Pretoria - Johannesburg

24 January 2014 - Friday

I recently caught a flight up to Johannesburg for the weekend... and it was one of the best weekends of my life. 

Work let me take two days of leave - but while up there I visited an art gallery that we work very closely alongside: The Everard Read Gallery. 

It was great to be able to put faces to the names of the people that I correspond with frequently. Don't you ever find it odd when you communicate with someone on a regular basis over the phone or via email - yet you have no idea what they look like or what their story is? Call me nosy.. but it is something that has always intrigued me.

Thereafter, I left Johannesburg and drove down to Pretoria (just outside of Joburg) to spend the weekend there.

I have made a vow in the past not to natter on about my personal life in great detail - so I'll just give you the basics of what we all got up to over the weekend.

Firstly, I was taken out for a delicious wine-induced lunch of sushi and oysters. It was a whopping 35 degrees out that day and to that I only have one thing to say: Hello Summer! :)

That night I watched my Friday Evening television show (blush)... The Bachelorette. Here in South Africa we are currently watching Season 17 (I think...) which for those of you who, like me, watch the show religiously... is the season where Desiree is the lady looking for love. I was treated to this gorgeous foot spa for the duration of the show, along with some more wine. I don't think I could have spent a Friday night in any better way after a flight.

On Saturday I was taken on a 4x4 trip to a gorgeous nature reserve called Groonkloef. We saw so many wild animals from Zebra, Giraffe, Wilde-beast and Ostriches. The obstacles were great fun!!! I've always been an adrenalin junkie so something like this was completely up my alley. I'd only ever been 4x4ing once before, which was in the Lake District (UK) but it was just a quick ride through a forest in a Land-Rover on the way to go Clay Pigeon Shooting so it was really short and dull in comparison to this! 

    

That Saturday evening we went out to a club called Chefs on Deck which was MAD busy. I'm a small-town girl - and that being said I don't really go out 'clubbing' at all... I much prefer a bar.. maybe it is the British in me coming out. 

It was a great time to dress-up and have a few shooters with all of my friends that I met at Pili Pili beach bar a few years back though. 

Sunday I got to sleep in a little bit before heading out to a big lunch where we popped leftover Christmas Crackers, sabraged about three bottles of bubbly and I nearly broke a baby... seriously. This baby was so happy and getting passed around from person to person - but as soon as I picked him up he freaked out.
Great. 

Normally I am pretty good with babies - but man I felt guilty. Just my luck.

That evening I was taken on a surprise trip... to an ice skating rink!!!

I may have acquired a few new bumps and bruises along the way but it was such a laugh and some of the best fun I have had in a long time.

Lately I've actually been doing so many great and exciting activities such as mountain biking, Stand Up Paddling, 4x4ing and Ice Skating. Life is great!

I have also been painting again - not only on canvas, but I picked up a few pebbles and painted some little quotes and flowers on them to decorate my home with too:

My nickname used to be pebbles when I worked at the spa in Pezula Resort - I'm pretty sure you can figure out why.
When I first moved into my own little cottage I had so much creativity surging through me as it was the first time I was able to decorate my entire house exactly the way that I wanted it to be. I really made it my own - and lets face it, nesting is an important part of having your own place. Your home needs to portray who you are... and to me, I like to invite people into my home when they can see unique and quirky things in and around the house that show me and my personality.

As for other travel plans... after backpacking and camping my way through Europe last year for a few months I am struggling to keep still. I realize that it needs to be done right now until I have managed to save enough to get back out there and experience all that the world has to offer... so I'm trying to hold tight. But - if all goes well, there are a few travels in the cards for this year such as:

Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro with a group of friends followed by a week in good old Zanzibar (Tanzania), Bali where I plan on taking a course as a yogi instructor as well as becoming a typical beach bum with my surfboard under my arm, Ireland - where I would absolutely adore to spend St. Patrick's Day (obviously) but I think that will only be feasible in 2015, and lastly, Canada. Along my way through life I have met some pretty great people, both physically and online... and yes I'm seriously hoping that they don't turn out to be some creepy fifty year old plumber some God knows where but I'm putting faith into the universe. A lot of the people I have met through my travels are from Canada and I am dying to jet off to see their beautiful country and catch up with good friends as well as have a Bloggers Unite Dinner Party with Haley over at : http://haleyspace.blogspot.com/ 

and whoever else she may know that have great blogs on that side of the globe. 

Well, now it is Friday evening once again and The Bachelorette is about to begin - which means that it is time for me to sign off for the night. There appears to be a bottle of Chardonnay calling my name.

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25 January 2014 - Saturday 

I meant to publish this post last night but my iPad started acting up. Turns out to have been for the best because I have somewhat of a mind-f#!k to add to this post... 

Last night I had this dream - and I wish I could interpret it or understand the meaning behind it.

Have you ever had a dream of place you have never been to - but then you have another dream months / years later and it is the same place... exactly the same, but the dream has no link to the previous one.. it is just in the same setting?? 

I don't know if that makes any sense but the dream I had was set in the same building as a dream I had many years ago.. I remember thinking in my dream, 'Hey! I've dreamed of this place before!' and I remembered my previous dream in the dream I was having last night! So in a way, I was walking through my dream knowing that it was in fact a dream..... weird right???? Some might call it de javu.

Well.. my dream was that I was in this spa.. and I was on the phone to someone... a man. He'd organized some romantic surprise for me and was leading me around - it was so real because I could see normal people doing every day things around me and I was smiling at them as I walked. He was giving me directions to go somewhere special in the building and then as I got to this door the guy was standing by the door and started laughing because I was so surprised to see him. I recognized him instantly and I threw my arms around him - I was so happy to see him and there was just an overwhelming sensation of warmth and love..... waking up was awful because for a moment it really felt like I was in the arms of the man that I am meant to be with. 

Anyway - I hope you're all having a great weekend and I wish you all of the best until next time.There's a lovely storm brewing up amongst the clouds so I plan on getting super cozy in my sweat pants and make a curry tonight...

Oh!! And today is the day I get to babysit my gorgeous month old nephew for the first time while my brother and his wife head off to their friend's wedding. What a good day :)