I am now officially a winter person. I never thought I would say it, perhaps the advancing years has got something to do with it but Cape Town is at it's best at the moment. Be it crisp and clear or grey and wet I am thoroughly enjoying winter this year. This entire weekend revolved around friends and the home (which really means talking, eating and drinking) so I was in my element. The South African version of Masterchef is definitely inspiring me. On Saturday I had my two godmothers, my mom, my father's two sisters, two of my mom's oldest friends (not in age, in years of friendship) who have know me for longer than I have known myself, my sister, her sister-in-law, the daughter-in-law of one of the "oldest friends", Lesley and Amy and Kelly for lunch. I had promised to take Amy shopping for her mom's birthday present and Saturday morning ended up being a run around shops at not my usual shopping hunting ground. Shopping at a different Pick n Pay is not fun and we were running up and down the a aisles looking for coconut milk, whole black peppercorns and Ideal Milk (which we could not find that anywhere). Pretty tiring and luckily I had an able assistant in Amy. The job was eventually done, with quite a few laughs, and I finally got into the kitchen with my bags at 11.25. Guests were arriving at 1 and I had not done a thing in preparation. Always up for a challenge I turned the kitchen into a Masterchef "pressure cooker test", tried to organise my methods of cooking and use my time properly. I managed to have everything ready and the table set by the time the first guest rang the bell at 12.45. (Confession - my big, dirty soup pot was "hidden" outside the kitchen door).
I had asked Dalene to bring two bags of wood, thinking that we would light a fire. The wood was not needed as the weather was lovely and we ended up in the garden (amongst all the plane tree leaves and winter debris (sorry Aunty Norma ;)) in the sunshine before we had lunch. It was a lovely afternoon with a group of special ladies whose ages ranged from mid 70's to 12.
Sunday was Dalene's birthday and my brother Dave and his (not so new anymore) wife, Lucie were returning from the UK. This time it was the family coming for dinner, my mom was making her famous Clam Chowder and I made a big macaroni cheese and Malva pudding. The weather was conducive to having a fire, the aeroplane was on time, the crowds arrived and once again there were 16 around our table (and one balding father with a sore leg on his back on the couch chirping and giving us a golf commentary)
Jubilee gift from Dave and Lucie
a Fortnum and Mason Jubilee tea towel
(not the tin - that was a gift from my mother on a previous
trip but it all matches so well that I felt inspired to take a few
pictures last night)
Fortnum and Mason my all time favourite department store in London
Selective colour camera setting
My new favourite colour - my new tea towel with my new
Tiffany earrings, a present to myself,
- sorry to mislead you, not from Tiffany's -
Tiffany blue earrings
(from China Town in Ottery - R21-99)
And then I am sure you are all interested in an update on my flowers which are still flourishing:-
My white tulips
(COMPUTER BOMBED OUT AND LOST THE PICTURES)
Also taken this morning - the roses that Matthew gave to me over two weeks ago
(Woolies roses are the best)
Good times
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