Oliver

A few weeks ago, a homeless kitten made its appearance scavenging food from the neighbour's Persian. Instantly the green eyed cutie stole my heart and I was pretty much smitten right from the start. It was not a mutual feeling though because as soon as anyone would as much as look in his direction, the little thing would disappear in the darkness. I let it be! I had my own reservations about adopting a feral cat and catching it.. well, that was another story. But as winter crept closer, I became increasingly worried. There was no way that a little kitten could survive the Cape Town rains and besides, it broke my heart that this little creature had to fend for himself. 

It is said that food is the way to a man's heart and it was definitely true for this little mister. Every day Viv and I would put out some food for him, placing it closer and closer to us until..............

It's been a week since Oliver* became part of this household and I couldn't be happier. I am amazed at how quickly he learned to love us. So much so that he even allow us to pick him up and hold him a little. I guess the fact that we listen to Cat Stevens, drink milk with honey before bed and believe in catnaps as essential to good living, counted in our favour.

As for me, I am totally in love with my kitten.

I love the way he plays with the curtains and his tail.

I love watching him loving his pink mouse that lovely Timo bought him.

I love the colour of his velvet fur and the touch of the smooth underside of his paws.

I love how he fights off villans in his dreams and gulp down his milk.

I love his courageous heart and playful nature.

I love how he falls over his own feet when playing with a tennis ball and how he snuggles with us during nap time.

And I thank God for blessing me with another amazing cat!

* named so after the little orphan, Oliver Twist

A Weekend in Pictures # 18

This weekend Cape Town was cold, wet and grey, but we managed to survive on comfort food, long hours in pretty coffee shops, homecooked dinner with friends and lunches with family. When the sun showed her face, we went for a walk!

Happy Monday!

This is by far one of my favorite pieces of music. Slow, peaceful and very optimistic. Just like I hope this week would be!

Have a lovely week!

This past week was lovely because.....

...it was filled with four of my favorite things: cupcakes, party hatted cats, a visit to my favorite shop and my beatiful new little radio.

And it's officially school vacation!!! So this coming week will be lovely too!

Today I am thankful for....

Every year, on the 19th of June, my breath is blown away at the amount of love I receive on my  birthday. This year was no exception! In fact, I had to wipe away the tears on several occasions when the moment just got to big! I am so very, very blessed ....and thankful ......for the family and friends I have;  for walking into a class of singing kiddos, fighting to hug their teacher and spending the little pocket money they have to buy me a chocolate; for calls, mails and text from friends close bye and very far away; for a family heirloom that now became mine to cherish; for a much desired gift by a very special friend; for cards that teared me up, dinner at my favorite place, cupcakes with candles to blow out and for bunches of flowers.

And all I can do is close my eyes and thank Him for grace, love and favor.

(photo taken with little sis' Blackberry)

Lately,

I've been planning...exam papers (ah, the joys of being a teacher) and a trip to my beloved Sutherland this coming June.
I've been eating... butternut feta pasta, butternut-orange soup and way to many cupcakes. 
I've been listening to..... my beautiful new little radio .
I've been dreaming about.....living in another country for another year.
I've been splurging on....a French dictionary, blue and white porcelain and a vintage print. 
I've been learning.... about Roman history, how to tame a ferile kitten, how some of the settings on my camera work and the names of fruit in French.
I've been wearing....woolly socks and pajamas whenever I can.
I've been praying for.... peace, clarity and some vacation.
I've discovered.... roasted butternut with rosemary is a new favorite and cards are often my favorite part of a gift.
I've been struggling with....time management, tiredness, Cape Town winter weather, and finding some "alone-time".
I've been happy about...new friends, old friends, birthday parties, an amazing gift, a new kitten and some vintage decor for my little place.
I've been inspired by.... rainbows (one advantage of CPT winters) and this advice.
I've been indulging in ..... afternoon naps (when I have the time) and long telephone conversations with far-away friends.
I've been creating... castles in the clouds.

What have you been up to lately?

A Weekend in Pictures # 17

This weekend was one of those busy ones when Friday and Saturday was set aside for catching up with schoolwork and old friends. Sunday was another story though. I spend the day at home with my mom and sister, wearing woolly slippers and pj's, eating way to many cupcakes and practising my French!

Hope you had a lovely weekend!

Happy Monday!

To dreams coming true!

Hope you have a happy Monday!!!

Happy Friday!!!

Have a lovely weekend!

Ingredients of a good dinner party!

Yummy food * lovely little guests * some creativity * pretty blooms * a hospitable traumatised hostess (Viv was the perfect lady even though her poor tail got tortured by a little one) * delicious dessert * full tummies.

A Weekend in Pictures # 16

This weekend was suppose to be chock'a block. We had so much plans. Roxette was coming to town on Friday and the rest of the weekend was set aside for ice skating, a sleepover and a visit to my favorite coffee shop. But Saturday I woke up with a very bad cold and I was confined to my bed for pretty much the rest of the day. The weekend wasn't bad though. Roxette was wonderful and although I never got to ice skate, my sister came over for a sleepover. We end up crafting, watching soppy romantic comedies, stayed in our pajamas till the early afternoon and on Sunday we even managed an afternoon walk.

What did you get up to this weekend?

Walking on sunshine!

The past week has been a rainy one so when the sun showed it's face on Sunday, my sister and I decided to take a walk on the promenade.

It's amazing what you will find if you know don't know what you're looking for.

Happy Monday!!!

After a Roxette filled weekend, with this song stuck in my head for three days now, it's only appropriate that I start my Monday with my favorite Roxette song!

(I'm fully aware that it might just mean another 3 days of "listen to your heart" playing and replaying over and over in my head again but who cares if its a favorite?)

Hope you like it too!

Have a lovely Monday!

When you hit a wall....

...paint it with black board paint.

Well, that's what I did anyway.

I had this wall in my apartment...and nothing I did made it look nice. I already had a collage on the opposite wall and it just didn't do any justice to my Polaroid collection.

Now its black and beautiful and the thing I love most about it is...

...that I can write my guests little welcome notes.

(Right now I  choose to ignore the fact that it will cost a pretty penny to re-paint white the day I decide to move out. It was Keats that said "A thing of beauty is a joy forever". I completely agree. Let's hope the landlords agree too.)

Hello, you fool...I love you!!!

  
Way back in the early 90's, when mixed tapes were cool and I was still a pre-teen, my taste in music was altered forever when my friend introduced me to Roxette.  From the first notes of "Listen to Your Our Heart" my life long love affair with Roxette began. It wasn't always smooth sailing though. Our Roxette tape, marked as "Love Songs", we had to keep hidden and it was our little secret - our parents didn't approve of us listening to songs about "making love on backseats of cars" and the Bible study group called it "New Age". Our 12 year old selves didn't care though because we loved Roxette and whenever our Walkman batteries went flat, we would go sit in our parents cars fast-forwarding and rewinding our tape endlessly to listen to our favorite song.

Not much has changed in 15 years. CD's might have replaced mixed tapes and Justin Bieber might be the new teenage cool but  Roxette is still my favorite. So last night, when they performed here in Cape Town, it was really a dream come true seeing Roxette live.

We must've looked like real fools because us girls, all over 25 and die-hard  Roxette fans, went completely crazy - sort of like teens at a rock concert. Today I have no voice and "brown eyed girl turn blue" is stuck in my head but I couldn't care less because Roxette, I love ...no,no, adore....you!!!!