Cape Town

So I’m in Cape Town dear reader. I’ve just spent a week in Johannesburg, visiting my sister-in-law and mother-in-law. They are Portuguese so the whole week was all about lots of food and visits from other members of hubs’ family. A whirlwind of entertainment and stuffing my face. I became somewhat obsessed with Cafe Bembom – a Portuguese cafe in Comaro Crossing, Oakdene, J’Burg. Sooooooo many great Portuguese cakes – my favourite being a milk tarte – although I also like the South African version, Melktert. I visited every day to make my way through their menu.

At the risk of offending any South African readers I may have – sorry but J’Burg is the most awful city I’ve visited. I’ve been there four times now and it’s all about living behind security fences with guard dogs and going to one of the many shopping centres around J’Burg. Sure there are lion parks and places like Sun City within spitting distance of Johannesburg but the way people have to live in this city would put you off making the effort to visit. At least that’s how I felt.

My sister-in-law lives in a large house in a pretty good area. She lives behind a huge electronic gate complete with razor wire. She opens this gate as she approaches in her car and then drives straight into the garage. The garage door also automatically opens from a control in her car. Then she has to open two locks on a metal door before she even gets to the front door.

Once inside, we’re talking video cameras bearing down on the front gate and front door; two large German Shepherd guard dogs; and alarms that go on inside the house during the night. The whole saga of hassling with keys and opening and closing gates actually makes you feel you are locked inside peering out from behind endless security grills on windows and doors. My sister-in-law won’t have any knife blocks on display in the kitchen just in case the hired help get any ideas (as she put it to me).

And to avoid any hijacking at traffic lights (called robots in J’Burg), you lock all car doors and drive behind heavily tinted windows (at least in my sister-in-law’s case). I was warned not to walk around wearing any jewellery, unless I was prepared to lose it in the event of a mugging and certainly told not to go out at night.

So I was quite happy to leave J’Burg and head to Cape Town, which so far seems to be a much trendier city with less visible razor wire fencing. The trade winds in the afternoon are refreshing and Table Mountain is just the most magnificent backdrop. We had coffee this morning at a great little cafe (Carlucci’s) at the foot of Table Mountain and it was amazing to gaze up at this huge natural wonder looming large against the bright blue sky.

It was tough to relax having coffee whilst gazing up at Table Mountain!

Walking back to the B&B - this is the sort of view the houses around here have.

 

The goat family

Mabel and her goat babies, Rupert, Latte and Cocoa, now have their very own large paddock. It’s taken us a few weeks to erect goat-proof fencing and extend the fence line on one side of the paddock so that the goats can now get into a dense area of trees and shrubs.

Cocoa will be leaving us when she’s around four months old. She’s being adopted by Kiwi friends. I’ll be sad to see her go as she’s very sweet but Rupert and Latte are more than a handful. Rupert and Latte are the very best of mates and, of course, Zeph would be devastated if Latte left us.

We are planning on building up our herd of goats. We have found goats to be highly intelligent and great animals to have around. We’re planning on getting maybe another three or four goats and we are currently building a large shelter in the paddock Mabel and her babies have just been introduced to.

Mabel leads her babies on a tour of their new home.

 

Introducing the herd

It was time for Karma to be reintroduced to Rosie and Muff. And it was time for the world’s sweetest foal to meet her Dad and Rosie. Even though Karma and Saffy have been in their own paddock since Saffy’s birth, the other horses have been in the race and have sniffed Karma and Saffy over the fence.

But horses are herd animals and should run and be boarded together as a herd. Whatever squabbles happen, well…they’ll sort it out. I have to admit to a dose of nerves the day my good Kiwi mate came over to help me introduce Saffy and Karma. I had all sorts of visions in my head from Rosie (who is a LARGE horse) stomping on Saffy to Muff getting aggressive towards her.

I need not have worried though. There was a fair bit of frantic galloping around for ten minutes and Karma once again showed herself to be a very good mum. She kept Saffy by her side and put herself between Saffy and the other horses, protecting her foal. The real surprise was Saffy – that little foal can run fast and she has beautiful leg action.

