform where potential pet owners can find their forever pet. Instead of buying a puppy or kitten from a store or breeder you could give a previously abused, abandoned or lost animal a loving home.

There are so many gorgeous faces just waiting to be taken home and given kindness, love, care and a safe haven to while away the rest of their loyal days. Please, if you're thinking of adding a furry friend to your family consider adopting one of these little cherubs.

How to enter:
All you need to do is become a follower of Furkidz on Twitter or like the Furkidz Facebook Page.
For an extra entry you can like the Paisley and Puddles Poofum Facebook Page (have a look at our fun, colourful felt creations).

The prize:
Two lucky winners will each win a Poofum of their own made up in two or three of their favourite colours. How cool? We think so!

Good luck!

Competition closes on Monday 22 May so get liking and following!

Pretty picture

Just thought I'd share this with you because I like it.

Love the style and the happy looks on all the little monsters' faces.

I like how the artists give monsters a fairy-talesque feel. They're all too adorable!

Seem more of their work here. 

The weekend that was

Hello Monday (again) hope this week brings everyone something to smile about.

This weekend I...

+ Saw Boo! at Mercury.
+ Made new friends.
+ Drank too much.
+ Stayed in bed until 3pm on Saturday.
+ Ate some delicious homemade soup.
+ Watched DVDs with the lovely drummer boy.
+ Second guessed myself.
+ Let someone down.
+ Wolfed down a veggie burger from Pickwicks in Long Street.
+ Watched the Taxi Violence Unplugged show at Silvertree Restaurant at Kirstenbosch.

Twas lovely.

I also love love love love this open-planned loft/space/apartment.  The high ceilings are stunning!

What did you do this weekend?

Short shorts

I'm all for a pair of sneakily short shorts but have to confess that I cannot stand it when a girl (or boy for that matter) wears denim shorts cut so small that the pockets stick out.

I just don't dig it.

This grey t-shirt and red jacket does make me happy though so I can almost forgive this girl's pants. Almost.

Image from here. 

The Plastics new website

By now you'll all know that I'm a big fan (and friend) of the band The Plastics.

For too, too long now though their website has been "under construction" and finally they've launch their brand spanking new one!

There are all kinds of awesome about the new site. The loading icon (a spinning record player) is too cool and the colour and feel of the pages is very retro, a theme this band can pull off splendidly.

You can't manually scroll down which is a little bit confusing at first because you can always see a thin sliver of the next photo/page at the bottom. The navigation titles on the left hand side instantly and smoothly take you where you want to be though.

Designer, Lauren Waller, does most of The Plastics' design work and she's super talented! I'm very happy they've finally got the new site up and running. What do you think of it?

Also, if you haven't caught The Plastics live yet you should come on over to Zula Sound Bar on 21 May. They'll be playing with another local favourite, Captain Stu. Tickets are R40, check out the Facebook event for more details.

The weekend that was

Gosh, I really need to organise my time better. Another week has gone by and I didn't find time to get in a blog post or two...sigh, time management is not my strong point.

This weekend I...

+ Saw Cyberpunkers and they blew my mind.
+ Met a fellow Twitterer in person.
+ Got a couple of comics at Free Comic Book Day.
+ Bought a comic and read it and thought it was kinda lame.
+ Finished the unicorn Poofum for Lize (Hooray).
+ Watched Kill Bill again.
+ Spent Mother's Day with my mom, Gran and family and it was good for the soul.

What did you get up to?

Just a few words on a string

There is a man who wears a tweed jacket.

His steps are heavy and his hair's cut light.

He's really going nowhere, it's plain to see that,

But in his mind his has somewhere to be,

So he goes

goes

goes

For always until he gets there.

I love this road, it looks so magical. Image found here. 

The weekend that was

I spent this weekend relaxing. It was lovely.

This weekend I...

+ DVDs
+ Saw Thor at the cinema
+ Had chill time at home
+ Made veggie lasagne
+ Slept in
+ Sewed
+ Was visited by the lovely Meh
+ Saved a kitten (he got his little paw stuck on a wooden chair)
+ Got a cold
+ Was taken to breakfast by the lovely drummer boy
+ Felt free

What did you do this weekend?

Image from here.