A moon a book and some love for you.

You are the trip i did not take.
You are the pearls i could not buy.
You are my blue Italian Lake.
You are my piece of Foreign sky.

You are my Honolulu moon.
You are the book i did not write.
You are my hearts unuttered tune,
You are a candle in my night.

No!You cannot have a bite!

Anyone else out there suffer from 'Im an only child, haven't you heard we don't like sharing our food?' sydrome?
Well if you are out there in the great abyss, these nifty Anti lunch theft ziplock bags should come in handy for you.
( http://www.thinkofthe.com/product.php?name=anti-theft-lunch-bags)

And if like me, you constantly forget the date, then 'poof!' Bob's your uncle with this handy Oscar Diaz calender.(the liquid fills in as the days go by. Sjoe!nifty no?)
(http://www.oscar-diaz.net/?p=1)

Since when is kissing a crime?

The genius street photography of Clair streetart.

Well you know..back in my day....

You know you are getting old and reaching your sell by date when:

On a Friday night you are already in your pj's and fluffy slippers by 9pm,
and you and your best friend are bbming one another pictures of your dogs.

Jewel-ia.

My friend Julia Shnurr lives in the loveliest apartment in Joburg.
She really does.
After a year of renovating, she lives in a perfect trendy super cool abode in the heart of perfect trendy super cool Illovo.
A hop skip and a traffic light away from perfect trendy, super cool Wolves.
Lets face it, she is one perfect, trendy super cool gal, who i love for so many reasons i could write a sonnet about it.
In fact i will.

I love Julia Because:

i love Julia because of the way she mis-spells things in the cutest way.
because of the way she will be in her pj's at 9pm but if you want to go for a quick nightcap out on the town she will be dressed like one of those 'interesting people we do profiles on' out of Frankie magazine by 9.15pm.
Because of our childhood love of the gingerbread house filled with presents at the German Beerfest.(I swear we are the only two girls in Joburg who seem to remember this magical present palace)
Because of the way she treats the people she loves, she gives her time, her love her laughter and her heart in such a big big way.
Because she takes sneaky photos of boys i have crushes on and mms's them to me with funny one liners underneath.
Because she lent me her never before worn still has the tag on, leopard print leggings from Woolworths when we went to a Roxette concert.
Because i still have them and she hasnt said a word about when she might be getting them back(sssshhhhhh)
because of our mutual love for ceramic rabbits and dalmations.
Because i know we will still be going to Roxette concerts together when we are eighty.
Wearing leopard print leggings and drinking tequila out of Valpre water bottles.

We heart you Joel.

This is my friend Joel.
Brother to the Ameezing Camilla, and one of the bigest slices of wonderfulness that make up my happy pie.
Joel is the best ever ever fashion designer soon to kick Vivienne Westwood's ass,
and i am so proud of him.
Soon the words on everyones lips will be...
'Sjoe!Is that a JJVV?You lucky girl you...."

Till death do us part.

Almost Married people are scary.
I make cake for people about to take the plunge and let me tell you this,
Nothing scarier in this world than the look in a bride to be's eyes.
Its as though once that sparkly ring is on their finger their evil twin emerges and gone is the carefree giggling lovely girl her husband to be fell in love with.
Well for the few months leading up to the wedding at least.
Now i know i may be generalising but sjoeeeee ladies, your getting married not having a personality labotomy.
And let it be known, that silver trimming on your cupcakes does not a happy marriage make.
Lets all say a silent prayer for those about to say their forever and always's....
And remember avoid eye contact.
Nothing scarier than a scary bridezilla to be.

A thing like that.

I have been compulsively watching Mad Men.
I have been avoiding my life, avoiding the dogs plea's for a walk, my friends calls for drinks and have litterally become a spectator in the life of Don and Betty Draper.
Im wearing red lipstick to the breakfast table, smoking as though im in an advert,finding myself longing for days gone by where sandwiches had no crusts and you could order Bellvedere's at bars and using words like 'Imagine, a thing like that!' And 'goodness me i do feel faint.'
Theres a special place in my heart for turqoise headboards, cocktail hour at 10am, and hospitals with cigarette machines in the waiting room.
God Bless the 1950's. Thank you Don, Betty, Peggy and the rest of you all at Stanley Cooper, for making my week swell, real swell.

I wanna hold your hand.

Cleaning up my life and all the junk in it recently, i came across a stash of old photos from way back when of a particularly amazing group of woman in my life.
Camilla, woman extraordinaire,i look at her and think 'wow!i want to be like her when i grow up. Lauren, soon to be joburgs best doctor ever and in her next life, Alice in Wonderland.She is a fairytale of loveliness. Lindsay new home owner and mommy to Fred and also the reason im always so darn happy. And Robyn Davie almost to be, in exactly four days Mrs Theo Landey. I am darn fortunate to know this group of dynamic woman. They are full of grace, compassion, great tenderness to the friendships they have cultivated, and a beautiful honest interest in eachothers lives.
And for me, sjoe its quite a thing to be a part of that.
I love that we are all a part of eachothers lives in such unique and unobvious ways...each story of 'us' is different, yet something holds us together in a bond of sisterhood for which i am always greatful.
Yes we may all get married, move house, find some more friends, but theres something really special about unforced friendship, the kind that seem to come out of nowhere, grab you by your heartstrings and make you feel happy all the way into your heart.

How much is that doggy,house,lamp,carpet,house in the window?

My friend bought a house.
Not a dolls house, not some little tiny town house with half a bathroom and a hundred neighbours,
Oh no, my friend bought a real house, a real house in leafy suburbia, a hop skip and a jump away from Delta Park, ah the bliss.

Friends came over with gifts, the ameezing Camilla brought a delicate little glass bird vase, i brought dustbin bags and arms ready to carry boxes, other friends brought words of encouragement, some just a 'hey!If you need help call!'sms. Nicola and Nick brought tummy aching laughter. The list of wonderful help was wonderful.
Now being a grown up means being able to do grown up things.
So on Saturday, exactly a week after the happy couple had moved in, off we went in a very grown up fashion to Wetnose to pick up Fred.
Fred is a danglified rescued Basset cross beagle.
A dog that more resembles a baby Elephant than a baby pooch.
But Sjoe!he sure is wonderful.
Okay so he pee's inside every now and then, and charges for the gate like a bat out of hell.
But who said being a grown up was easy?
After a long day of dog fetching, dog playing, dog training and dog 'oohing and ah! he sat-ing' We flopped down with some grown up people's food(Sushi)and had a very serious grown up talk about how scary all this grown up stuff really is.
Its like, you had this idea all along of meeting the guy, finding the dog and moving into the house, and then it happens and the toilet overflows, the noises at night are scary, the dog makes a number two on the new Persian rug and you find yourself wishing you were five years old again and the worst thing ever to happen to you is that mom forgot to buy fish fingers and now you have to eat smackaroo's for dinner.
Okay she didnt exactly say it in those particular words it was more like a burst of tears and lots of swear words.
But when we spoke the next day, everything seemed to have fallen into place, as i knew it would...I knew it would, but not because i have my own grown up life yet, but because i know her,and she was always going to be amazing at being a home owner and a grown up and as scary as it all is out there,i know when i look at my friend, that there is nothing more amazing, than knowing you have the support of your friends when moving house, buying a dog, or when you hear scary night noises and that can cure just about anyones buyers remorse.