Race - KWay Grape Run, Constantia

What a gorgeously beautiful TOUGH race! Super chuffed to have completed the 1/3 marathon. The 14km route goes through Groot Constantia and Klein Constantia and meanders in and out of the vineyards - really quite beautiful. I walked a LOT! BUT I was fine with it. I had decided before the time to not put any pressure on myself and to just enjoy it. There were a lot of uphills, but nothing quite as hectic as the Camel Run through Cape Point Vineyards. 

It was a beautiful day, clear skies - a bit breezy and chilly in the morning when we started, but the breeze was quite welcome during the race. 

It was quite a stressful start to the morning, as the fun run entrants lined up to start shortly after the 21km group left, a white VW Scirocco came flying down the road, it felt like it all happened in slow motion. I saw the car and was thinking to myself - he's going to fast - then looking at the people and thinking they should move - he's going too fast!! at the last minute a slowed down, and fortunately no one was injured. He did not stop even with traffic officers around, and sped off; must admit that that did rattle me.

Anyway, nothing like a good run to get your mind off things like that! At the 10km mark, I had done 01:11-something, which is not great, but actually not too bad considering how much I had walked up to that point. My total time was 01:38-something; I had hoped to to it within one and a half hours, so was quite happy with the time. Must admit my legs burned!

Race - Outsurance Gun Run, 10kms

A beautiful, misty start to the day and it stayed that way throughout the race, which was wonderfully cool to run in. We were supposed to start at 07:30, but at 07:25 they let us know that there was a 15 minute delay - not great, especially when it is chilly, but it was not too bad, and it was nice to start chatting with fellow runners. What I do find a bit strange or against protocol, is that non club members/walkers start right at the front - surely they should start a bit more to the middle?

We couldn't park along the beach road in Sea Point where we usually park, so we parked in a parking area across the road from the Cape Town stadium, which worked out well, half way between the start and the end.

We started at the stadium and ran along through the waterfront, past the aquarium, to the circle, past where the Hectic Nine9 studios are, past the area where Beluga is; turned right at the traffic light past the traffic department back to Sea Point through to Winchester Mansions where the end was.

There were a couple of up hills, so not as flat as the other races in that area. I found it quite a tough race, and walked once, and stopped for a Coke once, so very annoyed with myself.

Time: 01:02:34

Restaurant - Steamcraft, Woodstock

It's not very often that I take a mini break; but I decided to take some time off and have a long weekend at the beginning of October to recharge the batteries for the last stretch of the year.

Mark and I found ourselves in Woodstock on a Friday late morning, and decided to try something different. Mark is not a fan of, as he calls it "hippie places", so it was with some trepidation that I recommended we look for a place to have lunch in Woodstock as we were in the area.

FOOD - Pleasantly surprised at the quality and value. Mark had their 'Steamcraft burger', their speciality burger served with cheese & bacon served on a soft seeded role and served with sweet potato chips.The patty (200g) was huge, and well seasoned. Mark mentioned that the patty was so big, that it wasn't cooked all the way through and not hot on the inside; his personal preference is a medium-rare cooked burger, but he said it was still very tasty. The side order of sweet potato chips was tricky to eat as it looked like 'straw', but still tasty. All in all, besides currently suffering from some indigestion, he said that the presentation was good and would have preferred the patty to be cooked a bit more.

I ordered their pork belly sandwich - there were a number of pork belly dishes, so had to try it. The first couple of bites, I wasn't too sure if I had made the right decision as the pork cubes were a bit dry, and I didn't like the initial taste of the spices. But as I continued through the sandwich, the rest of the pork was quite tender, and deliciously spiced, with hints of ginger. The bread was also delicious!

DRINKS - I had a glass of dry white wine. Mark had cappuccino's, which he said was fairly average.

SERVICE - really friendly server.

AMBIANCE - we were initially the only people. I can imagine that this must be quite popular in the evening.

VALUE FOR MONEY - very affordable, my big sandwich was only R55. Mark's burger, R95 (this seems a bit more pricey), and my wine R25 - again reasonable, and Mark's coffee R20.

