Mountains And Such

In order to get to the Karoo from the coast, you need to drive over the winding mountain pass. It’s the kind of drive that gives you grey hairs and takes a few years off your life. Dairy and other farm trucks come tearing around the corners, not caring who they take out in the process. It was the one occasion during our holiday that I was happy to be sandwiched in between my grandmother and my sister in the back seat of the car. Risk of death aside, it’s an absolutely beautiful drive with plenty of pull-over stops to take the perfect pictures. I know I have posted that picture of me looking out on the mountain before but it’s probably my favourite picture of the whole trip. I was thinking about all the visits I had made to that particular spot throughout my life. As a child with my bickering parents when the pass was first built, on a school trip where I nearly had heatstroke, as a foolish drunken teenager who mooned passers-by, as a love-sick teenager (who had just met Jordan), and then, as an adult who could no longer call it home. For someone who’s mind is always churning, it was a rare moment of peace. It seemed to descend on us all and the drive back (by way of farm market) became somewhat subdued. My sister later told me that that particular spot had become popular for loved ones to scatter the ashes of those they had lost. I couldn’t think of a better resting place.

My grandmother and Jordan. She adores him.

South Africans never joke about bacon… 

Images | Wishful Thinking

Co-Working

In my fairly unreasonable mood last week, whilst vacuuming the study, I realised that I hardly ever go in there. The desk now houses Jordan’s gaming PC and much to my annoyance, he has now hooked up the tv (that I wanted for our bedroom) to his PC so he has some whole weird geeky gaming zone in there. On the rare occasion that I do work in there, I usually end up perched on the uncomfortable corner of the desk, feeling put out. So feeling unnecessarily chagrined by the whole stupid situation, I ranted and ranted while Jordan bewilderedly scrambled to organise a better space on our (aka HIS) desk. Despite his efforts (of moving my chair to another spot on the table), I am now refusing to sit in there until it’s sorted out. First things first, we need a much narrower but longer desk in an already cramped room. It’s going to take some creative thinking but I am determined to make it work. I’ve been scouring the net for some shared office space inspiration. Do you share an office space with your partner? Is it happy camping?

A Wonder

It started with one pin, and then another, and then another – it was by the 3rd pin that I realised I needed to see the full picture of this particular abode. No doubt it will be viral soon but I had to get in there early! It’s got wooden panelled walls, industrial lighting, dark cabinetry, soft pale colours, period features, light flooring, a dash of marble, a touch of silver – by all accounts, A Meghan Shaped House. I’ll let the images do all the talking.

Images: Light Locations | Resource: Remodelista

Over the Mountain, into the Karoo

Hope you guys aren’t getting sick of Africa yet, because I still have a fair few photos of my trip home to share! I don’t think I ever realised it when I was younger but I am incredibly lucky to have grown up in such a diverse environment. My hometown of George is located about 10 minutes away from some of the most beautiful beaches in Africa (not a biased opinion or anything), about another 45 minutes to the east and you are straight into a dense forest and about another 50 minutes north and you are smack bang right in the middle of the Karoo. I remember my very first trip to the Karoo – we had an old beater of a car with thick fluffy car seats and no aircon… yuck! It got so hot and dry in the car that the birdseed we kept in the car popped like popcorn. Luckily this time around, we ventured out on a crisp winter’s day and I was pleased to see that not a whole lot has changed since I was a kid. My 84 year old grandmother made the long journey from Johannesburg to spend a few days with me and we were very lucky that she agreed to join us for the road trip (she would have been far more happy parked in front of the Tswana soap operas with her knitting) but we think she had fun, in spite of herself. We were chauffeured by my soon-to-be-brother-in-law, traced our ancestors on a settlers ledger, we browsed the farm shops, we searched for ostriches and ended the day by eating a heart-stopping traditional meal that made me miss my home country just a little bit more.

And lest you forget you are in a dangerous country, a reminder is never far away. A country of stark contrasts for sure.

Images | Wishful Thinking

solitary confinement

I’ve been in a particularly peculiar mood lately. Not unhappy as such but not all smiles either. If I could describe it, I would say it’s a sense of restless irritability that creeps up on me without me knowing it. Making me a little snappy and dare I say, unapproachable. I’ll snap out of it for sure, most likely before the weekend hits, but if I am honest, I’ve actually kind of enjoyed the solitude. So for the next couple of days, I might well embrace the mood.

A store to smite them all

Have you ever walked into a store and been so overwhelmed by the masterful curation of the beautiful merchandise that you want to spend the night there? Well that’s exactly how I felt when I walked into Cote Provence on Brunswick Street in Melbourne. I was drawn to the window display from the other side of the street and dashed across the road straight into the front door. I then spent the next 20 minutes flitting from one intriguing object to the next, kicking myself for agreeing to share a bag with Jordan on the flight home to Sydney. Vintage gardening implements, distressed terracotta pots, twine, antique furniture, old architectural plans, zinc jugs, French linen, posters, clocks, mirrors, rocking horses… even vintage soap (who knew such a thing even existed!) – you name it, it’s all here. If you ever find yourself in Melbourne, go and lose yourself in this store.

I wish we had taken more photos but we were too busy ogling. Here’s what we did manage to snap:

Images | Wishful Thinking