Delta Dogs

with Andrea and Djembe, Lou & Serge

We are I am always looking for things to do with the dogs on the weekends. (Somebody really should blog about dog-friendly restaurants, outings and activities around town.)

One of our favorites places to take Lou & Serge for a long walk is Delta Park on the border between Craighall Park and Randburg. One of Johannesburg's biggest parks, Delta Park is an ambler's and dog walker's paradise. It comprises 104 hectares of grassland and woodland criss-crossed with walking trails, bicycle paths and even horseback riding trails which link three beautiful tree-lined dams.

Vince and Ryan with the three boys

We like the idyllic Braamfontein Spruit Trail which borders Johannesburg's major stream. And on Sunday we planned a puppy play date there with Andrea, Ryan, baby Kayla and their Boston Terrier Djembe. It was a crisp but sunny winter's day and this being a Sunday, the park was filled with cyclists and walkers, children and dogs.





The spacious park is also home to the Delta Environmental Centre, where a wide range of fascinating wildlife-related courses are offered to adults and children. There is also a sensory trail and bird-viewing hides, and the Florence Bloom Bird Sanctuary, none of which we have visited yet.

But we do like to visit their dog-friendly restaurant, the Delta Cafe which is open every day for breakfast and lunch. The staff is friendly and the food is fresh and good. Their hot chocolate hit the spot. There was a fire in the fireplace inside today and they put out paw print-patterned lap blankets for the doggie diners outside. But the sun was shining on the patio and we didn't really need them.

Lou & Serge love our walk and lunch dates. Next time, the Sandton Field and Study Center and the River Cafe in Parkmore.

I am Spartacus of Africa!

Brooklyn Mack as Amari, a Spartacus in Africa

The advertisement promised "An epic production with 100 dancers including Washington Ballet’s Brooklyn Mack in the role of Spartacus, accompanied by a full symphony orchestra. The famous story of the Roman Empire slave uprising is re-configured into an African setting, complete with incredible costumes and lavish scenery." And it was just that!

Kristin Wilson as Nadira, the favorite of Nagash

A Spartacus of Africa takes the tale of Spartacus, the slave, and sets it firmly in Africa. It is the familiar story of one man`s battle against the indignity and cruelty of slavery and his determination to free himself and his fellow men and women.

A production of the South African National Dance Trust, A Spartacus of Africa was danced by international guest artists as well as a cast of over 100 South African dancers to the music of Aram Khachaturian, accompanied by the Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra. What a difference live music makes!

The cast was excellent! Especially Brooklyn Mack. He was phenomenal. Brooklyn Mack was born in South Carolina. He studied with the Kirov Academy of Ballet in Washington DC and the American Ballet Theatre Studio Company. A veteran of the Orlando Ballet, he joined the Washington Ballet in 2009 as a principal dancer and in 2012 was recognized as one of Dance Magazine's '25 to Watch.'

Original choreography by Veronica Paeper; Inventive costume design by Dicky Longhurst; Creative set design by KMH Architects; and the Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra was expertly conducted by Paul Hoskins. It was a great night at the ballet in Johannesburg.

What to wear for winter load shedding ...

The biggest problem with load shedding in the winter is that the sun sets earlier and then, it is cold. Our apartment is always cool anyway with all the tile floors, thick concrete and brick walls, high ceilings and tons of trees providing shelter (and preventing warmth) from the sun. Even at high noon on the hottest days of summer, I never even think to turn on the air-conditioning inside.

But conversely, the same attributes that keep the apartment blissfully cool in summer tend to keep it consistently frigid in the winter. Add single pane drafty windows to the equation and you better start thinking about what you are going to do when the sun goes down and the electricity goes out during winter load shedding. Yes we have several gas heaters, but those are localized solutions. In the bedroom or the living room in close proximity to where you are huddled. If you go from room to room or say, go to the bathroom, you're gonna have to leave the glow of that radiant heat behind. I am not dragging a gas heater around with me. Solution - wear your warmth.

I wear this little number to help keep me warm during load-shedding. A faux fur shawl over thermals or sweat pants, wool felt slippers and I keep this furry hot water bottle on hand. (I can boil water for it on my bistro gas burner.) Not very sexy but it is effective.

I have yet to go "full faux fur" and wear the hat, but it's only the beginning of June. We still have three more months left of winter in South Africa. TIE.

The Tin Factory

I went to the launch of yet another new market in Joburg. This one in nearby Kramerville. It is called The Tin Factory and it is located at 20 Archimedes Street.
















Original jewelry, clothing, some stationery and small housewares upstairs. Food and drink stalls downstairs and outside in front.

Vintage Zionist was there but alas, still no brown leather bomber jackets for sale. But two stalls further down there was a great vintage shop with lots of leather jackets, boots and bags. I did manage to come away with the perfect vintage brown leather jacket from them! Worth the stop.

