jun, 29th - ball girl....

day 504:

it's all about the tennis here right now......Wimbledon fever. 

jun, 28th - tippity tap....

day 503:

it's been one of those days. a day where only music, dancing or a good book can help....or alternatively chocolate cake, a large glass of wine or an over-zealous bubble bath. 

i chose dancing...well in fact Limi's dancing. Jae had her tap shoes shipped from Oz and bought Limi her own pair so that they could step-ball-change around the Shoebox. it brings back so many memories of step-ball-changing around my own room growing up. 

Limi absolutely loves the sound they make....especially when stomping....good thing that they do most of their 'practising' while the neighbours are at work.

i would never force Limi to go in any direction.....so, if she loves dance as much as I did growing up then I will happily sew on sequins and sit in the audience at every show.....but if she just likes to stomp or make music then we can do that too.......

for now, it certainly gets you out of a funk watching her eyes light up as she clippity-clops around the living-room. who knew that tap shoes even came in such small sizes....... 

ps. although, Limi is determined to put on her own shoes at the moment they do generally end up on the wrong feet.....

jun, 27th - cape to cuba....

day 502:

so after two days of sweltering London weather, threatening tropical-style thunderstorms and wimbledon covers going on and off more times than Limi playing with a light switch.....the weather has been the only thing taking centre stage lately.

we've slept with windows open, trains have been claustrophobic and Limi has run around in just a nappy and bloomers. it's been almost island life in London. so, no better time to share some of the last pics of our trip to South Africa in April.......and blog about one of my favourite places, Cape to Cuba.

it's a laid-back spot in Kalk Bay {see day 437, day 438 and day 437 continued...}, with beach sand floors, chandeliers, tobacco and mean mojitos. 

you can sit around in the sunshine and enjoy some drinks or step into the dining room, pressed right up against the train line, you dine whilst looking out over the bay.....it feels perfectly decadent and dishevelled all at once. a magical mix. 

Cape to Cuba's been around for awhile....usually in this town, it means that people have moved on to the next best thing but with something so good, this place still draws a crowd...who can resist popping into a place where you can throw off your slip slops, sink your toes into the sand, sip on a mojito and enjoy the sunset.....i know that i never get tired of it.

jun, 26th - weekend....

day 501:

our weekend was pretty quiet, we stayed close to home, had delicious dim sum, afternoon naps, paddled in the local park pool and promenades after dinner... 

Limi still hasn't quite figured out chopsticks....

jasmine flower tea....always magical....

promenading after dinner.....

it's not quite the Promenade des Anglais, but the lovely long evenings are still worth savouring.

jun, 25th - glorious.....

day 500:

sunshine, glorious sunshine in London today.....a swim, a picnic, a long walk...a beautiful day.

jun, 24th - v&a reading rooms....

day 499:

the great thing about London......is that there is always something new to explore....sometimes, it's something brand new but other times, it's a gem that has just remained undiscovered....it was always just there.

earlier in the week, i went to see this exhibition, on South African photographers, at the V&A. afterwards, i decided to try the V&A Reading Rooms. i'd recently read about them. they're not in the actual museum but across the road, a short walk away.

and what a find. a wonderful collection of books and you are enthusiastically encouraged to browse with a chilled glass of something in your hand....i was there mid morning so i chose a coffee instead. there are nooks throughout the space to settle in and turn some pages.

i found a sunny spot in the window and spent a good hour reading up on a wide selection of topics from the photographers that i had just seen to a history on victorian underwear......there is an eclectic collection in this place. a sweet spot. definitely worth another visit....especially for a chilled glass of sauvignon blanc. 

so, if you're in London - pop into the V&A Reading Rooms, it's like visiting a friend, with a brilliant library AND bar.

jun, 23rd - baking....

day 498:

i love baking. i used to do a lot more of it......... i'm not particularly patient....i'm more of a sift-ingredients-together-throw-in-some-liquid-and-cross-my-fingers-that-it-will-rise type baker.....my sister, on the other hand, is brilliant........the produce-a-batch-of-meltingly-light-fairy-cakes-in-a-spare-moment-during-a-busy-afternoon type baker.....but i do love the ritual of separating eggs, scraping batter....and hoping for magic......and of course, licking the spatula is something that i want Limi to remember from her childhood the same way that i remember it from mine......

 so, to keep my folding-wrist in practise, i made some brownies today....adapted from a recipe by Small Food, it a simple recipe that produces dense, chewy-centred brownies that give you a serious chocolate-jolt.....they're not the healthy option but definitely worth a try.

Pecan Chocolate Brownies

2/3  (two-thirds) of a cup of plain flour

1 cup cocoa powder

3 cups demerara sugar

1 cup muscovado

2 cups roughly chopped pecans

125 g good dark chocolate, roughly chopped

125 g good milk chocolate, roughly chopped

500 g butter

4 teaspoons vanilla essence

8 eggs, lightly beaten

if making it for a dinner party, then:

substitute 2 teaspoons of vanilla essence with 1 dessert spoon of good quality Rum

1. preheat the oven to 180 C. grease two baking tins with butter and line with baking paper. 

2. sift the flour and cocoa together and add the sugar and pecans

3. make a well in the dry ingredients and add the chocolate

4. gently melt the butter and add to the ingredients with the eggs and vanilla essence (and Rum, if adding)

5. fold together, pour into the tin and smooth the surface

6. bake for 50 mins or until the top has a thin crust and the centre in spongy

7. leave to cool a bit and either cut roughly and serve warm with creme fraiche or ice-cream or alternatively, refrigerate  for 2 hours and cut neater wedges.

makes about 25 rectangular wedges, depending on how big you cut them.

i loved baking them....now to resist eating them........fancy some tea?

jun, 22nd - float like a butterfly....

day 497:

words floating about in my head at the moment: metamorphosis, rebirth, flight (well...at least a severe longing for some travel).....so it was apt that we visited the Natural History Museum's butterfly exhibition yesterday....

the outdoor butterfly house has become an annual event.....and something that i thought Limi would love this year. 

yes, butterflies have become a little overexposed of late (they need to sit their PR company down and sort this out)....popping up at weddings and birthdays, all over stationery and fabrics......it's allowed the lesser known dragon-fly and ladybug to become way more hip.....but there's still something about a butterfly......

their ability to float and gently step down onto the tip of a leaf....watching them is something that will never get tired of.

we had a brilliant morning in the butterfly house......although, yikes, it's like a sauna in there.......perfect for butterflies but not so great for humans wearing more than a swimming costume. so, if you're planning a visit wear the least that you can get away with. then, as you are skipping down the paths after butterflies you won't leave a trail of sweat droplets behind.