To my favourite Guy in the world

It's been 5 years since we said 'I do' - and I love you more each day.
Happy anniversary
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Afternoon movies

Working for yourself has its advantages, the main one being flexibile time. I love being able to shop when it's quiet, work when I am inspired, catch up with friends when it suits me. But there must be something built-in that a guilty feeling still creeps up on me when I am not making the best use of my time. A rainy day (yes, another one in Joburg), however, somehow wipes away the guilt associated with going to the movies in the afternoon - not to mention that Wednesdays are half price at Nu Metro. If the sky was blue and the sun shining, I just couldn't do it. My job-hunting sister was on the same wavelength so we joined 8 pensioners for 2 hours and watched Did You Hear About The Morgans? I love Hugh Grant and there were some great laugh-out-loud moments in this fun, light-hearted movie - just perfect for a rainy afternoon (although the sun was shining when we came out).

P.S. We discovered that your sense of humour changes when you're a pensioner movie-goer - the words 'angiogram' and 'organ failure' uttered by Hugh Grant really got the laughs!

Diamond Days

I have been sorting, clearing and throwing my way through our house readying it for the floor sanding and wall painting that started today. I have come across so many mementos - postcards from my sisters when they lived overseas, my wedding to-do list, old photos and diaries. I also found my wall calendar from 2005 - my first year of marriage, my grandparents' 50th anniversary, my dad's 50th birthday, the weddings of many friends, my sister moving overseas, seeing Oprah live in Joburg, a family trip to Mauritius. I love the sweet, optimistic thoughts and wishes of this Helen Exley calendar so thought I would share it here so I can finally part with the actual calendar. (It's long but worth the read - it will make you smile.)


happy day!


I wish you things to catch your heart in beauty, in joy and in amazement. Things that will make you shout with laughter and stir you to excitement.
Have fun. Enjoy the year ahead ... be brave. Be curious. Be courteous. Discover a wider world.
Open your arms to all the delight - of flowers and music, every lovely thing. Of adventure and astonishment. Of love. Of friends you've yet to meet ...


We are a part of all that is. The branching trees find echoes in our veins. The spring that calls the buds to break and the swallows to return - waken us to joy. May you, today and always, share the wonder of the world. 
May you always choose the path that leads to the greatest happiness.
... May this be one of the days of new beginning.


May your life have diamond days.
May you travel to wonderful places, see wonderful things, meet wonderful people.
I wish you the joy of always having someone to share things with.


I wish you quiet sleep, dreams of meadows, deep in flowers and grass, of oceans calm and flecked with silver, of islands hushed by gentle waves, of countries of your own invention, of easy talk with friends, of roads leading to a reunion, of sorrow comforted of hope restored.
I hope for you the discovery of what you are really good at and what you really want to do.
I wish you the joy of the right one realising just you you really are inside - and loving you for it.


I wish you waking to sunlight shining, birdsong, hot showers, fresh bread, work that you long to do.
I wish you the beauty of silence, the quiet strength of the earth, the love that lies at the very root of things.
May you find happiness in a quiet, perpetual rejoicing in small events.


May you know contentment, delight, and your fair share of absolute joy.
There will be times when much will be asked of you. I wish you the courage and endurance and the wisdom you need.
May great happiness be yours - but if some darkness comes, may you always find a hand to guide and comfort you, a voice to cheer you.


May you find quietness at the very heart of your life that would remain tranquil and certain whatever befell.
May you find the little paths bright with birdsong, hedged with flowers, that others never see.
May this be one of the days when the mind discovers undreamed of things.


May the winds be fair and the currents kind. May the charts be true, the channel clear, the landfall certain, the holding good - and at the end, a safe haven.
May you know shining days - days that will brighten all the dull ones that lie between.
May all your kindnesses be remembered and all your faults forgiven.


I wish you the happiness of finding exactly the right words ... for those in distress ... for those rejoicing good fortune ... for those afraid or uncertain ... for those you love. May something you do or say make all the difference to someone's life.
May you always be a child in curiosity, delight and eagerness.
May there always, always be something you want to learn, somewhere you want to go, something you want to do, someone you want to meet.


I wish you the happiness of love, that does not change with change, that shines as surely in age as in youth.
May there always be friends to share your laughter, your troubles and your victories.
I wish you the happiness of always having something to give; 0 a surprise, affection, - a hand with the tidying up, a listening ear, - time.


I wish you quiet times of hope and recollection. And sleep as gentle as a stream. 
Most of all I wish you courage. Whatever happens, believe in yourself and go on.
May you grow old happily - until you can no longer count the candles on your birthday cake.


Good luck always. May the doors you knock on open to you - and reveal the unexpected and the wonderful.
May you always have room in your life for another friend.
I wish you joy and peace and deep contentment. And always, always love.