I kept going out to visit them during the day to make sure all was well. And it was soooooooo cute to see that Rosie has taken on the role of auntie. Whilst Karma was grazing or snoozing, Rosie watched over Saffy whilst the little foal slept. Muff couldn’t quite work out what he was supposed to do at first. He just wanted to meet his foal but Karma wasn’t having any of that.

By the end of the day, Muff had decided he should do what stallions are supposed to do – bring up the rear of the herd and watch out for predators. Well, I’ll let him think that. The truth is that boss mare Karma was keeping him at a distance and Rosie was too besotted with having her BFF, Karma, back along with a cute wee foal for her to mother and protect. Horses!

Karma, the mum, is the chestnut mare in front. Saffy is sleeping on the ground between her and Rosie. Muff, the father, is resting behind them.

Just a few hours into being introduced to the herd, Saffy was more than comfortable to zonk out with Rosie (who now thinks she's Saffy's mum).

By the end of the day, Saffy was starting to get closer to her dad, Muff.

 

Winging it

Dear Reader. The DailyOxford will be morphing into the Daily South African, followed closely by the DailyRome (again). I’ll be on the road from this week until the end of May. First up, Johannesburg to visit my mother and sister-in-law. Then to Durban to meet the best buddy of my Dad during WWII. They flew together in the 127 Squadron RAF and he contacted me recently.

Then a week or so back in New Zealand before going to Rome again for two months. I’ve just had a couple of days up in Wellington, chairing a conference – so thankfully, my bag is somewhat packed. Pups have been shipped off already to extended puppy day care and I miss them.

I’m not taking my laptop or iPad with me to South Africa so don’t know how often I’ll be able to post stuff. But I am taking my plastic fantastic cameras with me and am hoping for plenty of Diana F+ photographic opps. Don’t go hitting the unsubscribe button dear reader for, as Arnie says, I’ll be back!

Dodgy iPhone shot of the beautiful Wellington sunrise.

 

Neutral

I had no idea that e.l.f. Cosmetics are available in New Zealand (e.l.f. stands for Eyes, Lips, Face and is an inexpensive, high quality American brand). I’ve heard a lot of good things about this cosmetic line but thought if I ever wanted to try it, I’d have to order online. But I was in Bling in Christchurch the other day and spotted e.l.f. products. And bonus: up to 75% off.

So I spent NZ$55.00 and came away with:

• Contouring Blush and Bronzing powder duo
• Flawless Finish Foundation in Porcelain
• Tone Correcting Powder
• Studio Complexion Brush
• Studio Angled Contour Brush
• Studio Glossy Gloss in Ballet Slippers

I used these products for a neutral-look FOTD along with a Dr. Hauschka eye shadow palette and Elizabeth Arden Pure Finish Mineral Bronzing Powder from their Bronze in Bloom Summer 2011 collection.

FACE

• To tone down any redness, I used Moisture Mist Green Veil – a great skin correcting primer. I’ve talked about the Moisture Mist range in previous posts.
• e.l.f. Flawless Finish Foundation in Porcelain. The product has a great creamy consistency and part of the attraction for me is that it’s labelled oil free. The colour works well with my oh-so-pale complexion. Coverage is medium rather than full but I find it doesn’t last all day. It seems to go a bit blotchy. I’m not sure that it’s oil free either as I ended up looking a bit shiny, which I don’t experience when I use Revlon PhotoReady foundation. I applied it using a Manicare Artiste Stippling brush, which is a less expensive alternative to the MAC #187 stippling brush. I’m 50/50 on this foundation I have to admit. It goes on well but…..
• e.l.f. Tone Correcting Powder – like all e.l.f. products, the packaging is solid. It’s a sizeable palette with a large mirror. The correcting powder looks a little weird but the four colours are designed to be blended together. According to their website, the Blue neutralizes orange, the Green neutralizes red, the Pink neutralizes grey and the Yellow brightens and neutralizes red. I must say that the powder really toned down any high colouring and I used it during the day to mattify. This is a good product I’d buy again.
• Concealer is Rimmel Stay Matte Dual Action Concealer Stick in Ivory (not in photo). This is really easy to use on any area of the face and has good coverage. I also used MAC Studio Finish Concealer NC15 on the under-eye area.

