Tshwane City Council all in a meeting?!!!

This is what I find amusing about living in South Africa (and i'm sure it could quite possibly be the same in France, but let me know), I phone through to Pretoria City Council this morning with a query and I am told by the switchboard operator "they are all in a meeting". Is that possible? The only time I could imagine an entire employment force being 'in a meeting' is if the place is burning down! Any comments out there?

Peaceful Weaving Studio on the Midlands Meander

The owners of Shuttleworth Weaving were founder members of the Midlands Meander concept and thus the business is one of the oldest running in the area, in operation for over thirty years. In their quiet studio, on a steep forested hill, on the Fort Nottingham road, you will find a wide array of custom made items, including hand woven mohair rugs and carpets, throws, scarves and shawls, all made with natural fibres (mohair, wool & cotton) hand-spun and naturally dyed on the premises. Their products are unique and beautiful and many are exported, again amazingly, from this sleepy little hollow. The family are committed to their workers, making this a really wholesome business.
Andy & Helen Stuttleworth tel: 033 2666 818  www.shuttleworthweaving.com

I couldn't resist taking this photo of one of the local ladies, at the entrance of Shuttleworth, with calamine lotion on her face, so typical of African ladies in the area with their 'sun screen' applied to their faces.

From a wattle & daub studio in Nottingham Road - destination - all corners of the globe

Don't miss Sally and Mick Haig's exhibition of their ceramic art at their restaurant, Cafe Bloom, over the Easter weekend, as part of a 'rolling exhibition' of local artist in the Natal Midlands.  Sally and Mick produce sculptural Pots and functional art from their tiny wattle and daub studio just outside Nottingham Road and only a limited amount of items are made. 


What amazes me is what Mick and Sally produce from this sleepy little hollow, and the fact that it gets delivered to all corners of the globe. It was only just over a year ago that Mick was having supper with Sir Terance Conran in London, after Terance placed an order for some of Mick's ceramics. The photo on the left is stock, packed up and ready to be delivered to Italy, UK and the US to name but a few destinations. So don't miss the opportunity to view, and possibly treat yourself to some of this stunning art. Contact Michael or Sally on 0725290227. 


Other artist taking part in the 'Rolling Exhibition' include Shuttleworth Weaving, Corrie Lynn and Co, Hilford Pottery, Ground Cover, Ardmore Ceramic Art, Sterlings Wrought Iron and The Wood Turner. The exhibition runs from 2-5 April 2010. Visit www.midlandsmeander.co.za for more information.

Breasts at the Karkloof Market

If you are in the Midlands area for the Easter weekend, remember the Karkloof market will be open for business as usual - Saturdays from 7am-11am. How to spend your latest wad of cash in less than an hour, but everything is great, and why shop at Pick n Pay when you can purchase home bakes, cheeses, veggies, local meats, eggs and yummy breakfast fresh from the vendors?

Having been told we had to have a bagel, we headed straight to the Bagel stall. Chalked up on the board outside was what looked like a pair of breasts. A very well to do lady, with a very posh accent, marched up to the owner. "Is that your sign outside?" she blurted. "Yes" said the owners, "is there a problem?". "Well yes", said the lady. "You've spelt delicious wrong"!

I then toddled off to another little table where I usually buy delicious home baked baps. This time they also had mini Portuguese milk tarts which I was told "is an absolute favourite .... in Australia". Is that why the basket was still full in SA? Well I bought one for lunch and it was good. And then, have you ever heard of a 'bean tart'? The man assured me they are not savoury, but sweet, and definitely won't make you fart!

The coffee is 'three cups later' - great, and I was thrilled to beat someone to the last packet of mixed lettuce, fresh from the farm. My weekly veggies cost me only R48! Support the business that sells the biscuits etc. which has the purple label as this is a job creation project and support system for many struggling Africans. As I walked out of the market I saw a gorgeous blonde coming towards me with about eight little children in tow. "Are you from the purple project"? I asked - knowingly not having to wait for the reply.

Make your way to the centre of Howick and take the road leading to the Karkloof area, and its a couple of kms down the road on the right hand side.

High Tea with 'Centre Piece Hire'

How we're spoilt in Africa with stunning homes, lovely sunshine, and high tea on the 'stoop'.....
Stuart Mitchell of 'Centre Piece Hire' hosted a high tea at Kinnord House in Essenwood Road, Durban. What a grand old plantation style home, circa 1910, the perfect location for a party. The occasion was the first (SA) birthday of this stylish events company who specialise in vintage style 'High Tea' parties, put together with such elegance, and they certainly know their stuff after having relocated from the UK where they hosted parties for the 'rich and (in)famous'.

