Les portes anciennes de Parisian, a little obsession of mine. Ancient doors in all shapes and sizes that offer historical hints. They have weathered revolutions, undergone restorations and today stand as marvellous reminders of bygone eras. I love to walk through Le Marais and other arrondissements and spend time observing …
Personal
These are a few notes I made on this trip to the City of Lights, tips I hope you’ll find to be useful. (If you’re a woman travelling solo, I have a more in-depth post on this to make your journey a little smoother) Apps Make sure you’ve downloaded Google …
The blue avenue awaits… Allée Bleue, meaning blue avenue in French is a picturesque wine estate in Groot Drakenstein, about 18km’s outside Franchhoek. It is located in one of the Western Cape’s most glorious areas that was settled by forward thinking French Huguenots in 1688. The valley and surrounds showcases a multitude …
This article first appeared in The Times on 12 April, 2017 When the lights go out at night at the Drakenstein Correctional Services (DCS) facility in Paarl, inmate Joseph Buys moves into the bathroom of his communal cell to continue painting under the flickering fluorescent tubes. Making art has become …
I first met Pieter-Dirk Uys in 1981, backstage at the Market Theatre in Joburg after his performance of Adapt or Dye. I was 18 years old. CAPAB Ballet’s Phyllis Spira, Prima Ballerina Assoluta, had taken me to see his acclaimed show with her Partner Philip Boyd. I’ll never forget that …
I have been privileged to meet the award-winning actress Anna-Mart van der Merwe in my capacity as a theatre publicist ~ Anna-Mart is a woman I admire tremendously, and when she agreed to do my 5 Q’s I was both delighted and honoured. She has just been nominated for a …
I’m taking my wine a tad more seriously these days. Not surprising really as I recently spent a week on a barge (courtesy of Le Boat) on the Canal du Midi in Southern France, joined by fellow travel writer Justin Fox, my best friend of 41 years Janet Lindup, …
Pack your cabin baggage like a boss, in lieu of your checked luggage going missing… You disembark, walk briskly to Baggage Claim and stand, slightly anxious, eyes fixed on those black flaps as they spew forth valises of all shapes and sizes. Your eyes follow each rotation but as …
Last weekend I had an ozone steam sauna treatment in McGregor, a picturesque little village on the ‘road to nowhere’ that continues to surprise and delight me and Lateral Paul with some of the best food, wine and coffee we’ve ever experienced. McG is a hub of artisanal talent. Health and wellness …