Hikes in Cape Town - Silvermine

Last weekend I went hiking in Silvermine. It is such a beautiful reserve. It's really great because it offers walks for all ages: flat, steep, all beautiful. I saw Cape Town from a totally different angle I'd never seen before, which was mindblowing. In winter you can hike, and in summer you can swim and picnic. It is also dog friendly :)

Silvermine hike, view of Noordhoek and Kommetjie bays

 Silvermine hike, view of Fish hoek & Simonstown Bays

Riptide - Vance Joy

I love this song so much.
This is Vance Joy performing Riptide live.

And this is the Official Music Video.

66 Square Feet

 

I found a gorgeous blog. It's called 66 Sqaure Feet. It's about New York: one woman, one terrace, and twelve seasons. http://66squarefeet.blogspot.com It's so simple and real and shows you how you can still be connected to life and nature even with a small bit of space to grow. She's got me into foraging, something we all used to do long ago. She also has a book, below, and was born in South Africa.

"66 Square Feet was the footprint of my first, tiny terrace in Brooklyn. The garden and the meals I made there inspired this blog and subsequent book.

In late 2013 we left Brooklyn because our landlord hiked the rent dramatically. The Frenchman, the woman and the cat moved to Harlem, and a new terrace.

This is a blog about gardening in tight spaces, about food and cooking over an open flame. About wine. And water. And watering...And picnics.

With pauses for foraging. And cocktail-shaking."

'South Africa–born Marie Viljoen captures the hearts of her readers as she blogs about cooking and gardening on her tiny 66-square-foot terrace in Brooklyn. Named one of the top 10 gardening blogs by Apartment Therapy and the Discovery Channel, 66 Square Feet has also been covered in the New York Times.
The book draws the reader into Viljoen’s beautiful world of unfolding city seasons as she forages through New York City and harvests from her garden to create elegant and inspiring meals that encourage the reader to pause and savor life. Each chapter is a month, and ends in the kitchen, with a menu inspired by her terrace and roof gardens, farmer’s markets, and the occasional weed. Set against a backdrop of growing up in South Africa and moving to the United States, meeting her French husband, and finding a culinary and emotional home in Brooklyn, Viljoen’s book is a love letter to living seasonally in the most famous city on the planet.

Praise for 66 Square Feet

“The book is easy to love. The photos are alluring, the typography and graphics are charming and the menus, divided by month, offer beautiful, seasonal delights.” —San Jose Mercury News'

Journey

The time has come to journey, to start my inner journey, to journey within. to face up to some things and be honest with myself. To stop running. To communicate my feelings. Growing up I was not allowed to express negative emotions. Learnt behaviour patterns repeated over and over again. makes it difficult to change. I am waking up slowly to this and to other patterns in my life. Change takes work. and patience. and persistence. creating harmony. becoming conscious.

Grow

This weekend we added to our balcony garden. I already have Basil and Parsley and Rosemary, 3 herbs I can't live without and use in everything. But we added to this and bought big planting crates from Stodels Nursery, and planted:

Lemon Basil
Purple Sage (2 types)
Coriander
Rocket (2 types)
Mixed lettuce (4 types)
Kale
Climbing Jasmine
Thyme
Mint
Cat grass (cat is already loving it)
Chives

Our balcony looks so green and so fresh. I want to keep adding, its good for the soul.
A hanging chair from Kalk bay and a table for breakfast.

Autumn

So much has happened in the last 5 months. we are in May already, Winter has dropped into the Southern hemispehere, and Summer has arrived to the North. It's the longest I've gone without writing. A strange time of introspection. a breakup (I'm grateful for my cat during this time, it sounds strange but pets are good for the soul when you're sad) and a new person to share my home with. The release of my 1st album, summer parties, Easter at Cape Point, friends having kids, home making, everything changes and yet everything stays the same. I am still living in Cape Town, traveling when I can, taking photos and making music.grateful.