PARKING -parking on the road
RECOMMENDABLE - yes, it was quite pleasant. 7/10

Restaurant - Casareccio, Hout Bay

I have often run past this restaurant, and have heard that it is a wonderful spot in Hout Bay.  After a long morning helping out with the Chappies Challenge, we went to have breakfast here.

FOOD - Frittata - open Italian omelette. It was fairly average, nothing really wow. As it was breakfast, we pretty much stuck to the breakfast menu, but as far as I know it is one of the Master Chef judge's favourite places for pizza, and in one week, from two different people randomly told me about their delicious Portuguese steak. So I would like to go back and try it out at dinner time.

DRINKS - orange juice - not freshly squeezed.

SERVICE - such an incredibly friendly and on the ball server.; made up for the average food.

AMBIANCE - It is OK, it is an old restaurant with an old feel to it; I am not the biggest fan of table cloths. Will be interested to see what it is like at night.

VALUE FOR MONEY - very affordable. R55 for my frittata

RECOMMENDABLE - I doubt I'll go back for breakfast, am keen to try it out at supper time. 6/10

28 October 2014 - since my last visit, I had been very keen to try out the highly recommendable Portuguese steak. So on Sunday, Mark and I meandered down there for lunch. Initially we sat out side because it was a gorgeously hot day, but then it got too hot, so opted to move inside. As pity about the dirty table cloth  and dead fly in the window - the whole place needs a spruce up; but I think the locals / loyal patrons look past this, and are more forgiving.

FOOD - At last - I had an opportunity to order their Portuguese steak. First impressions? TOO MUCH GARLIC! As it is I am not a fan of garlic, but don't mind reasonable amounts of it, the huge amount caused the sauce to be bitter.The meat was cooked amazingly - as soft as butter. The chips were disappointing oven chips. All in all I was disappointed, especially at R130 for the dish. Mark opted for their lasagna,which at R85 was quite reasonable; it was a big potion with many layers of lasagna pasta, he said that the taste got a bit boring half way through and gave it a 6/10.. 

DRINKS - I opted for a chocolate milkshake and Mark 'n lime one - lovely large portions; mine was fairly standard, nothing spectacular. Mark really enjoyed his and said that it was very refreshing and cut through the 'cheesiness' of his lasagna.

SERVICE - Good service - looks like a great team that works here.
AMBIANCE - Still not a fan especially with the dirty table cloth.

VALUE FOR MONEY - reasonable R130 - Portuguese steak | R85 for the lasagna | R25 for the milkshakes.

RECOMMENDABLE - I doubt I'll go back. 5/10

Restaurant - Petit Caveau, Century City

03 September 2014 - this is a lovely restaurant and a quite a hidden gem. Did not realise just how big the place is. Had a couple of meetings here and it was a great, quiet venue. Lovely ambiance.

FOOD - Ordered their tapas, which was quite delicious, however drenched in garlic! I love garlic, but not when there are meetings that I need to go to.

DRINKS - had tea

SERVICE - fair, server was quite attentive

VALUE FOR MONEY - the tapas was R160, fair

PARKING - there is parking right in front, but can get pricey if you park there for a couple of hours.

RECOMMENDABLE - quite a nice option for meetings at Century City, 7/10

Book review Fat Genes to Skinny Jeans, Santie Pretorius

What a fabulous name! This easy read is all about Santie Pretorius' journey of losing 105 kgs, and going from fat to fit. I did not know all that much about gastric bypass surgery except the horror stories I've seen on television, it was fascinating to read about such a success story and it being someone that I actually knew! (so definitely no urban legend). What a personal journey, love the photos shared and how Santie's smile just gets bigger and bigger as she sheds the kgs!  I really like the approach by the clinic of having a whole team - surgeon, dietician, psychologist, sports physiotherapist that works together.

Restaurant - Dario's, Hout Bay

This is one of the other places in Hout Bay that I would love to love, sadly I don't. This morning we decided to break from routine and go down there for breakfast. There were a lot of families, i.e. A LOT of children. 

FOOD - they have eggs Benedict which was incredibly tasting, you can either have it on an English muffin or rye bread. I wanted muffins, but they were out. The rye option was fine. You can also choose between bacon, ham or spinach. Bacon for me thanks! 

