Race: Cape Peninsula Half Marathon, 21.1km

 

Another beautiful start to the race. The half and full marathons started at different points and ended at the same place. Mark dropped me off as there was a shuttle (People on the Go) organised to get home. Was quite nice not to worry about parking etc. Beautiful rainbow at the start, even a double one at some stage. 

It was quite a busy start. A beautiful run from Bergvliet Sports Field through Kalk Bay, Glan Cairn through to Simon's Town. I thought the race went fairly well,  I am changing my style and experimenting with gait & stride. Unfortunately I did not do as well as I thought I would. 

Even though I felt strong and more relaxed, my time was 02:30 on the dot. 

Restaurant: Massimo's, Hout Bay

This is without a doubt my favourite pizza spot in Hout Bay. After quite a hiatus for a number of reasons we made our way there for lunch (Valentine's nogal). 

FOOD - I had one of the specials for the day, Brie, Mozzarella, prosciutto, basil and fresh figs. AMAZINGLY tasty. They use the best quality ingredients and it definitely makes a huge difference to the taste. R20 of this pizza gets donated to PETS. Mark opted for his ol' regular 'Regina' with extra avo and also raved about it. 

DRINKS - They are in the process of sorting out their liquor lisence, fortunately I could get a free glass of wine (MAN Merlot) with a heart-shaped garlic bread ordered. 

Mark opted for a berry milkshake. He really enjoyed it. I was very happy with my wine choice

SERVICE - Super fast and friendly. 

VALUE FOR MONEY - it is pricey. With that said you can just taste the difference with the use of good quality products. Our meal including a tip was R340 for the two of us. 

PARKING - ample, the restaurant is at Oakhurst with parking at the back of the restaurant as well. 

RECOMMENDABLE - DEFINITELY 100% 10/10

Restaurant: River Way, Hout Bay

After reading a number of reviews of this new restaurant at Mainstream Mall in Hout Bay, Mark and I decided to go and check it out. The décor is elegant vintage chic, something I quite like. 

 

 

FOOD: the menu is not huge, but I prefer not having to choose from a massive menu. Rather focus on a couple of things really well instead of doing a lot of things averagely.

They have a lovely counter filled with baked goodies, but we were there for lunch, so had to eat something more responsible. Will definitely to go back for cake and tea at some point.

We opted for baguettes served with fries. Huge portions. I opted for the pulled pork belly with cabbage, and slices of apple. When I saw Mark's, beef, shavings of cheese (not sure what else) I knew he had ordered the winner for the day. His looked delicious. Mine was OK, it was a bit too spicy with too much cumin for my own personal liking. The fries were really tasty.
 

Mine, pulled pork belly baguette

 



Mark's beef baguette (looked divine!)



DRINKS - Mark had a coffee which he says was very tasty. I opted for a chocolate milkshake. I love the glass container it was served in. If was also delicious.

 

 

SERVICE - really sweet lady served us. The owner was also there and wanted to get me something else to eat for lunch because I was not loving my sandwich, but as I told her it would not be necessary as there was nothing wrong with it, it was not their fault I don't like cumin 

 

VALUE FOR MONEY - very reasonable. Mark's was R79 mine R72, good value for the amount of food you get.

PARKING VALUE - it is at Mainstream Mall so there is ample parking. 

 

RECOMMENDABLE - yes, will go back. 8/10

 

Salon: Inzolo, Hout Bay Manor (45.7%)

This is not the place that I am out of favour with (as per blurb above), however, I am not overly impressed with them. Am actually sadly underwhelmed, as I really love the setting. After not being happy with the previous facial, they kindly offered me one on the house, which I really appreciated. I also booked a half leg wax. When I arrived, I asked whether it would be possible to have the wax first, and the therapist said that the room where they do waxes was currently occupied with another client, so she would do it later. This was a pity as I am not a fan of ending off a relaxing facial with a wax. Anyway, facial done, instead of moving to the other room, the therapist starts waxing my legs (??), which I found most annoying and indicated that I did not understand this. The therapist said that the other therapist brought the equipment to the room where we were busy. I am still in the dark as to why we could not have gotten the wax out of the way at the beginning.

1. Send me a reminder be it via email or text that my appointment is taking place the next day. NO
2. Client card to be filled in - I really don't want them to guess that I like a light / med or hard massage - ask me. NO
3. Offer me something to drink on arrival, or let me know where I can find a jug of water (bonus points if said jug has fruit, mint or lemon in it). Not offered, but saw jug of water in room, and it did have strawberries in!
4. Friendly therapists that go out of their way to make you feel special. AVERAGE
5. Offers a head, hand or foot massage during the masque time. This is the reason I went back, as this was neglected last time. This time I opted for the Indian head massage, which was average.
6. Gives a kick ass medium-strength massage that I feel relaxed afterwards. Don't come with light rubbing or think that I am bread dough that needs to be kneaded and I walk out with bruises. No massage was given, only the Indian head massage, which was not all that relaxing.
7. Gentle relaxing music. NO
8. Comfortable beds / plush mattresses YES - divine!
9. Warm towel / blanket NO
10. Calms energy before just starting immediately with cleansing NO
11. Does extractions NO
12. Does high frequency treatment NO
13. Does eye brow wax as part of treatment YES
14. Does eye brow wax during treatment not afterwards at end, no one wants to end off a relaxing treatment with a wax.NO - was done afterwards
15. Offers both waxing and threading YES
16. Analysis skin before treatment and makes recommendations NO
17. Fluffy white towels. YES
18. Crisp, clean, white or fluffy towel gown YES
19. Heated towel rails YES
20. Manager / owner introduces them self and asks how the treatment was NO, this would have been good especially if they knew that the client was not happy the first time. 
21. Value for money AVERAGE
22. Location YES, I like supporting local companies
23. Loyalty point system NO

10.5/23 =45.7%

My search for the best facial continues. Sadly, it is doubtful that I will be back here.

Book: Man's Search for Meaning, an Introduction to Logotherapy - Viktor E. Frankl

Isn't that what everyone wants to know? As I get older I think about this question a lot more often. This was a fascinating read with two very different sections, the first focusing on Viktor Frankl's time in a Nazi concentration camp, and the second being on logotherapy.

The concentration camp part was relayed incredibly sensitively and to the point, nothing overly emotional. It was also fascinating to learn more about the different psychological levels of prisoners from when they got to the camps, during their stay and once freed. 

The stories shared in both parts were very interesting. 

What I found quite interesting is that while I was reading Stephen Covey's "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" I had decided that I should read this book next, the day after getting the book, Stephen Covey's book made a number of references to Viktor Frankl's book - very bizarre!  I had no way of knowing that there was this cross reference as I had not gotten that far in the 7 Habits book yet. 

Book: The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People - Stephen R. Covey

Speak about a late bloomer reader! But as they say, rather late than never. I have only now read Stephen Covey's very famous - 7 Habits!  Initially I was preparing myself to 'swim in syrup', due to feedback I received from other people who had read the book; however it was (thankfully) quite an easy read.

I am also very pleased that I already have some of these habits incorporated into daily life. The seven habits being: Be proactive | Begin with the end in mind | Put first things first | Think Win/Win | Seek first to understand, then to be understood | Synergise | Sharpen the saw.  

One part that I particularly liked was his explanation of integrity. "One of the most important ways to manifest integrity is to be loyal to those who are not present. When you defend those who are absent you retain the trust of those present." Stephen Covey