lifestyle changes this year

Friday, December 29, 2017


5 green changes I made in 2017 


so much better for my body, the plant, my wallet, my confidence........ 

  • I bought an ECoffee Cup, a natural and re-usable, bamboo cup which is a permanent solution to the takeaway coffee cup pollution! 
I love the texture of this cup, it's so light and unexpected. It looks like it could be heavy and ceramic-y but it is light and almost cardboard-y.... and I get a discount at my favourite takeaway coffee place! 

I love the look of them. And they work just as well as other toothbrushes, so there is really no compromise. Definitely worth it. No more toothbrushes to landfill..

  • I switched to a re-fillable razor, which means I am no longer using blunt razors or throwing them away!
For me, this means a closer shave and smoother legs. No more razors to landfill just need to dispose of the blades properly but you'd be throwing a razor full of blades away with traditional razors. 
  • I have begun making eco-bricks. 
And they have made me SO aware and SO much more disgusted by the heavy subscription we all have to plastic :( But eco-bricks are a part of the solution.... They aren't a cure but a way to deal with our plastic pollution in a more responsible way.

What have you done this year to make it a greener one? 




finding the wonderful in the normal

Tuesday, August 29, 2017


Small joys will save you - a photo diary of things that have sweetened my soul, moments captured to remember the feeling of the moment before it passes, forever. Flowers gifted, wither. There is beauty. Remembering a shared Sunday slice of cake with coffee, a picture to be treasured in years to come. Gratitude grows joy and appreciation and a deeper awareness of the good in our lives. 
This is me, looking, seeing, saying
... thank you ...

Beauty even in the deterioration of flowers in my room to celebrate my homecoming


A Sunday drive to a secret backyard bakery in the Karoo 

Beauty in the decay 

humanskin.

Sunday, August 20, 2017

being a feeling, 
seeing,
 hearing (listening),
 breathing being 

it's beautiful here

Monday, June 05, 2017

there are no words for here. there is language but it escapes us. there are some nameless emotions that we all know so well. they are caught in moments. a moment like this. a moment like no other and yet there will be other times you may feel similar to this moment. no moment will ever be with you twice. this. here. a breath. a feeling of being lucky and alive and lucky to be alive all at once.
(IT'S BEAUTIFUL HERE)





a weekend getaway in Italy

Monday, June 05, 2017










A beautiful hike* up to a backpackers (the most beautiful), where I was grateful for a shower (it's very humid here in summer). Dinner was out of this world. Polenta like I have never tasted before(!), with the most amazing (traditional to the Bergamo, Lombardy region) rich vegetable pasta and "wild pig" slow-cooked meat. Followed by the usual, COFFEE so small and potent they could be called shots! 

 It rained early morning and we woke up to a thunderstorm. Coffee was drunk out of bowls for breakfast accompanied by little slices of homemade jam tarts (obviously, homemade jam). We hiked back down well fed after another AMAZING lunch, lots of great Italian red wine and more great food. 

It was beautiful. And delicious.

travel

Tuesday, May 23, 2017

these are pictures from my time in Italy (a week and a day so far)












food

MAKING

Wednesday, April 12, 2017


Catharsis: the process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from, strong or repressed emotions.
For me, bread-making is cathartic. I love the process. From water, flour, yeast, honey, oil, herbs into a lump of dough, into pieces of bread; food. This is sustenance. The making is sustenance. Making things sustains me. Into the making and moulding and kneading of the bread goes the daily stresses, or the stress of the month, or the week, or a year. It's calmness. It's the stillness. 

And then the sharing. And the giving. And the appreciation. For the flour, for the water, for the bread. For the people with which to break bread. The smell of the bread baking, the whole experience is sensory-rich and yet so soothing, not overwhelming. 

Baking a cake overwhelms me. Making bread feeds my soul. 


thoughts

TIME

Tuesday, April 11, 2017


it's the small joys that will save you. There is solace for you in a warm cup of chamomile tea. To be a little extra, make it for yourself in a teapot. Get a tray. Use your best cup. Treat today like the day that things will happen for you. Make things happen for you. Make sure you are checking in with yourself.

Keep yourself reflecting. Give yourself time to rest, and when you are not resting, give yourself permission to do your best. Because today is that day. There isn't any other day but today and there will never be another day like today. Even if you had a bad start, hit the reset button.

Pour the tea, or brew that coffee, set a little achievable goal, and focus on doing that thing. Then allow some breathing space. And recalibration. And then move, and keep moving. There will be time to rest. And there will always be time to move. But the constant is time.

Time is always moving, always running. Make peace with that. Allow some time to run away, and allow yourself to understand the significance of being aware of letting yourself feel time. Be aware of what the essence of what your time here is – to be here. You are here. And you have time.

Take today for what it is. If it is difficult, pick a flower and look at the beauty of that. Grow joy in small spaces, and carry some in your heart. Be grateful for the sunshine and the little flower while you fight your battles.


There will always be tomorrow. But for now, there is today.




places

Nieu Bethesda

Monday, April 10, 2017




Nieu Bethesda - where you go to rest. 
I spent 4 days in the village with my sister. We enjoyed some rainy weather, and the clean, crisp air.

This village has unpaved roads, weeping willow trees and silence. 

For Sunday breakfast we treated ourselves to pains aux chocolats, lemon tarts and an almond and chocolate torte. Absolute bliss. Small luxuries, huge joy. 

We also visited Bruno's "world-famous in Nieu Bethesda" pizzeria, where we shared a vegetarian pizza. A perfectly crisp base with a herb-y, tomato-y spinach and veg topping. 

Time slows down in Nieu Bethesda. With the beginning of winter and those autumnal tones and hints in the air, you are reminded to stop and smell the roses. And appreciate the day you're presented with.

Coffee tastes better in Nieu Bethesda, where you can slow down to enjoy it. 

review

EARTH&CO "Almond Drink"

Monday, April 10, 2017


So, almond milk. I love almond milk. Personally, I am put off by the thought of dairy, another mammal's milk, and especially after learning about the dairy farming practices. Unless it's local, and you know the guy (or girl) who's the farmer, I'm not that keen. 

I have tried loads of almond milk, when I have the extra cash I will treat myself, to some. And I have made it before (the easiest milk to make- I have never milked a cow). 

This was R50. Or $3.60. Worth it!! 

It tastes good (if you are into almond milk) and has no GMO. It's the better alternative to soy milk. Which I tried for a while because it is the cheaper option but there are lots of cons to drinking soy milk- another story for another day. 

A mon avis, in my opinion, this is a good as far as almond milk goes. I love it in my coffee, I find dairy can be overpowering. Almond milk adds a nice, more earthy flavour into the mix. 

Have a beautiful week, pick up some almond milk when you'd like to treat yourself to a dairy milk alternative - no hormones, no bleach, no "guilt". 
Taking dairy out of your diet for a while can do you wonders, try it and see. 

Happy almond milk drinking! 


ON SHINING YOUR LIGHT

Sunday, January 01, 2017

I walked into 2017. Surrounded by light. Lights. Beautiful people and lanterns. 

Every new year's, people gather in Nieu Bethesda to walk with lanterns they have made. 

For unity. For hope. For love. 

The lanterns are a metaphor. They are more than guides. The lantern we carry is our light. Our voice in this noisy world. Our hope. Our love. Us. 

During the walk, the lanterns became heavy. This is like our light. Carrying our light out into the world can be a difficult task at times. It has a weight. Our kindness, our happiness, our joy. It requires an effort. A conscious, daily effort. A new effort every moment. But we must make the effort. 

Because our light is not for ourselves. We carry our light for others. 






Translate