EYES

• Dr. Hauschka Stone Colours Collection palette. This is my second palette because the colours are just such great neutral, earthy tones. And you have all you need in the one palette – the darker colour on the far left of the palette can be used to line the eyes. The colours have great pigmentation and the shadow stays put all day long, especially if you use an eye shadow primer. I used MAC’s Painterly Paint Pot, which is my Go-To primer. I’m not sure if this is limited edition or part of their permanent collection. It’s also the only Dr. Hauschka eye shadow I’ve ever used.
• Too Faced Absolutely Invisible Candlelight powder – can’t live without this product. I used it on the brow bone.
• Mascara (not in the photo) is Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Lash Extending Treatment Mascara in Black. It boasts Ceramide Triple Complex and Keravis™ to help lengthen, define and revitalize lashes. What the? No idea. But it’s a lovely mascara to use. No clumping, no flaking and your lashes do seem more voluminous. I’d certainly buy it again.

BRONZER

• Elizabeth Arden Pure Finish Mineral Bronzing Powder – a limited edition bronzer from the Bronze in Bloom collection. This is such a pretty, soft bronzer that blends three microlight mineral shades into one sunlit bronze glow. It’s oil free as well as talc and fragrance free. It was selling for NZ$66.00 but I bought mine at a 50% off sale. I wouldn’t buy a bronzer for $66.00 – way too expensive. You don’t end up with an orangey look using this bronzer and you can build up colour.

LIPS

• e.l.f. Studio Glossy Gloss in Ballet Slippers. What an ultra-shiny nude colour this is – it has a hint of pink and I totally love it. I’ll definitely be buying another one when this is finished. It’s not sticky and I only needed one coat.

BRUSHES

• e.l.f. Studio Angled Contour Brush – I’m not so sure about this brush. You use the flat part of the brush to apply base eye shadow and the tip for more precise application of crease colour. I found the brush a bit on the large side and prefer to use it for highlighting the brow bone area.
• e.l.f. Studio Complexion Brush – I’ve been using this every day and there are no signs of shedding bristles. The brush is super soft with dense bristles. Great for powder application or bronzer/blush. I think this has become my HG brush.
• Manicare Artiste Stippling brush – a lovely soft brush for stippling your foundation. Every bit as good as the MAC version.

On the whole, I’m pretty impressed with the e.l.f. products, although the foundation was a bit disappointing. I’ve yet to try the Contouring Blush and Bronzing powder, which is said to be a dupe of Nars’ Orgasm and Laguna bronzer duo.

Clockwise L-R: e.l.f. brushes and Manicare Artiste Stippling brush, Too Faced Candelight powder, MAC concealer, Elizabeth Arden bronzer, Dr. Hauschka eye shadow palette, e.l.f. foundation and e.l.f. tone correcting powder.

Dr. Hauschka Stone Colours Collection palette.

e.l.f. tone correcting powder and foundation.

The foundation is labelled oil free but by midday I was a tad shiny on the nose and cheeks.

e.l.f. Studio Glossy Gloss in Ballet Slippers.

 

Sun dogs

Seems Zeph and Zsa Zsa love nothing better than sunbaking. The sun here in the South Island can be very strong. Whilst I run around wearing a ridiculous hat and slathered in sunscreen, Zeph and little ZZ can be found lazing in the sun.

If you are thinking of getting an English Pointer, get two – because they will always be together and will be the very best of friends.

 

Zeph hearts Latte

Rupert, Latte and Cocoa are more than 2 months old now. Rupert and Latte will be staying with us but Cocoa is going to a new home when she’s around 4 months old. A friend of ours needs a lawn-mower and Cocoa is proving herself to be a very capable one. She’s a sweet goat baby. A little smaller than Rupert and Latte and she has a gentle nature.

Rupert is proving to be a typical male goat. He head butts everything including Zeph and Zsa Zsa. And speaking of Zeph, he and Latte adore each other. I have a soft spot for Latte too. Whenever she sees me, she comes up to me expecting some pats and the best part is when she gazes up – she has amazing eyes. I’m considering renaming her Butterscotch because that is the colour of her eyes.

I often see Zeph and Latte together. Playing or just sharing time. I’ve recently noticed they have a special game. It seems to be all about playing hide and seek around a tree and I managed to get a photo to show you. Just adorable.