Market Day

I love food markets - full of fresh, wholesome, delicious products to make your mouth water. A trip to Cape Town is not complete without stopping in at the Biscuit Mill for the amazing food market open on Saturdays and Borough Market is reason enough to go to London. Many of my favourite travel memories call to mind trips to a market - sipping champagne and eating oysters at Borough Market, fresh tuna sandwiches and salty chocolate at San Francisco's Ferry Building Marketplace and hot clam chowder in a bowl of bread at Pike Place Market in Seattle.
Last year, Jozi Food Market opened up the road from me. My sisters and I love to walk there on Saturdays for a smoothie, prego roll, fresh loaf of bread, cupcake, pizza or the divine chicken liver pate. It reopened yesterday and we popped in. It was quieter than expected though and really needs your support - if you're in the Parktown North area on a Saturday, make sure you pop in for some fresh produce and have lunch while you're there ... it's a wonderful way to spend a summer morning.


Source
Photos taken at Pike Place Market during our 2007 road trip down the west coast of USA.

Biscuit Mission: Part I

My husband's grandfather, who passed away last year at 86, found love for the second time in his late seventies. This wonderful and gracious lady wears Gucci, speaks her mind and adopted a lost blue cat. And she bakes the most delicious, moreish cheese biscuits - I had never tasted these little delights before but once I started I could not get enough. It was my husband's birthday the other day and she sent a box for him - they lasted about two days and fueled my determination to find the recipe. I guess I could have just asked but I thought it may be one of those secret family recipes, like the one for my mom's famous chocolate biscuits, with which we'll never ever part. So I went online in search of a recipe and, oh joy, I think I have found it. As soon as I came across this recipe it all made sense - Cornflakes are the key crunchy ingredient! So I will move 'baking cheese biscuits' to the top of my to-do list and report back. Hold thumbs!

Source:
Bowl (I have one just like it - my mum gave it to me and it is one of my favourite things in my lovely kitchen!)

Rain, Rain, Go Away

It has been such a rainy week in Joburg. I've been dashing from the car to the house with no umbrella, tip-toeing between puddles and lamenting a leaky roof. Still, I do love waking up to hear it's still raining and not feeling guilty to be a little bit lazy. To brighten up your rainy day ...

Red rainboots for splashing through puddles and walking the dog.

A stylish summer Burberry raincoat to keep you dry.

A whimsical pinwheel umbrella to shelter you and a friend.

The most glamorous teacup for some afternoon tea.

Sources:

Rainboots

Raincoat

Umbrella

Teacup

The Colour of Paint

After a frustrating and long period of renovation to our lovely old house, we are finally ready to get started with the painting. I found a great painter, Lucas, who will be repainting every surface possible and I know I will fall in love with the house all over again once it has a fresh coat.

I love the Earthcote brand of paint - I am not sure what it is, perhaps their slogan 'tradition remixed', the easy-to-navigate stores and great advice, or the delicious colours with equally inspiring names.

So after many samples and patch tests I have chosen Bleached Wash Table for the inside, Raw Silk for the outside and Hardwick White for the boundary wall. You may prefer Dinner Drinks Red, Old Chalkboard, Picket Fence White, Sing the Blues or Messy Room Yellow.

S-P-E-L-L-I-N-G

I love spelling, I find strange satisfaction in picking up spelling mistakes in books, magazines, blogs and emails. I secretly roll my eyes when people write 'your' when they mean 'you're' or 'there' when they mean 'their'. I spell correctly in text messages I send. I laugh when I notice the street sign spelt incorrectly in my neighbourhood - how can it be 'Ballyclare' on one side and 'Ballycare' on the other? I love a long game of Scrabble, played by the rules. So you can imagine my shock when I notice today that my very young baby of a blog was spelt incorrectly? How did that sneak past my beady spelling eye? 


Original: alifewithugs


You'd be forgiven for thinking it was something about thugs or Uggs.


Correct: alifewithhugs


Much relief after some deleting, adding an 'H' and resetting and that I discovered this only 2 posts in!


Source:
Scrabble 'Scramble' Font

Laughing at Max

I have the sweetest, funniest dog who makes me laugh every day. Just taking him to the park is like watching a comedy. Max is only just over a year old and still races around with his tongue flapping in the wind or curls up next to me while I catch a bit more sleep after Guy leaves for work. Come 5 o'clock he knows it's time for some fun and he barks and nibbles until we head outside. At the moment his favourite game is catching a tennis ball, once - after that he just runs towards me, or his other playmates, as if he will return it and then at the last minute side steps with great agility and runs off, just begging to be chased. Today he ran away and found a delightful mud patch in my mom's garden - he returned covered in mud from head to toe. Luckily my mom had just hopped out the bath so in he went, followed by a quick hair dry. Now he is fast asleep - dreaming of mud.

Here we go ...

As a Capricorn, I like things to have their proper beginnings ... like a blog. When is a good time to start one - what milestone could mark the beginning? So having just turned 30 (2 weeks and so far so good), entered a new decade (the wonder years) and left the corporate world I found the required starting point. I adore blogs and websites that share beautiful, useful, inspiring and funny things so that is what I will do - I hope you find them the same. Here we go ...