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Clarens Craft Beer Festival 2026
In Clarens town with mountains near; We raise a glass of frothy cheer; to good friends, loud laughs and lots of beer; What a hoppy festival it was this year! It was a…
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Picture Perfect
“We are all getting older. That is the point.”– Kate Winslet On Thursday I stood behind a camera at a VLU function… and it turned out to be a lot of fun. I…
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When Emotions are Real
“The body expresses what the mind is unable to articulate.” Over the years, I have noticed something inconvenient… The mind and body cannot be separated. We try. Medicine tries. Patients try. When someone…
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One Step at a Time
You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step. Martin Luther King Jr. I am sitting here, phone next to me, checking every few minutes to see if Natey’s…
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Awareness Turns Off Autopilot
This content explores the author's journey toward greater awareness of their eating habits, recognizing that food often serves as a coping mechanism for various emotions. By questioning ingrained beliefs about snacking, they emphasize…
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Cats at Montecasino
“Well, the Theatre’s certainly not what it was.These modern productions are all very well,But there’s nothing to equal, from what I hear tell,That moment of mysteryWhen Cats musical made history.” Cats is one…
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Celebrating Equals Food
You can’t make everyone happy. You’re not ice-cream! Celebrating Equals Food. (And usually cake and champagne.) It was Marcus’s birthday this week. Which meant I had to make a cake, right. And then…
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Berg Chalet at Uithoek
“It’s not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves.” — Edmund Hillary. For Marcus’s birthday this year, we decided to take a short trip to Uithoek in Fouriesburg. We had seen photos of the…
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What’s Your Sugar Story?
“The doctor of the future will no longer treat the human frame with drugs, but rather will cure and prevent disease with nutrition.” Thomas Edison Speaking to people about food and diet can…
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Why Knowing What to Eat is Not Enough
“My problem with eating sweets is that I want to eat the whole cake.” Carrie Fisher Most people already know the basic rules of what “healthy eating” means. The problem is not information.…
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An Advent Calendar for You!
Knock knock. Who’s there? Anna. Anna who? Anna Partridge in a pear tree. Here’s a fun christmas advent calendar: December is here! In the middle of all the food, fun and festive rushing,…
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Waking the Muse Creativity Challenge
The Muses are the nine daughters of Zeus (King of the greek gods) and Mnemosyne (goddess of Memory). “It takes a spark to ignite, but a memory to give it meaning.” Feeling like…
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Natey’s Star Wars Party
“Your focus determines your reality.” Qui-Gon Jinn, The Phantom Menace We really went all out celebrating Natey’s birthday this year. We started the school holidays with a bang and had a big party…
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“Oui Oui” for Mauri
Oui is French and pronounced “wee” “Un petit coin de paradis”(A little corner of paradise) “Family moments are the best souvenirs.” We heard a lot of French this week. Although, I do think…
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How can I eat in a way that makes me feel good?
“Life is Short. Eat dessert first. (But maybe not every day!) In April this year, I posted a few times about Food for Thought -my thoughts on food. There’s so much contradicting information…
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Another Minecraft Party
How does Steve get his exercise? He runs around the block. (Get it? Minecraft, block?) What’s better than having a Minecraft party? Having ANOTHER Minecraft Party! Technically, last year Leo had a Minecraft…
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40 before 40 – Part 2/2
“In all chaos there is a cosmos, in all disorder a secret order. ” – Carl Jung Although everything is on Instagram and Facebook, I just put a summary of all the activities…
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The Power of Semonkong
“Sometimes you find yourself in the middle of nowhere, and sometimes in the middle of nowhere, you find yourself.” We arrived at Semonkong Lodge in the dark. Only the next morning did we…
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40 Before 40 – Part 1
Synchronicity is an ever present reality for those who have eyes to see. – Carl Jung Here are the activities of the first 20 days of “40 before 40.” It’s been quite an…
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Food for Thought Summary
My journey into nutrition this month has been a bit like the story in The Alchemist—I went looking far and wide for answers, only to circle back to what I always knew:
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How to: Not Eat That Cookie🍪 (If you have a better answer, please tell me how)
We all do it. (Or, DON’T do it) We know what we should eat and we know that we should exercise… but we don’t. Why is that?
