Through my Lens....

Hi Dear Friends

How are you all? Having a good Sunday I trust!

I have been a busy bee and have had a fab weekend so far...

 Had a lovely ladies morning  (Saturday) with friends, a very welcome and festive birthday gift involving excellent company, delectable food...(and chef), sublime wine and a great time had by all! Thank you!! I feel so spoilt and that officially marks the end of my birthday celebrations ~ been at it since May!!

Then, took in two plays with my son on Saturday evening and Sunday has been relaxed with a fine winters day to enjoy all the beauty that I am surrounded by.

I thought I would share a pixel post with you .... show you a few things that my lil Canon lens found inspiring....

Winter roses!

There is no bigger treat than heading outside in the dead of winter and finding your roses in bloom....

A gorgeous respite from all the rain and I was able to cature these images...

The colours of winter are spectacular....

My colour palette in leaves, decor and everything that makes me happy!!!

I just adore the shape of Acer/Maple Leaves!

My garden birds...always willing subjects....

Went outside to hang washing and was stopped in my tracks with this amazing colour combo...dropped the washing basket and headed back inside for the camera...washing forgotten!

Nature's lacy beauty....

Clear winter skies made the Ficus Benjaminus Golden King  look amazing!

A reminder of another fabulous morning spent with friends...

Even a forgotton pot, tucked away in the corner of the garden had a stunning bit of beauty to flirt with the lens!

A walk in the Magic Forest in Durbanville after the rain...and a lilttle magic...

Urban Sprouts??

Found this in a gallery in Stellenbosch...

Dream catcher au Natural!!!

Wishing you all a very happy Monday and a week full of beauty!!

Live Well

Veronica

xxx

Masquerade....

Hello dear ones!!

How are you all doing? Ready for the weekend? Any interesting plans?

We enjoyed a little Indian summer in honour of Madiba's birthday over here. It was a treat and we dried out a bit after all the rain, but alas, it was short lived ... and the rain is softly falling again!!

I have a last treat installed for you from my visit to Franschoek, last week during the Bastille Fest  click here if you missed it! I popped into one of my favourite decor shops, Masquerade ...

.... draped in The Tricolour of France.

It most certainly is the place to loose ones head, trust me this would not be a difficult endeavour...

It's probably during this time, lost in here, that I missed the waiter's race!! Oi! Maybe, I should enter for next year's race.... but you can surely see how the seduction came about...be reasonable!!??

Blame the chandelier who shamelessly winked at me as I was passing by...

I felt a patriotic nod to my French Ancestors and acquired some of that ribbon draped over Madam. The possibilities are endless..

I was lost in France and did not hear a single announcement...

...not even one!!

The air was awash in lavender and of course, I instantly thought of ... Madam Duflot's Wedding Samba!!! Click here to enjoy it!! and was humming away happily...

Who would hear a race announcement in here??

 

I was tempted to get under the covers...it was freezing and I was wet!

Of course I would find the urns!

A warm glow ...

 

And so, onto matters concerning taste buds...

Loved the wall and the grey and gorgeous mural above ,,,

Well, I am pleased that you understand now, how I got a lil lost in here...

A whole lotta rooster love going on here!

Lovely linen!

 

These lil cloche's were just too darling for words...yes they could be used for truffles, both the earthy and chocholately type! Or both of course...

I seriously had to find the exit before my purse was lost along with my willpower....

In spite of the miserable weather it was an awesome day! At this point I needed lunch and I trotted off to French Connection Bistro, and of course, to ponder the minor catastrophe of missing an event I needed to photograph...sigh..nothing a glass of Shiraz won't put into perspective...

Thank you for you company

Live Well / Bien Vivre

Veronica

xxx

please leave comments in the comment box below.. I am all ears...

Bastille Fest in Franschoek!

Hi dear friends!

The rain continues to fall here and snow has fallen on the mountain tops. It is brrrrr.....!!! Saturday morning I headed to the pretty town of Franschoek in the middle of a raging storm!  I was wondering if I would be the only crazy person...

I arrived early and stopped at the first promise of coffee at La Vendome draped in the French Flag and looking fabulously festive!

The sun was trying its best to put in an appearance...
I had coffee at Cafe Le Chocolatier

A lovely ambiance but no croissants..on Bastille Day??!! I was disappointed!

Peeking out from behind The Tricolour was a treasure trove that I have been into before, so today, I gave it a cursory glance and one photo and trotted of into town to find croissants!!!

Promising it that I would be back...of course!

The entire town was awash in blue, red and white and ready for a fest!!

Staff, officials and visitors alike dressed for the occasion .

Elegant shop windows to drool over...

 

Street fashion to gasp over, sometimes in delight, sometimes in horror...some times hilarious!!

Loved this ensemble...

I had a fabulous lunch at one of my favourite restaurants, French Connection. I adore the ambiance. The fire was burning and it was warm and welcoming with attentive staff all dressed for the fest!

I had been tasting things here and there in town,  so was not very hungry, but who can pass up such scrumptious fare... So, I ordered a Shiraz to ponder my dilemma... The conclusion was simple, order a starter and dessert. Viola!

I opted for the Duck Parfait which was velvety and rich served with an onion marmalade, it hit all the right notes ... sigh of pleasure!

Sublime!

Meanwhile, my neighbours meal arrived and being a snap happy blogger I leapt up and asked if I could photograph their food! Fortunately the gent was a hotelier and perfectly understood my obsessive behaviour and graciously obliged me. Thank you gentlemen! The open lasagna looked amazing and got the thumbs up as did the Moules, which looked luscious as only mussels can, all black and glistening... also pronounced to be utterly delish!

I was persuaded, with much arm twisting, you understand, to have dessert....! Well, I could not be rude, now could I?? So, after a rich duck parfait, I wanted something tart, and of course apple tart tartin served with vanilla creme fraiche was a good choice. As you can see below it looked delectable and was gorgeous!

Find The French Connection Bistro HERE and if you have not visited, please do, you will be delighted!

 Are you decor bloggers eyeing the lanterns??

Thought so, take a closer look ...

 Tour Eiffel cupcakes looking  trés chic!

I had to pop in a say hi to one of our bloggy friends whom you all know well. Colette from La Broncanteuse has just returned from France where she has been hunting down treasure of monogrammed linen and other desirables and we can't wait to see what she has found.... 

The neighbouring stall of Masquerade was not the place to keep ones head...

 

That hat on the left would do nicely for next years Met!

Street fashion for the fest....

It was a cold, wet day but the crowds turned up as the day wore on and a great time was had by all! To view more of the town, the wine barrel race etc please click here for my blog on Cape Town called Mother City Magic

.

Thank you for your company

Live Well

Veronica

xxx

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