A Visit to Oranjezicht City Farm

For the longest time I have wanted to visit the Oranjezicht City Farm nestled on the slopes beneath Table Mountain.

My sister, visiting from the Free State, managed to round us siblings up on Saturday morning for a visit. 

In the 1700's this area was part of one of the largest farms in the Table Valley. 

It is fed by perennial springs that provided water to the Company's Gardens way back when they produced fresh produce for passing ships and the colonists. 

With urbanization, the land was used for housing and later as a bowling green. 

The bowling green was unused for several decades and the City Farm was established in 2012. 

It is a non profit project that celebrates local food, culture and community.

The perfect place for my 3 year old nephew to discover and enjoy. 

I was reminded of childhood stories of Mr Mc Gregor's garden and expected Flopsy, Mopsy, Cotton tail and Peter to be hopping past any moment.

There is a  market which is open every Saturday from 9 until 2pm.

The atmosphere was vibrant and friendly.

Fresh produce from the city farm is sold as well as produce from other suppliers.

My sister bought some smoked cheese, simply delicious!

There was a variety of fresh bread 

and sweet treats 

and samosas and mini pies to mention just a few!

Everything looked and smelled delicious!

Fresh mushrooms and chilies

or beautiful flowers and so much more!

A wonderful feast for the senses!

...... and definitely worth visiting again with a full wallet!

Monday's Multitudes

Thanks living...

connecting with our connect group

my precious nephew and his delightful conversations

generosity of my sister in law

my dear farm sister and her son arriving safely after a long bus trip from the farm

gifts in conversation: cousins catching up after months of not having seen one another

generosity of my sweet sister

farm cheese and other yummy home made delicacies from the farm

my kind and generous neighbour

my nephew spoiling me with sweet treats

smiles on my sweetpea's face today after a few tough days

coffee delivered to my bedside by hubby at dawn

fun evening with friends we have not seen in a while

family here, tots to teens having fun, good food, good times

thankful for our awesome pastor and the wonderful celebratory service today

ice creams and beach walks, my sister beside me, cousins having a blast on the beach

lunch with my oldest, just the two of us

my sweetie finding just what she needed in the shop

chats with my Mum

an unexpected warm greeting

friends and family celebrating our gorgeous niece's birthday together

watching the teens have a blast dancing and laughing

hospitality shown

my sister's gentle ways

enjoying seeing the boy cousins have a great time

my sister popping in with a tasty lunch for us to share

my neighbor blessing us with dinner

time exploring with my sister and my brother and his family

wonderful birthday party for my niece and my daughter, blessed that they have beautiful friends

family that cares

our precious girl, her 17th birthday today

mom and daughter massages, prizes won

pizza evening thanks to another prize won

2335-2366

Weekly Wrap-Up: The Festive One

On Monday my eldest was working from home. It was great having him home and the two us enjoyed lunch out together, a rare treat, and wonderful to have alone time with him. It was his birthday treat from his Gran and lovely of him to share it with me. 

Monday evening was loads of fun!
We had a great big get together with family and friends at a braai to celebrate my niece's 19th birthday. Most of these kiddos have known one another since birth. Its wonderful to see them all growing up.

It was the first time we have been together in years on her birthday!

Keren wrote some term tests this week and been working long hours creating her candyland outfit the joint birthday party she and my niece are having on Saturday. 

There was little school for Zak this week as his cousin was still visiting from the farm .

 But we enjoyed planting our spring seeds, perfect timing as he is studying botany at the moment.

On Tuesday a friend, Zak and his cousin went go karting, an early birthday gift for his cousin.



The boys had a blast racing around the track !

Wednesday was Heritage day here in S.A. otherwise known as National Braai Day and hubby had the day off. Keren worked despite the fact it was a public holiday and she got her hair redone with one of her vouchers from the hair show.

I love the rich colour!

 Zak left on an adventure with his second cousins....
a four day trip to the Breede River, lucky boy!

They stayed in this beautiful house.

Had fun in the Jacuzzi!

And the great outdoors....

He had an absolute blast and came home happy and tired on Saturday.

Thursday my sister popped in for an impromptu visit and brought us the most delicious lunch to share. It has been wonderful having her here and spending time with her.

Friday she and my niece popped in again and took Keren off to get fabric for her party outfit. 

It was a whirlwind kind of a week, culminating with the girls joint party on Saturday night. The guests all dressed up in something beginning with the first letter of the name.