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Why Did I Eat That Cookie?
For 21 days, I was really “good.” No processed food. No cheating. Lent was going well. Then... the cookie happened.
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#21 To Fast or not to fast?
I was chatting to someone about intermittent fasting when my son, Leo — who was six years old at the time — asked, "What does fasting mean?" I explained that fasting is when…
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#20 What is an Alkaline Diet (Part 2)
"Scientists say your thoughts can change your biochemistry. So technically, being grumpy is a chemical hazard." I'm a hazard to myself! Yesterday I explored the basics of what an alkaline diet is —…
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#19 What is an Alkaline Diet? (Part 1)
Yes, yes, I know, I am really looking into this food and eating topic! But it's an important part of life! It's no use you have a really cool car but it can't…
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#18 What about Vitamins and Supplements?
Vitamins and Supplements… if only there was a cheap, magic pill that will make us all look good and feel great. These are the top 5 supplements worth considering, in my opinion, —…
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#17 Should You Take Probiotic Supplements?
In recent years, the importance of gut health has exploded into the wellness spotlight—with probiotics often taking center stage. But should we actually take them? Do they even work?
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#16 Poop Pills
Poop to the Rescue? Yes, Really. Okay, let’s talk about a weirdt medical breakthrough: using other people’s poop to heal yourself. Yes, actual poop. Not metaphorically. Not “life gave me lemons” poop. I…
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#15 Meet Your Gut Microbes – The Hidden Bosses of Your Health
Did you know your gut has more microbes than you have human cells? It sounds crazy, but it's true! And they have a lot more control on us than we realize. That's why…
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#14 What’s the Healthiest Diet?
“In the age of information, ignorance is a choice.” – Donny Miller So what’s actually true? No matter which eating style you choose—low-fat, low-carb, Mediterranean, or balanced—there are a few unshakable truths that…
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#13 Balanced, Real Food
Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving. Albert Einstein Also, to keep your glucose balanced, you need to keep moving! Before 2011, the food pyramid was…
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# 12 What would chatGPT eat?
I asked ChatGPT, if he was human, taking all the information into account and having no strict food allergies, what would he eat to stay happy, healthy and still enjoy life. I was…
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#11 Whole Food, Plant Based
For 40 days, my friend Robert and I tried the Mastering Diabetes program to see if it could be recommended to patients with diabetes. We also wore a CGM for 2 weeks while…
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#10 Keto vs Banting
Tim Noakes walks into a bakery…Just kidding. That would never happen. I know many people who have been on the keto or banting eating plan. The food can be delicious. Shops also cater…
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Food for Thought #9 Are you a Carnivore?
The only fat I want in my life is the one on a steak. The carnivore diet is an eating plan that involves consuming exclusively animal-based foods while eliminating all plant-based foods, including…
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#8 What is the Best Eating Plan for Me?
I followed a diet, but it didn’t follow me back, so I unfollowed it. When it comes to food, there’s no one-size-fits-all. I do believe that it’s easier to stick to a healthy…
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#7 My Obsession with Nutrition (Explained with mini-me toys)
If we are what we eat, then I’m pretty sweet! You’ve probably all seen the new “ask ChatGPT to make an action figure of me” craze. It’s quite funny! It is a bit…
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#6 Is Popcorn a Healthy Snack?
Popcorn always makes me feel like I’m on top of the world. It makes me feel pop-timistic about life. If you’re looking for a healthy snack to mindlessly snack on, then popcorn is…
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#5 My Body Battery and Food
“Wearable tech and real-time health data give us the opportunity to shift from reactive care to proactive wellness.”— Dr. Daniel Kraft I’ve mentioned that using a continuous glucose monitor is really informative and…
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#4 Why Our Snack Cravings Aren’t Just a Lack of Willpower
“Never trust a skinny mouse in a snack cupboard.” – Ancient Cheese Proverb (possibly) Have you ever opened a packet of chips just to have a few—and suddenly found yourself licking your fingers…
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Food for Thought #3 Real Food, Real Life
“You don’t neccessarily have to eat less. You just have to eat real.” – Unknown One patient told me she followed a diabetic diet and was told to eat lots of fruit. Another…
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#2 – I wore a Continuous Glucose Monitor while eating a Low Fat, High Good Carb Diet
We couldn’t find any vegetable jokes, so if you do peas lettuce know. For two weeks, Robert and I wore a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) and experimented with a low-fat, high good-carb way…
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Food for Thought #1 – Low Fat Eating for Glucose Control?
