May the Hangover be with You....

Good God......why am I up so early? It's Saturday morning, in the middle of an icy winter and I literally had to defrost my hands this morning. Have you ever been so cold that typing becomes painful?! To top it all off, my head is banging...

Let's compile the facts:

• Yesterday was Friday.
• There was a farewell party.
• There was also a live band... with saxophones, flutes, keyboards and incredible vocals.
• Unlimited shots.
• A mixture of brandy, vodka, ciders and wine.
• Breaking it down on the dance floor.
• An unexpected mad hatters party.... again. In someones mansion. No lies. AND... Somehow, someone managed to put permanent red lipstick on me and now I have these really odd bright red lips that I can't get rid of!
• 2am drunken texting and video calls.... I need a better password on my phone. One I can't spell when intoxicated. Any suggestions????
• A God awful alarm clock jolting me out of my peaceful slumber (ok I lie... I passed the F out when I finally hit the bed!!!) at some unruly hour this morning.

Work. That's why I am up.

Work I tell you.
On a Saturday.
With a mean ass hangover. 

Here's what we got up to last night 

(pre-warning.. the majority of the below photographs are horrendous)

How was your Friday?? Are any of you joining me on the hangover train this morning?? 

If so, how do you intend on recovering?? 

As for me - I have the kettle on the boil. I'm making a strongest cup of coffee I think is humanly possible - and then I am going to shove cake in my face. This cake in fact:

If that isn't a hangover cure... then I don't know what is.

Then, at some point in my life... I should PROBABLY go on a detox. 

But considering it is Saturday..... I may just be inclined to open up another bottle of red and share it with some good friends. 

Maybe even go horse-riding. 

Gate crash a mansion... 

Do sun dance. It's like a rain dance, but praying for sun and warmth... because without it... I may just die. 

Here's to being barefoot and crazy with weekend madness with all your chums. 

Have a goodie beautiful people xxxx

Thursday's Trio of Blessings

Blessing One:

 My debut novel entitled Walk With Me is now complete, edited, polished, printed and ready for sale! It is the most fulfilling feeling I have ever experienced. 

To be dead honest with you, I feel like I now just need let the book go. Kick it out of its proverbial nest and let it build its wings on the way down.
I've been writing furiously away at my second novel which, to me, is far better. 

Walk With Me was written at the tender age of 19 and has been coming into fruition ever since. 

I can pick up on how my writing has matured and my story-telling grown as I flip through the pages of my first bound copy of Walk With Me. No amount of editing and polishing can change that and I am completely torn about what to do about it. 

 In one way, I feel I should be proud at what I wrote in my 19th year of life... in another way I feel like the book doesn't portray my writing to its full potential. 

I guess that's the thing about debut novels though isn't it? They are a learning curve and it can only get better from there. 

So... If you are in the process of writing your first novel I urge you to complete it, as long as it takes! Once it's done - edit and complete and then let it go! Start the second. Never give up.

Blessing Two:

I'm not sure if this one is a blessing or a curse.. but my good friend RichO has arrived safely back in South Africa after working on the rigs in Vietnam.

He's only back for the weekend and has planned a second birthday bash for me.... last time he was here was when THIS happened:

CRAZY APRIL PARTY.....

He is back with a vengeance!!!
When they work on the rigs they aren't able to drink - so it has been about 6weeks now.
Save me.

I've only just recovered from the last party with him!!

Let's go for round two.... oh dear Lord.

Blessing Three:

This morning I woke up with some of the blankets still covering me!

I don't know how she does it, but somehow my cat, India, tends to find a way to ensure that she hogs every last inch of warmth in my bed! It is winter. It is cold. Yet this morning I was so cozy - it was hard to get up! I adore my snuggles with my little Indie though - so she gets away with it.

How was your beautiful Thursday? 

Have a happy weekend, folks!

Welcome Back...

Good Morning Blog-Land! 

Wow - I'm not sure if I remember how to do this. With my blog having taken a backseat as 2013 drew to a close I feel like a deer caught in the headlights trying to get it started back up again.

I've decided that there is really no point in playing catch-up by showing you dozens of photographs of how I spent my Summer. Instead I'm going to sum it up in one small paragraph. It won't do it any justice - but I want to start 2014 fresh. 

Lets just say that December was a ball of fun, spent with good friends, bottles of bubbly, the rumbling sound of the ocean, enjoying the salty spray-back of the waves, crispy skin and bronzed tans from the gorgeous South African sun, occasional rain-showers followed by beautiful rainbows, shooting stars, sand-castles, Chinese lanterns and fireworks.  Every time I hop into my little blue Nissan Micra I am reminded of the wonderful memories that were made by the leftover sand scattered in every nook and cranny of my car. 

