Fun in the sun ’16

January 25, 2017January 25, 2017Leave a comment

For the first time in 4 years, we went back to my childhood holiday destination, on the West Coast of South Africa, called Strandfontein. It brought back so many memories, but most of all it was so nice to see my children enjoy it. They loved the freedom that came with a camping-at-the-sea holiday. I gave them total freedom and they were able to come and go as they please (but, as they are still under 12, with a strict clock-in time of 8:00 pm).

See the magic of the West Coast of South Africa.

The best part of a sea holiday is the new friends you make.

Then there is the most beautiful beaches and views.

Last, but not least is the best sunset….

My Beach House

November 20, 2016November 23, 20161 Comment

As mentioned in one of my previous posts I would love to have my own little beach house one day in the future. I love staring at the ocean and just be…not really thinking of anything in particular, or sitting on a patio with a very long book to read.

Here are a few ideas I will keep once the beach house is bought.

As we believe in living a ‘green’ life and giving back to nature what we so generally receive every day it must definitely be a wooden house. I quite like the darker wood against a white sandy beach.

Each living area must definitely have a view of the ocean. It would even be nice in the winter when the ocean shows its more aggressive side.

An outside shower is a must, as I’m quite OCD and would definitely not tolerate sandy feet in my beach house.

The base colour must be white, as, like the ocean, it makes you feel calm, clean and just let you be.

[Thanks to Pinterest for all you do for the creatives amongst us. All images found through searching the web]

White Beaches and Blue Waters

November 20, 2016November 23, 2016Leave a comment

There is probably nothing on earth as calming, relaxing, enjoyable, but also fears, angry and dangerous than the big blue ocean we have on our earth.

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We went to the beach yesterday, and once again what a pleasant experience. My children couldn’t get enough, they played, ran and investigate as if it is their first time to the beach, (and we have been to the beach many, many times). I couldn’t get enough looking at their faces and seeing the pure joy they experience playing in the sand, finding new treasures in every tide pool we enter. Yes, we walk into each and every one of them and investigate each corner of the tide pool to find hidden treasures and new and funny creatures.

Thanks to Octonauts, my son knew exactly what each little fish, sea urchin and seaweed are called, and whether it is dangerous or not. For those of you that don’t know Octonauts, it is a kids story about a crew of eight adorable animals who explore the ocean in search of adventure and fun. Through Captain Barnacles, Peso Penguin and Shellinton’s eyes my children are learning all the real facts about the ocean. They learn how to respect it, and they learn all the dangers that also comes with it. If you have time, check it out…..really worth showing it to your kids.

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For me, it is more the calming effect it has on me. I can sit and watch the waves for hours at a time, and just think or not think and just be. My husband cannot do that, so I presume the ocean is not for everyone. Hopefully one day we can have our own little house by the sea. See some pics of how my dream beach house will look like one day. Until then I will settle for travelling and visiting all the most beautiful beaches in the world. According to The Traveler the most beautiful beaches are in Brazil, Bermuda, Thailand, Puerto Rico, Mozambique, to mention just a few, but personally I think we, here in sunny South Africa, also have amazing beaches, I’m just thinking about Jongensfontein, around the corner from us, the West Coast, and not even to mention the East Coast. Personally my all time favourite is Strandfontein, situated on the West Coast. Nothing can top this, probably because this is my childhood holiday destination. We’ve been going there for almost 30 years, and it still has that magic to it, that you wouldn’t get anywhere else…well, that’s how it feels to me.

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The sad part is that not everybody appreciates this big, blue wonder with its white beaches. Not everybody knew how to take care of it and look after it. I’m thinking of all the big ‘companies’ that just leave all their dirt and think the ocean will be happy with us forever. At some stage, maybe not now, it will turn on us humans that cannot take care of it.

So, in this post I’m begging each and every one of you, please look after our oceans, don’t spoil the blue water and don’t throw your waste on the white beaches, because one day it might not be there anymore to enjoy.

Magazines

November 18, 2016November 23, 2016Leave a comment

I absolutely love magazines. You can almost say it is my secret little addiction. Some women have a shoe fetish, and some have a handbag fetish, so why can’t I have a magazine fetish?

I love the feeling when I page through a brand new magazine, the smell of the pages and the sheer feeling of excitement just to see what new thing is on the next page. I sometimes just quickly page through a magazine to quickly see what is all the nice things inside and then I leave it for later…when I can sit back, relax with a glass of wine and slowly absorb every single image, text, and page in the magazine.

I love reading the articles and absorb how the author has chosen his / her words to get her message over. I even love it more to look at each image and analyse each piece of it. I even sometimes see a flaw on the image where the stylist missed something, and it makes me feel good about my own home and life. Just to know that magazines can also sometimes get it wrong.

I take such good care of my magazines my children aren’t even allowed to page through them. Each magazine has a special place on my bookshelf and I often go back to previous additions and relive every single emotion as if it is the first time I’m reading it.

I’ve travelled the world through magazines and I’ve become the skinniest woman, cooked the best meals and have the most beautiful home, by just reading. By reading a magazine my imagination just opens like a beautiful flower in spring. It’s funny how just one small image could start a whole new dream, that leads to a new project, that leads to a new corner in your garden, or new table in your home.

Thank you to all publishers out there for the amazing magazines we have!!