Zsa Zsa (being The Point-in-ator) approaches the baby goats with all guns blazing. She chases them all over the place, skittling any games Zeph and Latte may be playing. The goats rush around for a bit and then they turn around and chase Zsa Zsa. Usually Rupert leads the charge, whilst Zeph and Latte take up where they left off.

Zeph and Latte like spending time together.

Latte has the sweetest face.

Zeph and Latte play "let's chase each other around the tree trunk".

Then they forget the game because there's something very interesting to inspect!

 

My own bucket

Saffy has been inspecting her mum’s feedbucket and often steals some broodmare mix. So I thought it was time that such a sweetheart foal should have her very own feedbucket and her own “broodmare mix”.

The first time she saw the bucket, she literally ran up to it and dived her head in. It’s quite funny to see a foal try to munch on chaff and other goodies that I put in the feed mix. She doesn’t have her permanent horse teeth yet, so she sort of munches using her gums. But she makes her way through the small amount I give her before her mum, Karma, heads over to inspect Saffy’s bucket.

Whilst Saffy is eating, I literally drape myself over her. This is part of her schooling – so she gets used to humans and accepts my leadership. I can lift up her hooves, which gets her used to the farrier; I can vigorously rub under her belly (horses are very sensitive in this area); she loves her neck massaged; and there’s nothing she likes more than having her ears tickled. She’s just an amazing foal.

Oh wow! My very own feedbucket. What's in it I wonder?

Yummo! Looks like I have the same as Mum.

Fantastic! Horse muesli, lucerne chaff and other goodies.

I'm a real horse now!

 

Speechless

Anyone who knows me will have no option but to laugh or utter WTF? or OMG at this post. Let me confess first. I have NEVER sewn a thing in my life. Never. Ever. My mother and grandmother were both into arts and crafts. My mother was a china painter and a very good one at that. She had her own kilns and I still have a lot of her hand-painted china. She also dabbled in oils and water colours later in life.

My grandmother could whip up a pair of socks using four knitting needles. I have no idea how that’s done; it was all secret squirrel business to me. She could crochet too. And both of them were into patchwork. To this day, I have a bit of an aversion to patchwork because, growing up, our house was festooned with patchwork curtains, patchwork cushions, patchwork quilts. All done with feather stitching (I think). The collision of colours and geometry in all this patchwork can still bring on nightmares.

Both of them tried valiantly to enlist me into their craft activities. Saturday afternoons at my grandmother’s place would find a huddle of women furiously crocheting or knitting. I would flee the scene, preferring to listen to music or read. I disdained any form of sewing, knitting or crocheting for that was what old ladies did it seemed to me. My mother always nodded her head sagely whilst muttering that I’d regret not learning how to sew and, damn it, I have to admit she was right.

I’m sooooooooooooo fed up with all the crap off-the-rack clothes we are forced to buy these days. Nothing fits well. I always seem to be between sizes. The clothes are badly made: buttons fall off or hems start to fray. Of course, if I wasn’t practicing frugality, I’d be off buying designer clothes, which no doubt are far better made and of superb quality.

So….just before Christmas I made a bold decision – to learn how to sew. Yeegads! Hubs laughed (or sniggered, not sure which). But when I carried on about how I could make him a djellaba, he suddenly looked interested. He lived in Morocco for about five years and wore the long, loose, hooded garment that Moroccan men and women wear called the djellaba. In 2007, we were in Morocco and bought a few djellabas and I have to admit they are very comfortable to wear.

I declared I needed a sewing machine but frankly had no idea what type would be good. Hubs loves nothing better than to ferret out a good bargain or solve a problem. So he was on the case quickly and ended up buying me a Janome Memory Craft 6600P Professional, which he managed to obtain at a sizeable discount.

If you ask me, I’ll need to be initiated into The Mysteries if I’m going to use this machine. I’ll have to master all sorts of never-before-heard-of-terms such as seven-point feed dog system (sounds like something Zeph and ZZ will be interested in); full-rotary hook system; walking foot; and visible pressure gauge (thought I’d bought a sewing machine, not a steam engine!).

I still don’t have my head around this machine but this particular model Janome is apparently created especially for quilters. And this is what set me off dear reader. I had to go to The Fairy Shop in Cust (good God, I actually stepped inside a fairy shop) to buy some fabric to practice on. An English friend is a superb quilter and she drew up a list of necessary items, including a fabric cutter that is more lethal than The Point-in-ator.