The pirate, Zorro and Katy Perry!

 There must have been 70 or more happy and loud teens and it was loads of fun!
 Eating, dancing, laughing and celebrating! 

West Coast Wandering...

Recently hubby took a day off work and the two of us headed up the west coast. It was just what we both needed. Open road and no agenda.

It was San Parks week and the West Coast National Park had free entry for SA citizens. For the longest time I have wanted to visit there in flower season.

The lagoon stretched as far as the eye could see.

We spotted buck, zebra, ostriches, wildebeest and slow tortoises making their way across the park roads.

The colorful carpets of flowers were spectacular and we could see Table Mountain in the distance.

My favorite were the simple white flowers with purple around the centers.

We enjoyed lunch in park and made our way to Redelinghuys,

 seemingly in the middle of nowhere!

Our room was very quaint, decorated with flowers and most comfortable with an en suite bathroom with the softest white fluffy towels.

The mosquito net was not only pretty but much needed!

On Saturday morning we were shown by our host to our breakfast table on the main road in this one horse village. The locals passed by and stopped to chat as we enjoyed a hearty breakfast and coffee. 

It was delightful!

Later we drove through farm lands alongside a large vlei, teeming with bird life. Our destination, Elands Bay, a surfers paradise but also the tiniest village. We strolled along pristine deserted beaches and enjoyed lunch overlooking the ocean.

Back in Redelinghuys we drove around to look for the church.

 There is always an NG Kerk, no matter how small the village! 

We happened upon this delightful cottage with these murals.

In the early evening, a fire was lit and we enjoyed a braai with lots of fireside laughter and fun.

  

As it turned out, a colleague from twenty years back was also there with her family. 

We had a wonderful time catching up! 

On Sunday, hubby and I took a slow drive home . 

It was good to be back home with the kids after a wonderful time of rest and relaxation.

Weekly Wrap-Up: Two in One and Loads of Fun

Its been two weeks since my last weekly wrap. A busy two weeks but also a good two weeks. Last week hubby and I went on a 3 day trip, just the two of us, so I didn't link up. We had a fabulous time, but more on that in another post.

The kids have been working through their school assignments and as it's nearing the end of term, they are getting a little tired. Some days I let them sleep in a bit. We are thankful for the beauty of a flexible schedule that allows them to work any time of day or night.

Zak has moved onto botany in science. History is still all about the Romans and our current read aloud is 20 000 Leagues Under the Sea. We have been listening to it on audio and he keeps his hands busy building or looming while I knit. 

Basketball  has been on hold due to bad weather and the unavailability of the hall as the school kids are writing exams.

Keren has made good progress with her terms work and we are hoping she may even finish term tests early so she can have an extra week holiday. She sure deserves it as she has not really had a proper holiday all year.

There is always art...

 Zak is enjoying his art classes and producing some lovely work.

The title of Keren's latest practical was "Is there still life?" 

She asked herself how her current choices would determine if there would still be life for her? Choices she makes now will decide the course of her life. 

Many hours were spent working on this and graded with an A.

My dear sister arrived from the farm this week.

 Her visit coincided with her daughter's exhibition at the Cape Town School of Photography. 

We all thoroughly enjoyed the exhibition and my niece had a large amount of her outstanding work on display.

The above work was her project on the body. 

This is one of her studio portraits of our eldest, Josh.

It is one of my all time favorite photos of him.

Her documentary was done on home education and she photographed home educating families and wrote an informative write up on homeschooling. Me and my younger two are seen in the last photograph.

And last but certainly not least, her work on exploration of the self. 

An outstanding series of photographs. 

It is wonderful to see a home educated child excelling in her field of study. 

Keren had an interview and got a job at Molly & Mason! 

They sell delicious homemade bakes, cakes and crafts.

She is thankful to be able to earn some pocket money in a fun environment.

The younger two, my niece and I enjoyed Ocean Basket's birthday special at lunch. 

A rare treat on a Monday afternoon!

We made our way down to the seaside for treats and a beautiful stroll along the cat walk.

The girls and I enjoyed a visit to China Town as they were shopping for youth group supplies.

The church held a sand castle building competition...

The teenage ninga turtle was the winner!

We had visitors of the extremely cute kind!

And yes... a day off school playing munchkin because we can, and this cousin lives oh so far away!