The launch continues tomorrow and next week they are hosting a Friday night market too. Check their Facebook page for upcoming market days and nights.

FU Eskom

More defensive moves against the dreaded load-shedding ...

We just had an inverter and a 100 AH battery installed to run our computers, internet, chargers and printer during load-shedding. We'll use our solar-generated battery to fuel some lights instead.

Hot pot-ready

And we bought a bistro gas burner so we don't have to go out when the electricity does. We can have a Hot Pot for dinner instead!

Okay, now we've got heat, light, entertainment, mobile communication and we can make coffee. All the necessities of life. FU Eskom.

Smelt

all photos of me by Marguerite Slavik

Another fun and creative outing in Joburg. This time, glass blowing and casting paperweights at Smelt located in The Factory on Grant in Norwood.

We had a choice between glass blowing or casting our paperweight. I chose ... both!

trying on the tools of the trade

Safety is numero uno at Smelt with amateurs like me. Only one person at a time could be in the glass-blowing zone. So after an overview of safety precautions and a description of the process, we each took a turn in the hot seat. Our workshop leaders Mike and Thabiso did all the heavy lifting. I just did what I was told. It's safer that way!

rolling the molten glass in the cobalt glass glitter

shaping the round paperweight

In between, those of us who opted to sand cast a paperweight created our form into which the molten glass was poured. We could add decorations such as colored glass rods, colored glass glitter, and copper cut-outs or wire.

the sand mold ...

... is filled with the molten glass

 The next day ...

... they were done.

hot out of the oven

our sand cast paperweights ready for pick up

Mandela's Gold

My sand cast paperweight with five slender glass rods captured inside. (Credit goes to Marguerite for the idea of using the colors of the South African flag in her paperweight.) Some people thought it looked like a bird-of-paradise. I can see it. In that case I will call it Mandela's Gold, a special bird-of-paradise cultivated by Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden, which coincidentally also has the colors of the South African Flag..

The Sardine Run

I am calling this paperweight The Sardine Run. Not because it was my inspiration before making it, but because that was my first thought when I saw it coming out of the kiln. It looked like a bait ball of sardines to me. It will make a perfect Father's Day present for Vince who will be spending Father's Day weekend diving in the Sardine Run!






 



This was a private workshop but Smelt offers weekly workshops on Saturdays and Sundays which are open to the general public. Just sign up.

Smelt also has art glass pieces, vases and plates crafted by professional glass artists on display and for sale and they will gladly take commissions.

Hot Pots ... Hot Pots ...

throw back to NYC Hot Pot @ The Grand Sichuan

Okay I admit I am super late to the party on this one, but at least I now know there's a party going on. That's a start.

Last night I attended my first Pop Up Hot Pot Night at the Cube in Parktown North.  This was the invite: "Gather around the steaming stock and cook a selection of marinaded meats, fish and vegetables. Throw in some noodles and dip into a moreish sauce made from soya, sesame, garlic, chilli and spring onions. Mix and match your flavours and pour each other a glass of wine. End off with a delicious home-made ice cream."  

Irresistible! I love Hot Pot! (And cooked on a free-standing gas stove, it is the perfect load-shedding meal.)

photos from thekitchenspace website and Facebook page

Perfectly timed too for a Joburg wintery evening as winter has literally just arrived via a cold front front from Cape Town. The hostesses for the evening were thekitchenspace dynamic duo of Su-yen and Rachel. 

According to their website, "Su-yen grew up in Hong Kong with her Chinese Tiger mummy and ‘Gweilo’ father. A regular ‘chop suey’, she has lived in London and New York and eaten her way around the world. She married a South African and moved to Joburg with her children in 2011. Su-yen is a medical microbiologist, teacher, mother, triathlete, ironman and an ex-contestant on Come Dine With Me SA. 

Rachel’s father also lived in Hong Kong for 20 years so she spent many a holiday there and travelling around the Far East. She’s a Londoner at heart, but craving adventure moved to Jozi in 1997 and subsequently married a South African. She is a writer, TV producer, tennis player, mother and an avid fan of Crispy Aromatic Duck.

Rachel and Su-yen

It was during their long, mouth-watering conversations about how much they missed the Chinese food in Hong Kong that the idea for thekitchenspace was born. Su-yen is a fabulous cook, and both agreed that the Asian food in South Africa is very disappointing, so they may as well make it themselves, and teach others to do so too."

The duo are freelance caterers and in between jobs, they pop up around town. Cube is closed on Monday nights so that has become a frequent location. They also regularly inhabit Croft in Parkview, an upscale men's store I have been meaning to check out for Vince.

Rachel and Su-yen also run regular Asian cooking demos on Thursday nights. They are fun, informal, interactive and sociable. Demos make great team building events and kids' parties too.

I have liked thekitchenspace on Facebook which they suggest is the best way to get invitations to future Pop Ups and special events. Let's get this party started!