I have dozens of great posts lined up now that season has finally calmed down and my life is heading back into normality. Everything from some great movie reviews, one or two book reviews (there hasn't really been much time to settle down and enjoy a novel recently,), and quite a few new recipe posts! I've been delightfully busy experimenting and playing in my kitchen and look forward to sharing my new culinary creations with you all.

One other absolutely amazing blessing that occurred the day after Christmas was the arrival of the new member to our family. 

Jenson Charles Preston Wright entered the world on the 26 December 2013 and I am besotted. Every time I get to hold him I am completely awe-struck by how perfect he is. I realize how biased that sounds but honestly - you've never experienced that form of love until you become an Auntie. 

 

I was asked the other day what sort of Auntie I will be... whether I would be the strict one, the one that constantly spoils him, the Auntie that just embarrasses him or the adventurous / outdoorsy type. I think the answer is pretty obvious. I will be the happy medium between the one that constantly spoils him and the adventurous / outdoorsy type. I can hardly wait until he becomes a toddler and starts to develop a personality of his own so that I play football in the garden with him, take him fishing, show him how to surf and teach him how to be a proper little gentleman. 

So as you can tell - life has been complete chaos over the last month. That is why tonight I am taking myself out of town and into a forest to set up camp for the night. I need to go and light a bonfire, roast some marshmallows and catch up with my thoughts. Nothing beats the sound of a crackling fire, waking up to the sound of the forest alive around you, breathing in crisp fresh air and boiling the whistle kettle for a cup of tea in the morning. I need that for a night - it is the perfect way to unwind after the holidays.

Signing out for the first time as...

Auntie Jade 

 

November Favorites

 Another month gone. 

November was very different from the rest of this year and I think it's a combination of good and bad. 

At the end of October I injured my back pretty badly. After a trip to the hospital, I was bed bound for practically seventeen days.

My two beautiful kittens and three loving dogs kept me company as I lounged around painting, finishing off my novel and watching a new found tv show that has become a fast favorite, Modern Family.

It was only by the end of November when things started to get really interesting. An old family friend invited us up to Paarl for her wedding so I took a road-trip that took nine hours with my parents, two people who I have discovered to be the most unpleasant companions to be trapped in a car with for such a large amount of time. 

The constant bickering, the smokey atmosphere and the unadventurous attitudes were but some of the disheartening features of this trip. 

Once we had settled in however, after dad nearly writing the car off over a speed bump (karma's a bitch! I happened to do the same thing a few years ago and he did not believe that it was possible!!) and getting hopelessly lost, things started to get slightly better. 

I managed to drag them from our rented semi-built house for the weekend and we ended up traveling to Franshhoek for breakfast. 

We were recommended to a spot called The Salmon Bar and throughout a whole street as long as Bangla Road in Phuket adorned with bistro after bistro... we had to find the one spot that had fried eggs that could have concussed someone if you'd thrown it at a head. 

We made the most of it though and went to some spectacular view points of the abundant supply of vineyards in the area:

 That night I pulled on a red dress that had taken me all of five minutes to hunt down in Foschini and went off to watch a girl I had known since birth get married.

She made an absolutely stunning bride and the evening was breathtaking. 

It was the first time I'd gone to a wedding without a date so I was pretty lonesome when the romantic music started to play and all the couples got up to dance. I must have been one of the only people without a partner. 

That's when some guy called Ryan from Mauritius knelt down at my table and asked me to dance.

We had fun twirling around the dance floor and made a great night of it. Things only got better when I caught the bouquet in between the sea of hungry, marriage-craving females around me!

It wasn't nice having everyone tell me, "You're Next..." though, because I am freshly single. I have barely been able to find my feet since my breakup and now I'm supposed to be getting married!? Slow down!! Let me find the guy first!!! 

What to do with a bouquet if you catch it:

I hung the bouquet upside down on my wall at home to preserve the colors and the memory. It is still there, drying out today.

Once back in good old Knysna, I decided to go clubbing after a Blues Music Festival at Mo's on Rex. I hadn't really been clubbing in 2012 at all so it was a nice change to get out and break it down on the dance floor where I was reunited with two old friends.

 

 I did another modeling shoot with the talented Eon Coetzee too, link to his website below:

http://www.eonphotography.co.za/

He in honestly such a professional, fun, easy-going and cheerful guy to work with. 

He makes it easy to loosen up and not be shy while still keeping it professional at all times. 

He's an absolute pleasure to work with and his work is outstanding!

I also visited Baby Oaks where I hosted a Salvage sale. 

While all the women raided through my black bags for bargains, I played with all of the kiddies! This little ginger ninja was such a funny character and helping her take some of her first steps was overwhelmingly heartwarming. 

Sometimes you just need to hang out with a child to remember the real beauty in this world.... 

Wishing you all an absolutely amazing December! 

Keep reading & supporting.

Jade