What did the one slice of bread say to the other slice of bread before a fight? -you’re toast! I have been trying to get my thoughts about eating and diet in order,…
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Gqeberha 2025
“In our family, normal is just a setting on the washing machine.” We had a lekker time in PE these school holidays with the family! Here are some photos of what we got…
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Clarens Craft Beer Festival 2025
“Beauty is in the eye of the beerholder.” The 2025 Clarens Craft Beer Festival was a weekend to remember! We’ve lost count, but I think this was our 11th Clarens Beer Festival. 🤔…
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February heART Challenge
“Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.” – Thomas Merton This was the last week of our February heART challenge! Martha Beck, a sociologist, famous author, and…
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DIY Cream Cheese
Chantal introduced me to this great idea! The only ingredient you need is maas, or amasi. It is really easy to make, tastes delicious, the kids eat it, and it is nutritious! I’ve…
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Week 4 – February heART Challenge
“Look up: there’s always a sky full of possibility waiting for you to notice it.” Our them for week 3 was Look Up. What beauty and wonder we found while looking up! Here…
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Week 3 – February heART Challenge
You use a glass mirror to see your face. You use works of art to see your soul. – George Bernard Shaw We had fun with chocolate this week! Some of us (like…
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Week 2 – February heART Challenge
Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get. – Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump Our creative topic for week 1 was Hearts and Hands. I so enjoyed…
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My Fair Lady at MonteCasino
Repeat after me: “The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain. “ Oumie, Carol, Linley and I joined the Kosmos Toere group to watch My Fair Lady at MonteCasino this weekend, and…
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February 💛heART Challenge – Week 1
Welcome to Our February heART Creativity Challenge!💛 I’m so excited to be adding some extra creativity to my life! I hope you’ll find time to do the same! Let’s shake off the Janu-worries…
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The Last Time
“You never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.” – Dr. Seuss I didn’t know it was the last time Chilli would come for a run with us. I’m…
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Light a Candle
“Be the light that helps others see.” I have always liked candles – a glimmer of light in the darkness. Lately I’ve been thinking more often about candles. I like that they are…
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YOU can Plant a Tree
The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit. They say: The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, the second…
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What’s Really in the Sweets Your Kid Buys at the School Tuck-Shop!?
Let Food by Thy Medicine and Medicine be Thy Food – Hippocrates It’s difficult enough to get kids to eat healthy foods these days. It’s not very helpful when the school and other…
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Taco Tuesdays – DIY taco shells
Why shouldn’t you trust tacos? They always spill the beans! 😝 Every random Tuesday (or Wednesday), it’s Taco Tuesday at our house! We got this recipe from Robert while standing in the queue…
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Meringskloof Camping 2024
“We often forget that we are nature. Nature is not something separate from us. So when we say that we have lost our connection to nature, we have lost our connection to ourselves.…
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One Step at a Time – Zuikerkop 2024
“My advice for a race is the same as it is for life: Take it one step at a time.” Every year, Zuikerkop hosts a fantastic running and cycling event, and it’s one…
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Goodbye to You My Trusted Friend – A Tribute to Rex
“A dog lives for the day, the hour, even the moment.” “Someone asked me what the most difficult part of having a dog was. I replied: The Goodbye.” – goodquotes I have so…
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SpongeBob Party
The cake was a Chocolate and Vanilla Cake with Cream cheese icing. The SpongeBob figurines are “fishtank figurines” and are not edible. The Krusty Krab is made from melted chocolate. This is the…
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If You Don’t Rest, You Rust
Resting rebuilds, restores and refreshes! They say if you rest, you rust… I think it should rather be: If You Don’t Rest, You Rust! This morning, while brushing my teeth, I was randomly…
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Spicy Cinnamon Nuts
What sound does a nut make when it sneezes? Cashew! I have made these nuts a few times since Marisa’s demonstration. It’s easy and delicious! Ingredients: 2 egg whites1kg raw nuts (I like…