Mark had the 'Fontana di Trevi' full breakfast and says it was average, nothing special. The bacon and eggs (for both) were cooked perfectly. 

However, we waited almost 30 minutes for the food to be served. This is just too long to wait. 

DRINKS - Capaccino Grande. Nice smooth coffee. 

SERVICE - there are a lot of hands on deck to take orders and clear tables. The wait for food to arrive was just too long. 

VALUE FOR MONEY - very good value, both dished R68. 

RECOMENDABLE: I find it too cliquey.  6/10

Book Review: The Rabbit in the Thorn Tree, Arthur Goldstuck

Another fun book in between all the business books. An easy read about all the different urban legends in South Africa in the '80's and '90's. 

Some are quite light hearted and others just crazy! I like Arthur's writing style; each section's ending leads to the next section and the new section referring back to the previous section, the 'golden thread' not really seen all that often anymore, but in fact how it should be done. 

I think we have considerably less urban legends these days thanks to technology and easy access to information. 

Recommendable 6/10

Book Review: A Book of English Idioms - V. H Collins

My mom is always encouraging us to speak idiomatic Afrikaans - quite a challenge! So I decided to do the same with English, and was delighted to find "A Book of English Idioms, by V H Collins" at a local charity shop.

It is fascinating to read about all the different idioms and where they come from, some even dating back to the 1500's! I just wish I could remember them better!

Interestingly there are a large number of idioms around 'squares'; I was intrigued as our logo has three of them, so was keen to learn more - here is what they have to say about squares:

...Squareness, in its usual meaning of 'four equal sided-ness, suggests regularity. A figurative extension of this is correctness, straightness, rightness... 



It is all square. It has been arranged so as to be fair to all sides.

I loved this, as it resonates so well with our reputation management building blocks and looking after reputations. "Correctness, straightness, rightness...all summed into one word - integrity, is what managing reputations is all about.  It is also so representative of our Repudometer®, where we focus specifically on the balance of all the dimensions within the organisation.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, but will have to re-read it to remember all the wonderful expressions.

Restaurant - Outspan, Kalk Bay

I have often walked past this little restaurant and not really given it another thought. I honestly thought that it was a 'dingy dive' with plastic chairs.

Someone then told me that it was on of their favourite spots when visiting Cape Town, so I was intrigued and made a point of visiting it.

What a pleasant surprise. Not a plastic chair in sight! Tastefully decorated with white furniture and blue accents, and a great view of the sea. The fish is 'braai'ed' outside.


I had run a 10km race in the morning, so I WAS HUNGRY!

FOOD - I was told that their Tuna was the best, unfortunately they did not have any on the particular day. My friend and I then shared the Angelfish and Yellow-Tail, both are served with chips and a salad. I preferred the Angelfish, deliciously delicate and juicy, I found the other one a bit dry, but my friend found it the other way round.

DRINKS - I had a glass of dry white wine, as far as house wines go it was tasty.

SERVICE - good and efficient.

VALUE FOR MONEY - I found it quite pricey, each dish was R120.00

RECOMMENDABLE - yes, I will most likely go back there as I did like the atmosphere, and keen to try their Tuna. 7/10

Restaurant - Fourno's, OR Tambo Airport

After a whirlwind trip to Gauteng,  I had one last meeting at OR Tambo before heading back to Cape Town. I had just enough time to grab lunch before the meeting started.

Usually I end up at Mugg & Bean at the airport, but it is usually quite jam-packed and noisy and not great for meetings. I then saw that there was a whole food court area (!) - (I usually just rush past it and have never really noticed it before). 

My stop was at Fourno's. 

FOOD - I opted for a pancake with a poached egg, ham, mushroom and onions; I think it was on the breakfast menu, but it did the trick for lunch. IT WAS DELICIOUS! There were TWO crepes served!

DRINKS - Sparkling water, so nothing too exciting.

SERVICE - Very friendly and efficient.

VALUE FOR MONEY - These two amazing crepes only cost R25! Definitely very good value for money.

RECOMMENDABLE - Yes! 8/10