I entered another world when I stepped inside this shop. Two women helped me to make sense of my list and I’m sure they were silently chuckling away when I showed such ignorance of sewing and its associated techniques. But back home, I produced my first quilt – well, I followed a pattern that was harder to understand than Stephen Hawking’s theories. But never one to accept someone telling me you’re too old to do this or that; or maybe it’s just not your strength – I was determined to learn what to do by sheer force of determination.

Believe me, it was no easy feat. I stabbed myself countless times with pins and fumbled around with a big plastic ruler one needs to cut triangles from fat quarters. Fat what? Fat quarters was the first mystery I had to solve. A fat quarter is a piece of fabric measuring 18″ x 21″ or 46 x 54 cms and is a term used in patchwork and quilting.

Hubs was speechless when I showed him my first-ever sewing effort. He later admitted that it was surprisingly good for someone who has never sewn in her life. Now, dear reader, if you are a quilter or seamstress (is this still a term?) – you will be laughing at my efforts as evidenced in the photos below.

I don’t intend to stop at this. No way. I’ve now been into Fabric Vision in Papanui where I’ve found these very tempting items called Vogue pattern books. Just looking at all the cool clothes I can whip up is fueling my ambition. Just imagine making your own skirts or whipping up a tote bag. And just imagine clothes that are tailored to your own body measurements.

But first I have to master the basic techniques of sewing, so it’s more quilting. I’ve been told that learning how to make quilts teaches you the basics of sewing. So it’s master the quilts; then move onto making my own clothes.

I'm going to have to master this baby.

My mother is surely laughing right now - my sewing box.

This is the first thing I've ever sewn in my life.

I stuffed up the seams a little bit - but dear reader, I actually produced seams! Awesome.

 

The Point-in-ator

Courtesy of Irene (a regular DailyOxford reader), I have been inspired to refer to Princess Zsa Zsa as the Point-in-ator. Move over Arnold Schwarzenegger because this little English Pointer is more lethal than any Terminator role you might have played. With her keen sense of smell and instinct for hunting, she will zero in on any poor unsuspecting target and rip it to shreds in no time.

No, I’m not talking about real birds or rabbits here. I’m talking about her dog toys. I am forever buying her fluffy toys as she loves to thrash them around or play tug of war with Zeph. Thankfully, our breeder sells used fluffy toys for NZ$2.00 each, so the fact she destroys fluffy objects isn’t breaking the bank, yet.

She starts off very happily playing with her new toy. She paws it. She holds it gently in in her mouth. She shows Zeph her prized new possession and sometimes allows him to play with it too. Then, within minutes, she turns feral. She thrashes the toy around, banging it against doors and walls (this is great for the new paintwork around the house!). She runs outside and thrashes it on the grass. Often the poor toy finds itself hurled up towards the sky – with opened jaws awaiting its return to Earth.

Then the degutting process begins. The Point-in-ator bites into the fluffy toy until she finds a weak spot. Then she rips the toy open and has great pleasure in leaving the innards lying all over the house or yard.

Once the fluffy toy has been degutted and is a mere shell, the Point-in-ator will either fall asleep on its remains or abandon it somewhere on the property. I found one former play companion in the foal paddock the other day – evidencing the Point-in-ator’s attempts to enlist Saffy, the foal, into this degutting business.

I’m wondering if Zsa Zsa needs a dog psychiatrist’s couch so she can pour out her inner most secrets. Zeph, on the other hand, could show you his collection of intact dog toys, all neatly placed in his sleeping crate. He has never destroyed a fluffy toy and seems to share my puzzlement over Zsa Zsa’s destructive ways.

The Point-in-ator’s work is a tough job. All the thrashing and bashing quickly tires her out, so a puppy sleep is required to recharge the batteries. Zsa Zsa only has one toy left – a lime green star-shaped toy that is currently lying on the front patio no doubt nervously awaiting its fate.

Now that Arnie's no longer playing The Terminator, someone has to fill the role. It's tough work I tell you!

You looking at me? Just remember: I'm the Point-in-ator!

Don't I look innocent? But here I am lying on the remains of my latest fluffy toy.