| [ 0 trackbacks ] | related link
Why do these people look so happy? Because they are getting toilets! In the informal settlement (ie shack) part of Khayelitsha, no less. As we speak, each home is being issued with a portable toilet with a separate tank that will regularly be removed by the council who will replace it with a clean, empty one. Every home is also issued with chemicals so that their throne doesn't get smelly.
This is going to make such a difference to the lives of all the Khayelitsha residents - to date they have had to walk far to use the communal toilets. No fun if you need to go in the wee hours.
Goodbye, dear blog faithfuls, dear Mielie and dear Montebello - I am off to visit my sister in Taiwan for two weeks, stopping off in Hong Kong and squeezing in a quick stop in Cambodia. I am going to TRY to post one photographic impression every day - but I won't always have access to the wireless wires in the sky, so there will be gaps. ok?
Quick thanks go to: Deon for volunteering to be mom, dad and taxi driver for the next two weeks, and Marina, Sheila, Mzo and Fiona for giving me the gap and keeping the Mielie homefires burning so competently.
xx a
| [ 0 trackbacks ] | related link
These three "identical" laptop bags perfectly illustrate the Mielie colour story. See, when we commissioned them from our weavers, we asked for neutral crosses on red with black spots. Because we use recycled materials, we can't predict the colours that come our way. Each one is unique - just the way we like it!
| [ 0 trackbacks ] | related link
My boys and I attended the Peninsula University of Technology's collective design departments' end of year exhibition this evening. On display was work from the Graphic, Industrial, Surface, Fashion and Jewelry departments.
My favourite was the fantastic off-the-page knitwear by Jade Walters pictured above. If you love her stuff, send her an e-mail to teapotjade@gmail.com, and tell her I sent you.
| [ 0 trackbacks ] | related link
These beautiful ottomans are headed for the Moyo Restaurant store at Zoo Lake, Johannesburg. It's really hard to say good bye to them, because Mielie's clever weavers have managed to capture so many of us in them. Can you see Thunzi? That's Nomthunzi to us, and there's Marina - her Xhosa name is Zusake. Even I'm there - aka Anelisa, so is the one and only Zanele, sporting a fabulous hairdo.
If you are planning a trip to South Africa, a visit to one of the Moyo restaurants is sure to be unforgettable. It's vibey and noisy, it's spontaneity Africa-style with tastes and sounds from all over Africa. In fact you might wake up the next morning and wonder if it was all a dream. Have a look here to get their details (although I feel that their website doesn't do justice to the real experience).
Special Arnica thoughts to Marina who fell off a skateboard at the weekend and arrived at work sporting a spectacular roastie on her shoulder. Take photos, Marina - it's a great story for your grandchildren!
And finally, click here for a super-fun way to brush up your French!
| [ 0 trackbacks ] | related link
Yesterday was busy busy on planet Mielie. You might have deduced by now that I don't like using the flash on my camera, so forgive the blurry bits. Personally I think a bit of blur adds atmosphere.
I think we received record number of bags yesterday. They just need their linings & handles before being dispatched to stores around the world, ready for Christmas!
Enjoy your weekend, and remember to stop and sniff a flower, let the breeze lift your hair or lie on your back and contemplate a cloud!
| [ 0 trackbacks ] | related link
Last week when I was in Khayelitsha it struck me how many windows were dressed in pretty lace curtains.
| [ 0 trackbacks ] | related link
Meet Woodheads' Geert Schuiling and his very competent band of assistants who make all our leather handles. Woodheads is a family business that has been around since the 1860's and has recently invested in a fantastic electronic cutting machine that is capable of cutting the most intricate patterns and designs.
Over the years Geert and his team have often bent over backwards to fulfill all our orders - thanks so much for all those handles, and above all for the friendly service we always get from your team, Geert!
| [ 0 trackbacks ] | related link
Sunday was the perfect spring day to hike up Table Mountain, that magnificent backdrop to our beautiful city. Most people prefer to take the cableway, and it was a very strenuous three-and a-half hour hike, but with every step that we took the view became more breath-taking. We enjoyed a well deserved drink at the top and took the cableway down - which took about three-and-a-half seconds!
Cape Town is situated on a peninsula with a chain of mountains running along it, so as you walk, you catch glimpses of different parts of the city - this image by Mark Skinner that I got off the Table Mountain Cableway's website.
One word of warning if you plan to hike up Table Mountain - always check the weather report before you go and take lots of water and a warm sweater with you. The weather is very changeable, and the top of the mountain is often a couple of degrees colder than the base.
| [ 0 trackbacks ] | related link
Today Miriam Makeba, one of South Africa's greatest divas, passed away at the age of 76. She succumbed to a heart attack in Italy, where she performed live last night. Tributes streamed in on the radio all day long, and it struck me how many people mentioned her warmth and generosity.
A tireless fighter for human rights and campaigner against the racism and the apartheid regime in South Africa, Mama Afrika, as she was lovingly known, used her speaking and singing voice to effect change in our country. She was a brilliant cook who knew that the cure to the home-sickness that took root in many an exile's heart started in the kitchen – apparently her chilli prawns were to die for. Once democracy had been achieved in South Africa, she served as a goodwill ambassador.
Songs like Pata Pata, Khawuleza and Mbube will live for ever. Enkosi kakhulu, Mama Afrika. Hamba Kahle.
| [ 0 trackbacks ] | related link
Back Next
Archives
