Simply Sam Trading - Antiques.Brocante.Gifts

We stock a variety of vintage, antique and hand-crafted items. Available on our web store simplysam.co.za or select antiques and beautiful 'proudly South African' hand-made Gift items on sale or to view at VinLee Art Gallery Hilton College Road, Natal Midlands. Hilton off-ramp, N3, Kwazulu Natal

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Hansel & Gretel at Anja's Tea Garden in Lynnwood Road, Pretoria East

Oh what a delight to find this little 'Hansel & Gretel' Tea Garden, Anja's, so unexpected in Lynnwood Road, Pretoria. One of my dear friends, Liza, had told me about it ages ago before she moved down to Hilton in the Midlands and said it was a place she knew i'd love. Well today it was freezing in Pretoria, as snow has fallen some where in the Cape, so we snuggled up in the attic at Anja's little stone cottate, with hot chocolate all round, and deliberated over Beetroot Cake, Baked Lemon Cheesecake and Devils Chocolate Cake, all worth getting fat for!
I can imagine this must be an absolute delight in the summer as the garden looks so inviting, set in the gardens of Willows Country Lodge, which is built on one of the rocky ridges of Pretoria. We wandered through and took a peep at the owners private abode, a stunning, almost Georgian style, stone house which looks like something out of a French decor book. Further along is a huge barn style venue, obviously for weddings, functions and such like.
Anja's has been open for just on a year and is one of those places you just want to keep as your own 'little secret'. High Tea can be arranged for special occasions, or just pop along for a bowl of soup and home made bread. Fathers Day Anja has put together a special menu. Be there!

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Family time at the Dragon Tree Challenge

What fun I had at the Dragon Tree Challenge with my family at their school, Kings, on Saturday. It was so tempting to open the shop as so many people were around. What with the Comrades Marathon on Sunday, and other events happening in and around Nottingham Road, but instead I ran a little stall at the festival (and sold a couple of items) and was able to do some real bonding with our three children, my hubby and our friends.

We are ardent fans of Survival on TV, so this was our chance to partake in something similar. First the entire family had to get across a dam on a raft which proved more difficult than it looked and before I knew it i'd crashed right into the water, and the freezing temperatures took my breath away. All in good fun though, as we ran off to continue with the many tasks ahead which included crawling through mud, finding marbles with your toes in a bucket of ice and eating chicken heads! Cooked ones luckily, but very yukky all the same. Apparently our African counterparts love chicken heads and feet which over here are referred to as 'walkie talkies'! I'll stick to Kentucky, thank you.

This week some gorgeous pieces of furniture were delivered to the shop and it is looking lovely. I now have my very own version of a French Chateau, at least until the furniture is sold. I fell down the stone steps just as the furniture was being carried down, so today I had an excuse to put my feet up, have lunch with friends and make it to the school, just in time to see my youngest with ball in hand.dogging every opponent on the rugby field. Now that's what memories are made of ......