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The Cold Is Your Teacher: The Power of Cold Plunges
Ask any special forces guy: Doing physically hard things is an enormous life hack. Do hard things and the rest of life gets easier and you appreciate it all the more. -Michael Easter…
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A Traveling Inspiration
“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” St. Augustine Some people inspire me to live life to the fullest. Miss Arthur is one of those…
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Happy Minecraft Birthday
Minecraft- A World where anything is possible. We had fun celebrating Leo’s birthday with a small party on Friday and a Spur outing today! It was a busy weekend with the Dino-Expo and …
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Dinos and Legendary Rugby in Bloem
“Beer and rugby are more or less synonyms.” There was a lot happening in Bloemfontein this weekend! We went to the Dino-Expo at the Show Grounds. It was interesting, but there were a…
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Dopamine, ADD and ADHD: Why We All Feel Like Headless Chickens
“I always wanted to be somebody, but now I realize I should have been more specific.” – Lily Tomlin Lately, I’ve found myself unable to concentrate on anything. Maybe having kids also contributes,…
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Banana Crumpets
Asante sana, squash banana! Have some overripe bananas? Here’s an easy crumpet recipe which the kids love! What you need: 2 very ripe mashed bananas3/4 cup brown sugar3 eggs1 cup milk2 tablespoons butter,…
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July is Self-Care Month. 8 Steps to Incorporate Self-Care
Did you know that keeping tropical fish at home can have a calming effect on the brain... This is due to all the indoor fins… The 24th of June marks the start of…
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Knysna Half Marathon 2024
Did you hear about that ‘oyster’ joke? I laughed so hard I almost pulled a mussel. Many muscles are sore and stiff from yesterday’s race! But, I think most of us agree, that…
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Snow in Ladybrand June 2024
Why was the snowman looking in the bag of carrots? He was picking his nose! This is the most I have seen it snow in Ladybrand! It was such an exciting morning playing…
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Cheese and Bacon Potato Soup
If you’re looking for comfort food on a cold day, this is it! What do you call a husband who is good at making soup? Souper-man! We make this soup once or twice…
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Run For Fun
“Run. Because zombies will eat the untrained ones first.” – From the Zombie Apocalypse Survival Guide I wasn’t always into running. I wouldn’t have considered running fun, not at all! Alma told me the other…
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Carol’s 60th Birthday Celebration: a Fairytale at Biljoni’s
“Why did the 60-year-old woman bring a ladder to her birthday party? Because it’s all about reaching new heights at this age!” This was the event we were looking forward to for quite…
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Carol’s 60th Mimosa Breakfast at Little Rock
P-A-R-T-why? Because we gotta! We’ve been celebrating Carol’s 60th trip around the sun since last year, but now that it was her official birthday we went big! Because 60 is a big deal!…
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Connection and Healing – Our Boston Terriers Then and Now
Connection is a part of healing. This has always been taken for granted, but recently our medical system has put the body and various separate organs in “boxes.” It’s difficult to totally heal…
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Clarens Craft Beer Festival 2024
Don’t Worry, Beer Happy! 😜🍻 It was the perfect weekend for Clarens Beer Festival! The weather was really hot, but luckily the beer was cold! We stayed at Clarens Retreat Guesthouse which is…
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Glamping at De Krantz
“In glamping, you’ll find the best of both worlds – the beauty of nature and the comforts of home.” De Krantz is only a 35 minute drive from Ladybrand! There’s no need to…
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Reconnecting at Korannaberg Bushcamp
Sometimes you’ve got to disconnect to reconnect. We didn’t have any wifi or cellphone signal for the weekend which forced us to disconnect from technology for a while and reconnect with nature and…
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Unleash the Dragon for Natey’s 5th Birthday
The day after Natey’s ninja party last year he told me for his birthday next year he wants a dragon party. He stuck to this idea and this year we celebrated his birthday…
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Cluedo – Playing Live
The Milner Mansion Murder Mystery Event Linley organized an incredibly fun event at her house for the family. I thought it was such a cool idea! Loadshedding was right on schedule and benefitted…
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What a Winterful Day!
