Welcome to the Hotel Transylvania

We celebrated Halloween this year at the Old Parktonian Sports Club in the Bordeaux section of Randburg. (Actually it was Mishief Night, not Halloween. But if Halloween is a foreign concept in South Africa that is only now slowly gaining favor, Mischief Night would be an even tougher sell.)














Costumes, candy and an outdoor showing of Hotel Transylvania.

A Haunted Valley Lodge!

We decorated Valley Lodge a little ... even though we had zero chance of trick-or-treaters on Halloween!

masquerade!

But that didn't stop us from dressing up. I like costumes that are high concept with minimal effort.

Inspiration for this year's costumes ...

Alice the Corpse Flower

For me, Chicago Botanical Garden's Alice the Corpse Flower ... without the hideous smell!











 

Homo naledi rocks!

For Vince, Homo naledi ...

Canus naledi

For Lou & Serge, the much less-celebrated (and faux) discovery of Canus naledi.

 

We bought that beaded skeleton mask from this street vendor!

We skipped out on the movie and headed to Parkhurst for dinner at dog-friendly Coobs.

Happy Halloween from Valley Lodge!

Good news ... when we got home, there were no smashed pumpkins or egged cars at Valley Lodge. No signs of mischief whatsoever. I guess that's a good thing and yet it still makes me kinda sad :(

Le Beaujolais nouveau est arrivé au l'Afrique du Sud!

It's Restaurant Week SA again!

And this year we tried a restaurant that has been on our list for quite a long while, Le Petit Sel. We have been wanting to try it ever since we dined in its Big Sister restaurant Sel et Poivre almost three years ago!

Sel et Poivre is in the Quatermain Hotel and Le Petit Bistro is in the adjoining hotel, the Falstaff. Both are presided over by Master Chef Coco Reinharz. Sel et Poivre is the more formal of the two while Le Petit Sel is a casual bistro. In fact, it is actually the perfect bistro for us as it is literally right around the corner from Valley Lodge and well outside the EcoMobility World Festival nonsense in the Sandton CBD.

Vince started with their signature Crunchy Tomato and Mozzarella Croustillant served with Balsamic Vinegar & Olive Oil

I had the Franschhoek Brie wrapped in Phyllo served on a Salad of Herb Roasted Pears & Cape Malay Pickled Shallots

Vince chose Thick Cut Flame-Grilled Pork Chops with a Dijon Mustard Sauce served with Potato Croquettes for his main

I chose the lemony Grilled Tilapia on Spinach served with Sauteed Asparagus with an Herb Butter Sauce

For dessert, Crepe Suzette!

And since we were eating in a bistro and we are on the cusp of Beaujolais Nouveau season in France, we drank South Africa's only locally produced beaujolais, De Toren's newly released Le Jeunesse Delicat.  

Cafe Un Deux Trois in New York

Le Beaujolais nouveau est arrivé au l'Afrique du Sud!

It's Pinktober

Serge and I before the Breast Cancer Walk

It is Breast Cancer Awareness month and Johannesburg is positively awash in pink.

Pink goes so well with purple!

Hyde Park Corner's pink tower

At the end of September, Hyde Park Corner in Johannesburg was illuminated in pink to commemorate The Estée Lauder Companies’ 2015 Breast Cancer Awareness (BCA) Campaign all during October.







Hyde Park Corner joined the Eiffel Tower in Paris, The Empire State Building in New York and other landmarks in Mumbai, Dubai, Warsaw, Chile, Milan and Munich, in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month and to help focus attention on the importance of breast health and early detection. (Interesting choice. I am not sure if I've ever thought of Hyde Park Corner Shopping Centre as a landmark per se. I would have thought one of the iconic towers and buildings dotting the skylines of Sandton and Johannesburg would be more on par with the Empire State Building but TIA.)

Drive by after dark before the end of Pinktober and check out the giant illuminated pink ribbon yourself!

Le Crueset is selling special products in chiffon pink with proceeds to benefit CANSA Care Centers. Le Crueset has also sponsored and encouraged Cuppa 4 CANSA parties (like mine) throughout South Africa.

Tea Merchant @ Morningside Shopping Center

Even the Tea Merchant and Woolworths are selling pink products to benefit Cancer Research.

jewelry from Woolworths and Sandton Radiology

I had my mammogram done this week as I do every Pinktober and Dr. Bloch gave me this pretty pink pearl bracelet on the right as a parting gift.

The HRC got in on the act...

... with commemorative HRC Pinktober pins

And today was the 10th Annual Avon Justine iThemba "Beauty for a Purpose"  Walkathon. With more than 35,000 participants, it is the largest Breast Cancer Walkathon in the world!

I brought Serge with me to walk the 5K circuit. (Lou was home sick recovering from some recent surgery and Vince is in Dubai. They missed a beautiful day for a walk.)

It was Serge's first walkathon!

the start

 

Avon supplied pink lipsticks in the goody bags and asked us to "pout for a purpose" on social media

sitting on the curb waiting for the start

Pout for a purpose, Serge!

The ladies love Serge! These ladies own doxies too!

helicopter overhead following the walk

the walk started off with the parade of survivors, many of whom rode in golf carts

crossing the starting line

and we're off!

Emmerentia was positively pinkalicious!

This being South Africa, there was singing ...

almost finished

the after-walk celebration in Marks Park

Serge received a medal for finishing thanks to Pic n Pay and Nutriphase

nice bling, Serge!

Serge & I are bosom buddies!