Our Midlands setting is perfect for tea on the lawn! So if you are planning a wedding, baby shower, birthday, etc. they will travel to where ever you are.  Contact Stuart Mitchell on 0848195694 mitchellstuart@hotmail.com

The Umlungu and the Zulu!

I had the most wonderful gardener when I moved here. I called him 'Madala' , which means 'old man' in Zulu, and he was getting on. Most of the enormous trees in my garden he claimed to have planted when he was a boy. He sadly died last year of TB, something that should never happen in this day and age. He couldn't speak English and I, Zulu, but some how we managed and as time went on, he taught me a couple of Zulu words. He would often go off to the Shabeen (local illegal pub) and get steaming drunk. I'd feel like his 'other' wife as he would come staggering home and I'd yell that I'd made his supper over an hour ago and "you've been to the shabeen again haven't you"! His smiling face was a picture.

I love chatting to my staff, but my current maid hardly speaks a word of English. I managed to get a joke across recently when she told me we needed more chicken food. "Are there any 'iliqanda' (eggs)?" I asked, knowing there weren't any. "Well, no 'sebenza' (work), no food" I said. Her hearty laugh assured me she has a good sense of humour. I sometimes get home to the most gorgeous bouquets of flowers that she puts together from our garden. She was re-doing our self catering cottage, and I saw she had put together an equally beautiful arrangement for the guests. Could she be missing her calling as a florist?!!!

I've blogged about my new gardener before, but have to mentioned that I'd asked her what her dream in life is. I was gob smacked to hear she wants to be a dental technician. So if there is anyone out there who thinks they can help in this regard, please let me know. 

On new years day, cycling down my road, I was horrified to see how one of the local ladies was now a shadow of her former self. I thought how lucky I am with good health and this lady looked like a walking skeleton. After enquiring after her health she told me she was awaiting her HIV results, which I now know are positive. I'd not seen her for a while and thought she must have passed away, though recently I saw her again and was so pleased to hear she had managed to get anti-retro viral and is now, in her own words, "number one!".

I'm grateful for the fact that I have been afforded the opportunity to learn more about the Zulus, since moving here, even if its just a few words. In the post office recently, when a Zulu man was standing almost on top of me in the queue, I felt compelled to say something, and not at all in a nasty way. I politely asked him why the Zulus, as a rule, do this and discovered that it is considered a way of letting people know they have nothing to hide, unlike the  'umlungu' (white person) who will stand far away, their handbags grasped tightly to their waist, as they are generally terrified in this crime ridden South Africa. 

I think the language barriers we have in South Africa are one of the biggest down falls. I would love the government to offer free lessons to anyone interested in learning the languages, as it could go a long way in bridging the gap. Although, which one of the thirteen official languages would you choose from?!!!

From sun drenched Cosmos to drenched ......

This morning I was all set to tell you about the stunning Cosmos lining our roads (hence the photograph on the right), which reminds me Easter time is just around the corner, and how special it was seeing  one of the locals jogging and her little son, Sam, cycling at her side, such was the beautiful Sunny morning. Instead the build up of clouds in the afternoon resulted in one major hail storm which left the scenery white over as if snow had fallen. Obviously hail being that much heavier, it reeked havoc, and yet now there is just a light patter of rain outside and floods of water inside my shop! I had a customer in my shop, who was held hostage to the weather for a good twenty minutes! Wendy, from Cafe Bloom, tells me the customers had to stand whilst eating their soup, for fear their little feet might get wet from the floods inside the restaurant. All in a days work....

Today is the Michaelhouse/Hilton bi-annual sports day,  which has, no doubt, been rained out. This is where two of South Africa's premier high schools play one another in various sports, primarily rugby and hockey, with the culmination of the day being the main rugby match between the two schools. A friendly rivalry has developed over the years and has a great following with the locals, what a pity about the rain. Though I did read one can walk from one end of the Michaelhouse building to the other without getting wet. Well isn't that just perfect on a day like today!


Hilton college and Michaelhouse are the only two full boarding schools left in South Africa and are both located near one another in our beautiful area. The grounds and buildings are reminiscent of some of the UK's top private schools, a truly privileged education.  


The Midlands is loosely known as the area with four seasons in one day, so to end, the sun shine has returned and we're back to another beautiful day in sunny South Africa.