i eat my peas with honey

One of the wonderful things about having a new kitchen is that it has given us a new lease on our cooking life. Somehow chopping on a new wooden block is much more satisfying that its linoleum predecessor. The other day we made a scrumptious salad of peas feta and mint to accompany pork chops and crispy crackling.

The salad is quick and easy to make and goes perfectly with most summer dishes. We got the recipe from Earth to Table, a wonderful book filled with seasonal recipes from an organic farm, given to us by Katrine and Roald.

2 cups of shucked fresh peas
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp local honey
2 tsp Dijon mustard
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 radishes, finely sliced
1 red onion, finely sliced
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

In a medium pot of boiling salted water, blanch peas until tender and bright green, about two minutes. Refresh under cold water.

In a large bowl, whisk together oil, vinegar, honey and mustard. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add peas, radishes, and onion; toss to coat. Add mint and gently toss. Sprinkle with feta.

Faces of India (Part 1)

It is a strange concept, taking pictures of strangers when you are a visitor, a tourist, a stranger to them. There is that fine balance between invading space, and coming into some one's space. With a camera in hand, it is almost easier to approach people, to begin a conversation, to enter into their lives, even just for a few minutes.

This picture of a woman and her little son was taken outside her house in Udaipur. She had been sweeping outside when we walked passed and invited us in for a cup of chai. We were slightly weary, having been warned in guide books about entering people's homes as they ask you for money, but we went in anyway. Who can resist a local cup of chai?

 We were in a local food market in Udaipur when we came across this woman.  Other vendors were laughing that we wanted her picture and I think her expression completely captures her reaction, slightly bashful but still smiling.

 We found many Indians wanted us to take their picture. On one occasion a bunch a kids spotted us on top of a hill and signaled at us to take their picture. They were only satisfied when they saw the flash go off. They will never see the picture but their pose said otherwise. This trio of purple giggles felt very brave in asking us. Posing in strangers' pictures is serious business.

 These two little boys were sitting with their grandfather outside their house. I don't think they had ever been in a picture so there was much excitement. A contrast to our lives where photographs border on over-load... The grandfather asked us to send him a copy but unfortunately he was unable to give us his address, and he didn't have an email address. This is when a Polaroid would come in hand!

 I loved this sight because it was one we saw often - trying to fit as many people as you can onto a mode of transport. A few of the kids jumped on at the last minute to be in the picture.

These boys felt like Bollywood stars having their picture taken. I mean look at those poses! I love the tones of this photograph. 

 We drove from Udaipur to Jodhpur, a ten hour trip with a couple of stops and non-stop eyes-wide-open moments. This is a sheep herder (totally rocking that head scarf). Don't ask me how we got caught right in the middle.

 One of our stops was Ranakpur, a temple made completely out of marble and considered the most spectacular of all the Jain temples. As we were walking out the temple, this gentleman was heading in. I  felt a bit nervous about asking for his photograph as he was one his way to worship and serious about the matter. However, he was happy to oblige.

 One of our favourite experiences in India was stopping at a chai stand on the side of the road. We joined these two men for a cup of steaming chai (as long as it was steaming I was happy to drink it, despite the grimy pot in which the chai was boiling). We drank the chai out of little clay cups. It was hot, dusty and we had already been on the road for eight hours. The tea was sweet and delicious.

I had to include the chai vendor himself!

take a moment this weekend

It has been a strange week. A colleague of mine passed away on Tuesday night. We are a small office of only 25 people so it shook us up to think we were at work with her last Friday, and now she is no longer here. I was not close to her, but many on the office were and my thoughts go out to them and her family. It makes you think about your priorities and how you should make the most of this one, beautiful life we have been given. So do something that makes your heart sing this weekend. And give your loved ones a hug that is tighter than usual.

(This picture was taken in Pushkar, a tiny town in the Ajmer district of Rajasthan.It is one of the five most holy pilgrimage sites for Hindus and Gandhi's ashed were scattered in the lake. Pushkar is dirty and hot and dusty and on this evening we escaped to the lakeside for lemonade sun downers (since no alcohol or meat is available in the town)).

Dreaming of exploring the world

This advice struck a chord this week

What a lovely thought

Are you a fellow Mad Men fan? Well here are some pics of dishy Jon Hamm when he was younger

Vintage Vogue covers, and some more here

And these covers were rejected by the New Yorker

Summer has arrived in Jo'burg - the temperature is in the thirties and many first swims of the season will take place this weekend. Have a look at these cool pools

This hat and this swimsuit will make a perfect poolside uniform

I love this dress - hello summer garden parties

Looking down from space. Puts things in perspective. Keep humble and be kind to nature.

Look after yourselves little bunnies xoxo

Small town and curious objects

A few weekends ago, the husband, our friend Willem, and I set out on a road trip to Rosendal, a tiny town in the Free State. It's an anual weekend away organised by some friends of ours. The trip, we had been told, would take three hours. Six hours later we arrived at our destination. I have to confess though, that this was due to misdirection, more than mis-information. A banquet took place on the Saturday night, and all we were all tasked with the mission of heading into town and buying an item of "clothing" (clothing here being loosely defined), for another banquet-attendee to wear. This gave us a great excuse to explore the town. Since the town is literally two blocks and a scattering of buildings, with not a tarred road in sight, this task was completed between a scrumptious breakfast on a sunny porch and a late afternoon lunch on a goose-down farm.

Small towns are quite bizarre. They are at once familiar and other wordly, a slow-down of life where locals debate politics over a two-hour coffee, where vintage stores smell like decaying lace of a long-forgotten wedding dress, where normal questions like "What time do you close?" are met with a look of confusion. Stray cats, handsome cockerels, an art gallery filled with gems and trash, a museum of old brands, the odd treasure amongst broken chairs, musty coats and hats and gloves, and old-fashioned prams with creepy dolls...

You know exactly what I am talking about because you have been there. Some small town in the middle of nowhere, where you stroll along dusty streets and life seems a lot simpler.

Guest Post: My wedding dress

I was sitting at work today when my mum called to ask me (what felt like) a million questions about my wedding dress. As you know my mum is making it and at 11 am this morning she decided to start cutting! Although I have absolute faith in my mum's dress making and I know that ultimately I will look beautiful, I am petrified! So here are some pretty dresses, not because they are anything like what I have in mind for my own but simply because my wedding dress is currently the only thing I can think of!

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The kiss

Your wedding is one of the most romantic days of your life right? So it's no surprise that there is lots of kissing. And I love a good wedding kiss. So with Cheska's wedding kiss just over a month away, here is some loved-up inspiration...

Jan-Jan and I just after we got married

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October dreaming

Happy October everyone!

This is one of my favourite months. And not just because it is my birthday month. Summer comes to life in Johannesburg, skies shake with thunder, streets are suddenly tree-lined with luminous leaves... I feel I can breathe a sigh of relief once we have reached this point in the calendar. This year, October feels extra special. 

1. As Tshepo pointed out, the month starts on a Monday and ends on a Friday.

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2. Yes, it is my birthday, and a big one at that. I am turning 30. Whew.

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3. It’s Cheska’s kitchen tea. We (as in Cheska’s two sisters) plan to make this the best kitchen tea ever since Cheska is the youngest, and last of the sisters to get married. And yes, she was born with glitter in her veins.

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4. Two of my besties in NY have babies due this month. Teeny tiny New Yorkers. That is pretty special.

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5. We are off to NY in three weeks. YIPPEE!

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October 2011
October 2012