Just go with the snow! It is freezing cold in Ladybrand today due to all the snow in Lesotho. It even snowed in Ladybrand for a little while on Sunday morning! Marcus woke…
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Delicious in Mauritius
“The best thing about happy memories is making them!” We had an amazing time during our week-long getaway in Mauritius. We stayed at the enchanting Mauricia Beachcomber Resort in Grand Baie. The actual…
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Meow You Have a Happy Birthday
A little birdie told me it’s your birthday… So I ate it! – A Cat somewhere Since he was born, Leo has liked cats! We’ve never had a cat. We’re not particularly fond…
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What’s My Glucose
Last year I wore a continous glucose monitor for the first time… Just for interests sake. It was so eye opening for me! Here’s the post I wrote last year about it. Since…
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Clarens Beer Festival 2023
You better not pout, just have a stout, You better not cry, try a beer dry, You better not frown… Because…Craft Breweries are coming to town! It was the Clarens Craft Beer Festival…
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Our Trip to Pilanesberg National Park
How do you stop a rhino from charging? You unplug him. 🤣But seriously though,😯 you drive away really, really quickly. We were driving right next to two rhinos who walked into the road.…
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River Destiny Camping
Ain’t no weekend like a lekker camping weekend! This time we chose to go to River Destiny Lodge in !Gariep. We wanted to go somewhere we can get to without the caravan having…
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Nathan and the Ninja Chicken
“Cockadoodledoo! Good morning to you!” That is the sound a normal rooster might make. “Cocka-doo-kung-fu! You mess with me, I kick you!” That is the cry of Cuckoo. I’ve been having lots of…
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Natey’s Ninja Party
Ichi, ni, san, yon! One, two, three, four! It was Natey’s Ninja party this weekend. He has been so excited counting down the days for this event! And the day finally arrived! The…
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Lionel’s Birthday Robot
Why did the robot cross the road? Because he was programmed by a chicken. A few months ago Leo told me he would like a robot party. I asked him, if he could…
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How to make Kombucha
“The road to health is paved with good intestines.” SA Rodgers Kombucha is a fermented, slightly fizzy drink made when SCOBY is left in a mixture made from tea, sugar and water. SCOBY…
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Our Oumie’s 80th Birthday
“A life well lived is the most exquisite work of art.” – Erwin McManus “One must have compassion for one’s fellow man. (‘n Mens moet deernis hê vir jou medemens.)” – Oumie’s life…
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Clouds in Lizzy’s Head (My First Book)
I’ve written and published my first children’s book. It’s something I have always wanted to do so it’s very exciting for me! It’s a short children’s book about a little girl who struggles…
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Clarens Craft Beer Festival 2022
“Wish you were beer with us!” It was the long awaited Clarens Craft Beer Festival this weekend! The last festival was just before lockdown in February 2020… What a lot has happened since…
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What I learnt from wearing a continous glucose monitor
Marcus and I wore a continous glucose monitor for 2 weeks… A few people I have spoken to were curious as to why we did this and were interested in the results, so…
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Celebrating Dakkie’s Birthday with Good Food and Great People
It’s quite lucky when your birthday is on a weekend, but especially lucky when your birthday is on an extra long long weekend! This weekend we celebrated Carol’s birthday with a dinner party,…
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Face your Fear… Jump out of the Plane
“Go skydiving!” they said. “It will be fun!” they said. And every time my answer was: “Hell no!” Marcus agreed to skydive and the kids and I went with to watch him… That…
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Week 8 – Gratitude Mandala and the last week of this Creatively Grateful Challenge
“Reflect upon your present blessings—of which every man has many—not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.”—Charles Dickens This week’s challenge was to doodle a gratitude mandala. I like the…
